Kohaku’s artist lineup for this year has been released.

Newcomers on the red team (female) are Aoyama Thelma, Akimoto Junko (enka singer who I think made it big this year with her single “Ai no Mama De”), Ikimonogakari, GIRL NEXT DOOR, Perfume, and Fujioka Fujimaki and Ohashi Nozomi (the two men and the little girl who sang the theme to Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea).

Newcomers to the white team (male) are Kimaguren, Kiyama Yusaku, Jero, Shuchishin with Pabo, Tohoshinki(DBSK), Mr. Children, and Mizutani Yutaka (enka singer who made a comeback).

Overall, expected additions for the year. I’m not familiar with enka singers, but the female singers who made it big this year all made it onto the show (Perfume! Yes!). I’m surprised and pleased that Ikimonogakari are finally on. For the male artists though, I’m surprised it took this long for Mr. Children to make it on.

Full lineup is

RED TEAM: aiko, Aoyama Thelma, Akiyama Junko, Ayaka, Angela Aki, Ikimonogakari, Ishikawa Sayuri, Otsuka Ai, Kawanaka Mizuki, GIRL NEXT DOOR, Koda Kumi, Godai Natsuko, Kobayashi Sachiko, Sakamoto Fuyumi, SPEED, Tendo Yoshimi, Nakashima Mika, Nakamura Mitsuko, Hamasaki Ayumi, Perfume, Hitoto Yo, Hirahara Ayaka, Fuji Ayako, Fujioka Fujimaki and Ohashi Nozomi, Mizumori Kaori, and Wada Akiko.

WHITE TEAM: Akikawa Masafumi, Aqua Timez, Itsuki Hiroshi, EXILE, Kitajima Saburo, Kitayama Takeshi, Kimagurin, Kiyama Yusaku, Kobukuro, Shuuchishin with Pabo, SMAP, Tohoshinki (DBSK), TOKIO, Tokunaga Hideaki, Hikawa Kiyoshi, Hirai Ken, Fuse Akira, Porno Graffiti, Maekawa Kiyoshi, Mikawa Kenichi, Mr. Children, Mizutani Yutaka, Mori Shinichi, Moriyama Naotaro, and WaT.

Overall, same as you’d expect – the popular pop artists plus all those established enka singers (I had to google every one of them… pain). I’m glad that Perfume made it onto Kouhaku – hopefully, they’ll be here the year after too. Also, Tohoshinki has officially made it big in Japan. Absent from the list are any girl idols besides Perfume – not a year for AKB48 or H!P, I guess. Also absent despite their pretty big hype this year: Amuro Namie, Fukuhara Miho, and Shimizu Shota.

So will Kouhaku be your Japanese new year’s programming of choice?

(…unfortunately, no matter how nicely Perfume and Otsuka Ai will be strutting their stuff on stage, all the enka will render my early death. Yeah, not really a fan. I’ll be sticking to my good old standby: Johnny’s Countdown. )

First things first: with some computer problems, I haven’t really been too caught up on the scene and what’s happening – which means I haven’t been blogging much and probably won’t be blogging much for awhile.

But just for fun while I’m borrowing a friend’s computer, here’s a list of the ladies in Japanese entertainment I want to look like the most. I found that many times, talent and popularity doesn’t equal me exactly wanting to look at them – and women that male fans (and some female fans) drool over don’t seem so hot to me.

So based completely on being shallow and judgmental on looks for once, here’s my top ten girls:

10. Toda Erika

Toda Erika used to look a little weird and awkward to me, but it’s mostly her fashion that caught my attention. I’ll admit, I only started liking her after I saw her in her drama Liar Game with a great colorful costume, bright tights and all. Also, recently she’s been going for a more sexy look – and it’s really working for her.

9. Otsuka Ai

Otsuka Ai has her moments for me; sometimes she looks really insanely gorgeous, and sometimes she looks kind of frumpy (her Rocket Sneaker promotions, or her Tokyo Friends promotion posters…) but I think she has great style – I always want to copy her clothes and hairstyles. (And, she really deserves a spot on this list because I actually went into a salon with her Renai Shashin-era picture, asking for that haircut.) Quirky style, and pulls everything off really cute and prettily.

8. Tanaka Reina

I knew almost nothing about Tanaka Reina; I still don’t know much about her aside from that she’s one of the tops in Momusu now and that she has wonky eyes, but ever since a long time ago I thought she was really beautiful; it’s all in those amazing eyes.

