Mandopop: Nine Month Miracle - Tread Tread Tread (踩踩踩)

I wrote about this chinese duo some two years ago, and while they really are mostly producing KTV (karaoke) videos, the song "Tread Tread Tread / Come On" from this winter is rather funny and has gotten several follow up videos.

• Nine Month Miracle - Tread Tread Tread (踩踩踩)
• Nine Month Miracle - Tread Tread Tread (Dance version)
• Nine Month Miracle - Tread Tread Tread (+25% speed...)

Jpop: FEMM - PoW!

Stylized due FEMM from Japan was my favorite Japanese act in their debut year 2014, with an extremely high output of high quality videos and all of them in english. Now they are back with the new "PoW!" and it continues in the same great fashion. This time the theme is comics, and I would say in an American setting from the lyrics and visual cues. The whole project of FEMM is obviously geared towards the international/American nerd scene and as such may feel a bit too obvious this time (pretentious) but in the end I love it for its quality of delivery.

• FEMM -  PoW!

Mandopop: Amanda / Zheng Bing Bing (郑冰冰)

Zheng Bing Bing (older homepage, this is the new Weibo), or Amanda as is her English name, just turned 10 years old, but has been singing on stage in various forms since the age of four, and has several music videos under her belt already. The "Don't Be Afraid" is the best video depending on if you find her videos and singing cute or irritatingly childish. The references to Kill Bill and Kick-Ass is quite fun, and the video surprisingly violent (in a cute way) that is very charming.

• Zheng Bing Bing - Don't Be Afraid (不要怕)
• Zheng Bing Bing - New Year (新年到, from 2012)
• Zheng Bing Bing - Mashed Up Youth (混搭青春, from Jan 2015)
• Zheng Bing Bing - Most beautiful dream (最美的夢, from 2012)

Trip to China Winter 2014: Day 1 - Goodbye Christmas

(Which means 'Christmas'. A proper Merry Chistmas is instead '圣诞节快乐' = 'Shèngdàn (jié) kuàilè')

So, finally my (almost) three week trip to China is here! Having celebrated an early and cozy Christmas this weekend, I leave all that mostly behind me as Christmas is not such a big thing holiday-wise in China. For sure, you will see lots of western-inpired stuff but that is mainly consumerism spilling over everywhere in a culturally more and more globalized world.

Being the number one manufacturing nation in the world, it would be hard not to partake in some of this as Santa has most of his factory(ies) in China producing presents at full speed this time of year. I will try to blog as much as I can about this, and of course my instagram will be my best friend too.
I will visit Chongqing around New Years Eve and hope to be at Jiefangbei at midnight when 2015 arrives, and go to holiday island Hainan to soak up some sun at Sanya, but mostly I will be at the smaller Wansheng(万盛) south of Chongqing to enjoy the company of my girlfriends relatives.

Jpop: Oresama (オレサマ)

Oresama (a duo from Tokyo mostly active in Shibuya, Tokyo) does the ending theme for the anime Wolf Girl and Black Prince with their new song "Ookami (Wolf) Heart". The standalone video is a great comic styled 80s celebration which suits the sweet and funky synthpop perfectly.

• Oresama - Ookami Heart (オオカミハート)
• Oresama - Trip Trip Trip
• Oresama - Wonder Drive