Kouhaku Performers List is Out

[tsukinobyouin]

Red Team:

Aiko (8)

Akimoto Junko (2)

Ayaka (4)

Angela Aki (4)

Ikimonogakari (2)

Ishikawa Sayuri (32)

AKB48 (2)

Otsuka Ai (6)

Girl Next Door (2)

Kawanaka Miyuki (22)

Kimura Kaela (first appearance)

Koda Kumi (5)

Godai Natsuko (16)

Kobayashi Sachiko (31)

Sakamoto Fuyumi (21)

Tendo Yoshimi (13)

Dreams Come True (13)

Nakashima Mika (8)

Nakamura Mitsuko (14)

Hamasaki Ayumi (11)

Perfume (2)

Hirahara Ayaka (6)

Mizuki Nana (first appearance)

Mizumori Kaori (7)

Wada Akiko (33)



White Team:

Arashi (first apperance)

Alice (3)

Itsuki Hiroshi (39)

EXILE (5)

NYC Boys (first appearance)

Kitajima Saburo (46)

Kitayama Takeshi (5)

Kobukuro (5)

Jero (2)

SMAP (17)

Tohoshinki (2)

TOKIO (16)

Tokunaga Hideaki (4)

Hikawa Kiyoshi (10)

Funky Monkey Babies (first appearance)

Fukuyama Masaharu (2)

Fuse Akira (25)

flumpool (first appearance)

Hosokawa Takashi (33)

Porno Graffiti (8)

Mikawa Kenichi (26)

Mori Shinichi (42)

Yusuke (first appearance)

Yuzu (3)

Remioromen (first apperance)







So the boys team pretty much crushes the girls team into the ground this year. It's sad to see MM/H!P get the snub again, especially when they seem to be doing fairly well this year for a female idol group (and if AKB gets to be there...). JE is making a big appearance this year, breaking their "two groups only" rule for the first time. In addition to the usual SMAP and TOKIO apperance, not only will Arashi be there, but NYC Boys as well. Which is really weird and kind of stupid, since NYC Boys is a one-shot unit. Maybe they'll be lumped together with the other JE groups the way H!P acts have been in the past.



Remioromen being on the list is pretty exciting, and I'm surprised it took them this long. I kind of expected them to get invited right after Konayuki in '05, but I guess it came out fairly late in that year.



The girls team needs more new blood, but I can't really think of who it should be. It would be great to see alan on the list, but I guess her sales are still pretty low.

[Special Needs Tricycle]

The only people I care about on that entire list are Girl Next Door and Angela Aki. I think I'm happy for Mizuki Nana, though. Apparently she cried really hard. :> I should start following her.



AKB48 deserves it though, I guess. Or maybe they aimed for it. RIVER's such a Kouhaku song. Where as Kimagure Princes... Maybe they got sick of Love Machine. :T



Freakin lol at NYC Boys, though. Yes, let's put a temporary JE group with 10 year olds on Kouhaku. We're still prestigious, right? Wonder what team's gonna win this year hurrrr

[Ap2000]

Will tune in for Perfume, the rest I've never heard of/don't know/don't care about.

[thamychan]

[quote name='Special Needs Tricycle' post='72001' date='Nov 24 2009, 12:12 AM']AKB48 deserves it though, I guess. Or maybe they aimed for it. RIVER's such a Kouhaku song. Where as Kimagure Princes... Maybe they got sick of Love Machine. :T



Freakin lol at NYC Boys, though. Yes, let's put a temporary JE group with 10 year olds on Kouhaku. We're still prestigious, right? Wonder what team's gonna win this year hurrrr[/quote]



RIVER does deserve to be in Kouhaku and I hope it is the song performed there! But I'm depressed about Morning Musume, they worked so hard this year... I hope they make new plans for New Yer's Eve, Kouhaku is overrated. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... tongue.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



And, NYC Boys? Was that what Johnny asked in return for letting Arashi perform? Well, I'm glad for Yamada. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /weeeh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



*back to depression mode, mourning H!P*

[neshcom]

I don't really follow male groups as much as female acts so, I always think red team has the upper hand. I wonder what Perfume will do since they haven't really done anything since Triangle. Maybe they'll do edge?! Also look out for: the Koda Kumi "Water" Show, Nakashima Mika's Barefoot Extravaganza, AKB's Annual "Count The Actual Singers" Raffle (spoilers: 0), and Zakizakizaki's Slow Decline Into Wota-Sales.



