H!P - Hello Non-Pro Hour

[Idol Flashforward] Idol Supremacy and Future Trials

2011-06-30T22:35:00.000+08:00

It's not fair, I was working on this piece for some time, thinking that it will probably never happen until the next 4 years. Goddamn, it happened faster than I thought. Now I will look like some idiot. What good is it if you make a prediction of something that has already happened?

Procastinating is my greatest enemy.

I'm referring to AKB48's move to create their own rival because they could not find anyone to compete against now. To be fair, AKB48 is NOT the originator of the idea. Hello! Project came up with this idea first, in the form of Dream Musume in which the current Morning Musume were instructed to say that Dream Musume are their rivals in many public appearances. However, their voices were drowned by the enormous marketing megaphone that is AKB48. So their Nogizaka46 idea was more widely talked about than Dream Musume.

So here it goes, in all it's unformatted and raw format, and under-researched. Before it comes true one by one i suppose i better post it here and now.
It is supposed to semi-fictional mixed with some possible outcome of our idol world in Japan.

Idol Flashfoward - 2015-2020
Hi! I am Kato Yuriko, for Bio Channel and welcome to Japan, the land of the rising idols.
Technology has improved in leaps and bounds. So has marketing strategy, the idol bubble in the 1980s are now in history book of schools and colleges. "Idol" is now an official genre on its own along with Pop, Rock and R&B. Idol music has its own unique music format and style copied all over the world, it is so big even Disney has ditched their bubblegum pop to pursue the Idol music style.

Idol music now has a special dress style that is responsible for creating idol-wear that is prevalent in the streets of Shinjuku and Harajuku, there are stores opened like mushroom after rain that sells idol fashion. Visual Kei fashion is not the only one having specialized stores dealing with special Goth fashion. In fact lots of Goth fashion has incorporated maid cafe and Idol fashion. Sailor uniforms are now a hip thing to wear, that in fact major fashion industry even used sailor uniform motif in their designs. Even Giorgio Amarni has their winter Idol fashion collection.

There is only one problem, the percentage of youth in Japan is still dangerously low, and the Japan government still has not found a way to increase the young workforce of Japan. However, with the insurgence of Idol bubble that has seen its prime in the 80's has encouraged many families to favor having more children. Especially girls. An Idol is now an occupation, as common as an salaryman.

AKB48 has announced their 18th generation audition, and their growth has seen no end in sight. In fact they have a rival in town, but they are also under Aki-P's direction, they are called JKS56 - Joushi Koukou Sei 56 or High School Girls 56. Seems kind of a moot idea seeing that AKB48 is already that. But Aki-P said that he wanted to have a group concentrating on school life, and graduation is imminent when the JKS56 girls reach 17 years old. So far they are doing good and their 2nd generation intake is already underway. As for the sister groups, SKE48 is growing really strong and there is talk that they will absorb NMB48 group under them ever since Friday has exposed that almost half of their members have a boyfriend on the side, some of them even smoked. Kago Ai was interviewed and she was quoted as saying "I can understand how they feel, because I've been there." Kago is now happily married with a Filipino oil tycoon almost twice her age. SDN48 is now disbanded due to their age approaching "dangerous".

Morning Musume has now separated from UFA and Hello!Project. A manager Mr S under UFW is fed-up with his company's laxness in managing his favourite idol group and decided to found his own company, struck a deal with UFA and transfered Morning Musume brand under his wing, with a brand new audition to set it up from scratch again. All of the graduated Morning Musume members are enjoying great success as TV personalities. Mr S plans to bring Morning Musume and start them from the grounds of the indies and hopefully one day be able to challenge AKB's stranglehold of the idol market.

The indies scene is now a booming phenomenon. For those unable to join the AKB army, the indies are the natural second choice, and most have been very content with what they are able to do. Dorothy Little Happy is now like the patron saint of indies idols, they are away in Hawaii and Beijing doing their tours but they are still aware of their indies roots. Which is the next issue to talk about - AKB against the rest of the world.

Like Microsoft's Bill Gates, Aki-P is now being sued by a coalition of a party comprised of the rest of the idol companies and communities in Japan for monopolizing the idol market. Aki-P of course, denied all allegations and claimed that there are choices out there but he has proved that he has the superior products. We will see the turnout of this court case, in the weeks or years to come.

The only one defiant major competitor in showbiz that did not join the fray to sue Aki-P is Kpop. They still maintain Pop and R&B as the music style to promote their talent is Korea. Kpop is now omnipresent in many countries including Japan, and are the only other genre to compete against idol genre on Oricon charts on a nearly weekly basis.

But now they may have a 3rd competitor in the works - technology. Scientist have now successfully created singing and dancing androids. Former Morning Musume producer and now an indies mogul Tsunku, is in the process of purchasing the rights to patent and become the sole proprietor of idol androids.

Next we will be talking about the other idol alternative - 4D idols, holograms that are touchable. Which will perhaps set another apex of change in the world of idols. With special guest the eternal idol Matsuda Seiko. I am Kato Yuriko for Bio Channel.

As you can see, the Kpop, MM and android idols parts are under-written. Lack of time to write it up. Perhaps a continuation is in order.
AND perhaps I will not stall my other parallel article and finish it quickly - "[Idol Flash sideways] What If...". We'll see...

Life is Demanding

2011-06-10T11:44:00.001+08:00

Blah.... real life is demanding. AND Country running among with politics, murder, sex and lies.
I'm ditching writing my own blog software for now. will jump straight to just usign wordpress....

AKB48 vs Morning Musume 9th Generation

2011-04-15T09:58:00.003+08:00

(Looks like my new blog is going to take some more time to complete. Posting this one here, will move it to the other side once it is ready...)

It has been a long time. A REALLY long time, since I last wrote an article of any worth. Life got in the way of a lot of things and I took a long break from the blogosphere. I went from being a young bachelor building his career and being an avid wota in the idol world, to now a married man preparing to purchase my very own apartment. Sure I miss blogging, but in a way (the break) was a good thing, because I was able to sit back and look at things from a different perspective. And gave me a chance to get back to my original music influences (you will know in due time, and I think you will be surprised) and take the simple joy of appreciating my usual preferences of music.

Have begun starting back my blog from scratch but in the meanwhile, have also been helping the guys in PureIdolHeart on the technical and coding side of things (Blogger can be a pain to customize). In that time, I began to look into some of the indie idols that PIH recommended on their site and found my solace there that Morning Musume have not given me in a long time. And there is, of course, AKB48. AKB48 has certainly gotten their big break, became a cultural phenomenon and there seems to be no stopping them. Their omnipresence is apparent in the streets of Shibuya, where billboards and posters are filled with AKB48 goodness whether it was talk-buzz, posters, marketing, merchandise etc etc, all eyes and attention have turned to AKB48 for optimum marketing, advertising and PR value. And this is what I am going to talk about.

(*Takes a deep breath*)
AKB48 vs Morning Musume: Continuous battle or evolving cultural phenomenon
There is this competition where fans pit Morning Musume vs AKB48 in a battle for the top idol superiority in Japan. I think it is a nature of fans right? To pit two(or more) top acts of their division and watch to see who has the upper hand. Like "Justin Bieber vs Jesse Mccartney" or "Big Bang vs Beast".
I have even noticed some that compared Morning Musume and AKB48 track record single-by-single. A futile attempt. Because in my observation this is a one-sided affair and a notion propagated by Morning Musume fans only... and I do not think AKB48 fans have even considered it, because in their mind AKB48 have already won. And may I be so bold to say that this "competition" is only happening more outside of Japan amongst western idol fans. Because in Japan, fans and media alike, both looked at the situation with AKB48 and Morning Musume quite differently.
To illustrate my point - On the internet we have "internet memes", cultural and popular catchphrases/words popular among internet denizens, where it will become very popular until it phases out in popularity or replaced by another. Example "Nom nom", "Meh", "Rickrolling" etc. The current situation of AKB48 and Morning Musume is exactly like that. Morning Musume was THE cultural phenomenon in the early 2000's, we saw them conquering every billboard, advertising endorsements, and were a constant topic amongst TV talents in variety shows. Now AKB48 has overtaken all of the mentioned.
There was a segment in a London Hearts variety show episode couple weeks ago where Morning Musume's Michishige Sayumi was posed a question about AKB48 in which Sayu in her usual narcicistic nature notes that the AKB48 girls are cute and that she likes them, however she stated that when compared individually she will win in terms in cuteness. Guest starring the show at that time was Ariyoshi Hiroiki (who incidentally hosts a TV show "Ariyoshi AKB Kyowakoku" with AKB48), who counters in a split second by saying that Sayu is "ugly" and that she is not in the current and certainly not the popular face of entertainment right now. Though it was all said in the name of having good TV, I believe he has frankly voiced the naked truth that not many have dared to say in the open - that Morning Musume is a thing of a past and that AKB48 has overtaken Morning Musume as the current showbiz buzz. The media Japan reflects this fact. Now, whenever Morning Musume was mentioned, they are associated by the press with past-tense vocabulary - "former national idols", "... who used to be the top idol...", "In the past,..." etc etc. The media has branded Morning Musume a thing of a past, a finished product, and will be used to compare any idol act that comes next. Anything else that Morning Musume will do afterwards would be no more than an effort extend their legacy and to keep their name from being forgotten.
So therefore this is a continous evolving cultural phenomenon, whereby AKB48 has replaced Morning Musume as the current "it" thing, rather than victory via competition.

AKB48 vs Morning Musume 9th generation (?)
However, let us entertain the thought that there is a competition between them. I have been strolling around the internet and from what I observed, even loyal Morning Musume fans have half-heartedly accepted that the current Morning Musume lineup (post graduation of Kamei Eri and China girls Linlin & Junjun) is not strong enough to take on the idol powerhouse AKB48. But it seems that these same fans have found renewed hope with the intake of 9th generation members to the group. It would appear that the 4 girls of 9th generation intake are the long awaited savior to give life back to Morning Musume whose popularity is fading fast. I have a friend who would tell me that in the Morning Musume shows that she watches, she would tend to fast-forward to the segment where the 9th generation girls are featured. (I think she must not be the only fan doing this). Thus the birth of this interesting phenomenon that I would describe as..... AKB48 vs Morning Musume 9th generation.
But are these 4 girls able to take on the entire AKB army and their sister groups? An incredibly impossible mission to burden these four young idolets. In fact the it is almost improbable to compare and put them in a competition this early in their idol career. Additionally there is no big transformation, no makeover, and no rebuilding happening with Morning Musume in the addition of these 4 new members. For example, when the 4th generation members were added to Morning Musume, the group traded their mature style and costumes to a more younger, colourful and elaborate costumes, to accomodate a whole new direction to new heights in their popularity. So how do we even begin to declare Morning Musume fit for a competition? With this we arrive to my next point.

Comparing AKB48 with Morning Musume
These are two very very different groups, idols as they are called but both are different in its style and direction. It's like comparing apples and oranges.
For those who still do not realize, AKB48 has its beginnings built from the streets of Akibahara in Tokyo grassroots style. And they were indeed local idols, like Dorothy Little Happy. But they did not gain their popularity overnight and has spent a many years to climb to where they are now since their inception 2005. Their early activities were just like any other local idols, appearing in stage shows, handshake events, street lives and manga shops. Their main income comes from selling their CDs and merchandises (photos, stickers, keychains, posters, memorabilias etc) at those events back then.
Sidetracking a little bit - There was a new and hidden discovery at that same time, which developed into rising interest in local idols, that there are potentials and talents to be harvested from these girls. One of the early individuals whom who has caught on to this, is none other than Morning Musume's producer Tsunku himself. Why do you think he started his company TNX many years ago and began appearing in the streets of Harajuku and Akibahara with his newly-formed local idol groups under his company and walking around promoting them in manga/game stores? Unfortunately for him, luck was not on his side, where a much more experienced and visionary Akimoto Yasushi succeeded in pushing AKB48 to mainstream recognition better and faster than Tsunku. His secret, in Aki-P's own words, was to produce AKB48 as a collection of talented but ordinarily good looking girls groomed to be idols but yet remain to be highly approachable and/or accessible to wotas. And the keyword is "wotas". AKB48 is tailor-made to accomodate Akibahara wotas in their songs and style. Their song lyrics borders on the near-acceptable levels of sexual innuendos and flirtation to gain favors from the social-depraved wotas. A practice that stems from Akimoto's production of Onyanko Club back in the 80's (e.g. OC's "Do not strip off my sailor school uniform"). The girls are repeatedly used to project subtle but obvious lure of youthful sexuality to appeal to the audiences. While I am tempted to stereotype these "audiences" as middle-aged otakus who have no life but star-chasing their idols, we should be aware that AKB48 also have a large following of female fans especially from pre-teens, even in Japan itself. But make no mistake, AKB48 still do base their suggestive and risque styles mainly to appeal to wotas. And don't get me wrong, there is certainly nothing wrong with what they do. Anime, mangas and games constantly portray their some of their female protagonists as large breasted and always displaying their voluptious cleavages at every possible opportunity. Coming from Akiba culture themselves, AKB48 represent things like that. Finally, despite getting their major break and national recognisation, AKB48 retains their street theatres to perform shows just like they used to do before. Presumably to maintain their high accessibility and as an act to preserve their "street cred", so to speak.

Morning Musume on the other hand had a different beginning. For one, the original founding members were selected from an audition intended to find a vocalist for Tsunku's rock band. So they were a Jpop group to begin with, not a pure idol group. It was not until the addition of later generation members that they were slowly being branded as an idol group, and their songs shifted from Jpop to idolish type of songs. True that in Morning Musume first indie single was promoted grassroots style ala indie idol methods through promotions and handshake events in the streets, but everything that came after were closer to a well-funded pop group. Morning Musume memberships differs even more from AKB48. Quite the opposite, rather than trying to recruit natural talent from auditioning girls, the norm of Morning Musume was to discover raw and totally untrained girls where they proceed to groom them into idols. If you the fans of Morning Musume who have been repeatedly frustrated and left wondering why some of the more talented and highly potential girls were not selected into the group from the auditions (where a few of them are not carving a good career in AKB48), this is exactly why.
The idea was to use these young girls whom were unfettered by the ways of showbiz and showcase their growth and journey to becoming a star as a long term reality show of some degree, thereby sending a message of hope to everyone - that anyone can be a star if you put your heart and hard work into it. Just like what they did with Kusumi Koharu's Kirarin Revolution and the 9th generation girls. And this is Morning Musume's charm point.

* * *

So given all of this information, although it is the nature of fans to put two pop acts into a "versus" mode, the situation between Morning Musume and AKB48 is not like that. I am inclined to think that the producers behind these two groups do not even want to go against each other. After all there is more than enough of the idol fans to share amongst themselves.

On a side note: Being a fan of Morning Musume for 10 years myself, naturally I hope Morning Musume will regain some of their magic sooner and be as popular as before. But I am concerned for current Morning Musume, for their laxness and complacent attitude. I do not know if the producers or the girls themselves should be blamed.
One thing to remember is that although Morning Musume is not at their prime right now, their CD sales still top all idol groups(except AKB48). But if this goes on, never mind overcoming AKB48, Morning Musume might not even beat upstart idol units in the sales charts in the future. Perhaps the producers behind Morning Musume are just content with the revenue that Musume generates(their merchandises still selling okay, and their sold-out concerts tickets still pricey) and therefore not motivated in expanding fan support outside of their current fanbase (consisted mostly of wotas, I presume).

As a fan of some of the songs by AKB48, I am also concerned for AKB48. Being in the mainstream for some time now, it seems to me that they are slowly shedding their Akiba style and becoming more and more Jpop mainstream in an attempt to appeal to audiences beyond wotas. Will AKB48 lose the support of wotas, and finding themselves struggling to compete with real artistes for the Oricon top spot? Or will they still maintain their Akiba style to maintain their charm, and perhaps bring Akiba to national acceptance? After all, no popularity lasts forever. It certainly did not last for Onyako Club, Tokyo Performance Doll nor Morning Musume. So neither will it last for AKB48. One can only guess what Aki-P has in mind to spur them on to several more years to come.

In the meantime, I must say that being introduced into the indie idol scene was a pleasantly refreshing experience. It is good to know that there are other fishes in the sea worth watching. Perhaps one of these indie groups will rise and become a new rival to AKB48 or Morning Musume.

A long post after a long absence. But thanks for reading this far. I am amazed.

Peace ( ^_^)v
jin

Footnote:
I have not voiced it out yet, but for what it's worth I would like to also offer my condolences and moral support for those in trying times in Japan due to the tsunami and earthquake. I have been diligently following the news and updates of the situation there. There were many fund raising and support by various groups coming from where I am, to help in the form of shelter, food and clothing being sent to Japan for the past many weeks. Go Japan!

Restarting the Old Rusty Engine (For the 2nd Time too)

2011-03-29T10:34:00.003+08:00

Hello, long time no see.
Life got in the way of things and so I have not blogged for a long time.
However in my helping out in the technical side of things with PureIdolHeart
, helped me to regain some spark. So I will be restarting the old rusty engine for sure and hopefully very very soon.

Will take some time to code my own blog engine, when it is finished, will post the link here.

Just so we are clear, and so that PIH has its own identity - Previously Gaki mentioned that this blog has moved on to PureIdolHeart.blogspot.com.
To be clear, PureIdolHeart is NOT an extension of HNPH. It is purely Gaki's brainchild and his very own project. It would be unfair to say take any credit from all his hard work, because he does have his own unique and exclusive writing and direction on how his site works. Give PIH all the support you can, the writing team has a lot more to offer and you don't want to miss a thing, for that I am sure.

Peace and hope to see to back real soon.

Stop 2

2009-05-26T11:04:00.002+08:00

Stop. Previous posts removed. Reinitializing soon. Am frasmotic to have caused any pericombobulations.

Stop

2008-11-12T12:23:00.000+08:00

HNPH is closed.

Berryz Koubou at 5th Asia Song Festival

2008-08-05T05:49:00.007+08:00

Hello! Project's very own Berryz Koubou is set to perform in the 5th annual Asia Song Festival. They are performing for the Main Concert and Eve Concert on October 3rd and 4th at Sangam World Cup Stadium in Seoul, South Korea. A total of 16,000 people are estimated to attend those two dates. Berryz Koubou as well as South Korea's Shinee will be receiving the Asia New Artist Award. Congrats to the both of them.

Some of this year's guests are: W-inds (Japan), Fahrenheit (Taiwan), Agnes Monica (Indonesia), Rivermaya (Philippines), and more. South Korea's own So Nyuh Shi Dae, Shinee, and Dong Bang Shin Ki are also set to perform, too.

ASF's Offical Website | Shineee.net

Real Life, Net Life... Aibon Life and Idol Life

2008-07-29T09:07:00.005+08:00

Needed to have this written down, to compose my thoughts and as a reminder to myself.

Balance. Who can find the middle ground for it?
Real life has caught up to me and I find myself in constant struggle with it ever since my change of marital status last year. Everyone wants attention from me everytime, everyone want SOMETHING from me all the time. And it is getting more and more each day. Have I bitten off more than I can chew?

Sacrifice is needed under these circumstances, but I grew tired of it. For some reason, everyone demands it of me, unwilling to make some sacrifice of their own. What have I lost during the past one year?

It was around this time last year that I greatly slowed down my writing because of the changes that comes with my marriage. Obviously, my bachelor and otaku style of living needs to change somehow. I used to spend hours without sleep on the Net, as if the Net IS my life. And it was. Modding and roleplaying my Baldur's Gate games for the n-th time was my life. Writing songs and arranging music with my guitar and Fruity Loops was my life. Manga and Anime was my life. And especially HNPH, it was my life and my life's work.

I have since pushed away many, many, many requests for help in Japanese translations of even more projects in Anime, PV and lyrics. (For those of you reading this, I apologies again.) I have since stopped reading manga and purchasing/downloading anime. I have since stopped keeping up to date with the Jpop world. I have since put my writing and blogging literally to a stop. At times, I find that I have lost my passion in whatever I have done so far and have contemplated of getting away from it all. How has this happened?

