Category: Morning Musume

Morning Musume-Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai radio rip

We finally have a preview for the second A-side from Morning Musume’s upcoming double A-side 47th single, Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Negatterun da yo/Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai. However, the preview for Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai is about half of the song or less.

The song sounds nothing like I was expecting at all! The beginning of the song has some random train noises thrown in. Which immediately reminded me of the opening from Harajuku 6:00 Shuugou, just without the speaking parts, or Inspiration. And then the actual music starts and it sounds like a toned down version of Guru Guru Jump. And then theres also these beach party music randomly throughout the song. Which is a tad reminiscent to Berryz Koubou’s Madayade. Which is awesome because I wanted an upbeat song with a big instrumental, something along the lines of Lemon Iro to Milk Tea. However, this song isn’t that big. It’s far too toned down. The song is almost there, they just needed to go all out and push it a little further. But I have to admit, I do like it more than Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Negatterun da yo. I don’t know, the sound is just better. But overall, this is a really incredible single. It sounds like the songs Morning Musume used to release. Hopefully, this is a sneak peek of things to come.
This song is lead by Sayumi, and surprisingly I don’t really care or mind. Sayumi hardly has one of my favorite voices in Morning Musume. But every once in a blue moon she’s handed a song that’s perfect for her voice and she actually enhances the song. She did it in Fantasy ga Hajimaru, It’s You, and to some degree in Appare Kaiten Zushi. And I think Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai is one of those times. That mixed with being sick of hearing nothing but Ai and Reina, anyone else is a nice change. This song does still feature the usual suspects a lot. Ai, Reina, Risa, and Riho get lines. But just adding Sayumi’s voice and having her take away some of the lines they woud get, throws off the normal balance and adds a different element to the song. And since this is only half the song we can hope that this means in the second half the other members will get lines. And even if they don’t at least have a different 9th gen member sing where Riho’s line would go in the second verse. I really want Aika to have a line. You can hear her voice in one of the group parts and she actually sounds good in the song.

Momusu to release one last album before Ai-chan leaves

It was recently announced that Morning Musume will be releasing a 12th album. The title is still unknown and it will be released on October 12th. Which is almost a month after Ai officially graduates. That seems like an odd date to me. Fantasy Juuichi was released 2 weeks before LinLin, JunJun, and Eri graduated. I don’t get why  this is getting released after the fact.

It makes sense to release one final album with Ai-chan. She’s the strongest vocalist in the current lineup and she’s a cash cow. It only makes sense to squeeze every last drop from heartbroken wota. Just like they did with their 11th album. But I really hope that this isn’t  a new thing Morning Musume is going to do. Release one final album before members graduate. Because you can say all the remaining girls (Minus Aika. :/ ) are popular enough to have their own last album. But I don’t really want that to happen. When you rush an album like this, the music suffers. Fantasy Juuichi did have it’s gems, but it was still, in my opinion, one of their weakest albums. And that’s because the album had to be rushed. Perhaps, this album will be a little better since Ai-chan’s graduation was announced months ago, maybe Tsunku has been writing songs for it ever since. But that seems like a long shot really.

You can order this album from CDJapan by clicking the links below.

Morning Musume – TBA [w/ DVD, Limited Edition]

Morning Musume – TBA [Regular Edition]

Momusu announces Ai-chan’s graduation single!


Morning Musume has just announced they will be releasing their 47th single, which will be the last single to feature Takahashi Ai. It will be a double A-side entitled Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Negatterun da yo! / Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai and will be released on September 14th. Takahashi Ai’s graduation version of the single also features a solo song by Ai-chan.

Everyone knew this day would come eventually, Takahashi Ai’s final single. But even though her graduation was announced months ago it didn’t really seem real to me until this moment. The moment when you say, “This is it. This is her last single.” And you know, I actually feel a lot sadder than I was expecting to feel. Ai-chan is hardly my favorite member but it feels really sad to see her go. For some strange reason I am actually choked up. It feels surreal for thre to be a Morning Musume without her.

But back on topic, I am actually extremely excited for his single to be a double A-side. Momusu hasn’t had a double A-side in a long time. The first song, which translates to, I’m really hoping for peace on Earth, seems like it is going to be a very powerful and meaningful song. The title immediately makes me think it’s going to be a mix of  Aozora ga Itsumademo Tsuzuki You na Mirai de Are and Ame no Furanai Hoshi de wa Aisenai Darou.
While the second song Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai, which translates to I want to shop with him, seems more like a fun upbeat song. I’m thinking lyrics wise it sounds like it’s going to be along the lines of Lemon Iro to Milk Tear, Nebou desu. Date na no ni, or Koi ING. Or at least that’s what I’m hoping for. XD

It really seems like H!P and UFA are really having Morning Musume’s longest leader go out with a bang. Double A-side graduation single, solo song, and concerts at the legendary Budokan. I really wish this single will get number 1 on the charts. Just because I think Ai-chan really deserves to go out on top.

You can buy this single from CDJapan by clicking the links below.

Morning Musume – Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Negatterun da yo! / Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Type A]

Morning Musume – Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Negatterun da yo! / Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Type B]

Morning Musume – Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Negatterun da yo! / Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Type C]

Morning Musume – Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Negatterun da yo! / Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai [Regular Edition]

Morning Musume – Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Negatterun da yo! / TBA Ai-chan Solo [Takahashi Ai Graduation Special Verison]

Morning Musume 10th gen auditions announced!

Probably the absolutely most exciting news to have been released when I was away was the Morning Musume 10th generation auditions. The auditions announced by Tsunku during Morning Musume’s spring concert tour. The criteria is the same as the 9th gen auditions. Girls ages 10-17. The application deadline is June 13th and the girls will be added after Ai-chan’s graduation this fall. You can click here for the audition website.



I cannot contain my absolute joy and excitement for this announcement. A lot of fan are whining complaining that it’s too soon to have auditions, that the 9th gen just joined. But I don’t think it’s too soon at all. I think I’m like one of the only fans who wants yearly auditions and Momusu to have 15 members again. Which will never happen because Tsunku doesn’t want them to be more than 10. But a girl can dream, right?


This is obviously an incredibly smart move to have them audition for new members so soon. Not only because Ai-chan, the real ace of Morning Musume, is leaving, but because the rest of the 5th and 6th gen are getting old and are going to have to leave soon too.

Here’s how I see Morning Musume’s future. December Ai-chan graduates. Then at that concert the 10th gen are announced. I was thinking there’s no way they would take off any focus from Ai-chan because it’s her graduation concert, her last hurrah. So, the 10th gen might be announced a concert to two before Ai-chan’s graduation. Or they might juts wait until the start of the H!P winter concert like they did with the 9th gen. Then Risa and Sayumi receive their leader and sub-leader positions.
Early winter January or February Risa announces her graduation. Let’s be realistic it has to happen, and it has to happen soon. Risa has been a member as long as Ai-chan and has to leave soon. They release one single or album with Risa as a leader.
Then in May at the end of the spring concert tour she graduates. Sayumi and Reina take over their leader and sub-leader positions.
Early summer probably June the 11th gen auditions are announced. Shortly after Sayumi, Reina, or both graduate. Mostly likely early winter There might even be another gen thrown in there. And then the line up will be 8-11 or 12. Or the one remaining 6th gen with gens 8-11 or 12.

Please note that this is just my speculation for what I think Morning Musume’s future in a year and half times will look like, and I have absolutely no way of knowing if all of this will really happen. However, it will most likely happen somewhere along these lines. Because it’s just obvious that the 5th and 6th gen have to leave within a year or 2. The 6th gen might actually be able to squeeze another 3 year. Which I personally think it pushing it a bit, but Reina and Sayumi are only 21 and Ai-chan is 24. I do realize that Risa is only 22 but she’s been a member for 10 years, it’s too long.

Anyway, going back to the auditions themselves, I’m really excited for them. I really love all the fresh blood that’s going to be in Morning Musume. I can’t wait to see the auditions and pick which girls I want to join. I can’t wait to see if my favorite gets added. I can’t wait to see what the new members are going to be like. I can’t wait to hear them sing. I just can’t wait fot all of it!

Momusu shines for you only

After releasing the first PV preview just yesterday, Morning Musume has released the full PV for Only You. Which seems just a bit too early. But it seems like they are trying to ensure this single sells well.

