Night 32: "Women Are All Insane" - NoNoGirls Final

It has been a while since I wrote Night 31.As for what I have been doing in the meantime, there are two things.

One is improving my lifestyle.
I changed my rhythm to going to bed and waking up early, and I also incorporated walking and muscle training.
That said, I don't have any particularly noble goals; I'm just doing it on a whim.
It feels great to sleep for 8 hours every day.
My days start with watering the morning glories and going for a walk.
I'm saying something cool, but there's a high possibility I'll be back to a decadent lifestyle by the week after next.

The other thing is that I was watching the No No Girls audition.
After I finished watching it, I was watching HANA.
I was only listening to HANA on my earphones during my commute.

I thought I would write a note for the first time in a while.
As for what to write, I thought I would write about No No Girls after all.
I think people who were watching in real-time will think it's "too late," but it can't be helped.
I'm the type who learned about No No Girls by listening to "SAD SONG" on The First Take.
I found out about it after it ended.

Because of that, the timing might be quite late, but I'm still fresh from watching the final.
With those fresh feelings, I would like to write about each person's performance in the final.
Or rather than saying I would like to write, I will write.

(※Since this is a major spoiler, please be careful if you haven't watched it yet)

1. MOMOKA "PAIN IS BEAUTY"

I couldn't imagine at all what the solo judging for the final stage would be like until the curtain rose for the top batter.
Before the judging, Chanmina-san (※) said something like this. (※Since watching the audition, I have only been able to call Chanmina-san with "-san" attached)

It is very painful that one of the 10 people we have watched up to this point would be "beaten by the stage."
Will such a scene that makes you want to look away really be born?
Today, while holding the anxiety thatsomeone might be struck down, I waited for the solo judging to begin.

The heart-pounding top batter was MOMOKA.
In conclusion,MOMOKA showed us an incredible stage.

The moment the stage was illuminated in the darkened venue, there was a MOMOKA I had never seen before. ("Who is this stylish beauty?? Keiko Kitagawa?")
The MOMOKA who was pointed out for "lacking stoicism" and had a face like a student who got caught not studying for a test was nowhere to be found.
On the contrary, even the MOMOKA as the "earnest trainee" who remained in the final selection of the audition was not there.
After 5 months of preparation, can a woman who crossed the line between the "bottom" and "top" of the stage change this much?
Standing there to deliver a stage that was perfectly finished as an artist, there wasa mature woman.

In the final stages of the overwhelming performance, there was a performance of ink painting on a white dress.
Even thoughI was already moved enough just by her singing and dancing, it was a further barrage of surprise and emotion.
There is only one basis for being able to give persuasiveness to a gimmick that could easily become cold: the quality of the performance.
As someone who was overwhelmed by the performance up to this point, it was nothing butthe final push of emotion.

Actually, I was watching this video standing on the street during my lunch break at work.
I was the man in the corner of a parking lot near the company, clouding my vision with tears of emotion.

The interview after the performance was alsoimpeccable and dignified.
The declaration "I will become an artist" was something that expressed the strength of heart that the speaker,MOMOKA, was genuinely convinced of at that moment, regardless of whether the future as those words suggest would be realized or not.
The anxious expression she showed during the audition had all been left in the past.
The song "Pain Is Beauty," the 20,000 spectators, and this stage are essentially "borrowed," butshe had taken all of them and made them "MOMOKA's" on her own.
Without Chanmina-san even needing to give a "pass," there wasa MOMOKA who had debuted on this stage on her own and become an artist who could call customers on her own.

2. MAHINA "Hanabi"

I didn't know how to take MAHINA's performance the most.
I think everyone already fully understood the charm of MAHINA's voice and character during the audition.
Although it was a stage where that could be reconfirmed, it was not one where I discovered new charms of MAHINA. That was my frank take on it.

Since what I want to see is MAHINA, and there is nothing else I want to see but MAHINA, I didn't know how to take the background video or the two uniform dancers.
The impression was that each was unrelated and remained scattered without becoming one thing, and for me, it was a feeling that I couldn't fully digest.

While watching the stage, I was always worried about theblazer that MAHINA was wearing being a bit oversized. ("Maybe like MOMOKA, there will be a quick change in the middle...?! Heart pounding")
In the end, that blazer was just a blazer, but just like that blazer, I thought that the whole of this song and production might not have fit the current size of MAHINA.

3. KOKONA "TO HATERS"

I have been rooting for KOKONA from the very beginning.
The reason is a super personal reason: she looks a little like someone I used to like, and she is very cute.
Every time I saw KOKONA's various expressions, my heart would race on its own.
In the final, I was able to see KOKONA's performance with all her heart and soul.

