Author: JPope

PINK CRES. — “Tokyo Confusion” single

Not sure how this release passed me by — this being the Foremost English Language PINK CRES Blog, and all — but I’m glad I found it. I’m happy to report that PINK CRES has finally arrived to the current day music scene! After two full albums of mostly re-hashed 3rd-wave Kpop, our girls have traveled home to a decidedly...

PINK CRES. — Etcetera album

Remember 2017? It was a particularly painful year for fans of Hello! Project and associated acts, which was made to feel even worse as it followed one of the absolute best years in 2016. This plugged-toilet of a year saw the end of C-ute’s 15-year run, the Country Girls/KSS Divestment Draft, Kobushi Factory pushing the absolute limits of how much...

Angerme – Koi wa Accha Accha / Yumemita Fifteen

As Angerme prepares to send off Ayaka Wada — the last remaining founding member of S/mileage — we’re treated to another of H!P’s “ethnic” themed song as the lead to their latest — and Wada’s last — single. “Koi wa Accha Accha” isn’t the first H!P song to borrow Indian influences, but it is the first to buy into the...

W Choi Waru Devil EP

When it was announced that Kago Ai would return to the H!P stage as part of their 20th Anniversary celebrations in 2018, speculation for her future was rampant. Was this a one-off? Would she take part in future OG Musume? Will we get a W reunion? W’s finished, yet unreleased, 7th single and 3rd album had become the Holy Grails...

PINK CRES. – “Bukiyou na Jibun” Video

The follow up to their “Etcetera” video, “Bukiyou na Jibun” finds PINK CRES in a more comfortable place with this R&B-tinged ballad.  This is pretty much a Hikaru feature, which is a nice surprise, particularly because she makes the most of it. I had no idea she could sing this well, but she really does have a nice tone. The...

ANGERME – “Nakenai ze・・・Kyoukan Sagi” Single Review

Note: This is the second on a series of posts where I catch up with Hello! Project music released during my hiatus.  ANGERME’s latest single represents a return to form after an odd video-only triple A-side release. It was odd not only because of the video-only format, but the music was a departure from the winning sound they had established...

PINK CRES – “Etcetera” Video

PINK CRES has dropped the video for “Etcetera”, the first video from their forthcoming sophomore album of the same name. The K-pop R&B that PC toyed with on crescendo is back, and once again it’s a bit dated, although perhaps not so much as before. It’s a nice hard-R&B stomper with a catchy chorus and a legitimate rap, but it’s...

On the Occasion of Haruna Ogata’s Graduation

I goofed on Ogata earlier by pinning my old “what you wanted/what you’d accept/what you got” joke about her to the top of the blog.  It’s funny, because it’s true, but it’s also sad because it’s true. I mean Haruna no ill-will, and I wish nothing but the best for her in whatever it is she chooses to do, but...

Kobushi Factory – “Kore Kara da!” Single Review

Note: This is the first on a series of posts where I catch up with Hello! Project music released during my hiatus. When we last left Kobushi Factory, they were in the midst of the single greatest act of self-destruction of any group in Hello! Project history. Over a seven month period covering May to December of 2017, the group...

Airi Suzuki - DMAF

Airi Suzuki – Do Me A Favor

Hello! Project fans of a certain age (old) will remember a time when the ultimate dream of H!P-group idols was to one day debut as a solo artist. To be sure, this was always more true of Morning Musume than other groups, but Berryz Koubou and C-ute were both hatched at a point in time when solo idols were still...