Why I Love Ayami

I had actually started to write this post long before Muto Ayami announced her decision to take a break from the entertainment world, but I kept putting it off - keeping it on the back burner as I worked on other more pressing things (or just goofed off instead of working). I guess this can be seen as another example of the classic "you don't really appreciate what you have until it's gone" syndrome.

There has been a lot of speculation about the meaning of Ayami's hiatus, or even if it is a hiatus at all...the worst fear is that Amuse has decided to cut ties with her, and this is Ayami's way of saving face. I know that often in Japanese business relationships, you cannot take everything said at face value, but I don't think this is the case this time. Ayami has been working almost continually since 2008 (not to mention attending school), so I find it perfectly natural if she wants to take a break and think about her future for a while. But anyway, here's why I love Ayami.

My admiration of Ayami is based on two things: First, her wonderful voice and personality, and second - and probably a bigger factor - is her strength of character and sense of dignity. I'll explain what I mean...

When Sakura Gakuin first began - in fact, even before it first began - it seems obvious to me that it was an Ayami vehicle. Well, that's probably too strong a way to put it, but it's clear Ayami was going to be the face and the voice that lead this plucky new upstart idol group. Twinklestars songs seemed crafted to highlight her vocal talents, and her outgoing personality and sense of humor made her a natural leader for SG. And then a funny thing happened.

Babymetal, started as a subunit of Sakura Gakuin, became more and more popular, to the point of eclipsing SG in terms of both devoted fans and media attention. It must have come as a bit of a shock to Ayami, finding goofy little Suzuka suddenly somewhat usurping her place in the hierarchy. The fact that they were friends, having previously worked together in Karen Girl's, must have made it especially confusing and frustrating. But maybe that's where she also found her strength of character.

It would have been easy for Ayami to become bitter and feel slighted (and for all I know there may have been some problems, but if so, they were kept in private), but instead she carried herself with a maturity far beyond her years. For someone so talented to have so much self-aware graciousness and dignity, as well as appreciation for what she has been able to accomplish, seems almost super-human given the level of maturity often displayed by stars even twice her age.

And that is also why I love Sakura Gakuin so much. In other idol groups, there seems to be a lot of jockeying (that's a little joke for the TA's) for position, and sometimes backbiting, whereas the SG girls seem to genuinely care about and support each other. SG has a unique atmosphere that I really appreciate.

I still think of Ayami as the best voice in Sakura Gakuin history. I expect she will take some time and get her head together, then craft an amazing re-entry into the music world. Or take up horse racing full time because why not. Or perhaps pursue her life-long dream to become the world's cutest burikko idol. Or join the competitive Pop-Up Pirate circuit. Her choices are limitless!

Funny girl

Good luck, Ayami, and come back as soon as you are ready!!!

Shy On Camera - LoGiRL Daisuki!

Shy on Camera - The 5 Stages of Fukei

Merch from Asmart, 25/09/2015

How I Accepted Baby-chan Into My Life

My last post focused on the incredible amount of vitriol dedicated towards Notsu Yunano.  I mentioned that I was not innocent of some of this online ijime. I still do engage in some playful teasing every now and then, but my appreciation for her has deepened considerably as time has passed.

As I mentioned in my last video, Yunano is not the only SG girl to fall victim to the derision of the fukei; I've seen it also directed towards C-tan, Rinon, and Aiko. One person I mistakenly left of the list was the other Saki, Baby-chan. Which is an inexcuable omission on my part, because for a while there, she was my least favorite SG member.

I didn't really discover Sakura Gakuin until probably around May of 2014. I first learned of Babymetal on March 3 of that year, and my obsession with them inevitably led me to discovering their roots in SG. At that time, I was too awash in the abundant backlog of Sakura Gakuin videos (usually English-subbed) to pay much attention to the current 2014 nendo. At first, I focused only on material that contained Su, Yui & Moa. So Ooga Saki had long been a member by the time I was exposed to her - and I felt an immediate, visceral dislike towards her. I'm ashamed to admit that it was mostly prejudice based on her looks: she seemed too cloyingly saccharine, and I imagined her admittance into Sakura Gakuin was a cynical effort to find a replacement for Moi as they were growing older and maturing, AS IF THEY WERE REPLACEABLE!  There really wasn't any more to it than that.

