Hojo

Big honkin' hot take machine.

Queendom 2 Episode 1: Mnet takes its sweet time to position all the pieces during season premier

Welcome the first chapter of my coverage of 'Queendom 2', in which I provide AJ with a grease trap for Queendom comments, stapled to a 2500 word article. So, assuming you are done wailing and gnashing about how your faves (read: Dreamcatcher) did not make the show, let us once again sally forth into the long night that is Mnet reality programming.

Read More »

[Review] ‘Cyber Trance Presents Ayu Trance 2’ is a timely reissue, reminder of J-pop’s once towering soft power

Do you like Trance? Do you like Ayumi Hamasaki? Are you a DJ? Then you probably know what this is. To the rest of you, this year marks the 20th anniversary of 'Cyber Trance presents Ayu Trance', an official remix project commissioned by Avex to get the biggest names in trance to remix their J-Pop superstar Ms. Hamasaki. It would end up being a hugely successful and influential endeavor, leading to another 3 volumes and Ayu finding her way into DJ crates around the world. For many outside of Japan, this was the gateway into 21st century J-Pop.

Read More »