Birthday, 2 day difference‥

Us who were born at the same hospital in Muroran。

This month turned 29♪

At the same hospital‥

Fate‥‥！？

Together for 13 years。

The same age piling up‥

Delighful, right‥♪

29 years old。
Us who are still inexperienced。

From now on too, we will be in your care。

We will do your best ーっ。

Nin♪

２９years old‥combi♪♪ (tn: short for combination)

Retroactive Continuity. The word, “retcon” is a portmanteau of retroactive continuity which simply means to alter established facts on purpose. Usually it is to clean up existing continuity or to correct for happenings that would cause a review of previous established continuity. Retconning as far as I know only applies to fictional works. I suppose for non-fiction works retconning would just be erasing or altering history. But retconning sounds SO much cooler than erasing history. Maybe we can make a new word … erastory, altestory? Nah, that doesn’t have a good ring to it.

So if you’ve gotten this far I will now proceed to the meat of the day. What I want to talk about today is: retconning in Hello! Project. You see the other day when the horses started neighing, thunder was striking all over the place, goldfishes around the world were swimming in figure eights, and pandas started walking into bars and shooting patrons and abruptly leaving before they paid their bills… So the other day, I was looking at this picture. And that’s when I decided I wanted to talk about retconning in Hello! Project.

This picture came to us just the other day when all of the above happened. Or for more realistic people, when Tsunku-san announced the upcoming audition as well as the pending graduations of Kamei Eri, JunJun, and LinLin. At first, I thought this was a photoshop someone did for being optimistic about the news. Apparently it isn’t and can be found on the official site (full of Japanese writing and all). It struck me as odd that the message on the graphic was written in English rather than in Japanese. In English grammar this would’ve implied one member would be chosen. But in Japanese grammar this could be ambiguously plural, so I have no beef with that. It also struck me as odd that the “9TH” is in the background rather than the foreground. If anything this is probably a sign to any auditionees that they will be dropped to the background when they get into Morning Musume. Let’s hope that’s not the case. I know these are excessively obscure details that have no basis whatsoever. I’m just overanalyzing. But it’s what I do!

What really strikes me as interesting is the girls on the poster. Take a moment to account for all the girls shown. I have provided the picture once more for your convenience. I’ll list them below in order of generation.

1st Generation:   Iida Kaori, Abe Natsumi, Yuko Nakazawa
2nd Generation:  Yasuda Kei, Yaguchi Mari
4th Generation:   Yoshizawa Hitomi, Ishikawa Rika, Tsuji Nozomi
5th Generation:   Konno Asami, Ogawa Makoto, Niigaki Risa, Takahashi Ai
6th Generation:   Kamei Eri, Michishige Sayumi, Tanaka Reina, Fujimoto Miki
7th Generation:   Kusumi Koharu
8th Generation:   Mitsui Aika, JunJun*, LinLin*

* If we are to include JunJun and LinLin as 8th generation members. I’ve always liked to think of them as 8.5 generation. Nonetheless, they would get their own category if you don’t want them to be grouped with the 8th generation.*

Take a close look at those numbers. The first thing that should have occurred to you is that as we went from one to eight, we somehow skipped the number three along the way. Odd, considering how important the 3rd generation was to Morning Musume. It was the first generation where they added only one member and it was arguably the first step into the Golden Era of Morning Musume. So why is Goto Maki, the sole member of the 3rd generation, not on this poster?

Well Goto Maki is no longer with Hello! Project, despite her humble beginnings. Nor is she with Up-Front Agency. In fact, somewhat ironically she’s with Avex Trax today (if you don’t get why it’s ironic look up Koda Kumi’s history). Perhaps being in another agency really bars her image from being used. But as a part of history it sure would’ve been important to put Gottsuan’s image there. Her success story would have been very appealing to would be Musumes out there.

Next, many fans may notice another very popular member missing from this poster, Kago Ai. I noticed it right away. However, being fired from the agency doesn’t particularly help so I can admittedly understand that she has effectively been erased out of Morning Musume’s history. Though at that Fujimoto and Yaguchi are both acknowledged despite their troubles and abrupt resignations devoid of the traditional graduation. But alas, they were never fired like Kago was. And even now they live free lives in the entertainment and modeling world. Tsuji and Iida are another case as I suppose there is lenience to the fact that they were simply sitting around doing next to nothing. Not quite nothing, that was Ayaka’s job back then. But notice the troublemakers are all there, just not the real troublemaker.

The original 1st generation of Morning Musume consisted of five girls, two of which are not on the poster. Remember Ishiguro Aya and Fukuda Asuka? Many recent fans may not especially if they are not particularly keen on the early years of Morning Musume. By any chance might you remember Sayaka Ichii who joined alongside the 2nd generation? Nope. These three girls have long since left Morning Musume. Their fate, to be remembered by fans of their time or simply be learned by fans of our time.

So you may probably see what I am getting at here. Being that Fukuda was the first girl to leave she is a long forgotten member that is seldom appreciated due to the lack of time that she served in Morning Musume. Ishiguro and Sayaka got to experience the beginnings of Morning Musume’s Golden Era. But did these three make any lasting legacies? Well they were part of it. Goto Maki as well rode the wave of popularity being the center right next to the face of Morning Musume, Nacchi. Also, it can’t be denied that Kago was an amazing core component of the 4th generation. But her past actions cannot be denied either.

Speaking of actions, many agree that the 4th generation’s entrance was the mark of a significant change in Morning Musume. No doubt, Goto Maki was 13 years old when she joined but she certainly didn’t exude the image of 13. But when we got Kago and Tsuji you could no longer deny it. And how could you think of Tsuji and not think of Kago? They were practically one person. It was supposed to be just Kago but Tsunku pulled a fast one and dropped Tsuji in too. And remember how Konno was called an absolute failure and yet she was dropped into the group as well? Remember how Tsunku failed to find someone in his first round of 7th generation auditions? These were defining moments in the previous auditions of Morning Musume.

Here’s an interesting quirk. If you look at the picture closely you might notice many of the girls are displayed with their stock art from their debut or at least close to it. Not quite all though. Yoshizawa, Ishikawa, and Tsuji are clearly way past their debut phase. You can tell by their hairstyles. Gaki-san and Takahashi are shown in their Mr. Moonlight costumes, their debut. But Konno and Ogawa aren’t. What’s up with that? Possibly a way of lightly differentiating the two members that are still very much a part of the current Morning Musume. The entire 6th generation are in their Shabondama outfits but Fujimoto has since left the group. Koharu is very reminiscent of her early debut phase and Aika’s photo is taken directly from Egao YES! Nude. Last but not least, both JunJun and LinLin are shown in their Onna ni Sachi Are costumes from the cover. Even the 1st and 2nd generation girls are shown in their very early looks. A lot of people might not even be familiar with Yaguchi as she has since rather dramatically changed. Guess I can throw that theory of consistency out.

Would this mean that Up-Front Agency wants to specifically highlight the 4th and 5th generation to prospective auditionees? After all the 4th and 5th generation were at the peak of Morning Musume’s popularity. There seems to be something special about using different art for the already graduated girls of those generations. Either that or the art they had happened to have on hand were a bad match for making the poster. I like to believe there’s a conspiracy and not simple laziness.

Historians have a duty to recall history factually with no bias. They have to look at things and leave everything intact provided that it was documented. Wikipedia will tell you that all of these girls existed and the things they did. Hello! Project’s official site doesn’t as far as I know. They acknowledge the OG Morning Musume and the incumbent Morning Musume members. But for us fans, we know they existed. That is not to say that newer fans will know absolutely. I remember when I started in 2005 I wasn’t very fond of the late 90s sound and look that they had. As a result I knew barely anything about the first three missing girls (Fukuda, Ishiguro and Sayaka). Though I appreciate them now as I feel as a fan I should acknowledge the elders so to speak.

The history of Morning Musume is that they were once five and today they are eight. Soon they’ll be five again. And soon after that they will be a number larger than five. History tells us all the defining points, all the stories of each of the 25 girls who have been a part of this group. And with a group like Morning Musume, history is of utmost importance. It isn’t a matter of how old they were and what singles they released. Nor is it a matter of where they had their concerts and their awards. The history of Morning Musume is the record of all 25 girls past and present that left their own marks in the world.

Just because the OG Morning Musume members are still here doesn’t mean they’ll be here tomorrow. After all, Kago would have been a part of it all and look where she is. In the wake of the graduation announcements of Kamei, JunJun and LinLin, we should take a moment to reflect. Yes, the impending future is important. But at the same time, we should take a moment to reflect, to appreciate the things these members have done for the group, for themselves and for us. For after they are gone that may be the last we see or hear of them as they fall out of the spotlight like many others before them. Such is the way of the passage of time.

