Album Review: E-girls – Love☆Queen

Release Date: July 26, 2017

Track List:

1. Love☆Queen

2. Smile For Me

3. Tomorrow will be a good day

4. Piece of your heart

Total Runtime: 00:17:36

Recommended For: Those who love up-beat tracks including pop-ballad, musical theater-like tracks, and EDM/tropical house.

NOT Recommended For: Those who despise EDM/tropical house or those who are looking for slow ballad tracks

Love☆Queen is the nineteenth single released by E-girls, this is the group’s first single since reforming the group to 11 members. It was released in three editions: a CD+DVD version with a photobook, a CD+DVD version, and a CD only version.

Track Review:

Track One/Title Track: Love☆Queen

This is the first single in the new 11 member lineup of E-girls so we no longer have the deep vocals of Ruri and Shizuka. This is one of their more poppy title tracks that they have released, the song starts out with the chorus’ catchphrase along with a high note from Reina. The song itself is catchy throughout but since Reina and Yuzuna are more high-pitched in this, I wish they utilized Karen deeper vocals so that there’s a variety in vocal colors. Karen also does the rap lines and I felt like they could’ve introduced Anna and Yurino in this and have Karen sing instead. Overall, it was a solid track and the lineup change didn’t affect E-girls popularity as they still sold 70k CD copies on the first week of release.

Track Two: Smile For Me

This track was more like an upbeat pop ballad than anything. This was probably my least favorite track on the EP although I really loved the pre-chorus. The song was used for a behind the scene video clip and I think it was made to show the group now as a 11-member unit and to give a heartwarming feel knowing that this will be a new era for E-girls.

Track Three: Tomorrow will be a good day

This was the usual E-girl’s “Broadway” track, which I always enjoy. The reason why I say Broadway is because the song has a theatre-esque feel to it and I could always imagine a song like this being performed in a stage play, just like their previous songs “Saturday Night” and “Kikai Shikake no Bye Bye!” The violin and the trumpet gives the track that jazz/classical feel, Reina has that type of voice that matches well with theatre/stage play music.

Track Four: Piece of your heart

Probably the only song that has the most replay-ability for me as well as my favorite track in the EP. It’s one of E-girls most catchiest chorus along with “Pink Champagne” and “Go! Go! Let’s Go!” It’s been awhile since we’ve gotten an EDM track from E-girls and I think instrumentals fit the vocals the best, and the line in the chorus “Singin’ o-i-o-i-o you go a-i-a-i-a” is the charm of the song. I think the only part that doesn’t fit is the pre-chorus because it really breaks the flow of the song from the verses to the chorus. Other than that, it’s a pretty well done track that makes me want to replay it again.

I hope you loved all the songs like I did. If you want to listen to the full version, the entire EP is available on Apple Music and Spotify.

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Shinyokohama Ramen Museum

The "Shinyokohama Ramen Museum" is a unique museum about ramen, a very popular Japanese noodle dish which was originally introduced from China.

In a gallery on the first floor, the Ramen Museum presents the history of ramen noodles in Japan, including the big success of instant ramen. It displays the variety of noodles, soups, toppings and bowls used across Japan, and shows how the noodles are made.

On the two basement floors, visitors can explore a 1:1 replica of some streets and houses of Shitamachi, the old town of Tokyo, of around the year 1958, when the popularity of ramen was rapidly increasing. Nine ramen restaurants can be found there, each featuring a ramen dish from a different region of Japan.

For visitors who wish to try multiple ramen dishes, every store offers "mini ramen", a small portion of the feature dish. Tickets for the meals are purchased at vending machines in front of each stores before entering.

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[Album Review] FAKY - "Unwrapped" + Autographed Poster Giveaway

Unwrapped is the third mini album released by FAKY but their first physical release. It will be released in three editions: a CD version, a CD+DVD version, and a CD limited version that is sold only at live events. The mu-mo version includes a signed poster from FAKY as a first press/external bonus. This mini album also marks their major debut which is very exciting!

The one I'll be reviewing is the iTunes version since it came out a week earlier than the CD release (I bought the CD/CD+DVD too). It comes with a total of 6 tracks plus one bonus remix track.

Keep Out
The song that everyone has been waiting for is now finally released in it's full version. This song was used for the "FAKY is Back" teasers. What I like the most about this song is that everyone is singing at a more higher note. The instrumentals is what makes this song so catchy, especially in the chorus.

