My Top 10 Ballads

As you all know, I am not a huge fan of C-ute's cover of Kono Machi. I spent a whole PV review saying that I didn't like how the original Moritaka Chisato song was turned into a ballad and that I really thought it took away from the enjoyment of the song. The ballad cover sounded slow and plodding to me, and although it's not a bad song, it's definitely not one of my favorite ballads.

So then I started thinking, "Are there any good ballads I've heard lately?" I realized no, not really but then I started also thinking about what ballads did I like? After all, I don't dislike ballads; there are just a lot of ballads I dislike. Does that make sense? What I'm trying to say is I have a small amount of ballads that I like. I think the reason that I'm not a fan of a lot of ballads is simply because of my song taste in general. I like music that has energy. And by energy, I mean a song that is energetic, regardless of style. If I'm listening to a happy song, I want it to be the most energetic, over-the-top happy song I've ever heard. Almost any style of music that backs itself up with a high amount of energy, chances are I'll probably like it or at least commend the song for its energy. The things is... ballads aren't energetic. Well, most of them aren't with a few exceptions. And since they lack one of the key things I look for in a good song, naturally there aren't a lot of ballads I like. Because to me, what defines a good ballad is emotion. A ballad tends to rely more on the vocals and less the musical arrangement to carry the song and if that vocalist can't provide the emotion they're trying to convey in their song, the entire song falls flat for me.  When a ballad, can make me feel the same emotion the singer has, that's when I know I'm gonna love this ballad. What can I say? I'm very particular when it comes to what ballads I like. That brings me back to my original question: what ballads do I like anyways? Surely there's a small handful of ballads I find good, I know there are! I've decided to limit my list to only J-pop ballads, since hey, that's what I write about (although I will say there are a lot of Western ballads that I adore too). But I've managed to compile some of my favorite ballads by J-pop artists that I follow! Some of them I picked for their emotion, others I picked because they make me curl up in a ball and cry. But I love all of them!

So get out your tissues because we are diving into my top ten personal favorite J-pop ballads!

10. 575 - Perfume

Ah, what better way to start off the list than with Perfume? The reason I put 575 so low on the list is because it's kind of a borderline ballad. Then again, that's what makes it such an interesting song! In contrast to the highly bland and boring VOICE, I loved this B-side on its first listen because of it's interesting arrangement. The verses that are sung are done in a haiku style: 5 syllables, 7 syllables, and 5 syllables hence the title of the song. The song is pretty much about lining up verses in 5-7-5 to reach out to a person the narrator doesn't want to slip through of her fingers. 575 is kind of a "lost love" song only the love isn't quite lost yet and that provides the conflict in the lyrics. It's a pretty melancholic concept but the sung verses are absolutely beautiful in both sound and arrangement, especially with its slow tempo. And then the song transitions into the rapping part. Now you might be thinking "What the what? I thought you said this was a ballad! What the hell are you on, Nia?" I know it sounds crazy; you never really put Perfume and rapping together but in 575 it works really well! And the rapping is good, much better than I thought it would be. 575 may seem like a strange excuse for a ballad at first but the elements woven together into the song and the clever use of haiku verses are what make this an amazing ballad and one of my favorite Perfume songs in general.

9. Koi ING - Morning Musume

This is another one of those borderline ballads and I almost thought about not including it on the list. I say that because although the songs starts out much like a ballad with a really slow opening and slow-paced vocals from Miki, Ai and Eri (who all sound great in this song). But then the song gets a little bit more energetic leading up to the chorus and then it's like all this energy just came bursting out of a box! Does that even make sense? In context, going from such a slow pace to a high-energy level sounds like mood whiplash but for Koi ING, it works well. Even when the song goes back to that slow pace after the chorus and then goes right back up to having a boatload of energy and bubbly happiness, it still works. For two completely different styles to be seamlessly blended together is a pretty remarkable feat. As you can see, the fact that this song is like 60% ballad and 40% song made me hesitant to put it on this list. But there are just so many parts about this ballad that I love. Like that piano intro? I love piano intros, the #1 ballad on this list has an amazing piano intro and I love the piano intro on Koi ING. Actually, I really think that the instrumental of this song holds up just as well as the original. Koi ING perfectly combines slow and pretty with upbeat and happy and it's still one of Morning Musume's best songs.

