PT does fandom

Thoughts on kanjani8 singing, subaru, fan head canons, etc

Wed, 25 May 2016 00:21:39 GMT

logging here for prosperity my commentary on this entry: http://paaanpanda.livejournal.com/2519.html

For what it's worth, I see where you're coming from with Subaru's voice. I do think though that it's more of a historical thing than anything else. From what I can tell, if you go back and watch early stuff of theirs, Subaru's voice back then really was the most stable (ie, least pitchy). And his voice quality was better back then also -- I don't know if it's because of the smoking or age or what, but his voice has definitely changed. He's hoarser, and the tone of his voice is less clear. If you go back and just listen to all the performances Naniwa Iroha Bushi starting from when it first came out to more recent ones, you'll see he can't quite hit the same notes he used to back then, when doing the repeating yodeling riff thing. (sorry, my knowledge of musical terms falls short here, but you know what I'm referring to right?)

But fast forward to current time, and they've all improved. Everyone's singing is much less pitchy and is more musical, and they're better at their instruments, etc. For what it's worth (and please don't stone me, I love them, I do), I still think that for being musicians, their singing isn't that great. Their voices are average - they still are pitchy sometimes, and the tone of their voices doesn't really stand out. But for Johnnys (and a lot of western bands/musicians) - their voices are awesome. I think they're one of the few groups that have so many members who can hold a tune and whose voices sound decent live.

And now that I'm on a roll - I'm going to blather in your comments about my personal thoughts on the boy's singing, and my thoughts on singing and voices in general. (I'll probably cut and paste this at some point into my own journal for logging, but while I'm a-typing away. manifesto here in your comments! .___. sorry. )

Subaru - I do think that Subaru has a decent voice - but even when it sounded better in his younger days, I get the feeling that when he sings he tries very hard to differentiate his singing voice from everyone else's. It's in the way he makes his voice hard/harsh and vibratos a lot and sings verging on screaming. Generally speaking, I don't tend to prefer this type of singing.

Ryo - Ryo-chan's voice has improved a lot since the early days - he's definitely much more stable and almost never pitchy nowadays. I'd say maybe even less pitchy than Subaru now. That said, he sufferers imho from a weak vocal tone. He does that nasal singing that johnnys love to do. I don't get the appeal of it at all, but perhaps it's stylistic? This is unfortunate because his natural speaking voice is pleasant and unique-sounding higher, but with a little rough-ish rasp.

Yasu - I actually think Yasu's voice might have been one of the less pitchy ones in the early days also. I don't know though because I haven't paid enough attention ^^;; Nowadays he seems to be less pitchy as well and his singing is musical, he uses vibrato, etc when singing but not in an over the top way - his singing actually sounds to me the most like a lot of older japanese artists do. a la kuwata keisuke, but less polished and less good (sorry! sorry!) It's still more nasal than I'd like, in that way of the johnnys. ...which as I said before, I don't really like.

Maru - Maru's voice is interesting. ...and I'm not just saying that because I wubble him to bits. Early on, he was pitchy as hell. But as he's gotten better.... it seems like he has different ways of singing. Either that or je processes the hell out of everyone's voice so they have that nasal johnnys thing going on. His earlier solos have him doing the nasal high johnny's voice. ...but I actually prefer when he sings normally - ie his raw voice, non-nasally. His singing is really musical as well, and I really like his vocal tone. His notes have a soft and round quality to them when he vibratos. And I really like when he sings in a lower range.

Hina - He's gotten a lot better with pitchiness also, and his voice is unique. Of all the members I'd say he has the most unique voice. It's rough and manly. :D ...unfortunately his singing lacks musicality imho. he doesn't do vibrato, or much tone inflection. His singing is straight-forward sounding. which I guess is fitting with the personality.