Interests have diminished for the things that I have utmost passion for. Following the developments of the entertainment scene had always excite and inspire me. What do we have so far? Wedding bells for Ayaka, Goto Maki shifting label, new songs for C-ute, Gaki-san and Ai-chan in a dorama. Yet I find no joy in things like this anymore. Started to look at the idol scene in a different and twisted way. I recount another one of my most passionate interest, in the one Kago Ai - Aibon. My love for Aibon was HUGE a few years back, even when she got caught in her famous scandals I am supportive of her. But now... I am not afraid to admit that I have not read her blog entries even once. She is not Aibon anymore, she is just .... "Kago Ai". A struggling celebrity looking for a comeback in her career, trying to find a balance between her life's challenges and making it back to the mainstream of people's minds in the entertainment scene. In a way, I can relate to her and her suicidal attempts. I have scars of my own in my left forearm to show for that. Sometimes pressure and dissapointments in life can really bring you down. But it is not about always about the people around you, rather it is your own life that you have come to despise and you wish nothing else than to put at end to it. I sympathise with Kago. She had it rough, took it hard and made it hard for herself.

However, again it is in her that I find inspiration. Certainly, the things that she has gone through in her life - broken family, pressure from work, pressure from public, the media - it must have been even harder for her, considering that she faced all that before reaching her 20th birthday.

Therefore, I see no reason I cannot do the same. After looking at her blog for the first time yesterday, I thought to myself - I shall make MY own comeback. Things that I resolved to do last year, MUST be done in this year. Don't have time? Make the time. The Merovingian seems to think it is possible. Hopefully and with luck, I will not be defeated this time.

If possible I would humbly to ask the support from all reading this post as you have supported as always. Perhaps, you may even have a chance to embark on this quest with me. Will let you all know more in due time.

Best of Love and Peace ^_^

jin

Gaki`s Letter to HNPH Readers

2008-07-24T15:37:00.004+08:00

Dear HNPH Readers And Supporters of Gaki.
First, let me say thank you for your support for me since I joined HNPH, your comments have given me ideas for things to write about in the future.

You may have noticed that over the past few weeks, my postings have stopped on HNPH and the article series, that I promised you suddenly stopped.

For sometime the staff has known and now it is time, that the readers of HNPH and those of you who my have enjoyed my articles and hopefully in your own way offered your support through your comments to also know ,something that I am facing in my life .

Recently ,I suffered some nerve damage to my hands that makes it difficult for me to write ,even now this letter to you ,is uncomfortable and at times painful to write ,so I cannot say everything that I wish to say to everyone at this time.

As my voice has grown silent in the past few weeks ,my work has not , I have been helping my fellow HNPH staffers ,by providing them content for the web site and they have been posting it instead of me .

I plan to continue with HNPH or what ever we decide the new version of the site will be called and on good days, I will write as news develops. On bad days, I will work behind scenes and allow others to post the days news. There are other things, which Jin and I are considering to help me complete my articles in the future.

I can not say when my hands will be well ,but I ask each of you to not feel sad for me ,but to continue supporting HNPH and our new site and to know that each day ,that I am able to post ,means one more day that I have recovered.

Manny thanks to everyone, who found my contributions to HNPH of value, I look forward to writing for you again.

Gaki
HNPH Columnist

Hello Darkness, My Old Friend.... I've Come to Talk To You Again...

2008-07-23T13:48:00.003+08:00

I guess this is what happens when life happens.

Due to things that are happening in real life, HNPH has been suspended and will have to come back to this blog for the time being. I guess life is getting back at me for neglecting it in the first place. However, I shall remain optimistic and hope things turn for the better.

Writing in the old Blogger software is giving me mixed reactions, as I have grown accustomed to the Wordpress software. Other than that, reading the old posts made me realize just how much passion I have lost on the Jpop scene when I returned to real life. Don't get me wrong, real life is REAL, and is a necessity. It is finding the balance that is difficult.

The only way to get me back on track, as with my style, is to go extreme. When HNPH is to be revived, it will be totally different and much better than ever. That is what I planned, hopefully God will agree.

How come, how long... Drafts in the Queue

2008-03-12T15:53:00.004+08:00

There have been some posts that I wished I have the time to write, but always I got distracted someway or another. Here are some:

- FNS and YTV charts; 30-11-2007 (No biggie, really)

- Of Leah Dizon, AKB48, Shokotan in Kouhaku 2008; 26-11-2007 (You all know this)

- Other variations of wotagei; 20-11-2007 (Yes there are others, darn cute too)

- Yaguchi Mari denying her alleged relationship; 12-11-2007 (For those who missed it, yeah she had one scoop but not big news either, since she is not in MM anymore)

- Hello Non Pro Hour Lost Months EP01-05; 31-11-2007 (Remember the time when I was missing for months, there were 5 episodes of blog contents that was in queue to catch up on old news while I was away. But time and wife got in the way.)

- Onna ni Sacchi Are translations; 02-07-2007 (Yes I am still doing translations, but now... now i am not so confident of squeezing the free time anymore)

- Bishoujo Club 31; 29-06-2007 (Found out about them while I was looking for info on Berryz Captain Saki-chan. A very interesting alternative to MM, NGP and AKB48)

- KiraPika; 11-06-2007 (Trying to detect a plagiarism act on LuckyStar manga ^_^)

- Relationship between Sky Corp and UFW; 25-05-2007 (The agencies from Sugiura's and Tsuji's agency. There is a connection....... i think. )

- Hello! Project Idol Life and Private Life Part 1 & 2; 09-05-2007, 10-05-2007 ( This series was actually 90% finished. But I forgot now why I did not publish it. Perhaps it was too spicy for anyone to read. This series talks about boyfriends of MM girls and discusses the meaning of Dekikon (shotgun marriage). Also included are my own conspiracy theory of what happened behind closed doors. Could potentially be a novelty piece. )

- Sukeban Curse; 30-04-2007 (I did not come up with this one. But this was too funny, XD)

- Morning Musume Alpha - Onyanko Club; 23-04-2007 (Yes, I did not lie... there is a follow-up piece to the Tokyo Performance Doll article. Yet this article went unfinished due to lack of research materials. )

- Sunday Girls; 07-04-2007 (Old Jpop lovers should know them. The fate of all Japanese act that invade Taiwan with little follow-up)

- Aibon - When did Fiction become fact 29-03-2007 (One of my many Aibon articles, which I am known for. This one talks about the many versions of eyewitnesses on what went behind the curtains of that "love onsen trip". The question is of course which one of them is true. Confession excerpts come from a Aibon fan-forum.)

- Morning Musume - Asahi Shinbun Interview 25-03-2007 (Translation from a newspaper interview)

- Psychology analysis on Morning Musume's body language; 22-03-2007 (Definitely pseudo-science. For fun only.)

- Another H!P curse - Newscasters curse 22-02-2007 (Ever noticed that one by one, every newscaster/reporter of H!P mock news segments like Hello Pro Wide and Hello Pro Channel are in some sort of trouble? ^_^)

- Are the girls in H!P happy? 21-02-2007 (Ever wonder if the girls in Hello! Project are happy what they turned out to be? Would they want to be an undying idol legend like Matsuda Seiko or a ero-kawaii and sexy Koda Kumi?)

- Michishige Sayumi - Unsung Talent 11-01-2007 (An entire article dedicated to Sayu, the true epitome and definition of a pure Japanese Aidoru/Idol)

- Berry Koubou - Healing Power 09-01-2007 (I was sick at that time, and listening to Berryz made me get well faster. I'm not kidding! Therefore i wanted to write a single by single review of all Berryz singles. But once again, no time.....)

There are more of these. Any of these of any interest to anyone?

I'm banging on the idea of plucking some of the old drafts to be published once and for all. But time... time is my biggest enemy. Real life catching on you is NOT something fun. I wish there are 36 hours in an Earth day. If not I'd settle for Earth to have the same length of day as Mars (24.7 hours), cos it sucks to have Venus' length of day (eq. 243 Earth days!).

(; -_-)b Voo!

LAUNCHED!! HNPH - Hello! Project News Blogzine

2008-01-20T18:17:00.001+08:00

After many weeks of delays, I have soft-launched the new site. H!P Hello Non-Pro Hour will now continue in its new form - HNPH - Hello! Project News Blogzine.

http://jinryuichi.com/hnph

The format of this new site is a blog cum magazine, hence the name blogzine. It will feature more journalistic elements into it and hopefully everyone will accept.

H!P Hello Non-Pro Hour will remain as it is, and I do not plan to migrate the contents over to HNPH. You can still come back and revisit any blog posts over the year. As such, I am starting afresh with HNPH, and I ask for everyone's support and love as always. Hope that everyone will continue to join me in my journey of discovering and re-discovering the wonderful culture and music genre known as Jpop. See you there!

Love and Peace (^_^)v

Delay of launch.....

2008-01-19T23:50:00.000+08:00

Sorry.

I didn't expect it to happen, but i was caught up with work, and has been chained to my workdesk and the customer's place for 2 days. For a moment i thought i was in hell.

For those expecting the launch, apologies again.

My time is up. See you tomorrow. Hopefully...

Launch Dates for New HNPH

2008-01-15T09:59:00.000+08:00

Sorry for the 2 week silence. Been caught up with personal stuff. I have a plateful of responsibilities and commitments starting yesterday. It will take a miracle to be able to take on them all.... but I will have to make it happen by hook or by crook. ^_^

I plan to launch the new site this Friday on the 18th January and the forum on Sunday 20th January. Mostly, lots cosmetic works to be done. There are some new features not entirely ready at launch, but it will be added as we move along.
Here are the URLs, I blocked it for the moment, so that the web-crawlers don't index it just yet.

The new site
http://jinryuichi.com/hnph

The new forum
http://jinryuichi.com/forum

My new personal blog
http://jinryuichi.com/blog

For those who are interested in taking the posts of forum moderators at the new forum please send me an email.

Peace ^_^

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

2007-12-28T03:12:00.000+08:00

I cannot believe I am doing one these "Important Announcement" now. Usually when we see such titles in Hello! Project sites we would cringe with fear. ^_^

In any case, here's what I wanted to say...

For the past one year, (Yeah, i have totally missed out celebrating the one year anniversary of this blog, oh well...) this has been a wonderful blogging experience. I have had a run at running other blogs, but this one has been the most active of them all. Thinking back, it has been Aibon who had inspired me to start blogging about Hello! Project, though mostly about Morning Musume in particular. In other words, as much as we H!P fans hated the scandals, it was through a scandal that gave this blog its life. Kinda funny, come to think of it...

From blogging in Hello Non-Pro Hour, I have certainly learned a lot of things about writing, and have dedicated to producing the most quality of posts I can. I attribute this to my participation of certain forum (for those who know me, know which one I am talking about) that encourages forumers to post quality messages instead of one liners. As a result, my love for literature and expression through texts have really shown. Gradually, I find that I became interested in the world of journalism and a newfound respect for it. It has certainly changed the way I look at blogging and the age of digital news. Recently, the participation of fellow bloggers Anna and Gaki have really helped in providing a different feel of input and I enjoyed every minute of it. I learn a lot from them as well.

Most of all, I have nothing but thanks to all the readers that keep coming back to read all the rubbish that I have written all this while. In actuality, it is the comments left by all readers that keep motivating me to keep blogging regularly.

As the famous Oracle (The Matrix) says... "Everything that has beginning has an end". The time has come for Hello Non-Pro Hour to come to its end...

HOWEVER....

I am proud to announce that due to the steady growth of Hello Non-Pro Hour, and in part of my interest of giving it more journalistic elements, I will be migrating it to a brand new domain, and subsequently be renamed to HNPH. Fellow bloggers Gaki and Anna will be joining me in this endeavor. This new site will include new features and cool stuff that cannot be done by remaining as a blog only. Plus, a new forum will be introduced, to provide more room for discussions instead of doing it in the comments section.

Will let everyone know of the launch dates and the URL soon. I cordially invite all of you to come over and continue the fun with me. Stay tuned, peoples!

No charge for the fright. I learn this from Ray.....(^o^)/

Peace (^_^)v

jinryuichi

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-26T09:10:00.001+08:00

Happy Greetings from us bloggers on HNPH!

This Week in Morning Musume

2007-12-18T22:15:00.000+08:00

This Week in Morning Musume :Edition #3

The week of December 10 to 16th continued December’s theme of not a lot is going on editions of this week in Morning Musume. The main national appearance for the week was the Best Artist 2007 show. The 2007 Best Artist appearance was another of the 10th Anniversary special medley performances, which unlike the seemingly rushed FNS performance, was the perfect blend of performance and symbolism. With an opening pose featuring the two faces of the present and past, Takahashi Ai and Abe Natsumi, to the closing shot of the two leaders Takahashi and Nakazawa Yuko kneeling side by side. As HNPH columnist Anna earlier pointed out, the performance left little to find fault with as an audience representing 30 artists or groups showed their spirited support for one of the standout performances of the evening. Outside of their weekly schedule and a cable television special, only one other national television event occurred during the week as Takahashi Ai and Tanaka Reina appeared on the animal themed variety show 'Tensai! Shimura Doubutsuen' (Genius! Shimura Zoo), were they mostly watched videos about celebrities pets.

Other news for the week
Outside of their weekly scheduled radio shows Takahashi Ai was a guest on Dreams Come True`s weekly radio show .The group are fans of Morning Musume as our a number of groups and artists and Takahashi appeared as a special guest . Finally Michishige Sayumi`s new photo book titled Sou Sou was released on the 15th. With Morning Musume photo books currently a big seller nationwide, it is likely that Michishige`s Sou Sou could follow the same path as Kamei Eri`s Maple and reach #1.

Related Video
Best Artist 2007
Best Artist 2007

Genius! Shimura Zoo (Edited for Morning Musume`s total air time)
Genius! Shimura Zoo

Haromoni@
Haromoni@

Notice: with only two full group events scheduled for the rest of 2007, the fourth edition may skip a week, return in two weeks, and be a two-week end of the year special.

Third times a charm

2007-12-16T14:03:00.000+08:00

Morning Musume already performed over at FNS 2007 and Best Artist 2007. The OG [original generation] came with them, so we might see them again in the 58th Kouhaku show. The OG aren't named in the list, so maybe not. 50/50 chance here. Let’s review on their past two perfs first:

FNS 2007
Not only were Morning Musume present, but also Aya Matsuura, Berryz Koubou, and the OG. Berryz Koubou was their backdancers wearing their recent costumes from their latest single, Tsukiatteru no ni Kataomoi. Aya performed first with her 2001 hit single, LOVE Namida Iro. It was a decent performance for them, that could have been better for many reasons.

1. Take out Berryz Koubou.
2. Aya Matsuura should have performed a more recent song
3. Morning Musume VTR
4. Morning Musume’s Song Selection

Here are some good points: They had nice and shiny outfits that almost made the entire stage shine on its own. Everything looked great especially Risa’s curls. I liked how one of the last camera focuses was Ai. All the girls gave awesome energy. I kind of wished they had some upper level for the fans and the artists on the bottom. It would have given a better atmosphere.

Best Artist 2007

This time it was only Morning Musume and OG. They all poured on the stage when they had their MC and came out with pink trench-like coats. OG had black accessories and Morning Musume with white. I liked how the MC’s focused on the leaders of each side. Ai and Yuko. Yuko seriously looked devilish there.

We get to see their popularity chart according to Best Artists information. The females dominant at the age range of 10. I give thanks to Koharu since I’m sure her anime helped in a way. Also, I really liked the MC presenting them. He was pumping the many fans before they started. Are you ready!!!? I can’t hear you!

I have more praises then dislikes for this performance. The only thing I didn’t like was their camera focus. Too much Abe and needs a bit more 8th generation. I barely saw Lin Lin, especially. For a few moments I forgot about them, when watching it for the first time. The crowd grew louder when they started taking out that ugly pink to a whole new and revealing costume. It was very cute how they were all running to the main stage to meet up with everyone. It’s nice seeing a ton of JE fangirls going along their performance. ^_^ Anyone else spot the person dancing along to Renai Revolution 21?

Expectations for Kouhaku~
Let’s hope they give a similar performance to FNS. Maybe they can add in Mikan? The song needs pimping anyways. I’m sure we’ll hear at least one old song because it’s still their 10th anniversary. I wonder what kind of outfits they will have this time. The designers must be exhausted trying to be creative!~ I wonder if Berryz and C-ute will perform with them. Like C-ute performs their song, then Berryz, and final performance with Morning Musume. I think the two will perform even earlier on since they are the newcomers and the other newcomers like Leah Dizon, AKB48, and etc might do some medley.

Best wishes to Morning Musume!

This week in Morning Musume

2007-12-10T18:30:00.000+08:00

This Week in Morning Musume for November 30- December 9 Edition.

This week in Morning Musume returns in it`s standard edition size. With the year coming to an end Morning Musume`s schedule is also slowing down ,in fact the entire month is scaled back compared to November .The only major news worthy appearances between the November 30 -December 9 time period was their tour ending shows in Tokyo and their FNS Kayou Matsuri 2007 appearance .

On the fifth Morning Musume and other H!P artists were part of the FNS Kayou Matsuri 2007. The FNS Kayou Matsuri is traditionally one of the most viewed ,single night year ending music programs in Japan ,with a line up selected by invitation only , an audience of around 27-30 million tune in each year to watch the nations top 28-38 music artists or groups perform . As with their upcoming, Kouhaku Uta Gassen appearance, these invitation only events signifies to everyone watching that you are regarded by the music industry as one of their elite performers.
With Morning Musume celebrating their Tenth Anniversary , this years FNS Kayou Matsuri performance was a medley with all current and active former Morning Musume members involved . Morning Musume`s Internet Program series for Yahoo Japan, Gyao and Biglobe also continued to air .

Kusumi Koharu who often appears on Oha Sta in support of her anime , made her most recent appearance on the 3rd. Kusumi`s anime is a major product producing industry all on it`s own, as her popularity with young girls who maybe a little young yet to understand Morning Musume as idols continues to rise . Anime has always been an important and lucrative revenue source for Japanese music artists and it is no surprise that Morning Musume, who are in a genre built on TV image and product sales over CD sales is becoming more active in that field .

Mobile Musume

December 1st Takahashi Ai released her journal entry. Takahashi reflected on the just completed tour as being the birth of a new Morning Musume .Takahashi admitted that the group had some uneasiness about making this first step in their future, but the staff and fan reaction quickly helped those feelings fly away.

For 2008, Takahashi says they plan to show everyone that they are not a newborn Morning Musume anymore, but the Morning Musume and that they are powerful. She also wants to continue bringing out their individual personalities and help everyone learn about them more.

Random News
Oricon`s special on Morning Musume`s trip to Korea and Taiwan was the 5th highest read article on Oricon for the month of November. Their Barks article series also ranked in the top five on their web site for the month. The Kindai Magazine featured Morning Musume on the cover and had features on all the current groups in H!P .H!P is a regular feature in Kindai Magazine. Finally, Morning Musume as part of their partnership with Nintendo released their likeness in Mii format for downloading.

