The H!P Opinions of a Metalhead

I've abandoned this blog and moved to a new home at intlwota.com/metalhead. Please go there for all the new posts.

If you're here to see my blog's humble beginnings and you want to read all the posts I didn't bring with me to the new blog, I made a handy tag for you people to find that stuff easily. Click here for all the posts I will keep exclusive to Vox. I have to warn you, though, it's mostly shit. But hey.

Yeah. This is the end for the blog. This will be my last post.
To everyone who enjoyed reading my posts and were looking forward to seeing more from this blog, I apologize.

I will still keep this account online, mainly so I can go back and reread the comments you people left me, and also so I can comment on other peoples' posts.

Before I bid you farewell though, would you care to check out my brand new shiny blog of exactly the same title as this one? Check it out at intlwota.com/metalhead and update your RSS readers please! I'll see you there.

Thank you and sorry. :)

Yours truly,

Henkka.

Before I give you the second batch of H!P gifs as promised, I have a fun bit of information.

Rieko Seto

Last week I was at this Loviisa peace event thing and among other people, Rieko Seto was there. Rieko is a Japanese artist and also a 2nd generation Hiroshima survivor (her mother was a victim). I had a brief chat with her. Fun thing is, she had this idea for an art piece she was doing and she asked people to draw the outlines of their hands on paper and then write a short message of sorts. Well, I drew my hand, wrote something cheesy like "Peace from Finland! -Henkka." But then I looked at what other people were writing and I noticed some of it was rather questionable, so I said fuck it, went to Rieko to ask if I could make an addition and wrote "Nihon no onnanoko wa kawaii!" ("Japanese girls are cute!") When Rieko saw what I had written, she laughed and agreed, but also said that Finnish men aren't too bad either.

Now the fun part is that this piece of artwork will actually be put up in a real art exhibition. So hey, if you happen to visit Hiroshima in October, go to Rieko's exhibition and find my hand! I think that's a pretty cool thought, my hand and wacky message in Hiroshima. Cool stuff. I wonder if anyone there will read my message.


In any case, now for the main event. Like last time, some of them are good, some not so good, and some are pure awesome if I may say so myself. Hope you like 'em. Firstly, here's ones made from the Chokkan PV close-up edition. These took ages to make. I think Reina's is probably the most interesting to look at.

Chokkan - Miki

Chokkan - Kame

Chokkan - Konno

Chokkan - Koharu

Chokkan - Sayu

Chokkan - Mame

Chokkan - Makoto

Chokkan - Ai

Chokkan - Reina

Chokkan - Yossie

 
And now for everything else:

Funny Nacchi

What the...

1 comment

HOT!

3 comments

Shocked Takitty

I like how Sayu doesn't back down in this situation. And who would?

2 comments

She's so adorable!

...but she always does the same face!

2 comments

Cuuuuuute!

That's all folks. I guess I'll keep posting any future gifs as I make them.

Hey there. This isn't a real post, not yet my full comeback!

Maimithighs

I made this Maimi gif this weekend and got amazing response, people seemed to love it. So hey, I thought I'd post it here to maximize the amount of people seeing it. While I'm at it, I'll post all the other H!P gifs I've made so far. I think I've only posted like two of them before.

*nod, nod*

Cutie Risa

OKKEE

Sexy Yossie

Nacchi

STOP FUCKING DOING THAT

"You're shitting me!"

Yeah, leaving in a couple of hours. Like I said, I'll be back full time in September, though in reality I'll be back home a little bit sooner than that.

Look out for the pre-recorded podcast in a few weeks.

Later,
Henkka

There's been some reminiscing and self-criticism happening in the IW blogroll lately. Well, I've noticed some posts anyway. I want to do something a little like that as well, if you don't mind. I like reminiscing, too!

H!P Metalhead has been around for about eight months now.

It's my first and only blog, so I wasn't sure at all how it'd work out. The origins sure were humble. I originally just started it to make this post. I wanted to list my favorites from 2007 in detail. There was no master plan aside from that, I just wanted to do that and hopefully get it up on IW and hear what people thought, see if anyone agreed on my choices. Well, it's been a great source of entertainment for me, this whole blogging thing and being immersed in our little blogosphere. It's been a fun ride.

