A New Captainist Era of Hello! Project?

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 her to graduate.

She is currently the longest-serving member in Morning Musume history, having shared that title with fellow 5th Gen member Takahashi Ai up until Ai's graduation last year.

The gokkies have always been close. Especially Ai-chan and Gaki. During the last few years, the fact that they had become the two oldest, longest-serving members together gave them both a personality that was hard to ignore. The most prominent personalities in Morning Musume since Koharu left.

So the real shock came when Ai-chan announced her own graduation and Gaki didn't follow suit. Most of us had been betting on the fact that the two would graduate together. I feel that most of use wanted that to happen. The idea of the two joining together and graduating together just seemed so right. But it didn't happen.

Gaki has revealed that she had considered it herself, however. But felt that, with two generations of new members just joining, she would be better waiting and then graduating once those new girls had gotten their feet.

But Gaki's graduation suddenly brings about an interesting new dilemna. The succession, if you will.

First off, who will be the new leader of Morning Musume? 

That's Michishige Sayumi. Which is an unusual thought, to be sure. She has built her idol career on a very particular kind of character. A character which made her popular as a member, but one which doesn't fit the "leader" image at all. So it's all too easy to imagine her not being ready to be leader.

I'm sure she'll make a good leader, though. Will she maintain her character through it? It's hard to know. But when Ai-chan became leader, I doubt anyone really thought she was ready for the responsibility either. Perhaps due to the fact that the Miki scandal changed her status in the group from being a regular member, to sub-leader and then on to being leader in only the space of a couple weeks. There are political coups less dramatic than that.

But she took to it well. And I've a feeling that Sayu will do so too.

But the thing that is a whole lot less certain is that unofficial title of "Queen of H!P". One invented by the fans, it is true, but one which UFA gave credence to during the Elder Club graduation when Nakazawa Yuko symbolically handed over the H!P leadership to Takahashi Ai.

That title has previously been based on rank of seniority, however.

According to Tanaka Reina's own interpretation, however, the Hello!Project Kids outrank 6th Gen Morning Musume in seniority. The Musume are older, but the former Kids were added to H!P several months before the rokkies.

Until now, that interpretation has only represented an interesting little quirk of Reina's personality, and her attitude towards her "senpai" in Berryz and C-ute.

But now it's reason enough that Shimizu Saki could become the leader of Hello! Project. She may be younger than several of the members of Momusu (and, indeed, Mano Erina), but as the oldest and most senior of the H!P Kids, that makes her primed to be the new leader.

And if that does happen, that make it the first time since the Elder Club graduation that the leadership of Morning Musume and Hello!Project will be seperate. And the first time ever that a non-Morning Musume member has held the title.

And then what does that mean for the issue of the "flagship" group. In the past it has always been Morning Musume. They were around longest (since before even H!P was), and had the largest fanbase. But if Berryz and C-ute are now the most senior units in H!P, then it wouldn't be completely unwarranted to ask whether or not Berryz Koubou is now the new flagship unit.

An idea compelling to many of us Beriwota. Though I doubt the Morning Musume fans reading this are quite so eager to concede that. And their arguements are valid. It has been a long time since I even paid attention to numbers like sales figures, but, unless I'm not mistaken, Morning Musume still maintains the lead on that, and as the traditional flagship group, it would be strange to transfer that accolade onto another.

But the point is that, with us now entering into a new decade, it might be interesting to see how the commonly held conceptions of the past decade hold up, and what changes we can expect to see in the coming years.

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Berryz to attend AnimeNEXT

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 wasn't too keen on the idea initially (and didn't even consider going to their Sakuracon performance for the same reason), I may find a way to attend. America has generally been in the realm of the darkest, most cob-webbed corners - and filed with a do not want sticker - of the "countries to visit" list that I'm sure everyone compiles at some point whether physically or mentally.

And yet, this time something appeals to me.

When I went to Japan Expo for Morning Musume, I had the time of my life, that is true. And much of what made it so was the people I was with. Team Awesome, as Lolli named us. But I still knew that I was a Berryz fan in a sea of Momusu freaks. I still feel guilty that JunJun thought I was wearing one of her concert shirts when it was a Maasa one. So what would happen if it had been a Berryz event?

I seemed to get recognised a great deal when I was at PJX. "You're Dran, right? I read your blog!" and so on. I also feel guilty that many of the people who said this to me, I didn't recognise either. Some of them I did know after they told me their name. But they put me at a disadvantage by recognising me by my awesome good looks. Well... you know.

Would I be more recognised in a crowd of Berryz fans? Would I recognise more people? Who knows. It's an experiment that sounds fun to try though.

And then there's the crowning moment. That which I would see Sudou Maasa for the first time in person. No thought has ever been so compelling to me. For 3 years now I've been referred to as Pope Dran of the Church of Maasa (a title I'm not all that fond of. Sounds too.... pope-y.) And yet, I've never so much as laid eyes on her. Does that make me qualified to be Church leader?