Morning Musume Mii

This editions related videos
FNS Performance
FNS Performance

Oha Sta and the product business that is Kirarin Revolution
Oha Sta

December 9th Haromoni@
Haromoni@

Regular National Weekly Scheduled Programs
Morning Musume`s weekly scheduled programs are the same every week.
Television
Haromoni@ (Sunday Mornings)
Uta Doki (Airs nightly in a five-minute segment as a promotional ad)
Kirarin Revolution (Friday Evenings)
Robby & Kerobby (Sunday Mornings)
Radio
Young Town: Takahashi Ai & Michishige Sayumi (Saturday Nights)
FIVE STARS: Tanaka Reina (Wednesday Nights)
Say Hello Love: Mitsui Aika (Thursday Afternoon)
USA-chan Peace: Michishige Sayumi (Thursday Nights)
GAKI-KAMEI: Niigaki Risa & Kamei Eri (Saturday Nights)

Upcoming National Events
11th: Morning Musume will be on NTV 130 Million Choose Best Artist of 2007
15th: Takahashi Ai and Tanaka Reina will appear on a wild life educational variety show
21st: Morning Musume will make an appearance on Music Fighter
31st: Morning Musume will be on the most watched year ending show in Japan Kouhaku Uta Gassen

This Week in Morning Musume: Special Long Edition

2007-12-04T14:19:00.000+08:00

New Feature:
This Week in Morning Musume:
Special Long Edition.

This week in Morning Musume is a news recap of the weekly events in the world of Morning Musume. This week in Morning Musume will serve as a way to catch up on any media related events that took place in the week that was for Morning Musume .When events warrant special coverage will be devoted to the news.

Starting December 9th, this will be a weekly recap; however, this is a special extra long edition. This special edition will recap November and give a look at the Korean and Taiwan trips .

October
Morning Musume the Ambassadors of JPOP

The last week of October saw Morning Musume venture outside of Japan for promotional trips to Korea and Taiwan. The trips were to design to establish a foothold in the two nations and lay the groundwork for product releases and possible concerts. On the surface, the events favored a return trip to Taiwan more so then Korea. While the Korean visit was lower key then the Beatles like mania Taiwan venture. Morning Musume, clearly has a fan base in both countries .An article in the Korean Times on November 4th, reported that Morning Musume was the third most searched music artist in Korea.
Korea Times

Related Videos
Television Interview #1
Television Interview #2
Press Conference

Taiwan
Morning Musume closed out the month of October with a full unit promotional trip to Taiwan that had to exceed their expectations. Taiwan was madness from the moment that they landed, and resembled the 1960`s when the British Rock Group the Beatles landed on the music scene. Early indications are that Taiwan is ready for Morning Musume, their All Singles Complete CD debut at #1 on the Japanese Music Charts and #11 on the Global Music Charts in Taiwan.

Tanaka Reina did a little Taiwan reporting on her radio show recently. Tanaka said that the event was a big success for Morning Musume .Not only did they do the standard media events that they do in Japan, but that Junjun symbolically took the lead and helped everyone out with their Chinese. Tanaka called Junjun a big help to the group in Taiwan. Tanaka finished her report by saying that the Taiwanese fan base was largely women and that a fan went through the hand shake event line five times .She said that the hand shake event was great as a lot of people were there and only those who had purchased the CD were allowed to attend.

Related Videos
EDIT : New Video From MTV Taiwan
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Taiwan TV news covering the arrival of Morning Musume and the fan conflict at the airport.
Taiwan TV News

MTV Taiwan with Morning Musume on a night out on the town .
MTV Taiwan
Morning Musume on a TV Television show.
Sunday Night Fever TV Show

November
As October ended November got underway, Morning Musume settled in for a typical month for them in Japan. Takahashi Ai continued her hectic leadership schedule of reaching out to everyone about Morning Musume by doing a number of print and electronic media interviews. Barks spent the day on the set of Haromoni, and did a full feature story on the experience. The article talked about the tapings and praised Takahashi as being the perfect choice for leader at this stage of their career. They found her to be a very powerful leader who was involved in every aspect of Morning Musume both on and off camera, ensuring that every member’s talents can come out on Television. Barks also expressed what a number of media outlets voiced in November that Mikan was a very solid song.

Takahashi also on behalf of Morning Musume sent year ending well wishes to the Walker Magazine .Walker is a magazine that is a sort of "what's hot and happening" type of magazine, a magazine for nightlife and trendsetters. Walker is published in Tokyo and is in a number of Japanese cities as well as Hong Kong and Morning Musume throughout their career has been a part of their magazine.

Television Appearances

Takahashi Ai, Kamei Eri and Linlin every Thursday were guest VJ on MTV Japan .Were they selected their favorite songs and talked about them. The series was filmed before their Taiwan trip as Takahashi still had throat problems and was sounding horse .Niigaki Risa; Kamei Eri, Michishige Sayumi and Tanaka Reina were MC for Utadoki. Weekly Morning Musume Haromoni, Kirarin Revolution and Robby & Kerobby (Kusumi Koharu and Niigaki Risa`s respected Anime programs) aired .The last episode of Haromoni for the month revealed that Aika Mitsui would be joining the cast of Kirarin Revolution as the Voice of Michishige`s cat drawing from an earlier episode.

Morning Musume or selected members also made a number of television appearances in addition to their regular programs and the MTV VJ series. Members of Morning Musume appeared on the following shows as guests .Minasan no Okage ,ROQ (Real Original Quality) Hit TV, Mezamashi Doyoubi morning show, Music Japan, Pankin` Randa , MTV Special Karaokee, MIDTOWN TV Nama Yaguchi (Yaguchi Mari’s TV show) were Michishige declared in the introductions that she was the leader of sexiness as she is moving away from her princess routine. Nama Yaguchi is quickly becoming a new home location for Morning Musume as they have had two full show appearances since October and Utaban. Morning Musume`s appearance on Utaban could not have been more perfectly timed. With Morning Musume the secondary guest to KAT-TUN, they opened the show with a performance of their new single Mikan and later in the show took part in a quiz game. Mikan reported sales increases across the board, including the recently criticized in Japanese media Oricon sales rankings, were Mikan enjoyed a 16-point jump the following day.

Related Videos
Takahashi Ai & Junjun were on Minasan no Okage
Junjun was the focus of this show for Morning Musume .
Minasan no Okage
Utaban
Utaban

(Edit)
Links to reports on Oricon`s rankings questions recently reported in Japanese media (English Translations)
Oricon/Hiro Ugaya
HNPH Report April 2007 (Jin was the first to report this claim for HNPH)
jinryuichi-hnph
Feb 9 2007 Nikkei Entertainment claims on Oricon
Nikkei Entertainment

Internet Appearances
Takahashi Ai, Kamei Eri, Michishige Sayumi, Kusumi Koharu and Junjun were at Ameba Studio. Morning Musume were on Yahoo Music Live Studio and done a number of video messages for different internet magazines.

Radio Appearances
Morning Musume in addition to their weekly radio shows were guests on a wide range of radio shows. While I have the files to all these broadcasts, unless you understand Japanese and certain puns or slang it maybe hard to follow. Members of Morning Musume were on the following non Morning Musume radio shows, in November. USHIBARA Idol Radio, FM-Fuji Radical League, Bayfm ON8 radio show, YanPeace radio show, InterFM radio 'The DAVE FROMM SHOW', Fm Yokohama 'tre-sen'.

Selected Radio Broadcasts
Here is one episode each of their weekly radio shows. On their radio shows, they are much looser and relaxed to a degree of what their managers will let them do. Morning Musume`s public life is closely controlled to maintain a certain image at all times.

Radio Show: Young Town Saturday 11.24.2007 (Takahashi Ai, Michishige Sayumi)
Young Town Saturday

Michishige Sayumi no Konya mo Usachan Peace 80 minute show SP!!! #58 - 11.15.07
Guests: Tanaka Reina and Kamei Eri.
-a special present for Tanaka Reina's 18th Birthday given by Sayu.
Michishige Sayumi no Konya mo Usachan Peace

GAKI-KAMEI Radio Show #033 - 11.17.07
Guest: Ai-chan
GAKI-KAMEI Radio Show

InterFM [FIVE STARS] Wednesday Tanaka Reina radio show #008 - 071121
Reina's playlist this week, Nov. 21, 2007
Mikan
Judy & Mary : Classic
Backstreet Boys : I Want It That Way
Takui Nakajima : CRY CRY CRY
Bonkyu! Bonkyu! BOMB GIRL
Wednesday Tanaka Reina radio

Concerts
Morning Musume continued their sold out tour schedule .One of the great things about wotas is that they audio record every concert and post them on the internet.

2007-11-03	15:30	Mie Prefecture Fine Arts Center
2007-11-03	19:00	Mie Prefecture Fine Arts Center
2007-11-04	15:30	Shizuoka City Culture Hall
2007-11-04	19:00	Shizuoka City Culture Hall
2007-11-11	15:30	Aichi Welfare Pension Hall
2007-11-11	19:00	Aichi Welfare Pension Hall
2007-11-17	15:30	Osaka Welfare Pension Center
2007-11-17	19:00	Osaka Welfare Pension Center
2007-11-24	15:30	Tokyo Welfare Meeting Hall
2007-11-24	19:00	Tokyo Welfare Meeting Hall
2007-11-25	14:30	Tokyo Welfare Meeting Hall
2007-11-25	18:00	Tokyo Welfare Meeting Hall

Concert Audio Recording (Full concert sample for everyone)
Tanaka Reina Birthday Concert
Morning Musume Concert 11-11-07 Nagoya Day
Nagoya Day
Morning Musume Concert 11-11-07 Nagoya Night
Nagoya Night

Mobile Musume
Pocket Morning Weekly Q&A: Each week fan club members are sent a message were the members of Morning Musume are asked a question that they answer in off beat fashion. The answers often reflect their on air personalty, however every now and then they throw you a surprise answer that leaves you laughing or wondering how long it has been since some have seen their family or had breaks to rest.

Other News
Morning Musume was in or will be in a number of magazines over the November -January period, Niigaki Risa and Tanaka Reina continued their journal series that are published in Japan. (They are not real personal journals; they are very controlled by the agency). Yahoo Japan had a buyer’s poll and Morning Musume won with 45 % of the votes as to what group that you were most interested in buying .KAT-TUN was second at 17%. When Mikan was released on television and Internet at the same time, The Internet video sites crashed immediately and were sluggish the entire first full day after release. The top private University in Japan Waseda University held a Morning Musume fan event. Members of the University performed a full Morning Musume concert. Tsunku posted a message on his web site discussing the meaning of the new single and what he expects from each of the members of Morning Musume in the future. He was very clear in his words and expectations for each member, Morning Musume is not ending anytime soon.

Other Related News
Mainichi Daily News had a picture layout of Morning Musume in Taiwan
Mainichi Daily News
Morning Musume special page on Oricon
Oricon Special

This Week in Morning Musume will return the week of December 9th in it`s normal small format size, recapping events from December 1-8 .

Look-a-like Shuffles!

2007-12-03T15:59:00.000+08:00

2008 will start off as an eventful year that will not start off with releases, but two other things. The Gatas are traveling to Hawaii for their first Hawaii Fan event. By the looks of the flyer, Miki is included!

Next year, members of Hello! Project will be put into random groups and traveling to major cities of Japan to do something. Here are the groups:

2/11/08 Sapporo
Nakazawa Yuko, Abe Natsumi, Aya Matsuura, and Melon Kinenbi

2/17/08 Osaka
Nigakii Risa, Kusumi Koharu, Mitsui Aika, Jun Jun, and Lin Lin

2/23/08 Fukuoka
Yoshizawa Hitomi, Konno Asami, Shimizu Saki, Tokunaga Chinami, Sudou Maasa, Kumai Yurina, and Sugaya Risako

3/1/08 Tokyo
v-u-den, Ayaka Kimura, Mai Satoda, and Maeda Yuki

3/2/08 Tokyo
Inaba Atsuko and Berryz Koubou

3/8/08 Nagoya
Yasuda Kei, Yaguchi Mari, and °C-ute

3/9/08 Nagoya
Yasuda Kei, Yaguchi Mari, Takahashi Ai, Kamei Eri, Michishige Sayumi, and Tanaka Reina

EDIT: THESE ARE NOT THE H!P SHUFFLES. SO FAR THESE GROUPS ARE FOR FAN CLUB EVENTS.

So this is a random Fan Club Event for those who want a variety between members. When looking at the groups, it seems like it could have been mixed a bit better. Osaka is only Morning Musume? Most of the Berryz Koubou and °C-ute are kept together? What is the meaning of this? It could just be a way to promote the lesser known artists with the bigger ones. It’s too early to find out I guess.

I hope I'm not getting ahead of myself and this turns out to be the total opposite. Let's just hope for something good to happen with this!

Random stuff: [Thanks Gaki for the first 3!]
- Morning Musume Concert Tour 2008 Haru ~Single Daizenshuu~ [3/22-5/6]
- Ai, Eri, Sayumi, and Reina will star in a musical based their past drama.
- Hello! Project " CIRQUE DU SOLEIL Dorarion" special appearance is on 2/22 In Osaka.
- Kouhaku list is out. Morning Musume, Berryz Koubou, and °C-ute to appear.

Clarification

2007-11-30T17:11:00.001+08:00

I would like to clear up one minor thing,in regards to Jin`s formal apology earlier.
This article was the first part of a three or four part series into a myth on English fan sites that Morning Musume was at the point of ending or in a state of panic over the Mikan sales numbers . I was brought on staff for my back ground reasons to help Jin take HNPH to another level of reporting , first hand and on the ground so to speak .That is still my intention ,however over my surprise of the premature release of this article ,I was put in a undesired position.

The mistake that Jin is referring to , is a mistake caused by e-mailing .There are a number of sources involved in this series development ,both public and private . Due to the large amount of information involved in this series, a good number of e-mails are being exchange by all parties involved. Jin was given a series of e-mails with some numbers related to the downloads part of the article .Jin mistakenly took the numbers that was requested to be checked with his sources and then returned to me ,so to ensure that all parties were being informed of the same data and made them a part of the uncompleted article . The so-called modifier that has some of you up in arms was never intended to be a part of this article series. It was part of an ongoing investigation to support evidence that Mikan`s sales were likely higher then what was listed by Oricon , due to the influence of digital download sales as reported by the RIAJ and numerous media outlets world wide on the fact that Japan leads the world in digital download sales. .This downloading trend has also effected Oricon economic structure,a fact that Oricon had released after the article was posted and was also planed to be used as a supporting factor. The so-called modifier was not the final number involved in this investigation and played a very small role in the overall story, that it`s outcome would have not been effected by the conclusion of the investigation .In other words the so-called modifier served only as an industry difference between the types of sales , generated by the RIAJ own sales report and not the outcome of the story . Jin mistakenly in the rush of e-mails thought that was the final numbers or that the information sent to him was intended for publication with the article.

There was never any intent to mislead any readers or other Bloggers that may have wanted to use the story. The error was simply an e-mailing error of miscommunication and an unfinished article was placed on the site by mistake without all parties involved in the story agreeing to or knowing of the release until after the fact.

The intention of first article of this series was never planed to be centered on Mikan or modifying numbers. Instead it was to be just an opening piece to a much larger look at the future of Morning Musume , with the hope that it would help end a growing myth in English speaking fan communities that Morning Musume or H!P were in a panic over the sales or the future of Morning Musume . A belief that is not supported by the nation of the artists involved in the story.

Gaki.

About That Myth-busting Feat...

2007-11-30T14:21:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, I published a post about busting the myth of the end of Morning Musume. However there are flaws that come with it. And the comments that came after really shows it. It's my fault, really.

Eric Kamezou: "Apologies on behalf of Jin"

Firstly, after gathering the facts and figures provided by the resourceful Gaki, I neglected to send the finished post to Gaki to proof-read and check, because I was convinced that it was fine and ready to be published. While my primary intention when editing the post was to let everyone know the emergence of the digital-sales business and that Morning Musume's CD sales of their latest single "Mikan" of 28k units should not be the measuring tape of their success, I failed to check with Gaki about certain factual details of the write-up which has resulted in some people challenging the article in the comments section, and probably mislead some readers.

I'd like to blame my health condition (I was ill with fever for 3 days), but it all boils down to being more responsible and discussing things over with your comrades before making a final decision.

Apologies in advance for causing any misunderstanding. Please continue to support Gaki and his future articles. Currently we will re-assess the digital sales modifier, and update you guys if we have any progress/results.

For my penance, I will abstain from meat today and spend the weekend reflecting on this matter. And maybe work on the blog cosmetics, those banner up there is way out-dated........

Peace (^_^)v
jin

Debunking the Myth of the End of Morning Musume

2007-11-29T14:19:00.000+08:00

This article aims to debunk the myth that have been circling around the Morning Musume fandom (especially the English fandom, check out the reactions noted in IntlWota.com), that due Morning Musume's weak sales in their latest single "Mikan" is a sign that their time is done, and that their popularity is fading. Many fans assume that their fandom is rapid shrinking, due to older members have graduated, and wotas less interest in the current Momusu members (their attention has diverted to the C-ute and Berryz Koubou).

As noted in the previous post Mikan sold around 28k copies and has been performing weaker than the others. If you are a hardcore Morning Musume fan, you may want say that the Japanese music industry is declining overall. But the fact is the industry is NOT on a decline. It's because.... times have changed.

Beginning with Oricon figures, as we all know Oricon sales figures should not be taken as a true measurement for the sales performance. They only count sales based on reports from selective stores, therefore we use the 1.75 modifier to calculate a closer estimate. Still, it is not 100% accurate. I have touched on a subject that Oricon may be playing favorites and everyone still mentions it every now and then.

To restore hope to all desperate fans let's look at a bigger picture, outside of Oricon sales figures.

The Rise of Digital Age
The market for digital-sales have
Four days after Apple launched its iTunes Music Store in Japan, they recorded over one million song downloads. An outstanding feat, seeing that it took iTunes USA a full week to achieve the same numbers. The main factor - price. Why spend 1545 yen ($US 13.99) on the CD jacket, when you can download it for 463 yen ($US 4.19).
As noted by Gaki in the comments of a previous post, the RIAJ (Recording Industry Association of Japan) reports that digital-music sales are rising due to the increasing popularity of ringback tunes, mobile-based full-song downloads, PC-downloads and other forms of paid downloads. We are talking about 121.6 million units of digital-sales in the 3rd quarter of 2007 that are not taken into account by Oricon.

Cumulative digital-download results for the first three quarters of 2007 show mobile-based music downloads rising 28% to 325.2 million units, for a value of 50 billion yen ($458.1 million), up 44%, while PC-based downloads in the January-September period rose 27% to 22.3 million units, for a value of 4.3 billion yen ($38.7 million), up 15%.
Total digital downloads, including miscellaneous categories, for the first three quarters totaled 347.5 million units, a rise of 28%, for a value of 55.3 billion yen ($506.8 million), up 44%.

In summary, while in the first three quarters CD sales dropped 30% but digital downloads have risen 28%. CD Sales as of Oct 2007 was 51.421 million and download sales were 347.5 million. Meaning that, comparing with the industry CD & digital-sales, for every 1 CD single sold, it is sold by digital download 6.8 times (rounded from 6.75). Therefore to calculate a more closer estimate of the true sales, is to take the Oricon figures and multiply by 6.8.

So the true sales for Morning Musume's single "Mikan" is 28,082 * 6.8, giving us a 190,957 of estimated true sales, with a discrepancy of +/- 1000 units. Now the numbers don't look so bad, huh? ^_^

It is this lucrative potential in download sales that prompted Avex to announce that Ayumi Hamasaki's next single, "Together When...," will be a digital release only. The full song officially goes on sale on December 5, with shortened ringtone versions available starting last Wednesday. Avex acknowledged the decline in CD sales and increase in digital sales and as a result it became the main factor behind the decision. They recall the RIAJ report of the rise of 142% in sales increase in 1st half of 2007, and due to its low-cost production (compared to the cost producing CD jackets) and may consider making it the core of their future music business if the single is successful.

Morning Musume's Other Income Source
Other than CD sales and digital-downloads come from concert tickets, concert merchandise, photos, Hello! Project stores, photobooks, radio shows, variety shows, political campaigns. So there are no worries that the group cannot find ways to sustain. Children who attend H!P concerts bring their parents along, meaning that they generate revenue even from the wallets of parents of H!P fans. So don't think the wotas are the only source of income for Momusu.

