Review: DEF DIVA - Sukisugite Baka Mitai
In the ever-changing world of Hello!Project, surprise announcements from the mouth of that mischevious little minx of a powerhouse pop-producer named Tsunku have become so common that they can't even really be considered 'surprises' anymore. As such, when the news broke last month that yet another one-time special H!P unit was to debut, hot on the heels of Nochiura Natsumi and the precedent-setting Gomattou before it, it should have seemed like business as usual in the H!P 'verse. However the newly-formed group, DEF.DIVA, proved to have a few tricks up its sleeves to rile fans up in all the right ways.
For starters, the group ditched the irksome combined-names titling format that had been questionable with Gomattou and downright absurd with Nochiura Natsumi, instead opting for an always timeless combination of randomly capitalized English words. Breaking a second tradition, a non-soloist was added to the group in the form of one very fan-polarizing Ishikawa Rika. Her placement in the group became a quick topic of debate, and rather unneccessarily. Without Rika, the group would just be NUN 2.0, which kind of ruins the one-time special unit factor. Sad though it is, Fujimoto Miki's solo-career is a thing of the past, and her membership in MM would quite obviously disqualify her. As for other H!P soloists, well...let's just pretend that Maeda Yuki's schedule was completely booked and Nakazawa Yuko refused to wear the gogo boots.
Earth-shattering innovation aside, the group's single maintains the consistent streak upheld by the previous units and delivers a solid, catchy tune that can definitely be considered a highlight in the year's H!P releases. Arriving in Japanese stores on 10/19, the single "Suki Sugite Baka Mitai" consists of four tracks that are all variations of the title tune, including two remixes and the usual instrumental track.
"Suki Sugite Baka Mitai" is a relentlessly snappy, addictive dance-pop tune that fuses the sound of Avex with the charm and personality that personify H!P. To an instrumental slightly reminiscent of 90's synth-pop, the four girls engage in a game of musical tag, fluidly exchanging verses over a course of tempo changes that build at the chorus and later flourish down to a few extended glory lines for the vocal powerhouses of the group, Maki and Aya.
Each of the girls offer an excellent vocal performance here, and fans initially wary of Rika's addition to the group should be pleasantly surprised by how very non-jarring her voice is in the song. After her graduation from MM, Rika seems to have unexpectedly blossomed as a performer; she sounds considerably better in Biyuden then she did earlier in her career. In "Suki Sugite Baka Mitai", she sings with an increased 'cute' quality to her voice that sounds a slight bit forced; either she was making an extra effort, or she was instructed to really lay on thick what could arguably be her one unique contribution to the group. Nevertheless, her voice sounds pleasant, she remains on-key throughout, and overall she just simply fits right in.
To the surprise of no one, the infallible Maki pulls off another confident, flawless performance. Surprisingly, Aya does as well, and that's no knock on her talent. Few could argue against the fact that Matsuura is one of the leading vocalists in H!P, as evidenced by her many beautiful (if slightly unpopular) ballads. However, Aya's unfortunate habit of adopting a strangely affected voice in group settings has long been a bane to many a fan, reaching a peak of debate after Salt 5's "Get Up Rapper", in which her performance could best be likened to a drunken Japanese Kermit the frog. Here in "Suki Sugite Baka Mitai", she thankfully turns in great vocals, utilizing the full capability of her voice.
Last but not least, as an H!P founding member and the long-time prized pupil of Tsunku, Nacchi proves that even at the incredibly ripe old age of 24, she can still keep up with the kids. Though not really a style of song she's worked with since "Datte Ikite Kanakucha" (incidentally also what I consider to be her best solo effort) and still yards behind Maki and Aya in vocal talent, she fits in pleasantly. ...Except during the live performances, in which the other three girls writhe around offering coy, sexy glances to the camera while Nacchi keeps the same alarmingly wide smile frozen on her face and scares millions of kiddies watching from the safety of their homes. But I digress!
Offering two remixes of the original track in lieu of b-sides, the DEF.DIVA single could stand to disappoint those still fawning over the one-two punch of "Renai Sentai Shitsuranger" and "Love Like Crazy" from last year's NUN single, but what this single lacks in quantity it makes up in quality. Both remixes, the "Joou" mix and "Crazy J-G Jazz" mix, offer slightly slower, funkier versions of the title track with reconstructed instrumentals that make it possible to listen to the single in its entirety several times over without boredom.
In its first day of sales yesterday, the DEF.DIVA single debuted at #1 on the Oricon Daily Chart, a rare feat for any H!P group as of late. Admittedly it is a slightly uneventful release week, but with the overall package that "Suki Sugite Baka Mitai" delivers, it's a position well-deserved, and hopefully they'll manage to hold the position, or near it, in the completed week tallies. With a fun, frisky tune and four of the brightest stars in one of Japan's biggest girl-pop factories dancing around in gogo boots and saucy majorette outfits, there's little not to love about DEF.DIVA. "Suki Sugite Baka Mitai" is assuredly going to be a highlight of the year for many H!P fans; and also, a song closeted MM fans just might feel confident enough to use in their attempts to bring friends over to the dark side.
Released: Oct 19, 2005 
