Minayo Watanabe -- PINK no CHAO

Oh, man, I don't think I've listened to this one in a couple of decades. And considering my age and insulin levels, I may have to be careful about this sugary-sweet confection. "PINK no CHAO" is the 4th single of 80s aidoru Minayo Watanabe（渡辺美奈代）from April 1987, and I think this was on a compilation LP I got from Wah Yueh.

Written by Yasushi Akimoto（秋元康）and composed by Tsugutoshi Goto（後藤次利）, if my reading of the former's lyrics are correct, I think the title is referring to "a pink ciao", as in the Italian farewell. As the words go, the ciao is neither a hello nor a goodbye but a "see you again...maybe" as Minayo meets supremely cute with a potential beau. I can only imagine elementary school here...only if said school was coated in cotton candy and allowed stuffed animals as fellow students. From the kiddie circus-like arrangement to the kid squeeing at the beginning of the song (one of the recording staff's children according to J-Wiki) to the adorable delivery by Watanabe, this is one saccharine aidoru tune which hit No. 1 on Oricon.

Watanabe was another graduate from the first Akimoto-organized super-aidoru group, Onyanko Club (her number was 29) in the 1980s. And over the years, I've seen former members split off into various careers. While some of them have gone onto strong singing careers (with some acting) such as Shizuka Kudo（工藤静香）, Minayo Watanabe decided to go the tarento (also with some acting) route such as another Watanabe...Marina（渡辺真理奈）to be exact. There was also a series of photo books where Minayo showed a whole lot more skin than was required in the aidoru field.

Minayo's aidoru career lasted about a decade from 1986-1996 with 17 singles (the first 4 which were created by Akimoto and Goto), but I knew her far more as the tarento that would show up on the quiz shows and comedy-variety series, most notably on the Fuji-TV Monday night show "Ken Shimura no Daijobuda"（志村けんのだいじょうぶだぁ...Ken Shimura's It's All Right） at 8 pm, some years before "HEY HEY HEY Music Champ" would take over the slot. She was the straight woman who would often get into the middle of some craziness involving nutty comedian Ken Shimura during the many skits. One of those skits that I remember best involved Shimura as a businessman suddenly inviting over his American counterpart to his house (something that is very rarely done in Japan) much to his wife's (Minayo) shock. The problem is that the American is just as nutty as Shimura. I believe he's played by a fellow whose brother was once the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada; apparently, the fellow was in a Hollywood franchise whose title involved a naked gun of some sort. Anyways, enjoy!

Well, it was pink...and pretty darn expensive!