Oh well. The US is still very far indeed. A lot of money, which could be better spent saving for Japan. I have no idea yet if I can afford to go there, at any rate. But we'll see. If I can, it'll be just as tight-cut as it would be to go see Buono. More expensive, perhaps. But also further away. A bit like the sun and moon. The sun is 400 times larger than the moon, but also 400 times further away. So from our perspective, they appear to be the same size in the sky.

The convention will run in Somerset, New Jersey from the 8th of June to the 10th, I believe.

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Buono! Concert in Europe... again!

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 at Anime Expo, but the first would be Buono! And in Europe! I was determined to go.

Despite my parents insisting that I couldn't actually afford to go, I managed to convince them otherwise, and everything was booked. Flights, accomodation, Expo tickets. As time drew nearer, and our excitement grew exponentially with it, we were utterly distraught by the cancellation.

It didn't turn out too bad though. A group os us who had already paid for everything went anyway, and had a good time which became the first (and, unfortunately, only) Eurowota event. But even now that dejection in the wake of the cancellation announcement still haunts me.

And now that we have a second shot?

I... don't care.

It's not that I don't want to go. I do. But that sense of urgency that was there with the Stockholm visit just isn't there. I don't really feel like it's in any way imperative that I'm actually there.

So I'm not sure if I actually intend to go. With some pretty awesome book-keeping, I'm certain that I could pull it off. But I'm still holding out for Berryz to get invited to Japan Expo. It's a small hope, perhaps. But I know that if they do announce it after I've commited to going to see Buono, I won't have the money to see Berryz. And I'd be kicking myself from here to Calais if that happened.

Who knows. Maybe I'm holding out for something that will never happen. Maybe I'm a fool to do so.

It's still possible that I'll attend this concert. After all, I was initially very indifferent towards the idea of going to see Morning Musume at PJX. But when I did go I had a great time. Most fun I've ever had, if I'm honest. But at present, I'm very much sitting on the fence with this.

That said, for those of you who aren't sat on the fence, it's set to take place on the 12th of February, at Le Machine du Moulin Rouge, at the heart of Paris' entertainment districts.

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Berryz Koubou "Heroine ni Narou ka?" PV

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 it count as a controversy?) seems unavoidable. The parallels between those solo close up shots and Lady Gaga's own music video run so closely that one might forgive you for actually thinking they came from the same place. I'm not sure what was going through UFW's mind when they created it, but I'm sure plaigerism wasn't it. Can anyone seriously expect them to be stupid enough to do something like that and expect everyone to not notice? No. Some people may give them a hard time for their apparant foolishness, but they are a business which has been going (in one form or another) for decades. It takes a certain degree of intelligence to run a business like that, and that certainly wouldn't be on par with the intelligence required. 

Anyway, that aside, the PV turned out to be pretty decent. The dance shot and story parts of the PV proved to be interesting, with sexy outfits all round - especially Maasa. There was a brief debate (or rather an exchange of views) on the dance shot earlier in #wotachat. It seems Magatsu17 didn't really like the PV because of the dance shot and his inability to see it. And I guess it sort of makes sense. They aren't very well lit, and they are all dressed in black. But it did give the dance shot an interesting vibe. And with the crazy light show going on in the background, it was like watching a rave inside TRON. I think it was also intended to contrast the close up version with the Lady Gaga wigs as it jumps from dark to light and back again.

The song itself is really catchy, though something I'd more expect from C-ute than I would from Berryz. There's a fairly decent distibution of lines for those that care about such things and each girl does a fantastic job performing it.

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Berryz to resume blogging!

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, and no doubt lasting for the length of the upcomming concert tour, the blogs will return.

For the first week or so, I translated Maasa's blog as best as I could, after promising to do so for the last year or so, and reiterating that promise as recent as 3 or 4 days before the blogs were announced. But it quickly became too much for me. She typically blogs 3-4 times per day, it seems, and I was having a lot of trouble with the writing style and trying to work out exactly what was being said. So, after a build up of a lot of stress over something so trivial, I dropped the translations and focused on the Light Novel no Tanoshii Kakikata blog. I probably won't be doing any translating of blogs this time around. But I'll still read my favourite members' blogs as best I can.

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Berryz Koubou to release 7th Anniversary PB

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 glance over how each member has chnaged in the past 7 years in a trip down memory lane for everyone. I have a feeling that seeing these pictures again will evoke just as many memories among us fans as it will among the girls themselves. 

That said, I hope we get to see the girls' reactions upon seeing the photobook for the first time. How they react to those old pictures of themselves and eachother will prove to be a very interesting watch. And I hope UFA have the foresight to have cameras on hand when it's first shown to the girls.

Aside from that, there will also be interviews where the girls will, presumably, talk about their 7 years in Berryz (and 9 in Hello! Project). Perhaps retelling an anecdote or two. It will also, assuredly, provide us with some information on where Berryz hope to be in the future. 

I think that this is a vital PB for Berryz fans, both new and old. But it probably won't hold much interest for anyone else. Judging from the information we have been provided already, it's unlikely to catch the attention of a random punter off the street.

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Miyabi gets a Solo DVD!