Sounds like a goo' ol' time.

[Special Needs Tricycle]

[quote name='JSp' post='72007' date='Nov 23 2009, 10:48 AM']And, NYC Boys? Was that what Johnny asked in return for letting Arashi perform? Well, I'm glad for Yamada. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /weeeh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />[/quote]

NYC Boys, IIRC, was a temporary shuffle group of sorts made to sing the theme for the World Volleyball Championships. It was Yamada Ryousuke, Chinen Yuuri, and like 5 random ass JE juniors. I don't think they did anything else. They're still performing, unless something changed.



[quote name='neshcom' post='72008' date='Nov 23 2009, 10:52 AM']AKB's Annual "Count The Actual Singers" Raffle (spoilers: 0)[/quote]

lolll damn.



Did they lip sync at their first Kouhaku too? I don't think I've heard them sing live. Same with Perfume. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... stling.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[thamychan]

Sorry, I knew who NYC Boys are! Although I didn't know they sang the theme for the World Volleyball Championships. I wonder if they'll do a medley like in MSta with that B.I. Shadow song... But this group is so not Kouhaku material XD Actually I can see the volleyball players appearing right before the performance but that is all I think as being a Kouhaku thing.



By the way, I don't know if AKB48 lip-synced but I do remember they sang Aitakatta so they probably just turned off 3/4 of the mics.

[neshcom]

[quote name='Special Needs Tricycle' post='72011' date='Nov 23 2009, 11:01 AM'][quote name='neshcom' post='72008' date='Nov 23 2009, 10:52 AM']AKB's Annual "Count The Actual Singers" Raffle (spoilers: 0)[/quote]

lolll damn.



Did they lip sync at their first Kouhaku too? I don't think I've heard them sing live. Same with Perfume. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... stling.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[/quote]

I want to believe that they did. They did Aitakatta in 2007, but I don't know the studio version to compare. Perfume's done a couple of songs live. There were a few on Fan Box -Bitter-, GAME TOUR, and DISCOx3, but they were mostly older songs and they were pretty so-so.

[Special Needs Tricycle]

That is indeed lip synced. Ah well.

[strawberryjam]

That mostly sounds lip synced, but it is different from the studio version. So they actually went through the effort recording some new lines in studio. Which I think they do a lot... This version is definitely live to some extent for anyone that was curious.



Either way, I'm glad AKB made it. They definitely deserved it. If 200k+ sales for River doesn't merit it, I don't know what does. I'm really happy for the girls! <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /weeeh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':weeeh:' />

[Melon]

Thoughts as I skimmed the list:

AKB48, great job. Hopefully it's just the single girls because so many girls on one small stage at once is eye boggling. Do RIVER with the stomp dance intro please!

Yay, Kimura Kaela!

Otsuka Ai did this year? All I remember is album single and another comp album. Ah well, she's so adorable!

Nakashima Mika is always fun.



My only vocal reaction - "What the fuck?" goes to ARASHI. I did not expect that at all.

NYC Boys - yuck.

Remioromen - whoa, surprising!



I like the enka performances more than the pop acts at Kouhaku. I wonder if this means I'm officially an old lady or if Kouhaku is full of FAIL acts.

[Ap2000]

[quote name='Special Needs Tricycle' post='72016' date='Nov 23 2009, 05:20 PM']That is indeed lip synced. Ah well.[/quote]



Hm... I always thought they have to sing live on Kouhaku ? I'm not sure though.

[Special Needs Tricycle]

I always thought you had to sing live on Music Station too, but AKB and JE's shitty groups never do.

[tsukinobyouin]

[quote name='Petit Melon' post='72019' date='Nov 23 2009, 12:08 PM']My only vocal reaction - "What the fuck?" goes to ARASHI. I did not expect that at all.[/quote]



It's sort of surprising since JE has always just sent TOKIO and SMAP, but at the same time Arashi currently has the number 1, 2, 3 and 4 best selling singles of the year. Plus last years JE Countdown was really broken up and strange with KinKi in one place, Takki & Nicky in another, and the rest of JE in yet another with TOKIO and V6 arriving late. I wouldn't be surprised if they're shifting away from a huge focus on Countdown and pushing their acts on other shows that get a wider range of viewers.



