Puffy AMIYUMI - Then and Now 2013

Puffy AmiYumi 2013

Puffy (AmiYumi) 1996-ish 













 Recently I have been on a JPop kick, kind of remember my first few years studying Japanese in Hawaii, and also the first few years I lived in Japan. One of the groups that stood out for me was Puffy AmiYumi. I put the full name but in Japan they are just known as PUFFY (Sorry PDiddy LOL). The coolest thing about them was that they were kind of a relief from the normal overly produced JPop music machine. Also, I was able to actually find their CD on sale at a music store in Hawaii, so they helped me study Japanese. Well.....at least get my ears used to hearing the language. At the time I really didn't understand shit, but with a dictionary and a pen and a pad.....I started my journey with the Japanese language. So, while I was stuck in the hotel room the other night, I watched a whole lot of Puffy AmiYumi videos, both old and new. It just so happens that they have some new music coming out (New Single: Datsu Dystopia). So I thought it would be cool to talk about them on the blog. While watching a bunch of videos I ran into a live cover then did, that I had never heard and really caught my
ear.

Owaranai = The negative form of Owaru which means "finish", "end", or "over".
Uta = Is "song"



The song is "Owaranai Uta" which roughly translated means "Never ending Song" and is a cover of The Blue Hearts.

AKB48's New Hit - さよならクロール (Sayonara Crawl)

Spring and summer in Japan are always a good time for new "Summery" JPOP hits, which usually have bikini's and happy-go-lucky singing.  This year is no different and it's those AKB48 girls that are #1 on the Oricon Charts.

Enjoy the AKB48 Video - さよならクロール

Hakata's Own HKT48 Suki! Suki! Skip スキ! スキ! スキップ

If you read this site or listen to the podcast you will know that I am sick of the whole AKB48 thing. I think it's more than run it's course and JPOP needs to go a different direction for a while. That said I lived in Fukuoka for years so anything related to Fukuoka or Hakata, I will support. Even if it is kind of related to AKB48. HKT48 has a new hit on the charts and here it is. It's not the full song, since Japanese record labels still really don't get it. They are a little old school when it comes to supporting new technology, if you can call YouTube new, lol. Anyways have a look at the video here, and let me know what you think. It's the usual happy go lucky JPOP style so most people will like it.

KPOP Group Kara Doing Excellently in Japanese Music Charts

Looks like Kara's newest song "Bye Bye Happy Days" is doing pretty well on the Japanese music charts. They are currently ranked at 14th but were 12th. This is pretty amazing for a Korean group, especially since the charts usually are filled up with AKB48 and their sister groups, lol. One thing I do have to say about this song is that it's very "JPOP-ish". So, my guess is that it was geared for the Japanese market from the start. Enjoy the video and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading, ET

ももいろクローバーZ [Momo iro kuroobaa Z]

ももいろクローバーZ  [Momo iro kuroobaa Z]


One of the most recent bands to break out in Japan is Momo Iro Kuroobaa Z.  The group was originally named Momoiro Clover and is also referred to as Momoclo (ももクロ) for short. It is nicknamed "Weekend Heroines" (週末ヒロイン Shūmatsu Heroin) for performing on weekends as on weekdays its members are at school.

ももクロ - Momokuro Abbreviated name used by fans.

Momo iro Kuroobaa Z = Pink Clover Z

Mono no fu = Momo Iro Kuroobaa Z  Fans

Girls Generation - SNSD 少女時代 New Video

The KPop group Girls Generation aka SNSD aka 少女時代 are at it again with a new music video.  As usual they are looking great and dancing in a very colorful video.