Day 19: Who would you like to be for a day?

Okada Yui.

Cause boobs.

Out of H!P: Shinozaki Ai.

Y'know, cause boobs.

'Nuff said.

Day 18: Favorite concert?

You know, Buono! was supposed to perform at Sweden in 2009. I looked at the date at the calendar, and it would've been the day after my final paper. I considered going, but wasn't sure if it was feasible. In the end, it didn't work out.

Berryz in Bangkok! Yeah! During my spring break at that, so I could hop down back home and watch them.
Sadly, I had other commitments with friends down in Brussels. Wasn't the best time to be in Bangkok anyway, what with the red shirt protesters. Risako fans, no doubt.

Since I couldn't see Momo herself in action, I grasped at straws - and pulled out MoMusu, performing in Paris:

Ogawa Saki to graduate from S/mileage

So I wake up, open Google Reader. First thing I see is news that Ogawa Saki will be graduating. This Saturday. As I read, I realised that it wasn't just someone trolling.

So, the only member of S/mileage I care about is graduating.

TKMR's translation of Saki and Tsunku's announcements

As short notice as it is, I'm happy that it seems to be on her own terms. In a way, I'm happy for her. She got further than most eggs did, toughed it out, and made her own decision to leave. That last part is never an easy choice to make. The constant eyebags under her eyes may have been a sign.

I haven't watched their concerts after May, so I can't tell how she performed as an idol after she made her decision. With all her effort, like any idol would, I assume. There seems to be no trace of her giving up in the Uchouten Love PV.

Tsunku's mention of her abandoning her work partway seems a bit snide. But one can understand - her talent was still developing, and to let her go before she comes into full bloom would be pretty disappointing for a guy so used to nurturing such talents.

TKMR's translations of the other members' reactions

The members sound like they've known  that she was leaving, and only now have had a chance to voice their thoughts. I kinda understand why the members of S/mileage seemed so unhappy with the news of the new members - their announcement meant that Sakitty would be nearing her graduation.

It seems a bit of a wasted opportunity that they couldn't have a proper graduation concert, given that they could at least have planned some sort of special S/mileage live, only revealing why it was special later. Heck, you could even say it was for the new members. After all, this is S/mileage's first graduation. Maybe Sakitty wanted it that way - who knows?

I'm saddened by the fact that she's choosing to stop any idol activities, but at least it's her own decision. At least she wasn't taken out on the pretense of having a medical illness and unceremoniously booted out. And possibly, just like Kanna, she might just come back to the idol world.

Still, reading her announcements, doesn't sound likely. Only time will tell.

Sakitty, all the best to you in the future, in your life as a normal teenager. 

Day 17: Your first Idol (first one you noticed/were exposed to)?

Long story short:

The big three of Berryz: Momo, Risako, Miya.

Long story after break, since it's going to be a lengthy post about my J-music listening background.

Day 16: Favorite S/mileage member?

Easy. The lovely little Sakitty:

Miyamoto Karin might've been a contender, but she didn't get in.
I'm not the most enthusiastic fan of S/mileage. I like their songs, but the personality of group feels somewhat lacking. Idol group with the shortest skirts? Their name comes from 'Smile' and 'Mileage'? I can understand 'Smile', but not 'Mileage'.
Their declaration of wanting to be the best dance group irked me a bit. Say not of the Korean groups - they haven't got to the level of their seniors, C-ute yet. Though I guess they have done a collaboration concert.

So yes, Sakitty. Possibly the least idol-like of the group. Why her? I'm of the opinion that she's got the best voice in S/mileage.

I'll admit it was high pitched. But hey, Very Beauty is a difficult song. The simplicity of the instruments forces the singer to work with very little margin of error.
And sitting down while trying to hit that tricky first note - that shows confidence.
With her high pitch, you can see that she's trying her best with a difficult song. I can barely remember what her fellow S/mileage compatriots sang in the same concert.

There was that marching band song as well, where the rest of S/mileage played second fiddle to Sakitty and the Oha Girls. That was a good song as well.

One minus about Sakitty - she always seems to have bags under her eyes in single photos. Get some sleep girl!

Regarding the new S/mileage sub-members, I'll reserve my judgement until I see them in action.

Oh, and Miyamoto Karin would've been perfect for S/mileage. She was the only one who seemed to have enough potential to be a threat to the existing members.
Even if she does make it through to MoMusu 10th gen, I fear that she'll be squashed by the seniors. Even if she does get put forward, it'll feel more like a management push. Had she been in S/mileage, she'd automatically be kick ass and we'd expect her to naturally move forward.

Oh well, we'll just have to wait to see how she does if she gets into MoMusu. And see if she's the miracle that will bring MoMusu back to its lofty heights.

Day 15: Favorite Morning Musume member (current)?

Slightly over a year ago, this would've been easy. After meeting MoMusu at Japan expo, Linlin became my favourite. Her bubbly 'Wo Ai Ni' in response to my own, her lovable & amusing personality, her amazing voice.

Sadly, it's just been slightly over a year since she's left. So I've got to choose from the remaining lineup.
After reflecting a bit, Sayu, I choose you!

Honestly, initially I thought that I'd have picked Aichan. I'm usually a stickler for vocal quality, the one thing that Sayu definitely lacks.
Yet what she has over the others is the fact that she has a personality. And she appears so much in TV shows. If the idol aspect doesn't pan out (wouldn't if it was purely based on vocal ability), she wouldn't have any problem with being a TV celebrity.
Have to give her props for consistently giving the most entertaining answers for the Pocket Morning questions.

Here's a quick ranking:
Sayu> Aichan, Reina > Zukki > Riho > Gaki, Aika, Mizuki, Erina (i.e. the "I couldn't care less" tier)

Aichan has the voice. Not a fan of her current blonde look, but she's got a short time left in MoMusu, so let her do as she pleases.
Reina has the attitude, but has degenerated into a mostly generic idol.
Zukki is entertaining, at the least.
Riho's the 9th gen being pushed by management. She's decent, but only time will tell if she'll drop into that last tier.
The rest - well, I couldn't care less honestly.

As a parting gift, here's a photo of LinLin I took at Japan Expo:

Snapped while queuing in line for autographs

Day 14: Favorite Buono! member?

Now this is a lot trickier. Thankfully, I'm biased.

May be surprising that my number one's a difficult choice. But I love love love Airi in Buono! so much more than in C-ute. Strange surprising how much more she's pushed in C-ute - Shock was basically performed by her, with 4 H!P Kids as backup dancers. But I love her interactions with NatsuMomo, partly because I like them both, partly because I couldn't give a rat's arse to pay attention to C-ute out of performances.

Rankings: Momo = Airi + ε > Miyabi, where ε is an arbitrarily small positive quantity

Currently listening to Partenza as I write this (Guess what came in the mail yesterday?). Will do a GETS post soon.

As a bonus, here's something from Rock'n Buono 4.