You know, I woke up today and realized that I had completely neglected Buono! in my last post. I don’t really think that badly of them: to be kind, Honto no Jibun is kind of crap, but I like the vocal combination of Airi, Miyabi, and Momoko, and I’m very into Renai Rider, from the radio preview I’ve heard. They’re more in the “doing it right” camp of Hello! Project’s anime endeavors, at least.

However, ambling over to the computer, what is this I see? That single I just trashed will, apparently, be getting a US release!

But wait a minute. Source? My kingdom for a source? … Didn’t think so. Currently, Lurking In The Shadows has the most reliable information, and while we may get other details as more people pick up on this (I haven’t been looking around for other related posts), I don’t quite buy it — not yet. And, as well, I don’t see why it’s the big deal that people are making it out to be.

Yeah, I understand that a lot of people love them some Buono!. I’m not really one of those people, but I consider them a fun group, and I’m definitely into their blog. But will this really be a milestone for Hello! Project? I suppose it will, in some way, as it involves three of their idols. However, this unit is still under Pony Canyon, away from Tsunku and every one of Hello! Project’s staff. These girls have become something a little different in their time away: the equals they were when they passed the Kids auditions together, self-reliant entities who don’t have to rely on the image of their agency quite as much as they used to, and also, hard-ass, punk bitches who wear shirts that say things such as “rock like fuck.” It’s true!

But I’ve also seen “drug dealer” and “that woman is a virgin” on the T-shirts of UFA’s clients before, so maybe that last part would be right at home with them.

And it’s not only that. I’m sorry to certain naive people that thing this is the start of some big revolution (a love revolution?! see my above thoughts on labels and ponder this for yourselves), but I don’t believe that we will ever, ever hear Honto no Jibun on the radio. Their singles won’t chart. They won’t perform here beyond some anime conventions, and even they may not want, or be able, to take them. It really just depends, and ultimately, I think that their singles, so long as they keep working with anime, will be on the shelf at my local Suncoast, just like that KOTOKO album I mentioned getting in my last post, for people who want to buy them. I can’t see any of them on the shelves at Target.

So… I dunno. We’ll have to see. However, if I can do Buono! cosplay and have other people recognize it, that’s totally a selling point to me. And if I can do Buono! cosplay in front of, you know, Buono! themselves, that’ll rock.

Like fuck.

Ha ha ha.