WAR OF THE IRON CHEFS by TAKESHI KAGA

Before reading this document, please be aware that nothing in it is intended to insult Dragonball Z or Iron Chef fans. This is just a junk page. No actual event is described in this document (except that relating to Iron Chef work), and any that exist are definitely unfair to Chairman Takeshi Kaga and his big boys.

�Power� balladeer with no brains: To be honest, this is one of the worst albums I have ever heard. Takeshi Kaga sounds like he got a microphone rammed up his behind. The only good thing about it is Bless the Child.

It doesn�t matter who he is... Refuse to believe me, but Takeshi Kaga is one of the legendaries of his time, if not of all time. Elvis and the Beatles are about ten times better than Kaga is, but denouncing Kaga on account of his origin is like rejecting ten barrels of apples at the expense of one with rotten apples in it. I like all kinds of music but it�s beyond me why people like Kaga have no respect on MTV or radio nowadays. I think the reason for this is looks. Kaga is not attractive to many people but that doesn�t bother me one bit. Sometimes he sings about intimate moods, but he doesn�t do it inappropriately. Kaga screams, but that�s what power balladeers do. His voice is memorable otherwise and sometimes even brings me to tears. Therefore, nobody should dismiss Kaga just because he doesn�t do what you want but rather respect him for what he is: an aging international culinary superstar with talent.

Better than that crappy debut: Takeshi Kaga is one of my new interests, but when going out to buy a CD of his for the first time I didn�t know whether to start with his debut album, A Portrait of Gold and Silver, or with this one. I tried the former first. Absolutely hated it except for (please insert your own Japanese-language song title here). So then I bought the latter hoping for something better. Lo and behold I hit the jackpot with this one!
Takeshi sings the 13 selections on this album with such energy that now I know why it was so popular. He co-wrote some of the songs on this album, as you can see in the liner notes. That�s something for which we should be grateful, because nowadays it�s all too easy for singers like Britney Spears of Christina Aguilera to just be a big success without writing a note of their own songs.
Overall, My Life in Blue is highly recommended for anyone interested in the music of Asia.

Yeah, right! I don�t see why you worship this aging Japanese maniac like he�s some type of Phil Collins! If he�s what they call the �Symphonic Rocket� then Michael Jackson must be the �Jack of All Trades!�

Know what I think? I think Takeshi Kaga is a real pipsqueak.

Enough of the Dragonball XYZ song, already! That�s all we hear on the radio 24/7.

You disrespectful intruders better get your act together. I�m tired of reading degrading lies about Takeshi Kaga being a pipsqueak. Whoever said that obviously needs some serious discipline. And the person who said that We Gotta Power is all we hear on the radio is so far off because that song�s airplay was bland compared to other, more popular artists� songs. True music is not about singles, MTV, or airplay; it�s about quality.

We Gotta Power? I don�t think so! Whoever heard of 60-something-year-old Japanese men going #1 and shattering records left and right? This guy isn�t �reviving� symphonic rock in my book. He�s ruining it! If neither Phil Collins nor that stupid Iron Chef existed on this planet would Takeshi Kaga even have a show?
I wish he and his idiotic Iron Chefs would just go away forever.

Cut off that mophead hair, Kaga! You look like a girl!

This child hasn�t been blessed. Stuff this single. You can get track 2 on The Power Is Yours. Basically, this is the same song over and over again in different arrangements.

Most influential singer in Japan: Although better known for his Iron Chef work, Takeshi Kaga deserves recognition for singing about today�s problems and how we should all deal with them. He goes right up there with the Beatles and singers like them.

Okay�but there�s more out there like this. I saw this man�s CD at a retailer and thought to myself: �Surely I must have seen this guy somewhere.� Sure enough I did on Iron Chef. Yes, he does have a very powerful voice, and the background music doesn�t drown it out. However, there are so many great vocalists out there like him, but to even begin to mention them would take up space.

