Documentary of AKB48 – to be continued (a J!-ENT Music DVD Review)
December 16, 2011 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
One of the best music documentaries I have watched from Japan and also a wonderful documentary for those who want to learn more about AKB48! Delightful, fun and entertaining, “Documentary of AKB48 – to be continued” is highly recommended!
© 2011 AKS Inc./TOHO CO. LTD/NHK Eterprises Inc./Rockwell Eyes, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
DVD TITLE: Documentary of AKB48 – to be continued
YEAR OF FILM RELEASE: 2011
DURATION: 120 minutes
DVD INFORMATION: Color, Dolby Digital
COMPANY: Toho/New People Entertainment
RELEASE DATE: December 1, 2011
Directed by Yuri Kanchiku
Produced by Yoshihiro Furusawa, Yasushi Kubota, Hideki Motegi, Junichi Nogami, Sin’ichi Takahashi
Executive Producer: Shunji Iwai
Cinematography by Chigi Kanbe
Edited by Yuri Kanchiku
Starring:
Kaoru Hayano
Tomomi Itano
Grace Kaku
Yuki Kashiwagi
Haruna Kojima
Atsuko Maeda
Natsumi Matsubara
Jurina Matsui
Sae Miyazawa
Rina Nakanishi
Risa Naruse
Kayo Noro
Aika Ohta
Erena Ono
Mariko Shinoda
Ayana Takada
Minami Takahashi
Mayu Watanabe
This documentary follows the unstoppable all-female Japanese idol group AKB48 and gives you a glimpse into the girls’ struggle and growth that is behind their success and ever-growing popularity. Five years ago they started as a small Akihabara idol group with only seven people showing up to their shows. Now, they’ve topped Japan’s music chart with the top two best-selling singles of the year in 2010 as well as another two singles ranking in the top 10.
With a complicated balance of competition and friendship among the members, their bond is strong. Throughout 2010 the camera captures AKB48’s history with scenes from their concerts, general elections, and activities abroad amounting to over 1000 hours of footage. The documentary also includes personal interviews with select members revealing each of the girls’ struggle, joy, growth, and dream.
One of the best music documentaries I have watched from Japan and also a wonderful documentary for those who want to learn more about AKB48! Delightful, fun and entertaining, “Documentary of AKB48 – to be continued” is highly recommended!
Producer Yasushi Akimoto, known for writing producing TV shows and writing lyrics for Japan’s popular groups, was also known for creating one of Japan’s largest all-female idol group in the ’80s known as Onyanko Club.
While Japan has had their full share of large all-female idol groups since the ’80s, Akimoto began working on the franchise known as AKB48 in Dec. 2005.
Originally, AKB48 (AKB named after Akihabara) was a theater-based idol group that performed in Tokyo on the 8th floor of a Don Quijote store and would entertain their fans through their music and performances on a daily basis.
But slowly, the group became popular and now AKB48 is one of the most successful franchises in Japan which featured 16 members who are part of individual and competing teams such as Team A, Team K, Team B and Team 4 (which currently has 11 members). Since then, Akimoto has added SKE48 (which performs at the Sunshine Sakae in Nagoya), SND48 created around an “adult idol” concept in 2010, NMB48 (a group which performs at the Yes-Namba Building in Namba, Osaka) and now Akimoto intends to grow the franchise by launching a Taiwan version known as TPE48 and an Indonesian version known as JKT48.
Needless to say, the group has dominated the single and album charts (each single release features different teams performing the songs, which have different arrangements), are featured on many television commercials and magazines and hold the Guinness World Record for “largest pop group”.
And what makes AKB48 so different from other Japanese idol pop groups is that a performer must stay competitive as general elections are held to determine which members will perform on a single and which members would end up on what team formation and who will lead the group. So, there is healthy competition built upon these different groups which make up AKB48.
For most people, the whole concept of AKB48 may seem confusing or too much to take in, but fortunately, New People Entertainment will be releasing the group’s 2011 documentary “Documentary of AKB48 – to be continued” on DVD.
The DVD features scenes taken from over 1,000 hours of footage including interviews with several members of AKB48 in 2010. Including their feelings about being part of the group, the anxiety of leaving a group you have been with for years and joining another, about the competition and elections and also seeing a personal side of a member.
Here are a few things you can expect from a few of the spotlighted AKB48 members in this documentary:
- Tomomi Kasai – Tomomi discusses being moved to Team B for the 2nd formation and how hard it was to leave her previous team.
- Sae Miyazawa – Sae of Team K (2nd formation) and being part of the media spotlight and the frustration of not being one of the members who never got the opportunity to speak to media and wants to improve her ranking in order to get noticed.
- Rino Sashihara – Rino of Team A (5th formation) goes to visit her grandmother who was originally against her joining AKB48.
- Mayu Watanabe – Mayu of Team B (3rd formation) talks about her love of collecting action figures and drawing but the challenge of wanting to have a better ranking.
- Tomomi Itano – Tomomi of Team K (1st formation) talks about her love of fashion and eating. But also taking on a leadership role and her feelings of having to leave Team A, who she had been with for five years.
- Minami Minegishi – Minami of Team K (1st formation) talks about leaving Team A after being with the group for so many years and joining Team K and thinking about the future.
- Haruna Kojima – Haruna of Team A (1st formation) talks about preparation for a show and how she looks at herself as average.
- Rie Kitahara – Rie of Team B (5th formation) talks about her dreams of being a leader and being realistic of her rating.
- Yuki Kashiwagi – Yuki of Team B (3rd formation) visits her hometown, the first time in four years.
- Yuko Oshima – Yuko of Team K (2nd formation) talks about being a member of AKB48, not being goody-goody and being a leader.
- Atsuko Maeda – Atsuko of Team A (1st formation) talks about being voted the #1 member and being a leader in the group and also being busy with her acting career.
- Mariko Shinoda – Mariko of Team A (1.5 formation) talks about her love for fashion and being one of the mature members of AKB48.
- Yui Yokoyama – Yui of Team K (9th formation) talks about her approach to making mistakes as an AKB48 member and being a member of the group.
- Mina Takamina – Mina of Team A (1st formation) talks about being the leader of AKB48 and the challenges that come with having to be the person that leads and expecting the best from each performer.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
“Documentary of AKB48 – to be continued” is presented in 16:9 widescreen and in Dolby Digital.
The picture quality of the DVD is very good, great colors and many outdoor shots featuring a combination of various footage from concerts, theater performances, personal interviews and more. If anything, because the quality is very good, I hope that New People Entertainment considers releasing this documentary on Blu-ray in the near future.
Dialogue and music is clear and understandable and English subtitles (which are optional) are easy to read.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Documentary of AKB48 – to be continued” comes with two theatrical trailers.
In 2007, I had the opportunity to exclusively work with a few of the major Japanese labels of some of Japan’s top female idol groups for interviews and review of their music.
My first introduction to AKB48 was through their first stage album when there was only Team A and Team K. At the time, I only thought of the group as a theatrical idol group and because they weren’t so popular at the time, I figured that producer Yasushi Akimoto was going a different path than what he did with Onyanko Club and what other producers were doing with their idol groups.
Fastforward to 2011 and not only has he done something different than what other producers have done with their idol groups but he has managed to make AKB48 internationally known. The group has ventured outside of Japan, performed in the United States, Europe, Asia and I’m quite impressed of how the overall operation has been in cultivating this idol franchise with multiple teams and now building more teams in various countries.
As I have reviewed and interviewed a good number of Japanese idol groups, AKB48 has been an interesting pop group because there are so many people and they move from team-to-team, it’s not easy to casually follow this group, especially if you listen and follow other J-Pop artists, groups and bands.
But when I first heard that “Documentary of AKB48 – to be continued” was being released in the United States, I was absolutely thrilled. For one, New People Entertainment is literally bringing out the first J-Pop documentary DVD to the American market. Two, it’s an AKB48 DVD that has possibilities of extending other AKB48 merchandise or videos for U.S. release and three, it’s a documentary that will help explain how things are with AKB48 and also introducing viewers to a few of the key members of the group.