Yoko - He actually has one of the nicer vocal tones, imho. It's high and sweet. But he either lacks power or confidence or something because it's also the weakest ie, it sounds like he's not supporting his singing with air or something.. That and as far as I can tell, he has problems with pitch. I'd imagine though that if they'd actually given him opportunities to grow in this area, he might have gotten less pitchy and more vocally powerful. Who knows though.

Anyhow, back to commenting on your post... you're not at all a bad fan - people don't all fangirl/fanboy in the same way. Most of the Arashi things you've mentioned sound like headcanons which have become popularized in fandom. or at least western fandom? I'm not as familiar with japanese or chinese fandoms, but I've been told that fan behavior is different sometimes. As someone standing outside looking in on the fandom though, I don't know how much of that is actual belief that say, Nino is perpetually 17 vs let's all joke about this because this is a shared fandom joke/headcanon.

Much in the same way that shippers are -- sometimes it's hard to tell whether folks actually think something is going on vs. they're fangirling about it and cognizant that it's fevered fangirl brains a-talking, but that it's not really feasible to preface every post/comment/tweet with "...yes, I know they're not actually screwing each other into the floorboards, but this is me being shipper-y"

Thoughts?

comments

kanjani8 shiwake, recomen, jdrama, and drowning under the flood of activity

Tue, 17 May 2016 19:33:25 GMT

I've been pausing to take a breath on the fannish activity front. Which basically translates to.... I'm learning to let go of not seeing every single tumblr and twitter post that passes through my dashboards. Because trying to is just crazy-making, even with the tiny lists of people I've followed. How do people handle the overload of info? And how do you deal with the niggling feeling that you've missed or overlooked something awesome? OMG! Noes! it will disappear forever! ..and I will never see it again! ;)

But, I am still watching kanjani8 shows and various jdramas. Shiwake has finally moved on from the naming of various veteran actors/comedians/whatnot. I just finished up the 2011.08.03 episode - this one has an actress come in and then they bring on 5 "friends/acquaintances/co-workers" in the industry, and kanjani8 has to figure out based on their interactions, which of the 5 is actually someone that the actress does not like. Clearly right up my alley, what with having to do with interpersonal relationships and their perceptions of them. :D Maru-chan's pick was really interesting - since he picked the person she's known for 20+ years... because when asked whether they spend time privately she said that they'd gone golfing once, but not really anything other than that.... and his take was, maybe she didn't enjoy hanging out golfing with him... Which is a rather negative take on things no? :P Subaru went with the more "obvious" choice of the guy who was practically crying during their interaction because he thought he wasn't liked. lol.

They also introduced another type of challenge which I really liked - the Slot 7 thing -- where they ask questions and the members try to all come up with the same answer ie, to show that they understand each other, have teamwork, etc. they totally give Yoko a hard time XD; ...but he's totally the right person to put into the last position. XD

Oh, and I finally finished off Maru's graduation recomen episode and have started on back episodes from when he first started. I also want to listen to some of the even older ones with Yoko in them too, but. gotta prioritize somehow ;) The graduation ep was nice because they did a lot of reminiscing and they also played a few of maru's solo songs :3 2013.04.18 ep has some interesting "love advice" type talk from some relationship expert. from what I can understand, I don't necessarily agree, but then again I wouldn't recommend taking relationship advice from myself either.. so who knows.

Hmm, what else... oh right. I'm watching drama.

I finished up Ouroboros, which was awesome. Seriously one of the better jdramas I've seen. And I'm plodding my way through Samurai Sensei, which I'm having trouble with. It's cute and decent -- but believe it or not, I find Ryo-chan's inability to keep from laughing, distracting. Because it takes me out of the story, and makes Hanpeita a less believable character (because all I can see is Ryo-chan trying not to laugh. >_> ) .... perhaps Ryo-chan should stick to more serious stuff? Kamiki-kun on the other hand is mesmerizing. His Sakamoto Ryoma is darling and complex. ...it was really bad luck on Ryo-chan's part to be acting against Kamiki-kun in this. Anyhow, I just finished ep 6 and it looks like there's finally more backstory coming about what Sakamoto Ryoma's been doing in this time period. yay!