Now, I didn't actually hate her or anything - I didn't even really spend any time at all considering why she was my least favorite member. It was just a feeling I always had in the back of my mind when she appeared on camera or in pictures. It certainly had nothing to do with either her talent or character, as she had done nothing I was aware of for me to disapprove of her on those grounds. She performed quite well, in fact. It's pretty embarrassing to look back on how I had such negative feelings for her - they were not strong feelings, but still - it seems pretty shallow of me.

Anyway, this whole thing was turned around in short order after I watched a couple of videos. The first one was Sakura Gakuin vs. Idoling (thanks for your work, Mr. Thomas Malone). The way she comes to the aid of her fellow members and beats up the mean announcer guy who was so mean to the other girls with his meanness pretty much forced me to do a 180. Seeing her leap to action, she melted my cold heart:

The other video, which I saw a little later, cemented my admiration for Baby-chan. In this MUJAK video, she tells of how she likes to do opposite-sex cosplay. It's adorable, and I love how she follows her passions wherever they lead her - that takes bravery!

And ever since then, she's been one of my favorites. I'm so glad I was able to come to my senses and see the true nature of Ooga Saki. I think her voice is one of the strongest in the current Sakura Gakuin lineup (which probably isn't really saying that much, but I'll get to that in another post). 

P.S.

As I spoke earlier of Yunano and my changing opinions of her, I would be remiss if I didn't advise everyone to watch her performance in this J-drama Hagane No Onna (Woman of Steel). She did a really, really good job...I'm so proud of her!!

Shy On Camera - Dress Code

Dress Code Violation

I realize I've arrived a little late to the party, but I guess it's finally time to weigh in on the whole midriff controversy. I mean, every one lost their minds for a bit there, and a lot of people are still not over it. Some people, seeing photoshops like the one below, threatened to set themselves on fire if things ever came to that.

That was me. It was me who threatened to set himself on fire.

I loathe this picture with all my soul. I'm only including it out of obvious illustrative necessity. Once this post is published, I plan to rent a chipper/shredder and go all Fargo on my computer. This is just the worst effing thing ever. It pains me to look at it, or even remember that it is a thing that even exists. So I try to pretend it never happened, to just shut it completely out of my mind, but the more you try to avoid entertaining a thought, the more that thought finds clever ways to insinuate itself into your every mental process. It's like, brah... here I am now, entertain me.

Some people seem to think this whole brouhaha came out of nowhere but the fevered, craven mind of the internet, but it actually stems back to a comment Yui made about American fashion. She noticed that in America, women tended to show more skin than in her native Japan, and then expressed some interest (how serious she is, it's hard to tell...) in maybe performing in outfits that expressed their midriffs. Su and Moa seemed far less enthused about the possibility:

And of course Moa talked about food...

Without even realizing it, Yui set off a huge, panic-enducing, firestorm in the fandom. And then Pale (one of the coolest artists alive) poured gasoline on it like some kind of reverse Smoky the Bear asshole guy or something...

twitter.com/pale216

Obviously, for a lot of fukei out there, the key is just that: they identify as fukei, or older males supporting and looking out for their imotous. Yui's comments really strike a nerve by playing on the subconscious dread that many fukei have of the girls growing up.

But, obviously, the girls are growing up. They are continually developing both as ladies and as artists. If they ever were to decide that's the direction they want to go, I'll support them, at least initially. But I think part of what makes Babymetal work so perfectly is the juxtaposition of the darkness and maturity the genre of metal imbues with their innocent and effervescent personalities. But that's just me...

The larger problem is that this whole midriff thing has also coincided with a deluge of upskirt shots from their performance at the Leeds and Reading festivals. These types of photographs are of course going to happen given the high stage on which they perform, as well as the energetic nature of their performance. And it's not like we haven't seen shots like these for years - that's why they wear safety shorts. But to me it just seems like these types of pictures are being posted a disproportionate amount of the time that people post festival pics. So it's not so much that they exist, it's the sudden flood of them that seems a little exploitative to me, especially in conjunction with this whole belly matter.

TOO MUCH, TOO SOON, GUYS!!!

In Defense of Rinon - Straight to Video

I Got Worry - Leeds and Reading Festivals

Shy Gives ASMR a Shot

Autographs!!!

Trouble with Transfer-Ins