The quality of the blog itself... Ah man. You know, I could be happier with it. I never reread my old posts, but if I did, I'm pretty sure I would call much of it just shit, the critical bastard I am. While I surely think I'm now a better blogger than when starting out back in December, one thing is for certain; I have not reached the level of writing of my favorite blogs. You know, the great ones. No, I haven't come close to that, not even once. And I'm the first to admit that about my blog. But that is my goal. That has been my goal since the beginning and I'm still striving to make even one great, simply flawless post for you people to read, one that some of my favorites have no problem delivering each and every time they post something. So far there is not one I am completely happy with and that's a little depressing to me.

Look at this. "H!P Opinions of a Metalhead is a new blog with a different take." It's the first write-up about me on IW ever. You know, I don't know if this is something I regret or not, but my blog didn't quite turn out like I thought it would. I thought it would be more... well, you know, "brutally direct and sardonic in its wit" just like Ray put it! I never quite delivered on that front. I thought I'd be a fucking angry blogger, because as we all know, metalheads are pissed off at everything. Right? Nah, but instead my blog became pretty damn mellow after all. I mostly only talk about things I like and don't even bother with stuff like disappointing new single releases. Really, maybe a name change is in order for me. Any suggestions? H!P Opinions of a Spineless Pussy Who Appears to Like Everything?

That reminds me of something funny. I originally wanted my blog to be referred to as HPOM, kind of like Your Opinion Doesn't Count is called YODC. Thank god that never caught on though, as Ray came up with H!P Metalhead which is way better. HPOM sounds disgusting.

I've made lots of new friends, or if not quite friends, at least great acquintances. And it's thanks to my writing. I must've written something at times that made someone want to comment and thus get to know me better as time went on. You all know who you are. Also, regardless of what I think about the style or quality of the blog myself, damn, I must've been doing something right when Ray contacted me personally to ask me to become a Contributor for IW which is still a big deal and an honor to me to this day. Sure, I kinda say it like it boosts my ego... and that's because it does! I think that was genuinely cool.

And then, just a few days ago, I was made an Editor. Now it appears I'm "on the same level" as the other editors like wu-san, Jim Haku and Celestia which is just crazy to me. While I think the admins have gone mad for thinking I'm worthy, I won't say I'm not happy with their decision. No, quite the opposite. I really, really enjoy working on IW, and that's mostly because hell, it's a great site, and especially because the crew behind it is amazing. I'm not even kidding. It's an awesome bunch of skilled writers and it has been great to work with people like Ray, pengie, wu-san, broomhead, CJ, maiZe... and hell, everyone. All the contributors too, every single one is likeable and a pleasure to work with.

And hey, if you want to, why not approach one of the admins and tell them you'd like to be a Contributor? I'm not sure if everyone is let in, but chances are if you don't suck, your blog is alright and you're a fun person to work with, you will gladly be taken in. I can think of lots of great bloggers that I would love to see try out contributing for IW. What, you want me to drop names? You do? Fine. HarimaKenji. Magi-Kat. Andra. あさり. aiwish472. Kuri. I'll stop now, but the list goes on and on. There's countless. So hey, if any of you or anyone else I didn't mention here wants to, give it a shot. I think IW always needs more contributors, especially if they are solid writers.

Speaking of which... I have to apologize, both for being so inactive with IW AND my own blog. While everyone always stresses that there is absolutely no minimum of write-ups you have to do, no quota, recently I've just been slacking off like hell and what's bad is that I don't even have an excuse. I haven't been doing anything worthwhile, or even anything non-worthwhile. I've been sitting on my ass and just lazing around. Doing nothing. And so again, I apologize for that. There's a reason for it, though.

I'll admit, I've been feeling uninspired this summer. So very uninspired. Truth be told, I don't know what direction I will take this blog when my top 5 series is finished. I've no clue.