When I saw the PV preview yesterday I knew exactly was this PV was going to offer. A video that look like all of their other vidoes. In more sense then one. It looks like all of their other PVs because it’s set up the same way: dance shot, close-ups, and that’s it. But it’s also like all the other PVs because we see them focusing on only the popular members. Mostly Ai-chan and Reina. With Risa and Sayumi being secondary. But in this PV we also get to see a lot of the newest predetermined most popular member/newly pushed girl, Sayashi Riho. I liked Riho from the beginning because she was amazing at singing and dancing. But she is a little arrogant. And having her being pushed so quickly is just going to feed her arrogance until she’s either Reina 2.0 or Miki 2.0. Which is starting to make me dislike her bit by bit. But that’s neither here nor there.
When I saw the PV preview I wasn’t really expecting anything more than just a pretty PV, filled with a lot of beauty shots. While the PV is mostly just that, they do try to add more elements to the PV. And they are trying to make it a little more interesting. And I definitely think they succeeded. In this PV there are 3 different close-up singing shot, 2 different places they are sitting down,  and a dance shot that flashes 3 different colors. And throughout the PV they really play with the gem/diamond theme. In their close up they are surrounded by diamonds, the lights in the dance shot are diamonds, and throughtout the PV little floating gems surround the members.
The PV isn’t 100% amazing or perfect. But it is heading in the right direction. These past 2 Morning Musume PVs in my opinion have been really great. It seems that they are really trying to build Momusu up again. They are taking these new members as a great opportunity to transform Morning Musume once again. Will they ever reach AKB48’s popularity? Absolutely not. Even at their peak they weren’t at that level. I would honestly settle for 100-200k. Then they would be at most Johnny’s levels, and we see all the pimping Johnny’s boys get.

I love the diamond lights. They are completely simple, but add such a pretty effect.

I love love love the floating gems, it makes the entire PV interesting to watch.

This whole setting is really beautiful. With the think red curtains, and gothic style candelabra and glasses. It gives it this very old fashioned almost 1800s’ feel. However, this whole scene makes me think of

this.

Or this. Either way really. XD

The dance is actually kind of nice. The individual moves look a little stupid, but when they are put together they work.

Reina looks beyond pretty here. The fabulous lighting and the glimmer of the gems just really bring out her face. She look gorgeous.

This is the first time that I thought Ai-chan looked good with her blonde hair. I used to think it didn’t suit her, but I think it actually might.

Can I just say how mind boggling it is that by just chaning the lighting the dance shot place looks like a completely different setting. Look:

Natural light.

Red light.

Pink light. That is just crazy! XD

Nice boots. XD

This is a pretty bad shot of Sayumi. She actually look kind of ugly.

Zukki looks really pretty even if she has to look sad.

Am I the only one who thinks Riho looks weird here? In the Maji Desu ka Ska PV she looked bright and cute. It looks like the lighting in this PV is weighing her down.

This hairstyle does nothing for Fuku-chan.

Poor Eripon still looks awkward and unnatural.

This close-ups are pretty, but I can’t get over the fact that those candles make it look like some kind of ritual. Lol.

Risa looks super pretty as usual.

Morning Musume-Only You PV preview

With it getting closer and closer to the release date of Morning Musume’s new single, Only You, we finally have a PV preview. However, don;t get your hopes up because the preview is only 15 seconds long.

Even though the PV preview is insanely short it is long enough to get a tiny taste of what the PV is going to look like. The PV itself looks extremely bright. The contrasting shades of whites and silvers give this PV an extremely fresh, bright, and shiny look to it. And for that aspect the PV draws your eyes in. I do love the overall look of the PV because it just looks so bright and beautiful.
However, there isn’t much going on in the PV so far. As of now all we get to see is Momusu dancing in a plain white room, which really hasn’t been done since the Sexy Boy PV. And of course we also get to see the close-ups. The close-up scenes are actually really nice. It’s just them singing around some shiny gems, but the effect is very beautiful. And it is a big step up from their usual close-up backgrounds.

So far, the PV seems to be relying more on the beauty aspect then an actual storyline. I’m actually kind of ok with that because everyone look gorgeous. I’m really looking forward to the PV. It looks like they might have actually spent some money on it.

Morning Musume-Only You preview

Morning Musume announced their 46th single Only You, months ago. But it was pushed back because of the earthquake. And now with less than a month until the release date we finally have a radio rip of the song. Actually the rip came out a week ago, but I was obviously away then. XD



When I first heard this song I was automatically disappointed. The song sounds exactly like the songs Momusu was releasing over the past 2 years. The song seriously sounds like it could be the B-side to Nanchatte Renai or Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game. Or it sounds like this could have been one of the album songs from Fantasy Juuichi. And it sounds like only Ai, Reina, and Risa have solo lines. I think Aika might also have a solo but it’s very hard to tell with the electronic thing they’ve done to their voices. I just can’t begin to understand what they were thinking with this single. How could they release a single as upbeat, energetic, amazing, and evenly distributed as Maji Desu ka Ska, and then release a carbon copy of the songs they’ve been releasing practically the last 2 years? I won’t say 4 because 4 or 5 years ago Momusu was releasing these really sad/emo songs. Then after that they moved on to these electronic sounding songs or songs with heavy instrumentals. It seems like they are relapsing back to what they used to be like. Mediocre songs no one really cared about, with heavy instrumentals.


However, after listening to the song on a loop about 7-10 times I am actually starting to like the song. But that’s because I’ve always loved Momusu’s songs. No matter what style they moved on to. I even loved all their electronic sounding songs like Moonlight Night ~Tsukiyo no Ban da yo~, Fantasy ga Hajimaru, and Kimagure Princess. Those are actually some of my favorite Morning Musume songs in their recent years. I might like their songs like that but they are in no way, shape, or form, my favorite kind of songs Morning Musume has ever done. I love my Momusu happy, upbeat, energetic, and silly. I am starting to like Only You, but only as a B-side or some obscure album song. I don’t want it to be used as an A-side. Because frankly it’s not strong enough to be one. The lyrics are kind of nice too. But it’s pretty much standard H!P fare. Loving someone and always being there for the person. It’s not even strong enough lyric wise to be an A-side.


In short, the song is nice but it should NOT be an A-side. As for One Day now, I am still waiting for my energetic Momusu to return. But that will most likely happen when Ai-chan graduates this fall, and obviously not a moment before.

As always, if you like what you hear you can buy this single from CDJapan.

Morning Musume – Only You [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Type A]

Morning Musume – Only You [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Type B]

Morning Musume – Only You [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Type C]

Morning Musume – Only You [Regular Edition]

9th gen official member colors revealed!

After being part of Morning Musume for 3 months now, the 9th generation’s official member colors are finally revealed. Obviously because the 9th gen’s debut concert tour is starting up we finally get to see their shirts and see their colors. I had my suspicions and hopes of what each member’s colors might be, but I was completely off.

The colors are as follows:

Mizuki is hot pink, Erina is dark purple, Riho is red, and Kanon is dark green. I’m a little dissapointed by the color choices. As it is now every member besides Ai, Reina, and Riho share a color. They should have seriously gave someone orange. I don’t know why Eri’s color was basically off limits, but they jumped to give Koharu’s and LinLin’s away. Also, because of this I guess Sayumi shifts to being just pale pink, Aika shifts to lavender, and Risa stays at her regular green. I know there are a limited amount of colors and obviously some member’s colors are going to overlap. But they didn’t have to overlap so much. If they made Kanon orange and changed Mizuki from hot pink to peach, only the two purples would overlap.
But I actually don’t expect these official colors to last for long. This fall when Ai-chan graduates her yellow will be up for grabs. And because of that I think the whole color scheme will change.

This Momusu is for real!

After what seems like never ending teasing in the form of around 8 PV previews, we finally have the full PV for Morning Musume’s upcoming Maji Desu ka Ska single. I’m sure there are some fans who have seen this PV already, because a fan made PV mashing together all the previews clips made its way on youtube. However, I decided to wait until the official PV came out.