In a way Morning Musume is an ongoing retroactive continuity. The continuous shift of members serves to temporarily erase the history of the members of years past. Listen to LOVE Machine and realize that no one from that time is in the group today. It’s like reading a Superman comic where Superman could only jump 1/8th of a mile and would never even dream of flying. We all know today, Superman can easily just fly and cover that 1/8th of a mile. Though people would be surprised to hear that indeed, the original Superman was only capable of leaping 1/8th of a mile and could do no such thing as flying. Would you be surprised to hear that Gaki-san used to have long hair braided into pigtails? That’s a rhetorical statement by the way, we don’t need to get into a discussion over the current affairs of her hair.

We cannot forget that there have been 25. Even Up-Front can’t forget. They’ll NEVER FORGET. Even if they want to retcon the girls that have seemingly contributed little to nothing, or the girls who have tainted the history that people still remember to this day, they can’t. Look at the cover for the Coupling Collection. All 25 girls are displayed. If you are a new fan and see several faces that you don’t recognize, stop and take a moment to learn about these mysterious faces. Take a moment to hear their voices resonating throughout the songs. Don’t let anyone tell you that these girls were not a part of Morning Musume or that they were missing girls. And if you are already familiar with it all. Take a moment too to appreciate not just today’s Morning Musume, but Morning Musume as a whole. They are very much there. That is the magic of history. It only becomes the way that they have written it once everyone forgets. In the wake of recent developments I implore everyone to not forget especially JunJun and LinLin. The time they have spent with us is precious and deserves more than a page of history.

I just want everyone to see that poster and remember that in that poster belongs five girls who were very much there like the other 20. We may understand why they’re not there. But understand why we have to remember why they are truly there. Young girls who see this audition flyer deserve a chance to create a legacy. They deserve to be the next Goto Maki and sing the next LOVE Machine. They deserve to be the leader one day and rule with an iron fist like Nakazawa. They deserve a chance to be on that flyer when the 10th generation gets scouted for. They deserve a chance to be like their idol that may just so happen to not be displayed. Believe me, when I met Kago last year, I was surprised to see young girls that fall right in the range of audition age. They were holding on to Kago uchiwas from a time long forgotten as they awaited intently to greet their idol.

Of course, you may have just read all of this and figured out something that I figured out as I was writing the post. The probable reason why the images of the five missing girls are missing are more than likely just legal issues of not getting permission from the respective parties. After all, all the girls that are out are no longer with UFA. But then again I would argue against that in the case of Coupling Collection. I mean they are just using stock art.

And before I forget, the upcoming audition will make history. Any step small or big serves to alter the future and remain as a reminder. Fans who remember the “old days”, reminisce in a history that they either experienced or have experienced vicariously. So do you remember? Don’t just remember all the good times. Remember the bad times too and the hard times. It will serve to surprise us as the future unfolds. Or maybe it will serve to disappoint, how are we to know? Tomorrow we will just have to add more to the books. But such is the joy of being a fan of the group as a whole. And that is what I am. On the contrary, I am not a history major.

~Siggy, who applauds anyone who notices the running gag he unintentionally wrote into the post~

If you happen to be reading this, I assume you gave up and noticed that there was an odd space before the end of the post. If this wasn’t whited out, you should cautiously proceed as I am about to spoil the answer for you. Here’s the answer. Did anyone notice that I unintentionally forgot Yasuda Kei and never mentioned her apart from listing her. Ironic that her graduation song was “Never Forget”. I’ll never forget indeed. Talk about retconning… lol

I’ve noticed a startling trend lately. A number of the Hello!Project Idols and more specifically in Morning Musume members, both past and present have been changing before our eyes.

This can be attributed to them growing up, getting older, and being more mature which is, of course, perfectly fine. It’s just… I’m used to these changes happening slowly and me getting used to them. Some of the girls change perfectly fine, retaining much of their looks from when they were younger. Some of these being Abe Natsumi, Iida Kaori, and Niigaki Risa.

Over the years these girls really haven’t changed physically too much other than a slight maturing of their features.

However… there have been some shocking changes in idols over the years.

The first one I really noticed was Yoshizawa Hitomi. In 2006 she dropped a surprising amount of weight in a very short amount of time. I think I was mainly ignoring this fact until I saw the Aruiteru PV. Gone was the squishy huggable Yossie, suddenly her clothes seemed to hang off her in unflattering ways and her face was much too thin. Luckly by the time of Kanishimi Twilight she’d put back on a little bit of weight and was now “bad ass” Yossie.

But this change was explainable.

Another explainable change was Konno Asami. I will admit that I totally didn’t recognize her when she came back to Hello!Project after being at school for a few months. She didn’t really change all that much, after you realized who she was you could see the old Konno there, the main thing was that she grew and matured for a number of months out of the public’s eyes, so we didn’t get the chance to see the small changes, therefore when she came back, it seemed like she’d changed a whole lot more than she did.

The main evolution I’m thinking about though is Michishige Sayumi. Now I’ll admit she’s not my favourite member when it comes to performing, but I do love her pictures and photobooks, and she can be really funny in interviews and on shows (I just don’t really like narcissism). However, I have really noticed a huge change in her recently and it’s happened really quickly.

Sayumi has always been one of the cuter members of Morning Musume, and I’ve always seen her as hyper, happy and ready to laugh at herself if something happens.

Lately she’s seemed much more reserved. I started noticing it after Kanashimi Twilight, at first I thought she was just giving a more mature image and growing up a little. When I saw the pictures from the Hong Kong trip for the All Singles release however, I paused and went “is that Sayumi?!”

I think the main thing I noticed was that her big easy smile was gone, she seemed to be holding back, looking older. Maybe she was just tired, but I know she mentioned that she was going to try and give sexy a try versus cute. I was actually sort of sad seeing the pictures of her from that set, she really didn’t seem as happy as she normally does.

Of course the camera man could have caught her on an off moment.

I was a little worried she would lose her attitude as well, that hyper energy that drew me to her, no matter how much I disliked her, in concerts. Then I saw her snowboarding on the Wii on Haromoni@ and I relaxed.

She might be trying to give Sexy a chance… but she’s still Sayumi on the inside. I really hope she doesn’t lose that as she grows.

I also think that growing her hair as long as she has was a good idea, it really made her look gorgeous in Mikan.. but again, she seemed to be more reserved in that PV.

** More recently I’ve been seeing more of the usual Sayumi, in Kimaguri Princess and Onna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai she’s goofing around and being more of her normal self. With her blog, she’s also showing a slightly different side of her and giving us a chance to see who the real Sayumi is.

I’m glad that the Sayumi we all came to know and love isn’t gone for good… it may have just been a bad year for her when I noticed it, but it did give me pause. Since Platinum 9 Disc came out and Sayumi got her solo song she seems to have more confidence which I’m glad to see. I hope that the future holds a lot of good for Sayumi, even though she isn’t at the top of my list for members, I still like to see them all succeed.

The actual day that I became a fan is unclear and as far as I can remember, it lies in fuzzy region of Fall 2004. As such, I cannot clearly pinpoint when I became a fan. But for the purposes of designating a day I use the day I became a member of Hello! Online, January 3rd, 2005 as my unofficial H!P Anniversary.

I joined Hello! Online solely for the purpose of downloading the HPS release of the Hello! Morning 2004 New Year’s Special. It is this video that essentially opened the door to Up-Front Land where they were holding all the Hello! Project girls hostage. And when I was done watching that video, I was convinced more than ever that I had to give Morning Musume a chance. What followed afterwards was a flurry of torrents (you see, because Youtube didn’t exist back in those days or at least I didn’t know about it for a while) that led to my education and appreciation of Hello! Project as a whole.

So what’s so special about this particular Hello! Morning? The first Hello! Morning I watched was unsubbed and kept me interested enough to look for a subbed Hello! Morning. Frankly, I think if I had watched a less special and uneventful Hello! Morning, I wouldn’t have been drawn in, and who knows what would’ve happened then, I probably would’ve gotten my first kiss already >w<

Jokes aside, this special is a great special for those H!P virgins and established H!P fans. The New Years special has all the elements that personally I feel really defined H!P television entertainment back in the heyday. I was extremely amused by the games that were played. Everyone showed the sparkling personalities that fans these days say they now lack. Even my best friend at the time, who didn’t like or approve of what I was getting myself into, was very amused by the special.

