tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73341814332504387592012-01-12T00:46:54.059ZA blog by Dran for all the latest in Hello!Project and Japanese Idol news。 The blog mostly focuses on Berryz Koubou and C-ute, however other Hello!Project groups are also covered, as well as Japanese movies, TV dramas, etc.Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.comBlogger951100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-45733781168776759892012-01-07T22:32:00.000Z2012-01-12T00:46:54.066Z

It was announced a while ago that Niigaki Risa would be graduating from Hello! Project. Naturally this announcement was met by all the usual reactions from her fans. Though, and don't hold me too accountable for this, as I didn't give it too much attention, I don't think anyone found the news as shocking as other recent graduations. In fact, the shocking part was that it took so long for

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-26555369638388915832011-12-18T13:08:00.002Z2011-12-18T13:09:37.195Z

It's a strange topic. Kurisu from Mexican idol blog Hello!Wota once said that "Americans are not wota. Americans are collectors." Is that true? I'm not here to debate the distinction or the true nature of being a wota. At least not now. I've done that in the past, and I'm sure it'll crop up time and time again, but today I'm focusing on the "collector". After all, short of seeing them in

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-74334805189986610882011-11-14T14:59:00.001Z2011-11-17T13:23:59.387Z

Seriously? I can't believe it. Mere hours after I wrote "I'm still holding out for Berryz to get invited to Japan Expo" in my previous entry about Buono's concert in Paris this February, news broke that they have been invited to a tiny convention on the US' east coast by the name of AnimeNEXT. My dreams for this year are shattered. But maybe I can still put them back together. While I

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-1392903251792529472011-11-13T01:52:00.001Z2011-11-17T13:23:23.184Z

It has been 2 years now since Buono! announced their ill-fated trip to Stockholm to perform at the Japan Expo. Now, in early 2012, they're planning to make a second attempt at performing in Europe. Back then I was pretty excited. It was to be the first time that any Hello! Project group was to perform outside of Asia. That was big news. Morning Musume were set to appear a few months later

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-91098070253970902702011-11-01T12:02:00.001Z2011-11-01T12:12:45.454Z

This week the Daily Yomiuri featured an article about the potential for overseas expansion of Japanese pop culture, including a few comments from Takahashi Ai.  I felt I wanted to weigh in with my own perspective. The main focus of the article seemed to be an the apparent boom of popularity enjoyed by South Korean artists at the moment. While a decade ago it was cool to like Morning

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-67761988247814229712011-10-28T19:10:00.000+01:002011-11-01T12:21:02.574Z

In the aftermath of the Yuuka graduation announcement, this is something that many blogs (even International Wota - though was perhaps said with more irony than truth) said. Yuuka graduating = death of S/mileage. Is it the case? I really don't think so. That isn't how this industry works. If a graduation, even of a popular member, signalled the end of the group, then I'm afraid to say

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-91284101107481591102011-10-24T20:29:00.001+01:002011-10-24T22:11:02.751+01:00

A story published in one morning newspaper in Japan has just caused a frenzy online. It reports that 1st Generation S/mileage member, Maeda Yuuka, is set to graduate on the 31st of December this year. Apparently she commented that the wants to leave her duties in Hello! Project in order to focus on her schooling, so that she can get into a good university. It wouldn't be the

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-31033148413085303562011-10-22T12:51:00.001+01:002011-10-22T12:52:44.328+01:00

By now, we've had quite a few previews released of Sayu's upcoming photobook, as release bears down on us from less than a week away. The PB certainly takes a unique approach, when compared with other photobooks of Sayu's, or H!P photobooks in general. Interestingly, the PB seems to be quite heavily influenced by 60s media, photography and fashion, and such. Even the excessive use

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-22534325591724235152011-10-17T21:04:00.000+01:002011-10-17T21:07:23.285+01:00

This week we had UP FRONT revealing previews for Okai Chisato's new DVD, titled "Imp Girl". It's been almost a year now since the release of her first solo DVD, "Chissa~". And, although it was right at the peak of H!P's dreaded Image Videos, it still proved to be a pretty good release - especially for the numerous Chisato fans out there. It was one of those releases that we, at KIDS,

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-77416243511022282732011-10-10T01:48:00.000+01:002011-10-10T01:48:05.708+01:00

In this (likely to be final part of the series) entry I'll be talking about what happens after we've finished working on a project and release it, and how predicting response is near impossible. High viewership ratings is not something we aim for. I always use the logic that, if we were, we wouldn't be subbing Hello!Pro Kids releases. We are there simply because we want to fansub. However,

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-1884459386868766152011-09-27T23:47:00.001+01:002011-09-27T23:53:34.148+01:00

Every time a H!P graduation is announced, I suddenly find myself surrounded by the same cynicism as the previous umpteen times. What really brought the issue home recently was Ogawa Saki's sudden graduation, and with the recent departure of Takahashi Ai from Morning Musume it has managed to remain somewhat topical. What exactly is the issue? Graduations, and the motives behind them. When

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-6799307515018667142011-09-25T22:47:00.001+01:002011-09-25T22:47:17.207+01:00

This is something which I never understood before becoming a fansubber and, even as I type this, I'm not sure if you guys will understand it either. That said, it has been an integral part of my experience in this, and I want to write about it. I think I may have already touched on my personal experiences of it in my previous two-part series on fansubbing, so I'll try not to repeat myself.

