Best in J-Pop ♫

°C-ute also donned silk and leathers in 'Dance.'

Anyone thinking that Hello! Project's °C-ute and Berryz Kobo were on the downside had better think again. The latest work by these ensembles is completely off the hook. °C-ute's "Dance de Bakoon" and Berryz blues stomper "Tomodachi Nanda" will make the DVDs generated by this summer's Hello! Project tour concerts cause for celebration once again. Where Morning Musume is retreating, °C-ute, Berryz and even newcomer S/mileage are advancing in a big way, and that's good to see. Learn more here:

http://yankeeotaku.com/2010/08/31/c-ute-and-berryz-rock-the-casbah/

Eri, right, joins already-graduated Koharu, left, this fall. Aichan, center, remains.

Just as was projected on this blog just a few days ago, major graduations are on the way at Morning Musume. Though we were forecasting an Onyanko Club-style mass graduation of the entire group, management has decided that Eri, JunJun and LinLin will retire this fall. Three-eighths of the entire band. What next? The latest YankeeOtaku.com entry forecasts the future, and if any existing talent in the agency can step up to fill some pretty big dancing boots:

http://yankeeotaku.com/2010/08/08/morning-musumes-future-after-triple-graduation/

Hagiwara, left, stares down Chisato, °C-ute, Spring 2010.

It's a simple answer for a rather complicated question: Why are Japanese idol singers willing to perform, day in and day out, in dozens of concerts a year (AKB48 still does shows every night at the Don Quijote in the Akihabara distruct of Tokyo) and do all this without getting gassed, exhausted, injured beyond repair, or just bored with it all? Every time I see an idol show or view a concert DVD, I tell myself, "Well, maybe this is the last one. How can they keep it up?" But they can, and do. This essay deals with it all:

http://yankeeotaku.com/2010/08/08/morning-musume-berryz-c-ute-try-harder/

°C-ute and Berryz Kobo celebrate after 'Battle Concert.'

For those who experienced this epic Yokohama Arena event in April 2008, the "Battle Concert" pitting Berryz Kobo vs. °C-ute exceeded everyone's expectations. This report contains a video link to -- you guessed it -- the rendition of "Jump!" that the two groups blasted through on that fateful day when, if memory serves, three renditions of that concert resonated through that hallowed arena, which has since January 2009 not hosted a Hello! Project extravaganza. And, two versions of that show are available on DVD: One with primarily °C-ute highlights, the other a Berryz love-fest. This is worth revisiting at:

http://yankeeotaku.com/2010/08/01/berryz-kobo-vs-c-ute-2008-one-of-a-kind/

Nakky, left, wreaks havoc during 'Jump!,' spring 2010.

If the shrinking and aging song-and-dance ensemble °Cute plans on graduating soon, they have fooled everyone as the latest DVDs of the group's shows at the outdoor vendor Yomiuriiland, and the indoor (and more potent) theatrical concert show. Find out the latest on °Cute and the always- sensational signature song, "Jump!," here:

http://yankeeotaku.com/2010/07/31/%c2%b0c-utes-jump-best-song-ever/

Don't miss the crazy-cool HD videos on the above post, on the already-sizzling new blog, YankeeOtaku.com.

Berryz Kobo in a Winter 2010 medley.

Berryz Kobo is literally using scorched-earth tactics (i.e. burning trees) and all kinds of "Spark Boy" fireworks to emerge as Hello! Project's hottest group in 2010. The searing set and contribution to the amazing medly at the Hello! Project Winter 2010 show is clearly the backbone of the DVD release. Find out more here at YankeeOtaku.com:

http://yankeeotaku.com/?p=82

Morning Musume charms Anime Expo 2009 attendees. (Photo by G.A. Carroll)

For those idol-music fans wishing yet another outlet for their passion, YankeeOtaku.com has just been launched. Still in its infant stages, the site is being beta-tested this month in preparation for a full-blown platform construction as we enter the fall season.

Skeptics, please note: Many essays concerning J-pop and the turbulent world in which its artists perform tend to be lost to history. Hopefully, this Wordpress blog will fill in any of these historic gaps and give the idol-music genre some perspective.

This blog, BIJP, remains up, running and functional as always. Comments and ideas regarding YakeeOtaku.com are welcome. Thank you all for your kind attention and endless support. The URL is easy:

http://YankeeOtaku.com

This is Rad♂ signing off -- for now.

Morning Musume, Yokohama Arena, January 2008: Is a mass graduation imminent?

Just as the Onyanko Club did in 1987, Morning Musume appears to be headed for a mass graduation, maybe as early as January 2011. If that happens, it will be the granddaddy of all graduations, and might generate huge concerts at both Yokohama Arena and Saitama Super Arena. Why might all this take place? Find out here on sister blog YankeeOtaku:

http://bloggerparty.com/content/onyanko-graduation-morning-musume

We interrupt this wonderful idol-music blog with an important bulletin:

http://bloggerparty.com/content/outlaw-government-oversees-global-meltdown

Minami Kuribayashi: Sometimes truly marvelous things come in tiny packages.

Uh-oh. Sometimes things just happen, and they can often be tremendous things. Microscopic idol singer Minami Kuribayashi, well-known in Japanese videogaming and anime voice actor and singer, hopped atop a table in Anime Expo 2010's industry exhibit hall Friday and staged a spontanteous concert to the delight of wide-eyed otakus from around the world. Join the fun here on sister blog YankeeOtaku:

http://www.bloggerparty.com/content/yaguchi-lookalike-wows-ax-2010