The Lure of Morning Musume
Morning Musume is recognizable to every Japanese, no matter if you are a Jpop fan or not. I remember seeing a variety show in which Yaguchi Mari was on. The on-site reporter carried placards of Morning Musume members to remote villages around Japan. They pick a random senior citizen and ask if they know who the person in the card is. Not surprisingly, all of them do know! (even though some of them got the names wrong, but they recognize the girls at least)
We owe this recognizability to TV exposures and other mass-comm media, which Morning Musume have in abundance. See the viewership figures here -->
Utaban exposed to 13.5 million viewers
Music Fair exposed to 11.3 million viewers
Music Japan exposed to 13.3 million viewers
Music Station N/A about the same as the others
Haromoni as of Nov 11 draws 2.4 million viewers

Speaking of Haromoni, which given a daytime slot aired on Sunday mornings, it is a variety show designed for children. Despite their many past scandals, Momusu has always and will remain a strong demographic draw of pre-teen girls, who like Momusu fashion style and make up. Kusumi Koharu testified in an interview with Oricon that during her junior school's radio taisou (morning assembly exercises) session, they used "Love Machine" as a tune to dance to (Much to the shock of Nakazawa Yuuko, who is feeling the generation gap there ^_^). Additionally, many teens name Takahashi Ai and Tanaka Reina as their role-model.

Overseas, Momusu are 3rd most searched group in Korea. They are in the top 5 in sales in Taiwan . Their visit to Taiwan caused a near riot at the airport for fans to see not only Junjun and Linlin, but MM as a whole .

Business Is On a Roll - Expansion.
Earlier this year, the holding company UFG (Up Fron Group) the mother company for UFW (Up Front Works) and UFA (Up Front Agency) where Hello! Project resides under, are on a move to get listed on stock exchange.

This can only mean one thing, business is booming. And it is not without the help of image recognition created by their entertainment side of the business. Namely, the artistes with UFW and Hello! Project. They would not have spent 100 million yen to promote their company image in 3 national papers if it was not important.

Therefore it makes no business sense to kill a brand that they have spent 10 years to build, especially one that they have invested with so much resources.

Conclusion
I hope this article helped to answer many questions that you may have, and to urge you to have more faith in Morning Musume. I'm not saying that the Oricon sales figures is not important, because it is. A good sales track record looks great on any portfolio. But if you can look beyond the numbers and the bigger picture, you will find that there are still many untapped potentials for Morning Musume. They're time is not done. In fact, they've only just begun...

Peace (^_^)v

29 November 2007 - Facts & figures provided by Gaki, edited by jinryuichi

RIAJ Reports Rise In Q3 Download Sales
Online music sales surging in Japan
iTunes Japan hits 1,000,000
Ayumi Hamasaki next single will be digital download only
Output of Audio and Video Items in 10/2007

New Columnist with HNPH

2007-11-28T14:27:00.000+08:00

HNPH is pleased to announce that we will have another contributor with the site - Gaki.
You probably have seen his posted comments and views on a few articles lately. Now he will share more with his own analytical style that is similar to mine.

I will let his written works speak for itself. So please be kind with him and watch out for his new articles!

Peace ^_^

About the New Girl In Town And the Future of Morning Musume...

2007-11-27T12:10:00.000+08:00

Hello! Project has issued an announcement echoing what we all being buzzing about - Sugiura Taiyou & Nozomi's newborn baby girl Sugiura Noa. Many bloggers are absolutely pleased to know about it and here are their reactions.

Now in previous interviews, Sugiura revealed that their daughter's name will be a combination of the parents name. Funny, the name "Noa" (希空) only have half of Nono's name, Nozomi (希美) and none of the father's name Taiyou (太陽). So I thought further, and with reference to Sugiura's fame due to his role as Ultraman Cosmos, a quick search produced this -->

ULTRAMAN NOA

Image taken from this site and information in English can be found here.

So now I understand~~~~~~~!
Well.... at least I think it's like that. (^_^)v

And here's a clip of the Ultraman Noa, the last mode of Ultraman Nexus, in action.

I called Noa-chan Hello!Project's first Morning Magomusume モーニング孫娘 (Morning Granddaughter) in my previous post. Some comments from my previous post questioned that, because NOno is not the only and not the first ex-Morning Musume to have a child. As noted by Sponichi, there was 1st gen member Ishiguro Aya, 2nd gen member Ichii Sayaka, and finally 1st gen member Iida Kaori (who got married the same day as me! ^_^) who is expecting her child in January 2008. To be clear, I said that this is the first Magomusume because Nono is the first person (soon to be followed by Kaorin) to remain under the Hello!Project stable even after the birth of the child. To me, this is certainly something significant, because they are supposed to be idols. Unless they are not considered as idols after leaving Morning Musume of course...

In any case, Tsunku seems to agree, and revealed his feelings in his blog.

In his blog, he mentioned that he was very happy for Tsuji, felt as if his own granddaughter was born, and expressed his joy to see a small-sized Tsuji being a mother. (I think he still find that hard to believe, as many of us do~~ ^_^)
He said that the newborn girl is a reserve candidate for Morning Musume!

Finally, he remarked that Tsuji is a "producer" now, and hopes that she will be a reliable, perfect, kakoii and kawaii mother for the kid.

Oh... he also said he wanted to meet the baby and give it a hug. ^_^

There has been concerns and talks about the future of Morning Musume, due to the disappointing sales of their latest single "Mikan" and that Momusu's time is running out.... because Buono,C-ute and Kirari have outsold Momusu.

Current sales report

Hello! Project Artist	Single	Total Sales to Date
℃-ute	Tokaikko Junjou	38,085
Buono!	Honto no Jibun	35,281
Tsukishima Kirari	Chance	31,766
Morning Musume	Mikan	28,082

I don't know about you guys, but I felt that from Tsunku's statement in his blog that the baby is a upcoming candidate for Momusu, deep inside he wants Morning Musume to continue on. (at least until the kid is old enough to audition, of course). I think Momusu's time is NOT over.

But this should not be the only reason. Please stay tuned for an upcoming post.

Tsuji Nozomi Gives Birth to Baby GIRL! - Sugiura Noa

2007-11-26T18:51:00.000+08:00

After the status report of Sugiura Taiyou and Tsuji Nozomi about their baby, it was made known that on this day 26 November 2007 12:45 a.m., Nono has given birth to a healthy 2730 grams baby. And it is a GIRL!!!

The couple christened the baby "Sugiura Noa" 杉浦希空（すぎうら・のあ）. Literally meaning "Sky of Hope", this is a beautiful name. Proud father Sugiura revealed that the mother is safe and is deeply moved. Their respective agencies has been notified and the news was faxed to various news media.

And there we have it, our first Morning Magomusume モーニング孫娘 (Morning Granddaughter)!

Congratulations!!!!

辻希美：女児を出産、命名「希空（のあ）」ちゃん

　元モーニング娘。の辻希美さん（２０）が２６日、長女を出産したことを、辻さんと夫の俳優、杉浦太陽さん（２６）がそれぞれ所属する事務所が同日、発表した。体重２７３０グラムで母子ともに健康。２人は女児に希空（のあ）と名付けたといい「言葉にし尽くせない感動と人の親になった責任を深く受けとめております」とのコメントを発表した。

　＜本人コメント＞

　私、杉浦太陽と妻希美は、１１月２６日（月）０時４５分、体重２７３０グラムの女児を授かりました。

　名前は、杉浦希空（すぎうら・のあ）です。おかげさまで母子ともに健康です。

　新しい命を授かった今、言葉にし尽くせない感動と人の親になった責任を深く受けとめております。

　とは言え、まだまだ若輩者の私達ではございますので、皆様、今後とも宜しくお願い申し上げます。

　杉浦太陽

　　　希美

　2007年11月26日

[ Source ]

Mitsui Aika Wins Game to Voice Gurocchan In Kirari Revolution

2007-11-25T16:31:00.000+08:00

So last week's Haromoni's big announcement was nothing we had expected.

This week's Haromoni hosted a voice casting competition to decide who will be the one to voice the new cat character "Gurocchan" in Kirari Revolution, which was revealed on last week's Haromoni. Pity... since it was Michishige Sayumi who created the character, I thought it would be more appropriate for her to play the part. Oh well...

The competition began where the candidates, Takahashi Ai, Niigaki Risa, Tanaka Reina, Jyun Jyun, Rin Rin and Mitsui Aika. Each are required to deliver the best Yankee line as intimidating as possible... while sucking on helium. ^_^

And here is the winner... Mittsi!!

Namenayo!

"Namennayo" (なめんなよ) literally means "Don't lick me", but this Japanese slang meant "Don't play with me" or "Don't look down on me". It is befitting that Mittsi wins this game, because "Namennayo" is also the name of a cultural boom that hit Japan in the 1980's involving pictures of cats in Yankee attire.

It all began when a man named Satoru Tsuda found an abandoned kitten at the dry cleaners and took it into his care. Although he hated cats, but this particular kitten changed his mind, and he gave it a name "Matakichi", after the dry cleaner's name. As his fondness towards the feline creature grows, one day the kitten was playing with some doll clothes and an idea struck him - he would dress up the kitten in doll clothes and took pictures of it. This gave birth to a nationwide boom called "Namennayo Cats". Since then he has been taking pictures of cats dressed in various costumes and attire. It was a big hit for men and women alike. One of his trademark was being able to make the cats/kittens stand on two legs when posing for the camera. I only look forward to the day he is able to train the cats to do Kishidan performances. ^_^
More information and pictures here.

My take: The decision to cast Mittsi to voice Gurocchan has gotta be pre-decided by the agency already. I mean, the association with Gurocchan as a cat character and the line "Namennayo" has to be more than a coincidence. In any case, I think Mittsi will do very well. But she better not be sucking helium every time she deliver a line for the cartoon character. ^_^

* In other news, Mittsi also won the voice casting role for the new T-Rex character in Robby and Keroppi, in which Niigaki Risa voiced Athena. This time she is required to put on a mohawk hairdo and some accessories, and deliver the baddest line she can. And here is the result:

I PITY THE FOOL!

* Fictional account. (^_^)v

RuRu's first!

2007-11-25T13:47:00.000+08:00

I wonder if Jun Jun and Lin Lin already know this, but they aren't the first Chinese member to enter H!P. Back in 1999 T&C Bomber grouped up and consisted of a member from China, RuRu. The group disbanded after a year and split their own ways (Inaba is still with H!P) and RuRu had decent amount of songs outside of H!P.

Early this year she released an album under Avex. More like a cover album. It's nice that she has been given a chance in Japan still. Maybe there's even a better chance for Maki then. ^_^ It would have been nice if RuRu she was still in H!P today and give both JJ and LL a bit of reassurance since she was in their shoes.

Here's some nice info about her:

1. She has an amazing voice.

Other: Utaban

2. She has done some work in China.

Others: 愛してる | 美麗心情

3. She can dance.

Extra Links:
Blog | Promotional Website | Profile

Tsuji Nozomi Due to Deliver Baby in a Few Days

2007-11-22T02:32:00.000+08:00

This came in a few hours ago.
In May this year, Tsuji Nozomi discovered to be 9 weeks pregnant and subsequently announced her marriage to Ultraman star Sugiura Taiyou. Now the time has come for the baby to greet the world. My God, has it been 9 months already? (*counting fingers, conceived in March, now November...*) Yeah, it has! Boy, how time flies~~~ (^_^)

On topic, while actor Sugiura Taiyou (20 yrs old) was in a talk show at Digital Hollywood University in Tokyo, in commemoration of the DVD release of his participation in the movie "Academy", he announced that his wife Tsuji Nozomi (20 yrs old) is currently at the last month of pregnancy and is expecting anytime soon. Obviously he is filled with the soon-to-be-father feeling.

He added that as part of the prenatal care, Tsuji had been listening to music a lot, and even danced to the concert live DVD. (Good God... is that wise, Tsuji?). Even the name of the bay has been decided, it was to be a combination of the parent's names. (Taiyou and Nozomi, 太陽 and 希美... I have no idea where to begin to guess, though it does potentially sound nice.)

Sugiura comments "Now it looks as if a watermelon had entered her stomach. I was there for her at nights where she had difficulty sleeping. Now I finally know how hard it is to be a woman". He is understandably very excited.

Gosh... Tsuji... now full-fledged woman..... (T^T)b
Wonder if they will be revealing the baby's picture or name later?

辻希美、数日中にも出産

　俳優の杉浦太陽（２６）が２１日、妻で元モーニング娘。の辻希美（２０）が臨月であることを明かし、「もうあと数日、いつ来てもおかしくないです」とパパになる心境を笑顔で話した。

　この日、主演映画「アカデミー」のＤＶＤ発売記念トークショーを東京・千代田区のデジタルハリウッド大学で行った杉浦。子供の話になると自然と顔がほころぶようで、「（辻は）音楽をよく聴いてるし、希美のライブＤＶＤとか見て自宅で踊ってる」とモー娘を胎教にしていることを告白。「名前？　もう決めてます。２人の名前が合わさった、いい名前って感じです」と笑顔を見せた。

　辻の予定日は１２月上旬で、現在は自宅待機中。杉浦は「スイカが入ってるみたい。夜も眠れないようで支えたりしてます。女性の大変さを初めて知りました」と妻を思いやりながら、「今度はパパ役がやりたい。共演できたら夢のようですね」と早くも親バカぶりを発揮していた。

（2007年11月21日21時45分スポーツ報知）

[ Source 1 ]
[ Source 2 ]

Fujimoto Miki Friday'd Yet Again [UPDATED]

2007-11-22T01:32:00.000+08:00

This just in. Saw this on WHG after I logged on.

Article title: Fujimoto Miki "Couple Picture in Passionate Love inside a Car"

[ Source ]

Not AGAIN?!

It's bad enough she got caught dating comedian Shouji Tomoharu by Friday and had to resign from Morning Musume. And after she remained non-active post-resignation, she is discovered dating by Friday again.

But it should be no big deal by now, since she is not in Morning Musume. But why repeat the scoop if it was the same guy she's dating? Was it a different guy this time? Was it to report the development of her dating stages with her boyfriend?

There was another article highlighted in WHG where Mikitty supposedly was asked for out-of-court settlement/compensation from an ex-boyfriend. I quickly brushed it off thinking that it can very well be baseless, and could be referring to an old news by BUBKA where some pictures of her with a guy was taken before she went into showbiz. Now... now, I'm not so sure, I wish I have my hands on that article to know more.

EDIT 02:26 A.M. : Okay I found that news article - it's gossip material. May be true, may be not. But it's not Mikitty asking for money, it's her older brother. Moreover, it's more closer to "extorting" rather than "asking". I don't know if this worth blogging about or not. But in any case, it may not be related to this Friday scoop.

EDIT 03:47 A.M. : Okay, found more information and I feel better now. It's the same guy, Shouji Tomoharu.
Apparently, an American car was spotted at the Shibuya station on a weekday (driver is Shouji), and Mikitty was spotted emerging from the busy crowd and entered the car casually. The couple then proceeded to TSUTAYA to buy some Wii games (Shouji bought Super Mario Bros) and then he drove back to his house with her. It was noted that Mikitty's workload has decreased since the discovery of her dating relationship. But she had begun her voice-training to prepare her next job.

And that's it. No big deal.
Gosh... why can't a girl shop some video game in peace? "Passionate Love" my ass! (>_<;)

So there's absolutely nothing to worry about. I know I wouldn't. Give Mikitty a break already. It's not like she's not allowed to date now..... I mean, she's allowed to date, right? (-_-;)
And I must commend her on her casualness, and that she did exactly what she said she would do in her final Young Town Doyoubi radio episode - that she would continue seeing Shouji. That's good ol' vintage Miki-sama for you. (^_^)/

Some pics:

Chances for Kago Ai's Return to Showbiz

2007-11-21T14:38:00.000+08:00

Another news that I have missed out... It's about Kago Ai. It's been a long time since I wrote something about her.

If you haven't noticed. I have prevented myself from calling Kago with the showbiz name "Aibon" or "Kago-chan" because essentially, that is her showbiz brand, and she is not in it at the moment. Figured that it will be more appropriate for me to address her as a person, as Kago Ai. But that's just me, you do not have to agree with me, you may call her whatever way you're comfortable with.

Here I found a news clip that showed some newscasters analysing the development of Kago Ai and her exile from the entertainment scene due to her reckless behavior.

The news corner starts of by stating that Kago has been terminated from her agency UFA for 7 months already, and further mentioned that reportedly Kago had stayed in Nara for some time after her termination, and afterwards have lived in Hawaii with some relatives, before finally settling down in New York with you-know-who. As much as I love the idea that the "important announcement" on next week's Haromoni would be about her return to showbiz, but after the past frustrations I decided to remain realistic this time. The panel and analysers however decided to shed some positive views on Kago's case this time.

Then the analyser began to explain the possibilities and reasoning of Kago's comeback.
1) Kago provides her family consisting of her divorced mother, 3 siblings (7 yrs old brother, 6 yrs old sister, 2 yrs old brother). She has to work to support her family, and it would be truly difficult for her to work as an OL (office lady) at this time (after being in showbiz for so long), therefore she has no choice but to return to showbiz.

2) Kago deserves another chance. Although she has to pay the price of smoking underage, there are others who have done even worse things but still able to return to showbiz. Furthermore, her smoking did not really cause harm or hurt anyone. One panel mentions that it was not right of her to smoke because of her status as an idol.
The lady panel presents that Kago. like Goto Maki, although still an adolescent she had to work as an "adult" in showbiz for a long time ever since she was 12 years old. And because she is forced to be like an adult (even though she was not) with no one to depend on and be herself, probably she has been looking for a way to release her (suppressed) true self, and found that opportunity with a 35 year old man. The lady panel hopes that Kago is able to make choices for herself in the future, because people will depend on her, and she may break down under pressure again.
The 3rd panel supports the idea of Kago's comeback, though he is concerned about the media and paparazzi who have been working too hard to haunt and expose Kago.

3) Kago turns 20 years old February next year, the legal age in Japan, and it would be a good timing for her comeback. And there are many ways she can do so, even if it meant that she has start from scratch by going into a Kansai-limited circuit (because her hometown Nara is in the Kansai region of Japan), and she can do this while she decides how she wants to shape her career path.

I am contented with this news broadcast, because at least it's not about bashing Kago left and right about what she had done. What I think, is that if Kago does come back, chances are that it will not be with Hello! Project/UFA. The top guns at UFA are known to be ruthlessly strict about maintaining their rules. But I do wish Kago a good "afterlife" from showbiz, and that she live well and healthy...

Peace ^_^

What's it going to be THIS time?

2007-11-21T10:50:00.000+08:00

What’s it going to be THIS time?

I don’t know how this one will turn out, but the last one (JJ and LL) still left some impact on the fans. The latest Haromoni@ (11/18/07) briefly mentioned a big announcement for next week’s episode. My first reaction; “-_-. Again? Really? I hope this is a good one.”

I then thought about possible announcements and tried to think outside the box a bit more, since I really don’t know what may be up. I rewatched Haromoni@ and I think that the preview for JJ and LL’s announcement had Tsunku’s VTR in it, but this one just had a simple text saying "ANNOUNCEMENT NEXT WEEK." So maybe it has nothing to do with Tsunku?

Here are just some ideas that might show up:

Kikkawa Yuu to Debut with °C-ute
She’s been busy lately as an H!P Egg and recently performed with them (and a few other eggs I think) on the °C-ute Cutie Circuit 2007 ~MAGICAL CUTIE TOUR~. Also, she isn’t on the list for the 3rd newcomer’s concert.

More visits to Asia or a tour
Seeing how this was a success of Taiwan and Korea went, I’m sure with or without the announcement it’ll come soon.

Revamping Haromoni@
Maybe the production team thought it’s a time for some new ideas? It is a bit dry. ^-^

Nice Girl Project
This could be old news to some and new to others, but maybe Tsunku will officially publicly about his new project now.