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 with everyone saying "after Ai-chan's announcement last week, I wonder what horrible news awaits us this week". I said, "They'll announce Miya's 2nd PB," mostly to lighten the tone of the conversation, and also because it was the potential news that I most wanted to hear.

The funny part is that, upon making the prediction, the others dismissed the idea almost immediately. "She probably doesn't want a PB," they said. That's reasoning I've heard before. The Captainists have been saying that for years in an attempt to explain why their Idol doesn't have a PB. And yet the announcement came then too, proving all of the naysayers wrong.

While there hasn't been a photobook announced this time yet, it's still a very real possibility. Captain's solo DVD was also announced prior to the photobook. It used to be the normal order of things. It's only fairly recently that they switched them up whereby photobooks were starting to get announced first. So, I'm pretty certain that the PB will be announced over the next week or two. And if it isn't, you can hold my words against me.

We have been gifted a brief preview the solo DVD, however. It's far shorter than anything we could have hoped for, but I know perfectly fine that for fans of an Idol, even the smallest of videos and news bytes become the most significant stories in the world. And I'm certain that this news deserves nothing less than such treatment.

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Berryz Koubou's 6th Album "6th Osakebi"

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 dark covers, they look great. But they aren't eyecatching enough. Are these covers eyecatching? Pastel colours and cute girls? I suppose they could have done worse. In fact, this is one of those CDs where I find that I actually prefer the regular edition's cover. Which is a shame, because I never buy the regular. I always go for the limited edition where possible. Something about it being limited edition draws me to it. I just like the idea that in 10 years I'll have a copy and these will be difficult to find. Or they will in my mind anyway.

Is it just me, though, or does UFA insist on giving the girls those god-awful bows at every opportunity. They were something of a signiture of Tsuji Nozomi's before, and now they keep giving them out to everyone. Chinami and Miyabi this time around. Does anyone actually like those? Answers on a postcard.

Anyway, onto the music!

Otakebi Boy WAO! / Berryz Koubou

First song on the album just happens to be the first song from the new single. The best word to describe this song is "POWER". Everything about it reflects this theme. The singing, the guitars, the PV. Everyone sings at a low register, the one everyone seems to be talking about is Risako, who (and I hate to let this word become a cliché) sings powerfully throughout. In fact, the song reminds me alot of Morning Musume Otome-gumi. The songs are very different, but the feel of the songs are not too dissimiliar. But here, even Momoko manages to hit the low notes, which is no small feat, considering her normal voice. And the PV is simply epic. It has everything. Pink camoflauge, explosions, fire and lightning, Maasa roundhouse kicking AKB48's Atsuko Maeda (though I may have made one of those up). An epic video. An epic song. An epic start to an epic single and album.

Rival / Berryz Koubou

Rival. I'm in the minority with this one. It's a good song. But I'm from the small group who thought it wasn't as good as it's partner. More on that later though. This song, despite me preferring the other one, is still really good. The rock-ey guitar riffs and vocals make this one an incredibly catchy song. The PV is fine. But overall, the song is one of the more forgettable ones.

Ryuusei Boy / Berryz Koubou

This was an instant favourite. More recently Watashi no Mirai no Danna-sama has become my preference from that single, but it took longer for Danna-sama to grow on me. I liked this one from first listen. Only trouble was that everyone else was talking about this single for 2 months before I finally got to hear it. I never listen to previews. I generally wait for the PVs to come out before giving singles a listen. But this time I had opted to save it. I felt it was a show of my own dedication as a fan to not only buy it without listening to it (which I've done a few times before), but to not listen to it until I had my copy and could stick it in my CD player. But due to extreme delays with the delivery (4 weeks after it shipped and I still hadn't gotten it) I didn't get to hear it til much later than the rest of the world. I picked a fine time to challenge myself. But it became like Lent or something. I managed to resist the urge to listen to it "early", which was at some points unbearable, and heard the single and loved it when it finally arrived. The dance shot version of the PV, which was included in my LE, looked so awesome that it tipped the scales and this became a new favourite song of mine. The dance, the costumes, the special effects. The catchy vocals. Every time I hear it I feel the need to get up and dance and sing along with it. 

Ai ni wa Ai desho / Momoko & Miyabi

Wonderful rock song. Miyabi and Momoko have had lots of practice at this kind of music with Buono! and I can't wait to see how this song looks in concert. I can already imagine some of the dance in my head. But I really want to see if it's anything like how I imagine. While their characters aren't quite as compatible, Momoko and Miyabi have voices that compliment eachother rather well as well as the guitar solos. In short, it's the perfect song for these two, and wouldn't have been anywhere near as good had it been given to anyone else.

Seishun Bus Guide / Berryz Koubou

This is the song I liked so much better than Rival. I've actually already blogged about this one before, so I'll keep this short. But the song was catchy. The costumes were awesome. And most importantly, I loved the video. I've heard alot of people claim that it was awful. But I don't think they could be more wrong. The video had a cute bus guide and the Berryz girls pretending to be schoolboys fawning over her? The whole thing was hillarious. Not to mention the fact that the bus somehow managed to achieve warp speed. 