Pre Abe Natsumi graduation is the configuration of Morning Musume at the time. For this special, Nacchi was the host and Matsuura Aya and Goto Maki were special guests on each team. They split the large group into two teams led by Iida and Yaguchi respectively. They then split each team again for two separate games. They play for “New Year’s Allowances”, the team with the most wins and gets FOOD. Don’t we all miss the olden days when the girls would play for food, or a practical prize of some sort XD

The first game involves the reading of a description of a girl to which the girls will have to correctly identify and then acquire their picture all in a pool of randomly laid out pictures all over the floor. It’s quite amusing and says a lot about the established personalities of the girl. For those uninitiated (like myself at the time) you can really see the charm here in “singling out” that one girl. Back in the day Yasuda really got singled out a lot and here I was growing up watching Makoto get singled out SO many times in this episode.

The second game has the two teams face off in a singing competition where they have to correctly identify the song given a snippet of the song. Not only that, they also have to accomplish singing the song under a special condition. This too was a great game with some really good conditions making for very amusing conditions.

Interspersed between the games we have the Hello! Project theater where they perform a New Year theme skit. Very amusing skit, I leave you all to watch it if you haven’t. If you have, re-watch it and relive some memories of the pre-7th generation Morning Musume. The commercial breaks also feature the girls greeting us with their goal for the new year. There was also a short segment about Ayaya’s fan club trip to Hawaii. As a result of watching this special, I fell in love with Ayaya’s music very early on.

Also one of the big things about this special for me back in the day: Live performances. There were small snippets of several live performances that were done throughout Hello! Morning’s history. At the time, I really had never heard any of the songs that were present throughout the entire special. These live snippets and the song game (mentioned earlier) were my intro musically to Morning Musume (and to a smaller extent Matsuura Aya and Country Musume). And in a way it made me curious and pursue Morning Musume. I remember being very into the Summer Night Town chorus but for the longest time had no idea what it was called, due to the katakana.

Wow still more! Yeah this special really had a lot of production going into it. The second half of the special features a special guest. I have no idea who he was but he seemed to be an amateur-ish magician? Maggy Shinji, his name was. He revealed the trick for most of his tricks so I suppose he was more personality than just magic. Also, his pet was very cool. They go through a traditional New Year’s shrine visit routine for the girls as well as play some more games. It’s a lot and I don’t want to talk all about it because my words about it simply can’t capture the joy I had watching the special.

It’s been FIVE years (haha, Berryz joke) since I watched this special. While, I started my journey into Hello! Project through Minimoni, I consider my fandom for Morning Musume to be my real core fandom for Hello! Project. For any fan of Morning Musume there are several things they must experience, Hello! Morning is one of them. And for that I thank HPS for subbing this special.

Watch it! It’s a great special. And Happy 5th year anniversary to me for being a Hello! Project fan. Here’s to another five more years. On a related note, my blog’s 2nd anniversary passed several days ago too. So yay, Happy Birthday Conflict Productions! ****

~Siggy, who started falling in love with Gaki-san from this special (though it wasn’t until Bakajo where he acknowledged it)~

P.S. I apologize I didn’t realize I had stretched the aspect ratio on my screencaps.

I’m starting to download all PVs for Mprning Musume, when they’re up I’ll post about them. So far I’ve downloaded Ai no Tane, Morning Coffee, Summer Night Town, Daite HOLD ON ME!, and Memory Seishun no Hikari.

I have various plans for the site, such as for posts I’ll put a preveiw from YouTube on the post and the actual download on the group’s page. The Pages will be on the top bar, but depending on your cmputer screen width you might not be able to see them all so I’m gonna put them on the sidebar. I plan to update my Twitter more too, and I’m gonna put catergories for each member, eg. a post of Ai no Tane will have categories for Morning Musume, PV, Indie, Iida Kaori, Abe Natsumi etc….

I plan to use this ‘overveiw’ for updates and what I plan to do each month, a bit like sayunii.wordpress.com does for Shuukan Yoro, but not weekly.

I want to get C-ute done and posted ASAP because of Umeda’s Upcomng Graduation, because it won’t be right to post PVs of her when she’s gone.

~!Setlist!~

1. I WISH / Nakazawa Yuko, Abe Natsumi, Iida Kaori, Yaguchi Mari, Ishikawa Rika, Yoshizawa Hitomi, Konno Asami, Ogawa Makoto, Fujimoto Miki

2. I Know / all
Opening Movie
MC
3. Juunen Ai / Nakazawa Yuko, Abe Natsumi, Iida Kaori, Yasuda Kei
4. Screen / Abe Natsumi
5. Koi no Telephone GOAL / Abe Natsumi
MC
6. Lalala•Sososo / Mano Erina
7. Give Me Up / Melon Kinenbi
8. Kenchana ~Daijoubu~ / Maeda Yuki
9. BABY! Koi ni KNOCK OUT! / Yasuda Kei, Yoshizawa Hitomi, Ogawa Makoto
MC
10. 100kai no Kiss / Matsuura Aya
11. Yeah! Meccha Holiday / Matsuura Aya
12. Tanpopo (Single version) / Iida Kaori, Yaguchi Mari, Ishikawa Rika, Shibata Ayumi, Konno Asami
13. Agekai ni Dakarete / Iida Kaori
14. This is Unmei / Melon Kinenbi
15. Ai ~Suite Room~ / Biyuuden
16. Boogie Train 03 / Fujimoto Miki
17. Kuyashi Namida Porori / Nakazawa Yuko
MC
18. Magic of Love / Inaba Atsuko, Maeda Yuki
19. Aoi Sports Car no Otoko / Iida Kaori, Yaguchi Mari, Inaba Atsuko, Melon Kinenbi, Miyoshi Erika, Okada Yui
20. Thanks! / GAM (Chorus dancers: Inaba, Maeda, Melon, Miyoshi, Okada)
21. Kizuna / Matsuura Aya (Chorus: Fujimoto, Inaba, Melon, Miyoshi, Okada)
MC
22. Come Together / Ongaku Gatas
23. Narihajimeta Koi no BELL / Ongaku Gatas
24. MM OG Medley:
• Morning Coffee / Nakazawa, Abe, Iida, Yasuda, Yaguchi
• Manatsu no Kousen / Nakazawa, Abe, Iida, Yasuda, Yaguchi
• Ai Araba IT’S ALL RIGHT / MM OG
• The Peace! / MM OG
• LOVE Machine / MM OG
25. Koisuru Angel Heart / all, except Matsuura
MC
26. Never Forget / all
MC

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Let’s REVIEWWWWWWWWWW~

Before I start I just wanna say this was an amazing concert and since I’m reviewing something on such a big scale I dunno if I really ever want to do it again. xD I doubt I’ll do Wonderful Hearts because I can’t simply be bothered doing all this again. When I get my hands on Elder Club’s real last concert I might review that. How exciting! (As if I can be bothered though) Also this contains small spoilers (in a way) so just be careful if you wanna avoid then.

——————————

~!Review!~

1. I WISH / Nakazawa Yuko, Abe Natsumi, Iida Kaori, Yaguchi Mari, Ishikawa RIka, Yoshizawa Hitomi, Konno Asami, Ogawa Makoto, Fujimoto Miki

Wow. Just wow. Great way to start. The red lights were cool and music smoothed well into the actual song. Everyone sounded good but I think the standouts were definitely Nakazawa Yuko (She shines throughout this whole concert mind you) and Yaguchi got to do the high part at the end which she did really well which I loved. Something else I noticed was the new and improved dance that went along with it was really good. Full of energy and really suited the song I think. Also, all the girls were looking good. Age has been good to them all. That’s always good. Haha. I have to say Ishikawa Rika was absolutely adorable. I used to really dislike her but after this concert… ah… her voice has gotten so much better as well. Anyway, onto the next song.

–

2. I Know / all

A good jump into this song, all the girls coming out onto the stage. Good to see that Aya did get a fair few solo lines which Hello! Project seems to forget to do sometimes at concerts when big groups sing a soloist songs. Everyone out there looked good and the outfits were cute without being overly cheesy, even with the big bows and all. Good energy by everyone. Aya stood up the top in the middle and did a good job despite the broken toe (They mention it later and the crowd gives a big “ehhhh?”) Good song, yayayay. Done.

–
MC

I know it’s just a MC but like…. I just have to say Mano Erina really shouldn’t have been then. She just seems so out of place. It really felt like they really were trying to push her in that spotlight. I don’t really like it.