No one would doubt that KOKONA poured everything she had into this stage.
I'm sure it reached the "people who feel the same way" that KOKONA wanted to reach.
In a sense, it might have been the performance most faithful to the No No Girls concept.
On the other hand, thinking about MOMOKA, CHIKA, and JISOO, who had already transcended the dimensions of concepts or auditions, I felt that KOKONA still carried the atmosphere of an audition final.
(I only think that now; when I was watching it, I was just completely overwhelmed by KOKONA's intensity.)

4. CHIKA "Beautiful Person"

I'm the type of person who learned about No No Girls by listening to the First Take version of "SAD SONG."
Moreover, I didn't start with the video, but with the audio on Apple Music.
I didn't know about the audition either, so I was just listening, thinking, "Huh, I wonder who this is a collaboration with. Is this asmi's voice? (← It was MAHINA)." But I was blown away by the "guys" in "This is fucking love song for you guys."
" Who is this?! Is it possible for a Japanese person to be this good?!! Who is it, who is it! This is crazy💦💦" I was really panicking. (I don't even know what I was panicking about.)
I was listening to this during my lunch break at work, so I went home and watched the video right away.
That was CHIKA.
But at that moment, I didn't know anything about CHIKA, so I was still panicking, thinking, "Is she okay? Is she okay?! Does everyone realize this talent?! Wait, is this an audition? There's no way this person fails the audition, right?!""

By watching the audition, I got to know CHIKA more deeply and learned that her position was "her ability is guaranteed; the only thing left is her mental side."
But well, that issue had almost disappeared before the final.
In my mind, the three of CHIKA, NAOKO, and JISOO were the stable choices where I had no anxiety about watching their performances. (Although, because my trust in them was so high, I did have a little anxiety about what would happen if one of these three got "beaten by the stage.")

Once it started, any anxiety was blown away, and the burning stage of CHIKA that everyone had been waiting for was there.
From the beginning, "I hated how I looked" to "You gave me confidence" was CHIKA's greeting as an audition candidate.
From "And now it's our turn," it was CHIKA's explosive performance as an exceptional artist.
But even that, to CHIKA, it looked like a 'light explosion', which shows her bottomless potential. (The bottom of her aura... is invisible!!!)

5. FUMINO "In The Flames"

The scene where FUMINO appeared and sat quietly in front of the piano was the best.
Each person's individuality is different, and they show us stages with different tastes one after another.

FUMINO was there, wearing a beautiful dress, letting us hear beautiful melodies with that beautiful voice, using the vocal method she learned during the audition that resonates from her gut.
That was exactly the FUMINO we wanted to see.
A fleeting beauty, a dangerous delicacy, and an energy that burns quietly like embers.
A unique balance, like Chihiro Onitsuka or the mid-period Fayray.

Opening the lid of her closed heart, letting out suppressed emotions, while trying not to let them overflow too much.
It was a performance like walking on a thin line.

6. KOHARU "Distance"

Throughout the audition, KOHARU truly displayed a wide variety of human charms.
A leader who pulls everyone along.
A balancer who adjusts the gaps between members.
A creator who produces choreography and lyrics.
And a high-level performer.
Wouldn't any producer want KOHARU in their unit?
I have also been rooting for her like crazy. (It's not real-time, so that support doesn't mean anything, though.)

On the other hand, I couldn't understand KOHARU's final performance in one go.
It was very wonderful, but why can't I just accept it and say, 'This and that part were the best!' easily? I watched it many times and thought about it.
Since it's just my opinion, I feel sorry for those who think it's "indisputably the best!"
I don't watch much musical or show dance, so I'm not very familiar with those things.

Watching No No Girls, you can see how excellent KOHARU's humanity is.
Conversely, KOHARU's humanity was so wonderful that I even blamed myself a little, thinking, "Why can't I be like KOHARU?" lol
So when I see KOHARU tearing up in an interview after her solo stage, saying, "I think I still have some immature parts," I want to shout, "That's not true! If KOHARU is immature, then most people in the world are immature!!" (So, please don't cry...)

KOHARU confessed during the audition that she wanted to overcome "saying No to herself."
When she stops saying No to herself and stops tearing up at her own immaturity, what kind of attitude will KOHARU have, and what kind of artist will she become?.
I think the reason I couldn't fully understand KOHARU's stage was probably because I didn't know that.
How does KOHARU truly accept herself, what kind of person does she become as a result, and how is that reflected on stage?
I could even say that KOHARU's ego was not visible.

Maybe KOHARU says No to her "own immaturity," or maybe she hates being a "good person" that people like.
That's something only KOHARU knows, but when she accepts that and turns it around, what kind of attitude will she have?
Is it like, "I'm a good person. Nice to meet you. Hahaha!!"? (I feel like she's already like that, though.)
I realized that was what I wanted to see.
I think, somehow, KOHARU still seemed a little sad.