Maki Goto Update
Maybe there will be more info regarding about her?

Ogawa Makoto Comeback
Some people in forums mentioned this, but I doubt it. We know for a fact she’s keeps in contact with H!P though. There still might be a chance.

Hello! Project Kansai to Debut as a Group
They have been busy lately, so why not? Start off the New Year with another new group. xD

Oh yes, I just remembered wasn’t the JJ and LL news leaked out a few days before it Hello! Morning showed? So I guess we’ll find out about it before it shows, if it’s THAT big of an announcement. Also, I wonder what all of you guys think? Big news or small news?

P.S. – I wonder if DANCE☆MAN will start producing more H!P songs, since he recently did Ongaku Gata’s second single. [Check out their PV!]

Can Morning Musume's Mikan Take the Top Spot in Oricon?

2007-11-20T21:29:00.000+08:00

The time draws near, and the result will be out soon - Will Morning Musume's latest single "Mikan" regain their number position at the Oricon charts once again?

...... funny, I have never anticipated the charting positions like this... maybe it's because earlier today, I was worried if Momusu can even make it pass the top 10, thankfully they eventually did....

In any case, we have heard from our own side of opinion about Momusu's latest single but what about the others? Here are Momusu's main competition:

KAT-TUN - Keep the Faith This one really ROCKS! Sorry to say, but they are truly rockin' it good, and I like the song... this will be damn tough to beat. (Actually, I don't think it can be beat. Please don't stone me... )

KOH+ - KISS shite J-Rock, it's OK, but not spectacular to me.

Keishimeshi - Seinaru yoru ni / Fuyu monogatari - A Hip Hop Christmas song. With X'mas drawing close, and the PV showing lots of lovey dovey stuff, they should get some attention.

EXILE - I Believe - Another Christmas themed winter song, a feels-good-to-be-in-love song, I like this one. Notably, the lyrics is written by new vocalist Takahiro.

Personally, I think the biggest threat is EXILE and KAT-TUN. Between Christmas and a Johnny's powergroup, I don't know.... it's tough. KOH+ and Keishimeshi cannot be overlooked either. Optimistically, I hope the debut will be #3, but on the pessimist side it may be at #5. But if Momusu can beat either EXILE or KAT-TUN, it will be a good sign of things to come. Because Momusu, if not H!P in general, really needed something to make everyone overlook their scandal-plagued year.

So what do you think?

Romance of the Wotagei ~ ヲタ芸のロマンス

2007-11-20T10:52:00.000+08:00

In the beginning, there was Japan. Then the Japanese created "idols". And for a time, it was good... RRRIIPPPP!!!

Okay, enough of the Animatrix reference, but I swear its soundtrack was playing my head while I was typing this post. ^_^

Why I did create this post for such an old topic? Because I have recently discovered that there is wotagei in my neighbourhood. Check this out, this culture is now in Malaysia!!

Man, I didn't think it was possible~~~~ Obviously I was wrong... (^_^;)

According to fellow blogger Artszfar of Haromoni.net, the guys read from this blog about the time when visited a karaoke centre called Yumekukan in Plaza Mont Kiara. Then they gathered their army and their Morning Musume T-Shirts, booked a room and did the Wotagei. (Funny, because that karaoke centre was at the ground floor of the building where my office is located. How did I miss it? Haha~~~! ^_^)

Well anyways, "what IS wotagei?". For the benefit of those who don't know yet, it's a unique Japanese culture where a group of concert goers would include hand-clapping, cheers and dance routines during a song performance by their favourite idols. It serves to increase the tension of the song and as a way for the fans to show their love and support to the performers. As this culture was a trademark for wotas (Morning Musume otaku), it was aptly named "wotagei" (lit. "the art of wota").

The discovery of this culture began when the performers and concert staff started to notice some fans spinning around while jumping during concerts. Further investigations found their answers in Akibahara, the material haven for wotas. In fact they are an organised group of people, and have set up headquarters and clubs in many cities in Japan. (Kinda like the mafia. ^_^)

This culture is arguably exclusive only to Hello! Project, though it should be noted that the wotagei has already extended to other acts such as AKB48. Generally, many still believe that this form of art is born out of Hello! Project concerts. Out of the many H!P songs, the wotagei is most closely affiliated to Fujimoto Miki solo hit "Romantic Ukare Mode". But it need not necessarily be only for Mikitty's song, any other (preferably up-beat) songs is just as good.

Today, this culture has travelled across the oceans and has been embraced by many international wotas. At the top of this post, the Malaysian wotas are enjoying themselves, forming an (unofficial) H!P Fan Club.

A while ago I saw a video clip of a bunch of guys in Mexico singing "Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari" in a subway train and another clip of the same guys doing the wotagei on the train. (Annoying the hell out of the other passengers obviously ^_^). Now we have a properly organised Mexico H!P F.C. doing the deed in front of the bronze Angel of Independence statue.

I'm thinking that some these people have probably been to Japan, maybe stayed there for some time, and later brought the culture back to their home country.
So I'm pretty sure other countries may have adopted the wotagei as well, especially Taiwan, Hongkong and Korea.

As for me,..... I do not know how do it and most certainly did not practice the wotagei. I wanted to say that I'm too old for that kind of action, but suddenly remembered that some of the Japanese wotas are over 30 or pushing 40. I guess my way of being a fan is different...

Personally I think it's okay to show your support to your favourite H!P idol in whatever way you wish, whether it's the wotagei way or the common way. Some of you may think it's a bit extreme, but I look at it as being the most basic and pure way of showing love not in words, but in "actions". Just remember that it does not apply to every single concert. Imagine doing the wotagei in a Beyonce Knowles or Westlife concert... (^0^)

\\(^0^) Urya~ Oi!! (^0^)// Urya~ Oi!! \\(^0^) Urya~ Oi!! (^0^)// Urya~ Oi!!

Peace^_^

Souvenir From Bangkok - Morning Musume 10 Years Anniversary Book

2007-11-13T16:40:00.000+08:00

On to the brighter side of things. I went on a company trip to Bangkok, at the end of last month. We explored the shopping district in the heart of the city, including the pride of Bangkok - Siam Paragon. Came across a Kinokuniya chain store, and of course I alone walked in. While it's amusing to see Martha Stewart's cookbook written in Thai, there's only one shelf in the store that caught my attention.

I don't know about the others, but I have never see such a collection of Hello! Project photobooks for sale in the Kinokuniya store in my city. There are some old ones, as you can see. I must say that Tanaka Reina's photobook "Girl" is the most tempting of them all, and it's the last one on the shelf. In the end, I settled for this -> Morning Musume Tanjyou 10 Years Anniversary Book

It is a mook (hybrid of magazine and book) with full illustrated periodical of Morning Musume's works with B.L.T. for the past 10 years. From the early days of debut single Morning Coffee till the latest single Onna ni Sachi Are.

It also contained a collection of interviews of 21 girls of Morning Musume past and present, with lots of off-screen pictures. For the current Morning Musume lineup, each girl have a 2 page interview, except the Pandas Jyun Jyun and Lin Lin who had 1 1/2 page.

As for the OG (Old Girls), they look absolutely fantastic and evergreen, and everyone gets a 2 page interview. Except for 3 girls who are given a 1 page interview - Fujimoto Miki, Tsuji Nozomi, and Ogawa Makoto. Yup, Ogawa is in there too, which makes me wonder when did they begin producing this mook. She has a message in the mook in English - "I expect I'm still singing and dancing in 10 years!!" Judging from her column, I assume that UFA and MM girls are still in touch with her, and I think she'll be coming back soon. ^_^

As for Mikitty and Nono, well, I guess it's understandable. And yes, Kago Ai is NOT in there. :(

One thing though, because I bought this mook before Goto Maki saga began, before Gomaki announced her graduation I was fascinated with Gomaki's interview column. Now it takes on a different meaning. Take this quote from Gomaki for instance:

Ever since my debut (with Morning Musume), all our songs were always at number one spot in the charts, so I didn't know how significant it was to be at number one. I was taking it for granted. But when I reached number one as a solo, I was surprised and so happy. The feeling of reaching that number one spot as Goto Maki was different.

Before, after reading that I thought that maybe Gomaki is still competitive to be at her best and really appreciated the fruits of hard work. Now I feel as if she had given up, or maybe tire of the chase to be the best.

Well anyways... in conclusion, although I'm feeling a bit of regret of not getting Reina's PB (due to money constraints), but I'm still happy with this purchase. A little bit of everyone still makes me happy.

Some snapshots:

The current lineup of Morning Musume, by the generation.

The girls introduces to the readers all about Morning Musume for the past 10 years

Jyun Jyun looking absolutely kawaii and pretty

Ah~~~ My favourite girl Gaki-san looking absolutely mature and beautiful

"A little bit of Ai-chan in my life,
a little bit of Eri by my side,
a little bit of Risa is all I need,
a little bit of Reina is what I see.
A little bit of...."

More information on Morning Musume Tanjyou 10 Years Anniversary Book

Sooooo.... Goto Maki IS somehow... "involved"...

2007-11-12T11:00:00.000+08:00

My PC is resurrected. Good.
But I have to reformat the hard disk. Bad.
Managed to salvage most of my "important data". Good.
But I have reinstall the drivers and softwares. Bad.
Managed to connect to internet and surf freely. Good.
But discovered more bad news on Goto Maki/Yuuki saga........ DAMN BAD.

As I just managed to revive my ancient machine, now was the only time I managed to crawl the net undeterred... and found more information that I have missed for the past week. I still haven't browsed around other blogs and forums enough, and most of you probably have known about these news, but I need to record it in this blog, just for... archiving purposes.

What I found out is that Goto Maki's brother, Yuuki will be prosecuted for a theft crime, involving cables. But what I missed out is how Gomaki is involved in the whole situation - it is said that Gomaki's lover happened to be Yuuki's partner in crime.

As noted by a commenter, Hello!Online has information that Goto Maki will quitting showbiz altogether. Other than that, the existence of a boyfriend. Of course I have no way of verifying it, cos I'm not in Japan. But take note - the info came from ever reliable and credible H!O.

The bit from the FLASH Magazine - the official site does make note of the headline scoop of discovering Gomaki's boyfriend and his involvement in the crime, additionally other sources notes it too. It was just as H!O reported, word for word. However, the latter source questions the credibility of the scoop, because it was sourced from eye-witnesses consisting of "close friends" and "neighbours".

And apparently, stemming from Yuuki's theft crime, there were... oh, how should I say... "whispers" that not only Gomaki's boyfriend (separated) was arrested..... Gomaki was also named. Lots of hecklers in Japan also seem to be riding on this ... "whisper", since Gomaki DID say "sorry for causing trouble for other (H!P) members". Probably they assumed from that statement Gomaki indirectly admitted her involvement?

Personally, I don't think Gomaki is financially troubled nor desperate for money. I'm thinking somebody must have misread "Goto Yuuki" as "Goto Maki" and coupled with the photographs in the papers and news sites, the fact became twisted as it passes from one person to another. However, I cannot comprehend how her brother's crime can become her burden and "cause trouble" to her fellow H!P members, but I can only sum it as being another one of Hello! Project's "Idol tradition".

H!O has given the heads-up for all of us on Gomaki's supposed departure from showbiz. I'm only waiting for the other news sites to confirm it to make it official. There's still hope for her rebound though. At the very least, that I do believe.

後藤真希の恋人は「ユウキ銅線窃盗団」メンバー、フラッシュが報道。

Web posted at: 2007/11/07 05:06
Written by コ○助
このエントリーを含むはてなブックマーク

かつて「EE JUMP」のメンバーとして芸能界に身を置いたこともある、後藤真希の弟・ユウキ（後藤祐樹）が逮捕されたのは10月20日のこと。自ら「銅線窃盗団」を率い、転売目的で100万円相当の銅線を工事現場から盗んでいたという事実に、その一報を聞いた誰もが耳を疑ったなり。派手な芸能界から転落していく「元芸能人」が犯罪に手を染めるケースはあるにはあるなりが、モーニング娘。の中核メンバーだった後藤真希の弟であり、それなりに売れた「EE JUMP」のメンバーという抜群の知名度を誇る「元芸能人」の犯罪は、相当な衝撃をもって受け止められたなりよね。

あれから2週間ほどが経過し、この話題自体は沈静化の様相を見せていたなりが、現在発売中の「フラッシュ」がさらなる衝撃の事実を報じているなりよ。後藤真希が「ユウキ銅線窃盗団」のメンバーの1人と恋仲にあったと、2人で写ったプリクラ写真や、湯上がり姿のプライベート写真と共に伝えているなりね。簡単に要点をまとめておくと。

・後藤真希の「恋人」とされるのは、19歳の「ユウキ銅線窃盗団」メンバー（定時高校生）。
・出会いは2005年のユウキの結婚式。後藤真希からのアプローチですぐに交際が始まった。ユウキと「恋人」は子どもの頃からの親友同士。
・毎回のように「恋人」をコンサートの最前列や楽屋にも呼んでいた。
・2006年頃に破局の危機を迎えたが、しばらくしてまた会うようになり、ごく最近まで交際は続いていた。
・後藤真希が全額負担して改築した「ゴマキ御殿」は窃盗団のたまり場だった。

いずれの情報も「地元の住人」や「親しい友人」などのコメントを下敷きにしたもので、信憑性のほどは分からないなりが、もしこれが事実だとすれば、後藤真希は弟と「恋人」（もしくは元恋人）が同時に逮捕されるという、二重の辛い現実と向き合うことになったわけなり。「ユウキ逮捕」が報じられたあと、後藤真希は関係者やほかのメンバーに迷惑をかけるとの理由でハロープロジェクトを辞めているなりが、弟だけでなく、「恋人」の逮捕が明るみになったときのための予防線を張っていた……との見方もできなくはないなりよ。

ハロープロジェクトを辞めた直後、10月29日付けのオフィシャルブログでは「これから先のことは、まだわからないけれど、後藤真希にしかできないことの追求、自分の音楽性について見つめ直していく中で、いろんなことを吸収し、自分の力に変えて行き、今より前へ確実に進んでいきたいと思っています」とコメントしていたなりが、今回の「フラッシュ」の報道で、活動再開に暗雲が立ちこめてきたと見る向きも強いなり。果たして後藤真希の今後は如何に。

[Source]

Goto Yuuki Prosecuted... But where does Goto Maki fit in?

2007-11-10T11:55:00.000+08:00

I'm still fresh from following this news compared to the rest of the world, having returning only recently. But where does Goto Maki fit in her brother Goto Yuuki's theft crime?

It's now official that Goto Yuuki have plead guilty for the crime of stealing cables from a construction company and will be prosecuted, his reason - "I needed money". (~A~) Bleh...
[Source]

I'm still puzzled on how Gomaki come into the picture, I mean, how is she associated with her brother's mishaps. How come she is quitting Hello! Project at this time? Please, please, please don't tell me that she is actually involved in her brother's crime. On a dramatic scenario (but least likely methinks), perhaps Gomaki had pleaded her agency (UFA) to help her brother or she quits. But the puzzle still doesn't fit.

Because if Gomaki does want to leave H!P to plan her own life and musical path, she can very well negotiate peacefully with UFA. (Unless somebody upstairs in UFA doesn't want to release her, of course). With regards to her release contract, I wonder what further stipulations is involved. Many fans think that she may move on to Avex rightaway, but what if... just what if Gomaki's release contract stipulates that she may not perform under any other labels until the termination of her previous employment period? Such a thing IS possible if the contracts says so. Unless her next agency decides to overrule that clause (with some cash and conditions), will Gomaki face a long "holiday"? Seriously, I hope she's not in trouble or something... cos' there seems to be an outbreak of "acute-gastroenteritis" lately.

On the contrary, Yuuki's ex-partner in EE JUMP, Sonim, is doing quite well, having recently formed a duo unit with TV talent and model Osawa Akane. The unit is called "tomboy" and their first single "Super Star" is a cover of Korean group Jewelry 2005 hit of the same name. They're doing so good that the single has been chosen as the closing theme for a TV Tokyo variety show Sukibara, recomended to national karaoke companies, and "tomboy" will also debut Utaban. [Source]

Just ranting round... cos I'm still trying to resurrect my PC, but to no avail. And i'm in a blue, blue mood....

Thoughts on Morning Musume latest single "Mikan"

2007-11-09T10:38:00.000+08:00

I'm glad I came back to blogging in a good time (other than my home PC dying on me), the new Morning Musume single "Mikan" was great and the PV was awesome. The reaction of fans were even better. I'm loving this PV because honestly speaking, the last few PVs are way under-budget. So this time, it was really impressive. So now we have another concert crowd-pleasing song for the wotas to go "Oy! Oy!" while thrusting their fists in the air. (^o^)/ Oy! Oy! Oy!....

Have rewatched the older variety shows featuring the girls recently (all the way back to 2001). It's a strange but great feeling - back then the 5th gen members Takahashi Ai and Niigaki Risa were so quiet and well behaved in their rookie year, right now they are fronting the group. Time flies... *sniff sniff* (;_;)

Still, the word "mikan" was not even mentioned in the lyrics. I wonder why? Just thought I'd mention the first few things that came into my mind when I hear the title "Mikan".

1) Mikan = It's not over yet!
Given the many past unfortunate incidents that seem to plague Morning Musume members, past and present, it is not surprising for some people to think that "Their time is over". I have read worrying discussions if MM is disbanding soon.
Now, the "Mikan" single CD cover shows a birthday party of sorts, the coupling single "Bon Kyu Bon Kyu Bomb Girl" seem to signify fireworks. So what could they be celebrating?
The songwriter (presumably Tsunku) must have a hidden message for everyone -> "It's not over yet!!"

If you are a manga lover like me, you may have read the sensational manga "Shaman King". Unfortunately, due to unfavorable reader poll and budget constraints, the manga serialization has been cancelled prematurely. Obviously the manga creator Takei Hiroyuki was saddened with this decision, and he is forced to end the storyline with a hanging plot. To express his regret, he drew an orange at the last page, next to the words "Owari" (meaning "The End"). In actuality, "mikan" has a double meaning of "Incomplete". I wonder if that is the meaning of this single used "Mikan" as a play on words to express just that - "It ain't over yet!".

2) Orange = Somebody's gonna end!!
On the other hand, if you're a movie buff and is totally into movie trivias, the fruit orange has got to scare you when I mention this movie name - "The Godfather". But what does the story of a mafia cartel has got to do with the title of this single? You see, whenever an orange appears in the film, a death scene comes afterwards. See this list if you're not convinced or have not watched the film. I hear that this is a Sicilian tradition, or it could be a deliberate plot devised by the filmmakers... but this is superstitiously scary to me. Is someone else gonna be in trouble?

3) Mandarin orange = just a Japanese tradition and export goods
There are a few impressions I have when I think about Japan. The tourist impression is more or less "Sushi, Tempura, Mount Fuji, Geisha". ^_^
For me it's Tokyo Tower, onsen, sushi (of course), businessman in suits on a train, katanas/shurikens..... and boxes of oranges. Yeah oranges... I mean, don't we see that often in Japanese Doramas? You know, when they use those same boxes to collect their belongings when they are fired from a company, utilised as a make-use coffee table for bachelors squatters, girls eating oranges around a kotatsu watching TV, using the boxes for storing stuff when moving to a new apartment... etc.

Of course, after listening to the song and watching the PV my thoughts have changed somewhat. I haven't gone to the forums to see the reactions of others, but I assume that it could be similar (minus the Godfather thing, maybe ^_^) What I don't understand is the childhood pictures shown in the PV.

So either the theme of this single is childhood, birthdays wishes, hope and dreams. Or a message that Morning Musume is not going down just yet, and they are celebrating a fresh start all over again.

