beni

omg, you just reminded me, I got a game I thought I could play on my 3DS when actually it has to be played on the New 3DS XL and I don't even have that. *depressed mode active* xD But now knowing that, I could have gotten a different game instead. Oh well, aha.

Happy birthday to everyone previously, and for today... Happy birthday dear @whitegrey, and @amakamisora~

Everyone has been amazing, but this has been an outstanding round. Still very much undecided...

omg, awesome theme idea! Let's try to remember to do 80's/90's or a mix of both next week.

wut. such time to prepare. xD Whoever wants a theme have to be quicker on requesting it here to give everyone time to get their playlists sorted. I understand it may be joking but I just wanted to be clear. We'll probably change it to a theme mid way since that's already happened before, no? Aha.

Seems so~

That's the point, he made it sound good, apart from the last couple of songs but let's forget that. The majority of the album is done really well, not just the ones that have him singing English, but yes, I agree he may need to sing in English to get further. However, PSY was successful singing Korean, was he not? The ones where Akanishi sings Japanese are even more appropriate sounding for over here, it doesn't have to be English. I'd like to see him keep it as is, personally, with a mix of Japanese and Western influence, so as he's mainly done in this. I wanted to review this because if he wants to be 'international' as you say, then he's going in the right direction.

Thanks for the comments, and I'm glad people are enjoying it. @DarkWater, the mainstream music of this day that can be heard on TV sounds extremely like Akanishi's album, and that's where I drew similarites. I could mistake him as an up-and-coming artist in America, and that's what I've tried to say. @CAT5 pretty much summed up what I was thinking in better words then I could ever.

Went to my first ever concert yesterday and saw Ling Tosite Sigure, [Alexandros] and VAMPS. Hopefully can do that again some day, but my attention span is dreadful. I couldn't do it with just one band playing, lmao. Extremely happy to have gone even though the setting was uncomfortable at first but luckily the back had loads of empty seats so I could settle in right at the back. It didn't hit me that I was seeing them for real until Hyde came out in the third 'act.' They all came out in the order I was most excited for, so we didn't need a hotel, lol. Ling was first, and drummer was adorable, with his Engrish and encouraging the audience to join in, shouting their next song out and encouraging us to do so too. At the end, all three of them threw their instrument as they went off the stage, one by one. Unreal. xD And the playing was surreal, how can they do what they do!? Alexandros was most engaging, but Ling was just flawless with her playing. My mum even said Ling was the most bearable out of the three, ahaha, wasn't a fan of Alexandros unfortunately. xD Alexandros' vocalist was the most encouraging as he would talk to the audience during song breaks (even saying they'll come back and that they love England so that was aww) and have us sing back (granted, Hyde did that too). Never noticed how yum their drummer is though, ahaha. I guess it's because a few more people came in after the first half, but the cheers for each band grew one after the other. I was most impressed with VAMPS, even though Hyde was just prancing around, showing off his chest, haha. I believe it was Jin who even wore a mask (I'm not great with faces and only really recognised TK and Hyde from a distance). Totally mesmerising, aha. Someone even shouted 'my mum loves you!' to Hyde while he was talking, and I laughed and thought 'not my mum.' xD I really liked how Ling ended with a slow song, and I especially liked a particular song VAMPS played which was another quieter song. Also also because of some guilt, I got their album 'BLOOD SUCKERS' at the merchandise area since I had to leave early because it was getting late and I wanted to avoid the rush and get something from there. All in all, they've made me realise what I've been missing out with these concerts. Would love to go again.

Glad someone brought this up. I'm not too fussy though, and I continue to search different words of whatever I'm trying to find, so I don't really know what could improve it. These, however, should be done from now on, I think. Many thanks.