However, next month is going to be largely time off for me. Not only from IW and my blog, but I probably won't even have access to a computer for most of the whole month of August. Maybe on the weekends. I have a pre-recorded podcast I did earlier this month that I will post, but other than that, I don't think I'll do much anything until the end of August. For more info on what the hell I will be doing in August, do check out the podcast I'll post in a week or two.

I do not think it's time for this blog to go yet. You know why? It's because I'm not happy with it. If I just closed it at this point, it'd feel like an utter failure to me. I've yet to accomplish nearly anything with this blog. What I'm hoping for is that after this vacation of sorts, I will feel rejuvenated, inspired and ready to work on both IW and my own blog again. That's what I hope for.

So hey. Starting September, I hope to be working as an Editor and as a much more active crew member of International Wota than before, and also finally kick my ass into doing an acceptable number of posts for my own blog. I want to say yoroshiku onegaishimasu and ganbarimasu, but fuck that, man, that'd be cheesy as hell.

Last time it was instrumentation, now I'd like to tackle the best vocal performances. Now, remember I have no knowledge of what makes a good singer. I know nothing about proper singing techniques and that stuff. The candidates for this were chosen solely based on what my ears told me were good vocalists. I'd apologise in advance to all you professional singer types who might get offended by my choices but alas, I can't say I care if you do.

Runner-up mentions go to Ai Takahashi for Ribbon no Kishi and to °C-ute for Namida no Iro. I have to say, the vocals in Namida no Iro were excellent. They really outdid themselves that time. As for Ribbon no Kishi, that was beautiful, but I'd be lying if I said that's the best I've heard even from Ai.

5th: W - Shiroi Iro wa Koibito no Iro:

Personally I never thought Kago or especially Tsuji were among the strongest vocalists in Morning Musume, though they both improved naturally and I grew to like them both more, especially Kago. I never cared so much for the kinda whiny, nasally and high-pitched singing. However, that wasn't their fault really, it was the song choices made for them. Shiroi Iro wa Koibito no Iro is one of the few exceptions to that and they got to truly shine here.

Covering this Betsy & Chris song, they do not only sound good, they sound ethereal and beautiful. Their airy, gentle, flawless vocal harmonization mixed with the excellent, mainly acoustic instrumental – comprising mostly of subtle strings, fingerpicked acoustic guitar and most importantly that very full sounding double bass – lulls me into a very relaxed state and does so very swiftly and effectively. So hey, this song is kinda like heroin. Didn't think of it like that before this. They should play this song at Narcotics Anonymous meetings. Then again, I'm not sure if a W addiction is any better...

I'd say this song stands as the best vocal achievement W ever reached as a unit.

4th: Country Musume - Shining Itoshiki Anata:

Alright, so while no one singing this song does a bad job (even Konno does good I think!), I think you all know the true reason why this song is here. That's right: Miki Fujimoto. Or, more specifically...

Shining Itoshiki Anata

Country Musume

Shining Itoshiki Anata

Country Musume

(Oh Jesus, if you're reading this SB, I'm SO, so sorry for that!)

3rd: Yuki Maeda - Ai Ai Daiko:

You and me both know it: a list like this can not be complete without Yuki Maeda. There's just no way. Really it could've been nearly any of her songs. Yuki has always been consistently good throughout her career, right from her very earliest single up until this, her latest and – to me – best single. Her vocals should not leave much to be desired for anyone, that's for sure.

Yuki always performs with the fervor of a true professional. Vocal perfection? In MY H!P?! You bet. Might seem unbelievable to some, but it's true. I can't see why one would not like her. Personally I need someone like Yuki after all the onslaught of Koharus, Sayumis and Rikas. You see, she's necessary.

2nd: Miki Fujimoto - Boogie Train '03:

Who said only mid to slow-tempo songs can be on such a list? In fact, according to Kirarin☆Snow's key and tempo chart, this is H!P's single with THE highest BPM, so hey.

Ah man. Randy Jackson would say "oh man, that was the BOMB, dawg", while I personally would say "I want to have sex with Miki Fujimoto." Uh, wait, typo, I mean, "Miki's vocals are fucking awesome!" ... But I also do want to bang her; Miki's performance in this one makes me feel some kind of unexplainable sexual desire towards her. That, and her breasts. And her sweet legs... oh man, those legs... And her voice. And everything else about her.