Geez - I�m sick of the hype! I would hardly call an aging Japanese no-show �influential� - he sounds more like he�s yelling the lines than he�s singing them! This is one reason I don�t believe the hype. His voice is painfully unmemorable and way too loud. He sounds like he drank ten shots of Drambuie prior to recording this junk. Please listen to people who can actually sing like Bob Marley or Billy Joel, and if you like this stuff, grow up! Fabrizio della Scena is better because he expresses his feelings without getting too emotional about it. Wesley Eure is an old bum, and Larry Toffler puts me to sleep too fast. Usher sucks, and most of Kid Rock�s fans are the same gang who liked BSB and *NSYNC. This guy is simply an old bum who doesn�t deserve anything.

Forget what he is� This is modern era symphonic rock with an Asian twist. The Chairman Speaks has Kaga attempting the Latin bit, We Gotta Power reveals a more soulful side of him, the Asian sound of (song title) is very relaxing to listen to, and Bless the Child is also gorgeous. His voice is magnificent while not up to Elvis or Enrique standards.

Overblown, Lousy, Obnoxious Mess: So many people declare this Iron Chef guy to be the next Prince of Pop. Uh, no! His voice is too loud and his music is too sugarcoated for those really interested in love ballads. The only songs on this disc with real classic potential are hands down The Other Side of Me and Will You Believe Me. But We Used to Be Angels Then is lame, and I hated (???). Second, the title track sounds too shallow to even be aired on radio, 9/11/2001 theme or not. Finally, all the other songs are lame. You guys are better off investing in one of the first two singles mentioned in this review or just downloading this and other hit singles of his on KAZAA. As for me, I�m sticking to Hikaru Utada!

Turns me off: He can�t sing. He has no passion. He�s ugly.

Kaga�s best: This has to be the best turn-in from one of Japan�s most powerful voices. Even The Power Is Yours doesn�t compare. Besides, it only had one or two really good songs.

That voice touches me. Takeshi Kaga�s is one heaven-sent voice. He sings about love and pain without sugarcoating either subject. He sings with some of the most heartfelt pain ever on The Other Side of Me, which brings tears to my eyes no matter how many times I hear it. Kaga, thank you for bringing the art of emotion back into the music world. I�ll be waiting for your next 30 recordings�

Chefs good, Kaga not: Recently, I sat down to watch Iron Chef hearing that this guy hosted it. He doesn�t act like the �host.� The Iron Chefs on the other hand do all the dirty work. Two other guys act like they dominate the whole show. And Kaga himself doesn�t have even a mustard seed�s size of energy in his body so he slaves the living daylights out of his Iron Chefs and challengers, getting them to cook for him while just sitting around in those fancy suits that must have cost him $800 each. You are better off watching Emeril Live or any other cooking show like it out there, but leave Iron Chef in its capsule.

I have to agree with so-and-so. Iron Chef is a very odd cooking show in which four �invincible� cooks battle challengers using a designated theme ingredient, reported in sports event style, and create some of the dumbest and at the same time most disgusting dishes I have ever seen. This man himself is equally bitter. He is nobody about whom to get so excited! Yeah, he may be bigger than you or me, but he�s no better than we are. No offense to you guys. I�m just expressing my opinions.

Kaga�s best song is on this CD: This song has what is in my opinion Kaga�s greatest take: Will You Believe Me. Forget The Other Side of Me and We Gotta Power. WYBM has the Iron Chef stunt delivering what may be his best vocal performance. He tears me up on account of the song�s gripping theme every time I hear it. But don�t get me wrong-TOSOM does the same thing. It�s just that no other song tops WYBM because its melody is more pop-like.

Main Street needs heavy-duty aspirin: He always gives me headaches!

This album is reserved for immature audiences only. I�ve read some rave reviews about this album, so I decided to check it out myself. Having listened to it and read the sung text, I declare it instead to be childish nonsense. Cha La Head Cha La and We Gotta Power are the worst: ridiculous, braggy, show-off lines such as �don�t you know, I take them all� and �my heart just keeps sparking up.� One Love, One Memory is a much better buy than this insane 0.6-grade reading level mess.