Now that I think about it, the real surprise for me is the lack of Amuro Namie. Did she not do much this year? Does she ever go? It seems like she should be a staple of the red team.





[quote name='Special Needs Tricycle' post='72024' date='Nov 23 2009, 12:30 PM']I always thought you had to sing live on Music Station too, but AKB and JE's shitty groups never do.[/quote]



Lots of JE acts sing live on Music Station. Especially the shittiest of their vocalists (see: Nakai). I think there's some rule that at a certain point, if you're THAT shitty, you might as well just be loud and proud. But in general, Music Station actually has a lot of lip synched performances across the board, despite being a "live" show. I think that's become more true of Kouhaku in recent years as well.

[thamychan]

[quote name='TnB' post='72029' date='Nov 24 2009, 04:57 AM']Now that I think about it, the real surprise for me is the lack of Amuro Namie. Did she not do much this year? Does she ever go? It seems like she should be a staple of the red team.[/quote]

Some years she does, some she doesn't. That's true for the Kouhakus I've watched, at least. Avex hasn't been focusing a lot on Namie Amuro lately, unfortunately. But I don't even know on what they've focused this year after Girl Next Door.



[quote name='TnB' post='72029' date='Nov 24 2009, 04:57 AM']Lots of JE acts sing live on Music Station. Especially the shittiest of their vocalists (see: Nakai). I think there's some rule that at a certain point, if you're THAT shitty, you might as well just be loud and proud.[/quote]

I had to quote because I laughed hard! Poor Nakai!



By the way, he is the leader for the male team this year <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... joyful.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':weeeh:' /> and Yukie Nakama is the one for the female (the same combo from last year, right?), will we see her with MatsuJun?

[Special Needs Tricycle]

All the HSJ performances I've seen on MS were never live. I was referring to them. I think there are others too, IIRC. Maybe KAT-TUN? Arashi?

[neshcom]

Amuro Namie has consistently declined Kouhaku invitations. She said a long while back that she likes to spend New Years with her son. I've found that she doesn't do a whole lot of TV performances since Best Fiction came out. avex is still throwing boats of money towards her and her new album (though, this is her first release in a while that didn't have commercials 6 months beforehand).

[Tallgeese]

I don't get nearly excited about it anymore. The selection is really arbitrary. It's far too overweight AVEX and JE. I mean seriously, NYC Boys is like 5th string JE. BTW, my not so bold prediction is that DBSK will no longer exist come next year and BIG BANG will be in next year's.

[Special Needs Tricycle]

[quote name='Tallgeese' post='72035' date='Nov 23 2009, 05:10 PM']I don't get nearly excited about it anymore. The selection is really arbitrary. It's far too overweight AVEX and JE.[/quote]

It's like a 5 hour long episode of Music Station! <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /weeeh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':weeeh:' />

[EmEl]

[quote name='TnB' post='72000' date='Nov 23 2009, 07:48 AM']The girls team needs more new blood, but I can't really think of who it should be.[/quote]

How about those girl-bands playing pop-rock that have been gaining popularity recently? SCANDAL, Stereopony, Chatmonchy, etc. I'm not sure how strict the requirements are, so they probably don't sell enough (usually only making the top 10 on the weeklies), and perhaps the "rock" music would be too much for the sensitive families watching the show. But it would be something new at least.

[neshcom]

[quote name='Tallgeese' post='72035' date='Nov 23 2009, 05:10 PM']BTW, my not so bold prediction is that DBSK will no longer exist come next year and BIG BANG will be in next year's.[/quote]

I wanna call bunk on this, but a part of me agrees for a different reason. Tohoshinki has proved to be an extremely lucrative group, even under the pressures of their contract from hell, but by the time they fix that contract and get picked up by another label/drop SM and start releasing new tunes, it will be too late in the year for Kouhaku.