8. My alright sky - Suzuki Airi

Let me go ahead and say that My alright sky was the only saving grace of the Partenza album. In the middle of the electropop mess that was this mini album was a little R&B-influenced song sung by Suzuki Airi, one of it not the best singer in Hello! Project. Up until My alright sky, I hadn't listened to any of Airi's other solo songs. I mean, I knew she was a good singer and everything, I just didn't really pay attention to any of the album songs, B-sides, and the digital singles she'd released. My alright sky was the first time I realized just how talented Airi is as a vocalist; every note she hits in this ballad is perfect. She makes it sound so effortless too; one of the most difficult things for a singer to accomplish is making the song she's singing sound easy. It's extremely challenging and Airi makes this song sound like a piece of cake even. Airi's vocals are my favorite part about this song and I think it's what separates it from other ballads in that same R&B vein of music. And the song has a really good flow; it just seems to float along with Airi's vocals and it's a great song to listen to whenever I want to chill out. I actually love playing it while I'm driving considering driving in itself is extremely stressful. Funny thing is, when I first heard this song, I was like "WOW, Airi speaks really good English!" Then I found out it's not her... oh well! Airi sounds great in this ballad and that's why I love it!

7. Knight Flight - Kikkawa Yuu

I like Knight Flight for the same reason that I love My alright sky: the singer. I've always loved Kikkawa Yuu's voice (well... when it's not Vocoded and Autotuned to hell) and a ballad is the perfect opportunity for Kikka to really sing. And she hits a lot of different ranges, going from high to low then low to high and even doing a key change right in the middle of a flipping chorus! Kikka's voice is what essentially carries the song and the vocal arrangement is definitely the most interesting aspect of this ballad. I think my favorite part is the chorus and when Kikka goes partway into her head voice; usually head voice doesn't work as well on a recording as it does live, but in Knight Flight, her head voice fits with the song. And I really can't emphasize just how beautiful this chorus sounds; I wasn't expecting it when I first heard the song. Because while the verses are kind of soft, they're also pretty safe in terms of vocal range but then out of nowhere Kikka just starts hitting these high notes left and right and it works so amazingly. I actually looked up the live to this song to see if she could pull it off as well as she did in the recording and... yeah, she does. Knight Flight is a ballad that makes me appreciate Kikka's vocal abilities and it's a beautiful song. It's just one of those soothing songs that always calms me down when I play it!

6. For you... - Linlin

I think my first thought when I heard this song was, "Oh my god Linlin can sing." Something to note about Linlin was that she graduated just after I'd gotten into Morning Musume so her time in Morning Musume was an era I was never really present for. I never really got attached to her because why should I? She graduated! I'd looked into the group's past singles and I noticed she didn't even get a lot of lines or screen time so my interest in her remained low. Then I listened to For you, her solo on one of those H!P compilation albums and ever since then I've been scratching my head as to why in the hell UFP let her amazing voice got to waste. All right, I'm fairly certain it was her Chinese nationality that ever prevented Linlin from having real success in Momusu, but that's still a shitty reason to shaft her! I'm serious, Linlin's voice completely blew my mind when I heard this ballad; I had no idea she was such an amazing singer because I heard her so little in Morning Musume's songs. Linlin's voice is what makes For you such a perfect ballad; in the beginning, she sings very softly and delicate and her voice grows louder and stronger until she hits the chorus and it sounds absolutely beautiful. The minimal instrumentals only highlight how wonderful Linlin's voice is and it's a shame that I didn't hear her voice more in Morning Musume.

5. hitoribochi - BiS

Can I just take this moment to say that once again, the Brand-new Idol Society's music is totally awesome and you are really missing out if you're too stubborn to look past their weird image. I could probably make an entire list of my favorite BiS songs and Hitoribochi would definitely be high up on that list! Not only is it a great ballad, Hitoribochi is just a great song. This is a rock ballad and pretty much the only one on my list (unless you consider #2 a rock ballad). Honestly, this song feels more like a blend of rock and alternative; the opening especially reminds me something a jangly 80s band like R.E.M. or even The Cure would do. But then the chorus uses a lot of heavy guitars so I think Hitoribochi can be called an alt-rock ballad. And it's such a good song and it has everything I like in a ballad. The vocals are extremely emotional and hit their high point in the chorus and you can just hear the emotion behind the voices of BiS. The members of BiS also composed the lyrics for this song and I think that only makes the singing more genuine; the girls are singing what they wrote, not some producer, their own personal feelings and thoughts translated into music and lyrics. I would love to read an English translation of this song if I could find one someday, because I'll bet the lyrics are pretty thoughtful and carry as much emotion as the song does.

