Puffy AmiYumi
Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi
Epic
Prefab pop bands have a generally bad reputation. The slick and saccharine sounds of N’SYNC send a shiver down the spine of music aficionados everywhere. But not all prefab pop is bad. The Monkees turned out to be one of the more influential bands of the late ’60s. When you flip through the infinite void of cable TV, you may encounter the Japanamation pop sounds of Puffy AmiYumi. Ami Onuki and Yumi Yoshimura were brought together through a talent search and have since become a cultural phenomenon in Japan, making subsequent inroads in America.
I’m not familiar with Puffy AmiYumi’s Cartoon Network show. All I know is what’s on their CD. My conclusion is that we’re dealing with a prefab pop band of the caliber of The Monkees. The songs on Hi Hi are catchy; pop with a punky flavor. The disc offers both English and Japanese tunes. While “Joining a Fan Club” is a fun song, I prefer the songs like “True Asia,” which are sung in Japanese. I don’t care that I can’t understand the words, I just like the way things sound in Japanese.
Puffy AmiYumi: http://www.puffyamiyumi.com