Peace ^_^

RIP to Jin's PC

2007-11-09T02:09:00.000+08:00

It's dead... my PC is dead. :(

It seems like the Gods of blogosphere doesn't want me to come back... or are They just testing me? In any case, my PC is dead, and I feel so paralysed. For the past few days, I've been playing ER and trying to revive 'her', but no dice. It's partially my fault, really. Cos' I haven't been paying attention to 'her' and treating 'her' badly (sounds like a real life relationship, eh?). In addition to that, my net connection is also acting up. Grr....

However, I'm going to play necromancer and use all my skills to try to resurrect 'her'. Gimme a little time before my next post. In the meantime, anna wrote a nice article on Morning Musume's latest single 'Mikan', so be sure to read it!

Peace

You'll get a chance!

2007-11-08T15:18:00.000+08:00

Morning Musume's 35th single, Mikan

Here we have a nice and natural look for MM's newest single. At first when I heard the title I thought it was for once going to be a ballad. XD I know right? What chances are that. Lol. After I heard the radio rip I wasn't wowed immediately. It sounded like an ordinary album track or b-side. After I saw the promo images and pvs, it changed my mind completely. No wonder they call a PV, promotional video. It helps. ^-^

Their cloths in the covers and promos are really relaxing on the eyes. For once I think that EVERYONE looks decent. Ai looks really mature. Risa looks graceful. Eri looks like she's back to 15 again. XD

Sayumi's dress and colors reminds me of Saki of C-ute's latest outfit. Reina looks pretty much the same. She's fashionable and photogenic. Does anyone else think that Airi's light green dress and Koharu's light green sweatshirt/dress is a sign. XD Both are aces in their groups and wearing similar colors and styles. Maybe I'm overthinking. ;]

Aika looks so down to earth and looks so natural. Jun Jun still has that awkward poses and smile. She's still new and I'm liking her more. ^-^ Lin Lin has her cutie face on with a cute pose. Her colors remind me of a bumblebee. Hehe~

On with the PV:

First off, their costumes are really cool. They stand out a lot and look pretty normal for a singer's costume. I think that with these costumes or the photoshoot cloths they may actually get to appear on TV a bit more. Music Station would never let MM wear the ONSA costumes on TV. It would distract everyone. XD I remember that they use to wear normal cloths and then changed with the performance, but that was years ago I think.

I like the pairings within the song and PV. Putting Aika next to Koharu was smart. She got more exposure there from Koharu. ^-^ I was beginning to worry that Aika was being hidden from everyone since JJ and LL took her thunder. Then you see Aika again with JJ and Ai. Smart again. I really like Aika and hate to see her in the shadows.

The CG backgrounds made the song even livlier than it did with just the radio rip. It was cute how they added a "Mikan" (orange) in the background. It was nice to see so many different angles and scenes. They're on top of the world! :o Their eyes on the closeups are really cool. Nice light effect. Made them shine even more.

Their dance is really jumpy. That's the only word I can think of right now. XD It's a good song to dance to for fun. Especially for kids. Wota's may get a "kick" out of this. A lot of people are thinking that the dance is a bit cheesy, but hey think about the song and it's beat. It works. It gets the crowd going.

Of course I have to talk about the baby pictures. They made the PV more personal then just a "PV". They put a bit of themselves into it and had a fun time. I bet a lot of other fans liked it because they found out or learned something new about their fave members. Reina always had curly hair. Risa looks the same from even a child. Same with LL. Eri was too cute. Aika's smile from then was already shining. And so on.

Overall I think this is one of the best PVs in years. It's so fun and it didn't blind the fans. Everyone looked fantastic and looked like they had fun. It seems like they put a lot of thought to this PV. Who ever thought of the pictures needs a raise. :D There were a lot of angles in the PV too. Usually we get 3-4 with same background and such. It's going to be some performance in this years's Kouhaku Uta Gassen.

OH YEAH! Why didn't they tell us that Ayaka was in MM?! Jk. It's hard not to imagine Lin Lin as Ayaka.

Random stuff I thought people might be interested in knowing:
Johnny's NewS recently released an album. One of their songs was arranged by Suzuki "Daichi" Hideyuki.
C-ute is nominated for Best New Artist at Best Hit Kayousai 2007.
Heike Michiyo gave birth to her first baby on Novemeber 1st. Congrats!

Is Korea ready for another girl group?

2007-11-02T13:02:00.000+08:00

If you follow Korean music like I do, you must know that this year many new boy groups and girl groups appeared. Fierce rivalry already appeared before they even debuted and now with the year almost ended I look and see if there’s room for Korea. I would like to take the newest girl group and compare them with Morning Musume.

So Nyuh Shi Dae (Girl’s Generation)
Members: 9
Time since debut: August 2, 2007
Company: SM Entertainment
Age Range: 16-18

All 9 girls have trained separately for quite a few years. One of the members has actually trained 7 years before her debut. Almost all the members have done dramas, commercials, and modeling jobs individually. (Still are.) One member can speak Chinese and two members grew up in America and are able to speak in fluent English. Also, another member have debuted in Japan before and ironically participated in ASAYAN's "Korea Japan Ultra Idol Duo Audition". They are most likely going to get compared to this group because of the number of members.

These girls have loads of experience that I’m betting the Morning Musume girls never had done. Well, maybe the newer girls. You might say that Morning Musume will kill them instantly since they have so much history, but look at the girls. There is a language barrier. It’ll be harder to get close to the fans that love them so much there. You might also say that they aren’t competition at all. Who knows? What’s your opinion and how do you think Morning Musume will come over to Asia? What ways can they do to make them stand out. Music wise, not like events like they had recently.

This is more of 'if's' if they ever debut in Korea.

So Nyuh Shi Dae Debut MV:

Other links:
[ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ]

New Co-Blogger with HNPH

2007-11-02T10:07:00.000+08:00

It gives me great pleasure to announce that HNPH is welcoming its first co-blogger -> anna. She has her own style and opinion, very much different from mine, which I think will be a breath of fresh air.
So please be kind to her, and give your best support.

Peace ^_^
jin

HNPH, Lost Months - Prologue and H!P Incidents Flashback

2007-10-31T10:39:00.000+08:00

Here's to catch up on old(er) news while I was on a break, I do feel that I need to comment on some of the happenings. Not all of them of course, life goes on, and I'm sure there are more incidents to come.

Commenter anna provided a list for me to look into. Some I know, some I didn't. These I do not know ...

- forming of duet Kira☆Pika, Kusumi Koharu and Hagiwara Mai
(^_^)b~~ Yay! Maimai!!

- Aibon's MOM going nude
(o_o;) Good Lord... please have mercy on me eyes...

- Athena & Robikerottsu, formed with Gaki-san, Mittsi, Sato and Saki
(^o^)/~~~ YAY!! Gaki-san!

- Formation of group 'Buono!', formed with Momoko, Miyabi and Airi
(^_^)/ That's great! Though it seemed like 2nd 'Aa!' with Momoko replacing Reina...

-Berryz and C-ute's recent success
(^_^)? Nice!!... but what is it? Sales? Concert attendance record?

- Melon Kinenbi's infamous PV
(o_o)? What happened...? Did they strip off their clothes?

- Tsunku Jr./NG Project
(O_O;)! WHAT?! So it was true?!

- THE Possible graduated from H!P Eggs
(^_^) Aww.... I was gettin' ready to warm up to them. Wait... they'll still be around, right?

On the negative note, the word "scandal" takes on a wider scope by now, so it will called 'Incidents' from now on. Look at what incidents we have so far ->

- Yoshizawa Hitomi's brother died in vehicular accident.
- Kago Ai discovered working intern, caught smoking again, spent the night in onsen trip with old guy... and subsequently fired.
- Hello Morning has transformed to HaroMoni, changes in concept and style.
- 2 Chinese girls accepted to Morning Musume as "exchange students"
- Tsuji Nozomi got sick and dropped out from theater, later discovered that she was actually pregnant, got married with the father of the baby. Currently on a break till baby is born. It was said that the two were introduced to each other through Yaguchi Mari, though they denied of this.
- Shortly after being appointed as Momusu leader, Fujimoto Miki discovered to be in a relationship with a comedian, and subsequently fir-... err I mean, resigned from Morning Musume. Later, rumours surfaced that Fujimoto and her guy were introduced to each other by Konno Asami in her birthday party.
- Konno Asami returns to Hello! Project to join Gatas futsal and musical group

The above stuff that ones I covered, here are some things what happened during my break.

- Iida Kaori got pregnant and married the baby's father - an acquaintance of Tsunku.
- Abe Natsumi got driver license, promoted traffic safety. but soon after ran down a motorcycle in an accident.

And of course the latest news about Goto Maki ->
- Goto Maki got sick and dropped off from concert tour and afterwards rumoured to be pregnant (after Tsuji's case, 'acute-gastroenteritis' is another word for pregnancy ^_^ ). Then her brother got caught committing crime stealing cables, then Gomaki subsequently announced her resignation. [Edited 12:11 p.m.]

Then, found more stuff from the ever-resourceful WHG. Things like:

- Ex-member of Momusu, Ishiguro Aya divorced, husband Shinya wanted to reform LUNA SEA.
- Low attendance in H!P summer concert in Saitama Super Arena
- The A-Team (Morning Musume 10th Anniversary Team), was jeered in live promos. In Oricon chart, A-Team's 2nd single lost to AKB48 by double sales.
- Gatas music group lost to PERFUME in Oricon chart.

I have no way of confirming these sightings and stats, though. Sales figures prolly retrieved from Oricon which is, of course, not really accurate.

Welp... *stretching arms and cracking knuckles*
... time to go to work!

*Commencing search-and-blog mode* (^_^)v

Goto Maki - Shotgun Graduation

2007-10-30T11:21:00.000+08:00

Look what God dropped on me just when I am coming back to blog... ^_^

OK... Let me get my head straight...

Goto Yuuki (Goto Maki's brother) was arrested for a theft. He became a suspect of a crime job in July this year, for stealing of 80 bundles of electric cables belonging to a construction site, worth 1 million yen, in Edokawa, Tokyo. Whilst trying to transport the goods out in a rental truck, someone spotted the act, called the cops and the gang fled, leaving the cargo behind. Apparently it was a repeated crime.

Gomaki, subsequently, announced her graduation (or should I say resignation) from Hello! Project. The fact was made official by UFA themselves, and Tsunku sents his best wishes and support to her in his blog.

Gomaki blogged about her graduation. But only snippets were in the news. The webmaster of Gomaki's blog has banned my country's IP, and due to heavy traffic the site was constantly inaccessible. Fortunately, I managed to acquire it using a feed reader.

Goto Maki's confession from her blog

大切なお知らせ
from 後藤真希オフィシャルブログ by ごとうまき
私は、昨日10月28日をもちまして、ハロー！プロジェクトを卒業しました。
いきなりの発表でごめんなさい。

13歳のときに、モーニング娘。に加入して今年で9年目を迎えました。
いろんな出会いや感動が私を成長させてくれました。

その中で、自分が本当にやりたいことを少しずつ思い描くようになってきて。
今一度、じっくり自分と向き合う時間を作りたいと思い、卒業を決めました。

これから先のことは、まだわからないけれど、後藤真希にしかできないことの追求、自分の音楽性について見つめ直していく中で、いろんなことを吸収し、自分の力に変えて行き、今より前へ確実に進んでいきたいと思っています。

みんなに、なんて言えばいいんだろうって、ずっと悩んでいました。
みんながいてくれたから、私は今、ここに居られるし、笑顔でいられる。
その感謝の気持ちを言葉でうまく表せなくて。
本当に、本当にありがとう。

これからも、みんなと一緒にいたいんです。
みんなが、私の支えだから。
ハローの一員としてではなく、後藤真希として、自分らしく、頑張っていきます。
これからも後藤真希を、ずっと見守っていてください。

Roughly translated (Cos i don't have time now, but we get the general idea)

Important Announcement by Gomaki
Yesterday, I graduated from Hello! Project on 28th October. Sorry for the sudden announcement. From the time I joined Morning Musume, this has been my 9th year (in showbiz). I have grown up through many emotional encounters.
In the middle of it, little by little I am able to picture the things that I really wanted to do. I've decided to graduate, so that I can once more create my own time carefully.
Although, I do not know what will happen from now on, but I will pursue the things that only 'Goto Maki' can do, reevaluate my music style, absorb many things, change things with my own means, and move forward in a stable way.
I was going "What should I say to everyone?", and have been troubled about it. Because of everyone, I am here and you can be smiling. I cannot express in words how thankful I am. Thank you, thank you very much.
From now on, I still want to be with you all, because you are what supports me. I will give my best, not as a member of H!P, but as Goto Maki, as myself.
Please watch over me, Goto Maki from now on.

Stories are about that Gomaki's leaving was planned earlier. But "how early?" I ask. Last year, beginning of this year.... or at July, where the crime was reported?

... And so Yuuki steals some cables, Gomaki gets the boot?!

Unfortunate coincidence? Or fear of crime association?

I need more catching up. Anyone can cue me in on this?

The Gotos in trouble, and Gomaki graduates from H!P

2007-10-30T10:00:00.000+08:00

Eh?! This alert came in last night, and I have hardly unpacked my stuff. Goto Maki graduates from Hello! Project?! Not only that, her brother was involved in some kind of theft crime?!

Funny, cos i was reading about Gomaki's graduation from Momusu from an magazine published last month...

God, I need time to take this all in...

2007/10/29-10:21 後藤真希、「ハロプロ」卒業
　歌手の後藤真希（２２）が、２８日のコンサートツアーを最後に、所属する女性アイドル集団「ハロー！プロジェクト」を卒業することになった。所属事務所が同日発表するとともに、後藤もコンサートの最後でファンに自ら報告した。
　後藤は１９９９年、ハロプロの中心的存在であるグループ「モーニング娘。」の第３期メンバーとして歌手デビュー。２００２年にグループを卒業してからも、ハロプロの一員として活動してきた。しかし今月、実弟が窃盗の疑いで警視庁に逮捕されたことなどをきっかけに、事務所と話し合った結果、ハロプロから離れることを決めた。ソロ活動は今後も続けるという。
　後藤は事務所を通じて、次の通りコメントを発表した。
　この度は弟の祐樹がお騒がせをして大変申し訳ございません。
　これから先のことは、まだわかりませんが自分にしかできないことの追求、自分の音楽性について見つめ直していく中で、色んなことを吸収し、自分の力に変えていき、今より前へ確実に進んで行きたいと思っています。
　ハロー！プロジェクトは卒業しますが、後藤真希として自分らしく頑張っていきますので、今後とも応援宜しくお願い致します。（原文のまま）

Source

From Hello! Project site. Source

後藤真希　ハロー！プロジェクト卒業に関するお知らせ

平成19年10月28日の「後藤真希LIVE TOUR 2007 G- Emotion II 〜How to use　SEXY〜」最終公演をもちまして、後藤真希はハロー！プロジェクトを卒業することとなりました。
後藤真希は平成11年9月モーニング娘。第3期メンバーとして加入。その後、モーニング娘。の活動と平行しソロ活動を開始。平成14年にはモーニング娘。を卒業し、歌手のみならず、ハロー！プロジェクトの一員としてドラマ、CM、ミュージカル等で幅広い活動を行ってまいりましたが、今後の活動に関し事務所と本人とで話し合った結果、今回の事件で他のハロー！プロジェクトメンバーへ迷惑がかかるのではないかと気にかけていたこと、また活動の方向性の違いにより、ハロー！プロジェクトを卒業することを決めました。
尚、ハロー！プロジェクト卒業後も、ソロ活動は続けて参ります。

＜後藤真希コメント＞
私は、昨日10月28日をもちまして、ハロー！プロジェクトを卒業しました。
いきなりの発表でごめんなさい。

13歳のときに、モーニング娘。に加入して今年で9年目を迎えました。
いろんな出会いや感動が私を成長させてくれました。
その中で、自分が本当にやりたいことを少しずつ思い描くようになってきて。
今一度、じっくり自分と向き合う時間を作りたいと思い、卒業を決めました。

これから先のことは、まだわからないけれど後藤真希にしかできないことの追求、自分の音楽性について見つめ直していく中で、いろんなことを吸収し、自分の力に変えて行き、今より前へ確実に進んでいきたいと思っています。
みんなに、なんて言えばいいんだろうって、ずっと悩んでいました。
みんながいてくれたから、私は今、ここに居られるし、笑顔でいられる。
その感謝の気持ちを言葉でうまく表せなくて。
本当に、本当にありがとう。

これからも、みんなと一緒にいたいんです。
みんなが、私の支えだから。
ハローの一員としてではなく、後藤真希として、自分らしく、頑張っていきます。

これからも後藤真希を、ずっと見守っていてください。

From Tsunku's Blog. Source

本日は晴天なり
テーマ：ブログ
晴れやね。

晴れは気持ちいい。

気持ちの良い生誕祭になりそうです。

いろんな人生のスタートになりそうな感じ。

さて、人生のスタートにはいろいろありますね。
後藤真希も新たな人生の門出を決心したようです。

思えば１３歳でオーディションを受けて、この世界に入って、
９年の日々。

いろんな作品を作ってきました。

後藤真希と言うアーティストは想像力を掻き立させてくれました。
そして、いろんな作品を世に送り出すことが出来ました。

男の子以上にに大胆な部分と、ものすご～くメルヘンチックな部分、
冷静だな～って思わされたり、盛り上がってるねぇ～て
思わされたり。

ま、いろんな表情があるからこそ、
いろんな作品を作ることが出来たんだと思います。

そんな後藤真希が
ハロー！プロジェクトの卒業を決心いたしました。

今回の決心は、
また、新たな後藤真希から生まれる作品と出会うきっかけと
なるべく決心だと感じています。

ほんま、これからも応援してるわな。
ひとまずはご苦労さんでした。そして、今日からもファイト！

Hello... long time no see.... ^_^

2007-10-25T11:20:00.000+08:00

Hi there~~~ Long time no see....... ^_^

Sorry for no updates and for not informing. But I've been darn busy these days. Guess I should have put up a notice or something but I cannot even find the time to do that.
....... well, that's half the truth really. (^_-) Some of you guys prolly caught me hanging round da 'Tube watching vids.

I've been meaning to find time to come back and post. But work, family and my newfound marital status have caught up to me, that I barely had time to rest. Many thanks to all those who have sent me messages and emails. I'll try my best to answer them all.

Truthfully, other than the busy schedules and chores, one of the reasons that delayed my coming back is the stoppage of other blogs. Apparently this is also like a season of marriages, scandals, kaisans.... AND blogging roadblocks. I love to blog, but I love some competition also. Although I hate to admit it, Some Boys! Blog had been one of those that I consider a friendly rival. Haha! (^o^)/ I hope they come back soon, as I do myself.

Still, this break gave me excellent time to catch up with the Jpop side of things. I realised how much I've been missing, being in the H!P world most of my past few years. It feels great to get connected to my roots. In fact, in addition to coming back to HNPH and my personal blog, I have been thinking of doing a Jpop blog too! ....... Kinda crazy, but we'll see how it goes.

ALSO.... there's a new venture for me and a partner overseas coming up. So stay tuned, and please give your best support... as always. (^_^)v

Thanks for reading and checking back!

p.s.
However, I'm off to a company trip to Bangkok tomorrow night. So I'll be back after that... hehe~~~! (^_-)
Kentaro-san, I owe you TWO omiyage this time.... ^_^

Ogawa Makoto Latest Pics

2007-06-20T15:10:00.000+08:00

So now we have Konkon of Gokkies (5th gen member) coming back, I am sure most of us are looking forward to seeing her in a long time since the beginning of the year. Speaking of Gokkies... A while ago, we saw a picture of Ogawa Makoto having dinner with friends in a pub somewhere.

A moment ago, we got these pictures floating in the uploaders.