4. Sakura no Ki ni Narou - AKB48

Fun fact: Sakura no Ki ni Narou was the song that convinced me to give AKB48 another chance. At first, I just liked this song; I didn't ever expect myself to love it the same way I do now but things happen. Like graduations. Sakura no Ki ni Narou is one of AKB48's "Sakura songs" aka their graduation songs and any AKB fan knows that these songs tend to focus on growing up, graduating school, becoming adults, moving on, like a teen 80s movie only it's about Japanese idols! This is a very pretty ballad with a nice piano, soothing vocals and nostalgic lyrics. So why do I rank it so high on the list? Well... I think it has to do with the loudness of the song. The song starts out soft, really soft. But then the chorus is a bit louder. Then the following verses are a bit louder. And then the final chorus is when the song hits its peak both in volume and in emotion. Sakura no Ki ni Narou is like one giant emotional crescendo and it works beautifully. The lyrics are also beautiful, albeit somewhat abstract. What I gathered from the song is that the narrator was someone who was parting ways with the friends she'd grown close to, so Sakura no Ki ni Narou is not only a reflection of the friendships she had but a promise to remain true to those friends regardless of their obstacles. In the PV, that concept is really brought into the light and let me tell you right now, it's sad. Anyone who watches the PV knows it's essentially about a dead friend watching over her other friends as they grow up and move on with their lives while she's forever looking over them from the great beyond and it only adds to the moving nature of the song.

3. Shin'ai - Mizuki Nana

Oh hey, it's Mizuki Nana, that artist I kind-sorta bring up from time to time even though she has nothing to do with the material I review on this blog! Yeah, this is the only non-idol ballad I felt that I had to put on here simply because I really love this ballad. I've praised Mizuki Nana for her amazing voice again and again and for Shin'ai, her voice is once again one of the reasons it's such an amazing song. I think what makes a great ballad is if the singer can convey the emotions of the song through her voice and Nana does a great job at that. There are so many emotional highs and lows in this song from the soft and delicate verses to the emotionally passionate chorus. Nana wrote this song based around not romantic love but deep love (which is the English translation of the song title), like the bond you'd have between a family member or a friend or someone else you felt really close to. Nana herself wrote this song after the passing of her father, who was pretty much the person who pushed her so hard into having a singing career. Shin'ai is completely and utterly beautiful, a perfect combination of beautiful vocals and an even more beautiful instrumental. Seriously, the harpist in this song has some skills along with all the other instruments in this song. I always get teary-eyed when listening to Shin'ai and for that reason I decided to include it in my list.

2. secret base ~Kimi ga Kureta Mono~ - Zone

Ah, Secret Base. Isn't this song pretty well-known now? I know it's been covered by Scandal and used for two different animes and I'm certain that this amazing ballad has been covered by a bunch of other different artists. But of all the covers, the original has always been my favorite. This is one of those J-pop songs where knowing the English translation actually gives me a better appreciation of the song. Secret Base is essentially about a goodbye to friend after a long summer of laughing, crying, fighting and just living out their summer in their little "secret base." It's a simple enough message but sometimes simple messages are the best to reach out to listeners. Secret Base relies on nostalgia to pull the listener in, and that message of a summer friendship and the parting of two friends really reaches out to me because it's so relatable. I can't even count the number of friends I've made over the summer and the number I've never seen again. But I remember the summers we shared together and all the amazing memories that I've kept all these years after those summers have long flown by. There were happy times, sad times, and everything in-between but I really cherish the nostalgia of my past summers so a song about that reaches out to me. And I can hear those same feelings in the sheer vocals the song; the girls of Zone sound so expressive and emotional in Secret Base and combined with the nostalgic lyrics, I absolutely love this ballad. 