Kimi no Tomodachi / Berryz Koubou

The first ballad of the album. It's a nice song. Risako seems to take point this time. What I find really interesting about this song is that during the chorus parts it kind of speeds up. The drum becomes more prominent and the singing speeds up, which then leads into a monologue by Risako. Also, is it just me, or has friendship been a reccuring theme recently? Ever since Dakishimete, I think.

Ground Demo Rouka Demo Medatsu Kimi / Maasa & Yurina

I must admit here, I'm inclined to love this song even before I hear it. Maasa and Yurina happen to be my two favourite Hello!Project members, and we haven't had the two of them singing together like this since Omoitattara Kichidesse! which also featured Chinami. This song lives up to expectations. It's split into two halves, where Yurina takes point at the start, and then halfway through it switches to Maasa. The two girls are a natural choice to put together. Maasa and Yurina are best friends, and they both have similiarly low voices. I love seeing them together, I love hearing them together. Admitadly, I doubt it will replace Omoitattara Kichidesse! as one of my top songs, but it's not trailing too far behind. It's just that that song was catchier and slightly funner.

Tomodachi wa Tomodachi Nanda / Berryz Koubou

Here we reach the epitomé of this "tomadachi" theme. The song itself isn't at all dissimiliar to Rival. It makes use of the same kind of rhythmic singing. Of course, this song is better than Rival. The song is catchier, the mere mention of the name causes me to start singing the chorus, and the lines are more even. All of the girls get a chance to sing a solo "section". The video reminds me somewhat of Buono!'s PVs like Kiss!Kiss!Kiss! and Take it Easy!. There's something of a plot to it. All of the girls are sitting having fun, but gradually all of them leave to do other things and Momoko is left on her own. But just as the loneliness kicks in, friendship wins out and everyone returns. Perhaps the most mainstream song Berryz have released ever. It combines a fresh, original PV with a great tune.

Kibou no Yoru / Berryz Koubou

Our second ballad. This one is a far more traditional ballad than Kimi no Tomodachi. It's somwhat akin to Sonosubete no Ai ni, and in my opinion, is a much more mainstream ballad. I doubt it'd sell very well as a single A-side. But as a song it's excellent, and would make an excellent VN theme. One of my favourites. It's not depressing, but a slow and uplifting love song. Once again, I feel like Risako takes point in this, but she's always been the best ballad singer in Berryz. If, like me, you are a fan of ballads I imagine you will love it. If not, I hope you give it a listen and find something to enjoy in it, because it's a wonderful track.

Dakishimete Dakishimete / Berryz Koubou

I believe this one took me slightly longer to get to really like than some of the other songs. I wasn't really sure about the dance music or the crazy techno video for it - in fact the video was my main problem at first. I didn't really like Maasa's costume (though Captain's was awesome), and this was around the time that Chinami started wearing her makeup alot thicker, which I still don't really like. But over time I've kind of accepted it as one of the better Berryz singles. Once you've heard it a few times, and tried to dance along, you quickly forget about whatever you didn't like about it and simply enjoy it. It's not exactly a musical masterpiece, but that's the key - it's one of the most fun songs on the album to listen to.

Yakimochi wo kudasai! / Saki, Chinami & Risako

This song starts off slightly boring, but by about halfway through you really start to enjoy it. It's kind of fun, and the tempo is just about right. Wonderful performances from all of the girls involved. And I am noticing that Captain gets her fair share of lines in this song, a feature that is unfortunately missing in most singles these days. Despite being the leader and the oldest (not to mention the best dancer), Captain is probably the most over-looked member of Berryz. She never really developed into a character the same way that the other girls did. So it's always great to hear her sing. I find myself clapping along the whole way through.

Watashi no Mirai no Danna-sama / Berryz Koubou

Even though I originally preferred Ryuusei Boy, it wasn't long before this maturer, sexier song and it's video soon won me over. I'm not sure what it was about it. The PV is decent, and formulaic at best. It's like a Berryz single trying to be a Morning Musume single. And it's not really something that compells you to get up and dance along. It's as danceable as a ballad, without actually being a ballad. But despite it's shortcommings, I can't bring myself to hate it. The costumes, the sexy singing by Risako et al... There's nothing really to hate is there? Maybe it's just because songs like this are rare with Berryz. We've come to expect this sort of thing from Morning Musume, so it's become slightly more dull. But Berryz typically do genki songs, which makes this mature one something of a refresher. It proves to us that Berryz are capable of doing different styles when they need to.

So, my final verdict?

Due to the number of double A-sides released lately (mostly due to the fact that they are performing for an anime now, and they have the money to make 2 PVs) the amount of original content in this album has suffered. 7/12 songs we already own. That leaves us with 5 new tracks. The old tracks are great and the new tracks are decent enough, for the most part, that it makes it worth the buy, assuming you are a Berryz fan. If you only have a passing interest in Berryz or prefer C-ute or Morning Musume, I can't see you buying this album. Or perhaps you'll buy this album so you don't have to buy the singles. Unlike 5(FIVE) which had something for everyone, this album falls a little short of the standard set by the previous album. But is worth a listen anyway.

