Tezra's Playground

Midori's survey: Your J-pop and other music preferences

2009-05-08T14:11:00.001-07:00

Another survey.

Gender- M

Approximate age- 21-30

1. What was the first pop song you remember liking?
Dreams by The Corrs.

2. What bands/music groups/singers did you grow up listening to?
Beyond, The Cranberries, The Corrs.

3. What bands/music groups/singers were popular when you grew up? (ie. Were on the radio a lot)
Boy bands. Yuck.

4. When (What year) did you first hear Jpop that you liked? What groups were popular?
Year 2006. I have no idea which Jpop group was popular.

5. What kind of Jpop/Jrock did you initially like?
I started with Glay.

6. Do you still like said kind of Jmusic?
Not anymore.

7. Do you still listen to the music in your native language (or some other language) as often as Jpop?
Not anymore. Music in native language... I only listen to F.I.R and Chen Qi Zhen now which is impossible to overthrow the amount of Jpop I consume in a day.

8. If so, what other kind of music to you enjoy listening to?
Brits. Is my fav.

9. Do you go to concerts/performances of your favorite groups from your country? Do you go to ones for J-pop groups?
I go to Indie concerts.

10. What do you think about the Jpop industry's future? Do you think that you'll continue to like it for another 5 years?
If they keep inventing, I'll continue.

11. What's your favorite group?
Coldplay.

12. Is your favorite song/single/album a Jpop one? Is it from your favorite artist?
For now yes. I love C-ute's first album, their indie releases are really cool and yes, they are my favorite.

13. Do you like pop from outside of Japan, such as Hannah Montana?
I don't like Hannah Montana. I kinda like Taylor Swift. I don't like other pop as much as Jpop.

14. Do you like musicals? If so, what's your favorite, and one you really want to see? (This one is just to humor Midori)
Haven't try but would love to watch Cats.

The Most Balanced Set So Far

2009-05-07T23:09:00.000-07:00

Balanced? Everyone looks equally cute and pretteh!

This is Anna's Shrine

2009-05-01T21:41:00.001-07:00

12:36 Selryam holy fuck can I have your perfume collection
12:36 RadiantDawn I SEE PERFUMEEEEEEE
12:36 tezra that's a home library of stuffs
12:36 anna no. my shrine T_T.
12:36 IndigoSkies lolol a shrine
12:36 anna :3
12:36 Selryam omg *steals*
12:37 RadiantDawn omg
12:37 hatsuka anna this is yours?
12:37 RadiantDawn I want your Perfume shrine
12:37 RadiantDawn D:
12:37 Selryam ME TOO OMG
12:37 anna yup :D

Misa's Survey

2009-05-01T21:34:00.001-07:00

Misa posted a survey. I wonder what would she do with the results?

1. What was the first Japanese song that you ever listened to?
The Ultraman theme song.

2. Did it inspire you to like that group/singer, or did it turn you away?
Nope and nope. It inspired me to fight hard and never give up saving the world.

3. What is the one song that you have been listening to for the longest time?
Video Killed the Radio Star by Buggles. I'll never get bored with the song and the video.

4. What group/singer have you liked the longest?
The Corrs. Dreams is the first song I fell in love with. That's when I started appreciating music.

5. What is the song with the most plays on your itunes/media player?
I've reseted the count a lot of times. Current most played is Koero! Rakuten Eagles (越えろ！楽天イーグルス) by C-ute. I'm quite surprised actually.

6. Is that song your favorite?
No. I'm still wondering why is that song my most played.

7. If not, what is?
If is from C-ute, Massara Blue Jeans is my fav. Love the bass. Even now, the PV is still a shock to watch. Kids doing pelvic thrust?

8. Is there any one group that you can listen to all/most of the songs by? If so, who?
Aqualung. I didn't like it at first but when I turn it off, I miss it a lot. The next thing I know, I'm listening to all his album. I like Aqualung like how I like the Japanese natto.
Terrible taste in the beginning, but once I stopped, I'm beginning to miss the taste.

9. What is your favorite agency?
Sorry, I don't like agencies.

10. What is your favorite group/singer?
Suzuki Airi now and forever.

Ai, Don't Worry Be Happy

2009-04-30T07:40:00.000-07:00

Takahashi Ai was on Bijo Houdan with Hosokawa Morihiro, wife of a former Japan's Prime Minister.

The video is on youtube and you read the translation elsewhere.

The first question she asked "Do you like yourself?" to Morihiro sums it all.

From afar, I think we all realized something funny about Ai.

"SHE DOESN'T LIKE HERSELF."

When Ai first joined Morning Musume, we see a strong vocalist, soft spoken, a ballerina, serious, hard working girl. People like to label people and unfortunately, all those good Takahashi Ai's qualities are not "interesting"/"marketing" labels.

I hope this "self-dislike" is not some self created image to entertain us audiences. As demonstrated by Matsuura Aya, the "Ayaya" image. In an interview, Aya exposes the "Ayaya" images was a fake image she created to keep the audience but maturity gave her a hard time to stay "in character". Also, the former Morning Musume, Kago Ai mentioned that it was lucky that she and Tsuji accidentally created the mischievous image because then they can do whatever she wants in front of camera or anyone.

Check out Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari. This song try to sum up every girl in one line. Who is Takahashi Ai? She is a girl who speaks with Fukui accent.

Remember Utaban? Ai tried to going into a discussion about vocals with the hosts. Yes she got to sing along with these stupid hosts but what did she earn? A tease about the way she speaks. How cool is that? There's another one where she was asked to dance Hyokkori Hyotanjima. She's cool at it. The hosts know that well but their motive is not to see how cool she was but was used to tease Yasuda Kei.

While we were all laughing, I wonder what is Ai thinking about.

Am I not funny enough? Am I not good enough in dancing? Did I embarrassed myself speaking in Fukui accent? Am I not... Am I not....

Ai, those are nonsense people. Don't let other people change the way you are. Stop focusing on your weaknesses, it'll never end and it is not real anyway. When you keep on doing that, you missed a lot of good things that are already there for you.

In the show, you asked about dreams and somehow you realizes that you've completed a lot of them. Especially the one where we all know about in the beginning of your career, Tarakuza. I think us, supporters of you, Ai, knows very well that you like Tarakuza a lot and hopes to join them. You've achieved your childhood dream already. How many people actually get to do that? Morning Musume is not your thing but without it you probably couldn't reach Tarakuza.

Now that you are the leader of this "girls academy", you can change things, you can change the meaning of an Idol. Don't spend time comparing yourself with previous leaders. We are in different times. In the past, the reach of Morning Musume to the rest of the world are so very very far away. Now with the web becoming very social, stuffs like youtube, Morning Musume is everywhere. Your fan base had grown larger with wider demographics of audiences, not just the old middle age Japanese man. Not every one of us are crazy wotakus, some of us are humans too.

Ai, don't worry, be happy, we are all here for you. You are a leader now, don't be so self centered. Lead these clueless girls and together to find meaning in life.

Hello World

2009-04-28T15:32:00.000-07:00

In the beginning, the web world is dark.

A playground appears from no where.

A creature named Tezra came falling from a direction(no idea which) and smashed onto the playground.

Tezra's Playground is born!

-- End of Line ---