Candy
Probably FAKY's most popular song so far, Candy is an up and popping song with amazing dance moves. Their singing is full of confidence in this track and with Lil' Fang's high and long notes to top it off in the bridge of the song.

Are You OK?
This was an instant favorite when I heard it on the Candy EP. They way it was sung had a tropical vibe to it, I loved the high notes in the chorus and edm beat as it makes you feel like dancing.

Surrender
Surrender has a very 2000s pop feel with a touch of EDM as well. I'm going to be honest it's one of my least favorite track from them along with You but it has it's catchy parts here and there.

Bad Things
Probably my favorite new track from them! It's a song I could probably see someone like Fifth Harmony sing. This is probably one of their more western sounding tracks due to the type of instrumentals this has as well as how the song is sung with a lot of English. Either way, it's a song I'll be jamming to for a while.

Someday We'll Know
I love songs that have a light instrumentals such as this because you can really focus on the amazing vocals, especially FAKY's. The chorus has an uplifting beat even though track it may seem sad during the rest of the song.

Candy (Maria Remix)
I love how they were able to change a very pop and high energy song into a heartfelt song that gave me goosebumps! The song doesn't really have a large beat drop which I like because the original song was already poppy so to have a somewhat slow version of candy was nice to listen to.

Please support FAKY by buying the mini album either on iTunes or on CDJapan. CD version/CD+DVD version

Now to the giveaway, since I bought both versions of Unwrapped on mu-mo shop, I'll be getting two autographed posters so I thought I would give one away! This is a United States only giveaway, I would love to have had it an international giveaway but I'm already spending a lot to ship FAKY's Fan Book to Japan. Everything is down below.

Faky Mini Album "Unwrapped" Autographed Poster Giveaway

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Katsucon 2017: Artist Alley, Kimono Photoshooot, Maid Cafe, and More!

Katsucon was definitely a different experience compared to my first ever convention experience. I was only able to Saturday since I was commuting to the National Harbor opposed to those who stayed at the hotel at the Harbor.

Katsucon is an annual three-day anime convention held during February at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. It is traditionally held in February over Presidents Day weekend and is held/was held in locations around D.C. Metropolitan Area (which is great for me since I'm from the area).

This convention, like other, offers an array of events and activities such as an art show, artist alley, costume contests, dealers room, formal ball, a maid cafe, masquerade, musical performances, panels, workshops, video gaming, etc. One of my favorite is the Japanese Culture Programming, which I think is unique to Katsucon due to it's array and informative panels on Japanese culture.

Artist Alley

After meeting up with an old Twitter friend when checking in, we went directly to the artist alley since it was near the registration room. I'll be honest, I never bought anything in the artist alley in previous years (though I feel like as an artist I should've supported by purchasing but I'm not into buying fanart). There were a lot of amazing merchandise, especially of Yuri on Ice. My amazing longtime Twitter friend did buy this pretty sketchbook, which I was in need of.

I went to two panels + a Kimono photoshoot during Katsucon 2017, though I wished I could've gone to more but I only attended on Saturday. The first panel I attended was "Anime's Culinary World with Captain Food Science" that was hosted by Captain Food Science(@FatedSoulBlake). His presentation about basic Japanese cuisine and mixing in anime was great, plus he had some great comedy lines in between. He also gave away food related manga and candy DIY kits for those who gave questions during the Q&A sessions. 

Another panel I attended later in the day was "Cool Japan: The Panel" hosted by JCI teacher Charles Dunbar. I'm going to be honest, I didn't enjoy it as I thought I would. It's just the topic wasn't as interesting and I didn't watch any of the anime mentioned so I didn't really get the jokes said. I enjoyed the history though so I got something good out of this panel.

In between the two panels, I attended a Kimono/Yukata photoshoot, which needed to be reserved ahead of time. I've never been to a photoshoot of any sorts so I was kinda clueless but the experience was amazing, probably the highlight of Katsucon 2017. Kuniko and the other nice ladies were very great at picking the color combo for the Yukata robe and obi sash. I had lots of fun doing poses with a Japanese umbrella and they were very fun to work with. About two weeks after Katsucon, I got my HD photos from the photoshoot.  