Buy it now on YesAsia
Limited Edition | Regular Edition

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Berryz Kobo Live in Bangkok

 

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, anyhow. That fact evidenced by the fact that they are slated to perform at a 10,000-seating sports stadium.

As such, it would be wonderful to attend this historic concert. To support Berryz in their expansion into east Asia. And of course, to finally see Berryz live for the first time.

But this puts me in a bit of a predicament. A month before the concert I'm set to arrive in London for the 2010 Eurowota meet. However, that will prove so expensive that there's no way I'd be able to go to both. In fact, I'm not sure if I can really afford to go to London for the meet as I had set my goals on reaching Japan for a month around October. And I'm not sure if I can afford Japan after Eurowota, I definately can't afford it if I go to Thailand.

Thus, my predicament. On the Eurowota hand I get to see and meet some familiar faces from this year's meet again, as well as new faces. To this day I still think of the Eurowota 2009 meet in Stockholm as the best weekend of my life. So perhaps you understand why I want to go again. But by going to Thailand I'd get to see Berryz live, support them during their expansion and, as Cotton Cloth pointed out to me, get to see Maasa live! And then there's Japan... Well, that kind of speaks for itself. To live in Japan for a month, see concerts, experience the Japanese way of living, and hopefully learn to be a bit more independant in the process.

Then of course there is the travel itself. I love London, I've only been there a couple times in my life and it's a wonderful city. But it's still a very British way of life. By going to Thailand or Japan, I'd have the chance to see sights I've never seen before and experience a whole new culture first-hand.

Looks like I've got a bit of thinking to do, and alot of trying to balance how much money I have.

I'm trully torn.

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Chinami First Photobook!

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 in March we received news that shook the world. Sudou Maasa would get a photobook. We were given less than 2 weeks to preorder all our copies and get excited about it before it's release on the 11th.

Wait. All that sounds familiar. Isn't that what is happening now, six months after Maasa's? The dates are all matched up, hell, even the bikini on the cover doesn't look all that different. Sure, the colour and pattern are different, but the basic shape is the same. This is a copycat photobook! I'm onto your plan, Chinami! You can't fool me.

And if history really does repeat itself we should have a preview on DohhhUP! of the PB around this time next week. I look forward to seeing weather my predictions are accurate or now. But assuming they are accurate. Would it be far fetched to presume that 6 months from now, on the first of March, we'll hear news that Captain is to release her first photobook? She is the 3rd member of the "back three" as it were, and the only Berry now without a photobook - and to be honest, the member after Maasa that I most wanted to see a photobook of.

Anyway, judging from the wonderfully colourful cover of Chinami, as it appears to have been called, I think we can safely predict this to be an epic photobook and a well worthy look at what Chinami looks like in a Bikini.

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Berryz Koubou's Seishun Bus Guide... Damn right!

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 am inclinded to agree with them, but I'm pretty sure that opinion will change with a couple more listens and I'll be quoting RadicalPatriot with a "This is the best song ever written" kind of attitude. Just you wait, it'll make it's way into your psyche too and then you'll be loving it too. PUFFY sang Your Love is a Drug, but this song is better than love and the withdrawal symptoms all that much worse... See? I'm starting to think like Rad already, heh.

But the best part of this single isn't the song itself, no, it's the PV that goes with it.

First we open with a shot of the Berryz girls sitting on a bus in, wait, those aren't regular school uniforms... They are MALE school uniforms. Well, okay, that's unusual. Other than that the first thing I notice is Momoko's face, which cracks me up no matter how many times I watch the start of this video. Then the Bus Guide speaks, with a shot of her eyes and then her lips, leaving us desperate to know what her face looks like. But first, the director thought we'd like to see what Miyabi's face looks like in a great close-up which then turns into the dance shot. In this dance shot they appear to be standing in some sort of starship bridge, with some floating displays behind them showing a planet and satelite (perhaps the Earth and Moon) orbiting it.

...And then there's the costumes. I dunno how to describe those. They are like Space Age stewerdess uniforms... In hot pants. I like the future already.

Anyway, we get to see the Bus Guide's face and then the whole schoolboy outfit thing becomes clear. The bus scenes seem to be what the story in this PV is. The girls (or boys?) are all struck by the beauty of this random tour bus guide and spend the rest of the PV oggling her. This kinda reminds me of when my P.E class a couple years ago (note that for whatever reason girls and boys were normally segregated into different classes for P.E so it was a class of guys) got a pretty young (and hot) female teacher, we all acted in this way - I'm sure she abused this fact to make us work extra hard, damn that's an evil thing to do because it bloody worked. This PV is totally believable. Well, if you forget about the strange starship clips and the sexy space cadet uniforms.

But I started to notice one peculiar thing about the bus scenes. And that is how adorable the girls all look (particularly Maasa and Momoko) in those school uniforms. That shouldn't happen. They are supposed to be guys, why do I find them so attractive? And come to think about it, I used to say the same thing about Mr Moonlight. Hmm... It would appear that I am not quite so secure in my own sexuality as I'd previously thought.