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-66871734210576924692011-09-19T23:22:00.001+01:002011-09-20T01:30:14.295+01:00

The simple act of fansubbing can be a long, drawn out process. I've been involved in this hobby since the second half of 2009. I had dabbled a little in it before then, but only a small bit as I subbed performances under the name Berryz Kyuuden Fansubs, and then when I joined Hello!Fansubs' trainee program. But it was from joining ICU-Subs in August 2009 that I really start counting myself as

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-88695455492089604412011-02-23T21:07:00.000Z2011-02-23T21:07:17.083Z

Well, Berryz Koubou's new single "Heroine ni Narou ka?", to be released the first week of March, now has a PV which, it appears, has attracted very mixed reactions. I guess I'll throw my own into the fray. The PV is good. Like everyone else, I'm sure, my first reaction upon seeing it was "Holy crap, it's Lady Gaga." So let's get this out of the way first.  The whole Lady Gaga controversy (does

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-30208783648339273792011-02-07T15:02:00.003Z2011-02-09T18:52:04.862Z

Takekawa Ai is something of a rising star in Japan. She is a singer-songwriter who has been honing her skills with, not only singing and songwriting, but piano and guitar, from a young age and is now proficient in all of them. But at the end of 2009 she got her big break and was signed by Avex with her debut single "I WILL" hitting stores that November to both critical and popular success. Her

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-84100182015410162772011-02-03T13:38:00.001Z2011-02-03T13:40:28.989Z

For much of November and December the girls in Berryz Koubou began blogging to varying degrees of activity, which I reported at the time on the Church of Maasa. But come the end of the festive season and, more importantly, the Autumn-Winter concert tour, the blogs suddenly ended. Though they did remain online, no new posts were made. But it's been reported that, beginning around Valentine's Day,

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-54187944995120505312011-01-27T15:24:00.000Z2011-01-27T15:24:25.598Z

It was revealed today on the official Hello! Project site that, to mark 7 years since Berryz Koubou first debuted, they will be releasing a celebratory Photobook titled Berryz Koubou 7 Shuunen Kinen PHOTO BOOK 「7」. The website hints at what the PB will include. It will feature pictures of each girl through the years, going back as far as their very first Photobook. A good chance to easily

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-92226796618764263612011-01-27T14:21:00.001Z2011-01-27T14:22:38.746Z

For the last few weeks, there have been rumours floating around that Kikkawa was about to get her debut as a Hello! Project soloist, as well as some news which hinted tentatively towards that end, but this news comes as confirmation. Our fears have indeed been realised. Kikkawa Yuu will release her first single, titled "Kikkake wa YOU!" at the end of March. The single, set to release in 4

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-17492063657643986392011-01-25T15:05:00.001Z2011-01-25T15:10:08.692Z

Upon the creation of Buono!'s official YouTube channel, it seemed that the first order of business was the release of their newest PV, featured below. The PV features the girls singing, dancing, and working, in a garage, surrounded by horribly "pimped" classic sportscars - complete with neon underlighting. It's a horrible mess. But at least it's pretty clear what they were trying to achieve.

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-3823629165408662502011-01-24T12:50:00.001Z2011-01-24T12:52:33.573Z

Joining the ranks of Hello!Project artists who have gained their own YouTube channel are Buono!. As with previous channels, it will no doubt become the main source of Buono! PVs on YouTube, as well as many other exclusive video bytes and promotional messages. This is definitely a good sign. It shows us that Buono! are here to stay. But more importantly, it shows us that UP FRONT aren't as far

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-26793651883261718592011-01-18T14:03:00.001Z2011-01-18T15:33:39.676Z

The news broke yesterday that Miyabi will be releasing a new Solo DVD some time next month with the title『NATURAL & COOL』.  It was only two or three days ago that I was saying in #wotachat that I predict they'll announce Miyabi's second photobook this week. Turns out that I was pretty darn close. Though I'll admit that I was mostly joking when I said it. The converstation had taken a down turn

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-18825068156480385192010-12-22T02:37:00.004Z2010-12-22T02:42:22.211Z

ICU's pace of work gradually grounded to a complete halt, leaving in it's wake a lot of projects claimed with no immediate hope of ever being subbed, a group of staff members with suddenly no active group, and no motivation to work on the projects that they had already been tasked with, and many fans patiently waiting for those same quality fansubs that ICU was known for, unknowing about the

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-59375340752461067542010-12-20T02:52:00.004Z2010-12-22T02:40:37.779Z

KIDS are the latest Hello!Project fansub group to storm the community. As a group which, as the name implies, focuses primarily on projects relating to the Hello!Project Kids, we've done our best to pick up where ICU left off. While I had been minimally involved in the fansubbing world for some time before*, it wasn't until I was approached by The Incredible He-Hulk and asked to join ICU that I

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-2285152347731480422010-10-23T16:17:00.000+01:002010-10-23T16:17:14.781+01:00

The night before we had decided to head out at around 6am in order to get to the expo queue in plenty of time. And so that morning, Kitsune woke me up and said it was nearly time for us to go. I must have passed out pretty quick the night before. Don't really remember much of it. In fact, I still don't remember ANY of the journey back to the hotel from the restaurant. I remember being at the

