True Life Seek

Without International Wota, I wouldn’t have been able to put this piece together. Thanks to this site, I benefit from being able to take in different perspectives. I think our opinions can only become strong when they are challenged.

The majority of our little community does not look upon Lalala Shiawase no Uta favorably. However, it is not an unanimous objection. Cutieparty really likes it and Fields of maiZe of berryZ doesn’t hate it. I’m sure that more people will join their side as time goes on. It’s nearly impossible to have an unanimous decision on International Wota with all the opinions coming from all different backgrounds.

Before I go on, let me talk about my personal highlights from Lalala Shiawase no Uta. If I let myself, I can be completely biased about one Maimi Yajima. So there is a redeeming quality about the song/video since she is heavily featured. It is a welcome change to see her treated this way after the 16sai debacle. There is a scene with Kanna and Maimi alone in their dressing room and my imagination takes over at that point. Finally, at the end of the song near the Aruiteru lalalalalala part, the video has about a 3 second shot for each member just singing “lalala.” Go to your mirror and sing lalala for 5 seconds. It will look extremely awkward. The awkwardness of these scenes makes me chuckle.

Cutieparty specifically wonders about the backlash against Lalala Shiawase no Uta. She correctly points out that Tokaikko Junjou was an exception compared to the rest of C-ute’s discography. With singles like Ooki na Ai de Motenashite and Sakura Chirari, Lalala Shiawase no Uta is definitely a song that you might come to expect from C-ute.

And here lies the problem.

While not talking about C-ute at all, a recent entry from On Haku to Myaku gives a terrific explanation for the backlash against Lalala Shiawase no Uta. Jim talks about musical evolution but also nostalgia. Sometimes it is nice to look upon the past and relive those moments. But more relevant to my discussion here is a simply sentence hidden in this entry.

Progression is not always evolution either

From Meguru Koi no Kisetsu to Tokaikko Junjou, there was evolution. But from Tokaikko Junjou to Lalala Shiawase no Uta, there was only progression.

The changes from Meguru Koi no Kisetsu to Tokaikko Junjou have been detailed before. The more mature look. The more mature lyrics. Presenting a more sexual image than anything we’ve seen before in C-ute. But it takes more than just looking more mature to pull off the more sexualized image. In Tokaikko Junjou, a 15 year old Maimi Yajima was considerably hotter than the 21-22 year old Rika Ishikawa that we have seen in the last two years. A certain attitude and aura must be present to really pull off a sexy image. Rika may have looked the part, the aura about her said cute; and it wasn’t in the whole ero-kawaii sense either.

What are the differences between Tokaikko Junjou and Lalala Shiawase no Uta? Let’s look at it as the difference between Meguru Koi no Kisetsu and Lalala Shiawase no Uta. They are similar. I would not claim that a musical group has to reinvent themselves for every release. That’d be impossible. But C-ute caught the imagination of many with Tokaikko Junjou. I would venture to say that fans wanted more of that style than the one present in Lalala Shiawase no Uta.

Furthermore, the fact that this song was a cell phone release and it is associated with that dismal performance at Kouhaku makes it feel more like progression than evolution. It goes from that to being released as a single by C-ute a few months later. The impression that I get from this is that C-ute is not good enough to get original material for a single. Not only that, but it can be argued that the video is essentially a remake of Munasawagi Scarlet.

All in all, my grievance with Lalala Shiwase no Uta has little to do with the song itself. Like Maize put it, there isn’t much that I dislike about the song itself. None of the girls themselves draw my ire. It is the management that bothers me. Using this particular song with this particular video following Tokaikko Junjou is a mistake in my eyes.

Then again, as I said in a previous entry, it’s probably going to sell despite all of this.

Posted on February 6th, 2008 by broomhead. Filed under Articles.
Tags: Airi Suzuki, C-ute, Chisato Okai, Erika Umeda, Hello!Project, Kanna Arihara, Mai Hagiwara, Maimi Yajima, Saki Nakajima