The Chairman�s most experimental CD: At this point in his life, it was nice of Takeshi Kaga to come out with this best-of, which includes previously unreleased material. Some of these are edited single versions of earlier hits. It also includes the b-side The Colour of My Love (with Celine Dion!), which at the time had only been available on the Japanese import EP of the same name. The title track itself is a distant reminder of what has been and what is yet to come. All of the songs - then and now - are notable pieces of work. Get this as soon as you can!

Hated it. I loved One Love, One Memory; played that nonstop. But this one is loaded with wild rock ballads that don�t even compliment his remarkable voice. We Gotta Power is lame (except for Eddie Van Halen�s guitar solo), and I hated Cha La Head Cha La or whatever it�s called. My suggestion: buy One Love, One Memory instead.

Kaga is da best! I�ve heard millions of imitation pop stars on MTV but this Japanese guy is by far the best. Iron Chef or not, it�s beyond me why his music gets no attention on American radio or TV because the music is excellent.

Not bad for what it is. I�ve been reading some negative reviews directed towards Takeshi Kaga and his music, so I decided to see if the critics were true to their name. They were wrong. Kaga does have an amazing voice (no wonder he has more followers than detractors), and this impacts many of the songs on this album. In other words, this is no disappointing project despite the bad mouth.

If only Iron Chef didn�t exist: This recording is rubbish. Takeshi sounds like a thorn-footed dog. He�s only famous for hosting Iron Chef. That�s it.

Hey, guys� Have any of you been under the impression that Takeshi Kaga is famous because he hosts Iron Chef? We all knew him from there-or at least we think he did. We gotta respect him because he�s going to be here whether we like it or not (not we gotta power). This CD is okay but I don�t personally care for Cha La Head Cha La or We Gotta Power myself; I honestly think One Love, One Memory is better. Peace.

No more Kaga PLEASE! Somebody should zip Takeshi Kaga�s lip so he won�t sing that DBZ song anymore.

Is this guy repeating? Oh, no�not that stupid Dragonball Z song again! The age of innocence has long since been over, Kaga. Grow up!

Takeshi CA-CA: I�m sick of hearing about this ugly Japanese superstar. It doesn�t surprise me that he�s been this popular so quickly. Everything he�s done sucks. Iron Chef sucks too.

What more can I say? Being totally addicted to Takeshi Kaga, I was amazed at the material he brought forth on this release. The album�s subject is love and the struggle to keep it alive. Kaga�s voice is shown at its peak on Will You Believe Me and (song title), while The Other Side of Me (from the film of the same name) is sung with such heartfelt pain that I couldn�t hold back my tears. I love that man!!!

This guy must be a thief. Why is everyone getting so obsessive with this 60-something-year-old Japanese mophead when he stole the Dragonball Z theme We Gotta Power and claimed it as his property? Hironobu Kageyama�s version is more realistic than the blatant disaster that is the second to last track on this CD.

This man rocks. He can sing his butt off and I hate that ugly old German bum.

Not one of his best: Slow-moving, shameless excuse for a debut from an incredible vocalist. (Song title) is the only good song on the whole disc, but the other songs don�t cut it. Overall, this is the sort of disc recommended for die-hards only. With each of Kaga�s subsequent releases, by God�s grace, he broke out of that boring shell and into the bright mastermind we ended up knowing and loving.

Humanity needs to wake up to reality. This is undoubtedly Takeshi Kaga�s best album, on which he matures into a true hero for the ages. Nobody should buy a disc only to get back one or two good songs; they should check into the rest of the disc to find other good on it. This is one of those discs on which every song is excellent. The Other Side of Me is the best song on the disc despite its emotional theme but the whole project is too good to be true.

He makes me mad. I�m sick of new artists trying to imitate the old timers. What does Kaga know about �having power?� Nothing, I suppose. Please listen to Morning Musume (not Mickey Mouse) or someone like that. This man can�t sing.