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-9664658682538340252010-08-08T18:34:00.000+01:002010-08-09T18:38:19.224+01:00

It's been widely reported everywhere today. The Hello!Online thread gained upwards of 30 pages in posts in less than 24 hours. The usual IRC channels haunted by Hello!Project fans have been talking about it all day, and of course, the blogosphere and microblogging networks like twitter alike have exploded with the news. This morning, the news broke that Morning Musume would see the graduation of

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-66368207422254327402010-07-17T01:57:00.000+01:002010-07-17T01:57:42.384+01:00

So after showering and convincing Ole that we should go queue up (it was now around 25:00) we left and began walking to the Expo. It was a fairly pleasant walk, it was night-time but it was still relatively light out - especially in comparison to how dark I'm used to Scotland being - and the temperature had really cooled down so rather than sweating like pigs on the 20-30 minute walk to the Expo

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-68364488894479308602010-07-11T13:07:00.000+01:002010-07-11T13:07:47.081+01:00

I got as decent a sleep as I could hope for in a small hotel room in France with no air conditioning. In fact, so much so that I completely slept through two texts from -Kitsune- informing us that he was, first, waiting for us at breakfast, and then second, in line for the Expo. We got up around 8 and, after learning from -Kitsune-'s texts that the line was already pretty long for the Expo,

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-78583261883662934852010-07-08T16:16:00.001+01:002010-07-10T21:11:48.061+01:00

After a little sightseeing and meeting up with Brian at the Eiffel Tower, we made our way to the FNAC store where we found about 3 dozen Japanese and local French fans queuing already. We got there before midnight, but some of the people at the front had been there since about 6pm after greeting Momusu at the airport.  We sat down on the ground, behind a large group of Japanese fans and

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-33370273861225062172010-07-06T23:03:00.000+01:002010-07-06T23:03:11.614+01:00

As I'm sure many of you are aware by now, this last week I have been in Paris for the Japan Expo, and more importantly, the Morning Musume concert and events. This is my account of what transpired over the 5 days that I was there. The highs, and the lows. I hadn't even planned to go originally. Being more of a Berryz fan, I didn't feel as compelled to go as some of the Momusu fans out there. But

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-68417061539210668302010-05-28T12:53:00.005+01:002011-01-19T15:06:57.423Z

Ex-Musume Tsuji Nozomi announced on Wednesday her second pregnancy. We all remember the news the first time around. Tsuji was several months pregnant, and was getting married to Taiyo Sugiura, an actor famous for playing the titular character in children's TV show Ultraman. Shocking news, to say the least, and it caused her to leave Hello!Project on maternity leave at a time when she was caught

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-63774558722410665072010-05-19T21:59:00.001+01:002011-01-19T15:08:20.665Z

If there is an Idol out there who has really been catching my interest lately, it's that 14 year old Manx girl, Beckii Cruel. We on the internet are oft accused of being assholes with nothing better to do than troll. And when this girl got her big break after a video of her dancing to Danjo, a 2ch meme, went viral on the aforementioned BBS, I was shocked to see the news begin to bring out

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-40890673972391672612010-03-28T21:58:00.007+01:002011-01-19T15:20:52.039Z

So the new Berryz album is here. What do I think of it? Well. Let's take a look, shall we? First up, let's take a peek at the covers to the right. Regular being the top one, and Limited the bottom. The costumes are wonderfully bright and colourful. It's these colourful covers that make Berryz stick out so much next to Morning Musume and C-ute whose covers are usually pretty dark. I do like those

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-89465496026404125672010-02-28T17:46:00.001Z2011-01-19T15:11:56.080Z

Tsunku has set forth a rather interesting challange for S/mileage. If they can prove that they have a fanbase worthy of it, they will get their major debut. Perhaps the most famous instance of such a challenge among wota is when Tsunku offered to give the five runners up of the ASAYAN contest to find a new singer for SharanQ a debut as a group, but under the condition that they sell 50,000

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-72454556968027634082009-11-16T15:19:00.002Z2011-01-19T15:14:02.479Z

  Well, I'm sure many of us are aware now that Berryz are playing a concert in Thailand. Bangkok, to be more precise. This, I'm sure, is great news for many of us. Great news for Berryz too. It makes the second time they have performed overseas. First Korea and now Thailand, they are well on their way to becoming the next internationaly-recognised H!P group, it seems. Or at least within Asia,

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-8610354116939789652009-11-05T04:09:00.002Z2009-11-19T05:20:15.989Z

So I ended the last entry by talking about the different factors which come into play when we pick our favourite idols and how a member's popularity might influence that decision in order to make you blend into, or stand out from the crowd. I don't think most people go to extreme lengths to stand out and be different. If you stand too far from the crowd you are alone and scream "Hey, look at

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-78346101158694146252009-11-02T16:00:00.000Z2009-11-02T16:22:25.582Z

An interesting topic, to be sure. And something that all fans aspire to be - regardless of the hobby. Just as sports fans will try to prove their worth and show off their knowledge about their chosen team, we wota love a chance to prove just how well versed we are in the charms of our idols and their groups. So well documented, in fact, are the lives of these girls that it's hard not to pick up

