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...

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Kikkawa Yuu's Solo Debut!

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 versions (RE, and LE A, B & C) will all be different. With the Regular Edition featuring a remix of the titular track as it's c/w, while the three Limited Editions will each contain one of the three songs she performed at the Hello! Project Winter 2011 concerts.  Though I'm not a Kikkawa fan, I still herald this as good news. She is one of the more...

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Buono!'s Zassou no Uta PV

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. And, abominations against the world of automobiles aside, the PV is actually pretty decent. The decision to set it in a garage was a weird one though. I guess there's something intricately sexy about girls who understand mechanics. Despite the stigma attatched to people who work in such places. The song itself isn't the best that Buono! have ever released,...

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Buono! on YouTube

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 off the ball as one might think at first glance. Piracy is a major problem for the music industry, and there was a time when any music videos posted on YouTube would be removed for copyright infringment, but the industy (UFW included) are beginning to turn their heads and realise that such draconian measures never work, and the best thing to do is to...

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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...

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