Artist: 赤西仁 Album: Me 1. Let Me Talk To U 7. Christmas Morning (2015 Mix Ver.) 2. Good Time 8. Dayum 3. Miss California 9. Mi Amor 4. We The Party 10. What Happened 5. Baby 11. [bonus Track] Go Gitt'er 6. Lionheart 12. [bonus Track] Mi Amor (Spanish Ver.) Rating: | Westernized Japanese? Doing it right! Jin Akanishi is one of the lead vocalists of popular boy band KAT-TUN as well as a solo artist. Last month, Akanishi released his third studio album, and the majority of it is how Namie Amuro’s latest attempts at creating a Western sound should have sounded like. The album’s Western feel comes from its many dance floor sounds, from the feel good single ‘Good Time’ to the mighty track ‘Dayum.’ The album starts off strongly with these hard hitting dance/club numbers. With ‘Good Time,’ Akanishi noted that he "wrote this song with the image of summer,” and while this certainly comes across with its upbeat presentation (both in sound and PV), the repeated hand-claps and the EDM induced chorus give it more of a dance floor feel. It’s a nice follow-up after the opening PV song, ‘Let Me Talk To U.’ This has a soul feel with a rhythmic build, featuring acoustic guitar during the bridges and a heightened chorus with a dash of folky elements in it. I didn't know where this was going as it started with a baby giggling/speaking, but Akanishi’s whispery vocals kick in straight away and keep this an engaging listen. Visually, it’s a gorgeous contrast of monochrome imagery against colourful flowers which goes wonderfully with the change from quiet verses into the louder chorus. With the third song titled ‘Miss California,’ I was expecting this to sound extremely Western. I wasn’t wrong. Its rapping section as the bridge, albeit a small part, is both very well done and well placed. The highlight in this one is its chorus, with a rather cowboy like sound to it thanks to the whistles and the Latin-flavored instruments that tend to pop up now and again. The song is surprisingly bearable for one which sounds like it’s created for Ke$ha. What’s more, the song is sung entirely in English. Doing it right, Akanishi! ‘We The Party’ doesn’t let up with the American vibe – most noticeably with its grammatically wrong name, and more English to further highlight this Western sound. A tambourine features in this one, as well as taps and clicks of the finger. This is the best song to showcase how precise Akanishi is with his English, especially during the rapping. Autotune is also involved within this one, and it may sound like a lot to digest as a whole but it actually works surprisingly well and flows the best out of the dance-y tracks. ‘Dayum’ very much gets a "D-AYUM" from me. At track eight, this one can be grouped with the above dance numbers, thanks to its energetic and dance-encouraging sound. It’s another song that features a tambourine, and it’s highlighted gorgeously with its quick, repeated shakes during the chorus. There's a lot going on here, but the song has a certain charm with its unstructured sound. Little jingles and strums of guitar with the sound of clapping going off here and there spice up the track until that tambourine comes in to emphasise the chorus amongst it all. Everything mashes together into a flawless number, making this my favourite out of the four dance numbers. With a neat batch of previous dance tunes, ‘Baby’ is the first slow song on the album. While the previous two have demonstrated Akanishi’s ability to rap, this ballad highlights his smooth tone, very fitting to such a genre of music. While ‘Baby’ isn’t the best ballad song – with literally nothing being noteworthy about it - Akanishi’s vocals really make up for it. It’s your typical Japanese ballad. The following song is how ‘Baby’ should have sounded like. ‘Lionheart’ features the gentle vocals Akanishi exhibited previously, alongside a tribal-like drum instrument and soaring choir vocals gives it an African vibe. It’s a massive upgrade which leaves ‘Baby’ in the dust. Never have I listened to a supposed Christmas song which didn’t sound at all Christmassy. Apart from the English lyrics, ‘Christmas Morning (2015 Mix Ver.)’ is a needlessly dramatic track which starts with guitars, similar to the foreign sounds from ‘Lionheart,’ but that’s quickly lost. This is the first track I wouldn’t mind not seeing in the tracklist. At track nine comes the PV song ‘Mi Amor,’ which got me hooked to Akanishi. This one is a dash of David Guetta meets MIYAVI – let me explain before anyone throws their guitar at me – alongside Enrique Iglesias, the latter being a key factor throughout this. The opening has some neat guitar work that instantly grabs your attention, because it’s done with the skill and swiftness of MIYAVI. Even the PV will make you question who the guy playing guitar is. The Spanish element now smacks you right in the face with the final track being a Spanish version of this song. ‘Mi Amor’ has it all; a thrilling beat break, catchy guitar work, and splendid vocals in both versions. Seeing as ‘Mi Amor’ is the standout track on the album, whatever follows has to be at least four and a half stars. Unfortunately, the last couple tracks really pull this whole package down. It would have been near perfect without ‘What Happened’ and ‘Go Gitt’er.’ What DID happen, Akanishi? The first of the two start of promising, with nice little taps of a high pitched keyboard. I was enjoying his vocals until he started rapping, and it wasn't in the same way he had done before. Akanashi sounds like an amateur trying to freestyle to the beat. The mix of a boy band sounding bridge against a slow ballad rap doesn’t blend together at all. It doesn’t help how his rapping in this one sounds completely different than his singing. I usually like contrast, but here it’s unbearable. The first bonus track (the other one being 'Mi Amor (Spanish Ver.)) ‘Go Gitt’er’ fails harder than ‘What Happened.’ The last track shows how Akanishi’s attempt at the Western sound could’ve gone down if most of 'Me' sounded like this one. It’s best to avoid this song unless you can somehow dig a Japanese version of Chris Brown. It’s a “No Gitt’er" from me. Akanishi excels in staying loyal to Japan with the majority of the album being in Japanese, while also being extremely apt for the American audience of this day. The couple of songs which are completely English really do capture that Western vibe Akanishi was going for, and props to him for achieving that! All in all, the start and middle of the album are extremely strong, while the last part is a miserable flop. Hopefully the last couple of songs can be forgotten because the beats, the vocals and the instruments are all really Western sounding as a whole, while genuinely being enjoyable most of the time. Just goes to show Johnny’s do have a gem in the rough! Support the artist! CDJapan US iTunes Japanese Amazon