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-37117340065520903542009-10-31T21:23:00.000Z2009-10-31T21:23:59.299Z

First off allow me to say this has been a wonderful Halloween. I've enjoyed doing research on and watching the movies that I have been writing about over the past week. Watching these movies is great, but it's writing about them that you really come to appreciate these works of art, I envy people who get to do it as a proffession. However, I'd like to appologise now for failing to meet the

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-77035898672195570822009-10-30T00:00:00.000Z2009-10-30T02:58:49.873Z

Another movie that isn't actually a Yurei horror, this one is interesting because it is the first, and likely to be the only, animated movie in this series. Good evening, and welcome to part four of Berryz Kyuuden's horror week, reviewing seven of some of the greatest horror flicks to come out of Japan in the last decade or so. This time we're taking a look into the  1997 psychological mess

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-80249241748046825682009-10-29T00:00:00.121Z2009-10-29T00:00:02.640Z

Hello and welcome to night four of this serial review of some of the finest Japanese horror movies to grace our screen. This time we'll be looking at another artistic film in which symbolism features prominantly, the movie adaption of Junji Ito's Uzumaki, or Spiral. Like many of these movies, Spiral soon went on to achieve cult status and garnered quite a following of both fans of the original

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-71661360597358353912009-10-28T00:00:00.087Z2009-10-28T00:03:56.720Z

Good evening and welcome to part three of Berryz Kyuuden's horrific tales and reviews. Tonight I'll be watching Hideo Nakata's 1998 adaption of the novel Ringu.  The movie was so powerful and well-recieved across the world that not only did it spawn it's own anthology of sequels, but the 2002 US remake was also well recieved enough to spawn it's own sequels, seperate from the original Japanese

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-20092321242365314962009-10-27T00:00:00.200Z2009-10-28T13:14:17.386Z

Hello, and welcome to night two of Berryz Kyuuden's trail of Japanese horror. This time we'll be delving into the movie Kairo, or Pulse, by another Japanese cinema legend, Kiyoshi Kurosawa. The movie was released in 2001, and served to provoke thoughts as to wether or not the digital revolution, which was well underway by this point, was really bringing the world closer together. This movie

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-34548240381326381822009-10-26T00:00:00.198Z2009-10-26T00:17:49.537Z

Here we are, about to embark on a 7-day Japanese horror marathon to celebrate the horror season, brought to you by yours truly. I'll be watching a total of seven Japanese horror movies, some of the most famous and highly-regarded ever made. 7-days, 7 movies, 7 reviews. This is Berryz Kyuuden's Yurei. Now obviously I'm limited to what I can do, there are many great movies out there and only

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-89346294044476890732009-09-23T15:44:00.002+01:002011-01-19T15:15:02.703Z

SHIDA MIRAI - the beautiful actress who I've recently taken a shine to. Why? Well, originally because of her striking resemblance to a certain other idol whom I have been known to worship. Sudou Maasa. I was first introduced to Mirai when a group of us began trolling the Download Festival forums*. At that time there was one thread in particular we invaded, their so-called "Post pics of

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-10285413966299965272009-09-20T16:23:00.004+01:002009-09-20T16:45:38.077+01:00

Another round of graduations, the likes of which H!P has never seen before. The Miracle Girl is leaving. This is too much. There's nothing left for me here now, UFA have gone too far and have doomed themselves and all of us.Okay, I don't actually think that, I'm just poking a bit of fun at Hello!Online who react the same way every time a graduation is announced. Koharu is leaving in the hopes of

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-51605910940520673362009-09-05T01:18:00.002+01:002009-09-05T02:12:24.024+01:00

Back in June, I got a wonderful idea. I wanted to join the Hello! Project Fanclub. "Don't you need a Japanese postal address to do that, Dran?" is what I can hear you all asking. And you are right, in order to join the Hello!Project Fanclub you require a Japanese postal address - something alot of people don't understand why. I didn't either. But now that I'm a member it all makes sense. More on

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-62022224334101772022009-09-02T14:33:00.004+01:002011-01-19T15:16:38.841Z

Is it true? Is it actually freezing over in Hell? Well, looking at this hot new photobook will certainly thaw it out! That's right, children. Chinami becomes the latest addition to the list of H!P idols to get a photobook. It's due for release in 9 days on the 11th. Her photobook closely follows a certain other member's photobook in the way it's been released. Six months ago, on the first day

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-72635884674191577612009-08-30T23:13:00.006+01:002009-08-31T00:48:15.834+01:00

It's been a while. Berryz Kyuuden's first birthday and my first anniversary in the blogging world has come and gone. My 10,000th visit is on the horizon. Then I have the Church of Maasa blog which has also gotten it's fair share of readers in the last 9 months. These are incredible feats in and of themselves. I've really come a long way. Blogging is a difficult pastime, and generally a thankless

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-1516942448974565552009-08-29T19:48:00.005+01:002011-11-07T16:27:58.937Z

Well, the news surfaced in the recent issue of UpToBoy magazine. Hagiwara Mai would be the new member to get her first photobook, and the 3rd member of C-ute to get one so far. Due to the very nature of this topic, I'm almost treating it as a continuation of my last entry on junior idols. I'm very much looking forward to this photobook, I'm sure there are others out there who feel the same.