'kipedia is telling me that Tohoshinki has the largest fan club in the world (the number only includes their Korean fans too) and has been photographed more than any other band at 500 000 000 times (including solo and group shots). If that ain't moneymoneymoney, then just make it out to cash. [tinytext]No, that wasn't related to anything I just make it out to cash when I can[/tinytext]

[Tallgeese]

[quote name='Special Needs Tricycle' post='72037' date='Nov 23 2009, 05:24 PM'][quote name='Tallgeese' post='72035' date='Nov 23 2009, 05:10 PM']I don't get nearly excited about it anymore. The selection is really arbitrary. It's far too overweight AVEX and JE.[/quote]

It's like a 5 hour long episode of Music Station! <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /weeeh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':joyful:' />

[/quote]



QUOTED FOR THE TRUTH!! <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... nceman.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':weeeh:' />

[Tallgeese]

[quote name='neshcom' post='72044' date='Nov 23 2009, 06:24 PM'][quote name='Tallgeese' post='72035' date='Nov 23 2009, 05:10 PM']BTW, my not so bold prediction is that DBSK will no longer exist come next year and BIG BANG will be in next year's.[/quote]

I wanna call bunk on this, but a part of me agrees for a different reason. Tohoshinki has proved to be an extremely lucrative group, even under the pressures of their contract from hell, but by the time they fix that contract and get picked up by another label/drop SM and start releasing new tunes, it will be too late in the year for Kouhaku.



'kipedia is telling me that Tohoshinki has the largest fan club in the world (the number only includes their Korean fans too) and has been photographed more than any other band at 500 000 000 times (including solo and group shots). If that ain't moneymoneymoney, then just make it out to cash. [tinytext]No, that wasn't related to anything I just make it out to cash when I can[/tinytext]

[/quote]



No way, the contract will keep the two "loyal" (to SM) members for more than a year. The 3 break-away members will probably call themselves something else and be just as popular. There will be weeks where you'll see ex-DBSK and DBSK on the charts at the same time, maybe even the same shows! LOL! This is all really funny because SM didn't learn their lesson after losing the last big Korean boyband - Shinhwa.

[al kusanagi]

Wow, this is a boring as hell lineup. If they had any actual sense at all, they would have brought in the K-on seiyuu to perform, considering just how huge their singles and CD were.

[tsukinobyouin]

[quote name='Special Needs Tricycle' post='72032' date='Nov 23 2009, 02:16 PM']All the HSJ performances I've seen on MS were never live. I was referring to them. I think there are others too, IIRC. Maybe KAT-TUN? Arashi?[/quote]



That's because HSJ has to prepare you for the day that Chinen has a voice change and they can no longer sing any of their singles. They're getting you used to all lip-synch all the time from the beginning. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':weeeh:' />



I've seen both KAT-TUN and Arashi live, and I've seen them both lip-synch - it all depends on the song/day/whim. There's a few other acts that I've noticed go back and forth like that on MS, liiiike BoA. Well really just BoA, I can't think of anyone else I've consistently paid enough attention to on that show to notice. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':joyful:' />





[quote name='neshcom' post='72033' date='Nov 23 2009, 03:06 PM']Amuro Namie has consistently declined Kouhaku invitations. She said a long while back that she likes to spend New Years with her son. I've found that she doesn't do a whole lot of TV performances since Best Fiction came out. avex is still throwing boats of money towards her and her new album (though, this is her first release in a while that didn't have commercials 6 months beforehand).[/quote]



Ahh that makes sense. Good for her.





[quote name='EmEl' post='72043' date='Nov 23 2009, 06:20 PM'][quote name='TnB' post='72000' date='Nov 23 2009, 07:48 AM']The girls team needs more new blood, but I can't really think of who it should be.[/quote]

How about those girl-bands playing pop-rock that have been gaining popularity recently? SCANDAL, Stereopony, Chatmonchy, etc. I'm not sure how strict the requirements are, so they probably don't sell enough (usually only making the top 10 on the weeklies), and perhaps the "rock" music would be too much for the sensitive families watching the show. But it would be something new at least.

[/quote]



I'm not even sure there are requirements. Like other people have said, it seems pretty arbitrary. Even though we're all rolling our eyes at the inclusion of NYC Boys this year, there's been plenty of other crazy choices in the past. It would be cool if they added some pop-rock girl groups though, at least for variety.





[quote name='Tallgeese' post='72050' date='Nov 23 2009, 07:06 PM']No way, the contract will keep the two "loyal" (to SM) members for more than a year. The 3 break-away members will probably call themselves something else and be just as popular. There will be weeks where you'll see ex-DBSK and DBSK on the charts at the same time, maybe even the same shows! LOL! This is all really funny because SM didn't learn their lesson after losing the last big Korean boyband - Shinhwa.[/quote]



Or rather the boyband BEFORE that where they had this exact same 3-members break, 2 members stay situation - H.O.T. SM is the Battlestar Galactica of record companies. "This has all happened before and it will all happen again."