7. Nocchi of Perfume

Nocchi has her moments for me – sometimes she looks plain on shows – but most times, she’s so amazing and fierce. A lot of her appeal towards me comes from her hair – I always love her hairstyles. I also love how she pulls off her clothes; she looks good in almost everything.

6. Suzuki Airi

Yet another H!P girl I know almost nothing about, except for that fact that she’s really pretty. And yes, she’s young, but hey – judging totally on looks here. Like Tanaka Reina, I really like Airi’s eyes.

5. Shaku Yumiko

Shaku Yumiko is just really, really hot. And wears clothes really well. I mean, I finished her drama Himitsu no Hanazono not for male eye candy but because I really liked the clothes she wore in that drama. And – really now, look at the picture, she’s just really, really hot.

4. Ishihara Satomi

Ishihara Satomi used to look kind of plain sometimes, but recently she’s just been layering on the wow factor. Always really simple looking, but pulls everything off really perfectly – just gorgeous. I haven’t watched her dramas so I have no idea how she carries herself, but from what I’ve seen she’s beautiful and graceful.

3. Aya of SweetS

Yeah, okay, SweetS has been defunct for awhile and I have no idea what she looks like now – but I love how SweetS-era Aya looked like. Style-wise, not so much, but she has a very pretty face.

2. Horikita Maki

She’s not a “standard beauty” by any sense, but she can pull off the long hair and flirty dresses or the short hair and boyish fashion. She is just beautiful, period, and so close to being #1 on my list, if not for…

1. Aragaki Yui

Aragaki Yui is just so naturally gorgeous. Her hair, makeup, and clothes are all rather simple, but she always pulls it off beautifully. It doesn’t hurt that she actually has great style, of course.

So there we go – if I wake up tomorrow looking as Aragaki Yui, I could die happily.

Otsuka Ai’s second single of 2008 “Kurage, Nagareboshi” (Jellyfish, Shooting Star) will be released on September 10th. As it coincides with her fifth anniversary of her music debut, it will not only be released in the standard regular and DVD editions, but also limited anniversary regular and DVD editions as well.

I was honestly not that impressed with neither the music or the visuals on her “Rocket Sneaker/One x Time” single, and although I loved the A-side of “Pocket,” the B-sides didn’t entrace me. I wasn’t sure what to expect from a song like “Kurage, Nagareboshi.” It’s described as a “heartwarming ballad for the summer”, which can really range from a poppy ballad like “Bidama” to a slow piano tune like “Renai Shashin.” Most importantly – would I really like this one?

As the opening notes of the song played, I started tearing up from just how beautiful the song is. Maybe it was an overly emotional day where I was being a sap, but yeah, I’m going to like it.

What “Kurage, Nagareboshi” turns out to be is a majestic ballad of Kingyo Hanabi/Planetarium proportions, with beautiful instrumentation, arrangement, and imagery in the lyrics. With piano, orchestra, and what occasionally sounds even like a koto to me, the song as a whole strikes me as having more classical Asian elements despite western instrumentation. Ai comes in with a sweet, simply accompanied tune that eventually grows and grows until a powerful, full song. It contains some aspects of the two aforementioned ballads, “Kingyo Hanabi” and “Planetarium”, in the song, but is still a very unique composition. As with her more recent works, Ai’s voice has been less thin and high and more powerful and filled, giving such a high level of emotion to the song.

The video has Ai in various beautiful night scenes on the beach, including a great shot of her playing a piano in water. The video employs a dark, blue palette, and plays dominantly with lighting. Ai is gorgeous in this: playing piano under the moonlight in the tide, walking through grassy fields in her red dress,  wind billowing her dress as she walks from the light into the shadows of the cliffs. The current PV version omits the instrumental at the beginning of the radio rip, which was one of my favorite parts of the song, but as a video it’s an effervescent visual treat.

“H2O”, the B-side to the single, is a midtempo rock song. It’s upbeat, but not cheerful and jumpy like her previous rock-inspired – this sounds more rocking and less pop. It’s a nice, powerful complement to her powerful ballad.

The second B-side is “Ame no Tsubu, Waltz ~LOVE MUSiC~” which is a revamped waltz version of her song “LOVE MUSiC” from her “Love Cook” and “Ai am BEST” albums. It was altered significantly so that I really couldn’t tell it was based on “LOVE MUSiC” until the chorus – it’s another power ballad but uses the swingy, relaxed mood of “LOVE MUSiC” – a refreshing version of the old song.

