1 post tagged “iida kaori”

Congratulations to you! You've become a mother! (And a little bit more responsible one than dear Nono, I'm afraid... I think it's a great decision not to give the baby's name to publicity. But no offense to Nonnochan, I believe in you Nono!!!)

You're such a beautiful woman aren't you. ♥ Why didn't you go into modeling? You have the body (what a great body that is!) and the looks... Even the elegant aura.

I don't enjoy your voice and I have never bothered to look for your solo material so I have no clue of what it's like. Or actually I do have two clues: the song you performed on Momusu Tanjou 10nen Kinentai's concert tour, Nakazu ni Irarenai Watashi desu (and maybe some others of you solo songs that I cannot remember perfomed on some Momusu concert tours) and the fact that it's supposed to be "Mediterranean style" or "European style" - whatever that means. Maybe I should give you a chance, at least to know what your music is like... I think that a classic and mature approach to solo music is very natural to you and definitely suits you well. I find it hard to imagine you releasing solo singles like The Stress or anything like that. You've always been that classic beauty, having a somewhat elegant character.

Despite the fact that I don't like your voice you will always have a special place in my heart. I loved your behaviour when you were younger. So spaced out but also actually appreciating the chance you got when Tsunku decided to form Momusu... I'll never forget the Music Station episode I watched (I guess it was a graduation special for Asukacchi or something, can't really remember) where they showed the reactions of all of you when the first week single ranks were revealed. It was so funny to see all the other girls sitting there reserved and smiling happily and little Kaorin bouncing up, screaming and clapping her hands... You really were very exited about the good rankings your singles got, weren't you. ^_^ You were really thankful and honestly happy to be in Momusu.

You were also one of the funniest ones, always making funny expressions, though I guess you weren't aware of it. But in the end people who aren't trying to be the funniest one are the funniest. :) Another music show memory... When the 2001 shuffles were featured in Utaban and you kept staring forwards so intensively and looking SO angry and Takasan kept teasing you for it. :D You really stood out from the other girls. Not to speak of this hilarious Ayaka's Surprise Lessons episode (this is was in the Hello Online "Iida Kaori gives birth" news bit and I hadn't seen it before. It was SO funny!). :DD You do have a strong personality so it's quite sad that you got pushed back so many times, especially later on.

Was it because you weren't much of a dancer? I actually think that the case was just that an old dog cannot learn new tricks (no, I have absolutely no idea if that's a proverb in English :). I hope you get the point though). In earlier Momusu songs and concerts you were just as good as anyone else (though messing up a little bit sometimes :)) but when I look at you in the Ai Araba era you do stand out a bit. If not as a completely hopeless case still as a bad dancer. Well, the dances were a lot easier back when you started, but still...

But I think I've got the reason why you mess up so often.

You actually have a great ability to put your heart and soul to the song you're singing. One only has to look at your face and see how much you get from it. When performing, I always see in you the one who most does the things she feels like (gestures, expressions I mean) while the others strictly follow the chorepgraphy they're given. A good example is the Last Kiss performance from Momusu 10nen Kienentai's concert tour. The duet you and Mamechan do is awesome and maybe one of my favourite performances ever (Gakisan is so great at Tanpopo songs! I loved her doing Tanpopo in the H!P 2007 summer concert also. Her singing was something incredibly beautiful to hear). But looking at you and Gakisan standing side by side made a clear difference between you two when it comes to moving while singing. Both of you have a great and very emotional expression but Gakisan does all her movements in a big manner and one can see how they are carefully thought beforehand. However, you do the same movements but in a minimalistic and less exaggerated way, as they were natural and spontanious and not learned. To some it may seem like you're no good at all at dancing but to me it just shows how much you care about the song.You might not be as theatrical and showy as Gakisan but it doesn't mean you're dull.

 

Your true place, however, was in 1st gen Tanpopo. It's the place where you, Marippe and Ayappe fitted together perfectly. The image was just the right for you - mature, sexy and great vocals. While Marippe found her place in second gen as well you seemed a little out of place to me. Marippe's strenght has always been her variety, she's perfectly able to change her behaviour, attitude and image from a super-sexy (though super-tiny) photobook realeaser to a children's favourite super-genki Minimoni leader. You instead, you fitted better in the serious-styled Tanpopo than in the "I love my boyfriend, let's go on a date!" Tanpopo. That's why I was extremely happy when I found this post by Yoshimi telling about her love to first gen Tanpopo. I agree completely with her with the sentence "Tanpopo really striked me as the kind of ideal group for Kaori, back in the day." That's exactly what I think also.