So about 2:30 into the video, something really strange happens. The bus, er starship, goes to warp. The bus flys through the solar system in seconds and they pretty much treat it as if it were normal. If buses in Japan can do that, no wonder they pride themselves on a public transport system that is always on time. And it's here that something hits me...

Can you imagine a Berryz Koubou parody of Star Trek? Saki sitting on the bridge in her gold shirt, she says to Maasa, "Lieutenant, take us out, warp 6." Maasa would then respond, "Aye, Captain." And follow the orders. Why hasn't this been realised before? I hope this wasn't an idea they had to capitalise on the media attention that Star Trek XI has gotten. I'd never forgive them for such a thing. Okay, it's Berryz, so I probably would forgive them eventually, but my point still stands!

Well, I already bought my copy of this. I hadn't even heard it yet, but trusted my faith in Berryz to release something great. It was the same for MADAYADE and Monkey Dance, I bought both of those without ever hearing the songs, sometimes I don't even listen to a song until it arrives in the package. I've never been dissapointed yet by that tactic.

So, I definately reccomend that you buy this one if you haven't already. It's been great so far, and this is only one half of the single. It's a Double A-side, so it's gonna be good. I can't wait for my next YesAsia shipment to arrive.

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Momo Beach

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 more revealing than it really is. Or perhaps I'm just falling in love with Momoko. It will go down as one of life's greatest mysteries.

That said, Momoko really is maturing, both physically and mentally, I bet. Although judging from her week of Yorosen, she's still as insane as ever, but it was more of an intellectual kind of crazy... Ah, who am I kidding? She's a kid (albeit about a year younger than myself). Even if I convince myself otherwise, or no matter who hard I try to rationalise my thoughts, it's still the case. (laugh)

So, Momoko's Photobook came out in the last week, I haven't seen any complete scans yet, but I look forward to seeing it. Going from the previews, this is likely to be her best photobook yet. Makes me wish I'd bought it, but alas, it wasn't on my wishlist at the time. Oh well, there's always time, I did buy the Yurina PB a full year after it's release. I'll maybe ask Santa to send me a copy. Hm... Do you think Santa is a Momo fan? He'd be a fool if he weren't a H!P fan, anyway.

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Hello!Project - Stories of a Collection! [Part II]

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. Jingisukan and Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance. Argueably the best singles Berryz have done to date (although I do love MADAYADE). So let's talk about Jingisukan first.

Jingisukan was the first Berryz song I can remember hearing, no doubt I'd listened to them before, but I was still new to H!P at the time, and was still getting used to Morning Musume, I didn't pay the Kids groups much attention at all. But I do have a feeling that the first song I ever heard was Happiness ~Koufuku Kengai!~. But on to Jingisukan! There's really not much to hate about the song, it may be a cover but for some untangible reason, that made it feel even greater (and ultimately lent itself to the tarutaru mix, which I've posted about previously.) Of course, I was disappointed at the number of lines Maasa got (2 solo lines?), but she did get the best costume in my opinion. I hear you, "Dran, you old fool, all of the costumes are the same!" That may be true. But don't you think that it looks best on Maasa? No? Well, I think so anyway. And look at that cover! That's clearly one of the reasons the single sold so well. You don't have to have even heard of Berryz Koubou before to look at that CD cover in a store and think, "This looks pretty cool. I buy it and see what it's like!" The red, flaming background? The cute, smiling Japanese girls? I know lots of people who would buy the single just because of that cover... As shameful as it is to admit that.

Then there was the PV... Or rather multiple PVs. They were so much fun and so colourful. And seeing all those Elementary school kids spinning like mad wota during those wide-shots... It almost brings a tear to your eye. The next generation of wota, y'know? Actually, this raises an interesting question. I wonder how many of those kids were actually Berryz fans. And how many became fans after they got to be in the music video? Lucky kids anyway, regardless of wether they are fans or not. But my favourite version was the Mongolian Dance Shot Ver. I'm not sure why. I've heard a few people say it was the worst one. I guess the costumes just won me over. And the dance. It's simple enough that even I can follow it. How many of you actually know the dances to Hello!Project songs? Do you dance along? I try to, and ultimately fail every time. I've damn near got Kokuhaku no Funsui Hiroba down though. (wahahaha!)

Anyway. I seem to have been focusing alot on the visual side. So as for the song itself. The lyrics are insanely catchy. ("Jin Jin Jingisukan!") The melody will be hummed around the house all day. ("Hey brother, hoo brother") And you'll definately feel like dancing. Of course, there's the usual issues with the lines being spread out. Or rather not-spread out as Risako seems to get all the lines. Now Risako is awesome and has a great voice, but as a Maasa wota, I want the best for Maasa! Hear that UFA? More Maasa! (L-O-V-E Lovely Maasa-chan!)

Anyway, at the start of this entry I began by talking about Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance, lets go back to it, shall we?