I now love him due to this.

You mean what we all think of our picks of the best and worst of this year? And why we like or dislike a release?

And we thought Ringo no longer had it... YUKI wut. Pretty PV. Song? Not so much, aha.

I was genuinely expecting and hoping I wouldn't like it, haha. That chorus is pretty damn fine. xD Yes to the 'UnsraW,' a dunno to the 'Para:noir' side of it since I have yet to listen to them. It's a bit of a mash, admittingly, even though I have no idea what the other half I should expect from, but I do love that tempo in 揚羽-ageha-. Even the look shot is the generic part of this to me, lol. I swear that pose has been done a thousand times!

Late as hell but here we go! Hope you guys have had a lovely birthday: @allisapp <3 @candycandle @urala @bulletstar_ as well as Saturday, 4th's @neojikyojustice, @hanabiflare @lollipopmonstar @Bou-. @district @Kami-Sama @kamisama @The Piass @Juli-likekinda! @koukichii. @KonataYumiko @mony~.

Bonjour, welcome to MH! Join the chat at the top located as 'chateau de monochromium,' and look out for any announcements up top; Poll of the Week, mixtape trade-offs, best new tracks, contests and more. Also, join us at the plug for themed Sundays that'll also be linked in the announcements and posted in statuses found at the bottom of the index/home page. ^^ See you around!

Made it just recently and forgot the login. xD Will check it at some point soon though. It's in my sig: yuriyume

I am there as 'benibuds' so that anyone else who comes in knows.

For once, I'm actually excited to hear what they're going to release because of that look, but that's just me. xD

First time hearing about this Cool Japan. xD Guess that goes to show.

omg, the price. Nice extras though. And dat cover. Really nice, such poster material.