1. Seventh Heaven - Perfume

I have cried many tears to this song. I think my love for Seventh Heaven has really shot up in the past year mainly due to personal events that have given the song a lot of sentimental value to me. Around October 2012, a relative I'm very close to was in the hospital for critical pneumonia and it really hit me hard when I heard the news. I remember driving to class and crying my eyes out but trying to focus on the road and not think about the possibility that someone I loved so much could die. I even ended up skipping my first class because I was too much of a wreak to make it through an hour of material I didn't even care about. So there I was sitting in my car in the school parking lot with mascara running down my face and just trying to pull myself together to get to my next class. I pulled out my iPod and put Perfume on shuffle because it's Perfume; they've always been able to lift my spirits when I'm down. I just needed something to take my mind off things and their music really does that for me. On the shuffle list, I reached Seventh Heaven and this... feeling just overcame me. It was like this combination of melancholy, hope, sadness, happiness, I don't even know how to describe it. I'd always liked Seventh Heaven but this time listening to it was different. So I listened to it again. And again. To this day, I haven't ever felt a song that gripped me so emotionally since Seventh Heaven and I knew when I started writing this list, that Seventh Heaven is my absolute favorite ballad of all time. Even without my little sob story, it's a beautiful ballad with a lot of emotion and power in it. The lyrics are incredibly melancholic and the instrumental is absolutely amazing. If you need a song that'll give you waterworks, I'd listen to Seventh Heaven. I know it has me crying every time I listen to it.

So with that sappy story out of the way, I've only got one question for you guys: what are your favorite ballads? Which ones make you feel good? Which ones make you cry? Which ones make you cry even though you're too tough to tell anyone?

Whose Line is it Anyway? -The Best Line Distribution I've Seen in Idol Music-

So. Line distribution.

I think of all the many topics that fans in the idol world constantly argue over, the biggest one is line distribution. Left and right you get complaints of this girl getting too many lines and that girl getting not enough lines. It's quite exhausting! I admit, I've complained on more than one occasion when I dislike the line distribution for a certain song. And why not? Bad line distribution bothers me! Ever since I entered the idol fandom, it's bothered me! Sure, I've learned to tolerate it (to an extent) but it's still one of the things about idols (or the agency that manage them at least) that really bothers me. I think I wouldn't mind so much if there weren't groups and songs that showed yes, it is possible for idols to have good line distribution. Doing so gives me a little hope spot for a world with even line distribution filled with rainbows and flowers and glowsticks. Alas, that's not happening ever but I still would like to go over some of the best examples of good line distribution that I've come across! Now I'm not a walking, talking hard-drive so I can't cover every idol in the world so I went off the idols I follow and drew examples from their music or even the group itself! Naturally, there are probably lots more examples out there of good line distribution and if you feel inclined to let me know, just leave a comment! Or attempt to telepathically send it to me. I won't say that'll work but you'll get a star for trying!

10. AKB48: Initially, this one might seem kind of surprising, especially now that there's a great debate raging on about who should be the next ace of AKB48. The group has built itself up around having one "face" to get the center of attention and have a lot of focus in PVs, promotions, dancing position, etc. But I've looked up the color coded lyrics to their songs, and the line distribution is surprisingly even. You still have semi-leads but hardly anyone ever gets a solo and almost every girl gets to share a duet/trio/quartet at some point in the song. Now it's true that the screen distribution is incredibly uneven in their PVs but when it comes down to just the vocals, I was pleasantly surprised at how even it was. I think it's because the way AKB48's singles are done (selecting the most popular girls to represent the group) that they have such even line distribution. And don't get me wrong, it's not completely balanced; girls like Oshima Yuko and Watanabe Mayu get a slightly larger amount of lines than some of the less popular girls like Kitahara Rie and Minegishi Minami. And there have also been solos in the past, particularly in their early singles like Skirt, Hirari and Seifuku ga Jama wo Suru. But for the most part, AKB48 has some of the better line distribution out there, especially for being the top idol group in Japan.

