Another version of the 30-day challenge

Day 1: Your Favorite Idol
Day 2: The Idol you hate or dislike
Day 3: If you are or were a boy who would be your girlfriend?
Day 4: If the Idol was a boy, who would be your boyfriend?
Day 5: Favorite Group?
Day 6: Favorite Unit?
Day 7: Favorite Couple.
Day 8: Your favorite voice.
Day 9: The voice you dislike.
Day 10: The idol you used to hate and now like (or vice versa).
Day 11: The one who’s not your type but totally won you over eventually.
Day 12: The evilest idol.
Day 13: Favorite Berryz Koubou member.
Day 14: The idol with the best body.
Day 15: Favorite Morning Musume member?
Day 16: The sweetest idol.
Day 17: The n00b trying to burrow their way into your heart.
Day 18: The best actress.
Day 19: Who would you like to be for a day?
Day 20: The most charming idol.
Day 21: The idol you have the most respect for or admire?
Day 22: Your favorite costume.
Day 23: Past H!P member you miss the most?
Day 24: Idol that is not one of your favorites but you think is really good.
Day 25: Past group you miss the most.
Day 26: Idol with the best personality.
Day 27: Idol that you have special feelings for?
Day 28: Idol that brings you special memories of something or somebody?
Day 29: Your favorite idol leader.
Day 30: The idol you’d like to go on a vacation with for a week.

Day 30: Why do you love idols?

Decided to modify it slightly from the original, expanding from just H!P to idols in general.

So why do I love idols? Music definitely isn't the main reason, although that's the main method I get my idol fix.

The main sticking point for me is that idols are fun. I got hooked to Berryz Kobo  first probably since they were experimenting with fun concepts at the time: singing about a Mongolian leader, dressing up as monkeys, crossdressing and flirting with a bus guide. Though now C-ute is trying the cute group image, while Berryz is going for the sexy.

Even grumpy monkey Saki makes me happy

There's that happiness that you gain from following an idol. That may be why I'm more inclined to MomoClo over TGS - TGS seems a bit too professional for me, while MomoClo mess around, having fun. Unsurprising given how TGS were assembled by avex, while MomoClo climbed up from indie to mainstream.

Part of this is captured in Team PB's almost-meta-idol-song, Enkyori Poster. An idol song from the point of view of an idol fan.

There's always that aspect of cheering your idol on, and the fact that they're working hard to garner your support drives you to work hard... to support them. Ah, that cycle called capitalism.

I wish they'd step out of this poster

Yet, that cycle is how one develops a connection to an idol.

Unlike Western celebrities, you feel that these idols are human, are people just like you - full of worries, troubles, and doing their best at their job. 

I have to admit that idols do act an escape mechanism for me.

The statement "If it wasn't for teenage Japanese girls, I might've killed myself" has a ring of truth to it, although if I hadn't found idols I'd probably have found something else. Like [insert weird fetish here] porn. Or drugs. Or alcohol. Or coffee.

Yet why are they an escape mechanism for me? Just because of the joy they bring to me. And I'll sign off at that.

Day 29: Your favorite Morning Musume Leader?

Well, not much competition here.

Ever since I've entered the idol fandom, Takitty has been the leader of MoMusu.

I've heard that Yossie was a good leader, but I've got no benchmark to compare with.

Now if it had been between the current H!P units, would've been more food for thought. I have a definite bias towards the Buono! leader, but I think I'd end up calling it a draw between Captain and Maimi.

Heck, I'd probably call it a draw and call it both of them. They're also another fun, if uncommon, pairing. Heck, they form a manzai - Captain as the tsukkomi and Maimi as the boke. 'Twas fun watching them MCing during one of Mano's lives.

Day 28: Idol the brings to you special memories of something or somebody?

Now I can mention songs that fit the bill, but an individual idol? None come to mind.

So, by association, are there any special memories I have of idols?

Well, the easy answer is that fateful day when I went down to Paris to see MoMusu at Japan Expo. Nothing else comes close.

Day 27: Idol that you have a special place in your heart for?

Well, I see we're getting to the more difficult questions now.

To me at least, this question seems somewhat silly.
All idols I cheer for have a special place in my heart.
After all, who would waste that much time, money, and energy for someone they don't feel for?
Closer to heart would be family members, close friends - and so far I don't think any idols have got that close.

So following my all idols answer, have a pic of Mobekimasu, just cause I can't be arsed to look for photos of other groups I care about:

Guitar chords

Site with guitar chords for Japanese artistes.

For ease of reference:
AKB48
Berryz Kobo

Day 26: Idol with the best personality?

Best personality? How should one measure that.
Well, okay, imagine I was blind and tone deaf, or at least unable to appreciate music. Then let me get to know H!P.

Let's see strip out the boring ones, the annoying ones, the ones I don't care about, and let's see whom we have left.
By my count, 6 idols.
Some of them have got quite a bit of love on this blog, so I'd thought I'd highlight an alternative choice - in this case, Yajima Maimi.

Maimi's such a sweetie, it's surprising I don't mention her more.

Honourable mention goes to Chinami. She was the first one that came to mind when I came up with the filters.

What gave Maimi the edge over Chinami?
Well, continuing with the blind theme, I get the feeling that Maimi would be much more likelier to lead me by the hand than Chii would. That's about it.

Day 25: Past group you miss the most?

Well, is High-King still active? Well, technically they're still complete until Aichan graduates. And they are a unit rather than a group.

Even looking beyond H!P, I never really was emotionally invested into any of the groups.
There's Speed, which seems to be making a comeback.
ZONE, though I've never heard any of their songs.
Hinoi Team was pretty popular. I know the leader was Hinoi Asuka. They sang 'Ike Ike', the opening for Ichigo 100% (which was a pretty rubbish story, if you ask me). And that cover of Night of Fire with that sumo wrestler/entertainer. But again, their disbanding wasn't much of concern to me.

How about I twist the question slightly. What about the past group I wish I had a chance to follow?
Well, I'll go with Melon Kinenbi.

The pretty one is Shibata Ayumi. That summarises basically everything I know about the group's members

Their discography has some of my favourite H!P songs - This is Unmei and Onegai Miwaku no Target (Mango Purin Mix). I've watched a video of This is Unmei live, which was completely exciting and energetic.

Always amuses me that their final album declares that they aren't dead
Also remembered for having a cock in the cover art

One thing I'd heard was that Melon Kinenbi was the red-headed stepchild of H!P, abandoned by Tsunku yet still managing to garner a significant following.

They also managed to last 10 years without any lineup changes, which is probably more than any other H!P act can say. They were the group that everyone expected to last past the Elder Club graduations - and disappointed on that count.

But yeah, among the H!P groups out there, they're the ones I would've liked to follow from before.

Aww, how sweet