As a whole, this is a greatly impressive single with a beautiful A-side ballad and gorgeous visuals. This is definately a single to look out for.

In one of the most brilliant (and expected in a “duh I should’ve known”) promotional schemes, Otsuka Ai is releasing a line of her very own Rocket Sneakers. She has teamed up with shoe company CAUSE shoes for limited collaboration sneakers to commemorate her “Rocket Sneaker/OnexTime” single, with Otsuka participating actively in its creation.

With Ai’s fifth anniversary of her musical debut coming up, avex has been giving her increased promotions. I’d usually think that clothing and item promotions, like t-shirts or towels, are rather gimmicky – but to my surprise, these sneakers are really, truly aesthetically pleasing. There is a red and black version, like on her single covers, but they are much flashier than her’s and have cute details like the ai otsuka tag on the back and the back slit. I like the red version a little better, but I won’t say no to the black version either!

If you love these shoes too and happen to have at least 18900 yen (about 170 USD) to spend around and a way to buy online items from Japan, you can order it from now until noon on September 5th; they’ll then be manufactured and sent out mid-December.

The Ai fans with enough money to blow on sneakers will be walking around this winter with some very nice kicks.

She’s also got some nice T-shirts and towel for her single and anniversary concert (I’m really digging the black T-shirt for “Kurage, Nagareboshi”) so if you’re interested, they’re available starting September 8th.

With Hikki working on her second English album, the question really still stands: if one j-pop diva or female group would make it in the English music industry, who would it be? After all, basing on the American charts, popular songs by female artists are rather limited. Pretty much most are R&B/hip hop hits (Rihanna, Beyonce, Fergie, Danity Kane, Mariah Carey, Leona Lewis), a smattering of pop rock (Colbie Caillat, Natasha Bedingfield, Paramore) and occasionally, a big pop song that makes it (Miley Cyrus).

So if all our favorite j-pop girls give it a try, who has the best chances of breaking into the market?

Utada Hikaru

I love Hikki and I love “Exodus,” but let’s face it – “Exodus” was brilliantly experimental and alternative but nowhere near mainstream. If she does her next English album in her Cubic U style or in her Japanese music style, she’d have a chance, but her idea of American mainstream R&B is a little too alternative. Unless she completely changes her image and sound, she won’t make it in the urban music genre she’s aiming for. But she does have beauty, quirkiness, and her language – she just needs to tailor herself to be more mainstream. Chances: 60%.

Ayumi Hamasaki

Ayu may be the queen of Jpop on the island, but only her very rock influenced songs would have a chance. The pop, the ballads – they’d all have to go. She definitely has the confident diva attitude as long as she tunes down the cute, but there’d also have to be an overhaul of image too – some of her visual trademarks, like her gaudy nails, princessy hair, shiny costumes, just won’t go over well. Chances: 30%.

Koda Kumi

Hell, Koda Kumi did a duet with Fergie; to be painfully honest, she’s not that much of a looker but has the music style and sluttiness to make it through the modern industry. Polish up the English, cut away all the perky bubbliness, do away with the ero-kawaii for just 120% ero, and call up Fergie to get Will.I.Am to produce some shallow hip-hop song for her – I can see it working. Chances: 80%.

Otsuka Ai

I love Ai-chin, so it pains me to say – this just isn’t going to happen. Well, her happy hyper songs have absolutely no chance. If promoted correctly – say in a movie soundtrack or something – a ballad of hers might have a chance, but only if she improves her voice 200% live and gets a completely different, more mature image. Unfortunately, English speakers just aren’t ready for intricate pop ballads and high voices like hers. Chances: 1%.

YUI

I’d say YUI actually has a pretty decent chance if she could get the English down – she has the guitar-strumming singer-songwriter vibe down for some songs and a hardcore rock chick image down for the other. She’s shy, which hurts her a bit, but she commands the stage well when she performs. The only thing that might not work out well is her voice – you usually don’t get such high, sweet voices in pop rock – but she does have the pretty face and the musician vibe. Chances: 60%.

Aoyama Thelma

This girl has the voice for R&B – she’s the right type of voice to do all those hooks on the hip hop songs, you know, that sweet but powerful backing to some guy’s aggressive rapping – but she doesn’t have the gorgeous looks to gain attention or the star presence to make up for it. I mean, look at her performances – there’s hardly any attitude or presence at all. Her voice would work, but unless she gains 500% more attitude no one would pay any attention. Chances: 40%.

ayaka

Ayaka has the looks and voice, most definitely. She also has the bohemian gypsie image down pat. To make it though, she’d have to get some good songs – none of those boring ballad singles that she’s put out recently. It’s also hard to pull off her image and music these days unless she writes her own music and plays an instrument – so might want to work on that. Chances: 50%.