–
3. Juunen Ai / Nakazawa Yuko, Abe Natsumi, Iida Kaori, Yasuda Kei

I didn’t know what this song was when I first heard it. *hides in embrassment* It’s from “Bokura ga Ikiru MY ASIA” single by the Morning Musume Tanjo 10nen Kinentai. I never really listened to the b-sides from either of their two singles. (more embarassment for me). It was a really great performance and MUCH better than the original (I just listened to it on itunes). At first I felt why is Yasuda there, being the only one not from first generation, but they really did need her there. This song is very tantilizing if you ask me. All the girls are very seductive singing it. Yuko really stands out. Her voice is the best suited for this. She sounds a lot stronger in this concert can I just say. I’m really in a Yuko loving mood lately. Haha.

Extra Little Fact: When they showed the girls on the sides they really failed at trying to dance along. Their confused faces were very funny. Haha.

–
4. Screen / Abe Natsumi

Wow. Abe sings this so well. Even though I think as a solo performer Abe isn’t as good as in a group, but she still definitely has a strong presence. Her outfit is really good too. Screen is her latest single and it shows a really good side of Abe’s voice. I would have liked for her voice to be a bit different though. It sounds just like the actual single. That isn’t exactly a bad thing but when you watch a concert, a little change is always good. The crowd also seemed really into this.

–
5. Koi no Telephone GOAL / Abe Natsumi

My god this takes me back. My favourite Abe Natsumi song. She sings this song better than Screen in my opinion and she’s having more fun too. The kick type thing was also cool. She’s flexible. ;D Haha. She also does good crowd involvement, getting the crowd to jump with her. Just was a really fun performance.

–
MC

Oh not again. Mano Erina has wormed her way into being interviewed next to Abe Natsumi by Makoto (he is lol). I don’t really like that. I like Mano Erina but I still can’t get over this whole “why is she there?” feeling. She’s cute… but this concert has got more than enough cute to go around if you ask me.

–
6. Lalala•Sososo / Mano Erina

This song is good. That’s about all there is to say though. I love the piano and Mano Erina looks as cute as ever but… that’s it. No flavour. Her voice is suprisingly similar to her single so it shows that her voice is quite better than I originally thought. It kind of has a very calm, sleepy effect to it though. I don’t like that at all. =_= Bad choice just after Koi no Telephone GOAL.

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7. Give Me Up / Melon Kinenbi

When I first heard this song I was a little confused because it sounded so similar then it hit me like half way through the song this was a W song. After further investigation, it seems its on MEGA MELON which is their best-of album. To tell you the truth, this song gave me mixed views. I liked it but I thought the poles attached to the microphones were quite useless and it was a little on the repetitive side. Vocally, Melon Kinenbi is as stunning as ever. All the girls have really improved their voices and they are really amazingly talent, all four. I fail to see how this group can have such a small fanbase. I bet if you were to promote these girls properly and give them singles they would be going amazingly well as a girl group within Japan. It frustrates me how talented they are but how little they are used.

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8. Kenchana ~Daijoubu~ / Maeda Yuki

Okay, the talent is just overflowing. Currently my favourite song, there is absolutely nothing I can say that I dislike about this song. First two lines she seemed a little breathy but she pulls it in amazingly and from there onwards she just blew me away. Maeda Yuki has always been such a strong performer but this was just amazing. I love how this song is a ballad too and is different to her usual song with her more traditional enka voice being put away. It’s so great to see Maeda sing like this. It really holds so much emotion within it. I’m so glad to have watched this performance. Was definitely one of the highlights of the concert for me.

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9. BABY! Koi ni KNOCK OUT! / Yasuda Kei, Yoshizawa Hitomi, Ogawa Makoto

Onto something completely different here from enka to hypo girls dancing about. All three of them looked so strong on that stage and their dancing was just amazing. Vocally they were all strong and it might be due to the distance between the last time I heard her but Makoto’s voice seems to have changed. I can’t put my finger on it but I could hear it. All of them were just perfect. And the crowd was eating it up. Makoto Ogawa was my favourite in this performance. ^_^ Yasuda was fun too and, of course, Yossie was so cool.

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MC

A nice little “Natsukashii” or Memorable Moment was shown and was a nice little touch I thought. It didn’t seem scripted and the girl that popped up was Fujimoto Mikitty on that screen around her debut time. Mikitty’s getting married now… wow it shows how much she’s really grown up.

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10. 100kai no Kiss / Matsuura Aya

Yay. This is the first song that Aya ever performed at a Hello! Project concert so it only seemed fitting to have her sing it here. She looks pretty but then I realized it’s a lepord print ballroom dress. She manages to pull it off suprisingly well without looking like a loser. This performance reminded me a lot of when she performed it at her Double Rainbow concert in 2007. Her voice is song and I absolutely love the hell out of this song. Also, for someone with a broken foot, she really didn’t look like she was in that much pain. Aya really knows how to bring such an amazing presence though even just standing in one spot. That my friends is… PURE SKILL.

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11. Yeah! Meccha Holiday / Matsuura Aya

YEEEAA MECCHHAA HOOLLIDAAAYYY! That shor skirt under her ball gown is so cute. Even though I saw picture of it before it was so much more adorable watching it in action. She even had a fluffy tail. Great energy from Aya who, again, manages to perform this song in one stop. When it gets to the “zubato” part I like how they cut to the people sitting on the side (she couldn’t do it because of her foot.) But I think this song got the best message from the girls on the side out of the whole show. They were really into it. Yuko looked so happy too.

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12. Tanpopo (Single version) / Iida Kaori, Yaguchi Mari, Ishikawa Rika, Shibata Ayumi, Konno Asami

Ah. Now this song really takes me back. I kind of wished it would only be Yaguchi and Iida but I guess it’s okay with the other girls there. This performance really is the so emotional for Iida and Yaguchi. When Yaguchi was singing at the start it really looked like she was about to let her tears flow out. What I think made this performance so important for me was Iida holding her stomach for the whole end. She even did it as she was walking. I really think she sung this to her child that recently passed away. It broke my heart just thinking about it.

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13. Agekai ni Dakarete / Iida Kaori

One of the two singles that was released by Iida a fair while ago, this song is really sweet and I really do love it. She sung this song top notch. I remember watching her perform at other concerts and in that period between her last she really has become so much stronger. She sounded amazingly good through out this whole song and really was amazing. If you compare this performance to the CD it sounds so much more beautiful and heartfelt. It really was a great performance.

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14. This is Unmei / Melon Kinenbi

The crowd just loves this song. They really get into this. Hitomi really has become fierce and I say that in a good way. Her long hair was cool too. I love her so much. xD She’s so much fun (Sorry getting off track.) Vocally I think this is their best performance of “This is Unmei” and that’s always a good thing. Megumi really stands out in this performance more than usual which is weird for me as she always been the girl I remember least. Overall amazing group, amazing performance, amazing song. Nothing to complain about at all.

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15. Ai ~Suite Room~ / Biyuden

Okay, I don’t particularly like Biyuuden but I am always willing to try. Considering this isn’t a single, I actually hadn’t heard this song before. I love it. I really, really loved it. The performance had a good atmosphere and Ishikawa just shined. She really shined through this whole concert actually (Did I say that earlier?). Actually, all three girls shined. I’m willing to give Biyuuden a second chance now I think. This song really is so catchy. The blowing kisses to the audience thing they did was so cute too. This is a lot better than any of the singles I’ve seen by Biyuuden. Who knew they had it in them. xD

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16. Boogie Train 03 / Fujimoto Miki

Oh god. The outfit was… interesting for this to say the least. This song oozes out happiness at every place possible and Fujimoto does a great job. She must have been really fit to move like that and sing so well. I have a new grown respect for this woman. Can I just say, there is like one move she does in this song, man she is flexible. I’m suprised she sung this and not Okitegami… although that song probably isn’t really what she’s best known for. Oh well. She didn’t seem to be shy though going back to her kiddy self though.

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17. Kuyashi Namida Porori / Nakazawa Yuko

Nakazawa Yuko=Legend. This woman is truly the leader of Hello! Project and for all time will be the best. The amount of the respect you can have for someone can only reach a certain limit but I still manage to see her as even more and more of an amazing sensei to the whole of Hello! Project. She has a look of determination on her face while she sings this song and she just connects so well with the audience. The crowd was also particularly loud for this when they chanted out her name. I loved that. When she says “Arigatou” at the end about to cry you just know she was trying her hardest. Her tears were so emotional. I love this woman.

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MC

Another Memorable Moment was shown this time and it was Ishikawa Rika. Her reaction is so adorable. The crowd went nuts when they showed a clip of her in 3 Nin Matsuri. I found that funny. Haha. Ishikawa showed a lot of personality here which is always great because she is full of it.. My god, she has grown to be an amazing performer and everything. From today onwards I love Ishikawa Rika.