Since this song had A LOT of PV previews us fans have already seen a great deal, it not all, of the PV already. (I didn’t watch them on ONRYU yet, so half the PV was still a mystery to me. :P) And I understand for that reason a few fans might be bored of the PV by now, or think that it’s not fresh anymore. But I wholeheartedly disagree with that. I have been absolutely in love with this PV from the first PV preview. The PV is fun, it’s upbeat, cute, vivid, and energetic. And it means Momusu is moving in the right direction, going back to it’s energetic and slightly childish era. Sure, this PV might not be up to the over the top energy and cuteness of Koko ni Iruzee yet. But give the 9th gen a break. This is their first single. I’m sure they are leading up to it. Besides, Mr. Moonlight and Shabondama weren’t over the top energy, and look how great the singles after them were. Despite, everything fans say about the PV, I actually really love it. It’s exciting and fun from start to finish. I enjoyed every minute of the PV. My absolute favorite scenes were the ones with the Maji Desu ka Ska letters, and the walking close-ups.
 
 

  I still love the set. The Maji Desu ka Ska set. It’s simple, but still adds a fun aspect to the PV.
 

  Reina looks the absolute best in this PV. This style has always suited her.
 

  Riho’s close-up looks effortless. She did a good job of looking naturally cute and energetic.
 

  Erina on the other hand was less impressive. She looks cute enough but it seems like she didn’t really know what to do with her hands. XD
 

  Zukki probably did the best in the first round of close-ups.
 

  Mizuki came off really charming.
 

  I can’t say this enough, I love these outfits!
 

  Adorable!
 

  Sayumi showing them how it’s done. Seriously, Sayumi always has the most interesting close-ups.
 

  Ai-chan looks gorgeous.
 

  The rockette’s style kicking is still my favorite part of the dance.
 

  Zukki is so cute.
 

  There’s a smile! Eripon wants to bee seen as the most energetic member, but she is always too scared or shy to smile in pictures or on camera. It’s nice to see one now.
 

  No one can compete with Kanon’s smile. *O*
 

  I love Fuku-chan’s outfit. And adorable cap is adorable.
 
 

Cute pose.  

  I still don’t get what’s up with Reina’s hair brushing dance move. XD
 

  I still hate Aika’ outfit. :/
 

  Of course Aika had to be Hanasaka Jiisan. All the Aika haters are gonna love this. :/ Btw, I’m like 80% sure it’s Aika. 20% sure it’s Reina. They have similar noses and mouth areas. So, XD.
 

  Mecha kira kira hana sakasou! Lolz at it being sunflowers rather than actual cactus flowers.
 

  This was probably my favorite part of the PV, when the giant leaders flashed really fast during the chorus to spell Maji Desu ka Ska.
 

  I love, love, love Reina’s outift.
 

  Cheap effect, yet still really awesome.

Yet another Maji Desu ka Ska PV preview

On today’s Bijo Gaku episode they continued with the 9th gen segment and this time showed they a short making of the Maji Desu ka Ska PV as well as a minute and a half preview of the PV.

I have to say that I caved and watched the whole segment. I know when the short version of NYC’s Yume Tamago came out I make a big deal about watching it because it would ruin the PV. However, I couldn’t resist watching about Maji Desu ka Ska. Mostly because I am so in love with the song and what we have seen of the PV so far.
But I will not comment on the preview of the PV because the full PV is going to be released any day now, and it would ruin my PV post. But I will say that I am even more excited for the PV. There seem to be more elements to the PV that us fans have never seen before, and didn’t even know existed. And I would also say look out for Fuku and Zukki. They are the most energetic and interesting during the filming. I was actually surprised by how lack luster Riho and Erina were. Especially, since she said how she wanted to be the most energetic one. Come on, no one could possibly beat Kanon. Well, that aren’t so lack luster that they are boring. Riho and Erina are enjoyable to watch but they Kanon and Mizuki stand out the most.

Here’s the full 9th gen segment, for anyone who wants to watch the whole thing.

And here’s just the clip of the PV preview.

High standards or fan biases: Are Morning Musume PVs really that bad?

As I’m sure most idol fans or just Hello!Project fans already know, a short PV preview was released for Morning Musume’s upcoming new single Maji Desu ka Ska. This is the second PV preview we’ve gotten and the second time the fan’s reactions have been split. Of course the reactions are split for all PVs. Opinions differ, personal preferences are taken into consideration, and quite honestly you can’t please everyone. Despite, how hard you try some fans will always be disappointed by a PV due to their own high expectations. But, when I saw the PV previews for Maji Desu ka Ska I was impressed. I was honestly impressed. The song is upbeat, the dance is simple but high energy and cute, the outfits are vibrant, vivid, and cute. But I still found that a lot of Morning Musume fans still thought the PV was terrible. Because it follows the same formula that Morning Musume PVs have followed lately.

But then I started to think, why do fans hate this formula so much? Do they not realize this is how Morning Musume has always made their PVs? If they haven’t, were they following the same group as I was? Morning Musume is my absolute favorite idol group. I follow them the closest, and I critic them the closest. When I dislike something they are doing I strongly voice my opinion about it. But it seems fans are negatively voicing their opinions just to voice their opinion. If you go back and watch all of Morning Musume’s PVs they all follow the same formula. Close-up shot, dance shot, and then random scenes of the girls when no one is singing, which is usually a mixture of close-ups or full body shots.

Morning Musume has hardly ever made a PV with an actual story line, or something else going on besides this formula. I can literally only name a handful of Morning Musume PVs that aren’t like this. And those PV are: Aruiteru, The Peace, Namida Tomaranai Houkago, Roman My Dear Boy, I Wish, Morning Musume no Hyokkori Hyoutan-jima, Do It! Now, Mr. Moonligh ~Ai no Big Band~, and Koko ni Iruzee.

You could also argue that Egao Yes Nude, Go Girl ~Koi no Victory~, Naichau Kamo, Souda! We’re Alive, and Ambitious! Yashinteki de Ii jan count as well. But I don’t count rolling in a bed, saying suki up-close, crying up close, jumping in heigh, or breaking fake glass as a story line.

I’m sure a lot of people reading this find that hard to believe. Since a lot of fans are waiting for them to make interesting PVs again. But all of their PVs have been the same. Even if you’re consciously unaware of that fact. But make no mistake, Morning Musume follows that formula and so do most idol groups. And when I say you might not be consciously aware of this, I mean because directors have tricks to make a seemingly boring/low budget PV look more exciting or entertaining.

Now, that might be them having their close-ups in a more exciting setting then the rest of the PV.

Showing more shots of the setting/having them look like they are doing something. That eludes to a storyline without actually establishing one.

Have more than one shot of the dance. Seeing the same dance in different outfits adds the illusion that you’re seeing something new, even though you’re not.

Have them do something more interesting during their close-ups. Just because they are spinning and not standing doesn’t make it less of just another close-up.

Have them wear more than one outfit, having another outfit makes the PV more dynamic. It also makes it look like it has a high budget and fans will often over look the lack of a storyline if there is more than one outfit.

Now, all of this might have been visually appealing and exciting but that doesn’t make it a storyline. A storyline has dialogue that lets you know what’s going on in it. Or it silently follows a storyline. Like falling in love, going to the beach, committing suicide, or just about anything really. Something that actually tells you a story while you watch it. Apparently Morning Musume fans want of all of Momusu’s PVs to be Michael Jackson’s Thriller video. But aside from AKB48, most idols aren’t making PVs like this. Name the last idol PV you actually saw that had a storyline. I mean like the ones you see in American music videos. I honestly can’t think of any. Within or outside of H!P.

Then if the storyline isn’t a problem, what is? If you take the storyline out of a PV you’re left only with the other pieces. Which are the dance shots and close-ups. Which are the PVs that JE and some 48 groups and subgroups are making, as well as lesser know idol groups. But I hardly ever see any of those fans complain. And I have to wonder if it’s because the fans like that formula, or is it that these groups are so popular and on top of their genres (male and female idols separately of course) that they have nothing to complain about? I’m going to go with the second one.

Here are some idol PVs that are the same caliber as Morning Musume’s PVs.

KAT-TUN-Ultimate Wheels

Hey! Say! JUMP-Arigatou Sekai no Doko ni itemo

SDN48-GAGAGA

Idoling!!!-Eve

Canary Club-Daisukki

Not Yet-Shuumatsu Not Yet

AKB48-Chance no Junban

And of course there are plenty more. But these are just the ones I could think of on the top of my head because they are recent.

