I think they improved greatly but lemme give my 2 cents on this whole concert (that I just finished watching, so yeah
)
What I enjoyed. Ishida Ayumi. Damn this girl was so incredible I can't even... Her dancing as always at its best and her vocal ability improved so well~ She got quite some lines and all her solos were just so great~ To describe her vocals, they are not 'in your face' type, they're very pleasant to ones ears, let's say, like JunJun/LinLin type of voice~ I approve really
to think at the very beginning I used to dislike her... (Reina being there must have had an impact
) She is definitely my favorite member in MM'14, no doubt
Oda Sakura. Damn the girl has pipes!!!
Her voice sometimes has this tone in it...you can't tell if it's her singing or Aichan returned to sing those parts (if you don't stare at the screen...) She is my second favorite and damn she deserves that!!! The girl is so down to earth and still needs to work on her facial expressions but she can convey emotions quite well already and her presence on stage is great. Her dancing is also of high quality, really, no complaints.
Sato Masaki. I never expected her to bring out a wolf in her when she sings!!
Damn, those lines she delivered, that raspiness and the strength and... Yeah, I could go on and on, she really impressed me so much (though it's also a downside at times...but about this later) !!! And she is quirky and funny too
DuuPon dance off. DAMN, despite the bad camera work (more on that later) I could still see they delivered a nice performance on their parts and I am really glad they got a chance to shine, especially Duu, she needs more recognition.
Costumes. I have really no complaints, all costumes were really great, especially the sailor ones and the ones with golden stuff on them. There is one thing I disliked, but about it later.
Song choices. This must be one of the best set lists I have ever seen in quite a long time. Throughout this whole concert I could feel the strength and energy coming off the girls (despite me watching it on my lappie
wish I could see them live someday... *sigh* ) and the crowd was excited too. The song choices were really wise, I enjoyed the medley so much and it brings me to the next thing...
Take off is now. I was always thinking that no one will be able to perform this song in such a way that would make me squeal as did the original trio but I was OH SO WRONG. Damn, Daishii~
Sakura
and yeah, Riho. So perfect...not really, but about the bad point later...
Duu's solo lines. Tsunku has to give more lines to her in the future, he must!!! I like her voice so much and you know, somewhere on the other forum I read a thought which made me be like 'YES, SOMEONE THINKS LIKE ME!!!!' I also think that one day, after she loses her tomboyish image, she will bloom into another Gaki. That would be just
but she's still too young for me to drool over her so um...yeah
Mizupon!!! She improved in everything but one thing (saying 'more about that later' is becoming a trend...
). Her vocals are now really great and her dancing has become way better too~ And she is so pretty~ I think after Daishi and Duu, she's my third choice in 'gorgeous/soon-to-be-gorgeous' category
Captain Sayumi. Her MC skills as always are top notch, her speech when she made her kouhais tear up was also nice and touched me too. I don't want her to graduate, EVER. She proved to us she deserves to be leader of this group far more than anyone else has ever been. The way she carried this group of girls up to this point is really impressive. Way to go, Sayumin~
Things I am okay/nonchalant about. Riho. VTR. Could have been better in my opinion.
Wolf boy dance. meh...
What needs to be changed ASAP, or Things I didn't like. Riho getting Ai's lines. I get it, she is the ace, the voice, the center, bla bla. Yeah, she is good and awesome and all that but in my opinion, she lacks control of her voice and I'd rather have her singing all the other lines. I think Oda deserves to get Ai's lines more, her voice is more controlled and has that Aichan vibe too. I wish Oda got Aichan's lines instead of Riho in Take off is now, because Riho went too strong on it and it wasn't sexy, unlike Daishi's or Sakura's, it was overdone in using power too much...if not this point, the song would have been perfect with this unit... Oh well...
Zukki not getting enough lines/screen(?) time. Yeah, in the medley I barely noticed her, once or twice maybe... And her voice is nice, I think one day she might become another Ogawa Makoto, who turned out to be good not only in singing but also as an actress/comedian.
Hard hats in opening-card-themed costume. Those were so....ugly...
I'd rather they had nice caps/hats/hair accessories with clubs/spades/hearts/diamonds on them, that would have looked way better... Just...blergh...
Sato Masaki's voice. Yes, her raspiness was good a times and I enjoyed it so much...but there were times where her experimenting with voice made me cringe... She should experiment in practice and decide on which parts she should go raspy and where she should just use her gentle/natural voice. If she follows the plan, we won't need to cringe other time.
Camera work. One of the worst camera works EVER. Just....so horrible... I think someone has to write a letter to the management ASAP. The dance parts (especially the epic dance battle!!!) were not shot well, we could hardly see formations, there were too many close ups... Just...... OTL
Mizupon's emotions. More like, the lack of emotions... She improved in singing but her face most of the time stays the same... If only she improved in that department, that would be really great. She is one of my faves so I want her to do better.
I guess that's it... I hope I didn't forget anything... Overall, I really enjoyed this concert!!! Good job, girls!!! I am proud to be a fan