The maid cafe was the last thing I did at Katsucon at around 6pm on Saturday, I went along with my 3 other friends. It's actually my first experience at a convention maid cafe, my friend and I actually wanted to go during Anime USA but didn't get there in time on Sunday. We were assigned a butler for our maid cafe experience. He was really nice and kept us entertained as we wait for our meal. They had board games available for a dollar for us to play with, which we chose Jinga. 

I ordered the chicken katsu with a chocolate bear cake. It's was not the best food out there especially for what it costed but it's for the experience. Right before leaving, we took a group photo with him, which I think costed another dollar but he was nice to have it done for free. 

That was the end of my Katsucon experience, though my friends stayed later for the Katsucon rave/party.  I'll be honest, I'm still trying to get used to the convention experience and so in my opinion Katsucon was crowded compared to my first anime convention experience. I think as I attend more anime convention and get good at planning everything, I'll enjoy it even more. Katsucon already announced it's dates for next year, February 16th-18th, 2018, though I'm sure it wouldn't be as warm as it was during this year's Katsucon. 

Check out some awesome and hilarious cosplayers from Pokemon to Overwatch down below. 

 

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Cup Noodles Museum

The Cup Noodles Museum is a fun and interactive museum in Yokohama's Minato Mirai District that shows the history of instant ramen noodles using a combination of whimsical exhibits and hands on workshops.
It was opened by the Nissin Food company, whose founder invented instant ramen noodles in 1958 as a fast and convenient food. It is the second cup noodles museum to open in Japan; the first is the Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum in Osaka.

The museum shows a short film introducing the history of instant noodles, together with unconventional exhibits such as a replica of the shed where instant noodles were invented and a visual timeline of instant noodle products from around the world. A small collection of modern art pieces are also on display, and are meant to represent Nissin's approach to creating new and innovative products, some of which include cup noodles (instant ramen in a styrofoam cup) and space ramen (for astronauts).

Photos:

Image source

Image source

Image source

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Manga cafes (まんが喫茶)

Manga cafes (まんが喫茶) are establishments where visitors can read from an extensive library of manga (Japanese comics). They also provide computers with internet access, making them synonymous with internet cafes.

Furthermore, manga cafes have become a popular low budget accommodation option as many of them are open 24 hours and offer amenities such as showers and free drinks for as little as 1500 yen per night. Some manga cafes offer women-only sections.

Manga cafes can be found in most cities across Japan. Many are located in side streets close to train stations. Big cities such as Tokyo and Osaka have a large number of such establishments. However, without Japanese reading skills it can be difficult to identify a manga cafes as many do not have English signs and they are not usually located at street level, but on a higher floor in a multi-story building.

Other facilities typically available at a manga cafe, in addition to an extensive manga (comic) collection, include free Wi-Fi, unlimited soft drinks, paid showers (amenities sold separately), television, movies, console games, dedicated online gaming computers, printers, CDs and DVDs, and vending machines. Note that some of these extras require an additional fee. Manga cafes also commonly provide blankets, indoor slippers, web cameras, and phone and handheld game chargers for free. Snacks and food may also be sold at the front desk.

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Maid cafes (メイドカフェ)

Maid cafes were originally created to fulfill the fantasies of fans of maid-themed manga and anime. The concept originated in Akihabara at the dawn of the millennium. Ever since, multiple maid cafes have been opened in the area, making Akihabara by far the best place to go for a maid cafe experience. The success of the cafes have inspired emulations at other locations in Japan and other countries such as Taiwan, South Korea, China, Canada and the United States.

The primary characteristic of maid cafes are the waitresses who are dressed typically in costumes of French maids. Food and desserts served at the cafes are usually decorated in a cute way. The waitresses role-playing as maids may engage in friendly conversations or play card/video games with the customers to make them feel at home. Picture-taking is usually forbidden, but some cafes allow customers to have their picture taken with a "maid" for an additional fee.

