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Hi Bill, Willie and everyone,
A very Merry Christmas to all of you too.

Biteki to me is a delightful Christmas gift to end this year. 
Comparing to all the Seiko related commodities in 2001 (CDs, radioshows, 
magazines, etc), and a full-year of "look-at-me, hear-my-sexy-voice, existence
of HS", Biteki delivered a piece of work that I thought was finally from a team
of staff who had substance and pride in thier work. A team whom Seiko 
deservingly should have had this entire year and the last.

For those who are fortuntate to look into the pic in the magazine. Look how
each face differs from the other. There is a theme behind each face as explained
by her make-up artiste, and the colour tone, background, clothes etc had never been 
better. A sheer excellent piece of work by enthusiastic and highly skilled team.

Publicity was excellent. Publicity posters was all over the trains of major 
train companies, including the national company JR!! We had posters hanging in
every cabin of every train that they owned. And all this over the weekend, and 
over this festive season. I wanted to check if the poster pic was the same one
used in the actual mag cover, but to my dismay or delight, the posters were 
stolen! They were only ones gone in a cabin of tens of posters. They were all 
ripped off in every cabin of the train I was in. I waited for the next train to 
come, but the next train that came had also suffered the same fate!!!!

I see lots of clever investment, alot of it $$$ too, lots of faith in Seiko,
AND I see alot of serious thoughts into planning (they do have done a little 
better with the cover pic, I agree, but the nuance of their magazine is there.
That they need not be bland in their make-up sense if they choose not to). 
I see a highly motivated team not willing to go for second best, and not only for money.

Biteki is a new fashion/make-up magazine and like VOCE, it is targeted at those 
who experiment, who are learners/maybe even professional. To compare that with 
Cosmopolitan, a mere better than average Women magazine, would be unfair. But
in Biteki, I was at last able to lavish the familar level of classy, 
professionalism and quality work that was intrinsically Seiko. 

It pains alot when I listen to L&E V2 and AiAiAi, I had thought I was listening 
to a demo tape. I seriously thought and still think that it is a HALF-BAKED 
album, HALF-effort album.  Some of the melodies are catchy and nice. But if I 
may boldly say so, they would have been nice had it not been officially put into
the album. Let it be like a songs-in-the-making, something like these almost
made it, but luckily didn't. The music arrangement was an absolute joke. 
It was as if it was all done using a All-In-One electron keyboard bought in the 
early 80s. It is a shame for Seiko's  voice is magnificient.  No complaints 
about Seiko's delivery of her vocals. That is my only comfort.

Am I being bias? I dont think so. I have seen how some local fans here in Japan 
have re-mastered the recordings, removed the back vocals to get rid of the 
persistent and monotonous chorus line. If they could, the next challenge would 
be to remove the entire instrumentations as well. Lucky for some of you who do 
not understand Japanese, the amatuerish and repetitive lyrics will have you 
wondering further why you are paying so much for so little, and of which 
probably more than half of it goes to HS. If the Seiko quality is not there, 
having HS on stage means that the fans will only get to hear songs that he is 
familar with, ie songs that he had written, If the Cd sales has dropped to 10% 
over less than the last 2 years...., I dont think we need anyone else to be 
sharing the income with Seiko and trying to steal the stage. A producer, 
a decent one if I may so, would be smart enough to knwo that Seiko's strength 
is her vocals, her presence on stage... Anytime anyone tries to share that 
limelight, you are digging your own grave. To suggest singing a song or two in 
her live is suicidal. Real pros, like we saw in Richard Carpenter, knows that
is best for the singer, how to bring out the best in her and deliver that 
untainted to the listeners. (Although I wouldn't mind a duet with Richard Carpenter)

If I had 500yen, I go for Biteki. If I had 1000yen, I go for Biteki, two 
copies. :) For a simple reason that I value quality and pride in carefully 
thought and planned works. This I saw in Seiko and this is what has brought all 
of us here. This is what keeps us or me buying every release, regardless of how
others viewed it. This, I don't see in L&E V2, and AiAiAi. Tomorrow a magazine called
"Sound People" is on sale. In it carries a 15page interview with Seiko and HS.
To have him in the Red n' White is bad enough. As much as I like Seiko's 
version of AvaMaria. I hate to see a repetition to the classic piece of Ruiiro 
no Chikyu (last piece in the Supreme album) or and 80s electronic keyboard 
sound version of it. For once, at least Mr Harada, please surprise and humour me.
I hate to see if there is going to be any announcement that the Seiko-HS 
collaboration (throughout 2001, it was more like "Seiko AND HS" and 
not "Seiko") will be continued in the next year. 

I am crossing my fingers. If it had to be, oh well, I am hoping that it would 
be just a melody or even two, but please no more music arranging, no more 
lyrics writing, no more band, and definitely no more chorus or in any radio talk shows..... 

I am going back to "Sakura no Sono", Forever album,Its Style 95, Snow Garden, KazeTachiNu and FUN 
tv program of this year.

To all Harada Shinji fans, I apologise.
To Seiko herself, I apologise too.

I am but just a fan, who has a love for Seiko's vocals, and holds very dearly to
the belief that Seiko's best recording album will eventually arrive. 
DON'T SETTLE FOR ANYTHING BUT THE BEST. 
I am glad that there is still alot of good materials right up to 2000 :P

Shopgirl.
ps. The cover of Cosmopolitan and its p13 are also my fav. But I am totally taken
over by p28,29 of Biteki :)