Granted, not all members of every group are interviewed on this DVD. That would be too difficult and there is typically a process of how members are featured on a single and possibly on this documentary. I will say that the most visible members of the group (visible in the fact that I see these members featured on the majority of the TV commercials and publications) are featured in this documentary, these interviews definitely give you a more personal side to the members of AKB48.
For me, it was intriguing to learn how Tomomi Kitano loves to try different types of food (that other’s probably wouldn’t eat), to see Mayu Watanabe so different than the other members because she is a big action figure fan and loves drawing. But also to see how being member of AKB48 has changed people.
For example, Yuko Oshima who is one of the top-ranked members of the group, ditching her goody-goody side and it was really interesting to hear her talk about her approach to life. But also to learn more about the leaders of the group, especially Mina Takamina who is the leader of the entire AKB48 and knows that she is in a leadership role where she has to be tough on the members of the group and direct.
And also interesting is how competitive these girls are, especially when it comes to the elections. With most members of an idol group, they are in the group forever…unless a producer feels they are not popular or are getting old, they make them graduate from the idol group. But it’s a popularity contest and to see how some girls react when their rank is not as great as they would have hoped, was rather sad but also interesting of how they are encouraged to speak up about their emotions to the audience. One was Mayu Watanabe looking devastated after being picked as #5 and crying her eyes out and telling the audience how upset she upset she was but wanting to do better.
These “personal” sides of these talents, A&R and management are good to put a squash on things like that in Japan. To the point that what you know of a member is what management allows them to say to their audience. But because of these spontaneous elections and then the talent being interviewed about their true feelings, that’s what I loved about “Documentary of AKB48 – to be continued”, you get to see a real side to these talents…good and bad.
I’ve watched many documentaries, concerts, and videos of Japanese artists, groups and bands in Japan, and I have to say that “Documentary of AKB48 – to be continued” is the best one that I have seen. There was dedication in the making of this product. From following the group for the entire year of 2010, over 1,000 hours shot and personal interviews…most Japanese labels typically don’t wait that long to get a product out (and sometimes, you can tell it was rushed). But in this case, there was no rushing…what you get in this documentary is a year’s worth of footage. And the editing is well-paced and the presentation is sleek, colorful and looks great on DVD (I just wish it was also released on Blu-ray).
Granted, I wish there were special features such as extra interviews that didn’t make the cut or maybe even outtakes but knowing that many of the J-Pop DVD’s or Blu-rays I have reviewed from Japan, rarely do you get special features.
Overall, “Documentary of AKB48 – to be continued” is a fantastic documentary on AKB48 that fans will love, especially for those who are new to the group and want to learn more about how AKB48 operates and also learn more about key members of the group.
A delightful, fun and highly entertaining documentary on AKB48 that is highly recommended!
a-nation ’09 Best Hit Live (a J!-ENT Music DVD Review)
January 19, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
a nation ’09, the summer music festival for one of Japan’s largest music labels avex entertainment, inc. featured surprise performances, especially the return of musician/music producer Tetsuya Komuro. If you are a fan of avex artists/groups especially Ayumi Hamasaki, “a nation ’09 Best Hit Live” is definitely worth the purchase!
BUY THIS DVD at CDJapan:
ARTIST: Various Artists
TITLE: a-nation ’09 Best Hit Live
DURATION: 169 minutes
DVD INFORMATION: Region 2, 16:9 LB, Dolby Stereo
Released on November 18, 2009
COMPANY: avex trax
TRACK LIST:
- AAA – Break Down
- Ami Suzuki – Delightful
- GIRL NEXT DOOR – Be your wings
- Do As Infinity – Saigo no GAME
- Ryuichi Kawamura – Brilliant Stars
- hitomi – WORLD! WIDE! LOVE!
- DA PUMP – We can’t stop the music
- LINDBERG – Ima Sugu Kiss Me
- My Little Lover – blue sky
- Ai Otsuka – Bye Bye
- Boa – Eien
- Every Little Thing – Dear My Friend
- globe – FACE
- Kumi Koda – ECSTASY
- Tohoshinki – Survivor
- TRF – Samui yoru Dakara
- Ayumi Hamasaki – Rule
- Ayumi Hamasaki – A Song for XX
- Ayumi Hamasaki – BLUE BIRD
- Ayumi Hamasaki – Sunset ~LOVE is ALL~
- Ayumi Hamasaki – TO BE
- Ayumi Hamasaki – Boys & Girls
- Ayumi Hamasaki – Sunrise ~LOVE is ALL~
- Ayumi Hamasaki – July 1st
- JURIAN BEAT CRIS – Go! Let’s Go!
- TRIPLANE – Ai Kotoba
- moumoon – Haleluiah
- J-Min – One
- Nana Tanimura – JUNGLE DANCE
- May J. – Garden
- alan – Kuwon no Kawa
- Maki Goto – Candy
Starring:
BoA
AAA
Ami Suzuki
GIRL NEXT DOOR
Do As Infinity
Ryuichi Kawamura
hitomi
DA PUMP
LINDBERG
My Little Lover
Ai Otsuka
Every Little Thing
globe
Kumi Koda
Tohoshinki
TRF
Ayumi Hamasaki
JURIAN BEAT CRISIS
TRIPLANE
moumoon
J-Min
May J.
alan
Since the early 1990′s, I have been a big fan of the Japanese music label avex trax and throughout the years, I have owned many of the label’s live performances on VHS and LD.
From the TK Dance Camp music festival from 1995 featuring mostly artist that were affiliated with producer Tetsuya Komuro, in 2002, avex began Summer music festival known as “a-nation”.
a-nation would be a summer music festival held in several cities throughout Japan and would feature the top artists from the avex trax and the various labels of Avex Entertainment, Inc.
Each DVD that has been released thus far featured several performances by an artist but at the same time, each release has been a mixed bag. Primarily because a-nation features so many talents and a few of the artist would be featured performing up to three songs with Ayumi Hamasaki being the final performance and having the most songs featured on each DVD release.
In 2008, avex entertainment celebrated their 20th Anniversary but the celebration for the label that year featured the reunion of the band Do As Infinity, a live performance at a-nation by Namie Amuro but most noteable, the celebration was not the greatest as it was marred by the arrest of Tetsuya Komuro (TK) on fraud charges.
And here we are with “a-nation ’09 Best Hit Live” with an impressive lineup as we saw old and new return for the latest music festival. Most notable was Do As Infinity returning to a-nation for the first time since their breakup, Lindberg celebrating their 20th Anniversary performing at the even for the very first time but most noticeable was the appearance of Tetsuya Komuro which was unexpected.
After receiving a suspended sentence in May 2009, Komuro made a surprise appearance at a-nation on August 22nd and apologized to all his fans for disappointing them. Komuro played the piano which received a standing ovation but also featured his band globe performing “FACE” at the music festival.
But this latest “a-nation” DVD was quite impressive as it featured many performances from a variety of artists. Typically, you would have a lineup with an artist performing one song (with the exception of Ayumi Hamasaki) and a an artist or group that were OK but this time around, performances were solid.
From AAA’s performance of “Break Down”, definitely one of my favorite performances by the group at a-nation, a good intro to celebrate the reunion of Do As Infinity and the 20th anniversary of LINDBERG, former Every Little Thing member Mitsuru Igarashi joined the group onstage for the performance, fantastic performances by Ami Suzuki, BoA, Tohoshinki, Ai Otsuka and many others.
Awesome choreography from Tohoshinki and Da Pump and also, great to see some of the former TK family members onstage again. But the most energetic performance definitely goes to Ayumi Hamasaki who performed in front of an excited and enthusiastic crowd.
VIDEO AND AUDIO:
Fortunately, there was good weather (where in the past, some performances were hampered by thunderstorms or rain). Editing focused on the artists from a variety of angles and camera work and editing was well done as we got good closeups from various angles, a camera above and overlooking the audience. But performances selected for each artist were fun and energetic.