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18. Magic of Love / Inaba Atsuko, Maeda Yuki

I loved this song for a long time and these two singers singing it is just as amazing thing. You hardily will ever hear Maeda Yuki and an upbeat song like this come together unless she’s in a big group. Her voice suited it so well. Inaba Atsuko is someone who is kind of always in the background so it was great to truly hear her voice shine. Together these girls really should start a group. I’d pay to listen to something like that. Honestly… they are both so talented. This song really blew me away so much. I loved every part of it. Top notch voices and just mind blowing in many aspects, especially for Hello! Project Concert standards.

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19. Aoi Sports Car no Otoko / Iida Kaori, Yaguchi Mari, Inaba Atsuko, Melon Kinenbi, Miyoshi Erika, Okada Yui

Everyone loves fake guitars and dancing on stage, right? Vocally it’s all very much group stuff so it was all very smooth. Yaguchi is adorable as ever jumping around and wins the prize for cutest performer for this song. Haha. Again Hitomi is just oozing cool. Her little wink is the best part of this entire song if you ask me. Melon Kinenbi is just gold. Can I just say though that Hitomi loves her hair was too much. Kept flicking it about. The two Biyuuden girls really didn’t seem to do anything though. I wanted to see them more.

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20. Thanks! / GAM (Chorus dancers: Inaba, Maeda, Melon, Miyoshi, Okada)

Wow. This song sounds as good as ever. Aya and Miki both look at their best and vocally everything is working well for them. I think it was good having the other girls there. Just added to that presence on the stage. Plus with Aya not being able to move much it made sence to fill up the stage and give it a bit more life.

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21. Kizuna / Matsuura Aya (Chorus: Fujimoto, Inaba, Melon, Miyoshi, Okada)

Okay… I hope I never have to say this again but… here I go… I didn’t really like this performance. It was so out of place and just seemed boring there. I would have preferred Hyacinth or something. And also… the chorus thing wasn’t a smart choice. All those girls singing along sounded weird for the song.Well it seemed weird for me. I would have prefered just Aya. It is so good yet with this placing it really losing a lot of it’s effect. Aya sounds amazing though. Really, really amazing.

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MC

Nothing to talk about here. Just talking. Ootani was as cool as ever. Biyuuden’s girl (I dunno her name and don’t want to look it up.. I think it’s Yui but I don’t wanna say it and make a fool if I’m wrong)… I didn’t really take much notice of her. She really was giving off a lot fan service to the men in that audience. Her dress was cut pretty low and she does have a fair bit to show off. Haha. Can never complain about that. ;D

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22. Come Together / Ongaku Gatas

I love half the girls in Ongaku Gatas. The other half is meh. There is a lot of favourites in there… the biggest probably being Satoda Mai so I don’t have much bad things to say about this group. This song is actually my favourite Ongaku Gatas song so I’m glad they sung this song. Satoda is definitely my favourite there. Vocally she was amazing too even if it wasn’t exactly pushing her vocal chords. I would have liked to see her perform a Country Musume song. *Sigh* I can dream. Konkon wasn’t really shown much in this song. I thought that was weird. Focus was more on Yoshizawa, Ishikawa and Satoda.

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23. Narihajimeta Koi no BELL / Ongaku Gatas

Okay I don’t have the same kind of love for this song as Come Together. Vocally all the girls sound as good as before. Something about this song doesn’t catch me though. I don’t really have much thoughts on this song.

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24. MM OG Medley:

• Morning Coffee / Nakazawa, Abe, Iida, Yasuda, Yaguchi

• Manatsu no Kousen / Nakazawa, Abe, Iida, Yasuda, Yaguchi

• Ai Araba IT’S ALL RIGHT / MM OG

• The Peace! / MM OG

• LOVE Machine / MM OG

Yay. Here it is Morning Musume Medley. When I saw this on the tracklist I was really excited. Straight into Morning Coffee they sound great. Yaguchi and Yuko sound great together. The crowd really loved this song too which is great. It suprised how popular this song was for the crowd. They really were flawess here though so I don’t blame them.

Manatsu no Kouen had a lot of energy in it and with their voices stronger now than before it sounded nicer too which I like. Yasuda hugging Abe was really cute. Yasuda has always been cool in a kind of weird way which is cool. Haha.

Now all the girls come out for a little Ai Araba It’s All Right. Apart of me wishes it was still just the 5 but they all deserve to be out there. Konkon sounds really good. This song somehow went from very happy to really thankful which I love. They really got a good feeling going in it.

The Peace was the first song that was so addictive to me when I started listening to Morning Musume so I loved that they sung this here. Yuko looked like she really was enjoying singing this song. They focused a lot more on the later generations though.

LOVE Machine was such a good way to end this medley. The song that made them famous. Iida’s face was so cute too when they zoomed in on it at the start. And then Yaguchi’s ending. Pure gold. Everything about this Medley just was so nice to hear.

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25. Koisuru Angel Heart / all, except Matsuura

I don’t like this song so it broke my heart to see it here. It also seemed strange to place it here and it was the the second last song too. Half the lines where Ishikawa’s too. I thought it was a really weird song. It’s also from Biyuuden… I don’t know why this is here really. They didn’t sound bad but I don’t know… spoilt the mood for me a bit.

Getting passed that though, it’s so good seeing all the girls on that stage and vocally it’s all very good which has been consistant this entire concert. Makoto’s (MC man. Not Ogawa) “yeeeey” at the end I found to be quite funny.

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MC

It was really sad seeing these names get called out and hearing the crowd cheer for them. Makoto really ruined it for me though. Only the girls on stage really cheered for him. Then when he said it was going to be the last song the faces of the girls just suddenly became so sad. And worst of all, he looked at the paper as he said “Never Forget”. Did he forget the song title. Talk about irony. *Sigh*

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26. Never Forget / all
I will never ever, ever forget this group of performers. Even if after they graduate and we never see from them again,I know that I will never forget the memories. Through H!P, we’ve seen these girls grow and we’ve come to know each girl and been introduced to their personality. As I watched I felt myself get emotional saying goodbye to these girls. Thankyou for the memories. We’ll never forget you.

Nakazawa Yuko’s face at the beginning of this song says it all. This is the end of a long journey. Even Aya who was probably strongest at performing in this song looked upset. Abe and Miki kept it pretty serious which I thought was a good thing. If everyone was liek how Nakazawa looked it would have been the saddest performance yet probably best performance to ever his H!P. Yuko’s face at the end was really what took this performance to a whole new level. Again, Nakazawa Yuko, thankyou.

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~!Favourites!~

Favourite Performance: I WISH~ I really just love that song and I loved how well they sounded and looked. In close second is ‘Kenchama ~Daijoubu~’ and ‘Never Forget’

Most Emotional Song: For some reason I found Tanpopo (Single Version) to be really emotional. I think most likely it was because Iida was there. Although, obviously Never Forget wins.

Funnest Perfomance: Ai ~Suite Room~ by Biyuuden. Just was so good on so many levels.

Happiest/Most Hypo Performance: Boogie Train ’03. Ah that was fun. xD Good old Mikitty. BABY! Koi ni KNOCK OUT comes in second place.

Favourite Singer: Nakazawa Yuko definitely. Especially in like Juunen Ai, you can hear how good she sounds and being the mother of Hello! Project she really put so much into this concert.

Best Sounding Singer: Maeda Yuki. She sounded good in every song she was in. Magic of Love and Kenchama ~Daijoubu~ were two of the best sounding songs to ever hit a Hello! Pro concert.

Most Shocking (in a good way) Person: Ishikawa Rika completely shocked me at how good she sounded this entire concert so I think she wins most shocking thing. I wanna see her more in the future now for sure. She just needs to find a group like Satoda Mai did and promote off that and reclaim a strong idol fanbase.

Favourite Outfit: Aya’s cute outfit for Yeah! Meccha Holiday. The whole thing showed that her growing up doesn’t mean she can’t be as cute as ever.

Most Outragous Outfit: Fujimoto’s big fluffy thing for Boogie Train. That dress was hilarious.

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Okay this mega long post is finally finished. I was going to add lots of pictures but it’s long enough. Thanks if you read all this.

]]> http://thisisunmei.wordpress.com/2009/04/03/hello-project-2009-poll-my-love-of-the-elders-club/ Fri, 03 Apr 2009 06:19:12 +0000 tsukiakari22 http://thisisunmei.wordpress.com/2009/04/03/hello-project-2009-poll-my-love-of-the-elders-club/

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1. Yaguchi Mari

I couldn’t imagine this list without Yaguchi here right at the top. I have a feeling for all time she will be my favourite. So perfect. So cute. Great personality. Can sing. Was around at Morning Musume’s peak. And even to this day she’s still out there and going strong. She really has a lot working for her and with so much Yaguchi Love in me, I think I’ll forever wanna make her number one here.