7. KOKO "Dahlia"

This is an egoistic stage.
Explosion.
Usurpation, counterattack, predation.
A complete villain.

From the dance at the beginning of the song.
More specifically, from the moment KOKO turned back to us, flipping her dress.
Even more specifically, from the moment the image of the dahlia engulfed in flames was projected.
A performance based on a single worldview was completely finished.
It was expressed throughout the entire stage.

Chanmina's "Dahlia" is a complex song that can be interpreted in many ways, but I feel like KOKO swung it all the way in one direction.
A powerful beauty that keeps everything at bay.
The tears she shed became roots extending under the soil, and the power born from that goes outward as a beautiful flower.

"If something is wrong, it's not me, it's the world around me that's wrong".
An incredible power, as if to declare that, was overflowing from KOKO's entire body.
I truly believe that is the case.
KOKO was confessing about her experience of being a target of bullying.
Since the phenomenon of bullying itself is evil, there is no way the side being bullied is wrong.
No matter how much you are denied by those around you, it is okay to resist.
You can affirm yourself and say "No!" to your surroundings.
It was a performance that gave powerful support to those who cannot resist the status quo.

The parts where KOKO changed the lyrics to her own original ones were also all excellent.

After the powerful dance break in the middle, "I'm no(t) afraid Such a faking psycho!!".
This was the best.
I wonder what "Such a faking psycho" means.
Is it something like, "Don't you small-time losers point your malice at me!!!"? (A super liberal translation).
It was spot on.

Even in the interview after the performance, when she was giving her message of gratitude, it was impressive how she seemed to be conveying it while truly picturing the face of each specific person.
Rather than something abstract like "I'm grateful to everyone," I got the impression that words with high specificity and intensity were being spoken, delivering gratitude pinpointed only to those she truly wanted to thank.

8. JISOO "I’m Not OK"

If KOKO's stage was "fire," JISOO's stage was "refreshing".

I wonder why.
At the beginning of the audition, I wasn't particularly rooting for JISOO.
That said, before I knew it, she had acquired an otherworldly divinity.
By the end, the very existence of JISOO is precious.

What I feel when watching JISOO's stage isn't about auditions or perfection, but "gratitude."
JISOO, thank you for showing me something so good.
Thank you for letting me see JISOO.
The singing and dancing are of course good, but JISOO just running is already precious.
She even brought a guitar; what is this, too much service?

Because JISOO said, "Even if I'm not OK, I'm OK," I was able to become OK.

9. NAOKO "^_^"

Along with JISOO and CHIKA, she was in my stable bracket.
As is often said, I feel that NAOKO's visuals and the impression of her voice are quite different.
When I watch the video and listen to the singing, I sometimes think, "Oh, maybe her voice isn't coming through much today," but when I listen to just the audio, it is completely established.
Perhaps it's because when I watch, I expect her voice to hit with a bang, but it doesn't come as much as I thought, so that's why.
The silent performance that NAOKO was particular about was also effective.

10. YURI "Harenchi"

Before watching, YURI was one person I felt a little anxious about.
I did think, "Is she okay?" with the opening vocals, but after that, I was able to enjoy it honestly.
I think everyone will say the same thing, but the place where YURI changed the most in THE FINAL is her facial expressions, right?
She became so actress-like, softly changing through many expressions with an exquisite tone that didn't feel forced.
She turned the very thing she was pointed out for most during the audition into her greatest strength.

The original parts of the lyrics were good, and the stage production suited her very well.
The flashy stage set really highlighted the part that Chanmina pointed out, "YURI has charisma."
Rather than just outstanding dancing or singing, I was able to learn that she is the type who can give persuasiveness to her very presence, including her expressions.

Summary

The result of the audition is the result, so I have nothing to say about it.
The production where the three people disappeared to the other side, cut off by a curtain, was merciless and wonderful.
In Ep. 16, the audience seats crying and screaming while watching that were shown, and there was a supremely human scene there.
If I had been in the audience, I think I would have collapsed in tears as well.

I received the power and energy of everyone involved through the screen on my own.
I'm not the type to push one artist to the extreme, so I don't know how far I will follow HANA, but as of now, I am a huge fan.
Really, thank you very much.

--------------------------------

There is probably no such thing as a correct life.
But pop music will surely teach you about a beautiful life.
Because pop music is something you share with someone.

That's all for today! See you tomorrow!
This series is "Mechi-Mechi's Song for Tonight"

My X account is here.
https://x.com/Mechi05Gold

I'm continuing to post almost every day (that's a lie), so please like and follow!
It encourages me!!
▼ Follow here