メイドカフェは、もともとメイドをテーマにしたマンガやアニメのファンのファンタジーを満たすために作成されました。コンセプトは、千年の夜明けに秋葉原発祥しました。それ以来、複数のメイドカフェはメイドカフェの経験のために行くまでのところ最高の場所によって秋葉原を作り、地域に開かれています。カフェの成功は、日本とそのような台湾、韓国、中国、カナダ、米国など他の国の他の場所でのエミュレーションにインスピレーションを与えてきました。

メイドカフェの主な特徴は、フランスのメイドの衣装に身を包んだ、典型的にはされているウェイトレスです。フードやカフェで提供していますデザートは、通常、キュートな方法で装飾されています。メイドとしてのウェイトレスのロールプレイングは、フレンドリーな会話に従事したり、自宅で気分にさせるために、顧客のカード/ビデオゲームをプレイしてもよいです。撮影は、通常は禁止されているが、いくつかのカフェでは、お客様は、その絵は追加料金のための "メイド"で撮影されていることができます。

Photos:

"Maid cafe 4" by Vitalie Ciubotaru - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maid_cafe_4.jpg#/media/File:Maid_cafe_4.jpg

"Maid-rose" by Gdore - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maid-rose.jpg#/media/File:Maid-rose.jpg

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Kyoto International Manga Museum (京都国際マンガミュージアム)

The Kyoto International Manga Museum (京都国際マンガミュージアム) was opened in November of 2006. It consists of three floors and a basement, and most of its walls are lined with shelves of manga. Browsing this massive collection of manga is one of the museum's main attractions. A small section of the books is dedicated to foreign and translated manga, but the vast majority is in Japanese.




In addition to its massive collection of indigenous manga, the museum also focuses on both the adoption and development of manga internationally. Works of international manga artists are featured, and manga related events at the museum often involve foreign artists.

In addition to its permanent collection, the Manga Museum also features temporary exhibitions on various themes. The building, which now acts as the Manga Museum, was previously an elementary school. Some relics of the former school are on display for visitors.





京都国際マンガミュージアムは、それが3階と地下で構成されて、2006年の11月にオープンした、とその壁のほとんどが漫画の棚が並んでいます。漫画のこの膨大なコレクションをブラウズすることは博物館の主要観光名所のひとつです。本の小さなセクションには、外国の翻訳漫画に捧げられていますが、大半は日本語である。

先住民族漫画のその膨大なコレクションに加えて、博物館はまた採用と国際的に漫画の発展の両方をオン焦点を当てています。国際マンガ家の作品が紹介され、そして博物館で漫画関連のイベントは、多くの場合、海外のアーティストを伴う。

そのパーマネントコレクションに加えて、マンガミュージアムはまた、様々なテーマでの一時的な展覧会を備えています。今マンガミュージアムとして機能する建物は、以前に小学校だった。前の学校の一部の遺物は、訪問者のための展示されています。

Photos:

"京都国際マンガミュージアム" by 珈琲ルンバ from ja. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E5%9B%BD%E9%9A%9B%E3%83%9E%E3%83%B3%E3%82%AC%E3%83%9F%E3%83%A5%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B8%E3%82%A2%E3%83%A0.jpg#/media/File:%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E5%9B%BD%E9%9A%9B%E3%83%9E%E3%83%B3%E3%82%AC%E3%83%9F%E3%83%A5%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B8%E3%82%A2%E3%83%A0.jpg

"Kyoto International Manga Museum - Main Exhibit" by Kento Ikeda - originally posted to Flickr as Kyoto International Manga Museum - Main Exhibit. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kyoto_International_Manga_Museum_-_Main_Exhibit.jpg#/media/File:Kyoto_International_Manga_Museum_-_Main_Exhibit.jpg

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AnimeJapan Expo

AnimeJapan (formerly known as Tokyo International Anime Fair) is an annual trade show held at Odaiba's Big Sight convention center. It is the premier convention of the Japanese animation industry and one of the largest animation related events in the world. AnimeJapan is typically attended by several hundred Japanese and foreign TV and film production companies, as well as toy, game and software developers.

The majority of the floor space at Tokyo Big Sight is devoted to exhibition space featuring numerous booths by Japanese production companies, such as Toei Animation, Bandai Namco and Tezuka Productions, as well as foreign companies from around the world. Larger booths feature their own theaters and stages, and host live shows and special appearances by anime and manga creators as well as character actors that voice the parts.

Another third of the exhibition space will be given over to AnimeJapan's three main stages where various shows, concerts and other stage events will be held throughout the exposition. However, the stage events tend to be popular so to prevent overcrowding, entry to the audience areas will be determined by lottery.



