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Friday, June 03, 2005
Hello! Morning 259/260 - W
Part Six. We're coming close to the end... now it's just the two H!P shill sequences from these two rapidly-aging episodes.
For the May 15 episode, it's Nacche and not Yuko as the host, with Tsuji and Kago of W as her guests. To me, this is a great line-up: I'm a sucker for the historical aspect of Hello! Project, and here we've got a first gen, two fourth gen, and a sixth gen - all of whom worked together in Morning Musume, three of whom graduated in 2004. Those 2004 graduations were the most important to the group since Goto Maki's departure: in the space of six months, three of the most popular members of Momusu left and the group's identity had to be reconfigured.
I'm not one of those who counts solo lines on each song, but Nacche and Kago were prominent singers in the line-up, while Kago and Tsuji were the most dynamic of the group. While Nache and Kago haven't dominated H!P vocally since they went off on their own, Kago and Tsuji have certainly had a strong media presence after forming W.
After a bit of small talk by the three girls, Eri arrives as Elise the maid. Ah, well - I prefer Eric Kamezou, but Eri is funny in both roles.
Treating her like Charmy - or for that matter, Ayaka - Nacche and W try to drown her out. It's a cute moment that helps set the tone for the segment.
The nuisance characters in H!P are often the funniest - Rika's Charmy, Rika in general, Ayaka from her English Lessons, Tsujikago when they were younger and let loose on the other members of Momusu (or when they did the elevator girls thing for Musix), even Konno from her Hello Pro interviews. Part of it is the humor in harassing the other H!P girls and seeing the victims get annoyed. Simple schadenfreude. Beyond that, there are often situations where we see the victims in a different light, when the veneer of pop idol responsibility gives way to something more human.
Ayaka's surprise English lessons are probably the best examples. When Yuko's told her Engish is better than the others, Yuko is mortified at being compared to the girls of Morning Musume. Mari and Johnson both complained several times about Tsuji and Kago's bad behavior. Tsuji is sullen about the surprise English lessons but caves in at the first sign of a food bribe - and later takes revenge with the surprise dance lessons she forces on Ayaka. Kago causes unwanted mischief and then acts cute to make up for it.
Eri's shill characters sometimes approaches this kind of unscripted insight, but not just yet... The fact that she forces the girls to dance and catches them off guard with surprise gifts works in her favor, certainly. And as we've had glimpses at some of the strangeness of Eri in her off moments, maybe we'll see more of it in Elise and Eric.
Nacche gets to shill her new single and explains why she's hosting the segment and not Yuko. I don't particularly care for Nacche's singles, though I know she's had at least a couple of good ones. Now that I think of it, while I like the personalities of H!P soloists, for the most part I prefer the groups.
Part of it may be the tendency to take oneself more seriously as a soloist and opt for ballads - which is why I haven't enjoyed Matsuura Aya as much since "Kiseki no Kaori Dance" - but I also think that soloists in H!P don't have as developed a media personality to stand on their own, Goto Maki and Matsuura Aya being the notable exceptions. When they appear on shows, they're interesting for being part of H!P but beyond that... well, they're not as fun unless they're riffing off some other H!P girl. (Which is what makes Nochiura Natsumi more enjoyable than the three H!P soloists on their own.)
In that sense, the H!P groups are a safer bet - let the girls speak to each other, let the contrast of personalities develop in front of the camera. Each group has its own dynamic - and vastly different power structures - and it's fascinating to watch them as a result.
Elise serves up some crab legs, and - this is the greatest thing I've seen in any Hello! Project video in a long while - Tsuji uses one of the claws to make the W sign. It's funny, it's cute, it's great use of an unexpected prop, it pokes fun at her own unit's defining move,
Elise has her own great W joke, though, as she starts handing out various W-themed souvenirs. Nacche and W are puzzled by this, as none of it seemed familiar... then they realize the W stands for Waseda University, one of the most prominent colleges in Japan.
Elise then has the three other girls join her in the requisite dance, waving around a Waseda fan. Always fun, and it's nice that there's always some interest in taking control of the maracas.
From the shill sequence, we cut to a live stage performance of W's new single. "Ai no Imi wo Oshiete!".
There seem to be two kinds of W songs: those that confirm W is simply the latest iteration of Minimoni, and those that suggest Tsuji and Kago are trying in their own way to become more mature Pink Lady-esque long-term career singers of pop standards. In the latter category I'd place "Koi no Vacance" and "Koi no Fugue" (as well as most all of the first album and long-form DVD). In the former category we've got "Aa Iina" and "Robokiss". The new single is definitely in the former category - the song itself could easily fit into the Minimoni repertoire, though the harmonies are uniquely Tsujikago.
Kago... Ah, I've already said so much about her. Still my favorite H!P and it's always fun to watch her.
Tsuji won my heart with these two episodes. She seems to be more intent on maturing as a singer than Kago, apparently had her teeth fixed (I couldn't tell and I actually liked her teeth crooked - she and Akina of Folder 5 made it look good, in my opinion), and yet still has her goofy childish side.
I've always considered Kago the more dominant in the Tsujikago personality, but it seems to have evened out more with W. Now that they're partners and not just a duo in a larger group, their dependence on each other has actually had a positive effect. Maybe that lesbian teen wedding ceremony helped out.
Of all the different units and soloists in Hello! Project, I'd say W has the best chance for a long, sustained career. Their music will last, but what's more important is the chemistry.
I keep thinking back to the Music Fair 21 appearance they did with Pink Lady for their graduation from Morning Musume. Pink Lady also seemed to be a novelty - though they admittedly had bigger hits than W - but decades later are performing their standards and still have a loyal fan base. As long as Kago doesn't decide to scrap it all and become a young mother in the next few years, W has a chance at this long-term success as well.
Next: Part 7 - Viyuden
Post a Comment
"Maybe that lesbian teen wedding ceremony helped out."
I don't remember seeing anything like that, ie I missed something like that!
And, when talking about Kago, what is she really doing in 'Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari' (during Konno's verse)?
ok I agree it looks like she is simulating brushing her teeth (not simulating a blowjob) but... still? I mean the others are doing something completely different.
Thank you in advance.
I was refering to the video featuring the musume girls in the public transport vehicle (ie a train/tram of some kind)... it's at around 4:30 in the video.
The wedding occurred on Arizona no Mahou around the time "Koi no Vacance" was released - Tsuji was the bride, Kago was the dashing groom. Instead of trading rings, they had really fancy fake nails, then sliced a cake. They even had a minister of some sort preside. Positively surreal.
And I know exactly what you're talking about in the "Joshi" video - I saw it and was wondering what the hell she meant, too. My guess is that it's probably meant to be a toothbrush reference but yeah, there's that other connotation which immediately came to mind. I just assumed that wouldn't have gone through if the director or the agency thought it was obscene...
I was surprised that Up Front let them show the part where the three were eating the crab after Kamei left the set, I thought it looked extremely suggestive but I guess that's cultural differences for you.