JAV Singers: Milky Pop Generation’s Sweet Memories Concert

Suzu Honjo - Yume wo Akiramenaide by Takako Okamura

Suzu covers Don't Give up Your Dreams Takako Okamura. A great song by Takako and one that was a hit during it’s time. A gentle and quieter pop song with a serene vibe. Suzu has picked interesting songs so far, usually older and slower paced songs. She’s one of my favorite singers in Milky Pop with Suzu has showing some real range and a singing talent in her performances with them. The cool and aloof vibe of the song matches her even if this was a bit a safer song pick by Suzu and even then she started off shaky with the song. She would find her footing and finish it strong. A decent performance if a bit safe, she seemed to need a bit more practice with it.

Moe Amatsuka- Lum's Love Song by Yuko Matsutani

Moe covers Lum's Song from the classic anime Urusei Yatsura. What a blast hearing this song after so long and this super cutesy song which is a perfect match for Moe and her equally super cute voice. A sickly sweet song that feels surprisingly difficult to do live with those quick lyrics, high tempo, and cutesy tone. You need sharp timing which Moe covers for the most part. I also liked that this more pared down version of the original song. Cutting down some of the backing instruments and making it a little less sweet sounding. Moe does a find job and has a nice stage presence even laughing a little when her gruff backup singer tries to hit the cute notes behind her. A great pick from Moe that suits her to a T. While not the strongest performance it is a memorable performance.

Airi Kijima - Yuki no Hana by Mika Nakashima

Airi covers Snow Flower by Mika Nakashima a slow ballad with a soothing melody. A fragile and heartfelt song backed by strong vocals. I was not all that impressed by Airi the first time I heard her. A teary performance that got in the way of actually enjoying her singing. Here we get her steady keeled and all the better for it because Airi absolutely nailed it. What smooth vocals and such a beautiful voice. Hitting all the notes while expressing the emotional performance behind the song. I know she’s been singing like this for a while and now I see why. Proving that first impressions aren't everything.

Mary Tachibana - Winding Road by Ayaka and Kobukuro

Mary covers Winding Road a collaboration song by J-pop and folk singers Ayaka and Kobukuro. A more R&B song with Mary singing opposite of Gen Hirakata. A really fun song with great energy by all on stage. They just all looked and sounded like they were having fun singing on stage bringing a different vibe to the original song. Mary was a delight to listen and watch to. Better than anything she’s done with Black Diamond (though that’s not a high bar). She hit the big high notes and low slow notes well while looking so happy to finish the song. Good performance by Mary with an even better stage performance.

Fumika Nakayama - I WISH by Morning Musume

Fumika covers I WISH by Morning Musume '23 aka Momusu a breezy jaunty pop song with a positive message. It was featured in Japanese commercials for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Fumika was up and down overall, fumbled a few times but hitting the chorus consistently. Did well with the slower parts and hit some strong notes. Shaky vocal consistency but has a nice voice. I was surprised to see her get teary by the end of things. One of the weaker songs to come out so far however because of the inconsistent performance.

Kiyoka Igarashi - ヘビーローテーション by AKB48

Kiyoka covers Heavy Rotation by pop idol group AKB48. A newbie to both JAV and singing being one of the newcomers today. This is a nice idol group song that they turn into a solo rendition. Not so great vocals from Kiyoka; while she had great energy and attitude her voice just wasn’t there. I will say she was super cute during her performance. So while I’m not all that interested in hearing more from her I am interested in her AV videos. A real cutie. For a newcomer it wasn’t so bad but it wasn't good.

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Tsubaki Sannomiya - ( 少女A ) by Akina Nakamori

Tsubaki covers Shoujo A by Akina Nakamori an old name in J-pop. A pop ballad with strong sweeping vocals; a cool and aloof song with a longing vibe. An interesting song and artist pick from Tsubaki but it fits. Akina was a fresh faced pop star with a surprisingly deep and strong voice which made her a really good match for Tsubaki. Both ladies even give off a stoic persona with surprising deep voices. Tsubaki was another singer I wasn’t too crazy about the first time I heard her. This song was so much better suited for her and Tsubaki sung it well enough. 