（旧東京国際アニメフェアとして知られている） AnimeJapanはお台場のビッグサイトコンベンションセンターで開催された毎年恒例のトレードショーです。それは最高の日本のアニメ業界の慣例と、世界最大のアニメ関連イベントの一つである。 AnimeJapanは、一般的に数百の日本と外国のテレビや映画制作会社だけでなく、おもちゃ、ゲームやソフトウェア開発者が参加している。

東京ビッグサイトで床面積の大部分は、そのような東映アニメーション、バンダイナムコと手塚プロダクションなどの日本の制作会社、だけでなく、世界中から外国企業による多数のブースを備えた展示スペースに専念しています。大規模なブースは、自分の劇場やステージ、およびホストライブショーやアニメによる特別出演やマンガ制作者だけでなく、部品をボイスキャラクターの俳優が備わっています。

展示スペースのもう一つの第三は、様々なショー、コンサートなどのステージイベントが博覧会を通して開催されますAnimeJapanの3つの主要な段階にオーバー与えられます。過密を防ぐために、しかし、ステージイベントが人気になる傾向があり、観客エリアへのエントリーは、抽選によって決定されます。

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The Ghibli Museum (三鷹の森ジブリ美術館)

The Ghibli Museum (三鷹の森ジブリ美術館) is the animation and art museum of Miyazaki Hayao's Studio Ghibli, one of Japan's most famous animation studios. They have produced many feature length films with worldwide distribution such as My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away and Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea.

Located in Mitaka, just outside of central Tokyo, the museum is a must-see for fans of the films. The museum itself is whimsically designed in the distinct style of the studio's films, and many of their famous characters are there, including a life-sized robot from "Castle in the Sky" on the rooftop garden.

The first floor of the museum exhibits the history and techniques of animation and has as a small theater which shows short movies by Studio Ghibli that are exclusive to the museum. The second floor houses special temporary exhibitions. The museum also has a cafe, children's play area, a rooftop garden and a gift shop.

Admission: 1,000 yen for adults with discounted prices for children

ジブリ美術館宮崎駿スタジオジブリ、日本で最も有名なアニメーションスタジオの1のアニメーションと芸術博物館です。彼らは、そのような崖の上のポニョアウェイとポニョ千と千尋の神隠しとなりのトトロ、もののけ姫、として世界的に分布を持つ多くの長編映画を生産している。

ちょうど東京都心の外で、三鷹に位置し、博物館はフィルムのファンのために必見です。博物館自体は気まぐれに、スタジオの映画の明確なスタイルで設計されており、彼らの有名なキャラクターの多くは、屋上庭園の「天空の城」から等身大のロボットを含め、ありますされている。

博物館の1階は歴史とアニメーションのテクニックを示し、博物館への排他的なスタジオジブリによるショートムービーを示している小劇場として持っています。 2階は特別企画展を収容する。博物館はまた、カフェ、子供用プレイエリア、屋上庭園、ギフトショップがあります。

入場料：千円大人のための子供のための割引価格で

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Japanese Misconception #1. Does Japan Accept Anime Nerds? CozplaiSenpai Video

I'm going to do a breakdown on my new friend's, Ibrahim, video on a Japanese Misconception as well as my opinion on it. 

Does Japan Accept Anime Nerds? 

"...And this misconception is that people think that Japan is like an anime paradise or mostly like the Japanese weeaboo community think that Japan is like an anime paradise where like once you get into Japan you are going to fit right in here..." 

My take on this is that I feel like this is true for most of my friends because with anime and other pop culture, we can relate and we talk a lot about it but then when I talk about Japanese culture outside of that, they don't know much about it or they are not extremely interested in it as I am. That's what separates me from being a weeaboo, I believe. 

"...you're going to be known as cool because of your anime knowledge and you're going to get lots of friend..."

I feel like a majority of people happen to think this and I have been to Japan twice already, plan to go again this summer after I graduate from high school and people just assume they will fit in. The only way they will possibly fit in with that mind set is if they live in Akihabara. If they don't go and see or research about Japan, they will go there disappointed. 
If they don't already know, the term otaku means to have an unhealthy obsession with something and it will look down upon. Its not bad in Japan to like anime, manga, maids, video games and stuff like that but if you are the type with anime posters all over the room and are full of anime related merchandise, you will look down upon. 

That's all I have to say about this topic and you should check out his channel, CozplaiSenpai, for more videos about Japan.  
 ----> CozplaiSenpai コスプレ先輩

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