I'm also watching Naku na, Hara-chan which is cute, funny, and touching. Nagase's Haru-chan is solid, and I'm also happy to see anything with Maru-chan in it. His character is weak, but cute. ...which he is good at playing.

...and lastly I have started chinese drama. Because I can no longer ignore all the glowing raving recommendations. Nirvana on Fire. So far, it truly is as good as people have said. The intrigue is interesting and it feels smart. It's fun to guess what's happening. I'd imagine that fans of Ravages of Time would really like this.

And that's it for now~

comments

Kanjani no Shiwake8 2011.06.01 and the next couple eps

Mon, 25 Apr 2016 22:51:45 GMT

So, I really liked the episode with the strange food combos which taste good (2011.06.01). It looks like they had folks send in suggestions and then some of the boys picked one that they liked best to show and have everyone else try. Then they they'd all vote on whether it actually tasted good or not, ie whether that member's successful at this challenge or not. Majority wins as usual.

I haven't tried all the combos, but I probably will try most of them at some point.

Ryo-chan: Pudding (the japanese purin type?) and natto. -- I haven't tried this, but I want to at some point. I'm pretty sure it'll be good because I like natto with honey.

Okura: Japanese curry with mini cream puffs. -- this one looks good to me too. And I don't care if it makes the curry colder or tones down the spicy flavor. :D

Yasu: Gyudon (beef bowl) with fruits punch (ie, those canned fruit things) - I dunno if I can make myself try this. It looks gross >_<

Maru-chan: Vanilla ice cream with Nori tamago furikake (those rice seasoning things, egg and seaweed flavor). I tried this recently and it tastes just like he explained. It's surprisingly really good!

Sadly I don't think any of the other members showcased a choice although I really wish they did though, because I'd love to see what Subaru, Hina and Yoko pick.

The next couple episodes are again trying to guess the names of people. This time around it's veteran comedians. I think this particular type of challenge is getting a little old. ;) I can only watch them be mortified and slapped so many times.

comments

recomen 2016.03.10 thoughts

Fri, 22 Apr 2016 05:35:36 GMT

quick recomen 2016.03.10 thoughts

So, the kuro rekishi corner is hilarity. Because I like hearing about things people are embarrassed about. ^^; I can relate, after all.

One girl wrote in about how how she used to have this poster/picture? of hina that she'd talk to/greet/say bye to and kiss his fangs XD;; Hina: EH? Me: LOL
But apparently she sent this to a friend who was feeling down and it cheered them up. ...so then Maru & Hina are like... this isn't really a kuro rekishi (direct trans: black history, ie some hidden past you don't want to see the light of day?) does this even count? etc.

Then at some point they were asked about any hairstyles they regretted, etc in the past and Hina's like I have no kuro rekishi - my past is all shiro rekishi. White History. (yes he says it in english).. and Maru's like wtf, why in english? I guess he's noticed he's been speaking more english? ...and Hina says something about how folks think his english sucks. XD;;; ...and Maru's like ..oh. cause of the show? (ie. chronicle. the english telephone game thing XD;) ....and I die laughing.

Oh an apparently at some point Maru had blonde hair - which he said didn't look good at all on him. But I think Hina or staff is like, what? no big deal, it's like something everyone tries, etc. I'd love to see pics of him with blond hair. I can't imagine. XD; His hairstyles changes have been pretty subtle for the most part. I did like the long permed hair thing he went through for a bit. I love the half up/half down style on him when he was younger. The current fluffy wave is super cute too. Anyhow, sidetracked there.

Then there was the girl who apparently liked to wear no underwear in gradeschool. XD;;

So Maru-chan's like reading the letter - and it's talking about how she felt like it made regular school into something thrilling, and how when she's standing (in a high place? on a balcony? school rooftop?) she can like feel the breeze...