I might like the second gen's music a little better overall but the best single this subgroup ever produced was Tanpopo, their post-album single. It's a great song, very beautiful and the great b-side, A Rainy Day makes me love it even more if possible... And it certainly doesn't help at all that the best H!P photocard I've ever got with a single comes with this: the greatest possible photo there could ever be of Ayappe. I can't help but to share those photos with you though they have nothing to do with Kaorin. I giuess it's the image the whole single has - these three little (okay, Marippe is the only little one. :)) standing in the wonderful yellow coloured meadow. They all look absolutely gorgeous and somehow this image is so different from their other singles but still manages to stay inside the general mature feel. And also the songs - I'm sure everyone of you have already heard Tanpopo but A Rainy Day is worth hearing too. I highly recommend it. Please listen to it! Again it's one of my favourites mostly because of its jazzy style. I would want to know what the lyrics are about but I haven't been able to find a translation... I guess it's just another love song though. :)

I'm so happy that at the time I got to know H!P they had found something for you to do. Your place definitely was in Morning Musume Tanjou 10nen Kinentai. I have never heard you sound as good as you did in Itoshiki Tomo he! I love that song not because of Kohachan, not Nacchi, not Gocchin, not even because of Risa's super great vocals and deserved attention. I loved it because of you Kaorin. You have never before sounded so pleasant to me. I think that lower ranges actually fit your voice better and that why it sounds so good in Itoshiki Tomo he.

BTW, always keep that long hair. It suits you so well! I always thought you looked a bit funny when you cut your hair after graduating from Momusu. Somehow it made your head look bigger and you yourself look even taller though not in a good way. You have the best legs ever so you don't have to exaggerate...

Some more Kaorin goodness. :)

I really think that in this look those straight bangs that you sometimes got picked at really fit! See, even those two others are trying to create a similar look by wearing black leather caps. Those bangs just frame your pretty face so beautifully.

Stupid scanner made a stupid lighting in Marippe's hair in that last photo... And it was a very beautiful one... Though Ayappe's nose piercing ♥ And also a refreshing new approach in Tanpopo's lyrics card's inside pisture. I love that collage! Then some pictures of second gen Tanpopo. I love the fact that they didn't get rid of everything the original image was.

The second picture photo shows that pretty clearly, the maturity is still there. The problem is that I don't really see it suiting Aibon or Rikachan. Maybe their looks, yes (all four look fabulous in that photo) but I could never see them singing something like Motto. They were placed in Tanpopo to change the image of the group, in favor to the popular cute image Momusu had adopted at the time. That's how it's supposed to be I guess. As I mentioned, I do like second gen's music more than first gen's because I'm a great fan of that kind of Beatlesy happy 60's pop. But the new dancy Tanpopo was too much for you, Kaorin. You do look a bit out of place in that last photo, smiling in pink clothes and trying to be all cutesy next to Rikachan and Aibon. That's impossible for anyone (but Sayu maybe) and even though Marippe has the silliest expression (she's looking so funny :D Well that's quite a bad photo overall) you look uncomfortable.

 

Phew - this ended up being a personal letter to Kaorin. Scary... Well, having a child is a big turning point in life. It's often said that people tend to change after it. Their way of living changes, their friends change... Maybe it's time to get everything in the past clear now, and what's a better way to do that but to write a letter. :P

 

Now Marippe, we're only waiting for you to reveal the news!

Huh? I wasn't supposed to tell anyone? Oh, sorry... I'm sure no-one heard... I love you too, Marippe. ♥ Though you'd be hard to live with, wouldn't you? Maybe I'll write a letter to you too, one day. Hopefully I can do it soon. :)

Wait! No, wait, that's not what I meant!

PS. Wow, that took me quite a while to write! A partial reason is that sometimes my internet connection just refuses to work properly so it's impossible to upload photos or music to vox. Though music is impossible quite always.