[eri]

[quote name='neshcom' post='72033' date='Nov 23 2009, 12:06 PM']Amuro Namie has consistently declined Kouhaku invitations.[/quote]



Not only Amuro, but other major music groups also decline Kouhaku. Some of them have their own fan club specials or they do alternative shows. I know GLAY always had their own countdown live, for example.



And I'm 99% sure that Remioromen has sung on Kouhaku in a previous year. I taped it! They sang Konayuki! I swear.

edit: Wait, maybe it was Music Station? ARG.

[vanillacat]

I'm still waiting to see the THSK/DBSK/TVXQ/Your Name Of Choice thing pan out. I am hoping for the best, because unlike H.O.T, this involves hundreds of thousands of fangirls, not even counting the millions of unofficial ones. The shit that will go down if they DO split will be Legendary, you can count on that. I'm actually kind of surprised they are allowed to appear on Kouhaku, as their status is kind of... sketchy.



YAY ARASHI. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... nceman.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':noway:' /> ... Seriously though, the top 4 singles were all them? Where are you getting this data? I wanna see!



Kimura Kaela had a good year, she deserves to be there. Banzai! was my jam for a good week or so. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... deways.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[tsukinobyouin]

I'm still waiting to see the THSK/DBSK/TVXQ/Your Name Of Choice thing pan out. I am hoping for the best, because unlike H.O.T, this involves hundreds of thousands of fangirls, not even counting the millions of unofficial ones. The shit that will go down if they DO split will be Legendary, you can count on that. I'm actually kind of surprised they are allowed to appear on Kouhaku, as their status is kind of... sketchy.

H.O.T was huge in their day, as was Shinhwa. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... hatthe.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lmfao:' /> Neither had the same level of international fame (no Kpop group really did back then), but these are groups girls used to threaten to commit suicide over. In the grand scheme of things, it probably won't be much different.

YAY ARASHI. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... nceman.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':weeeh:' /> ... Seriously though, the top 4 singles were all them? Where are you getting this data? I wanna see!

Slight correction - apparently it's the top four spots of 2009 first week sales, so in total sales overall things might come out different.



According to Oricon news:

"Ashita no Kioku/Crazy Moon ~kimi wa muteki~" - first week sales: 502,487

"Believe/Kumorinochi, Kaisei" - first week sales: 501,988

"My Girl" - first week sales: 432,000

"Everything" - first week slaes: 342,000





And back on topic(ish), I was wondering who the hell "Alice" was, since they've apparently made three appearances. Apparently, they're gradually turning black over the years. I look forward to seeing the next step in their transformation at this year's Kouhaku.

[thamychan]

[quote name='TnB' post='72129' date='Nov 26 2009, 01:34 AM']H.O.T was huge in their day, as was Shinhwa. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... hatthe.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':weeeh:' /> Neither had the same level of international fame (no Kpop group really did back then), but these are groups girls used to threaten to commit suicide over. In the grand scheme of things, it probably won't be much different.[/quote]

Yes, H.O.T. and Shinhwa were really something and they would be more international if they were the boy band of the time right now. Korean market was too segregated from the Japanese that time. You could argue that Shinhwa are still together and how they've released in Japan but they are just not as young and fresh as DBSK so they never really focused on making it there. Those are my thoughts but I never really thought DBSK would be so big. Every time they go to Kouhaku, though, makes me sad because BoA is not there. Only once did they go together if I'm not wrong.



And back to Kouhaku; I hope Masaharu Fukuyama will perform dressed up as Sakamoto Ryouma (fan of the Meiji Restoration characters).

[michikodesu]

Maybe they're (the big wigs of kouhaku) are trying to get a much younger audience by using the artists that have topped the charts and are "popular" for the moment. I've heard that ratings for kouhaku haven't been too pretty and that maybe they're trying to get younger blood to start watching it so that it'll become more of a tradition like it used to be. I dunno, it's just a guess. But kids/preteens/teens will basically follow whatever is played on the radio and charts often. I'm sad though to see MM not on it or any H!P group/solo/talent.



But, on that note, I am glad to see some people with actual talent like Dreams Come True. That would definitely be worth watching..........if I could actually watch it here in the states <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... ryalot.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':weeeh:' />