I think it's recent, looks like she's in a class or something. Makocchin in long hair, now THAT's hotness...! Still lookin' genki there girl~~~~ (^_^)/

I'm so hoping she has a blog or something and.... wait, she's studying English right? Gosh..... I wonder if she searches the blogosphere to look at ENGLISH H!P blogs...... i.e. OUR blogs..... (-_-;)

Yes... I'm bloggin' from office again, but come on~~~~ it's the return of the Gokkies!

Konkon and Makocchin

EDIT 2007-06-21: Some good people at WHG found the same pictures but the gamma/brightness is increased so that you can CLEARLY see Makocchin's face. Have a look!

It's Showtime! Konno Asami Back to Fuel Hello! Project!!

2007-06-19T10:20:00.001+08:00

This news is too good to not be documented real time. Incidentally, my boss is not around yet anyways... ^_^ (Special thanks to Anna for the headsup!)

And yes, ladies and gentlemen! Konno Asami who has graduated from Morning Musume last year in July, is back with Hello! Project. After so many speculations of whether Konkon is coming back to showbiz, it's finally official. (^_^)/

UFA has released a comment saying that it was Konkon's wish to rejoin and play in Gatas after she is able to enter the university of Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Campus. Her first stage for a comeback will be held at Nagoya Century Hall with Hello! Project tour concert in July.

Konkon on the other hand, have commented that "Although I am worried if I am able to balance (Gatas) with my studies, but I am determined to try my best to make it happen. To all the people who have given their support through my entry to the university, I am most eager to meet them again. However, if there is a conflict between Gatas and studies, I wish to give priority to my studies first."

She will be participating in a single, performed by a combination of Gatas Brilhantes Futsal Club and some members from Hello! Project Eggs.

The single will be titled "Nari hajimeta koi no Bell ~ 鳴り始めた恋のBell" (Meaning: The bells of love have begun to ring) and produced by none other than Tsunku. This single will also be the image song for Dralion Cirque Du Soleil circus troupe. This will be the second "supporter song" written for Dralion, the first being "Bokura ga Ikiru My Asia" by the Morning Musume A-Team. I expect the song style would be similar, depending who is doing the song arrangement. It will be released on the 22nd of August.

The line-up are as follows:

Name	Group	Gatas Tag
Yoshizawa Hitomi	Former Morning Musume	Gatas☆Spirit
Ishikawa Rika	Viyuuden	Full Throttle☆Attacker
Satoda Mai	Country Musume	Ultima☆Register
Korenaga Miki	Hello! Project Eggs	Miss☆Dream Maker
Konno Asami	Former Morning Musume	Little☆Braver
Mano Erina	Hello! Project Eggs
Noto Arisa	Hello! Project Eggs
Sawada Yuri	Hello! Project Eggs
Sengoku Minami	Hello! Project Eggs
Mutoh Mika	Hello! Project Eggs

Funny though, Konkon is still listed in the Skylark site as one of the graduated members. Are they not going to update that page yet?
Players of Gatas (senior) that are not involved are -> Fujimoto Miki, Tsuji Nozomi and Shibata Ayumi. I can understand why Fujimoto and Tsuji are not involved, but Shibata? Actually, I have my speculations, but that is another story.

On topic, I'm ecstatic! My favourite extracurricular-all-rounder, slow-eater, "My Pace" idol Pon-chan is back!! I was so devastated last year when she graduated, and the feeling of never going to ever see her again is one that I cannot describe. This exciting news is truly an upside event, giving us a break from all those scandals and stuff. What's more, we get to see more of the Hello! Project Eggs in action (Which I hope won't be just doing backup dancing). Looking forward to it!

Another thing.... For those who haven't heard, apparently Konkon has dyed her hair blonde since entering the university. In other words, had become a real Gyaru. We don't have pictures of that yet, but I have been hearing stories from eyewitnesses seeing her in blonde. Let's see how blonde it got, or if she is going to dye it with another colour again. I wonder if she has put on some weight as well....... BUT anyways, I think she should keep the blonde hair, so that she can be inducted into Gyaruru. Now THAT is cool! (*Bites green apple*)

Lastly, some videos for your enjoyment.

Alo-Hello Konno Asami. Yup, she can play basketball too. I'm sure fellow ballers will recognise that is one good lookin' shoot and follow-through~~~! (^o^)/

Gatas Brilhantes FC Highlights - Konno Asami's last game and graduation. This small girl can HUSTLE! (^_^)b

News from Sanspo

ハロプロに“久々”ハッピーニュース！元モー娘。紺野が電撃復帰

　大学受験のため昨年７月にモーニング娘。を卒業し、芸能界を引退した紺野あさ美（２０）が電撃復帰することが１８日、発表された。ハロー！プロジェクトのフットサルチーム「ガッタス　ブリリャンチスＨ．Ｐ．」が８月にＣＤデビューするのに合わせて、メンバーに復活。７月１５日のハロプロ名古屋公演で１年ぶりにステージに立つ。紺野は「学業との両立で頑張ります」と張り切っている。

◇

　昨年１２月に慶応大学環境情報学部に合格し、４月から神奈川・藤沢キャンパスに通う女子大生、紺野が芸能界に電撃復帰することになった。

　所属事務所によると、モー娘。を卒業する際、紺野から「大学に合格できたら、ガッタスでフットサルを続けさせてほしい」との強い申し入れがあったという。そこで、慶大に無事入学し、順調な学生生活を送る紺野と話し合いを重ね、復帰が決まった。

　活動の場は彼女の申し入れ通り、フットサルチーム、ガッタスになったが、奇しくもガッタスがハロプロの新ユニットとしてＣＤデビューすることから、紺野の歌手復帰も決まった。復活ステージは、名古屋センチュリーホールで行われるハロプロ夏ツアーの初日公演になる。

　紺野は「大学生活と両立できるか悩みましたが、両立して頑張っていこうと決意が固まりました。大学受験を応援してくれたみなさんにまた会えることを、とても楽しみにしています」とファンに発表した。ただ、しっかり学んで、卒業することを第一目標に掲げる紺野は「ガッタスと大学の予定が重なった時は、学業を優先させていただきたい」としている。

　紺野が参加する音楽ユニットとしてのガッタスは、音楽プロデューサー、つんく♂（３８）が２１人の選手から紺野をはじめ、吉澤ひとみ（２２）、石川梨華（２２）ら９人を選抜。つんく♂が作詞作曲したノリのいいポップナンバー「鳴り始めた恋のＢｅｌｌ」で８月２２日にデビューする。

　同曲は、シルク・ドュ・ソレイユが日本で上演中のスーパーサーカス「ドラリオン」のイメージソングに決定。７月２１日からフジテレビ系のテレビＣＭでオンエアされる。また、ガッタスも、「ドラリオン」のスペシャルサポーターに就任する。

Source from WHG 1 and 2
News from Nikkan Sports
News from Sports Hochi
News from Sponichi Annex
News from Tokyo Web
News from Japan-Zone

Shibata Ayumi - Another Scandal on the Way?

2007-06-19T10:15:00.000+08:00

Here are two reasons for Konno Asami's comeback. Personally I think there are a MILLION reasons why she should come back ^_^. But I will highlight two, both concerning Gatas Brilhantes FC :

1) Tsuji Nozomi is out with pregnancy, Gatas needs a goalkeeper.
2) Gatas will be shorthanded again, because there may be another scandal.

This magazine, BreakMax, caught my eye because I saw the name Tsuji Nozomi printed on the front of the August issue, but after looking closer, I saw another familiar name: Melon Kinenbi member Shibata Ayumi.

It says there that Shibata was seen going out late at night, right after the day Tsuji was caught with her scandal. That's all I have for now. I hope nothing serious there. It's a one page article, and there is only that much they can write about.

Another tabloid attempting to ride the scandal "wind"?

Net Offline....Be right back....

2007-06-18T10:19:00.000+08:00

Blogging from office again...

Just moved into my new studio apartment, and transfered most of my stuff there. But there's a problem...... the net connection at my new crib is not ready. In fact there's no freakin' dial-tone on the phone.

Will be right back when I get my connection back, in a couple days max.

It seems like the H!P world is excited about a lot of things, and most of it involved the Chinese Musume. I'm still in touch, but just no time to blog it at the moment. I'll be sure to catch up, cos' I'm excited too (I dig girls who can play an instrument ^_^).

Peace ^_^

H!P HNPH News - Kakei Toshio Will Not Let His Costars Get Pregnant!

2007-06-13T23:40:00.000+08:00

Matsuura Aya, Tokito aMi and Kakei Toshio appeared in Tokyo for a press conference promoting their theater show Sukedachi ~ す★け★だ★ち (Seems like a trend for people to put stars in the titles), which will open on 5th to 14th August at Koma Stadium in Shinkuku, Tokyo. It's a wild story of a national idol(Ayaya) and a historical character(Kakei) offering a helping hand to an alien, who is suffering under a dictator ruler. No, aMi is not the alien, but she plays the role of the villain. (^o^)/

For those who don't remember, Kakei Toshio also took part in a recent theater "Itsu no hika kimi kaeru" which Ishikawa Rika and Tsuji Nozomi took part in a double cast... before Tsuji got "ill" and replaced by Yoshizawa Hitomi.

I have known about Kakei Toshio since way back in the late 90's of the hit franchise Odoru Daisousasen, he is an excellent actor with gripping performances. However, it is also noted that in Kakei's past theater participations, something will happen to his co-stars i.e. getting pregnant (Hirosue Ryoko in 2003 and Tsuji Nozomi in 2007). Therefore, in reference to Ayaya's agency UFA and its continuing scandals, Kakei funnily remarked "Somehow, my costars will eventually get pregnant in my theaters. I will play the role of a 'father' and make sure that my idol costars here (Ayaya) will NOT get pregnant!". Kakei is 44 years old, the same age as Ayaya's father. Co-actor Kitamura Yukiya jokingly added to the light-hearted atmosphere by saying that people have been losing their cell-phones in theater, and HE will make sure no one else loses theirs. ^_^

EDIT: Tsunku will be in charge of the music for this theater. Apparently Kakei only agreed to star on this theater on the condition that he is allowed to perform a duet with Ayaya.

Also involved in this theater are comedian Miyagawa Daisuke and (surprise, surprise) competitive eater and Gyaruru leader - Gyaru Sone.
Lastly, the theater casts announced that they are determined to give the audiences a good performance and something to remember from summer.

Sources:
News from Oricon
News from Nikkan Sports 1 and 2
News from Sponicni Annex
News from Chunichi Web
Source from "The Television"
Video on H!O

Takahashi Ai Takes the Lead

2007-06-10T21:14:00.000+08:00

And so Takahashi Ai had her first job as Morning Musume leader .... AND as "2nd Gen EcoMoni" with Kusumi Koharu starting a few days ago in a Nippon TV Eco Week campaign on Friday, where she announces her will to take up the task as leader with a spirited "I will do my best!". And that she did, while she gave some useful eco-friendly tips and practices along with her partner, in support of the campaign.

Yesterday on Young Town Doyoubi we saw the appearance of Michishige Sayumi who took over Fujimoto Miki's place as a regular in the radio show. Ai-chan did not steal the spotlight and remained passive in her responses (well, most of the time she is like that), as she knows the initiation of the new regular is important. Time and again, she pointed out some good qualities in Sayu, and noted that Sayu is probably more mature than herself, more like an older sister. Though she wished that Mikitty would come back to the show soon.

But what kind of leader is Ai-chan? She still seems to be same as usual, still lacking an outstanding personality (well, actually by having no personality IS her outstanding personality. I think lots of people remember her that way ^_^) and wanting things to be the same as it has always been.

Ai-chan, although already 21 years of age this year, have remained a timid 17 year old in my mind. Mostly because of her small stature, and because she was not the most outspoken amongst the Momusu girls. She doesn't speak unless spoken to, and is always in a passive mode. I cannot imagine her leading the "Dancing! Singing! Exciting!" and "Gambatte Ikima-SHOI!!" cheer before concerts and performances later on. ^_^

However, that's where things get more interesting.

In my personal opinion, unlike her predecessors Ai-chan not the type that will lead by taking charge, but is the type that will lead by quietly watching over her fellow members, while they freely do their stuff. It is this trait that lead me to draw comparisons with Arashi leader, Satoshi Ohno. Both Ai-chan and Ohno are talented singers, easily one of the best in their respective counterparts. Both are also good dancers. And both of them are well respected by their peers and juniors. I remember in the past Morning Musume auditions where many participants cite Takahashi Ai as their favourite member and is the one whom they idolize - including current member Michishige Sayumi.

BUT, after all my blabbering here, there's a chance that Ai-chan will come back and throw all my assumptions out the window. As always, she is very unassuming, and performs above her best effort under pressure. Let's see how she will change with this new responsibility as leader and how Morning Musume will turn out this time under her leadership..... unless the paparazzi comes up with another scandalous scoop again.

Here's a little something in commemoration of new Morning Musume leader Takahashi Ai.

An instrumental guitar rendition of Takahashi Ai's solo single - Yume Kara Samete.

Video Link | Lyrics
Hope you like it. (^_^)v

Peace ^_^

Robby and Kerobby - Niigaki Risa Voices Atena, ℃-ute Sings the Theme

2007-06-08T19:37:00.000+08:00

Two surprises from the anime world!

Surprise #1
When Tsuji Nozomi has to exit from her role of voice acting Atena, a character in anime Robby and Kerobby due to her marriage plans, the anime producers had to find a replacement. And they found that person in Morning Musume sub-leader -> Niigaki Risa. Source here.

Gaki-san will be voicing Atena from episode 16 onwards, which will broadcast on the 8th of July. A bit strange that she is still wearing the Kanashimi Twilight costume for the picture. Has this been decided way earlier on? Or maybe it was to enhance the recognizability of Gaki-san, due to the recent release of the Morning Musume single. Her hairdo wasn't the same pompadour as we saw in the PV anyway.
I am unable to listen to the audio comment by Gaki-san on the site, cos' I'm on Linux right now (it needs a Windows Media Player). Will try again later on a Windows machine later on.

Surprise #2
The theme song for the period of July till September for the anime has been decided as well. It is entitled "Meguru Koi no Kisetsu ~~ めぐる恋の季節" and will be performed by ℃-ute. Source here

This song will also be their 2nd major single under the zetima label. The release date is 11th July.

Fujimoto Miki Removed from Young Town Doyoubi

2007-06-07T13:33:00.000+08:00

Looks like Sanma-san is not kidding after all.

A message updated on the message board of Young Town Doyoubi radio show, announcing that Fujimoto Miki's regular spot will be replaced by Michishige Sayumi. Sayumi will be given a new segment in the show too, in order to educate her and for getting used to being on the show.

The last I visited the official site, I remember seeing Mikitty's picture on the home page but now only Takahashi Ai is on it. Mikitty's profile is still there, though the link is hidden from plain sight.

Slowly, Mikitty is mirroring Yaguchi Mari's after-scandal schedule -> getting less work. I sincerely hope this is not permanent. Hopefully, she gets to come back after the fire has cooled down a bit...

Source from Young Town Doyoubi

ヤン娘。についてのお知らせ
いつもありがとうございます。
前回の放送でありましたように、
藤本美貴さんは、一旦、ヤングタウン土曜日の出演を
見合わせることになりました。

それを受けて、藤本さんに代わり、
道重さゆみさんが出演することになりました。

よろしくお願いします。

そこで、コーナーのネタを募集します。

「ヤンタンの心得」（仮称）

道重さんがヤンタンに出演するにあたって
心得ておかなければいけないこと、気をつけなければ
いけないことをリスナーの皆さんから募集します。

〒530-8304
ＭＢＳヤングタウン土曜日

メールは
yando@mbs1179.com　です。

たくさんのお便りをお待ちします。
よろしくお願いします。

Favourite Morning Musume Members Poll

2007-06-07T02:29:00.000+08:00

I'm probably the last in the blogosphere neighbourhood to do this.

As for the reason, I'm biased. Gaki-Kame combo wins no matter what. But this ranking is temporary, really. It changes by the week. (^_^)/

Get yours too, if you haven't already! ^_^

Tsunku Comments on His Website About Mikitty.... And More.....

2007-06-07T00:47:00.001+08:00

Tsunku though not available for a audio/video comments on Fujimoto Miki's case of relationship scandal, have expressed his thoughts in his official website.

In his message on the 4th of June 2007:

I went to the GAM and Biyuuden's concert in Tokyo. As everyone know from the news, Fujimoto Miki has decided to resign from Morning Musume. As the leader, though it seems that she may have many deep feelings and emotions, it is her whole-hearted decision. I hope that everyone give their biggest and warmest support. Furthermore, for causing worry and trouble to everyone, we humbly beg your pardon.

Tsunku then proceeds to share the progress and detail of the rehearsal and concert, before finally attributing the lively atmosphere and success of the performance to the support from the fans.

This must be the n-th time we hear members and personnel of the Hello! Project family apologise to the fans for the past many months. I feel sorry for them sometimes. However, no matter how regretful they feel, and how much they have shown to the media of their support to fellow comrades, no one is safe. And as any rational person would, even Tsunku himself have to censor whatever comments he make... including the images that are displayed on his website.

For example.... Tsunku's entry on the 3rd of June about the 21st anniversary of Up Front Groups and its photoshoot event, additionally reflected on some thoughts during his 15 years in association with UFG and his band "Sharan Q" that will come to its 20th anniversary next year. He shared some pictures taken from the photoshoot. However, the ones that have Mikitty in it are not displayed. Here are some of them -->

I'll leave it to you on how you can find the other hidden pictures yourself. I'm sure you can figure it out... ^_^

Mikitty - The Revolution that Never Happened....

2007-06-06T22:20:00.001+08:00

I was really looking forward on how Morning Musume will turn out under the leadership of Fujimoto Miki. Seriously. I was also looking forward on Mikitty slipping past her relationship scandal. Just for once, just one time, if anyone in Momusu gets caught outright in a relationship and then get away with it, Hello! Project will be forced to change.

Back in the day, when feisty Nakazawa Yuuko, the first generation member and leader of Morning Musume was still around, the atmosphere in the group is all about rivalry, all about competition, all about pride and hardwork. She sacrificed her own image and turn into a bossy senior to put things into orderly manner in the group, forcing each member to better improve themselves for a chance at the spotlight. Sure she's a workaholic, but she was the only one in the group who has ever had a real job before joining showbiz at 24 years of age, only she understood the meaning of professionalism and dedication to their work.

Guess who else had a real job before joining showbiz... it's Fujimoto Miki. Remember back when Mikitty dropped out of the 4th generation audition for Momusu, she was summoned by UFA to come back and undertake internship and training for a year before her official solo debut. Coupled with her tough-as-nails character and a take-no-prisoner vocabulary, she would have been the one leader to rise and bring back the good ol' Golden Era of Morning Musume. I have my doubts on Mikitty's leadership qualities, but I'm sure she will adjust herself when she is being forced to the situation. She is extremely stern, especially to the much younger members like Kusumi Koharu. It is with my hope, and many others perhaps, that Mikitty would bring back the days of rivalry and sense of competitiveness amongst the Momusu members. Momusu cannot survive by friendship alone, a little bit of healthy competition and fear of elimination is good to put them in a position to buck up and give above their best effort every time. But alas, it was not meant to be.

The second revolution that I have hoped for is a change of the "no boyfriend" policy in Morning Musume.

"Idols"... It is the year 2007 already, is it still important for Japan to keep the "idol" tradition of the 80's? I was told that when Mikitty's scandal surfaced, most fans in Japan have the same thinking ->

"At current times, it is really impossible to deprive idols from romance. "

As you can see, even the Japanese fans agree. (Forget the negative crowd, they're nothing but people who like to cheer at other's misery)

If it was for the intention of not letting emotion getting in the way of Momusu girls' work, then I understand. But how can we expect a bunch of healthy teenagers to suppress their notion for a romance and at the same time asking them to sing songs of love and relationship? While the "idol" formula worked 25 years ago, that doesn't mean that the idols in that era wholly accepted the idea.