But despite all this, it always seems like Morning Musume are judged more harshly. That Morning Musume is the only group making bad PVs. I don’t understand the bias between fans. And I don’t understand how harshly PVs are judged. I understand that sometimes a PV is so awful you have to complain. But every single Momusu PV gets judged harshly. No matter how much better it is than a previous PV or how similar other idol PVs are. It makes absolutely no sense to me. I might like H!P and JE the most but when their PVs suck I’m the first one to say it. And when their PVs don’t suck I’m there praising it. These are idol PVs, and to expect them to be a masterpiece is ridiculous.

It seems like fans are also judging Momusu too harshy is because they have been around for a long time and are dwindling a bit. And hating on them is the cool thing to do in the idol fandom. But what about Arashi? They hardly ever release interesting PVs or ones that break the standard formula. But they have been around nearly as long as Momusu and sell significantly higher than them. And yet rabid Arashi fangirls hardly complain about anything they do.

I don’t know, this is basically just a rant. And I’m sure I’ll get a lot of comments telling me I don’t know what I’m talking about. Or that they are an unbiased fan, so that in some way means all fans are unbiased. I think I might actually be one of the few truly unbiased fans out there. And I know that sounds extremely arrogant, but sometimes it does feel that way. I just really wanted to get all of this off of my chest. So, what does everyone think? Thoughts, opinions, disagreements. I’d love to hear other fan’s inputs.

Morning Musume-Maji Desu ka Ska 2nd PV preview

With it getting extremely close to the release date of Morning Musume’s new single, Maji Desu ka Ska, CDTV has released a 12 second preview of the PV. It honestly looks like CDTV is just airing the commercial of Maji Desu ka Ska, but a preview is a preview.

This PV preview is a little bit different that the preview we saw on Bijo Gaku. This one shows the dance head on. And it also shows the girls and set more clearly. We also see the 9th gen in colored boxes in the beginning, which gives up a great hint at what the close ups are going to look like. It also shows the girls jacket colors better, which still makes me wonder if these are the new official colors. I would actually be happy if they were. Most of the colors are amazing. Only Risa’s and Reina’s suck. Reina has a white or cream color. And Risa has a auburn or light brown shade. Which I hope is supposed to be burnt orange. XD
The PV does look a little low budget, which makes me sad. But the energetic song and dance brings the PV up a bit.

Morning Musume-Maji Desu ka Ska full rip and PV preview

The full radio rip for Morning Musume’s upcoming single, Maji Desu ka Ska, was just released.

Hearing the full song, just makes me love the song even more. The beat, the singing, the lyrics, theirs just absolutely nothing I don’t love about this song. I have absolutely no complaints about the song. I have been waiting an eternity for Momusu to be upbeat again, and now that they are I am completely thrilled about it.
I am also really surprised by how fair the line distribution is. I was expecting the 9th gen to only get 1 solo line. But every single Morning Musume member has 2 solo lines. Expect for Ai-chan and Reina who have 4 lines. Which is a huge step from their last single where basically only Ai, Reina, Risa, and Eri got the solo lines. It really feels like Morning Musume is going back to my favorite Morning Musume era. The era right after the 5th gen joined and right before the 7th joined. Where the songs were super upbeat and the line distribution was extremely fair.

On yesterday’s episode of Bijou Gaku, they continued their focus on the 9th gen and aired a short PV preview.

Most of the segment focused on th 9th generation learning the song, but half way through they were joined by the other Morning Musume members. And in that time we get to see nearly the entire dance. And I gotta say the dance look really amazing. The moves are simple, but the dance itself is high energy and a lot of fun. Watching the 9th gen dance Riho, Mizuki, and Erina are at an extremely high level in their dancing. They are nearly perfect. Kanon not so much. Even though she has improved so much since the auditions, her dancing is noticeably worse then the other girls. She can only kick half as high as the other members. But of course over time she will improve. Koharu went from being one of the worst dancer to one of the best, in my opinion. I am just really impressed by the dance. After the dissapointing Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game dance, I’m glad that this one is actually really cute.
It was really nice to see how the other members interact with the 9th gen. Despite Ai-chan being the leader, Risa and Aika were looking over the girls the most.
The best part of the whole dance was Aika and Kanon dancing together.

They are totally my top 2 in Morning Musume now. Mittsi has always been one of my favorites and Zuki is starting to be one of my favorites. She’s like my Koharu and LinLin replacement.

The PV preview is literally only 8 seconds long. And in that time we only see them dancing in nearly identical outfits as in the Naichau Kamo PV. And we see a close up of Erina wearing and outfit similar to the one Miyabi wore in the Maji Bomber PV. I can’t really judge the PV so quickly, but so far it does look cute.

Morning Musume announces 46th single

Even though Morning Musume’s 45th single isn’t being released for another 20 days, Morning Musume has just announced their 46th single! The single is currently untitled and will be released on May 18th, just 26 days after their 45th single.
Wow, this really is too soon after their last single. But I’m not reallying complaining because I’m a huge Morning Musume fan, and the more singles the better. I just hope the quality of the song doesn’t suffer because it’s being rushed out.
Even though I am excited there has to be a reason another single is being released so quickly. Yes, it could be something mundane like giving the 9th gen much need experience in recording songs. Or having the fans get familiar with the 9th gen very quickly. Or even, so the 9th has a lot of songs to sing at their debut concert. Because we all know that since they are new, they are only going to sing backup.

But I think this new single has absolutely everything to do with Ai-chan. She’s leaving in the Fall, and she’s one of the most popular members/one of the highest money maker for the company. It seems like H!P and UFA are trying to get the most money they can out of Ai-chan’s fans before she leaves. That and Morning Musume is getting extremely close to releasing 50 singles. Which is a HUGE event for Morning Musume. And I’m willing to bet Tsunku wants Ai-chan to be a part of it. So, Momusu is most likely going to bang out 4 more singles this year. And I’m willing to bet the 50th single will be Ai’s graduation single. So, not only will Morning Musume will sell more because of the added promotion because it’s their 50th single. If Nanchatte Renai was the 40th single and had extra promo, imagine the extra promotion this one will get. But it will also sell more because it’s Ai-chan’s last single. And all the fans will miss her and want her last single to reach number 1.I mean, that is so brilliant it has to be true. Though this is just a prediction, so don’t hold me to it.

As always you can buy this single at CDJapan by clicking the links below.

Morning Musume – UNTITLED [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Type A]

Morning Musume – UNTITLED [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Type B]

Morning Musume – UNTITLED [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Type C]

Morning Musume – UNTITLED [Regular Edition]

Morning Musume-Maji Desu ka Ska short preview

The radio show Young Town played the short version of Morning Musume’s Musume’s upcoming single Maji Desu ka Ska. And when I say short, I mean short. This radio rip is only about 40 seconds longer than the preview we heard the 9th gen singing on Bijou Gaku.

I gotta say I am extremely excited for this single. In the extra 40-50 seconds we get to hear more of the beginning of the song as well as the rest of Morning Musume’s solo lines.
The random talking in the beginning makes be think of SNSD’s Tell Me Your Wish. XD And when the music kicks in it has an extremely similar feel to Guru Guru Jump. I know I said that already, but you can really hear it here. The members are singing pretty much exactly like I knew they would. Except Ai-chan doesn’t have her full on cutesy voice like I was expecting. And Aika’s voice sounds like I’ve never heard it before. I literally thought it was another Reina solo line. I legit though, “WTF is this? Everyone else gets a solo lines, but not Aika?” It wasn’t until the 2nd listen that I realized it was her. XD But I’m so excited by how youthful the 9th gen makes this single!

9th gen Momusu sings Maji Desu ka Ska on Bijou Gaku

Yesterday’s episode of Bijou Gaku aired a segment that showed the 9th practicing and recording their lines for Morning Musume’s upcoming single Maji Desu ka Ska.

I am extremely happy that everything I hoped for when the 9th gen joined is happening. Morning Musume is finally releasing happy and upbeat music. Morning Musume’s so called emo era has finally ended. Which is bittersweet because Koharu was have totally owned at songs like this. :/

First, let me start off by saying how impressed I am with the 9th gen. The girls have only been training for a month, and still sound great. Granted, both Mizuki and Riho have had years of vocal and dance training, so they don’t really count too much. And my girl Zukki completely owned it! Despite her being the worst singer in the batch, she actually sounds the best out of the 9th gen. It’s her cuteness, charisma, and energy overflowing in the song.