Audio is presented in Dolby Digital and for a more immersive soundtrack, I chose to have my home theater receiver set on stereo on all channels. But overall, audio is clear and understandable.
I do wish that avex would release their a-nation music festivals on Blu-ray and release them with a lossless audio soundtrack and also the whole concert in 1080p.
SPECIAL FEATURES
“a-nation ’09: Best Hit Live” comes with a few special features. Limited Editions of this DVD release also comes with an a-nation ’09 T-Shirt.
- “a-nation ’09 Live Digest” – (13:58) These are short clips of avex artists who performed on the smaller stage such as TRIPLANE, moumoon, Nana Tanimura, alan, May J., Maki Goto and JURIAN BEAT CRISIS. There were some artists on the Live Digest that I wished they showed the full performance of.
- a-nation ’09 Documentary – (23:53) The following documentary featured the artists in their green room before heading onstage and talking with the artists and group after they left the stage. Also, seeing the fan interaction with the music artists/groups plus behind-the-scene clips and onstage clips during the artists and band talking to the audience.
This is the eighth “a-nation” that I’ve watched and definitely one of my favorites. I felt that the 2007 release was very well done especially with the special features but in terms of performances, “a-nation ’09″ felt more lively and energetic. I also felt the lineup was much more exciting with this year’s offering (featured on this DVD).
The additional documentary was very cool as it showed how various artists and the groups did before they went onstage such as AAA playing video games to Tohoshinki working on their Japanese and much more. It was pretty cool to see the various artists coming to see other bands perform. Especially Ayumi Hamasaki who came to see Tohoshinki and TRF perform. Unfortunately, not everyone who performed are featured on the documentary.
But if there was one major thing missing from this DVD and I can understand why, was Tetsuya Komuro’s piano performance and apology. Granted, people can find this on YouTube but that piano performance and to see everyone so shocked that TK was back was priceless and to see the standing ovation. Unfortunately, this is not included on the DVD, only his performance with globe is featured.
“a-nation” is one of those DVD releases that people are split 50/50. I felt that considering the space on the DVD, it would have been nice to have a a two-DVD set, in order to get more performances but seeing that there is only one DVD, viewers are going to complain about the one song per singer versus eight songs for Ayumi Hamasaki.
There has always been a bias towards Hamasaki’s performances on the a-nation DVD’s and I can understand why those fans or concert-goers are upset each release almost every year. I’ve asked the same questions many times of why Hamasaki is given so many tracks and I understand its her popularity and her dedication to avex but I would love to see other artists/bands given two songs each to make the playlist much more balanced.
But if you have been following a-nation DVD’s, that’s the way things have been with these releases. One should expect mostly Ayumi Hamasaki performances and I don’t think it’s going to change anytime soon.
Overall, I enjoyed “a-nation ’09 Best Hit Live” and seeing the various performances of artists that I enjoy. Yes, I would love to see more songs from the artists, a full performance by those who performed on the smaller stage and a little less of Hamasaki. But in the end, I did enjoy this latest music festival and for avex trax fans, definitely a concert DVD worth having in your J-Pop DVD collection.
BUY THIS DVD at CDJapan:
Boa the Live ~ Ura BoA Kikase Kei (a J!-ENT Music DVD Review)
February 19, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“A more mature concert featuring pop star BoA. Focusing less on flash and focusing more on vocals.”
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ARTIST: BoA
TITLE: Boa the Live ~ Ura BoA Kikase Kei
DURATION: 103 minutes
DVD INFORMATION: Region 2, 16:9 LB
Released on March 7, 2007
COMPANY: avex trax
TRACK LIST:
1. LISTEN TO MY HEART
2. VALENTI
3. DO THE MOTION
4. Soundscape
5. Your Color
6. Ain’t No Sunshine
7. make a secret
8. Moon & Sunrise
9. Kimi No Tonari De
10. Nanairo No Ashita ~Brand New Beat~
11. KEY OF HEART
12. La La La Love Song
13. QUINCY
14. EVERLASTING
15. Kono yo no Shirushi
16. Winter Love
17. Merikuri
Bonus Track
18. The Love Bug With M-Flo
Creative Coordination: Terue Saito
DVD Authoring: Yuka Matsuki
Starring:
BoA
Band Master & Manipulator: Taashi Morio
Drums: Shinny T
Bass: Mario Horikawa
Guitar: Jun Yamazaki
Keyboard & Chorus: Motoyoshi Matsuura
Percussion: Yuri Nakayama
Chorus: Naomi Matsuoka, Mieko Sudo
Dancers: Yuka, Lina, Sonny, YWKI
m-flo
Originally featured on a PDF review on J!-ENT back in 2007. Reposted for the blog:
BoA has accomplished a lot in Japan since debuting back in 2001 at the age of 14.
Having a successful career in Korea, her record label SM Entertainment ha decided to focus her career in Japan with their continued collaboration for Avex Entertainment, Inc. and from that point, she has become one of the most successful non-Japanese performers in Japan.
Having CD singles and albums sell over a million copies, the singer is known for her ability to sing and dance and has made her a unique compared to many other performers at the same age.
In 2006, she had somewhat of a change in direction with her latest album release “made in twenty (20)” in which the music became a bit more mature, which is no surprise as many performers tend to stray away from a certain music style from their teens to adult-hood.
When I heard that Avex would be releasing a new live DVD for BoA in 2007, I was looking forward to see BoA shake her thing and show off cool dance choreography.
But “Boa the LIVE ~ Ura BoA Kikase Kei” is not exactly what I was expecting but the fact what I did watch was surprisingly different and fresh, I was enjoying every moment of it.
The reason for that is this concert is not about BoA, that we have seen for many years with her dancers, who can jam on the dance floor.
This concert was all about BoA, the vocalist.
Now, I know some of you reading this scoff at the idea of a performer known for her singing and dancing being taken seriously as a vocalist but I think it’s a really gutsy move to make for this artist as many fans wonder what is coming next for the talent.
This DVD features BoA in her first live house tour, complete with a talented band and a few background dancers.
Now granted many R&B divas have performed with a live band but in this case, it’s a different story.
Whereas other performers utilized the band, to show off their choreography (example: Amuro Namie’s latest concert DVD “LIVE STYLE 2006”), this DVD does the opposite as it wants to portray BoA as a vocalist and less on the choreography.
I have to admit that watching BoA perform with a live band change my impression of the singer.
By watching this DVD, you can tell that BoA wants to show the audience that she’s not just another female vocalist on the Avex record label that can sing and dance but that she has more to give.
The concert starts off with the live band jamming and then BoA donning a black outfit and a hat performing songs such as “LISTEN TO MY HEART” and “VALENTI”.
And it’s evident that there is no lip-syncing, this song is truly live, as starting out she was a bit shaky but after that first song, she did a great job.
Now, one thing about concerts especially for R&B artists is that Japanese audiences can be a bit quiet and not so active in a concert.
Sure, we Americans can be loud and supportive but for Japanese, in many concerts, sometimes when the audience doesn’t look like they are into it, the concert can be a drag.
On this DVD, It was nice to see the audience supporting her (you can see people in the audience singing along with her) and you can tell she feeds off their energy.
Although BoA is not showing off her dancing moves as in previous performances, there are background dancers but its within the theme of the live house music and thus, the dancers have a ballroom style of dance choreography to it.
During her first outfit change, BoA returned with a sexy but yet elegant short cut dress, showing a lot of leg.
I don’t think I have ever seen BoA sporting any such outfit before, so I think BoA fanboys will definitely enjoy that.
But after the outfit change, BoA puts on a stunning performance with her and the pianist with her song “Moon & Sunrise”.
Whether you enjoy her vocals or not, In my opinion, this is the defining song that shows off her vocal talent in this concert.
From singing high notes to transitional improvisation with certain parts of that song, it was definitely an eye-opener and she did a great job.
As for the DVD, this is an import (region 2), so you will need an all-region DVD player or on your computer, software like the free VLC to view it.