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-55765099206242004332009-07-31T02:31:00.002+01:002009-07-31T03:29:41.304+01:00

Okay. So about a month ago yonasu did the first entry in his Wota Life series, where he questions several IntlWota bloggers about different aspects of their Japanese Idol hobbies to try and get a look into what wota are like and what these bloggers think about various issues and topics. It's an interesting read and I suggest you check it out and keep an eye out for future Wota Life entries. I

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-66841271267977334002009-07-13T13:22:00.006+01:002009-07-13T14:13:08.086+01:00

Maa guide us, it's been a while since we last spoke, hasn't it?So much has happened, so little time to explain it. But I'm going to start with the biggest news to hit me since the Miyabi scandal - Arihara Kanna's left Hello!Project.It was announced about 2 or 3 days ago on the Hello!Project Official Website. Within hours the Kanna thread at Hello!Online had gone insane, of course, that always

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-86761902447224042872009-05-26T12:44:00.013+01:002009-05-27T16:32:26.010+01:00

ヨーロヲタ２００９にストックホルム(The entire group, as present on the last day. From left to right: Jaargilon, X5-2000, brilhantes10 (standing), killua76 (kneeling),Ichigoproject, Julili, Pukovnik Krv, maoh, myself, sswishbone (standing) and Firren (kneeling).)Wow. Just got back from Stockholm last night. EUROWOTA was the most fun I've ever had in my life. And this is what I have to say about it.What is EUROWOTA

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-78671105719846762542009-05-17T19:05:00.006+01:002011-01-19T15:19:52.908Z

The full PV for Berryz Koubou's newest single Seishun Bus Guide is now available on DohhhUp! And I'm loving it. The song itself is pretty decent, fast paced with lots of energy. It's a song you can dance to. And after a couple of listens it will stick in your head. I've heard people saying that the song isn't as good as previous ones like Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance or Dakishimete Dakishimete and I

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-88177686876550644392009-05-16T00:32:00.008+01:002011-01-19T15:21:51.584Z

Have you ever looked at a Morning Musume PV and thought that you could do better? Have you ever wished that the amount of solo close-up shots were divided more equally? Ever wanted to be part of the giant that is UP-FRONT WORKS? Well now you have a chance to do a little of all these! The announcement came a couple days ago. Anime Expo and UP-FRONT have partnered together to bring us an

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-47255827171015472372009-04-29T13:39:00.006+01:002009-04-29T23:40:35.935+01:00

I wonder how this happened. One minute I'm minding my own business and enjoying my simple wota life and the next minute Liamers, of Mayuge Madness, has roped me into singing karaoke with his newly formed fandub group, Hello!Baka. Lets take a step back in time so I can figure out how I got here.Lets see. I think it all started over on the Musume-Central forums quite some time ago, when Liam tried

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-22088414467193757212009-04-22T22:35:00.005+01:002011-01-19T15:23:52.204Z

A few days ago a rumour surfaced that the Stockholm Japan Expo was going to be cancelled, and when the site went offline it made us all incredibly worried. Then the official confirmation arrived around mid-day yesterday. Dear Customer,Unfortunately we have to inform you that Stockholm Japan Expo 2009 is cancelled.There are several reasons for this, the financial change in world economy, severe

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-45055551052012897472009-04-07T01:11:00.007+01:002011-01-19T15:26:06.363Z

Okay, some of you may remember my post on the Japanese gore film Suicide Club, and more importantly how I talked about how much I loved the fictional girl group, Dessert, featured in the movie. Well, back then I wrote that I had been pointed in the direction of a real idol group who weren't at all unlike Dessert, that group was SweetS. So here I am talking, once again, about things outside of

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-84655546584800611212009-03-24T15:43:00.009Z2011-01-19T15:26:37.735Z

I've always had an interest in wota and wotagei. From those early days of my idol "fandom" I had a deep respect and love for the wota where others around me looked down on them as plain creepy. I respect them for the way they other members of society, both in Japan and abroad, treat them as though they are obsessed stalker-type fans. But despite this image they continue to do all they can to

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-54668101170642644562009-03-24T13:21:00.005Z2011-01-19T15:27:04.468Z

That's right. It's been reported that former Morning Musume member and comedian Shouji Tomoharu will be married this summer. Back in 2007, tabloid Friday! Magazine caught pictures of the two together supposedly dating. Normally Up-Front have managed to keep these scandals under wraps and either deny them or just ignore them. Seems it wouldn't work this time as Miki decided it would be best if

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-22374165569828038742009-03-18T15:15:00.005Z2011-01-19T15:27:51.097Z

Well, International Wota is now two years old, right? And that means it's the second Cake Day today. So this post is just to offer my congratulations to IW and the staff who make it such a great community to be part of. It's regrettable that I didn't have ingredients to make a cake myself, so unfortunately I don't have any pictures of my cake to share, to any cake to eat. There's always next

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-24797258578907207972009-03-16T15:30:00.005Z2011-01-19T15:28:36.628Z