BoA

She can sing and dance. Her voice isn’t really suited for hip-hop or R&B, but – I can actually really see this working. But she’d really have to get some new songs – none of her ballady or pop-dance songs would even remotely work. She also needs more attitude – when she sings, she just doesn’t sound aggressive or strong, more poppy and cute – which just won’t work. Chances: 30%.

Morning Musume

Hmm. Well, supposing the current lineup does more R&B shaded songs, like “Resonant Blue” but with a much more aggressive beat, it would work – if you cut out some members or give them complete personality changes. The girls can look and perform fiercely, but some things – like Reina’s incessant winking and Koharu’s creepy bug eyed toothy grin – will have to go, permanently. Just don’t smile, look sexy, dance to a song with a good beat – they might be able to pull it off. Chances: 35%.

Perfume

Not to say that they’re a Japanese female technopop idol trio, but just being technopop will be enough to put them out of the running. Forever. But they’re on this list because they have a terrific chance of making it big in the English speaking electronic music industry – a lot of their songs are sure to be club hits. But as for mainstream – Chances: 0%.

JYONGRI

JYONGRI has impeccable English skills already; her style and image, not so much. Most of her music is synth backed pop, which isn’t bad, but might need to be toned a bit more to a Westernized pop style at risk of sounding retro and outdated. Looks-wise, JYONGRI isn’t the most beautiful girl out there, but she could look unique and fierce (read: Possession PV) and using a forward-tilting synthesizer could help her gain a unique image somewhat, if she can actually truly play it while performing. Chances: 40%.

PUFFY

Well, in a way, PUFFY has already made it as Puffy AmiYumi. Their Cartoon Network deal has given them some good songs – I’ll be honest, I didn’t know PUFFY did the Teen Titans theme and when I watched it I was jammin’ out to it. But they haven’t gotten major prominence yet – they have a pop rock kind of thing going on. If they can improve the English more and get a good song out – who knows, maybe. Chances: 70%.

Berryz Koubou

It’s not going to work even remotely for at least another five years, unless they all learn English and get a Disney Channel show a la Hannah Montana, and put out bad pop songs that little children love. Chances: 15%.

C-ute

Same as Berryz Koubou… except I see Berryz as more likely to be liked by the tween crowd. Chances: 10%.

Amuro Namie

Namie can do it. She’s sexy, full of attitude, and her music is hip-hop enough to be accepted. Her personality is a bit bland live, but her performances have spirit because her singing and dancing are near top-notch. Her current image is dark, exotic, and dominating – very commanding, and very fierce. If she has good English and gets some good songs, I can see her doing well. Chances: 75%.

Kimura Kaela

Kimura Kaela has her model looks to benefit her. She has a great hipster image – and while most hipster pop music isn’t mainstream, sometimes one becomes mainstream. If she gets lucky, she could work out well. Chances: 50%.

Leah Dizon

Leah Dizon can’t really sing and can’t really dance… but she’s beautiful, sexy, an import model. And seeing what hot (slutty) models can achieve in the American music industry… it’s almost scary how decent of a chance she has. And if she’s not breaking into the market as a singer, she could always become a video girl in a hip hop video – she’d fit right in, really. Chances: 60%.

Nakashima Mika

Nakashima Mika has a beautiful ethereal voice. Her jazzy, pop works would never make it overseas; the rock songs she does, however, do have potential, especially if she starts to front the vocals of a rock band instead of being a solo artist (just… a legitimate one, not an almost-joke one like MICA3CHU). But her image right now wouldn’t work – she might make it as a goth rock chick or something, but she just looks way, waaaay too creepy for mainstream audiences to handle. Chances: 10%.

Tsuchiya Anna

It helps that Tsuchiya Anna already has legions of Nana fans under her belt. Her English isn’t perfect, but her rock music would definitely have a shot at making it. She also has the edgy rock image that’s very appealing. Chances: 65%.

Goto Maki

Now that Gocchin is with avex, she seems to be going to divalicious R&B image even more than before? Well, he supposed sensei is Beyonce, after all. But if she is going for the diva route, she’s going to have to whore it up much, much more. She has the sexy image down in Japan, but “Some Boys! Touch” wouldn’t even raise eyebrows; she’d need an upped image and upped dance moves. Chances: 40%.