The DVD is set at 16:9 LB format and there are so many good angles on this concert DVD that it is awesome.
The menu is a straightforward menu system and on the concert is a special feature or bonus track featuring BoA performing with m-flo for their m-flo loves BoA song “The Love Bug”.
Of course, it’s not included with the concert because it is out of the pacing of the whole live house theme but it’s great that it is included on the DVD.
After watching so many upcoming live concert videos that were released in the past few weeks and some that will be released in the upcoming weeks, “BoA the LIVE” is one of the most unique out of each of them because BoA is taken out of her familiar element and she shines.
Haruomi Hosono with Friends – Strange Music on a Summer’s Day (a J!-ENT Music DVD Review)
February 5, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“An enjoyable Summer outdoor concert on 2-discs featuring a tribute by his friends on the first disc and Haruomi Hosono and his band on the second disc. For fans of Hosono’s work, Yellow Magic Orchestra and just want a musical concert that features various styles of music, this is a DVD set worth picking up! “
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ARTIST: Haruomi Hosono and various artists
TITLE: Haruomi Hosono with Friends – Strange Music on a Summer’s Day (aka Haruomi Hosono to Chikyu no Nakama Tachi Sora Tobu Enban Hirai no 60 Shunen Natsu no Ongakusai)
DURATION: Disc 1: 99 minutes Disc 2: 75 minutes
DVD INFORMATION: Region 2, 16:9LB, Color, Linear PCM Stereo
Released on March 26, 2008
COMPANY: Rhythm Zone
DISC 1: Tribute to Haruomi Hosono
- イエロー・マジック・カーニバル
- 風来坊
- ミッドナイト・トレイン
- 終りの季節
- ブラック・ピーナッツ
- 北京ダック
- 日本の人
- 三時の子守唄
- TURN TURN
- 風の谷のナウシカ
DISC 2: HARRY HOSONO & THE WORLD SHYNESS
- Close Encounters (from O.S.T. of the film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”
- Flying Saucer Breakdown
- Body Snatchers
- The Wayward Wind
- Morgan Boogie
- Pistol Packin’ Mama
- Mr. Sandman
- The Four Mills Brothers with Van Dyke Parks
- Pom Pom Joki
- Sports Man
- Encore – Shiawase Happy
- Finale – Sayonara America, Sayonara Nippon with All Casts
Executive Producers: Atsuo Kurabayashi, Eiichi Azuma, Haruomi Hosono, Norika Sora and Ruichi Sakamoto
Starring:
In July 28, 2007, a tribute concert for Haruomi Hosono was held at the Hibiya Yagai Ongakudo featuring many friends who turned out for a special one night tribute and also a performance by Haruomi Hosono and his band The World Shyness.
Many are familiar with Haruomi Hosono’s work as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) and most recently, some people may have been introduced to his work through the second “Appleseed Ex Machina” animated film. But what makes Hosono’s career so special is that Yellow Magic Orchestra was among the first electronic technopop bands and having done so well in the 70′s and 80′s, he continued his work with colloboration with many artists worldwide and experimenting with various styles and genres.
And so, what we have is many artists of different genres coming together to support their friend including Yellow Magic Orchestra members Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takashi but also artists and musicians such as Van Dyke Park, Sunday, Kahimi Karie, Chocolat, Bophana and many, many more.
The concert is split up into two discs. The first half which took place during the afternoon and early evening features Hosono’s friends who participated in the tribute album and perform a track live. The second disc features Hosono with his band the World Shyness.
The first disc is filled with a variety of music from different artists of their respected genre which goes from tropical, acoustic lounge and an all out casual, comfortable and relaxing type of feel and of course, when you see Ryuichi Sakamoto on stage, you get that electronic, smooth performance that he’s known for. First half was really calm and enjoyable since I enjoy the calming, smooth voices of Kahimi Karie and Minekawa Takako and everyone else. Very relaxing music.
The second disc features Harry Hosono and the World Shyness. The first disc was shot in daylight, this second disc is shot during the evening. Also, the musical difference is more classic rockabilly/blues and rock with Hosono singing in English and playing the acoustic guitar with his band. In some tracks, Hosono’s joined with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi. One of the most enjoyable performances was Hosono and the band jamming to classics such as “Pistol Packin’ Mama”, Hosono and Sakamoto jamming with Van Dyke Parks on vocals for “The Four Mills Brothers” and of course, to see everyone joining together for the final two performances.
The crowd was very supportive and energetic for Hosono’s performance and all in all, a great vibe throughout the whole concert.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
What I enjoy about the Hibiya Yagai Ongakudo is the concert is outdoors and so you get to see people truly enjoying the concert and featuring really good camera work at multiple levels, enjoyment of this concert on DVD is a definite plus.
The camera work is at different levels and probably one of the most well-shot concerts I have seen from Japan. Cameras close up, sideways, behind the stage, on the audience, cameras are literally everywhere and the editing is not jarring at all. If anything, good transitions showcasing the artists performing and the audience. Granted, this was shot during the summertime in Japan, so everyone has their fans, as I can imagine how hot and humid it was at the time.
But very nice lighting and great camera work. Picture quality was very good on this DVD.
As for sound, audio is linear PCM Stereo.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
On the first disc, there special features are:
- Artist’s Profiles – Text profiles in Japanese for each of the performers involved in the concert
- Artist’s Comments – This section features interviews with Van Dyke Parks, Sunday, ToihokusuBits, Jim O’Rourke with Kahimi Karie, Bophana and many, many more (17 interviews total). The interviews are about working with Hosono and their involvement in the tribute project.
- Opening Acts: miroque – This seven minute featurette features miroque playing on her KORG Triton Pro and Mac Pro and electronic devices as the audience began to arrive to the venue.
- Opening Acts: MICA BOX & Ayako Takato – This seven minute featurette features performances as people continue to fill the venue. Featuring electronic, ambient music in the background while a guy plays on the Taiko drum and Takato performs.
- Artist Profiles – More text profiles
- Artist’s Comments - This features five interviews including an interview with Haruomi Hosono and members of his band The World Shyness.
The DVD is housed in a tri-fold case. When you open it up, the two DVD’s are on the middle and right. On the left is a booklet featuring production credits, photography from the concert, an interview and even a short, colorful manga.
Overall, this concert DVD set was just wonderful to watch. Haruomi Hosono is a talented musician and composer and his contributions to music, from YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA to what he has accomplished worldwide is incredible.
The concert to have all these different musical acts was just fun and to see the audience really into the concert was great to see.
As mentioned in the review, the concert location and having it outdoors from the afternoon to the evening, really adds to the enjoyment of the concert. But also, very well-done camera work and editing which made the concert much more enjoyable. This enchanting night was captured quite well for the DVD.
For those who are appreciative of Haruomi Hosono’s musical work, this DVD is worth picking up! Good music and an enjoyable concert!
BoA – COMPLETE CLIPS 2004-2006 (a J!-ENT Music DVD Review)
February 2, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“For fans of BoA, all 13 music videos released from 2004-2006 are included. Including hits such as ‘MeriKuri’, ‘QUINCY’, ‘Key of Heart’ and ‘Winter Kiss’ and much more!”
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ARTIST: BoA
TITLE: COMPLETE CLIPS 2004-2006
DURATION: 60 minutes
DVD INFORMATION: Region 2, 4:3, Stereo
Released on March 7, 2007
COMPANY: avex trax
TRACK LIST:
01. Shine We Are!
02. DOUBLE
03. Rock With You
04. Be the one
05. QUINCY
06. Merry Chri
07. DO THE MOTION
08. make a secret
09. Dakishimeru
10. Everlasting
11. Nanairo No Ashita ~brand new beat~
12. KEY OF HEART
13. Winter Love
Directed by Tetsuo Inoue, Wataru Takeishi, Masashi Muto, Yu Hamashima and more
Starring:
BoA
Originally featured on a PDF review on J!-ENT back in 2007. Reposted for the blog:
BoA has a total of two DVD release set for March 7th.