9. Shabondama - Morning Musume: I love this song for a lot of reasons. The fact that the line distribution is good is one of those many reason. This song goes to show that just because Morning Musume has leads doesn't mean they can't give lines to everyone else! Long before the days of the reign of Ai and Reina and only Ai and Reina, they lead the 6th Generation's debut song. And they do a really nice job; they sound strong and powerful and have a lot of emotion. But do you know what the nice thing about this song is that sets it apart from other songs with Ai and Reina as leads? They're not the only ones with solos; in Shabondama, everyone got some kind of solo. Even Sayumi! And keep in mind there were fifteen girls in Morning Musume at the time this song was recorded and they all got solos. Not all of them were long but they were still solos! Besides they all couldn't lead the song otherwise it would be a 10-minute song at the least but still! It just goes to show that if you do it right, you can have a song with good line distribution that still has leads! It helps that this song is one of my favorites from Morning Musume and I'm still longing for the day they release another song with even line distribution. Oh well... I can hope for the 52nd single, right?

8. Chou HAPPY SONG - Berrikyuu: I love this idea; I loved it when the two separate songs by two separate idol groups were merged together to create one! Even better? Those groups were Berryz Koubou and C-ute? And even better? Those respective songs had good line distribution! Especially C-ute's song, Shiawase no Tochuu! Everyone got 3 or 4 solos lines which is nice compared to their older songs which had really sucky line distribution! Then again, recently C-ute's been doing well with even line distribution so I'm not terribly surprised! Because Happiness by Berryz Koubou is a little less uneven since Maasa and Chinami don't get any lines but they still get some duets here and there! And it's nice that Saki got some lines since she doesn't normally get any! But I think the best part is when you get the songs blended together to make Chou Happy Song. You get to hear so many different solos and voices in this fusion song that the effect is really cool! The sheer act of getting the Hello! Project Kids back together was a great idea in is own. I think the numerous amount of solos in Chou Happy Song helped to show how diverse these girls are in terms of vocals and how their voices blend together! It's just a great song that sprung from a great idea and has great vocal distribution!

7. Heroine ni Narou ka! - Berryz Koubou: So this was the first Berryz song that was released post-Inazuma promotions and already there was a change in line distribution. For all the Inazuma theme songs, they pretty heavily featured Miyabi, Risako, Momoko and Yurina (to an extent) and usually Maasa, Chinami and Saki got a solo every now and then in the collection of songs. Overall, Berryz probably has some of the better line distribution of the H!P groups but it could be better. You have front girls like Miya, Risako, Momoko and Yurina but everyone else is kind of pushed to the back. Personally, I thought it was kind of stagnant to have the same four girls sing lead even though it is quite impressive to have four leads in one song! Heroine ni Narou ka! pretty much doesn't have a lead. True, Yurina's Autotuned backing vocals give her the most lines total but it still feels more like everyone got a nicely even amount of lines. It was a nice change to hear girls like Maasa and Chinami (especially Maasa who never gets more than one solo line) having a chance to give a lot of vocals into a Berryz song! It was just really awesome listening to this song and being able to hear everyone a lot for a change!

6. Maji Desu ka Ska! - Morning Musume: This is another generation song that I think fits the quintessential generation song! I will admit, I've said a lot that I have to be in the right mood to listen to Maji Desu ka Ska! but something I've always admired about the song is how even the line distribution is! In terms of vocals, the entire 9th Generation gets showed off equally; each girl (even Riho the Ace I'm Not Okay With) gets two lines. Same goes for the older members; they all get two lines each. Except Reina and Ai but even then they get three lines each! Even when those two get a marginally bigger amount of lines, it still feels like a song sung by everyone and it's a great way to highlight the 9th Generation. Giving them all an equal amount of lines is like introducing them to the fandom! I remember I was so happy with the line distribution in this so to have that really good line distribution disappear so quickly was terrible. Ever since Maji Desu ka Ska! UFP's become hell-bent on making Riho the next Takahashi Ai and pushing everyone else to the back. It really stinks because in Maji Desu ka Ska! you could hear the potential in all the new members. At the level of line distribution right now, I highly doubt Momusu's line distribution will be like this again for a very long time.