Well, I'm sure everyone and their grandmother knows about this now. But I've been a little pre-occupied with college, and with Maasa's photobook news lately. And I wanted to talk about it myself. So, it's been confirmed that everyone's favourite 3-nin Hello!Project group will be paying us Europe fans a little visit in May at the Stockholm Japan Expo. This will be the first time a Hello!Project

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-87902601053656616762009-03-08T22:12:00.005Z2011-01-19T15:29:18.174Z

I don't often write about things that have nothing to do with Hello!Project, but here I am, documenting my latest foray into the world of Japanese cinema. Suicide Circle (known in the US as Suicide Club) is a japanese horror/gore movie which seems comparable with several other japanese cult classics and yet at the same time is unlike anything I've ever seen before. After 54 people all with no

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-16085113845677799162009-02-21T12:59:00.006Z2011-01-19T15:29:45.317Z

Maeda Yuki's latest single is bordering on release, with only 4 days left before we can get our hands on it, what do I think of her new single? I've been something of a Maeda Yuki fan for some time. Enka isn't something I go out of my way to buy normally, but I do love the genre. And while Maeda Yuki's songs tend to be more along the lines of Enka/Pop/Rock... I find them to be wonderfully

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-61828323355176548152009-02-17T21:10:00.008Z2009-02-24T16:02:57.234Z

I put my order for Mano Erina's new PB in last week. And a complete scan is now finally out on H!O, I've had a chance to check it out, and I must say. I like what I see. So I thought I'd talk about it.Before that though, let's take a few steps back and talk about Mano Erina herself, something that I haven't really had a chance to do with this blog.Mano wasn't really someone who stood out to me at

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-42422064772804766182009-02-10T19:47:00.009Z2009-02-11T00:38:36.365Z

A while ago I decided I wanted to give fansubbing a try. Then I realised how difficult it was, and gave up. But sooner or later I would go on to add (incredibly basic [read: crap]) subs to Airi's performace of Single Bed during Berikyuu! episode 126. (See below) For this task I made use of a powerful (and pretty expensive) piece of video editing software called Sony Vegas Pro. I found the

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-56482541454376700572009-01-29T11:33:00.003Z2009-01-29T11:59:33.701Z

The newest addition to my H!P collection arrived today, just thought I'd share the news with you all. One night Liamers and I were browsing the Yahoo Auctions, and came across a ton of signed H!P goods. Most of them were signed baseballs (a Rakuten Eagles promotion), but we also found this...That's right. A "photocard" signed by all 8 members of Berryz Koubou. I'd never seen this before, and I

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-6461120962942737732009-01-18T13:13:00.003Z2011-01-19T15:30:59.201Z

Some time ago, in fact, back in July or something, I came up with the idea of posting H!P Instrumentals to YouTube, and since I didn't have the needed software to create a .kar file, I opted to take the ready-subbed PVs from Hello!Fansubs. That way the vids already had the PV and the Karaoke effects on the romaji (+kanji), they just need the instrumental put in, and I have my karaoke vid! So I

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-83570772227839148352009-01-15T18:48:00.002Z2009-01-15T19:22:26.269Z

First off, my apologies for not updating either this blog or the Church of Maasa for well over a month. Throughout most of December I was bed-ridden with a bad case of the flu. But I'm back now, and what an entry to come back with!It's recently been announced that Kago will make her come-back with this new Photobook. From National Idol and MiniMoni member to Gravure model, Kago will be appearing

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-46643234249120932082008-12-06T21:31:00.003Z2008-12-06T21:47:24.627Z

This is just a short entry to keep you guys updated. Sorry for not updating at all this week. I guess for me it's been a bit of a slow news week.That said, I do have a couple things to report.First off, the blog now has a custom domain name, and can now be reached at www.berryzkyuuden.com. I'm hoping this will help my traffic as I get more return visitors, because it is shorter and easier to

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-75270983829728470522008-11-30T18:07:00.007Z2011-01-27T14:26:06.974Z

This news is a few days old by now, and I'm sure you've already heard it. But I wasn't sure if I actually wanted to post about this or not. It's hard to find words to say, to be honest. But I've decided to post about it afterall. It was announced yesterday that former Morning Musume member Iida Kaori's son passed away at 6 months-old on July 27th, 2008 due to kidney failure. Back in mid-2007,

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-53304796232823983202008-11-26T18:37:00.004Z2011-01-19T15:33:34.393Z

Before I go on. Let's just take a moment to enjoy that picture, shall we? I dunno what it is, but there's something so "eye-catching" about that picture. Nor am I particularly sure why I think it's so sexy. Perhaps it's one of those inner answers which requires deep meditation to discover. But I can wager a guess. Maybe it's the top she's wearing, which appears, at a glance, to be a little

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-68154940657162779212008-11-22T13:03:00.005Z2011-01-19T15:33:55.447Z

Well, I'm sorry for not posting up the rest of the "Stories of a Collection" posts (although is anyone actually reading them?) but here's an entirely new post, and not something I've really talked about in the blog either. By posting this here, I'm assuming that none of my family and friends actually read this blog. Oh sure, I've dropped the occasional hint, plugged my blog, whatever. But no

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-42867188175746895172008-11-13T09:51:00.008Z2008-11-15T12:08:05.457Z

So, following the concert, I'd been propelled down the path to Berryz fandom, and ultimately wotagei. And I had decided that my next purchase would be dedicated to my new favourite Hello!Project group. And my chance came when the Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance previews came out. I instantly fell in love with it, and the PV just increased that sheer volume of win.So I bought a couple of CDs...That's right

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-7177479785778308412008-11-10T21:50:00.011Z2008-11-15T00:12:27.947Z

Well, the 7th was pay day for me, and so the first thing I did was put in my order for several H!P releases that are either just out or bordering on release. Just thought I'd make a little entry to talk about the H!P goodies I've bought over the last 2 years.Well... I say 2 years, but I didn't actually buy anything until the start of this year when I got my very first Concert DVD and H!P item.

