Hello!Project - Stories of a Collection! [Part II]

So, following the concert, I'd been propelled down the path to Berryz fandom, and ultimately wotagei. And I had decided that my next purchase would be dedicated to my new favourite Hello!Project group. And my chance came when the Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance previews came out. I instantly fell in love with it, and the PV just increased that sheer volume of win.

So I bought a couple of CDs...

That's right. Jingisukan and Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance. Argueably the best singles Berryz have done to date (although I do love MADAYADE). So let's talk about Jingisukan first.

Jingisukan was the first Berryz song I can remember hearing, no doubt I'd listened to them before, but I was still new to H!P at the time, and was still getting used to Morning Musume, I didn't pay the Kids groups much attention at all. But I do have a feeling that the first song I ever heard was Happiness ~Koufuku Kengai!~. But on to Jingisukan! There's really not much to hate about the song, it may be a cover but for some untangible reason, that made it feel even greater (and ultimately lent itself to the tarutaru mix, which I've posted about previously.) Of course, I was disappointed at the number of lines Maasa got (2 solo lines?), but she did get the best costume in my opinion. I hear you, "Dran, you old fool, all of the costumes are the same!" That may be true. But don't you think that it looks best on Maasa? No? Well, I think so anyway. And look at that cover! That's clearly one of the reasons the single sold so well. You don't have to have even heard of Berryz Koubou before to look at that CD cover in a store and think, "This looks pretty cool. I buy it and see what it's like!" The red, flaming background? The cute, smiling Japanese girls? I know lots of people who would buy the single just because of that cover... As shameful as it is to admit that.

Then there was the PV... Or rather multiple PVs. They were so much fun and so colourful. And seeing all those Elementary school kids spinning like mad wota during those wide-shots... It almost brings a tear to your eye. The next generation of wota, y'know? Actually, this raises an interesting question. I wonder how many of those kids were actually Berryz fans. And how many became fans after they got to be in the music video? Lucky kids anyway, regardless of wether they are fans or not. But my favourite version was the Mongolian Dance Shot Ver. I'm not sure why. I've heard a few people say it was the worst one. I guess the costumes just won me over. And the dance. It's simple enough that even I can follow it. How many of you actually know the dances to Hello!Project songs? Do you dance along? I try to, and ultimately fail every time. I've damn near got Kokuhaku no Funsui Hiroba down though. (wahahaha!)

Anyway. I seem to have been focusing alot on the visual side. So as for the song itself. The lyrics are insanely catchy. ("Jin Jin Jingisukan!") The melody will be hummed around the house all day. ("Hey brother, hoo brother") And you'll definately feel like dancing. Of course, there's the usual issues with the lines being spread out. Or rather not-spread out as Risako seems to get all the lines. Now Risako is awesome and has a great voice, but as a Maasa wota, I want the best for Maasa! Hear that UFA? More Maasa! (L-O-V-E Lovely Maasa-chan!)

Anyway, at the start of this entry I began by talking about Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance, lets go back to it, shall we?

After Monkey Dance was announced, I was looking forward to the previews with much anticipation. And when the previews came around, I loved it. I decided there and then that I wanted to buy it. Pre-ordered early, and recieved it the day after release. I, and many others, felt our prayers had been answered when halfway through the PV we see the girls in the infamous Monkey outfits. Those outfits sold the single to some folks I know, where others were put off by it and saw it as nothing more than a gimmick. But gimmick or not, it did what it intended to do, take everyones mind off what was essentially a very low-budget PV and make them just enjoy the show. If you get into the economics of wether UFA are spending enough on the PV, you stop enjoying it and start complaining about it. And Monkey Dance proved that even with a small pocket of cash, they can still produce something great. (Easily the H!P PV of the year, and if you're a Musume-Central member you'll know what I mean when I say that it'll get my vote.)

During the song Maasa got 6 solo lines. I kind of credit this song to the rise in Maasa's popularity as around this time, Maasa become one of the most featured members on Berikyuu! No complaints there, eh? And, even though Risako was still perhaps the center, Maasa and Chinami really stood out during the PV. Although Saki seemed to have been nerfed as usual. But you win some, you lose some. She did get more heavily featured in MADAYADE's PV, anyway. So all's well that ends well.