The first is her awesome livehouse concert DVD “BoA the LIVE ~ Ura Boa…Kikase Kei” and her second release is “Boa COMPLETE CLIPS 2004-2006” featuring thirteen music videos released around that time period.
With BoA exploding onto the Japanese music scene with “ID: Peace B” back in 2001 and having chart topping CD singles and albums that would sell near or over a million copies, she is one of the most talented, most successful non-Japanese performer in Japan at this time.
The music videos cover her performances from the age of 16 to 20 years old. So, you will eventually see a change of video directing style for her music videos early on.
The first music video “Shine We Are!” was directed by Wataru Takeishi (DEEDRIVE Inc.).
A pop song featuring BoA and her backup dancers showing off their choreography and solo shots of BoA singing and looking cute on camera.
The second music video “DOUBLE” also directed by Wateru Takeishi is another BoA with her background dancers and using a split screen to show doubled mirror effect.
The third music video “Rock with You” is directed by Masashi Muto (MIDEA) and features BoA and her background dancers and as the last video went with a split-mirror effect, this music video shows the camera going around the BoA and her dancers.
Also, showcasing BoA performing with a rock band.
In one of the coolest music videos on this collection is BoA’ s ”Be the One” directed by Masashi Muto featuring BoA walking in an all white hall way and bouncing a black soccer ball and kicking it.
While BoA is dancing in the hallways and jamming with a soccer ball (definitely CGI) but cool nonetheless.
For the fifth music video, “QUINCY” directed by Tetsuo Inoue (colourfield) actually a very cool music video featuring BoA walking into a futuristic club and jamming with her dancers. A futuristic setting, CGI and a lot of dancers along with BoA and people in the background watching them dance.
In the sixth music video, “Merikuri” directed by Tetsuo Inoue, looks like a big budget music video with an elaborate set featuring BoA walking in the middle of a forest with candles shining and wearing black and discovering a large white cross. Good video but how it fits with the song about finding the person you love, I don’t know.
The seventh video, “DO THE MOTION” directed by Tetsuo Inoue features BoA walking into an upperclass setting, dressed beautifully and dancing and then ending with a BoA sitting in a bus stop obviously dreaming about being part of a lavish lifestyle.
In the eight music video “make a secret” directed by Yu Hamashima (SEP), the music video features BoA at a photo shoot and also in another scene with her background dancers.
In the ninth music video “Dakishimeru” directed by Wataru Takeshi is a flash video featuring a lot of lights and BoA in a club-like setting and driving a cabriolet.
For the tenth video, “Everlasting” directed by Yu Hamashima (SEP) features a beautifully shot video featuring a sad BoA in a dark room looking at herself happy in the sunlight. The song is about saying goodbye to a failed relationship and this music video fits the lyrics well.
In the eleventh video “Nanairo no Ashita ~brand new beat” directed by Yu Hamashima (SEP) features BoA working at a cafe, having fun and dancing with her background dancers.
The twelfth video “KEY OF HEART” directed by Yu Hamashima features BoA in the California.
Driving through the desert and ending up in some small town and hanging out with American backup dancers and dancing in the desert with the beautiful Sierra mountains and clouds in the background.
In the final music video “Winter Love” directed by Kazuya Kashima is a beautiful, yet sad music video featuring a heartbroken BoA in a room of ice and her love trying to reach back to her but a memory of the past. A music video that fits nicely with the ballad’s lyrics.
As for the DVD, it’s a straightforward, bare bones DVD. No special features and the menu selection is a selection to play all or select a music video that you want to watch.
As for the DVD insert, it’s pretty much a list of BoA’s CD singles with the title of the song, producer and director credits.
I do wish that there was more on the DVD, may it be an interview or even the making of music videos (some that were included with the CD+DVD singles) such as “KEY OF HEART” and the process of shooting that music video in the US (which was very cool!).
Having these “making of’s” would have made this video clips collection even more special.
I guess you can call this a budget release as the cost for this DVD is around $26-28 (US) for an hours worth of music videos.
For J-POP fans who have been purchasing music video collections, this is a great price compared to the $50+ we had to pay for 30 minutes worth of music videos in the past.
All in all, if you are a BoA fan who did not purchase the CD+DVD singles that featured the music video, then this collection is a great price.
Still a good release featuring thirteen music videos of BoA and if you haven’t seen any of these before, definitely check it out!
NAMIE AMURO: LIVE STYLE 2006 (a J!-ENT Music DVD Review)
January 24, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“Over a decade later since her first solo concert video release, “LIVE STYLE 2006″ continues that energy from Amuro and a great audience turnout. Energetic, stylish and all out enjoyable! A solid concert DVD release!”
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ARTIST: Namie Amuro
TITLE: NAMIE AMURO: LIVE STYLE 2006
DURATION: 112 minutes (11 minutes for special feature)
DVD INFORMATION: 16:9 LB, Linear PCM Stereo (2ch) or Dolby Digital 5.1 ch, 4:3 for special feature
Released on February 21, 2007
COMPANY: avex trax
Concert was performed at the Kokuritsu Yoyogi Daiichi Taikuukan.
Concert Set List
1. Violet Sauce
2. HANDLE ME
3. without me
4. Fish
5. a walk in the park
6. Say the word
7. Put `Em Up
8. ALARM
9. no more tears
10. STROBE
11. exist for you
12. Four Seasons
13. Ningyo
14. lovin’ it
15. Drive
16. GIRL TALK
17. CAN’T SLEEP, CAN’T EAT, I’M SICK
18. Introducing the Band
19. Do or Die
20. Uh, uh…,
21. How to be a Girl
22. WANT ME, WANT ME
23. shine more
24. the SPEED STAR
25. Body Feels Exit
26. Chase the chance
27. CAN’T SLEEP, CAN’T EAT, I’M SICK-REMIX- & introducing the dancers
Directed by Yu Ohashi
Produced by Hironori Ono
Production Manager: Takahiko Sasaki
Director of Photography: Masaaki Ogasawara (SUPER BOMB)
Sound Producer: Kenji Sano
Stage Producer: Izumi Matsuzawa
Stage Director: Fuyuki Yamamoto (office Jib)
Starring:
Originally featured on a PDF review on J!-ENT back in 2006. Reposted for the blog:
My first Amuro Namie video that I reviewed was back in 1996 with her “AMURO NAMIE – FIRST ANNIVERSARY LIVE AT MARINE STADIUM”.
Flash forward over a decade later and Amuro Namie returns with a new concert DVD titled “NAMIE AMURO BEST TOUR “LIVE STYLE 2006”.
A concert DVD with footage from her “LIVE STYLE 2006” concert in Tokyo.
Before reviewing this DVD, I just want to say that I have not watched an Amuro Namie concert DVD since “Concentration 20 Live in Tokyo Dome” so I can’t make comparisons for this concert to her previous concert DVD releases like “Space of Hip-Pop – namie amuro tour 2005” (AVBD-91403, rel. on March 15, 2006) or “namie amuro SO CRAZY tour featuring BEST singles 2003-2004” (AVBD-91187, rel. Sept. 23, 2004).
As for “LIVE STYLE 2006”, this concert features straight runs of concert performances of her songs with no inclusion of her talking with the audience. It’s all about the music.
The track listing for this concert is amazing at 27 tracks, full songs and not just a small clip.
The stage for her live concert is very nice with a live band taking up both left and right ends with a big white stair case in the middle.
If anything, this concert DVD showcases Amuro Namie’s choreography and to showcase that she still has what it takes to put on an exciting stage performance and possibly even better than many of the teen or 20-something R&B divas out there.
Highlight performances for me on this concert is the opening track “Violet Sauce” in which she comes out with an awesome dance number. To see her sing her classic “a walk in the park” and see the camera footage on the large turnout of the concert and everyone singing along with her was very cool.
Her performance of the ballad “Ningyo” was very beautiful. Since watching her singing “Can you Celebrate?” for so many years, I’ve always wondered what slow ballad she would be singing live and she did a beautiful job singing it.