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2. Nakazawa Yuko

I’m suprised Aya isn’t here but at the moment they are a tie. But I saw how much Aya love was here and I felt like I had been excluding a person who I loved so much in Hello! Project. Being the mother of Morning Musume and of Hello! Project in general there is so much I could say for Nakazawa Yuko. You’ll see it better when I finally finish editing my post of “Thank you for the LOVE” concert review but this woman is just… well she’s plain amazing. She also has the most seductive voice in all of Hello! Project… did have… ah screw time.

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3. Matsuura Aya

Do I need to type anything here. She is a legend in herself. She is the first person I think most people would think of when they look for solo idols. Aya is the woman. She makes everything work. She releases a pop track and a ballad and they both can be at such a good and high quality. That is a hard feat. She’s done everything and she does it with class, style and a smile. That is something no one could dislike.

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4. Maeda Yuki

Looking at Maeda Yuki, there is only so much you can say on her. She isn’t promoted like the other girls so outside her music it’s hard to really see a different side of her. But her music is enough in itself. Her voice is so strong and her songs are capturing and darling. She has slowly built up a strong discography and each song has something in it that is appealling in it’s own way. She is really one of my favourite Enka singers. (I’m an Enka fanatic… I know it’s weird.)

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5. Iida Kaori

Iida Kaori is the woman of Hello! Project with the most warming smile you will ever see. Even when all the other girls can get dull, it’s Iida who is a breathe of fresh air and she gives so much. With the lose of her child and so forth I really support her. And even without that event I think I’d be proud of Iida. She’s a fighter. From her adorable days of Utaban to her mature, stylish music, she really is a great, real, passionate person..

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6. Saito Hitomi

This girl is on the opposite end of the scale for the 3 girls above her. She’s loud. She’s crazy. She’s rock. She is a leader. Saito is just plain awesome to me. She is the kind of person who is just an individual and she loves life. She’s so happy and she shows it in her own way. Good message to all the outcasts of the world. Haha.

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7. Fujimoto Miki

Go Mikitty. She’s so cool. From a Boogie Train to Okitegami she pulls it off so well and she has one of the most distinctive voices that ever hit Hello! Project if you ask me. She has got attitude but likes to have fun as well. She too is really an individual which is cool. She’s so great especially when you compare to current generic idols. There is so much sexy vibes coming from this girl too ^_^.

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8. Tsuji Nozomi

TSUJIIIIIII~ She’s just plain cute. Even after childbirth she’s active and she’s looking as good as ever. And for those who haven’t seen her with her hair down (look up), she’s pretty sexy too. So many sides to her and all of them are so good. Plus she’s on this list because I miss W lots.

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9. Satoda Mai

This girl really is shining brightly now. If you didn’t know that open the curtains cause she is beaming in at every chance possible. Hexagon II has done amazing things for her. Moving from Country Musume to Ongaku Gatas and so forth, she always manages to stand out and her voice is so god damn good. I used to doubt her but my god the more I listen, the more I love. She also has a big heart. Something that’s so nice to see in a person.

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10. Ishikawa Rika

Trying to pick 10 was the hardest of all the choices. I ended up picking Ishikawa Rika because right now I am in love with her. I would have put Buono but I couldn’t pick one member in particular from there that I wanted to put. Oh well. Anyway, I used to see Rika as this perfect idol type who always smiled and said the right thing and laughed at the right time and just worked off her cuteness.  I was wrong. This girl is just awesome. She can do every thing and she does it good. Plus she really is adorable. Even now she hasn’t changed at all. Still cute and showing it off well.

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Wow I finished writing this list pretty quick. I think I’m the first person who blogs to only put in Elder Club Girls. I feel sad now since they’ve left but I’m strong. I need to keep more up with current groups and stop living in the past. But it’s not the past truly is it. They’ve keep working towards their goals. We’ll see them again. But seriously, I need to learn Berryz and C-ute girls names cause frankly… I can’t be bothered. Too many. ;_;

Nakashima Mika has announced her next single. Set to release on May 13, “Over Load” will be her first single in 6 months. The song is dedicated to “the forward looking people who always try their hardest”. The single will also include the B-side “No Answer” as well as a remix of Over Load. Nakashima’s song will premier on air at the start of April.

Mana is the creator of Elegant Gothic Lolita, people try to mimic the look, but the fact is it’s more of a brand name, so if it’s not from the Elegant Gothic Lolita brand, it might be in the style, but technically it’s not Elegant Gothic Lolita, not that I or the majority seem to really care, but I just wanted to point that out. No one actually knows what year he was really born in, I find that hilarious. He pretty much picks up whatever he wants and drops it when he feels like it. Don’t get me wrong, he isn’t a bad person, he’s a great person, which is exactly why he can do that. For the most part he doesn’t talk, he whispers in a band members ear and they talk for him. He claims that his voice is music and therefore he shouldn’t destroy it be continuously talking. Some bands he’s worked on are Girl’e, Matenrou, Malice Mizer, he found his own indie music label Midi:Nette then Mana founded his solo project Moi dix Mois, he created his own fashion lines “Moi-memê-Moitié which features Elegant Gothic Lolita and Elegant Gothic Aristocrat. He’s worked with Schwarz Stein. Currently he’s working with Kanon Wakeshima, who’s ending for Vampire Knight ‘still doll’ is not only quite haunting, but so beautifully done. She is a cellist and a vocalist.

X-Japan was originally called “X” but they reached international popularity and ended up renaming themselves “X-Japan” in 1992 in order to make sure people didn’t get confused with the American punk band also called “X”  they disbanded in 1997. Though one song really stuck with me, even though it was way before my time, I had bumped into one of their songs and I just loved it. It’s called “Forever Love” and the song seems like forever, but it’s rather quite pretty. I was introduced to it via a fan made music video featuring “X” a series from CLAMP, but it also had Trigun and a couple other series in it, but I just loved the song. I felt it was placed with the animation so nicely. It’s funny how I react different ways to music depending on how I’m introduced to it. The song is 8 minutes and 41 seconds. The song was reissued in 1997, 1998, and 2001. The group disbanded after Hide’s death, which will be explained by wiki

Hideto Matsumoto died on May 2, 1998. After a night out drinking, he was found hanged with a towel tied to a doorknob in his Tokyo apartment. Three fans died in copycat suicides, of the 50,000 people who attended his funeral in Tsukiji Hongan-ji, nearly 60 were hospitalized and about 200 received medical treatment in first aid tents. While authorities deemed Matsumoto’s death a suicide, several of Hide’s friends and colleagues stated that they believed it to be an accident, among them X Japan co-founder Yoshiki Hayashi and former X Japan bassist Taiji Sawada. This notion is supported by the fact that no suicide note was left and Sawada theorizes in his autobiography, that at the night of his death, Hide may have been practicing a technique to relieve upper back and neck pains which guitarists can suffer from continuous use of a shoulder strap. The technique involved was practiced by the X Japan members during their touring days and required the use of a towel and a door knob or handle. According to Sawada, Matsumoto may have fallen asleep in his intoxicated state, becoming caught and strangling himself (wiki)

Morning Musume is an all girl group under the Hello! Project name. It’s quite strict and by strict, I mean ridiculous. The girls could get fired if they’re caught with another boy, and I’m just talking about holding hands down the street, or being seen with one. It originally started with Tsunku who created the idea for an all girl group. Originally they had come from a contest and there was only one winner, Michiyo Heike, who went on to be a solo artist, despite her being the originally winner of the contest, she didn’t do well at all. Meanwhile Morning Musume is still going along, having gotten less strong in the past few years due to the declining fad of Idols. The five girls who didn’t win had to sell a certain amount of copies of their single in so many days. They completed the challenge in a shorter amount of time than expected and Tsunku picked them up. All 5 members, Natsumi Abe, Ishiguro Aya, Iida Kaori, Fukuda Asuka, and Nakazawa Yuko. Through the years they’ve shifted members, none of the originally members are in the group. The only two still under the Hello! Project name were Natsumi Abe, Iida Kaori, and Nakazawa Yuko, however, as of March 31, 2009 the following members are going to be graduating, which is another word H!P pretty much uses for being fired, I only included previous Morning Musume members for the sake of trying to stay on topic.Nakazawa Yuuko, Iida Kaori, Abe Natsumi, Yasuda Kei, Yaguchi Mari, Ishikawa Rika, Yoshizawa Hitomi, Tsuji Nozomi, Konno Asami, Ogawa Makoto, Fujimoto Miki. That’s 11 people. Morning Musume currently has 9 members: Koharu Kusumi, Reina Tanaka, Eri Kamei, Ai Takahashi, JunJun, LinLin, Sayumi Michishige, Aika Mitsui, and Risa Niigaki. Their latest single is Naichau Kamo (I might cry)