I have to say I am absolutely in love with this song. It’s energetic, happy, upbeat, and adorable. This song to me sounds like the album songs from Morning Musume’s 9th and 10th albums. Which I am completely thrilled about. I always whined that one of those type of songs should be used as an A-side, and now it is. This song honestly sounds like/has the overall feel of Morning Musume’s Koko ni Iruzee, Guru Guru Jump, and Genki Pika Pika, and S/mileage’s Otona ni Narutte Muzukashii.


Some fans are saying this song isn’t strong enough to be an A-side, but I don’t think they can judge that until the full radio rip is out. I mean, the chorus isn’t even all of Morning Musume. If you listen closely it’s just the 9th gens voices, and I doubt only the 9th gen will sing the chorus of the song. I will completely judge the song when I hear all of the members in the song. I am excited to hear what they’ll sound like. I’m hoping Risa brings her cuteness from Athena & Robikerottsu, I hope Sayumi brings her adorableness from Rainbow Pink, and I hope Aika uses her Guardians 4 voice. I’ve never heard Reina’s voice sound remotely cutesy, so I hope she at least tries to sound cute. But I’m dreading Ai-chan’s voice. I know she’s going to put on that horrible voice she uses when she tries to sound cute. You know the one. The one she uses’s when she sings Shainimuni Paradise, and the 2009 version of Suki na Senpai, and when she was in Mini Moni.


The one thing I am worried about it, it seems like these are the only lines the 9th gen get. At first I thought we were only hearing these solo lines and the chorus to tease fans and only give them a snippet of the song. But there’s also another possibility that these are their only lines. Because when you are recording a song you only record your lines, bottom line. And you only record the chorus once. Even if the chorus is repeated 8 times, they take your one chorus section and paste it 8 times. Of course unless there are 2 different choruses or the last chorus has a higher ending or something. Then you would only have one copy and pasted chorus. (I wish I knew actual editing terms, because I’m sure it’s not copy and paste.) Of course, I could also just be over analyzing this, as I often tend to do.

Here’s the Bijou Gaku clip if you want to watch the whole thing.

But if you’d just prefer to hear the song, here’s the a clip of just the song.

Morning Musume announces 45th single!

I don’t know if anyone has noticed but lately I haven’t been blogging as much as I should be. That’s all thanks to this terrible cold I have courtesy of my sister who infected the whole house. But I wanted to make a post about this because I think it’s pretty exciting news. And I wanted to post about it before it became old news. Well, it’s technically old news anyway because this was announced about a week ago. I guess I wanted to post about it before it became so old it would be irrelevant.


It was announced that Morning Musume will be releasing their 45th single, Maji Desu ka Ska, on March 23rd. Not only is this their first single of 2011 it’s the first single to feature the recently added 9th generation.


Now of course with this announcement comes 2 questions I’m sure every Momusu fan is asking themselves. But let’s focus on one at a time.


Of course the absolute first question I was asking myself was, “I wonder who’s going to sing when.” Of course I’m mostly asking when the 9th generation will sing. Now, just because this is the new member’s debut single we shouldn’t automatically assume that they will get a significant amount of lines, or even any. If you recall on the 2nd generation’s and the 4th generation’s debut singles not one of the new members got a solo line. And there was only 8 members in Summer Night Town and they could have totally made the lines even. The only time every member of a generation gets a solo on their debut single is when that generation only consists of 1 or 2 members. Like with the 3rd gen, 7th gen, and both 8th gens debuts. Everyone seems to really love Shabondama because it was the only debut single to be lead by the new generation. Which is all well and good but everyone seems to forget that every 6th gen member got a solo line except for Eri. And you can’t even count on the best singer, or singers, of the generation to get a solo line. In the 5th gens debut single only Risa got a solo, despite Ai-chan being the best vocalist of the 5th gen.


So it’s really anyone’s guess as to when and how often the 9th gen will sing in this song. But personally I think each 9th gen girl will get 1 solo lines. And Mizuki and Riho may get 2. But that’s mostly because even though Tsunku is unpredictable, he’s not stupid. He has to build the 9th gen up right off the bat. Because over the last 4 years Tsunku dropped the ball on promoting the girls. Really Resonant Blue was the start of it, but Mikan wasn’t all that fair.


For the longest time it was the Ai, Risa, Reina, and Eri show. Morning Musume’s singles went from thinking that the song was good to thinking are they really leading it again. Losing lead singer and popular member Eri, and losing arguably the best singer Morning Musume has ever seen this fall, Momusu needs to change fast. So, I’m thinking Momusu’s line distribution will look like this: Reina and Risa lead. Sayumi and Aika get some of the lines Ai would normally get and split the lines Eri would get if she didn’t graduate. Then Sayumi, Aika, and Ai-chan have a minor lead. And the 9th gen gets a line or two. Ai is leaving so Momusu needs to start distancing themselves for Ai-chan now. Only singing wise of course. And they need to build up the fanbase of the current members, so Momusu can take the blow when Ai leaves this fall.


And of course the second question I asked myself was, “what will the song sound like.” The song is titled Maji Desu ka Ska!, so of course the song is going to have a ska beat. Just like Mr. Moonlight ~Ai no Big Band~ had a big band beat. It’s obvious. But what’s not so obvious to me is what ska actually is. Whenever I heard ska music mentioned I always assumed that skaters and emo kids listened to ska. Which should be a clear indication that I’m not 100% familiar with ska music. The only actual song I know is ska is LANDS song Genki. And that’s only because it’s the ska version of the song.

When I watched Jin’s movie Bandage I absolutely fell in love with the ska version of Genki. Because the music is absolutely incredible. It’s got this sort of orchestra kinda reggae feel to it. I’ve been listening to this song nonstop for months. So, if Morning Musume releases a song along these lines, that would be absolutely incredible.


But having it be ska music pretty much indicates that the song is going to be upbeat and cheerful. Which Morning Musume desperately needs to release again. Because all of their singles have been sad and depressing sounding. Even the songs that are supposed to be positive came off as sad. All of their cheerful songs were wasted as B-sides or album tracks. I’m looking forward to Maji Desu ka Ska becoming this Momusu era’s Renai Revolution 21. Meaning I hope the older members feel too old and leave. But there’s not way that’s going to happen. Especially since Sayumi is absolutely in love with the 9th gen. Well, I hope in the very least this makes Tsunku add more members to the line up. To have a more balanced age.




If you’re as excited about this single as I am you can buy it from CDJapan by clicking the links below.


Morning Musume – Maji Desu ka Ska! [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Type A]



Morning Musume – Maji Desu ka Ska! [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Type B]



Morning Musume – Maji Desu ka Ska! [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Type C]



Morning Musume – Maji Desu ka Ska! [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Type D]



Morning Musume – Maji Desu ka Ska! [Regular Edition]

You knew it had to happen eventually, Ai-chan to graduate this fall

Talk about unexpected. Of all the things happening in the world of H!P the one thing I absolutely was sure wasn’t happening for about another year is happening right now. (Well not right now. But at least announced now.) Morning Musume’s longest running leader, and co longest Morning Musume member ever, Takahashi Ai will be graduating from Morning Musume. Ai-chan will be graduating from Morning Musume and Hello! Projfect at Morning Musume’s 2011 fall concert.