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-21854142410670599912008-11-05T00:12:00.002Z2008-11-05T00:22:12.727Z

Just a quick entry to tell you guys about the new look of the site.Some of you may have noticed last month that the place changed a little. Namely the position of the side-bar switched from the right to the left. This was just the first part in a (hopeful) number of changes being made to the look of the place. But now, as you can see, the banner is gone and has been replaced with an entirely new

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-24430921978137069082008-11-02T11:26:00.005Z2009-02-23T19:14:20.255Z

Have you ever been bullied? No? Well I have, and I'm sure most of you reading this have been the victim to (or cause of) bullying at some point in your lives, albeit at work or school or even at home.LIFE (or ライフ) is a story about bullying. The TV Drama was based on a manga of the same name by Keiko Suenobu. And it's not an average High School drama, in that this has slightly darker themes

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-68396954847756321062008-11-01T11:06:00.002Z2008-11-01T11:40:37.718Z

Well, I'm slightly dissapointed in myself, to be perfectly honest. Last month was looking to be my most active month yet with 6 entries by the 14th. Then I stopped. Even despite the ocean of great topics I could have written about. So I'd like to appologise to those who actually read this blog (that's right! All 3 of you!) for the inactivity over the last fortnight. But I'll work to update, and

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-16179740306776248612008-10-14T17:56:00.007+01:002009-03-23T23:57:39.632Z

"What is the future for Morning Musume?"A question that a lot of people are asking, and have been for quite some time. And now, without their weekly midday TV show, after it, along with Berikyuu, was replaced with the new show Yorosen last week, the question is more relevent than ever. These are some of my opinions and predictions on the matter...Yorosen could either rekindle that dying flame

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-42342644541207594052008-10-12T19:27:00.002+01:002008-10-12T19:42:47.871+01:00

Well, this is shocking news. It's just been revealed that former Morning Musume members Yoshizawa Hitomi and former Biyuden leader Ishikawa Rika will be teamed up in a brand new Hello!Project Unit.Hangry & Angry, named after the Harajuku gothic-lolita fashion store which the new unit seems to be promoting, are a very interesting unit. Not because of the members, as an IshiYoshi unit is something

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-90015953706177578712008-10-11T19:32:00.005+01:002011-11-13T03:19:39.628Z

Earlier I was recommended a look at a new Jingisukan PV by a couple of people, including shwee who said "Maasa is center". My friends know me well. Anyway, I've checked it out, and I love it. The old PV we saw before with the dancing sheep was weird, and it may have been fun, but it was in no way a great PV - not in comparison to this one, anyway. And indeed, just as I had been told, Maasa

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-5789023222800590532008-10-06T17:08:00.007+01:002011-01-27T14:30:04.630Z

TV-Tokyo 月曜～金曜 (Monday-Friday) テレビ東京「よろセン！」 (Yorosen) ※10/6（月）スタート！ 月・火・木 - 24:53～25:00 水 - 25:13～25：20 金 - 25:53～26：00 Yorishiku Sensei (Yorosen) has just aired for the first time, you will probably find the episode on Hello!Online tracker or on YouTube within the next few hours. (And as soon as I find it, I'll embed it in this post). Those of you who have read my post on (or were already

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-88915907917756066152008-10-04T11:16:00.004+01:002008-10-04T11:25:54.125+01:00

Well, I just put my order into Ohta's store for the shirt you see above. It'll be my first Hello!Project shirt and I'm happy it'll be my favourite idol's one. Although I was tempted to go for Miyabi's instead, for the sole reason that I liked the colour.If you're interested in ordering one too, you can find them on Ohta's store here. But be fast, if you try after October 9th it'll be too late, as

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-30828724083608340312008-10-02T19:40:00.006+01:002011-01-27T14:31:38.570Z

I've just learned about something spectacular. Something that will change my world forever. Berryz Koubou will be appearing in a new Stage Play in November. A play that, interestingly, has been titled 「Berryz工房　VS　Berryz工房」. Clearly such a confrontation, Berryz clashing with none other than themselves, would be so sweet - triple coated in a thick layer of pure win - that it would melt the eyes

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-27187933296108976642008-09-27T19:24:00.003+01:002008-09-27T19:56:57.912+01:00

Yurina KumaiUploaded by artisttongI just found this excellent Kumai Yurina OPV, titled "Moon Diary - The Power of Perfect Circle".This OPV is simply beautiful, there are no other words to describe it.The video, itself, is about 2 years old, so there isn't any up-to-date footage included. And most footage seems to come from the 2002-2005 era. So we get to see lot's of video and pictures of Yurina