Utada Hikaru, I adore her, she’s so incredibly talented and I have no idea just where to begin. She did the openings for Kingdom Hearts if you’ve played that “Simple & Clean” and  “Sanctuary ” the Japanese versions being “Hikari” and “Passion” they’re both really great songs. Not too long ago she tried to make it in the American market with her album “Exodus” but the fact was she got pretty much no promotion and the CNN news people compared her to Britney Spears? Really? Is that really supposed to be a comparison? Only in popularity, Britney has just a slutty image and Utada has such a clean image. It’s like comparing Mother Teresa to a homicidal prostitute, you just. don’t. do it! and I’m not calling Utada the perfect person and I’m certainly not calling Britney a homicidal prostitute, don’t get me wrong. Though if you rally listen to the music and realize what they’re saying and then look at their music videos and how they express themselves through wardrobe choices, you’ll see it’s like comparing night and day and that Utada never had to rely on such risque actions in order to keep a crowd, she’s talented on so many levels. It’s just so ridiculous to hear these terribly inaccurate things about her, she’s so nice. She’s coming out with another album in the US soon, why? Because she’s so talented and famous to the rest of the world she can try again. She’s bilingual (English & Japanese) she has virtually no accent when she speaks in English and her Japanese in flawless. She has such a strong, powerful, amazing voice. She started in 1993 and in Japan alone she has sold more than 36 million singles & albums, think about that, just think about that, in one country, that’s how many singles she’s sold. 36,000,000 the numbers… it’s impossible to really grasp it, and she’s not just known in Japan, she’s incredibly famous all across Asia. “First Love” “Automatic” “Movin’ On Without You” “ASAP” “Sakura Drops” and “Can You Keep A Secret?” are just a few of my favorites from her. I highly recommend her, and if you look on YouTube I’m sure you’ll find it, she does a rendition of “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” by Green Day.

Ice Creamusume, this is a very recent event. They’re going to basically be, and I do mean on a very basic level, be Taiwan’s version of Morning Musume. They’ve already released a mini album, they sing in Japanese and Mandarin, since Mandarin is their native language. I can’t say their contest to find them was practical, some didn’t even have to sing during the whole process! How ridiculous, if you’re going to be a singer at least sing! But I must say I’m really happy with the people they’ve chosen, simply on appearances at the moment, but it seems like the one they call Guu-chan is incredibly adorable and seems to have a bit of a flirty attitude, but she can really dance. Here were the tracks on their first mini album released Jan. 9th of this year
01. 戀愛登場 (Love Debut)
02. 早安咖啡 (Morning Coffee)
03. 在沒有雨水滋潤的星球上是無法付出愛的吧? (In The Absence Of Rain Moisten The Planet Is Unable To Pay The Love, Right?)
04. 戀愛革命21 (Love Revolution 21)
05. Go Girl～戀愛勝利～ (Go Girl~Love Victory~)
06. Debut！～戀愛的轉角會有好運降臨～(日文版) [Debut! ~The Corner Of Love Will Bring The Best Luck~ (Japanese Version)]
07. 早安咖啡(日文版) [Morning Coffee (Japanese Version)]

They redid Morning Musume’s Morning Coffee, Renai Revolution 21, and Go Girl! Koi no victory in mandarin and the rest were the original Japanese songs from Momusu. They do have their own song, the “In the Absence Of” song (I have no idea if that’s the real translation, I know some of the characters, I should figure it out some day) and the “Love Debut” song. From what I’ve heard, I must say I like the voices a alot. I’m impressed, especially for a Hello! Project group, I hope they keep and do more songs, I’m excited to see what they’ll bring to the table.

Tsuchiya Anna played the character Ichiko in Shimotsuma Monogatari (AKA Kamikaze Girls) I loved that movie, and I thought it was awesome. It’s where I first heard of Tommy Heavenly6 with their ending theme. Though I one day looked in the extras section and realized that Anna Tsuchiya had a music video, this was all news to me. I had no idea that she was a singer, but I must say it was one hell of a song. I loved it, after that I searched for more of her songs and was never disappointed, her music has this strange aura surrounding it that I can’t really explain. It’s really cool though, such as “Kuroi Namida” “frozen rose” “Imitation Night” and “Crazy World” which features AI

Tommy Heavenly6, she also goes under the name of Tommy February6, but that’s quite a different sound than Heavenly6, there’s alot of synth and what no in Feb6. She says her two names help to separate her personality. While Feb6 is more of a “I look like a good girl, but I’m really bad” while Heavenly6 is more of a “I look like a mean person, but I’m really not” not that I could really tell the difference, I’ve only listened to Heavenly6, it just sounds so much better to me. It has a darker sound to it, and they’re just good songs in general. She sings the song “Hey My Friend” for the popular movie “Kamikaze Girls” also known as “Shimotsuma Monogatari’ by those who recognize the Japanese title better than the American title. She tends to have ‘melancholy versions’ of her music, just off hand I know she has “+gothic pink+” and “Lost my Pieces” with their original versions along with their “melancholic guitar versions” which are just more relaxed, but at the same time a little darker, they’re still really good versions, just different. She also has a song called “Melancholy Power + +” I’m not really sure if she knows what the word means, likes or word or isn’t sure what else to use, but it appears she enjoys using it regardless of the real reason-if any. Her real name is Tomoko Kawase, Tommy comes from her nickname and February would be from her birthday. Her song “Pray” was used on and opening theme for Gintama (an anime series) “Papermoon” was used as the second opening for Soul Eater (an anime series) She has a song dedicated to PIkachu it’s called “L・O・V・E・L・Y ～夢見るLOVELY BOY～” It was also featuring on the ending of the 7th pokémon movie Destiny Deoxys. at the J-Wave 2000+2 music festival, she and the other Brilliant Green members dressed up in Hogwarts Uniforms due to her being a fan of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series.

OLIVIA Lufkin is one of the coolest musicians I’ve ever heard. I just love the ay she experiments with sounds and vocals and her timing is just so amazing. This is what being is music is all about- or rather, should be all about. She takes her music to the next level and doesn’t think “Is this going to be popular?” she thinks “How can I test the boundaries” not that there appear to be with her. It’s so amazing how someone could stay for as long as her while doing so much experimental music, because one would think it wouldn’t sell, right? Wrong. At least, with OLIVIA. She’s bilingual. she has released 3 albums, one of them being inspired by TRAPNEST the band from the Manga NANA, she has released six mini albums, “Trinka Trinka” being the most recent piece of work (and a mini album) she has released ten singles. She used to be in the group D&D which was a really pop sound, but then continued onto her own as a solo after 2 years of D&D going under the name OLIVIA. D&D continued after Olivia left but with the name “Aya & Chika from D&D”. she’s currently on the Avex Trax label under their “cutting edge” sub-label and writes most of her singles. I highly suggest ‘a little pain’ I do believe it was inspired by Nana and I recommend “Space Halo”. Not to mention “Trinka Trinka” is a really fun song.

Caroline, this her Olivia Lufkin’s sister. I found her on Amazon.com I searched Lufkin and this is what came up. I bought her CD Murmurs, and it’s actually really good, my favorite song being “I’ll Leave My Heart Behind” it’s a very pretty, calm, relaxing kind of song. She clearly has the same genes that Olivia did when it comes to being a musician. After she graduated she moved to Tokyo where she began working on a Japanese Album, however she didn’t like what they were trying to do to her music and quit. “they kept on telling me to change things and I didn’t want to change them… They were trying to make the music super-pop, and I couldn’t quite deal with it.” She was impressed with the label “Temporary Residence Limited” and sent them a demo and was signed on. she has a Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/caroline) This is how they describe her: “With an incredible gift for writing gripping songs from the most minimal elements – not to mention a voice that could make angels weep – Caroline’s music seizes the rare opportunity to hypnotize everything and everyone around it. And really, who in this world doesn’t want to succumb to a music-induced weightlessness every once in a while?” I think they summarized her quite efficiently.

This picture is from the Morning Musume first photo album anniversary book in case anyone was wondering. Such a beautiful picture.

And then this is her backstage with Mari Yaguchi and Kei Yasuda. I find it funny how different Mari & Kei look when compared to Aya, the whole difference in outfit alone is funny.

