Easy on the Eye, Part 1: Solo Photobooks

I rarely do a GETS post, but I do love a letter or a package with idol goods inside. I wouldn’t call myself a collector in the strict sense of the word because everything I buy, I buy it for active use. I don’t stash my photos in boxes; I organise them neatly and look at them almost every day. Same goes for all other idol goods I own.

My job forces me to stare at a computer screen all day, which is why I often don’t feel like watching idols on DVD or YouTube of an evening. But… I want to see Hello! Project idols! *cries* What to do? Here’s where a small library of photobooks and mooks comes in handy. Even if her lips aren’t moving this time, you know the idol, and just looking at her picture cheers you up! :)

Do you share this feeling? Perhaps not everyone loves the books and the mooks as much as I do? Or perhaps not everyone knows how nice they are? In any case, I hope you will enjoy reading or simply glancing through this post. Or actually, series of posts. There is just too much perfection within Hello! Project to fit into one!

Speaking of perfection, I would like to start with Airi‘s “perfect book” Airi-al (released on the 27th of December 2012). Definitely one of my favourite idol purchases ever! Below, I will show you why.

As you can see on the contents page, it is…  a book about Airi Suzuki! Hence the perfect book? ^^ (As a side note I’d like to point out, Airi was adorably humble about that in the release event video: “that’s how they wanted to put it”.) Besides some gravure and modeling (school uniforms, casual oufits, fashion, even a few bikini shots), it offers the reader details about Airi’s everyday life and things that she likes. I will show a few samples below.

A day in Airi’s life. Here she is only getting up, but the following pages show her work hard until late at night.

These pages are so adorable… even if you don’t have the hair or the skills to try this yourself. :)

Sorry, Airi! I think my phone flash was too bright for your eyes.

Some pages show no text.

Speaking of which, you can very well enjoy this book without knowing a word of Japanese. It’s full of pictures, and many things can be read with basic language skills. However, there is a long article which tells Airi’s life story, as well as messages from people who know Airi. Here’s an example, from Tsunku.

There is also a calendar at the end of the book, illustrated by Airi herself. I wouldn’t dare to write on these pages though. ^^;

I strongly recommend Airi-al to all fans of Airi. Even if you only like her a bit, you will enjoy looking through it. It looks a bit like a women’s magazine (and a top quality one at that), only without the silly and boring articles. And in every photo, there’s Airi! :D Priced at 1500 yen, it’s more affordable than a lot of photobooks, and while the book is small in size, it has 120 pages full of win, and they will keep you entertained for… forever? Besides Airi herself, I love the overall style, the fonts used, the matte texture… everything. Oh and Suu-san, of course. (Suu-san is an original charater that Airi draws, pictured above.)

Even if I seem to be fangirling about Airi a lot now, my number one is still Sayumi. As amazing as Airi is… well, there is no contest. Sayu wins in every category. What are you saying? Singing ability? Shut up, it’s my blog. :P *closes eyes and listens to Lalala no Pipipi with a happy smile on face*

So… here’s another one of my recent gets, Sayu’s photobook Mille-Feuille (released on the 25th of January 2013). Quite different from the previous one, this is your classic photobook with plenty of bikini shots. Now I know that as a female fan I’m supposed to find them disgusting, but I just see them as pieces of clothing that remind me of summer. Ah, summer! Happy times! And they show idols’ pretty figures. What’s there not to like? Seriously? It’s all good things. I’m not a huge fan of the cover though.

Because I prefer shots like this one!

Oh and normal casual outfits like this striped top with a pair of jeans. Too bad there were only two photos like this, you can see more in the making of DVD.

I don’t have the words to describe how beautiful this photobook is. I can look through it again and again and not get bored. As always, Sayu is the world’s cutest idol and breathtakingly gorgeous. ♥ It’s not just the bikinis and the jeans I love, but the glamorous shots as well. This is it for Mille-Feuille though. You can find better photos and scans elsewhere, mine kept failing beacuse of the flash. ^^;

Next up, Saki Nakajima‘s newest photobook Naka-san (released on the 13th of February 2013). This was more of an impulse buy, because it’s my first Nacky photobook, but I’m more than pleased with it. I would describe it as relaxed yet playful.

My favourite page from the photobook? Do I dare to say it’s this one?

Yes… I have a weakness for sleepy people. People look so cute and relaxed when they sleep, I could just watch them forever and ever… ^^ What? That’s not creepy… :( Umm… Let me choose another favourite from this photobook.

Oh, no. She’s lying down again. About to fall asleep? What can I say. Umm… I like the outfit. I like Nacky. I feel relaxed and the playful expression on the last page left me smiling. Thank you Nacky! ♥

In this post, I covered three recent solo photobook gets, with an emphasis on Airi’s one because it’s different from what I’m used to. Stay tuned for part 2 and possibly 3! I will show some love for mooks, magazines, and group photobooks. And of course, idols. Girls that are easy on the eye, in a format that is… well, easy on the eye. (Dumb title I know. XD)