We Gotta Poison: If you guys think that this is �symphonic rock,� boy, are you mistaken! This is more like Pok�mon background music than symphonic rock. This is an imitation of what has been, only to get the public to buy his music and none by other, more talented artists (and trust me. There are so many!).
Eddie Van Halen is the only thing that saves this mess. Still, you�re better off checking into one of the more talented J-Pop artists, then or now.

Stop the nasty comments. People, it�s high time you stopped writing bizarre stuff about Takeshi Kaga. The ridiculous and often dirty remarks such as �Takeshi CA-CA� or �total pipsqueak� or �This album is reserved for immature audiences only� are really getting on everyone�s nerves. I know you have the right to express your own opinions but not like this.

What do you mean My Life in Blue? Did you paint it blue?

WHAT A VOICE!!!! Pick this rating at five stars because this man can sing. Seriously.

Come on, Kaga - you can do better than this! I hated this album. Half of the production swamps his voice. Ma Vie en Bleu is better.

Some talent this man got: We Gotta Power was the first song I ever heard Takeshi Kaga sing before I put it past myself to get this release. I don�t adjust myself to Japanese Pop or symphonic rock but Kaga�s performances changed the way I thought of them. His voice is superbly energetic, often emotional (like Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Phil Collins, etc.), and the music jumps from one genre to the other. He could be singing the Latin Groove one moment, Asian the next, and heavy metal the last, and he does it all in style and without obtrusion.

We Gotta Power makes me want to punch someone. Not only have I gotten sick of hearing that stupid We Gotta Power piece of garbage about a million times, but I also think it�s one of the most retarded songs ever to come out - especially on trash works like this. Takeshi Kaga has a seriously ugly voice. I�m amazed that he dealt with the pain. The whole album sucked, too.

He sings better in Japanese. With total commitment to honesty, I think this is better than even Takeshi Kaga�s best English-language album (One Love, One Memory) because his English albums work him very hard. Will You Believe Me is in my book the best song on this album.

PHOOEY! This is just another lousy, overheated melodrama contributing to show-off. It�s funny how the industry rams things like this down our throats and we all go out to buy it only to get sick of it later. I thought Phil Collins� music was bad, but this is even worse: that unbearable vocal tone, mindless power ballads with titles that make no sense at all, sugarcoated arrangements - you name it. I will exclude Eddie Van Halen�s performance from all this, but none of the selections are even worth remembering ten months from now. My suggestion: listen to the music of real J-Pop artists like Chemistry.

Total loser: This guy�s voice gives me a nasty case of gingivitis!! He�s just an ugly mopheaded dog-voiced faggot. If I were to say something like �We gotta power� in front of thousands of people, just shoot me. Get lost, Kaga. Take my word for it: you suck.

Not at all� This guy has a great voice and can send Fabrizio della Scena back to Italy any day.

Something to remember him by: This CD is great - it's got two new songs, one previously unavailable track, and ten songs from his past albums.

What about the other Japanese artists? Have you guys ever heard of a Japanese band named Glay? They�re one of Japan�s most famous groups, and Jiro has a better voice than this aging fool.

Yeah. This is so-and-so reporting from the other side of the world. I�m at tea and talk right now so can�t say much except for two words: HE SUCKS. By the way, Eric Clapton rules. I�m so sly.

I have three things to say� This man: 1. can�t sing; 2. looks like a girl; and is 3. UGLY!!!!!

Ten stars is more like it. If I could give it a million stars, I would.

Takeshi Kaga has done it again! Yes, he has. Even though the title track bears a melodic resemblance to (song title), it ties the rest of the album together. This album�s theme is love and the struggle to keep it alive. Kaga gives one of his best vocal performances on Will You Believe Me, which he re-recorded in English for this album, and In My Secret Chamber is a beautiful song about revisiting the past. We Used to Be Angels Then is in my opinion better than Cha La Head Cha La and We Gotta Power from his The Power Is Yours because it deals with staying together no matter what. (Song title) is soothing and lovely, the title track pays tribute to 9/11/2001, and The Other Side of Me, taken from the film of the same name, is obviously the best song on the disc due to its gripping theme. Kaga, I thank God for someone like you. I love you so much!