After 3 days of trying to stay sane inside my room with no internet and frequent brown-outs (thanks to the typhoon), I decided to fight the storm and head for the supermarket to buy food, just in case this storm extends its stay here. Unfortunately, the supermarket I frequent on was closed due to flooding problems, so I decided to stop by a computer shop for a few hours of internet and wait for the heavy rainfall to calm down.

The computer shop was empty, or at least there were a few kids playing DotA and a man in his thirties. I checked in for internet use, and was given the computer next to the old man. I logged into YouTube, played my favorite playlist, then fanboyed silently over PASSPO. I was relieved. For 2 days I wasn’t able to fanboy, for 2 days I was rolled up inside my blankets listening to silence.

Whilst enjoying my fanboying the old man tapped me on my back,

He asked me, “Is that J-Pop?”
“Yeah, it is.” I answered.
“Do you listen to K-Pop?”, he asked me. I was surprised.
“..Not yet. Do you?”, I returned the question to him.
“Search for Girl’s Day – Hug me once on YouTube.”, he answered with a serious tone in his voice.

I was hesitant at first. I mean, some random old stranger suddenly recommended  a K-Pop song to me (though I do understand how retardedly famous K-Pop here in the forlorn islands of the Philippines is).

I gave the video a try, and in that short moment of unrefined bliss, I unconsciously said in a soft voice, “I may like K-Pop.”

I was astounded by the awesomeness presented by that video. That catchy, fluffy techno sound and that eroge-esque PV  got me. It was both sexy and cute, especially Minah.

I ended the video with rolling eyes. I wanted to replay the video but my time was up. I looked at the old dude, bowed deeply, and offered my deepest thanks to him. He responded with a satisfied smile.

I hurried back home hoping that my internet is back, unfortunately, it wasn’t. I was trolled. I wanted to watch the video again, and immerse myself into this new fandom I have entered. After 8 long hours of waiting, here I am typing this article while the song plays on repeat.

Girl’s Day WON me, I successfully ingested K-Pop, and want to ingest more.

Dancer: Apricot*
Song: Strobo Nights by Hatsune Miku

Dancer: Apricot*
Song: ZIGG-ZAGG by Hatsune Miku

Dancer: Nekojita
Song: Happy Synthesizer by GUMI & Megurine Luka

Dancer: Kii-chan from DANCE POP GIRLS
Song: Onnaji Kimochi by Tokyo Girls Style

Dancer: Furukawa Mirin from Denpagumi Inc.
Song: Yellow by Hatsune Miku

[in response to my own sentence in my previous post: I tried getting into K-Pop, but K-Pop didn’t like me. Meh.]

Everybody loves K-Pop, but I still do not understand why. I tried listening to SNSD, Wonder Girls, 2NE1, and After School, but all of them failed to hook me into their music – and this seems quite strange to a person such as myself, as I listen to a wide variety of music: from ultra-brutal metal, fluffy techno songs, cheesy love songs, to [believe me] tribal music – and most of them have managed to hook me in one way or another. So why can’t K-Pop hook me?

Maybe I haven’t seen enough, but a couple of Japanese idol groups got me on my first listening. So why? God damn it why?

I made a very small list of possible reasons why I have this..unwanted retraction towards K-Pop, here it is:

1. Language – This isn’t a problem for me. A simple Google search on the english translation of the lyrics would yield thousands of results. If it does not exist, it will be made.
2. Presentation – ..or how they present themselves. Again, not a problem. I may be one of the biggest perverts out there with a wide range of fetishes, so I wouldn’t mind all those leg-throwing crap. And I couldn’t care less if they are young as I have had my training to love teh lolis – thanks to Japan.
3. Repetitive – Most of the K-Pop songs I’ve heard have been [somewhat] the same. First comes the verse, second comes the ‘one word’ chorus, third comes the sexy dances, then repeat. Again, not a problem. I was once addicted to grindcore, with all those ‘GRRRRRUUUUAAAAAHHH AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH BLLLEEEEEEHHH GRRRRRUUUUUUUHH!’, but I was still able to love it.
4. Fans – I divide fans into 3 categories: (1) The casual fans – these are the people who love K-Pop but aren’t too deep in the fandom, (2) the serious fans – These are the people who love K-Pop and are deep into the fandom. Those who support the artists by purchasing singles and other products thrown to them by the artists’ management, and (3) the retarded fans – The retards that say, “K-Pop is better than J-Pop!” or “K-Pop is the bestest best!” or “You hate K-Pop coz you’re jealous!” (seriously, what would I be jealous of?). Forgive me, I digressed quite a bit. Anyway, fans aren’t a problem for me, not even the retarded ones (but I do admit that they do get vexing at times). We all have our own way of expressing our love for the artists, that I understand.