After Monkey Dance was announced, I was looking forward to the previews with much anticipation. And when the previews came around, I loved it. I decided there and then that I wanted to buy it. Pre-ordered early, and recieved it the day after release. I, and many others, felt our prayers had been answered when halfway through the PV we see the girls in the infamous Monkey outfits. Those outfits sold the single to some folks I know, where others were put off by it and saw it as nothing more than a gimmick. But gimmick or not, it did what it intended to do, take everyones mind off what was essentially a very low-budget PV and make them just enjoy the show. If you get into the economics of wether UFA are spending enough on the PV, you stop enjoying it and start complaining about it. And Monkey Dance proved that even with a small pocket of cash, they can still produce something great. (Easily the H!P PV of the year, and if you're a Musume-Central member you'll know what I mean when I say that it'll get my vote.)

During the song Maasa got 6 solo lines. I kind of credit this song to the rise in Maasa's popularity as around this time, Maasa become one of the most featured members on Berikyuu! No complaints there, eh? And, even though Risako was still perhaps the center, Maasa and Chinami really stood out during the PV. Although Saki seemed to have been nerfed as usual. But you win some, you lose some. She did get more heavily featured in MADAYADE's PV, anyway. So all's well that ends well.

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What happened to Berryz Kyuuden?

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 make this month even better than what I hoped for last month!

Anyway. Last week, I was in London at the London Games Festival, went to see Video Games Live on the 24th. Sadly it was the only event I had the chance to go to, as my train was leaving the morning after. But it was brilliant. And if there are any fans of games reading this, be sure to come next year if you weren't there this year. I may post about that when they announce the tour dates for the 2009-2010 tour.

Anyway, back to the world of Japanese Idolling. As I'm sure everyone is aware by now, all of Elder Club will be graduating from Hello!Project next year. I was incredibly annoyed when I heard the decision, but after a couple of hours, I started to see that it's a great oppertunity for Hello!Project. With all of those low-selling obaachan out of the way, it makes way for a cleaner, fresher H!P image. And with Berryz Koubou and C-ute growing ever more popular, these two groups can benifit a great deal. Without having to worry about Elder Club groups, wota will have more spare cash in their pockets to spend on the more important units. The Wonderful Hearts. During the Second World War, Stalin purged the Red Army of alot of it's commanding officers, for greater control over the Army. That seems to be similiar strategy to what UFA are using, but in a more Corporate form. Purge all the Senpai and there'll be no-one to complain about how things are better in the Golden Era right? This is the Golden Era, I wager. Bigger budgets for these groups almost always results in bigger sales. And with Berryz and C-ute already breaking into their own Golden Eras... Think how much higher all these units can climb! The sky's the limit in the world of JPop.

I have so many new releases to buy too. But I'm broke at the moment, what with the London trip, and then some other things I've bought on top of it all. I've nothing left. I get paid next week however, so I'll have to order this years Wonderful Hearts Summer concert then, as well as MADAYADE and perhaps I'll throw in C-ute's upcomming single in there too. This year has been such a big year for releases it isn't even funny. I'll get my hands on it all some way or another. Also; I'm still waiting for my Maasa shirt to be sent. But Ohta did say it could take up to 4 weeks before he even gets it. So I guess he should have it by next week. I'll be sure to share a picture or two when it arrives.

So...

I'm back!

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Jingisukan Tarutaru Mix - New PV

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 is the center of the PV as she takes the most prominant place at the top of the stairs, and with slight alterations to her costume to help match the original song by German pop-group Dschingis khan, she stands out the most in the video, despite being stuck at the back of the group.

What I love about this one is that it has a healthy combination of footage we have already seen from the various PVs (including the Mongolian Dance Shot ver. which happened to be my favourite version) of the original Berryz cover, as well as some performance footage from the original german Dschingis Khan versions. Also included is some brand-new footage which is very simple and mimics the 1980's style of the original song and performance.

The dancing sheep that baffled, confused, and terrified us all also makes a re-appearance in this version, but this time in cartoon-form, which is significantly less terrifying than the old photo-realistic looking sheep used in the previous remix PV.

As for the song itself, I've already cast my opinions on that in a previous entry, and readers of this blog will hopefully remember the positive entry I made on it. But I'll say this, almost a month has passed this the single was released, and the song is as catchy as ever, and watching this PV will only put the weirdness of the song and video in your head for another 3 weeks, but it is still hard to fault such a great remix.

And on that note, here is the new PV.

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Yorosen : So it Begins

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 using) KeyholeTV may have been lucky enough to watch it live. If not, don't fall behind, find my previous post on Keyhole while you have the oppertunity and get the software (or anything better you find elsewhere). The broadcasting times are found above.

Don't read Japanese? Want to know what those times are in your respective time zone? Refer to this:

• Monday: Japanese (JST) - 24:53~25:00 | British (GMT) - 16:53~17:00 | US-Eastern (EST) - 11:53~12:00
• Tuesday: Japanese (JST) - 24:53~25:00 | British (GMT) - 16:53~17:00 | US-Eastern (EST) - 11:53~12:00
• Wednesday: Japanese (JST) - 25:13~25:20 | British (GMT) - 17:13~17:20 | US-Eastern (EST) - 12:13~12:20
• Thursday: Japanese (JST) - 24:53~25:00 | British (GMT) - 16:53~17:00 | US-Eastern (EST) - 11:53~12:00
• Friday: Japanese (JST) - 25:53~26:00 | British (GMT) - 17:53~18:00 | US-Eastern (EST) - 12:53~13:00

So. Now that you know. If you haven't seen the first episode already, and don't want any spoilers, don't read beyond this point.

