And so, Reina Tanaka, aka Her Royal Hotness, aka The Wonkylicious One, begins her 22nd trip around the sun today. (Yeah, I know that technically, she’s already been celebrating it for at least the past 12 hours as this is being posted, but since this blog is based in the Eastern Time Zone of the USA, we’ll go with this writer’s location chronologically.) And the 4th Anniversary of this worship blog is today as well. Did I ever think I’d be doing this blog or even my music blog for this long? Quite honestly, I’m glad I am – Reina and her band are one of the reasons this blog and the mothership The Groove Music Life exist in the first place. I am forever in my debt to them.

Words may sometimes fail me (don’t call it writer’s block – more like writer’s constipation) but my fanhood for my favorite MoMusu will never fail.

reina_t_1111: OK, Ceej, level with me here.
minimoniotaku: Oh, you saw what Langdon posted today at YODC?
reina_t_1111: Yeah, nice Photoshop job… NOT!
minimoniotaku: Hey, he’s entitled to his sense of humor.
reina_t_1111: True, but part of him is entitled to something else as well…
minimoniotaku: And that part would be?
reina_t_1111: The part where we have to remind him of a certain legal document from 2008
minimoniotaku: Ouch!
reina_t_1111: Hey, there’s still Risa and Sayumi for him to chase…

For a little break in our action, I thought I’d show off the view to the left of my usual workspace in my married abode. As Ray so accurately put it when he wrote about my Summer Mixtape for the Intl Wota Summer Refreshment Program, “You knew Reina had to be in there somewhere.” This is what I see when I stretch my neck during short breaks from writing (or lately, from practicing guitar as well.)

The Reina item in question is a curious little ID card (blank) with Her Royal Hotness’s picture on it. On either side is a picture of AKB48′s Mariko Shinoda from the recent AKB single senbatsu campaign, and three guitar picks from Greg Hetson (Circle Jerks/Bad Religion), Yngwie Malmsteen, and Hank Williams III. (Coincidentally, guitars named after both Reina and Mariko are below the shelf in question, on a stand out of frame.)

Just a reminder to the naysayers that we, as Reina Tanaka (and Morning Musume) fans don’t follow her/them just for their looks, but for their vocal chops as well. Apparently these clips are from whatever TV show Reina was a co-host of until the series concluded late last year (another clip from that same show has circulated where she covered SCANDAL’s “Shojo S” quite well) – I forget the name and neither her Wikipedia nor her J-Ongaku.org profiles list the series in her resume. Anyone rememeber the title? Also, does anyone know what songs Reina is covering in this footage?

Thanks to Michael Lyle for the link.

ETA: The name of the show was Uta no Rakuen. Thanks to Tommy VD for the info.

…Wherein, Reina shows Aiki Mitsui how to goof around in front of the camera…

My favorite MoMusu (gee, who would that be?) and Brother Langdon‘s favorite MoMusu (aka “So Sweet She Shits Sugar”) in another candid moment.

One of the many self-portraits that Reina has been fond of posting on her blog, here in a hoodie that almost looks like a burqa. Then again, not many burqas would be lavender with dark purple starts… (Who here remembers when I used to call Drifoy’s site 100% Wonkyfied “The Tanakachi Mosque” over at IntlWota.com?)

Not that it was delibrate before or since, but admittedly there hasn’t been at least one time during the leadup to Reina’s birthday where I had missed a day by minutes and often ended up posting a few minutes after midnight on the next day. Oh well, I always make up for it. I wouldn’t want Reina to show up mad at my front door with a few angry bandmates along for the ride!

I don’t think I have to remind anyone how Reina has been getting better with age. Or how seeing live pictures of her performing makes me want to see the band come to the States and tour (a tangent better left for the mothership). So I’ll just post this recent pic here without comment. Oh wait, that was a comment…