With all those possible reasons now considered invalid, I question myself once more: Why am I still not into K-Pop? Why am I not obsessed with K-Pop just like everyone else? Why can’t I just love K-Pop just like everyone else without going to the toire?

What made you get into the K-Pop fandom?

I woke up early this morning only to find myself going straight to my computer to check how things were in the Wotasphere on the IntlWota blog. First of all, I’ve been formally introduced to the Wota subculture 2 years ago while skimming through a Japanese pop culture blog. Thanks to that, I became an AKB48 fan.

What do I mean by ‘formally introduced’?

Back then, during my..ugh..days of youth (2002 – 2003-ish), a good friend of mine asked me a question which really boggled my mind back then: “Do you listen to J-Pop?”

Then I answered, “..wut?”

My friend showed me a MoMusu video, if my memory serves me right ’twas Koko ni Iruzee. And that was the start, I was instantly hooked – though neither of us knew what wota were during that time, not to mention the overwhelming subculture that it is (hence my ‘informal introduction’ to the subculture).

My MoMusu fandom went on for a few years, and through those years I was introduced to the other H!P units which I did enjoy back then. Until I reached the point where I became conscious of what people thought about the music I listen to, meh, I was but a kid. It all came back to me 2 years ago when a Japanese pop culture blog featured AKB48’s Namida Surprise single and explained what wota are and what goes on behind the subculture.

Now going back, I read this post a few hours ago on IntlWota and I was motivated to write bits about my experience as a wota (for lack of a better word).

Falling out of love for a specific idol/idol group

Yes, I fell out of love for AKB48. I am not one to judge this group because I still do think that they are excellent in many ways (music, marketing, Mayuyu, etc..) and that they somehow deserve the place that they are in right now, but lately they seem to be overdoing it. While I do enjoy their ‘suggestive’ PV’s and mediocre songs as of late, I do believe that AKB48 has changed so much that it isn’t AKB48 anymore. Maybe I didn’t word that right (I apologize for my poor writing skills), but comparing most of their old releases to their new ones made me want to purchase a Type 99KM tank and run amok in Akihabara while holding Aki-P’s head.

Reigniting the Spark of [individual] Wotadom

Reiginiting the spark of my passion for loving these idols, ever since I left AKB for my own good, was not easy at all. I had to find a group similar to AKB, or rather, a group that could make me fall in love with idols again – I found Momoiro Clover. And it took time for me to actually find them.

MomoKuro is one of those groups that I have supported since their debut, and they have managed to continually hook me with their songs (something AKB48 failed to do to me) and highly energetic (yet suggestive) PV’s.

After MomoKuro reignited that spark, I became more addicted, obsessed, and madly in love with ‘idol music’ and the wota subculture. I then found PASSPO, TGS, Feam, Negicco, and a lot more. I still yearned for more, or rather, I am still yearning for more.

I tried getting into K-Pop, but K-Pop didn’t like me. Meh.

Just recently, I have been introduced to the ‘underground’ idol scene (probably the wrong term) and I say that I am impressed. Most of the basement idol groups I’ve seen have the potential to surpass most idol groups on the mainstream and that is quite normal I presume. And this has reignited a new spark in me.

Wrapping up the post, let me end with this:

I do believe that every idol fan/wota have their ‘burnout’ days, weeks, or even years. But there is something we don’t actually notice: We come back. And that proves that, ‘once you are a wota, you’ll always be a wota’.

While surfing around the endless sea of the retarded world of YouTube, I stumbled upon a series of videos that gave birth to my newly found fandom – NicoNico dance videos. I’ve been ignoring this subculture for very long. Why? Because I do not dance, no, not a goddamn chance. I am a frustrated dancer, my body does not follow me. Whenever I try to dance, God cries. Enough. (Point: Not being able to dance made me hate dancing.)

So what is so special about these dances? The dancers’ feelings – you feel it. You see them enjoy what they do despite not being in a group that pays for them. It is touching. Such passion I cannot have. It is something you rarely see outside Japan – such passion, such love, such loyalty to their subculture, it is fucking amazing.

As I take my last bottle of beer and gulp it down I say, “Jabbawockeez? Meh. I have my NicoNico dancers *buuuuuurp*”

Welcome to the Melodies of Despair blog. This blog will mainly talk about the various Japanese subcultures (otaku, idoldom..) and how it affects the life of the author of this blog, majideboy.

The author of this blog would like to apologize for his future remarks/statements that would probably seem offensive to others, if you have no qualms about that and have an open mind, you would probably get along just great.

I welcome you to this blog of greater irony, Melodies of Despair – My World, Not Yours, and hope you have a hard time reading my inarticulate posts.