(Whoa, May already? Holy Moses on a cracker. I’m scrambling to finish my chem homework, so this’ll be short. Seriously. Wow. Holy bananafish.)

Ah, it’s strange to know that at this time last year, we thought that Gocchin was gone, lost to the unending depths of that thing known as “post-idol life”–and she taught us that yes, such a thing exists. There is, in fact, life outside the Hello! Project. Life on avex, no less. (We thought that was just a myth.)

(We, Chiakii? Yes, we. Me and my multiple personalities. DUH. KEEP UP.)

So, congratulations, Gocchin. I said I’d never forget you, but to be honest, I haven’t listened to anything you put out yet. Your new hair is AWESOME, though.

Posted: May 10th, 2009 under 510, avex, eyecandy, maki goto.
Comments: none

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SERIOUS BUSINESS. CHIAKII ACTUALLY SITS HER ASS DOWN AND TALKS ABOUT HER FEELINGS. JUST A WARNING.

Well, 2008 is winding down. We’re getting ready for 2009. I can’t think of anything important that will be happening to me personally in 2009. I might get my learners’ permit or something. (I’m sure that’s such a good idea. Set Chiakii loose on the roads of San Francisco.)

However! Some blogs are choosing to honor the artists that they felt brought the awesome this year. Some are writing long, heartfelt posts about how 2008 did/didn’t live up to their expectations. Everyone will look back at pengie’s predictions for 2008 and see whether or not they came true.

But I’m not those blogs! Instead, I’m going to wrap up 2008 in dialogue format and be rude about all the releases I secretly loved. Because I am a bitch.

I actually did something like this in 2007. I called it “2007 in a Nutshell” (because I’m so creative). I didn’t finish it in time. Pity, too. There were quite a few gems in there.

So, Soap Bubble brings you…2008 in a Nutshell!

* Note: I really don’t remember half of what happened this year. And frankly, I don’t care about half of the stuff that did. Just warning you, in case something epic happened in August that skipped over. Read more »

Posted: December 31st, 2008 under album, avex, berryz koubou, boobs, c-ute, conspiracy theories, elder club, end of the year, h!p kids, hello! project, high-king, japanese, morning musume, ongaku gatas, perfume, v-u-den, wtf.
Comments: 9

…hereafter known as Dump His Ass, Stephanie!

Now, while “Here” was absolutely gorgeous in every respect, “Near” is still good in its own right. It’s the B-side, so it’s not as good as “Here” — it’s a bit more mainstream. But it’s still got its strong points, the PV being one of them. The “Near” PV has everything — bad English, cell phone obsession, swimming pools, ~drinking~, friendship, and Tenjochiki eyecandy. What’s not to love? Read more »

Posted: December 28th, 2008 under avex, japanese, korean, pv, single, sm, the grace.
Comments: none

You may not know this, but I am a fan of Tenjochiki. Tenjochiki is kind of like the female DBSK — they’re both managed under SM, they both work in Korea and Japan, and they both have several annoying acronyms that make it impossible to get the right tag on last.fm. Though they’re officially called “The Grace” in Korea, and “Tenjochiki” in Japan, they’re mostly referred to as CSJH, CSJH The Grace, TSZX, TSZX The Grace, and occasionally TJCK.

See what I mean about the goddamn acronyms?

That does not, however, change my opinion that this group is awesome. The four girls in this group can all actually sing, and they sound wonderful together. Read more »

Posted: December 28th, 2008 under avex, japanese, korean, pv, single, sm, the grace.
Comments: 1

alan is one of those artists that I had always meant to try, but never really got around to it. I don’t remember why. I’ll bet someone in H!P released a single that I completely bashed and bitched about but still racked up 100+ listens on iTunes with.

But one day, when I realized that I don’t really give a fuck about a song with the words “Monkey Dance” in them, I sat down and listened to “Ashita e no Sanka”…

…and then took out my earphones and stared at the screen in blank shock for about a minute afterwards.

Because this single is good. I’ve always been a sucker for classical or traditional music - cheesy, overproduced dance-pop is always fun, but going back to the roots is nice too. And that’s exactly what alan does in her first single. She employs everything from Chinese instruments to wailing in the chorus, and let me tell you, it all works in her favor. Read more »

Posted: July 23rd, 2008 under alan, avex, pv, single.
Comments: 4