I can honestly say I was completely thrown off guard by this shocking announcement. Yes, me. The girl that said in so many words, “Dear god when are Ai-chan and Risa leaving? I want some new blood. They’ve been members too long!” But even I cannot believe this. I completely 100% thought that 2011 would be the last year for Ai-chan. I thought she would let the 9th gen get settled in a bit. Have the 9nin Momusus release a single or two. Give Ai-chan a chance to really train the new members. Have a concert tour or two and then graduate. And that is exactly what Ai-chan is doing, because honestly that’s the logical thing to do. I said a few times that I wanted to see Ai-chan straight up pull a Yossie. And she completely is! In a way I should be happy. I made a nearly exact prediction and Ai-chan’s long overdue graduation is finally happening. I should be ecstatic, except I’m not. I am, of course, happy to see her graduate, but at the same time I am incredibly sad. Not sad for Ai-chan, but sad for Morning Musume.
 With Takahashi Ai graduating here’s what Morning Musume will look like: Niigaki Risa- leader, Michishige Sayumi-sub leader, Tanaka Reina, Mitsui Aika, and the 9th gen. (Sayashi Riho, Suzuki Kanon, Ikuta Erina, and Fukumura Mizuki, just in case you forgot.) With the recent triple graduation Morning Musume has had a significant blow. They lost a main singer with Eri, and a potential main singer with LinLin. Now Morning Musume is going to lose, in my opinion, the best singer they have ever had. Losing Eri and Ai-chan means practically half the lines in songs are up for grabs. I’m going to guess that Eri’s lines will go to Sayumi just for seniority and nothing else. Which is horrible. Sayumi desperately wanted to take over Miki’s lines in Shanimuni Paraidise. Danced to it on a show proclaiming that! And they were obviously given to Eri. And why’s that? Because everyone knows she can’t sing. But now she’ll most likely take over her lines. Michishige “I literally beg for more lines in singles” Sayumi will now butcher Eri’s lines. And I’m going to guess Ai-chan’s lines will be taken over by Aika + 9th gen. (I really want to see Aika sing Eri’s lines though. :/) That or Ai-chan and Eri’s lines will be divided evenly between Sayumi, Aika, and the 9th gen. But who are we kidding? In Japan seniority rules, so Sayumi rules. Even more so because she’ll be the sub leader.

But Ai-chan’s lines aren’t the biggest problem/fear I have. Takahashi Ai is an extremely popular member. And we all know Eri was also an extremely popular member. I don’t know how Morning Musume is going to survive after losing 2 widely popular members practically one after another. I am certain this will be a gigantic blow for Morning Musume’s popularity. And we already know it’s dwindling. I am really not looking forward to seeing the sales for Morning Musume’s first Ai-chanless single. And you thought Mikan sold bad. Morning Musume really seems pretty hopeless right now. They really need to rise from the ashes, and soon!

But the absolute biggest worry I have from this is, Ai-chan is not only graduating from Morning Musume but also Hello!Project. I was so sure that when Ai-chan graduated she would obviously just float over to being one of their soloists. But her leaving H!P too makes me really concerned. It makes me think she’s going to pull a Goto Maki and sign with Avex. Which wouldn’t be a huge problem. I mean she’s getting older, has the voice for it, and would at least still be making music. But I just cannot imagine Ai-chan not being an idol anymore. She has this totally bubbly, cute idol aura about her. Even is she doesn’t have the personality to back it.
But not only that, this also means that Risa is not too far behind in graduating. Risa right now is like a ticking bomb. I give her about a year-a year and a half at most before her time too is up. I am SO not looking forward to an eventual Sayumi lead Morning Musume. The sheer horror of even imagaining it now!

Meet the new 9th generation!

The new that just about every Hello!Project fan, and non fan alike, have been waiting for has been announced. At the start of that H!P 2011 Winter concert, Morning Musume’s 9th gen was announced. The new 9th generation members are H!P 9th gen auditioners Sayashi Riho, Suzuki Kanon, Ikuta Erina, and Hello!Project Egg member Fukumura Mizuki.

I am 100% thrilled with the results. The 9th gen is the 4 members in total like I was hoping for, and my top 3 9th gen finalists made it. And one of the Egg members I predicted could have joined here made it in. Even though I would have preferred my beloved Saho Akari I am extremely happy with Mizuki. Thank god Tsunku didn’t make yet another mistake. He grabbed Riho up before anyone else could!

So right now here’s how the 9th generation stands.

You have the exceptional dancing, singing, and beauty of Sayashi Riho and Fukumura Mizuki. Then you have the quirkyness, less than perfect singing, high energy, endearing members Suzuki Kanon and Ikuta Erina. Which I’m really ok with. All Morning Musume needed was about 1 or 2 more girls to be able to handle solo lines/take over solos. Mostly because the current 5 members are all pretty capable of solo lines.

I do feel really bad for Otsuka Aina because she was a good singer and dancer, I hope she gets added to the Eggs or something. As for Mogi Minami I’m not really upset about her. She was nowhere near ready to debut.
I am totally looking forward to the first single featuring the new members. I’m also looking forward to seeing them on TV, to see their personalities and how they interact with the other Morning Musume members. (I’m writing this sentence as I’m singing the verse about Eri from Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari. XD)

Momusu’s 9th gen audition finals!

It’s pretty obvious to see that I am officially back to blogging. And honestly, I wanted to wait a little longer to come back. But there is just so much stuff I couldn’t wait any more to blog about. There’s literally about 13-14 things I want to blog about. I’m saying about because it’s not set in stone that I’m going to blog about every single one. But I will be splitting up those posts over the next few days, because I am pretty sure no one wants to read a spam of 13 posts in one day.

Ok, but first things first. The one piece of news I couldn’t wait to blog about, Momusu’s 9th gen auditions.


I was completely surprised by how sort the audition process is. The whole clip is only about 24 minutes long. I was expecting something much longer. And in those 24 minutes they don’t really focus on the girls as much as you’d think they would. I know most people enjoy watching the girls actually train, but I prefer watching them sing and dance more. I mean, we hardly got to see the girls sing at all. In past auditions you hear the girls sing like 3 songs. And watch them start to fix their pitch. But here you get to hear them sing the first chorus of C-ute’s Aitai Lonely Christmas and that’s it.
There’s also one part where Tsunku has them cry and laugh on comand. Showing you just how fake the world of idols is.

So let’s meet the girls.




Ikuta Erina (13):

There’s something about Erina that is so infectious. When she was dancing she was all smiles and completely energetic. Even when they showed the short clip of her singing Little Princess Pri, she was so full of energy and sounded really cute singing this song. I could see Erina becoming another Koharu, Chinami, or Aika. Her dancing itself is also really strong. She’s probably the 3rd best dancer. She would be the 2nd best, but her moves aren’t 100% smooth yet. Her singing on Aitai Lonely Christmas was a little rough, but only because it sounded like the song was too high for her. She was a little rough, but nearly perfect on Little Princess Pri because that song is a good 1-2 octaves lower. All Erina needs is some intense vocal training, because she comes off as squeaky. But that was Koharu’s exact same problem. And Tsunku said if she couldn’t hit the high note in Furusato properly he wasn’t even going to consider her. And obviously it worked out fine.

Mogi Minami (11):



I personally don’t like Minami. She’s the worst singer and the worst dancer. She almost sounds like Konno Asami when she auditioned. Except KonKon was bursting with smiles, energy, and enthusiasm. Minami is just a crybaby. However, Tsunku loves to pick the girls who can’t sing and are unsure of themselves. Nearly every gen had at least one girl like that. Nono: couldn’t sing, KonKon: couldn’t sing or dance, Ai-chan: too shy, Eri: unsure of herself, Sayumi: unsure of herself and couldn’t sing, Koharu: couldn’t sing. Look how well a majority of those girls turned out. Some of the best members in my opinion. A lot of fans are judging her/disliking her too quickly. Hell, I’m doing that now. But I’m willing to bet Minami could blossom into something great.

Sayashi Riho (12):



For me Riho is the total package! She’s the cutest one, an extremely powerful dancer, and her singing is good. Her singing’s not perfect, but she has the best voice there, and it could definitely become great over time. A lot of people think she has an unfair advantage after being in the Fashionable stage play, but not really. Is it her fault for being talented and winning that audition? Fujimoto Miki and Arihara Kanna had more of an advantage when they joined C-ute and Morning Musume. Sure, neither of them auditioned and where just added. But if Tsunku had a problem with Riho being in Fashionable she would have never been allowed to audition, let alone get to the finals. Personally I want Riho added to the group. She has everything going for her, and I will be completely upset if she’s not chosen. Because if Tsunku doesn’t choose her you can be sure AKB48 or some other idol group will scoop her up!

Suzuki Kanon (12):



Kanon is my personal favorite. She’s super adorable. She looks like a mix between Mano Erina and Michishige Sayumi. Kanon just gives off this friendly and playful aura. I’m not exactly sure what she was saying during her short acting portion, but it seems like she could provide the group with the comic relief. Which Momusu really needs now that LinLin is gone. I wanna see Kanon laugh everyday in front of the mirror like LinLin did! Her dancing was pretty much on par with Erina’s, and she seemed completely happy and energetic throughout it. Her singing on the other hand is almost as bad as Minami’s. But she seemed to be having the most fun singing, and was completely into it. And I’d much rather watch a charming, energetic idol who can’t sing then an amazing singer who’s completely flat.