And the live performance that was really catching was “Uh, Uh…” in which a big metal monkey bar with platform contraption was set in the middle stage and watching Amuro and her dancers climbing around on it and performing looked risky but yet amazing!
One of the main contentions with an Amuro Namie concert back then and from what I have read, even with previous releases is the audience interaction.
For some apparent reason for Amuro Namie concerts, the audience have always been stiff and at times non-responsive.
For example, her first concert release when she and m.c.A•T would ask for the audience to clap with them or repeat a word, it’s like silence fell in their ears.
On “LIVE STYLE 2006”, fortunately the audience are active and throwing their arms in the air with their glow sticks.
Also, amazing is even over a decade later, Amuro Namie continues to pack these venues with thousands and thousands of people. And it’s great to see that she can do this and fans continuing to love watching her perform.
As for Amuro performances, another thing that fans who watch her concert DVD’s like to talk about is her emotion. Is she into it?
In this concert, Amuro is definitely in it and you see that smile come out often. So, she looks like she’s definitely enjoying herself out there.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
As for the DVD, Video is 16:9 LB and the special features are presented in 4:3. Audio is presented in Stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The special feature is more or less an interview with Amuro Namie who is in Okinawa, talking about Okinawa and talking with her band members and dancers.
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Namie Amuro: Space of Hip-Pop -namie amuro tour 2005- (a J!-ENT Music DVD Review)
January 24, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“A concert featuring a good balance of Namie Amuro’s classic and modern hits. Overall, an awesome concert on DVD!”
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ARTIST: Namie Amuro
TITLE: Namie Amuro: Space of Hip-Pop -namie amuro tour 2005-
DURATION: 108 minutes
DVD INFORMATION: 16:9 LB, Linear PCM Stereo (2ch) or Dolby Digital 5.1 ch
Released on April 2006
COMPANY: avex trax
1. Queen of Hip-Pop
2. WANT ME, WANT ME
3. WoWa
4. I Wanna Show You My Love
5. GIRL TALK
6. the SPEED STAR
7. My Darling
8. Ups & Downs
9. Violet Sauce
10. ALL FOR YOU
11. Don’t wanna cry
12. ALARM
13. Body Feels EXIT
14. shine more
15. SO CRAZY
16. LOVE 2000
17. You’re my sunshine
18. Chase the Chance
19. Say the word
20. No
21. Put ‘Em Up
22. CAN YOU CELEBRATE
23. White Light
24. I Love You
Directed by Mayumi Miyasaka (SeP)
Produced by Hayato Murakoshi (SeP)
Production Manager: Keiziro Matsuo and Yuya Hara (SeP)
Director of Photography: Yuzuru Hashimoto
Sound Producer: Kenji Sano
Starring:
Originally featured on a PDF review on J!-ENT back in 2006. Reposted for the blog:
My last Amuro Namie concert DVD that I reviewed was the recent “NAMIE AMURO BEST TOUR “LIVE STYLE 2006” and before that I reviewed her 1996 video “1st 1996 Annual Live at Marine Stadium”.
This time I’m going to review Amuro Namie’s “SPACE OF HIP-POP ~ NAMIE AMURO TOUR 2005” which was released back in March 2006.
The DVD features 24 tracks such as past classics such as “Body Feels EXIT” up to her CD single “White Light/Violet Sauce”.
Similar to “LIVE STYLE 2006”, there is a lot of awesome choreography in her performance but unlike “LIVE STYLE 2006”, she uses a lot of props such as a pink Cadillac, tables, etc.
In the 2006 concert, a large stage was filled with a stairway overtaking the middle section and the band was split up into both to the left and right of the stairs and were pretty distant from Amuro.
In the 2005 concert, the stage is smaller and features a brick-like foundation and wall in the background with a pink cadillac to the right and the band is pretty much up front to the stage on the left.
So, production-wise, the two concerts are very different in comparison as the 2005 concert gave Amuro a chance to interact with ther band and surroundings and the 2006 concert, very little.
As for camera angles, she is actually covered very well in a multiple of camera angles and closeups.
What I enjoyed about “SPACE OF HIP-POP” was the fact that the editors chose very well when to switch to different camera shots and better timing wich allows the viewer a chance to focus a little more on Amuro and her surroundings whereas with “LIVE STYLE 2006”, it was like every four seconds, camera angle change. A little too quickly for my taste.
Aside from the props, the band and her dancers, there is also an appearance by MGM’s Pink Panther.
This DVD was during a time when Amuro Namie was working on a Pink Panther campaign thus the two interacting for a song or two.
As for choreography, “LIVE STYLE 2006” had a heavy emphasis on choreography and “SPACE OF HIP-POP” features a lot of choreography as well buta major difference is because of the smaller stage, less dancers but somehow you get a better view of the dancing because your eyes are typically fixed in one area, whereas “LIVE STYLE 2006”, the stage was bigger and dancers were all over the place.
I felt the choreography for this concert was energetic, lively and it was a very fun concert.
I have had a chance to read other reviewers who were very critical of this DVD due to Amuro and the audience’s lack of “being into it”.
A lot of criticism of Amuro’s lack of emotions and not enough smiling or crying.
Personally, I think she was fine and smiled and waved at her fans and even laughed and continually giggled at the end of singing her classic “CAN YOU CELEBRATE?”
The whole concert was energetic and she did a great job bringing some of that hip-pop style on stage to her fans.
As for the crying, I personally don’t need to see Amuro cry every time she sings a slow song at the end of her concert.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
As for the DVD, Video is 16:9 LB . Audio is presented in Stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Unfortunately, there are no special features on this DVD but then again, rarely do many Japanese concert DVD’s include them.
Upon looking at the DVD booklet, the insert booklet is laid out in tabloid format and with articles written in English (which is interestingly written very well) and was a blast to read.
A different, fresh style of design for an insert. The DVD casing is different from other Avex releases and similar to her 2006 concert in which the slim case is a clear plastic casing (think CD casing but created for a DVD).
All in all, “SPACE OF HIP-POP ~ NAMIE AMURO TOUR 2005” was an entertaining concert DVD that I enjoyed a little more than “LIVE STYLE 2006” because there was a good balance of her classics and newer music (during that time) but the clincher for me was camera angles and editing.
Also, I really enjoyed the stage production because it gave Amuro a chance to interact with her band and the surroundings.
I will say that the “LIVE STYLE 2006” DVD does have more songs and a special feature.
Nevertheless, this 2005 DVD is still enjoyable, fun and showing why Amuro Namie deserves the title of “queen of hip-pop”.
BUY THIS DVD:
m-flo – ASTROMANTIC DVD (a J!-ENT Music DVD Review)
January 17, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“An awesome m-flo DVD release featuring concert clips, music video clips and more! Highly recommended for m-flo fans!”
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ARTIST: m-flo
TITLE: ASTROMANTIC DVD
DURATION: 120 minutes
DVD INFORMATION: 4:3, Region 2
Released on March 1, 2006
COMPANY: rhythm zone/avex entertainment
LIVE -m-flo LIVE 2004 [ASTROMANTIC[ @ STUDIO COAST (7/10/2004)
1. The 3rd Impact
2. STARSTRUCK~The Return of LuvBytes
3. gET oN!
4. Uchuu no Whoa Whoa
5. I WANNA BE DOWN
6. WAY U MOVE
7. VANESSA
8. Life is Beautiful
9. miss you
10. ANOTHER LIVE
11. STARSTRUCK – The Return of the LuvBytes”
(12/1/2004 MTV presents A.I. PARTY @ SHIBUYA AX)
12. Cosmic Night Run (11/2/2004 DJ20 PARTY @ ageha)
MUSIC CLIPS
1. REEEWIND!/I LIKE IT~ m-flo loves Crystal Kay
2. miss you – m-flo loves melody & Ryohei
3. the love bug – m-flo loves BoA
4. WAY U MOVE – m-flo loves Dragon Ash
5. gET oN! – “ugly duckling” remix by UGLY DUCKLING – m-flo loves Crystal Kay
OMAKE
ASTROMANTIC TV , m-flo loves intel on WEB
TV SPOT
TV commercials for “REEEWIND!”, “miss you”, “the love bug” and “ASTROMANTIC”
Starring:
m-flo
Crystal Kay
melody
Dragon Ash
BoA
A.I.
ryohei
Emi Hinouchi
Rum (Heartsdales)
Originally featured on a PDF review on J!-ENT back in 2006. Reposted for the blog:
It’s really not difficult to get into the music of m-flo. They are among the few artists that have transcended well world-wide with their music combining hip-hop with different musical genres. The duo which consists of TAKU (DJ) and VERBAL (MC) has produced and collaborated with so many well-known artists since the start of their “m-flo loves” theme has really attracted many fans.
