Maria Ijima sings DYRL?

[wolfx]

What's a nisei week anyway?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTwYLqo2oYM

Sorry if its posted elsewhere.

[F-ZeroOne]

Isn't a "nisei" an Americanised Japanese person?

[terry the lone wolf]

Whenever I see Mari she is how I would picture Minmay if she was a real person. Though, I like the video of her doing An Angel Paints on stage much better. Singing at the mall just seems a little sad to me.

[Murphy]

Isn't a "nisei" an Americanised Japanese person?

yes it is, but also it is a huge festival in l.a. for the japanese culture. my friend she was in the nisei court ( a group of girls that compete to become queen nisei queen of the year) the winner gets a free trip to japan (while the other girls have to pay) and they promote japanese culture. They have a lot of "get together" type things where a lot of japanese and japanese american actors show up. Its kinda funny how they pick the FOBest girl to win the title queen rather than pick the attractive normal girl. My friend she got picked miss congeniality. We had a funny joke running around, that eventhough its called "nisei week" it should really be called "nesei forever" because you never stop doing it, not because you like it but because you have to.

[TSP]

Whenever I see Mari she is how I would picture Minmay if she was a real person. Though, I like the video of her doing An Angel Paints on stage much better. Singing at the mall just seems a little sad to me.

That's what I thought too when I saw the video. In Japan your a celebrated star.You are the one and only Minmay. In America you have to play in a mall to earn your living.

[Pat Payne]

Awww...If I knew she was going to be there, I would have made a bigger effort to have gone (I was planning to go anyway, but couldn't scedule it right--Weller Court's not all that from here)

[Lord of Tetris]

I was actually really saddened by that video...people didn't seen to know who she was. Even if they recognized the song (which seemed unlikely), there was nothing to indicate that she wasn't just some karaoke singer.

Anywhoo, here's a much HAPPIER video for you guys. It'll raise your spirits, I'm sure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgO3I7uVn4I...ted&search=

[Ishimaru]

Dude I really am pissed at the first video, nobody had respect for her when singing, what blew it for me was the girl walking by waving a fan at herself.

I was not going to go to Nisei week, but damnit if I knew Mari Ijima was going I would have made a stronger effort in going.

I just feel so bad for her singing such a awesome song and no one recoginizing her at all, she was trying to make a effor and no one cared. I was suprised she remembered those lyrics though.

[Sumdumgai]

Damn, too bad I haven't moved back to CA yet. Man, if I had, and knew she was going to be there, my wife and I would have gone.

[sketchley]

yes it is, but also it is a huge festival in l.a. for the japanese culture.

Yes, and no. Nisei can be applied to basically anyone, anywhere, who is the child of Japanese who emmigrated from Japan prior to WWII. It is generally referring to those who live in North and South America, and has no bearing on the non-Japanese culture that they have acquired.

二世 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nisei

See also Nisei Japanese Americans (the proper name of those being discussed herein): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nisei_Japanese_American

Regarding Marii Ijima being a star in Japan - only a few adults recognize her. In a way, its the same phenomenon as a group like "Wham!" You may know of them, you may have even heard a few of their old songs on the radio. However, they definitely aren't as big as at their peak. The same is true of Marii Ijima.

It is sad that people disrespect singers in the way that has been highlighted in this thread. However, if Marii Ijima is happy and satisfied doing what she is doing, then all the power to her.

[Zinjo]

That's what I thought too when I saw the video. In Japan your a celebrated star.You are the one and only Minmay. In America you have to play in a mall to earn your living.

Yes well, considering she probably earns to bulk of her money from album sales in Japan, I don't thing she is really hurting.

She's just trying to pay her dues and make it in America, however I suspect she really hasn't tapped the depths of anime fandom yet.

She considers herself a singer first, actor second...

The trouble is that if HG hadn't totally alienated BigWest, they might have had a chance at getting permission from Victor , through recommendation, to translate the Minmay songs and include them in the English Macross release, which is where Mari's true claim to fame is.

Oh well, yet another reason to want to rip the distribution rights for SDFM out of the hands of HG....

[Fortress_Maximus]

Mari is trying hard to balance the past involving Macross and her future in America. Paying her dues is but one path for her, the harder part however remains involving her choice in her future music. Some say she needs to incorporate more popular songs such as the ones used in Macross, while others debate the merits for her to remain true as an artist first and foremost. The harsh reality is she need to support of the general public and the diehard fans. But the question is will she create music that appeals to both? This remains to be seen and is a completely seperate issue from her desire to become an actress in Hollywood. Either way, I wish her the best of luck and will continue to support her work!