It started with all of the Morning Musume members sitting in the classroom (apparently the theme of the show) at their desks chatting. When Reina, their sensei, walks in and a pretty sexy outfit that reminds me a little of the costume that Yuuko wore in the "Until the Bus Comes" skits. Anyway, she came in and introduced herself. And then proceeded to start sticking things on the board. Cards with text on them I didn't understand. This episode needs a translation to be fully enjoyed. And I hope someone out there will translate. Without understanding what is on the board, the meaning of the entire episode was lost on me and will likely be lost on alot of other people.

Please, someone, translate these 3.5 minute shows!

(EDIT: I've found a copy of the video on YouTube. | EDIT2: Replaced with working subbed version.)

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Berikore! shirts to be owned.

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 he'll have already sent away for the order.

I'm looking forward to recieving mine. And I'm sorry that this entry wasn't very interesting. But there are two pretty Maasa pics up above to keep you parasites happy.

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Berryz Koubou go head to head!

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 of anyone to even look at it with the simplistic awesomeness.

Surely, anyone who goes to see this play live will return home a changed man. And I envy anyone lucky enough to be in Japan during the 12 days that it is being performed. Now the Video Games Live concert which I'll be going to see in London on the 24th of October (anyone else going? Drop me a letter) seems pointless, and I've been looking forward to it for about 3 months now. Anyone want to switch places? I'll even sell you my arm (just not the right one - I need that one). In fact, if there happens to be any form of Handshake event happening at the same time I'll throw in my leg too.

I hear you. "Dran. What are you talking about. No play, Berryz or not, will ever be awesome enough to warrant limb-selling." Well, I'm easily hyped about something I love. And I love Berryz. And if the play is anywhere near as good as their 2006 play then I have every reason to be as excited about it.

"Which is stronger?
Which is prettier?
Which is bitterer?
Which is more beautiful?
Which is right?
But
Who is who?"

And for those that haven't seen their previous stage-play (shame on you!), I've embedded it into this post for you (you'll need VeohTV to watch the full video)... Right here:

Watch [MMIF] Berryz Koubou - Edo Kara Chakushin ~Time Slip to Kengai~ (Subtitled).avi in Entertainment Videos | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

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Kumai Yurina's Moon Diary

Yurina Kumai
Uploaded by artisttong

I 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 (and the other girls) looking quite young, and very cute.

It starts off with a brief interlude, stating that the OPV was made for the creator's sister's birthday. Then at about 0:37 begins the introduction. With a "Yutta Factory Presents" and a beautiful nightscape view of Tokyo all lit up. The image dissapears briefly for a nifty animation with "Kumai Yurina"'s name in both romaji and kanji, and the nightscape returns with the title and a large, beautiful moon in the sky that wasn't in the previous image. The music fades, and the OPV begins. As the camera zooms in on a turqoise book labeled "Yurina's Diary" the music starts. The music is sung as beautifully as the lyrics. I wish I knew who and what the song was. If anyone knows, be sure to drop a comment. I'm dying to know. Anyway, inside the book reveals some pictures and "memories" of Hello!Project Kids. As well as brief footage from some Dramas such as Hotaru no Hoshi.

We are given a message from the notebook saying;

"I will do everything for my beloved group
So happy for growing up with Berryz Kobo"

And we are soon treated to footage of Yurina with each of the other member's in turn. Showing them as being good friends. This is the sweet and innocent Berryz that I miss. Despite that. I do look forward to seeing them mature and Berryz becoming a different group entirely. But it's nice to look back on the old days with a bit of nostalgia.

"With all these wonderful memories
I feel like I'm climbing a stairway to adulthood
..........I'm growing up......."

Anyway. I'll stop there. I just pointed out a few of my favourite moments from this extraordinary OPV. And it really was. Be sure to watch it. It's now one of my all-time favourite OPVs. And if Yurina wasn't already one of my favourite H!P members, she would be after seeing it.

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Jingisukan Tarutaru Mix

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 amusing listening to high-pitched (Yes, the pitch of the girl's voices now border on chipmunk) Berryz members singing, what is essentially a song aimed at kids, and then Dschinghis Khan come in with their significantly deeper voices and finish off a line, singing their own version which is essentially NOT a children's song.

Keep in mind that dance music isn't my preffered genre of choice. In fact, quite the opposite! I'm more of a Heavy Metal fan, to be honest with you.

And yet, I can't bring myself to hate this remix. Because it is probably even funner to listen to than both the original and the Berryz versions. And Jingisukan happens to be one of my favourite singles (I have a copy sitting on my desk beside me at all times.) I'm pretty sure alot of you are like that, hating dance music and the people who listen to it with a passion, but think this remix is great. Who-ever remixed this deserves commendation and should be given an honour by the Emperor himself - and yet at the same time, be locked away for crimes against humanity.

This is madness? Nay. This is Jingisukan.

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