I think I might be in love with Mikitty.

Hmm...

Nah, mostly I just want to have sex with her.

But joking aside, this is one awesome vocal performance all the way. Miki sounds excellent throughout the song. Just like in Shining Itoshiki Anata, she owns it. Oh, and not to mention it's her best song, too. She's simply on fire in this one.

I so wish I could put this in first place. Really, I do. But there's just no way I can. I know, doesn't it seem like I forgot someone? Notice who's missing from this list? I'll give you a hint in the form of a picture.

Yummy.

1st: Aya Matsuura - Egao:

Now if you still remember my very first of these top 5 rankings, I explained in that post the rules and how I will not list any same song in more than one ranking. This is going to be the only time I make an exception, as I also ranked this song 4th in my ballads ranking. I'll cut the chit-chat and tell you why exactly it was necessary to break this rule I've set.

I'd say Aya Matsuura has always been a fantastic performer. I was watching a rather early live Hello! Project DVD the other day – I forget which one – and it featured what must've been one of Ayaya's earliest appearances. When watching, I was struck by how damn awesome she was, fearlessly getting on stage alone and charming the audience with her undeniable talent even at that young of age. As time has passed, she has only gotten better, both as a performer and most definitely as a singer, and I think Egao, her 19th single, captures Ayaya at her highest pinnacle thus far, as far as vocal skill is concerned.

To me, there's no contest of Ayaya's unmatched superiority in Hello! Project. Mikitty? She's definitely great, but really, she isn't perfect when you think about it. Yuki Maeda? Technically she might be the strongest vocalist, but let's face it, she isn't very versatile. She is not even nearly as diverse as Ayaya. Sure, she has performed stuff out of her comfort zone at times (GET UP! Rapper comes to mind first), but she always seems out-of-place doing anything other than her usual enka-influenced stuff. She could never do stuff like Yeah! Meccha Holiday, Ne~e? or Chu! Natsu Party without it being simply ridiculous or at the least embarrassing to watch. As for everyone else? Honestly I think there's no one left worth even considering aside from Miki and Yuki, though I will admit I see some potential in a few of the Kids.

But Ayaya can do everything. She can sing everything, all styles Tsunku or H!P think of throwing her way. It's rather sad ballads are mostly what she gets nowadays, but really, if it's songs as awesome this one, it doesn't make any difference to me. This ranks just as highly for me as her most loved hit songs.

In this song, she puts her everything into her vocal performance. So much emotion and passion. My favorite part of the song? It remains unchanged from my aforementioned ballads ranking where I talked about it to some length. I will shamelessly copypaste: "There is one specific part in this song that I happen to sometimes love more than life itself: the pre-chorus. ... Put simply, it's just heaven for my ears and I've experienced goosebumps from seeing Ayaya sing that part more times than is healthy. ... Tell me what you're hearing isn't one of the absolutely best of Aya's vocal performances ever. I dare you." If you're not sure which part I'm talking about, I'll help you out:

Egao (awesome pt. #1)

Aya Matsuura

Egao (awesome pt. #2)

Aya Matsuura

Fourth one already. Crazy stuff. Don't know about this one... kinda hit and miss, but hey. Hope you like.

Songs played:

Nile - Papyrus Containing the Spell to Preserve Its Possessor Against Attacks From He Who Is In the Water
9mm Parabellum Bullet - Talking Machine (new recording)
Tsunku - Shining On Kimi ga Kanashii
Berryz Koubou - Natsu Wakame

Download it here (36:45, 50.4MB)

Thanks to HarimaKenji for kicking my ass into doing another one of these. It's still not perfect, but I think this is about as good as it'll get, so check it out!

Songs played:

Yuko Nakazawa - Tokyo Bijin
Behemoth - Slaves Shall Serve
Aucifer - Datenshi BLUE
Yuko Nakazawa - Momen no Handkerchief

Download it here (39:52, 54.7MB)