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[XiaNaphryz]

Recently I've started to browse through the J-pop blog scene, and have run into the term "wota" on several occasions. What the hell is a wota? Is it just another term for obsessive fanboys?

They seem to be the main reason for the decline in mainstream popularity for various groups, particular Hello Project and, specifically, Morning Musume (though many would argue that the decline in quality of their singles is a bigger factor, which I agree with...IMO their music's gone downhill ever since Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari, with a huge nosedive with their most recent stuff...but that's a separate rant). I'm guessing that the general public don't want to be associated with the wacky wota?

Do other artists have to worry about this as much? dream, Ayumi Hamasaki, Hikaru Utada, Koda Kumi, BoA, Ai Otsuka, etc?

 

[bjork]

it's engrish for water

 

[S. L.]

does your topic and your post any relation to each other?

gimme some wota!

 

[Google]

Yo, Japanese geeks, are there any decent J-Ska bands?

 

[SolidSnakex]

Yo, Japanese geeks, are there any decent J-Ska bands?

Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra

 

[mollipen]

Basically a term for obsessed Japanese music fans, yes. There's another term, Mota, which is typically used for Morning Musume fans.

 

[Naked Snake]

Someone give me a list of good new-ish songs for Utada Hikaru... I haven't listened to anything new for her since the original Kingdom Hearts. I miss her songs.

 

[Kuroyume]

Yo, Japanese geeks, are there any decent J-Ska bands?

POTSHOT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moTiZJOP9QM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apcfTOnven0

 

[SolidSnakex]

Someone give me a list of good new-ish songs for Utada Hikaru... I haven't listened to anything new for her since the original Kingdom Hearts. I miss her songs.

This is Love, Keep Tryin, BLUE, SAKURA Drops, Tokyo Nights

 

[Google]

POTSHOT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moTiZJOP9QM

Is that Jason Navarro from the Suicide Machines?

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Basically a term for obsessed Japanese music fans, yes. There's another term, Mota, which is typically used for Morning Musume fans.

I read somewhere that "wota" is actually pronounced "ota," as in the first bit of otaku. Is "mota" similar in the pronounciation?

I also ran into this wota clip on Youtube, apparently taken at a Koharu Kusumi performance. After seeing that, why the hell would any pre-teen/teen girl want to become a performer if they have to deal with that??

 

[Kuroyume]

Is that Jason Navarro from the Suicide Machines?

Sure looks like him.

 

[bjork]

Someone give me a list of good new-ish songs for Utada Hikaru... I haven't listened to anything new for her since the original Kingdom Hearts. I miss her songs.

Easy Breezy is the single best example of songwriting ever.

 

[Crystalkoen]

Easy Breezy is the single best example of songwriting ever.

I actually don't mind most of the songs on Exodus. While their lyrics aren't always up to par... or even remotely tolerable in some cases, the songs themselves range from ok to good in terms of how they sound.

Easy Breezy, however, is a different story altogether. That thing is a travesty to all things music, and quite a few things that aren't.

Naked Snake: Go check out the Deep River or Ultra Blue albums. I haven't bought Ultra Blue yet, so can't vouche for the songs there that haven't appeared elsewhere, but I'll stand by Deep River as a good album.

 

[radios shipping overview]

Yeah, "wota" is just an abbreviation for/intentional corruption of "otaku." It's pronounced the same way. It became popular through use on 2ch. It's usually used with an abbreviated word in front of it, like "Gundam otaku" -> "gunwota." The more Japanese terms certain folks co-opt, the more easily they can distance themselves from the connotations of the English equivalents of those terms.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Yeah, "wota" is just an abbreviation for/intentional corruption of "otaku." It's pronounced the same way. It became popular through use on 2ch. It's usually used with an abbreviated word in front of it, like "Gundam otaku" -> "gunwota." The more Japanese terms certain folks co-opt, the more easily they can distance themselves from the connotations of the English equivalents of those terms.

Interesting...so is the addition of the "w" similar to the usage of "p" in "pwned"?

 

[radios shipping overview]

It's sort of like that. "o" is one syllable in Japanese, and "wo" is another that sounds mostly the same, most of the time. So, there's more of a phonetic basis for the switch, in this case.

 

[mollipen]

Interesting...so is the addition of the "w" similar to the usage of "p" in "pwned"?

Well, it could also be from how for example the character "wo" is pronounced "o" when used as a particle.

 

[7Th]

Yo, Japanese geeks, are there any decent J-Ska bands?

Cool Wise Men, Camel, Dallax and Doberman.

 

[distantmantra]

Yeah, "wota" is just an abbreviation for/intentional corruption of "otaku." It's pronounced the same way. It became popular through use on 2ch. It's usually used with an abbreviated word in front of it, like "Gundam otaku" -> "gunwota." The more Japanese terms certain folks co-opt, the more easily they can distance themselves from the connotations of the English equivalents of those terms.

Well, that explains why Gunota (aeug.blogspot.org) is called Gunota.

 

[Bebpo]

Yo, Japanese geeks, are there any decent J-Ska bands?

I hear Kemuri is pretty good.

 

[icecream]

Well, it could also be from how for example the character "wo" is pronounced "o" when used as a particle.

Or maybe from classical Japanese, when "wo" was pronounced "o".

 

[XiaNaphryz]

So do the wota factor that heavily in the fanbase for most J-pop artists? From what I've read, it seems they mainly dominate certain artist fanbases (such as anime seiyuu performances and the aforementioned Hello Project wota like in the Koharu Kusumi example), but they don't seem to be a significant part of the more mainstream artists...do concert promoters for these artists just do a better job keeping the riff-raff out of view?

 

[bluemax]

Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra

It puts a big smile on my face that this was the first response. They're one of the best bands in the world IMO. I got to see them last time they were in the US (super rare). The energy of the show was so good I thought the roof of the venue would fly off.

And then when they brought Lynval from the Specials up? Oh man.

Other recommendations:

Potshot
Ska Ska Club
Kemuri
Blue Beat Players
Yum! Yum! Orange

If you have slsk I can hook you up with some more J-Ska. I've got a decent amount and a friend who has tons... Just PM Me.

 

[SolidSnakex]

I hear Kemuri is pretty good.

Hey did you get around to listening to Go!Go!'s new album? I don't think it was as much of a departure that you were expecting it to be.

 

[dasein]

Ooogla Undugladda!

Blabbuz Bega!

 

[XMonkey]

Someone give me a list of good new-ish songs for Utada Hikaru... I haven't listened to anything new for her since the original Kingdom Hearts. I miss her songs.

Like someone else said, her Ultra Blue album will give you your fix.