Otsuka Aina (12):

I like Aina. She seems different than all the other girls. To me she gives off this subtle toughness and has tomboyish qualities. I have a feeling with her we might have another Yossie or Makoto on our hands. Aina is the 2nd best singer. When she briefly sang Everyday Zekkouchou she sounded like a mix between Okai Chisato and Nakajima Saki. Which gives a nice unique deepness to her voice. Which means she would blend great with Aika and Risa. Her Aitai Lonely Christmas was just the tiniest bit rough. All she really needs to do is polish her voice more and she’ll be great. She’s also the 2nd best dancer. Her moves are really fluid. I just wish she was into it more, because her lack of energy makes her overall dancing look worse than it is.




I would absolutely love to see all 5 girls get in, because every single one of them has a redeeming quality about them. Adding one or two girls would make Morning Musume seem completely empty. Plus Ai and Risa don’t have much more time in the group. They have to really start building up the girls now. Why do you think lately Aika has been doing so much?
A lot of fans are over thinking things because at the video Tsunku said something to the effect of, “These girls will make a good unit. This is a good group of girls.” A lot of fans are taking this to mean that these 5 girls will not be joining Morning Musume, and will start a group of their own. Which is completely ridiculous if you think about it. Morning Musume desperately needs new members. And not adding any new ones would completely destroy the group. Because what would happen to it after these 5 leave? I think Tsunku meant these 5 girls make such a good group, I can’t split them up and will be taking all 5 of them.


By the way, the winners will be announced at the Hello!Project 2011 winter concert that starts on January 2nd. Hopefully we’ll know the winners the first day and won’t have to wait until the last day for them to be reveled.

Anyway, here’s the audition video for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet.


Part 1:

Part 2:

First audition footage of the 9th gen finalists!

On yesterday’s episode of Bijo Gaku they showed the first footage of the Morning Musume 9th generation auditions. The footage is only 4:30 minutes long, and we hardly get to see any footage of the girls. The footage also shows the final 5 girls rather than most of the girls who audition, like past auditions have shown.

In this clip we only see one girl sing the first line of the chorus to C-ute’s Aitai Lonely Christmas, and one girl dance for about 10 seconds, then she immediately cries.



Here are the 5 finalists: (well actually they may or may no be finalists. Only half of them could be or just one. The truth is, no one knows for sure just yet.)

Apparently this girl won the audition to be in Morning Musume’s stage play Fashionable. I just think it’s so funny she made it to the finals. Mostly because I said here that there was a good chance the winner of the auditions would become a 9th generation member.

So far the first and last girl look like they would make a good addition to the group. But since they haven’t shown them singing or dancing, it’s far to early to make that judgement. I’m looking forward to the next episode, where we will most likely hear everyone sing.

Eri, JunJun, and LinLin share a tearful goodbye

Morning Musume members Kamei Eri, JunJun, and LinLin officially graduated from Morning Musume yesterday. And right now I’m in the surreal state. Where I feel completely sad, but am also in a state of disbelief. It is incredibly hard to lose my favorite Morning Musume member yet again.(LinLin) It also hurts to lose my 3rd favorite Morning Musume member. (Kamei Eri) I actually also feel really empty. I am completely not ready to let these girls go. What am I going to do without JunJun professing her love of bananas? Or Eri naively saying she leaves everything up to her Mom? Or LinLin being absolutely hilarious and just overall bacchiri?



Even though this is what Morning Musume does and always will do, it doesn’t make graduations less hard. Right now I am literally fighting back the tears just writing this post.
Kamei Eri’s solo song was Haru Beautiful Everyday, which wasn’t what I was expecting. I thought she was going to sing Namida ga Tomaranai Houkago. But she always did sound great in Haru Beautiful Everyday, so I’m happy with her choice.
LinLin’s solo was Watarasebashi. I think it might be the first ever non Morning Musume graduation song. Of course I am completely thrilled by her choice. Since she killed it in Chinese on Bijou Hodan.
JunJun’s solo song was Furusato. I’m actually not sure why she picked this song.
 Since the graduation concert was broadcast on TV, some of the performances were posted on youtube. Not the entire concert, but I’m glad that people uploaded what they did.


Hand Made City:


This has always been one of my favorite B-sides, and I always love watching it during concerts. It’s sad to think that from now on Reina will most likely be singing Eri’s lines. I also don’t really mind that LinLin kinda messed up in singing her solo line.

Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game:

Seishun Collection:

Opening + Souda We’re Alive:


Enjoy the feirce opening dance!

Onna ga Medatte naze Ikenai:

VTR + Appare Kaiten Zushi:

Tsuyoki de Ikouze!

Nakidasu Kamo Shirenai yo:

Soon enough the 9th generation will swoop in and help ease the pain. But the 9th gen better understand that they have extremely large shoes to fill.

Mistui Aika to release first photobook!

Stop the presses! Hold the phone! Better yet, somebody pinch me! The most exciting news to come out of H!P nearly all year has been announced. Better than S/mileage’s major debut, better than Arihara Kanna’s first photobook(I don’t care if she’s not H!P anymore.), better than the 9th generation Morning Musume auditions. 8th generation Morning Musume member Mitsui Aika is getting her first photobook. It is simply entitled Aika and will be released on January 26. And I honestly can’t think of a better way to ring in the new year.

I cannot believe that my favorite Morning Musume and Hello!Project member Mittsi is finally getting a photobook. She has only said about 800 times how much she’s wanted one.

I actually think she’s been saying she’s wanted once since 2008. Well, as they say good things come to those that wait.

I am completely freaking out. I actually kinda lost all hope of her ever getting one. But obviously she would eventually get one, one day. Especially since every other member without a photobook either has released or is releasing one. And I honestly couldn’t be happier about the whole situation. And Aika is releasing this photobook at the perfect time.

Because Aika has been looking so fresh and mature lately. And of course she always looks lovely and adorable.

Also Mitsui Aika in a bikini?

Yes please!

Up Front’s official youtube channel has uploaded a short behind the scenes clip/making of the DVD that she is also releasing. And so far it’s looking pretty cute. But did anyone else notice she’s wearing the exact same yellow bikini that Koharu has worn before?

9th gen sneak peek!

Today I woke up to the most exciting news of my week. Well, most exciting fandom releated news anyway. After months of nothing but vague updates when an audition phase ended, we finally have a solid update on Morning Musume’s 9th generation auditions. And when I say solid update I mean a preview of the auditioners. That’s right, on today’s episode of Bijou Gaku they showed a sneak peek of the 9th gen audition process. The show also indicated that over 9,000 applicants auditioned for the 9th gen. Which is roughly 2,200 more than the 8th gen auditions. And can I just say I love being wrong. During NMB48 it was announced that they had 7,256 applicants, and, being the optimist I am, I said that Morning Musume would be lucky to get half that. Well to my pleasant surprise they got more. Roughly 1,750 more, which is hardly a difference. But it is way better than the 4,000 I was expecting.

Here are the preview pictures of the girls. These pictures on my blog are in a small size so they don’t cut in half. Please click on each picture to make them bigger. Usually I resize every picture to be a near perfect size for my blog. But for these pictures I tried to do minimal resizing, to keep the pictures as large as possible.
 

Out of these girls 397 has the most star quality. She looks absolutely adorable and infectious. 405, 891,and 862 also stand out.
 

Here 142 stands out the most. She’s got that awkwardness in her look that Airi did when she was little. 858, 339, have potential.
 

This girl looks extremely tired.
 

This girl looks fashionable.
 

I want this girl in 9th gen! She looks like a mix between Kumai Yurina and Wada Ayaka. Adorable!
 

This girl kinda looks cute, but I can’t really see her face.
 

Next.
 

She kinda looks like an uglier version of Ogawa Saki.
 

For some reason she reminds me of JunJun. She’s a little too chubby though. Sorry for being so brutally honest.

Her face is too pumpkin like. XD
 

Now this girl looks fresh and cute.
 

These girls look like they are 16. Which in my opinion is too old. I’d like for the girls to be no older than 14.
 

From the side the girl in black looks like Fukuda Kanon. The chick in pink looks dazed.
 

This girl has features that remind me of Yajima Maimi. I think with a little time and makeup, she could become quite a beauty.
 

There’s nothing special about this girl.
 