The fact that the duo has collaborated with talent from different labels is quite exciting.
Released on March 1, 2006 was m-flo’s “ASTROMANTIC DVD” which is a four part DVD. The first part consists of the live concert, the second part features the music video clips, the third is the Omake section TV SPOT (commercials promoting their CD single and album releases). The fourth is combining all four parts together.
The concert portion of this DVD features m-flo performing at STUDIO COAST on July 2004, MTV A.I. PARTY at SHIBUYA AX in Dec. 2004 and a DJ20 PARTY at ageHa on Nov. 2004. On the concert portion on the DVD, the concert features a lot of talented performers which helped give this concert an exciting boost of energy. Audience support helped make an enjoyable concert with the audience screaming and pumping their hands in support.
Kicking things off for “STARSTRUCK ~The Return of the LuvBytes” featured m-flo performing with Hinouchi Emi and Heartsdales vocalist/rapper Rum. For the track “Uchuu no Whoah Whoah”, m-flo performed with BOY-KEN and the Black Bottom Brass Band providing a rap/reggae style song and getting the crowd going with an awesome performance together with m-flo.
For the track, “I WANNA BE DOWN” was an interesting song to see TAKU use a vocalizer to get that old school DAZZ BAND vocal sound.
Also, DJ TAKU has a solo performance with “WAY U MOVE” which was like a simulation of a rave club and everyone just dancing and enjoying the music.
For the track “VANESSA”, VERBAL performs with the musician known as “bloodest saxophone” for a nice jazz/hip-hop diddly.
Awesome vocalist Double and bloodest saxophone teams up with VERBAL for the song “Life is Beautiful” for another cool jazz/hip-hop song.
One of the highlight performances on this DVD was the duo’s performance of “miss you” with melody. and RYOHEI..
Also, another cool highlight performance was “-ANOTHER LIVE-” featuring m-flo together with CRAZY KEN BAND and Nomiya Maki (PIZZICATO FIVE).
After the concert is over, the DVD doesn’t end there. You also get the music videos of their awesome songs featured on the “ASTROMANTIC” album such as their song “REEEWIND/I LIKE IT!” with Crystal Kay (the first song in the “m-flo loves” series).
Also, awesome music videos of “miss you” (m-flo loves melody. & RYOHEI), “the Love Bug” ala m-flo loves BoA.
When BoA is together with m-flo, she has this energy that is so vibrant and you can see it on this music video and the live performance of all three on BoA’s “BoA the LIVE” concert DVD.
Also, a music video for “WAY U MOVE” featuring m-flo loves Dragon Ash and a very cool collaboration between East and West with Long Beach, California’s UGLY DUCKLING and m-flo loves Crystal Kay ala remix.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
There is an OMAKE section (more or less the special features) which features “m-flove loves intel” on WEB which are online video clips featuring m-flo interviewing a few special guests such as Rum (Heartsdales), RYOHEI and Hinouchi Emi.
Also, featured are TV SPOTS featuring the :15 and :30 second commercials for “REEWIND!”, “miss you”, “the Love Bug”, “ASTROMANTIC” and “ASTROMANTIC CHARM SCHOOL” (the remix album).
If you are a big fan of m-flo, “ASTROMANTIC DVD” is just an awesome DVD combining their live performance and music video clips and so much more. The concert is full of energy and with the special guests featured, it definitely was an exciting concert and to see the artists and the audience so full of energy.
Both TAKU and VERBAL know how to get the crowd pumping and watching them, no hesitation, it was very smooth from the beginning to end.
The addition of the music videos and omake to go along with what is already an awesome concert is just icing on the cake. If you are an m-flo fan, definitely purchase this DVD. Highly recommended!
BUY THIS DVD:
AAA – channel a x AAA (a J!-ENT Music DVD Review)
January 11, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“Watch the group get into jenga and bowling competitions and more! A very fun DVD featuring the Japanese pop group Attack All Around (AAA).”
BUY THIS DVD:
ARTIST: AAA (Attack All Around)
TITLE: AAA – channel a x AAA
DURATION: 64 minutes
DVD INFORMATION: 4:3, Linear PCM Stereo and Dolby Digital Stereo
Released on March 21, 2007
COMPANY: avex trax
Directed by Atsushi Sawamura & George Aburai
Produced by Jun Harada
Starring:
Takahiro Nishijima
Naoya Urata
Misako Uno
Mitsuhiro Hidaka
Shinjiro Atae
Yukari Goto
Shuta Sueyoshi
Chiaki Ito
Originally featured on a PDF review on J!-ENT back in 2007. Reposted for the blog:
The group known as Attack All Around (AAA) has been slowly gaining the attention of music fans, as their latest CD singles in spring 2007 have debuted on the top 10 of the Oricon Charts. The hybrid group featuring a combination of a boy band and girl band consisting of five men and three women are attracting so much attention that many people are trying to learn more about this hot dance group.
Released in March 2007, the DVD release of “channel a x AAA“ is definitely a good starting point to learn about the members and their personalities.
Channel A is a television program featuring artists from Avex Entertainment, Inc. and features different programming that includes small competitions to seeing a personal side of the artist. Also, plugging their latest CD single or album.
The DVD begins with the group getting together for a food party, playing a game of Jenga and having fun.
The first channel a features the group (split into two teams) playing a large version of Jenga with some blocks containing questions for the group.
The two teams work together as they try to stack the Jenga blocks , while each team member tries to pull out a block from the bottom and stacks it back on top without knocking all the blocks down. The losing team will have to do a Jenga performance using a Jenga block.
The next two segments feature the group in various bowling challenges.
The first segment features motsu (member of the music trio m.o.v.e) as the special guest host and interviews each member, while each members have to bowl and and with the group’s combined number of pins knock down, have to surpasss 50 pins.
The next challenge features the group having to swing the ball as fast as they can and get a certain speed while a monitor keeps track of the speed of the bowling ball.
The third challenge features each member trying to get a good bowling score without knocking down a red pin. If the group loses the challenge, they have to drink a disgusting form of Noni juice.
The second bowling segment features AAA trying to beat their original score from the first bowling challenge. If they don’t win, they must all drink Noni juice.
The next segment called “Attack the World Records Challenge” features the group having to stay on a high bar but only using two fingers on each hand to hold them up. Together they must have an combined time higher than the world record.
Another “Attack the World Records Challenge” features the group trying to beat the world record on coin spinning.
Each member spins a coin and the longer it spins, they total each members time to see if they can beat the world record.
Another competition features the group trying to balance and stack as many books on top of Goto Yukari’s head without the books falling.
For the “channel a Gacha Gacha” segment, AAA answers a few personal questions.
The final two segments deal with their first anniversary live performance. In the first segment, members Nishijima Takahiro and Sueyoshi Shuta visit Nishijima’s hometown in Sapporo. Nishijima visits the spots where he performed on the street, his favorite sushi restaurant and meeting up with an old school teacher from his past and inviting them to come watch their 1st anniversary concert.
The second segment features moments right before their 1st anniversary concert and what happenes after they left the stage at the end of the concert.
This segment definitely explains why Nishijima was so emotional at the end the “1st Anniversary Live ~3rd Attack”concert (now avail. on DVD, AVBD-91448-9).