Some more pictures of the concert

This was probably the hardest thing for Yuko to do. This is when Yuko Nakazawa gives Ai Takahashi the role of leader of H!P. Yuko used to be the oldest and the “mother” and “leader” of H!P, which really meant nothing, but it meant that she was greatly looked up to and had been there the longest. But since she’s graduating along with most of the other conditioned members, it is now up to Ai Takahashi. Ai is now the oldest member in H!P and considered the leader of H!P. I can’t imagine the pain for Yuko. H!P was her start, it was her life, Morning Musume, she grew and improved and watched all her friends graduate until she did and even then continued mentoring. She did shows and everything revovled around her and her ‘yanki’ tendencies, which would always be a joke, it was mostly how she would act unladly like once in a while really. But it was all H!P related, the shows, the performances, the music and dances. She was in H!P for so many years, it must be quite painful to have to just give it up like that.

Such a sad event, even Yossie is crying…

Here Yuko & Nacchi walk down crying, Kei being on the bottom, she seems sad, but not nearly as distraught as the other two are. That said, I feel Kei has been shunned in H!P for way too long, Hopefully she’ll continue on to new and better things.

I’m glad Kago was fired before this… I mean, I adore Kago and was so upset when she was finally fired from H!P. But the way I see it, she has started her career up again. If she had stayed in H!P she would’ve been shown the door, this was a mass firing. I hope they can all find jobs after this. Though Kago already had to find a job, and now she’s doing movies, two trailers for Kung Fu Chef are now online (a movie that Kago is in, I heard that she lent her voice in some of the music!) Not to mention she was in a play recently. She has a blog and a fan club already “the Biscuit Club” and apparently she  wants to graduate from an american high school and “battle against foreign teachers” and she wants to study English so I wish her the best, since, as I’m sure all Aibon fans know… she’s not very good at English…

The first will be, of course, Hello! Project (which depressingly will only consist of Morning Musume, Berryz Koubou, C-ute, and Mano Erina… but wait! Where are the eggs?!)

The second is (and this is the hopefully good part) what will be called M-Line, aka Elder Club minus a few.  This will consist of Nakazawa Yuko, Iida Kaori (wut?), Abe Natsumi, Yasuda Kei, Yaguchi Mari (!), Ishikawa Rika, Yoshizawa Hitomi, Konno Asami (!), Ogawa Makoto (!), Fujimoto Miki, Tsuji Nozomi (!!@!), and Ongaku Gatas  (Satoda Mai?, Noto Arisa, Sengoku Minami, Korenaga Miki, and Sawada Yuri).  I think this means a new concert unit, which is really exciting and I would be super super excited if all these artists started releasing music.  So happy.  I would probably explode if I saw a Yaguchi Mari solo single.

The third is Ayaway, a fanclub for Matsuura Aya, which is both good and bad.  Good because she won’t die.  Bad because a) I was hoping she’d switch to Avex, b) she probably won’t be perfoming with M-Line, which is boo, and c) she’ll probably still get boring music.  D:

The fourth and final is probably the funniest of them all.  And yes, that’s just me being a jerk.  But it’s a Melon Kinenbi fanclub called… *chuckle* Melon Kinenbi.  MAN.  These people are full of brilliant ideas for MKB.  Honestly, I can see like… 1,00 people joining this.  At max.  If that, even.

Overall, YAY more Elder Club!  I just hope they actually do something!  The only super disappointing thing here is… where’s Erika and Yui?

credit: Jadeite over at the Hello!Online forums.

Iida Kaori

One of the things I’ve been trying to do since coming back from holiday is catching up with idol news I’ve missed over the past month and one piece of extremely sad news I came across was about the death of Iida Kaori’s son.

I remember feeling happy for her when she got married and again when she gave birth to her son. Being that everything was quiet on the news about her throughout the year who was to know of the tragic event in her life. The fans assumed she was happily getting on as a new mother.

Apparently there was kidney complications from birth with her son but he was released from hospital in April. Then on July 27th things got worse and he died from kidney failure. He was only 6 months old.

I can’t even begin to imagine the grief she and her husband went through, even worse when it’s such a young baby suffering.

Kaori though has thrown herself back to work and get ready for the Elder Club concerts. I’m sure her friends and colleagues in H!P will give her all the support she needs. In the future she’ll probably try again for another child. Let’s all hope that nothing like this happens to her again and she’ll have a healthy baby.

I’m never leaving again.  Ever!

First is KAT-TUN’s new single, White X’Mas.  This is their first single to not have a rap!

I didn’t like this song when the previews first came out.  KAT-TUN ballads don’t usually fly with me (ew, like Yorokobi no Uta and Mother/Father from Queen of Pirates), but after seeing the PV… how can one not love it??

I swear, Johnny spends the most money on KAT-TUN PVs than any other group.  They always have the highest quality.  And their PVs usually have a story (at least they have lately).  This one is no acception!  I find nothing to dislike.  Santa was animated really well and I thought the story was touching.  (Kame left a present for Santa!!)

For once, I like Junno’s hair.  In fact, he didn’t even sound like crap as he usually does.  He sounded really good.  So did Koki, who I was dreading to hear him singing a ballad, but it was good!  I’d actually have to say, and please no one shoot me, it goes against every fiber in my being, that Jin was did the poorest job here.  Not his acting, that fit well, but his singing.  It was scratchy and sounded like he didn’t really care unlike everyone else.

Ueda was absolutely adorable in his hat!  And Koki kinda looked like an old man.  Nakamaru was cute, but he always is.  And Kame!  I loved Kame the most in this (but i usually do).  I wish Ueda had gotten more screentime, though.

The song is really touching and yay for a good KAT-TUN ballad!

Oh, and JKASJDLASKJDSAKJDALK KAME DOES THE HARMONIES.

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I don’t have much to say about °C-ute ‘s new PV, FOREVER LOVE.

I really hate the whole “Maimi and Airi Show (with some other girls)” idea.  I hated it in the past and I still hate it now.  NakaSaki looks horrible with her hair like it was in the black suits.  I like the theme of the PV.

But I can’t get past the MAiri thing enough to like it.  ‘Nuff said.

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I said when Pepper Keibu came out that I was thrilled that Morning Musume was doing Pink Lady, as I’m a huge fan.  And wow.  Cover You just like… wow.  I’m in love!!  Although, I have to admit, W did Pink Lady much better.

My favorites have to be Nagisa no Sinbad, Koi no Dial 6700 (“HELLO, DARIIN~~”), and UFO.  I hate Pinponpan Taisou; Koharu murdered it.  Gaki-san sounds really weird on this release, but I still love her.  And holy cow the Pandas got so many lines I squeed.  Unfortunately, Sayumi also got a lot of solos.  But at least she didn’t totally murder them.  Unlike Koharu. And 6th Gen got a song <333  (I realised a lot of these were split into generations–5th, 6th, 7th/8th, and 8th)

I really wanna see these live.  @____@

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Now this.  This is incredibly depressing and unfortunate.  Iida Kaori’s 6-month-old baby boy passed away.  Life can be so cruel.  I can’t even imagine the pain and suffering she and her husband are going through.  Although she’s looking positively at the situation and doing what she thinks her son would want, which is amazingly mature (not that she’s immature) and most people would not be able to do that.  On top of that, she’s appearing at the H!P Winter Concert and her husband hasn’t stopped working at all.

A ton of H!P girls are sending their condolences over their blogs, and even Sugiura Taiyou, Nono’s husband.

I send her my deepest condolences.

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And speaking of blogs, Yaguchi Mari and Mano Erina, two of my favorite H!P girls, have opened blogs!  I’ve loved keeping up with them!  They’re so cute!  And dang, I had no idea they were so busy!

I don’t want to regurgitate information, and Hello! Online has a great article including comments from other former Morning Musume members, Tsunku and Nozomi Tsujis husband from their blogs – almost all who seemed to know nothing about Kaori’s suffering beforehand.  Many fans had noticed that Kaori had been very quiet since the birth of her son, where as Tsuji and Tsunku, who also had children this year were more public.  Her son had kidney problems from birth but had been allowed home from hospital months before his death.

However, Kaori seems that she is finally strong enough to tell everyone, and is hoping to come back to show business – which is great news as it means she wont miss her graduation from Hello! Project.  However, this is one of the saddest things to happen to the Hello! Project since the death of Hitomi Yanagihara from Country Musume in 1999, days before their debut single was due to be released, and it’s incomprehensible to think of the pain and suffering Kaori has gone through.

May Kaori’s son rest in peace, and to Kaori, like all her other fans, I wish her the strength that she needs to continue her career and move on from this painful experience in her life.