5. Perfume: Okay, so technically speaking, Perfume pretty much isn't an idol group (my philosophy is indies Perfume was an idol group but after Polyrhythm, they transitioned into artists). But they're my number-one group I write about and naturally, if I have an opportunity to praise them, I shall do so! I love Perfume. That's obvious but one of the reasons I love Perfume is because each member is promoted equally and in their songs they get really good line distribution! It's a little hard to tell since their vocoded voices make each girl hard to distinguish but their vocals are pretty evenly spread out! Every now and then one girl might get one or two lines more but overall, they all get a bunch of vocals and that's mainly because of their size and how they're promoted equally. I think Perfume is one of the reasons I love smaller idol groups: because in a smaller idol group, each girl has a better chance of shining. In larger groups, you get girls who are shafted but not in Perfume. In Perfume, A-chan, Nocchi and Kashiyuka all have attention and are recognized as individuals that make up a group. Now there is a faction of the fandom that has a bigger bias towards one girl or the other but let's not talk about that and just enjoy their really good line distribution!

4. Go Girl ~Koi no Victory~ - Morning Musume: I loved the concept for this song: putting the girls into color-coded teams and having each team sing parts of the song! There were no solos, no leads, just everyone singing in their respective team? Why can't Morning Musume do that now? It worked great back then, they could shuffle all the members and divide them into teams! How awesome and non-shafting would that be? Yeah, something I really like about this song is that there are no leads and everything is sung in groups. It feels a lot like what AKB48 does now except the vocals are even more evenly distributed! And it makes sense considering the Momusu lineup was about as big as the Senbatsu for AKB48 is today. The teams all get a nice amount of group lines each! I don't want to say it sounds like a chorus because it's not but this song reminds me a bit of One for All and One for All only with less girls and no solos! The color-coded teams were a really fun concept and the best part was they made way for some really well-done line distribution!

3. Edo no Temari Uta II - C-ute: Remember the days when C-ute's line distribution sucked? I don't but I can tell from past videos it did! At this point in time, C-ute had released five singles under a major label and they were all pretty heavy on using Airi and Maimi and sometimes featuring Maimai and/or Nakky with minor vocals. If UFA was in the right mood. The previous single, Namida no Iro, was especially heavy on Airi and Maimi solos and that song would probably be in my top 20 or maybe 30 songs with bad line distribution. This song was a completely 180 from the line distribution in Namida no Iro. Edo no Temari Uta II is a relatively short song (under 3 minutes I think) but in that time, everyone gets a solo line, even less popular members like Chissa and Kanna! In fact, this was the first C-ute song where everyone got a solo; it only took them 4 indies and 5 more singles to reach that point! Each girl gets just one line except for Airi who gets two because Airi is Airi but it's a great way to lay out all the solos! Everyone sings the chorus and everyone gets a line! It's a perfect balance! And then they released Forever Love which was 90% Airi and Maimi again. So much for even line distribution...

2. Buono!: Buono! was actually the first Hello! Project group that really caught my eye. I think it was because they were a trio just like Perfume and also their really rocking music but the nice thing was I could recognize each member! They all had really distinctive voices and it was easy to tell each one apart! When I started, getting into other H!P groups and began realizing how bad their line distribution was, I also realized how valuable Buono! was. Other than S/mileage, they were the only group in H!P that seemed to show off each member equally! I think that was once again, because Buono! is too small for anyone to get shafted. The only time I can remember the line distribution being really off was for Natsu Dakara! (one of my least favorite songs of 2011) which basically featured a lot of Airi and a little bit of Miyabi and Momoko. Luckily that was gone with their next single and every since then, the group gets really nice and even line distribution! It was incredibly refreshing to see no one left in the back or anyone without solos in comparison to groups like Morning Musume. You know, Buono! is a lot like the number 1 group on my list in terms of line distribution! Speaking of number 1...

1. 4nin S/mileage: Yeah, I'm saying 4nin S/mileage because the current S/mileage sucks in terms of line distribution. Oh, I miss the old S/mileage so much. The even line distribution is one of the many things I miss about old S/mileage. I was worried how adding new members would affect their great line distribution and unfortunately, the newbs really upset the great balance the old S/mileage had. Before there were more newbs than OGs, the old S/mileage was hailed as having the best line distribution in Hello! Project outside of Buono! And it was true; all four girls in S/mileage got a lot of lines and it didn't really feel like anyone was leading the songs. Sometimes, girls like Yuuka and Saki would get an extra line or two but most of the time, everyone in old S/mileage got an equal amount of lines. And I miss that. Now, S/mileage has members that get shafted! What happened to the days where no one got shafted? The smallness of the original S/mileage is another example of why I think having less members in an idol group is a beneficial thing! Oh well, I'll just wistfully stare out the window and think of a better, simpler time in which S/mileage had even line distribution...