Ami Tokita - Suki Na Hito Ga Irukoto ( 好 きな人がいること ) by Kang Jiyoung

Ami covers Having Someone You Like by Kang Jiyoung aka JY also from Kpop group Kara a South Korean singer based in Japan. A cute breezy pop song that Ami does a decent job of. However she did also have big stage nerves clutching onto the mic with her hands with all dear life. A newcomer and you could definitely see it from her body language. Decent vocals however, she did fumble some notes and missed the timing on a note one late in the song. Not as smooth as the song needed to be, poorer showing from a newbie. She was not ready for this.

Aoi Kururugi- Kokoronashi (心做し) by majiko

Aoi covers Somehow by majiko. A song that starts quiet then erupts to strong vocals and big emotional turns. Aoi nails the emotional performance very well. The quieter parts were hard to pick up and could’ve been clearer by both Aoi and the sound department. She did a fine job, didn’t hit the powerful notes as strong but nailed the emotional part. It’s a very beautiful and tender song. I thought Aoi did fine but the original is where it's at. A powerful song that's quite sad that goes from loud to quiet and needs cracking vocals in some parts. Still appreciate the big swing from Aoi and introducing the song to me.

Marina Shiraishi - Feel Special by TWICE

Marina covers the Japanese version of Feel Special by mega K-pop group TWICE. Was not expecting this from her at all. Marina can absolutely sing; a vet in AV and in singing. What a silky smooth voice and rock solid performance. I might like this version more than Twice’s (please Twice army don’t @ me). A nicer rendition that turns the high paced pop song into a slower R&B ballad. A steady song sung well, it wasn't a super demanding song though but she sung it smoothly. One of the big surprises today I didn’t know she had this in her. One of the better performances of the bunch.

Cocoro Asano – Sobakasu ( そばかす ) by Judy and Mary

Cocoro aka Kokoro Asano aka Kokoro Utano (I know) covers a song all Rurouni Kenshin fans should know. Covering Freckles by Judy and Mary but viewers of the English version of the anime should be familiar with the Sandy Fox version. A high pitched and upbeat pop song. While I loved revisiting this song, Cocoro’s rendition was not that good. It’s a high tempo and high paced song that she can’t quite keep up to. She does better when it slows down. Still I appreciate to pick and the attempt. Cocoro also has nice gentle vocals.

Hinata Kaede - Watagashi ( わたがし ) by back number

 Hinata covers Cotton Candy by back number. I love being surprised by these performances because did not expect that deep voice from Hinata. I don't watch her much so I wasn't expecting that s deep and booming voice from the tiny cutie with a low range. She also interestingly picks from a male singer, one of the few to do so today. A bit wooden on stage however her vocals were on point though. Also it was a nice rendition that changes the vibe of the song but was a good different take on it. Of all the newcomers today she was the best but it is a lower bar.

Nana Miho - Boku ga Boku ni de erete ( 僕が僕であるために ) by Yutaka Ozaki

Nana covers For Me to be Me by Yutaka Ozaki with a guitar in hand. Nana copied Yutaka who liked to play this song live with a guitar for an acoustic version. An interesting singer also another pick from a male artist guy. Looking into him he sounded like the Japanese James Dean. She did well enough with both the singing and guitar parts, her singing being better of the two. A really nice voice from Nana; capturing the sadness of the song. I see why she's started with a new idol group.

Outro

Overall I love what Milky Pop Gen is building. As someone whose not a big fan of the J-pop Idol group sound which is what we got a lot from groups like Ebisu Muscats. This solo artist highlight has more variety and interesting song sung. The concert featured poor to decent to pretty good singers all around with the weaker ones have improved from last time too. My least favorite performances would have Cocoro Asano’s off base rendition of Freckles. Despite really hitting the emotional beats and notes; Aoi's performance didn't quite hit me. All in all decent performances but many shouldn't think about quitting their day job.