The weaboo in me…shouldn’t have access to the internet. Japan why do you do these things to us mere mortals?
I already talked about manga, about anime, VNs…So what is it now?
I watched some video on youtube and…
I came across a video from the (idol) band BABYMETAL. (a kawaii metal band, headed by a now 16 year old Suzuka Nakamoto) And…and…and…
It’s so cute and catchy!
Tell me it isn’t.
It has all the innocent-ish cuteness and energy of j-pop (which like most pop I can barely stand), while also having a really nice support band taking care of the actual music. My brain can’t decide what is most catchy: the instrument track or the cute-ish yet solid voice of a little Japanese girl. (yes, I had to specify “Japanese”)
Take that clip up there, Suzuka IS singing, sure probably backed by all technological marvels possible, but she is singing. (you can hear her inhaling air a few times along the thing, another give away that she is actually singing is that she doesn’t move much while singing), while the two support girls aren’t singing, but then again they are jumping around like monkeys with fleas, it would’ve been quite an achievement if they weren’t lip-syncing (don’t get me wrong, they are performing their part greatly, there are other live clips where they have a more active role so it’s easier to notice it).
But obviously the most catchy part is seeing a trio of teenager girls jumping around like crazy. 
And I’m hooked. (I’m kinda joking in that previous sentence…you can’t see them while listening to mp3 files, now can you?)
As an aside, that live performance of “Headbanger” is more enjoyable than the album version, the album version ends up being too ‘clean’ and a good part of j-pop-ish things is the ‘live’ part of it.
Which brings me to the part where I go off-topic and admit that despite not being into j-pop, I kinda respect the whole idol (j-pop idols or otherwise) thing, as everything that I’ve come across points me to the conclusion that they are (mostly) extremely professional and driven. (yeah, every now and then one of the idols gang bangs the rest of the band and it comes to public…but that’s life)
And that professionalism is both from the artists themselves and the whole crew behind, to a certain point think Charles in Metalocalypse with his whole “That’s my bread and butter you’re fucking with.” and the dedication that comes with it. (but more within human limits and flaws)
At the same time I respect the professionalism in it, I can’t ignore that they (idols in general) are really well crafted products, design to suck you in and get your money, and they mostly excel at that.
An example of how well crafted they are? Look at Babymetal, the manager decided it was a good idea and put three kids who had no previous contact with metal music doing metal music (OK, metal-ish at most, you evil ‘true metal’ elitists, I know this is mostly j-pop with metal ‘ambience’), they did and had success (and not only in Japan, which I find quite amusing).
But being idols, this is a bit like wrestling, they might play the part but they are still just characters made for your entertainment.
PS: I know this is pretty much their heaviest song, I DID listen to three of four tracks by them before I started writing this post.
And…this wasn’t bad for a completely random out of nowhere rant, was it?
And this makes it seven posts in a week! I wonder if next I’ll disappear for a year or two.