Hina (...and me): (!) with a skirt? LOLWUT
Maru: continues on about how it made her feel excited like she has some secret from the people around her, etc. And how it was particularly hard (...and I guess exciting?) when she had to change into her gym shorts, etc.

Hina: ...this like porn or something?!
Maru/Staff/Me: Hahahaha.

.. anyhow the whole time Maru's like chuckling. And I die many deaths because his chuckling voice is SO CUTE. ...and they're both like: what?! o_O and laughing.

comments

thoughts on Genki ga deru live concert dvd and other k8 news

Wed, 20 Apr 2016 19:08:07 GMT

So it looks like they're putting out a dvd on June 15th, from the last show where okura was out due to intestinal blockage. And so I'm so happy to have a dvd! ...but I have mixed feelings about how they're putting out a dvd with footage sans-Okura.

I went ahead and preordered the DVD version already because apparently there's no standard editions. ...which is weird. ...and because I don't have a bluray player so that's never an option for me.

On one hand - I really want to see them struggling and emotional over Okura not being there - I think that will make good footage. But I really feel for Okura fans too. Cause I know I'd be depressed if my fav was like missing from most of a concert dvd. It's going to be tough for them to make a DVD that's going to keep fans happy. They probably already know this though, which is probably why they're only putting out the limited editions. Either cause they figure there will be less folks to buy, or because they want to drum up that feeling of scarcity to get folks to buy.

Other thoughts on semi-recent news - I'm happy for Ryo-chan that he's guesting in the totto terebi drama, but also kind of sad that it's not a full blown main drama role complete with K8 OP/ED.

...and I can't figure out what the yomifa thing is. >_>;; looks like starting in May there's going to be some new column called gokigen kanjani8 talk? is yomifa a newspaper? a magazine?

comments

Koki's Kaarage Recipe

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 17:40:52 GMT

One of the greatest things about watching variety tv and listening to radio shows that kanjani8, or any johnnys idols are on is that inevitably they recommend stuff that they like. And like the crazy fangirl I am -- I frequently try that stuff out. cause. omg. why wouldn't I? ^^;;

So, I've tried Maru's mapo tofu recipe (which was pretty good, I'd not had the japanese version which uses miso before). And I also recently tried Tanaka Koki's Kaarage (fried chicken bites) recipe which was gleaned from the janiben episode he was on, 2012.02.08. And I'm dying to try Maru's Kasujiru... except that would mean I'd have to go search for the clip of him making it again. And then do some guestimation.

( Koki's Kaarage Recipe )

Anyhow, Koki's Kaarage actually IS really tasty. it's just like kanjani8 members say - juicy and crispy. I'd make it more if frying wasn't such a pain in the ass, and if it were healthier. ;)

comments

Ouroboros ep9

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 07:14:55 GMT

I could tell I was going to like this right away, but it's really steadily gotten better as we've gotten further in the story. I was a little worried about how Tatsuya was portrayed in the early episodes because I had a hard time understanding where Oguri Shun was going with his character, but everything sort of fell in place as the show continued.

I really really like the relationships between all the characters in this. Especially Ikuo and Tatsuya's. But also Ikuo and Hibino, and Tatsuya and Hibino, and Ikuo and his ex-superior. And Tatsuya and Chouno.. etc,etc. Even Tatsuya and his Ane-san.

But OMG. I die of sadness at the end of ep 9. oh the feels. >_< Words don't suffice. Here are some caps. Of brokenhearted Ikuo/toma.

( broken hearted caps )

comments

Hello dreamwidth!

Thu, 07 Apr 2016 22:34:49 GMT

Alright, I've moved over to dreamwidth, with my non-stop kanjani8 fangirling. I've even figured out how to import everything over from livejournal. So, yay! go me!

That said, it's like a barren desert over here. I haven't been able to find any kanjani8 activity yet going on over here -- I mean, like even less than on livejournal. which is saying something. I am on tumblr, but has discussion & text based fandom really disappeared?

comments