Now wasn't that nice and positive? I always love writing positive things and I've decided to share the positiveness with a poll! Yeah, I'm actually doing another one! The poll question this time is Which idol group has the best line distribution? I put down a various array of artists (I tried to keep it current as there are a lot of old subgroups that could be in there). If you feel like spreading the positiveness, feel free to vote!

A Deep State of Mind for Buono!

Thank the lord. Okay, now I know it truly is Christmas! That must be the only reason UFA has so generously released not only the PV to Hatsukoi Cider but also DEEP MIND! And the PV does not disappoint; I love it. I really do. Buono! has officially redeemed itself from Natsu Dakara! and even Zassou no Uta. I think the song has this very heavy feel to it and that's what apart from idol music. So already they had a pretty good song to work with into the PV. And to match how hard DEEP MIND is they went in the same direction PV and personally I love that. Some might say it's too heavy or rockish but I'm happy that Buono! stepped out of their comfort zone and delivered one of their best new songs yet!

The PV is simple, much like Hatsukoi Cider but it's simple in a very elaborate way. There are only about 4-5 shots but they're very tastefully done so that they don't look so overused. The lighting is good, the costumes look flawless (unlike the aforementioned Pepto Bismal suits), and Buono! really rocks the PV. They own the song and you can really see that in the music video. In all honesty, I think is definitely my favorite PV from their new label and probably one of my favorite PVs of theirs overall.

But there is one thing that bothers me... where the hell was that dance shot we were promised? The closest thing we got to dancing was Buono! changing their formation every few minutes and doing some hand moves. I mean, I didn't expect Perfume-choreography or anything (awesome as that would be...) but I was kinda hoping for just a little more than that! But other than that... I have no problems with this song or the video. I think it's a very awesome pop-punkish song from Buono! and if they kept going in this direction I would be okay with that. Honestly, I would really like to hear heavier stuff from them. Their rock sound was what distinguished them from the rest of H!P so why not take that a step further? It's a sign Tsunku! Give me more edgy-Buono!

Eh heh... anyways, on to the PV ^.^

EEK! The first shot begins with Airi looking surprisingly sinister... of course Momoko still looks adorable!

I really do love the set; it's kinda simple but it works for the PV!

Though I will say it does remind me of Tobenai Agehachou

And here's the band I assume will be present in every Buono! PV as of now; I like how they kind of blend in to the background and more attention is focused on the girls.

Have I mentioned how much I love these outfits? And that I would swim to Japan and steal them if I could?

Plaid. Hearts. Airi. <3

Momoko looks like a little doll in this PV.

I love the "Ah" note Momoko hits. And the hand motion.

Oh hi Mariko-sama!! I love the way Miyabi looks in this PV but her hair reminds me of Shinoda Mariko's!

Can I just applaud Airi for looking so into this PV? I think she goes with the PV really well!

Seriously. She owns the PV like a queen!

As much as I love the arm movements I kinda want something more...

Airi wants you to join the Buono! fandom

HI YA!

Okay, even I have to admit that dance move is pretty cool.

As of now Miyabi's badass netted glove and headpiece are on my Christmas list.

DON'T STOP! (being awesome, that is)

Another thing I love about this PV are the rotating centers I've missed so much!

That light makes Momoko look surprisingly mature. Sometimes I forget she's older than me!

I really love how into it Buono! is with this song.

Miya~

Another thing: NO INSTRUMENTAL BREAK! Do you realize how rarely that happens in H!P songs these days!?

Though the Autotune was a little unnecessary...

Momo: STEP ASIDE BITCHES!

I love it when Momoko's center; she balances the group out!

Another cool arm motion dance move ^.^

I say, is Miyabi pulling a Yuuka on us!?

I can't dislike this dance. Even though it's very simple it's commanding and those arm movements are AWESOME!

Nice job random-guitarist-whose-name-I'll-probably-never-know!

My overall thoughts on the PV? To me, Hatuskoi Cider was Buono! letting you know they're still good. But DEEP MIND was Buono! letting you know that they've gotten even better.

Nice job, Buono!