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Old 2009.12.15, 07:25 PM   #41
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hahaha at English translations Flashing Girls sounds way more erotic than senkou shojou. And Beaver......what can we do with that one?


I agree, this theme is lame but I can handle it if its good music.

Is it just me or is Shiina Ringo back in the spotlight like she hasn't been since SS? I know she's been a part of the pop culture conciousness throughout, what I mean is, I know no one has forgotten her name and her (and Jihens) singles get at least moderate attention but I saw her on 3 different screens in Shibuya on Saturday and I noticed the single was number one on Oricon...above Exile!?!? Now I know shes big but I thought Tokyo Jihen was a lot less famous than her as a solo artist and I never thought anyone could beat Exile except maybe Arashi (as far as popularity....certainly not talent or quality). Maybe its because this is the first time I'm in Japan for a Jihen release?


So can someone who has lived in Japan long enough to know or keeps up with the charts and music programs compare her popularity throughout the years for me?
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Old 2009.12.15, 07:33 PM   #42
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Yeah, this was just as big a deal around the Adult/Just Can't Help It era, when I was in Japan. Her insane popularity hasn't changed in any way.
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Old 2009.12.15, 08:25 PM   #43
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I was in Japan for two Ringo eras and two Jihen eras (Starting with the end of Adult and through Variety, and Ringo was Sakuran through Heisei Fuuzoku and right up to Ringo EXPO).

she has always been ridiculously popular. Anniversary Year itself was crazy, you couldn't escape posters for Ringo EXPO. I don't think Jihen is less famous than Ringo, I think that they go side by side in some ways and having the two just increases her visibility because it just ups her productivity and release schedule. I mean, a solo album and a Jihen album within 8 months and within a full year of having no plans for anything? Kinda intense.

I do think, however, but this is purely speculation, that Ringo EXPO and the subsequent solo release of SG has reenergerized public interest in Ringo. There are always fans and she was always visible but her anniversary year was clearly aimed at the general public and the nostalgia side of things (as she had some huge hits that are unavoidable, like gibusu) so since then the general public awareness of her (as opposed to fans) is higher than it used to be. fans are and will always be fans, but the general public seems to have gotten a kick in the ass thanks to her recent solo exposure.

edit: I wonder what the new era's photography will end up like. so far the 3min artwork hasn't impressed me, the single itself was very bland. the cover was a still shot, the back cover was the neon track image that has been on kronekodow forever now, and the inside was mute grey tones with black and white text.

Last edited by kuro_neko : 2009.12.15 at 09:21 PM.
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Old 2009.12.16, 03:55 AM   #44
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Is her popularity in Japan comparable to anyone in UK or the USA? Beyonce? XD
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Old 2009.12.16, 07:34 AM   #45
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I wouldn't say popular in that sense, but people who don't really listen to Ringo often say things like "but I always sing her songs at karaoke"...
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Old 2009.12.16, 01:32 PM   #46
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yeah, or they say "I liked her in high school but she has changed" plus everyone and their mother generally likes her singles from SS-era when they got the most play.

if she was comparable in visibility to a foreign artist I would probably pick some like Madonna. Madonna is a bit more aged, but they are both similar in that they came out working within the mainstream pop industry (despite being a bit harder edged i.e. crazy) and blazed a new path for themselves and other artists to follow. As they have aged it has gone the same way, as in, both Madonna and Ringo continue to make relevant music and receive exposure for their work, but their relevancy and general public awareness is a bit less that it was in their prime. Ringo isn't quite as old as Madonna, but I see her career in a similar light, she has managed to ride the aging curve very well and I think she is smart enough to be able to continue what she is doing until she feels the need to stop (hopefully that won't be for a long time). They do share a whole lot of similarities, ie they both set trends, they both are outspoken and fearless femalse in a men's industry, and they both have managed to survive long past the expiration date usually set on idols of a certain era.
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Old 2009.12.16, 03:20 PM   #47
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I don't understand why SR is still putting out albums, unless she is:-

1. in a huge debt after the markets crashed
2. under duress from her record label because they kidnapped her son.
3. wanting to buy 3 boats and a villa on the French Riviera
4. doesn't care about making music anymore

Option 3 would be great actually, she's a bloody workaholic I don't even think she has time to listen to music other than her own anymore.

Whatever she's been doing lately, it looks to me like she's trying to milk her popularity in Japan to get as much cash as she can, and because the general public doesn't really know much about music to say whether it's good or bad; as long as the PR machines can get music journalists to write positive reviews for the albums most people are going to think that the music is good anyway.

She still has some solid tunes on her own release of SG, which proves that somewhere out there maybe 10% of SR still exists. But the TJ releases are becoming inoffensive mediocre pop tunes... they neither excite nor inspire... and I really think it's because the band itself is full of "bad blood" and "stepping back". You can hear that the tunes are a whole lot of middleground compromises, and that takes away from any sort of innovation or "boundary pushing" that TJ is supposed to be (check the original 04 era interviews if you don't believe me).

Looks like the industry really got to her. She's all about business now, and the music now becomes a lame excuse for making money. I'm sorry for the new fans, who only get to see this side of SR. I only hope there's enough if the new music to make you listen to the old stuff, and that the old stuff will inspire and enrich your musical experiences.
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Old 2009.12.16, 04:36 PM   #48
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Originally Posted by justriiingo View Post
I don't understand why SR is still putting out albums (etc.etc.)
Apparently, she still sells well in her market. I think 3 Minutes is a strong single. Would you prefer to listen to that, or the latest Utada or Ayumi Hamasaki? Why do those artists still make records?

The expectations on this forum are unrealistic, which is understandable coming from fans who were around for the SS/KZK era. I never heard Variety (except for the singles) until I read pages & pages of Variety-bashing at EMF. The criticism was overwrought, and the upside is that I expected Variety to be total crap, which it is not (in my opinion).

New fans can digest the whole catalog without such temporal prejudices. For them, it's all new. SR/TJ still make challenging pop music and the cult is still growing. It's too bad everyone can't stay/get into it, but I'm happy with it. Not Max Happy, just happy enough to keep listening and buying.
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Old 2009.12.16, 06:58 PM   #49
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I always felt "Variety is better than I thought" when I listen.
Then months pass till next try.

Last edited by EmilScherbe : 2009.12.16 at 11:23 PM.
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Old 2009.12.16, 09:17 PM   #50
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I mean I was around for KZK. I started listening to her right before that and got into her though her first 2 albums. MM is my absolute favorite album from her, but that doesn't stop me from liking Variety or SG. She's an artist and naturally grows and changes her style. You can't expect her to stay the same 20 year old that put out those first few albums.
JR's comment questioning Ringo's reason to make music is incomprehensible to me. She didn't start making music because of the money. Why would she change now now? Even though she's not making music to your liking doesn't mean it's without merits. It's still quality music that's different and better than a lot of what's out there.

And even if she IS doing this just to milk her popularity, I don't see what's wrong with that if people actually ARE willing to pay her. Marlon Brando did the exact same thing, but that didn't stop him from regularly churning out fantastic above par performances regardless of the quality of the actual film.
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