VIDEO & AUDIO:
The video is featured in standard 4:3 and audio is featured in Linear PCM Stereo and Dolby Digital Stereo. The DVD is pretty much an all dialogue track.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
It surprised me to find a special feature since many Japanese DVD releases from the music labels tend to not have any. Once everything is done, viewers can watch it over again but this time with commentary by AAA members Naoya Urata, Misako Uno and Mitsuhiro Hidaka. This is not your short DVD commentary either. The three members actually give commentary throughout the whole DVD which is very cool.
All in all, I found the DVD very entertaining and I enjoy DVD’s that show personal sides of the artists. If anything, with most releases in Japan that tend to focus on music videos and live concerts, this DVD is about fun and games and you get to see the group with a different perspective.
I definitely enjoyed this DVD for it’s craziness but the enjoyability for everyone just competing in a variety of games and it’s just fun to watch.
Overall, if you are fan of Attack All Around (AAA), then definitely give this DVD a try!
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AAA – 1st Anniversary Live -3rd ATTACK 060913- (a J!-ENT Music DVD Review)
January 10, 2009 by Dennis Amith · 1 Comment
“Energetic! Emotional! If you are a fan of Attack All Around, this ’1st Anniversary Live’ concert on DVD is probably my favorite live DVD featuring the group!”
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ARTIST: AAA (Attack All Around)
TITLE: AAA – 1st Anniversary Live -3rd ATTACK 060913-
DURATION: Disc 1: Approx. 134 Minutes, Disc 2: Approx 13 minutes x 8 shots
DVD INFORMATION: 16:9 LB for concert, 4:3 for disc 2, Linear PCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Ch, Region 2
Released on January 1, 2007
COMPANY: avex trax
CONTENTS:
1. BLOOD on FIRE
2. Friday Party
3. [ACT CORNER]
4. “Q”
5. Bomb a HEAD!
6. CRAZY GONNA CRAZY
7. Yume no kakera
8. Kireina Sora [Acoustic version]
9. Deai no Chikara
10. Soul Edge Boy
11. DRAGON FIRE
12. VIRGIN F
13. Kimono Jet Girl
14. Let it Beat!
15. Hurricane Lilly, Boston Mary
(Original Long version)
-ENCORE-
16. Hallelujah
17. Champagne Gold
18. Welcome to This World
19. Bokura no Te
DVD 2:
Duration: 13 min. x 8 shots
4:3, Region 2
Note: Multi-angle shots which you can select one of the members and just watch them perform the following songs:
1. Friday Party
2. Q
3. DRAGON FIRE
Directed by Ippei Morita (Saloon)
Director of Photography: Terukuni Ajisaka
Produced by Noriko Kuwabara (COULORFIELD, Inc.)
Starring:
Takahiro Nishijima
Naoya Urata
Misako Uno
Mitsuhiro Hidaka
Shinjiro Atae
Yukari Goto
Shuta Sueyoshi
Chiaki Ito
Missile Invasion: Ryo Owatari (Guitar), Yoshiyasu Hayashi (Bass), Hisayoshi Hayashi (Drums)
Originally featured on a PDF review on J!-ENT back in 2007, Reposted for the Blog:
I have to admit that AAA (Attack All Around) has become my top pop group in Japan.
One of the original draws to their music had nothing to do with the members because to tell you the truth, all I knew about the group back in 2006 was that one of the members (Uno Misako) would be appearing in the US version of the film “The Grudge 2”. Also, that they had done a cover of two songs that I pretty much enjoyed and grew up with which were TRF’s “Crazy gonna Crazy” and m.c.AT’s “Bomb a HEAD!”.
But what really peaked my curiosity of the group was three things: The first being that all their CD singles are budget-priced and are either Y1,000 (CD+DVD) or Y500 Y(CD). Their music is easily one of the cheapest CD singles to find in Japan.
The second, Avex Group President Max Matsuura’s passion with the group and his continued support of a group that really hadn’t broken into the top 10 at all. (Note: As of spring 2007, AAA has broken the top 10 and also the top 5 on the Oricon charts)
And last after watching AAA’s “1st Anniversary Live ~3rd ATTACK 060913~ at Nihon Budokan”, I saw a potential of this eight member group.
A hybrid pop group that would bring together a boy band and a girl band together, it was definitely a fresh and unique direction that avex trax was going with this Attack All Around (AAA).
Each member of the group has had an interesting life before they became members of AAA. May it be performing as a dancer for pop artists such as Ami Suzuki or Ayumi Hamasaki, acting and even modeling but in one year’s time after multiple CD single releases, the group had their first major concert. Their first anniversary which took place at Budokan on September 13, 2006.
The group performed a total of 19 songs starting off with their debut CD single “BLOOD on FIRE” (theme song for the live film “Initial D”) and followed with a Togashi Akio (m.c.AT) written song “Friday Party”. So, many awesome performances which include favorites such as “Hurrican Lilly, Boston Mari”, “Q” and many others.
I was blown away immediately because the men and women can both sing and dance. There is a lot of energy and excitement in their performance and they really fed off the audience. They are not the typical group that are pieced together because of their looks, these eight young men and women have talent.
Also, another interesting thing that I saw was that the group performed with a live band and one of the guitarists for AAA (for this concert) was Ryo Owatari (member/guitarist of Do As Infinity) and his band Missle Invasion playing the music for AAA. So, for a dance group, rarely do you see live bands performing but in this case, a live band performed throughout the concert. Pretty awesome!
I was quite familiar with some of the members involvement in theater and film, so included is a 15-minute or so play featuring all members. What was very cool is when they asked the audience to take out their cell phones and via speaker phone everyone played the “Friday Party” ring tone. I have never seen that done in a concert before.
The group then came out with their covers of “Bomb a HEAD!” and “CRAZY GONNA CRAZY” which got the crowd dancing. Another highlight from the concert was when each member sat down and sung an acoustic version of “Kireina Sora”.
For the performance of “Soul Edge Boy”, you can definitely see the male members vocal range and to give credit, Nishijima “Nishi” Takahiro can definitely sing!
Uno Misako and the others can definitely sing as well. But both Nishi and Misako do a great job being the most audible of the eight. One of the things that I also enjoyed about the AAA concert is although the stage setup is not super elaborate compared to a Hamasaki Ayumi or Amuro concert, the group doesn’t rely on lighting effects or stage props to put on an exciting concert.
The group successfully makes it all up with small things integrated into their performance that makes it more exciting to watch. For example, for “DRAGON FIRE”, the three women came out doing a Chinese inspired dance before the performance of the song. Another example is during the performance of “Kimono Jet Girl”. While the girls were performing, the guys went towards the audience and interacted with them.
This is a perfect example of how a concert can be well produced without having an uber expensive budget for stage production and how success can be accomplished by well-done performances and a continuous, persistent interaction with the audience.
AAA does this extremely well.
As for the DVD, there are two versions. A version with only the concert on a single disc and the other that comes with a second DVD which gives fans a chance to focus on a single member of AAA during their performance of “Friday Party”, “Q” and “DRAGON FIRE”.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
The video is featured in 16:9 LB. Video quality was pretty good with this concert and what I enjoy the most was the interaction with the audience. You get a good number of cuts from different areas of the venue fortunately. Audio is presented in Linear PCM Stereo or Dolby Digital 5.1ch. For the special multi-angle shots, video is featured in 4:3 in Dolby Digital Stereo.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The DVD does not include any special features per se but it does include the second disc which is the “Multi-Angle -8 Shots- Disc”.
The insert features photos of each individual member and shots from the concert, production credits, etc.
All in all, I really enjoyed this concert.
The whole vibe of the concert was full of energy between the group and the audience that the whole atmosphere and experience made it exciting and worthwhile to watch. It definitely was a special moment in the group’s lives and it was quite emotional as well. (Note: For more on how emotional concert this was, please check out the “Channel a x AAA” DVD.
Want to experience AAA and their music performed live? I highly recommend checking out their “1st Anniversary Live ~3RD ATTACK 060913~ at Nihon Budokan” DVD.
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