Yuna Ito

Yuna Ito has the English and the voice and the beauty. But her style isn’t very in wish modern popular music – I mean, while Koda Kumi is slutting it up with Fergie and Goto Maki is following Beyonce’s bootyliciousness, Yuna’s counterpart is Celine Dion. And Celine Dion isn’t really top 40 hit material these days. If she gets lucky, she could make it with a well advertised and placed ballad – but she’d have to work on her upbeat songs, because she’s really bad at those. Chances: 45%.

Chatmonchy

Chatmonchy rocks out, hard. What really hurts them is that Eriko’s distinct vocals, too high and shrill sometimes even in Japan, is definitely too high and shrill for American audiences. If they get a good song, they might catch on, but it would take a lot of effort to get audiences to like such high pitched vocals matched with rock. Chances: 10%.

Angela Aki

She’s already tried and failed; that doesn’t put Angela off to a great start. Angela has piano pop that would make it paired with her great voice, but her image isn’t very interesting or attention grabbing and she doesn’t have the model-esque looks. Her music also tends to blend in – they’re calming, but few are extremely striking as to become that one big hit. But her music speaks for itself – she could make it as the next Vanessa Carlton with a few hits of her own, if she’s lucky. Chances: 50%.

There’s more ladies of course, but that’s all I can think of (or bear to go through) right now. I’m still rooting for Utada, big time, because I love her music and hope that she gets success, but who knows – maybe one day Fergie will return a favor to Kuu-chan or the rest of the world will pick up on Namie’s fierceness and I’ll hear one of them on my local radio.

NHK is launching its Save the Future campaign to raise awareness for global warming. For three days, June 6 to 8, there will be different types of programming on the channel all relating to the issue.

The site has the complete lineup – there’s thirteen different shows ranging from news to documentaries to mini-dramas to music shows. alan’s next single, “Natsukashi Mirai ~longing future~” is the theme song to the campaign.

As for celebrities, the music-related show scheduled for the 8th is scheduled to have Otsuka Ai, ayaka, alan, Angela Aki, the Gospellers, Hitoto Yo, Sakamoto Ryuichi, Yanawaraba, amongst others. Perfume and Yama Arashi are participating in a Shibuya live broadcast earlier the same day. Other names familiar to English fans are also participating in various shows in the campaign, like Becky, AKB48, Minami, and Harisen.

NHK has set up a youtube channel with videos of participating celebrities giving short messages. Props to Japan for making such a conscious effort to get the public concerned about environmental issues.

Otsuka Ai’s double A-side single “Rocket Sneaker/One x Time” (in a CD and a CD+DVD version, each with two covers) will be released May 21st. “Rocket Sneaker” will be used as the theme for the Samma no Mamma television show, while “One x Time” is used as the CM song for Ponds.

During the summer, Ai usually puts out double A-sides with a past paced song matched with a ballad. “Rocket Sneaker/One x Time” is her first single of 2008 since releasing “Pocket” in winter 2007; I was excited to see what she would put out this time.

“Rocket Sneaker” is a past paced, pop-rock song, but it doesn’t seem as jumpy and lively like many of her other summer hits (“Smily”, “Peach”) and has a bit more of a mature sound. The sound is fairly analog, featuring a lot of gorgeous piano runs. I like it; the song is energetic and fun.

The music video isn’t something to be desired though. It has an imaginative concept: stop-frames, Otsuka Ai portrayed as a puppet, and using it to send a message about the Earth. But seeing Ai paused in midair, singing such an energetic song with a completely straight face, feels like such a discordance between song and video. There’s some smiling and movement near the end, seeing her numerous copies singing with somber faces at the first half was really disconcerting.

“One x Time” is, as expected, a slow and springy ballad. It’s soft, pleasant, but nothing very special.

Overall though, I feel like “Rocket Sneaker/One x Time” is one of Ai’s weaker releases. “Rocket Sneaker” is a fun pop song, maybe not as catchy as her other summer releases. “One x Time” sounds like a standard ballad, lacking the striking melodies or arrangements that she so often uses. Unfortunately, the whole single, including the PV and the cover art, seems rushed and unrefined. Otsuka Ai is one of my favorite music artists; I love the catchiness of her fast songs and the intricate beauty of her ballads, which both of the songs on the single seem to be respectively lacking. After waiting for a new release for half a year, I’m actually fairly disappointed by the quality of this single.