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-85377547949306940522008-09-26T13:30:00.005+01:002011-01-27T14:32:39.536Z

Well, it's been out for a while now. But I haven't posted in a while, and this is a good excuse to do so. As soon as I heard the remix, I fell in love with it. It was the last thing I expected. I expected something a little like the Special Generation remix, perhaps. And then it started and I was left in awe. That song wouldn't be at all out of place at some night-club/rave. It's also somewhat

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-87502192004715056782008-09-18T18:42:00.009+01:002011-01-27T14:33:41.829Z

It's been a bit of a hot-topic in the Chinami thread at Hello!Online the last few days. I think I'll mention it here. There are rumours going around now that Chinami's cellphone has been stolen, either some one deliberately stole it, or she lost it and someone picked it up. I'll let you be your own judge. Anyway. Wether or not this rumour is true is anyones guess. But the facts are that several

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-78526968747698018232008-09-09T20:55:00.006+01:002011-01-27T14:34:17.300Z

I'm a little slow making this entry, I know. But I've had my hands full with my other blog and college work. So just pretend you haven't heard any of this yet! (*smile*) Anyway, Berryz Koubou's new album is out, and I've got it ordered (along with the new calendar - I was indecisive between the Berryz or the C-ute one - but I can't resist anything with Maasa on the cover). The album went up on

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-67668006326714144642008-09-04T15:03:00.002+01:002008-09-04T15:25:56.496+01:00

I recently discovered the wonders of Keyhole TV. A free program that allows people to watch LIVE Japanese Television absolutely free! I've been using it all week now, and I thought I'd blog about it here to share with you guys.The software is simple and easy to use, even though it's in Japanese it doesn't take any knowledge whatsoever of the Japanese language to work, or to enjoy. The quality,

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-26189194693092635862008-08-28T17:53:00.005+01:002011-01-27T14:35:08.815Z

Regular Edition: http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=PKCP-5129 Limited Edition [w\ DVD] http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=PKCP-5127 Single V http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=PKBP-5103 New Berryz Koubou Single. The release date has been announced as the 22nd of October. The Title, however, is still to be determined. The Single V, will also be released on the 5th

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-16253847883677336992008-08-20T10:10:00.004+01:002008-08-30T11:00:55.659+01:00

Well, there's good news and bad news...The good news is that I've just got the radio rip for the upcomming Gatas single.The bad news is it's awful. No, not the quality of the rip, but the quality of the song itself.The song is like a Buono! song that, thankfully, never was, in my honest opinion. I keep hoping for a massive build up in tempo and suddenly catch me, so I can get over the rest of the

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-67793067720434072822008-08-11T09:30:00.005+01:002011-01-27T14:35:39.206Z

The PV for Buono!'s new single (that will make 4!) has been released on Dohhhup! So this post is dedicated to that video - which you can find at the top of this post. The video starts out with the three girls sitting around a table in a darkened room wearing khaki-coloured suits. I guess this is supposed to create the look of a poker ring, and it does that just fine once you get past the fact

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-28090207408028084582008-08-05T19:11:00.006+01:002011-01-27T14:36:26.062Z

The new BLT is out today. And it seems they've already been scanned! This issue of BLT features Berryz member Sudou Maasa, in Side A, and C-ute member Arihara Kanna, in Side B, among others. As you can see, the pics are awesome and the girls are looking better than ever. I'll admit, I've yet to order my own copy of the magazine - I've been planning to since it was announced that Maasa would

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-19631433829618880222008-08-01T22:22:00.007+01:002011-09-27T23:57:02.345+01:00

CD [Regular Edition] http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=EPCE-5579 CD [w/ photo booklet, Limited Edition] Includes bonus photobook plus bonus serial-numbered application card. http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=EPCE-5578 CD [w/ DVD, Limited Edition] Includes bonus DVD plus bonus serial-numbered application card. http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=EPCE-5576 Single

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-64889157005751551332008-07-30T09:27:00.009+01:002011-09-27T23:56:35.184+01:00

The Japanese tabloud magazine, Bubka, has published an article (see pictures above) about C-ute member Arihara Kanna spotted going to the movies with Johnny's member Ryosuke Hashimoto. According to said article, they were spotted going to see Hana Yori Dango: Final together - a film starring fellow Johnny's member Matsumoto Jun. The article does make clear, however that they only met for

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-21376754249777988052008-07-29T11:38:00.005+01:002011-09-27T23:55:55.571+01:00

Well, it seems that the latest C-ute single, Edo no Temari Uta II, is finally out. Have you all ordered it yet? The song is really interesting, at first I really didn't like it, I thought it was a little too removed from their previous work, but I'm listening to it right now as I type and it really isn't so bad. It's still quite a mature song but does have a sound a little more consistent

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7334181433250438759.post-77896766626853644032008-07-28T22:18:00.014+01:002011-09-27T23:55:06.666+01:00

Well. Morning Musume's Spring concert is about to be released on DVD. It will be released on the 30th July! Have you all ordered your copy? No? Well hurry up! You've had over a month to do so! For those of you who haven't been following the news very recently, Morning Musume's newest concert tour DVD, which features footage from the concert held in Tokyo on May 18th, 2008, will probably be

Dranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113134272800009317noreply@blogger.com1