I don’t care how old this girl is, I want her in the 9th gen! She is incredibly gorgeous!
 

Eh. She’s kinda ugly.
 

This girl kinda looks like Yaguchi Mari from the Morning Coffee PV.
 
 

This girl’s eyes are too far apart. Did she happen t suffer from fetal alcohol syndrome? Oh, that’s just mean. XD

This chick’s eyes are uneven!
 

This girl is really pretty. When you’re that young and are already pretty, chances are you’re gonna grow up to be pretty.
 
 
Now, Morning Musme auditions usually last about 3 months after they start broadcasting. So if the show starts broadcasting in December or January, you should expect the new members in March or April. Let’s just hope Tsunku doesn’t lose anymore girls to AKB48 again.
I am extremely excited to see what the dance and voice training songs are going to be. Since they are usually newer songs I’m going to guess the dance sing will be Kimagure Princess, Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game,  or Moonlight Night ~Tsukiyo no Ban da yo~. And I’m going to guess the vocal training song will be Seishun Collection, Namdacchi, or Loving You Forever. That’s like a dream. But they will most likely be doing songs from the 11th album. Which I kinda don’t want to see happen. Mostly because I haven’t even gotten the chance to listen to the 11th album yet. XD

Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game performances

Ever since Morning Musume’s new single was announced I’ve been waiting for Morning Musume to perform it on music shows. I even personally wrote to Music Japan. So, you can imagine how beyond excited I am that they finally performed Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game live. They were on Happy music November 26th, and they were just on Music Japan November 28th.

I actually planned on making each performance a separate post, but I haven’t been able to find either performances on youtube until now. So, duel post it is.

I thought the performance from Happy Music was really great. Everyone sounded amazing, especially A-chan. She hits her high notes perfectly, but when does she not. But for some reason the entire time I was watching this I was drawn to Risa, even though she only has 1 line. She just looks really fierce with that hair. This is like the first time I ever though Risa looked good with short hair. The only real complaint I have about the performance is that it’s only half the song.

Maybe I’m a perv, but does anyone else notice that when they bend like that you can see their under shorts. The dresses could be just a little longer. XD

Risa looks gorgeous.

Look at LinLin in the background looking all hot.

The performance from Music Japan is pretty much the same. Except Music Japan’s stage is way nicer and Reina sounds a little weird. I don’t know, all of her lines it seems like she’s out of breathe. Which is weird because she killed it on Happy Music.

Ai-chan looks so cute here.

I still hate the leg move.

I never noticed how awkward this part was. XD

Morning Musme-Onna Gokoro to Nanto Yara preview

With just 2 days until the official release date of Morning Musume’s 11th album, Fantasy Juuichi, they’ve just released a new preview. This time it’s Onna Gokoro to Nanto Yara, which is probably going to be there last song preview before the release date.

After listening to it for a few times, this song is probably my least favorite preview they have released. The music is too slow and simple. And it reminds me a little bit of C-ute’s Everyday Yeah Kataomoi. I’m just not into the song. Even the way it’s being sung, it sounds like there’s no emotion behind it. And it makes the overall song sound a bit flat.
And because someone in H!P must have had a brain hemorrhage, the line distribution still sucks. The solos go to Risa, Eri, and Ai-chan. And if I listen hard enough I can kinda hear Aika. But as always, I’ll just have to wait for the full song to be released in 2 days.

Morning Musume-1 Kara 10 Made Aishite Hoshii preview

I’m sorry that this is so late guys. I’ve just been really busy helping my family get ready for Thanksgiving. But since Thanksgiving is officially over, and I’m stuffed full of turkey, I can blog 100% again. Anyway, I should probably talk about the topic at hand.

With the release of Morning Musume’s 11th album, Fantasy! Juuichi, just 5 days away Momusu released yet another radio rip. This time the song is entitled 1 Kara 10 Made Aishite Hoshii.

I actually really like the music of this song. It’s got a real 1970’s feel. It sounds like a mix between disco music and funk music. And I do like that this song is mainly sung as a group. I think it gives it a really cute and endearing quality. However, I really hate that the only members we hear with a solo are Ai and Reina. So far 3 songs have been previewed. I certainty hope either these previews have just been to short to hear LinLin and JunJun or the remaining 6 songs we have yet to hear are full of LinLin and JunJun.
 

Morning Musume-Fantasy ga Hajimaru radio preview

With Fantasy! Juuichi’s release date right around the corner Morning Musume previews another song from the album. This time it’s Fantasy ga hajimaru, but the preview is only 1:40. Which means there’s obviously no way it’s the full song.

 At first listen I am absolutely in love with the whole night club type of music is has. It another club sounding song like Berryz’s Dakishimete Dakishimete and Momusu’s SONGS.  But it actually sounds a lot like DEF.DIVA’S Suki Sugite Baka Mitai. While I do like the overall sound of the song I am completely disappointed by it at the same time. The song is basically a Sayumi solo song, she sings pretty much the entire time during this preview. Except for the short Reina solo part And Ai’s solo part at the very end. And it sounds like Ai and Eri also have one line solos during the verse, but with their voices being practically autotuned I can’t tell if it’s them or still Sayumi. I guess Sayumi’s It’s You solo from Platinum 9 Disc wasn’t enough, she needs another practically solo song. I mean she is graduating after all. Oh wait, that’s LinLin and JunJun. I don’t understand why I bother complaining anymore. I’m obviously not to get my dream Ai and LinLin duet, Risa and JunJun duet, and JunJun solo song. I also have to get used to Sayumi getting more and more solo lines since she’ll be one of the oldest members in the group once Eri, LinLin, and JunJun graduate. I’m actually more excited for Aika to get more lines because she’ll be a senpai to the new members. But I’m just ranting now.

Morning Musume-Itoshiku kurushii kono yoru ni radio preview

Morning Musume’s 11th album Fantasy! Juuichi is being released in less then 2 weeks. And to promote Morning Musume was a guest on FM-Fuji radio show, so now we have a preview of the song Itoshiku kurushii kono yoru ni.

The song is a slow sung song, but it still has heavy background music. Which is great for me because I hate slow songs. But as long as the background music isn’t soft, I don’t mind songs that are sung slow. I absolutely love the overall sound of this song. It’s soft and elegant, and upbeat at the same time. And Eri sounds incredible on her solo lines. I mean just really great. It really hurts to lose a voice as strong as hers.
The only actual fault I have with this song is, it’s only sung by Eri, Reina, and Ai. I mean call me crazy, but I though this was Eri, LinLin, and JunJuns’ farewell album. Not just another excuse for Ai and Reina to line hog. I do realize that this is the first preview of the album, and I should be patient. But I cannot stand that JunJun and LinLin are getting shafted yet again! They’re all graduating but you can honestly only tell Eri is. I mean she’s getting a new solo photobook, and one with the 6th gen, and she’s leading this song. It’s as if LinJun never existed. I know they aren’t that popular, but they get nothing? Nothing at all! Where’s the 8th gen photobook? Eri has had like 7 photobooks, LinLin and JunJun don’t have any and will never get one now! Sometimes I cannot stand H!P.

The coveted title

That’s right 4 idol groups were releasing on the same day: AAA, Morning Musume, KAT-TUN, and SKE48. It was inevitable that one would triumph over the rest. But the coveted title went to, of course, KAT-TUN.

From the very first day SKE48 fans and Morning Musume fans only worried about beating each other. A lot of fans seemingly forgot that KAT-TUN was releasing on the 17th as well. And of course after it was announced that KAT-TUN was releasing on the same day, there was no way either idol group stood a chance.
The Oricon Daily Chart goes as follows:

1. KAT-TUN – Change UR World
2. SKE48 – 1! 2! 3! 4! Yoroshiku!
3. Kobukuro – Ryuusei
4. AAA – PARADISE/Endless Fighters
5. Morning Musume – Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game


Yes, SKE8 did beat Morning Musume by 3 spots. So I guess in a sense they did win. But none of that even remotely matters. They both lost to KAT-TUN, so basically it’s as if they both ranked at 24. Even if SKE48 did beat KAT-TUN, it wouldn’t really matter anyway. It would only matter to the anti H!P 48 groups fans, who would use this as a way of saying their idol agency is better. Which is petty and meaningless. I just think it’s funny that all this ruckus was made that SKE8 would beat Morning Musume, but they both lost.