I had hoped that starting with Mikitty, the rule of 'no romance' in Morning Musume would be finally be written out, and we will truly have a idol group that is truly modern and living up to the times.

Whether it was due to the conservative thinking of the Chairman, or the Japanese fan culture of idol worshiping, I can only describe this whole event with one thing - unfortunate.

It will be continuous battle from now on, where UFA (or the Johnny's for that matter) will continue to preserve the "idol" brand and prove that the concept still lives... and the paparazzi and journalists will continue to counter and disprove it.

H!P HNPH News - The H!P Week at a Glance...

2007-06-05T22:51:00.000+08:00

Managed to salvage my PC in one piece. Not without some casualties of corrupted files and configurations. Nevertheless, we're back in business.

Okay, let's talk about them scandals..... ahh... but that's old news by now. I've been deprived of my rantings over the whole scandal issue, but maybe that's a good thing, I've much to say and it ain't all positive.

First let's start with some news.... I need some warming up. ^_^

Nakazawa Yuuko's Marriage Life and Comments
Morning Musume 1st gen member and leader Nakazawa Yuuko will be playing one half of a married couple in a theater production "Blue Blue Birthday". She's in Tokyo at a press conference to promote the show that will begin from 22nd June till 2nd July, in Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space (東京芸術劇場小ホール). Playing her husband will be Ishida Issei, who is probably best known amongst J-Dorama lovers for his portrayal of Kashiwagi Kazuya in the 90's hit soap opera "Hitotsu Yane no Shita" or "Under One Roof" 1 & 2. Nakazawa received lots of advice from the experienced Ishida. Of course, it was a good opportunity to get some comments from Nakazawa about the current scandal news, specifically about Tsuji Nozomi marriage and Fujimoto Miki's resignation from Morning Musume, to which Nakazawa (who probably have seen it coming ^_^) responded with "Ah, the main topic has come!" when approached by the journalists.

Nakazawa made remarks about Tsuji first, "She turns 20 yrs old this month, I've known her since her graduation from junior school, so she's like a sister to me. I have congratulations for her, but I didn't think it would happen! We wish her well and hope she takes good care of her health."

About Fujimoto, Nakazawa responds with "She made the decision (to resign) herself, and takes up the responsibility for her actions. Isn't that good? It's very mature of her.". Furthermore, it was made clear that Nakazawa received a phone call from Fujimoto saying "Sorry for causing much trouble". To which Nakazawa added "As a graduate myself, I worry for my juniors and comrades, but I will give my support to them.".

As for herself, she laughs "For now, my only 'love' is my work. I don't have a partner, but I am not in a hurry either!". Ishida on the other hand is currently going out with actress Kawai Chiharu.

Source from Oricon 1
Source from Oricon 2

Mikitty Apologises to the Fans in Concert
Matsuura Aya and Fujimoto Miki, held their first concert as duo unit GAM on the 1st and 2nd of June, in Welcity Osaka, in the wake of Fujimoto's relationship scandal with comedian Shouji Tomoharu. After only 15 minutes into the show with 3 numbers sung, Fujimoto addressed the fans right away, regarding her scandal and announced her resignation from Morning Musume. She apologised to the fans and added that she will continue as a solo act and with GAM. Before the concert started, some fans were wondering if there will be angry audiences in the hall, but after seeing Fujimoto's poise and her apology, fans responded with positive cheers of "Gambare~~!" and "We will support you no matter what~~!". After the show, Fujimoto comments that she was grateful to receive such support from so many people.

On the night of 2nd of June, right after the concert, Fujimoto participated as a regular in the radio show, "Young Town Doyoubi" hosted by veteran comedian Akashiya Sanma. There when probed by Sanma-san, she expressed her regret, held responsibile for her own actions and resigned, as predicted by Sanma-san, quoting past example of Yaguchi Mari. No futher comments by succeeding Morning Musume leader Takahashi Ai, though she showed her support in other form of words. Fujimoto later added that she will probably be getting some solo work from the agency.

Source from Daily Sports
Source from Sports Hochi
Source from Sponichi
Summary of 02-06-2007 Young Town Doyoubi from H!O

Changes in Mikitty's Schedules
Sanma-san made a jest about Mikitty will not be able to come back as a regular on his show, on the same broadcast mentioned above. Was it really a joke? Or a veteran's insight? Some scheduling adjustments have been made after Mikitty's unfortunate turn of events.
For instance, she will not be participating in the upcoming concert in July - Hello! Project 2007 Summer 10th Anniversary Daikansya Matsuri HaroPuro Summer Festival | "Hello! Project 2007 Summer　10thアニバーサリー大感謝祭　～ハロ☆プロ夏祭り～". Strange, cos it's not a Morning Musume only concert, so was she excluded because of the scandal issue? Other changes include the change of referring her with Morning Musume, as noted by Some Boys!, that her name/logo of her radio show has omitted the "Morning Musume's" part, so now it's only "Fujimoto Miki no Dokimiki Night".

Takahashi Ai and Mikitty was supposed to participate in Nippon TV Network's "NTV Eco Week 2007" event this Friday on the the 8th. Now, Mikitty is replaced by Kusumi Koharu. The girls will be taking part in the opening ceremony and the talk show segment.

Dokimi Night Official Site
H!P News - NTV Eco Week 2007
H!P Announcement about Fujimoto Miki

Berryz Koubou 14th Single Jacket Photo Revealed
From UFW official site, Berryz Koubou latest single "
Kokuhaku no Funsui Hiroba" (Confession of Love at the Plaza Water Fountain) jacket photo was revealed. It is due to be released on 27th of June. Serving Berryz in a Maid Cafe. Nice! Looks like UFA isn't letting go of their fanbase in Akihabara.
Pray hard that no scandals may occur upon them at this time. (Cos it seems to be a trend for it to happen nowadays.)
SINGLE+DVD
Normal Edition

Niigaki Risa Alo Hello DVD Preview
Official site at Up Front Works has a small video preview for Niigaki Risa's solo Alo Hello DVD.
Details | Preview

HNPH Technical and Scheduling Difficulties

2007-06-05T09:25:00.000+08:00

Blogging this from office. :P

My PC crashed last night, been getting the "blue screen of death" so frequently these days, and it pisses me off because I have to rewrite my stuff over and over again. It's a hardware problem. Finally, the last straw came, and crashed the whole thing....... and the Windows configurations got messed up.

Big "Thank You!" to those who sent me emails, and also to those who sent their congratulations for my wedding. I promise to reply to all emails in due time. (^_^)v

Other than that, the usual life stuff got in the way. Tried my best to circle around the schedules and problems, but I guess some things have to be attended no matter what.

I hope to salvage the damn PC, and resume blogging by tonight... or tomorrow night. I have much to write about. Again, many thanks for checking back. m(_ _)m

Peace ^_^
jin

Fujimoto Miki Resigns from Morning Musume

2007-06-01T19:52:00.000+08:00

It's official. After Fujimoto Miki was caught on Friday that she is dating comedian Shouji Tomoharu, she has officially resigned from Morning Musume.

Expected? Almost. I was most sure that the agency UFA have tried their best to stop her from quitting, but end of the day, in deja vu of Yaguchi Mari's relationship scandal, the 3rd gen leader who also quit Morning Musume after being discovered by Friday, Mikitty has announced her resignation, in almost similar words "As leader of Morning Musume, and more distinctively as myself, wish to resign from Morning Musume."

This will be the shortest reign ever for any leader of Morning Musume, with the duration of only 4 weeks.

UPDATED:
From the official announcement in Hello! Project website, after many repeated meetings with Mikitty and other, the scandalous news reported by the Friday tabloid has been confirmed and acknowledged. Mikitty herself submitted her wish to resign from Morning Musume, apparently for the sake of the younger underaged members of other groups. As for her activities, Mikitty have participated in her duo unit 'GAM' with Matsuura Aya, just as previously scheduled. However, UFA asked for the understanding of the fans that Mikitty will not be participating in the upcoming concert in July - Hello! Project 2007 Summer 10th Anniversary Daikansya Matsuri HaroPuro Summer Festival | "Hello! Project 2007 Summer　10thアニバーサリー大感謝祭　～ハロ☆プロ夏祭り～".

The new leader will be the current sub-leader Takahashi Ai, and filling in the sub-leader post will be Niigaki Risa.

Fujimoto Miki comments as displayed on the Hello! Project official site:

To all the fans who have been supporting us.
While being in the position as a leader of Morning Musume and to lead the other members, I have broken the rules of being in Morning Musume, and feel deeply responsible. As the result of my actions, I have caused trouble to all of the other members, and it is truly inexcusable. Personally, I cannot continue as the leader of Morning Musume as it is. Distinctively as myself, I resigned from Morning Musume.
Apologies to all the fans that have been supporting so far. I am really sorry.
From now on, I will continue as "Fujimoto Miki", please give your best support.

I've just created that new site Momusu banner only recently, then THIS happens. Dammit, I'm leaving it up there for a while longer. (>_<)
On topic, How much of these "comments" are fabricated and how close it is to the truth, I leave this to your discernment. I'm skeptical about it.

BUT, end of the day, one thing is clear to me - UFA planned to continue and uphold the "Idol" tradition in the Japanese music scene, and they are doing it with Hello! Project.

So what's next? Keep following Mikitty's future developments of course, the "Idol" part, I understand now. I'm interested in comparing how things will turn out for her, compared to Marippe's after-scandal career life. If Ayaya have a new single/album released in the next few months or so, then... yeah, pretty much we can guess what's happening already.

Special thanks to Rob for the email alert.

*******************************************

Announcement from Hello! Project official site

『モーニング娘。』リーダー「藤本美貴」についての重要なお知らせ
平成１９年６月１日
いつも『Hello！Project』を応援して下さってありがとうございます。
本日は『モーニング娘。』について大事なお知らせがあります。

「藤本美貴」は、平成１９年６月１日（金）をもって『モーニング娘。』を辞めることになりました。

　平成１９年５月２５日(金)発売の写真週刊誌「FRIDAY」誌面に藤本美貴に関する報道がされました。このことについて、藤本美貴本人と事実関係の確認等をし、本日に至るまで話し合いを複数回行いました。この話し合いの中で、多数の未成年者が属するグループの一員としてのあり方を話し合い、藤本美貴より「モーニング娘。のリーダーである自分自身へのケジメとして『モーニング娘。』を辞めさせて欲しい。」との申し入れがありました。弊社は、この藤本美貴からの申し出を了承する事と致しました。

　現時点で『藤本美貴』の今後の活動としては、先週末（5/26）から行われている松浦亜弥とのユニット、『ＧＡＭ』のツアーへは予定通り出演致します。また、７月に行われるコンサート「Hello! Project 2007 Summer　10thアニバーサリー大感謝祭　～ハロ☆プロ夏祭り～」へは、出演致しません。ご了承下さい。尚、モーニング娘。の後任のリーダーは、現在サブリーダーである「高橋愛」が務め、サブリーダーは「新垣里沙」が務めます。

今後とも『Hello！Project』をよろしく御願いします。

株式会社アップフロントエージェンシー

藤本美貴コメント

「いつも応援してくれるファンの皆さんへ。
私は、モーニング娘。のリーダーとして、他のメンバーを引っぱって行かなくてはならない立場にありながら、モーニング娘。としての約束を破るような事になってしまい、重く責任を感じています。私のとった行動で、メンバー全員に迷惑をかける結果になってしまったことはとても申し訳なく、そのままモーニング娘。のリーダーとして活動を続ける事は、自分の中では決して出来ることではありませんでした。自分自身へのケジメとして、モーニング娘。を辞めることになりました。
これまで応援してくれたファンの皆さんには申し訳ない気持ちでいっぱいです。本当にごめんなさい。これからは『藤本美貴』として頑張って行きますので、よろしくおねがいします。」

Sources
News from Sponichi
News from Sanspo
News from Sports Hochi

Hyun Young Covers "Renai Revolution 21"

2007-05-29T14:04:00.000+08:00

This was on the news yesterday, I had first thought it was a joke. ^_^

Korean actress/singer Hyun Young (or Hyeon Yeong), currently a popular regular on Korean variety show Heroine 6, is probably best known for her movie and drama works back in 2005, most notably "My Wife is a Gangster 3". News has it that she has released her 2nd single and it is a cover of Morning Musume's year 2000 hit single Renai Revolution 21. It's called "연애혁명" but I don't know how pronounce it in Hangul, but the translator says that it meant "Love Revolution". Same thing, eh? ^_^

Extra newsbit: Hyunn Young's first single "Sister's Dream" was also cover song, of "Dragostea din tei" (the "Numa Numa" Song) by O-Zone.

This will be the first time a song from Morning Musume have been covered in Korean. Apparently, Tsunku himself was asked to check on the lyrics beforehand. This single is due to be released tomorrow on the 30th, but reportedly have received pre-orders of 30,000 copies already, not counting physical stores. Man, that's crazy!

There has been talks as to whether Hyun Young has any plans to break in to the Japanese market. Her agency SR Media & Entertainment responded that "It is still to early for that", but added "However, it is a fact that there are many preparations being done, like learning the Japanese language, in order to advance to the Japan or Asian market".

Are there similarities? I don't understand Korean, so I do not know how the lyrics are like. (Can anyone who understands Korean please help us out?) The PV is outrageous but is also funny. Lots of CGs and effects. There were some references to Hello! Project acts in terms of costume. See below:

Hyeon Yeong in two different costumes from the PV.

Hello! Project Summer Shuffle Units 3 Nin Matsuri and Odoru 11.

There is a familiar choreography in the PV at the chorus "Wow-woah Wow-woah Wow-woah Love Revolutiooonnn~~". Look closely, and you will see some 3 Nin Matsuri "Chuu Natsu Party" dance as well,..... including Tanaka Reina's trademark "pistol and a wink". ^_^

Seems like everyone wants to dance , mash and mix with Renai Revolution 21!

This is not the first time Korea has covered Japanese songs, but I find myself siding with the original because... well, mostly it's because I came into contact to the original first, and have listened to it for the n-th time in so many years. (Who doesn't? ^_^)

Make no mistake about it, Hyeon Yeong is one fine lady. I just don't see why her agency decided that she has to "copy" another musical act for releasing a single, while having the intention of breaking in the Japanese audience at the same time.

But then again I guess we could say the same back in the shuffle unit days when the guys in UFW put Abe Natsumi in a yellow one piece, a long wig, dance like a Loch Ness Monster while singing a Japanese Ondo song....... and they still think she's hot. ^_^

*******************************************

The PV

Sources:
Source from innolife.net
Images copyright of SR MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT (Seoul) taken from
asahi.com
Source from Drama Wiki on Hyun Young
Source from Wikipedia on Hyun Young

Niigaki Risa featured on Friday tabloid

2007-05-28T11:21:00.000+08:00

No... not in a scandal or anything. ^_^

The Friday tabloid features upcoming photobooks frequently. Last week's issue has a Niigaki Risa 3rd solo photo album "Isshun" column on page 9. And here's how it looked like:

[ Translated inset texts coming up ]

And here are more pics:

Gaki-san is still as thin as ever but looking great. I know a lot of girls who would kill to have a figure like hers.

Also, she's been having that wavy hairdo for some time now, which makes me to wonder if that is currently the latest trend amongst youngsters in Japan.
The PB is shot in Okinawa so we may see lots of Gaki-san bikini shots, and "wet-shots". A must-have!

(Heh! I'm definitely showing the Gaki-san fanboy side of me lately. ^_^)

And finally, one observation:

As you can see, Kamei Eri had used the SAME bikini on her photobook.

Either the photographers recycle their models' clothes often, or the GAKI*KAME combination pair are so intimate that they don't mind sharing their bikinis and undies. Woohoo~~~! ^_^

'Iron Maiden' Miki on Young Town Doyoubi

2007-05-27T02:37:00.000+08:00

Do you tune in to Young Town Doyoubi? It's a radio show navigated by veteran comedians Akashiya Sanma and Murakami Shouji, featuring regulars Fujimoto Miki and Takahashi Ai (Ai-chan has been with the show for 4 years, while Miki 3 years). Thinking that Mikitty will not show up for this week's show because of her scandal? Think again. Mikitty showed great guts and DID show up for the show and endured long lectures from the fatherly veteran Sanma-san. AND she is not repentant at all!

But don't take my word for it. If you are interested, download the broadcast if you have an account with H!O, or read the summary .

Ah, I hear my "Download complete" alert there... Excuse me while I take a listen at the show now, will come back and write my opinion.

Up Front Group To Be Listed Company On Stock Exchange?!

2007-05-26T01:07:00.000+08:00

With all these scandal news flying about, it' so easy to miss out on other things that are going on in the Hello! Project world, especially the brighter news. I feel sorry for not covering Abe Natsumi's recent theater work and Viyuuden's boobs... err... I mean, their latest single. ^_^

Anyways, here's an intriguing news - word is out that Up Front Group, which Hello! Project is managed under, may be preparing to be a listed company in the stock market, as reported in the article published by Nikkan Gendai and covered by Yahoo! News.

It is stated in that same article, that up till March 2004 there were approximately 30 companies under the UFG holding company, many of which are not entertainment showbiz related. Perhaps UFG is doing a business remodelling in order to qualify itself to be listed in the stock market. By March 2006 UFG earns a gross profit of 138 hundred million yen and the company expanded its net worth to 257 hundred million yen. Recently, the company have invested heavily on the real estate sector. According to a personnel of a credit research company, it is noted that it is one of the options that a company can use to get listed.

If UFG succeeds in attaining a spot at the Tokyo Stock Exchange, it will be the 4th entertainment business related company to be listed, the others being HoriPuro, Yoshimoto Kogyo Co. Ltd and Amuse Inc..

Here comes the interesting part of the article - Assuming that UFG has set its sights to get listed, every single movement it makes will be noted. It is likely that the company may want to reduce the severity of the many recent scandalous incidents. Namely, Kago Ai smoking scandal and her termination thereafter, and Tsuji Nozomi's shotgun marriage incident.

On the 9th of this month, UFG have reportedly spent over 100 million yen to promote the company image in 3 national papers.

.

So finally I understand the mystery behind the news spread picture above. And supposing that this article means what it said, that UFG would be more interested in protecting its business interests and keep the scandals down, then I am well prepared to assume that Mikitty will escape this scandal safely. Unless of course, she says something stupid or do something crazy... like getting pregnant or something.

But somehow... I feel as if something's not right......

Fujimoto Miki - Shouji Tomoharu Scandal Acknowledged by News and Their Agencies

2007-05-25T12:04:00.000+08:00

Good morning, everyone. I am, of course, at work so I shall be brief.

Last night... well, wee hours in the morning actually... my Email-pal from Japan bought the Friday magazine from the convenience store, and took the pains to type out the full texts of the article. Would have scanned it as well, but it was late and needed shower & rest. I didn't post it then, but here it is now:

フライデーテキスト全文 25-05-2007

新緑の香りが漂い始めた５月上旬の夜。東京・恵比寿にあるオシャレな岩盤浴サロンから一組のカップルが出てきた。
ひと汗かいたばかりとあって、二人は実にサッパリとした顔をしている。
先に階段を下りてくる男性は白いシャツにジーンズ。数歩後ろを歩く女性は、グレーのジャケットにジーンズ、ハンチング帽を目深にかぶっている。
ともに帽子やメガネで顔を隠しているが、その整った顔立ちは隠しきれていない。
男性はイケメン芸人として女性にも人気が高い『品川庄司』の庄司智治（３１）、女性は『モーニング娘。』の新リーダー・ミキティこと藤本美貴（２２）である。
’９５年に結成されたお笑いコンビ『品川庄司』は、冠番組こそないものの。レギュラー出演が多く”ひな壇芸人”として確固たる地位を築いている。
鍛え上げられたスリムマッチョな肉体をテレビでたびたび披露し、立ち居地右側でツッコミを担当しているほうが庄司。所属する吉本興業の月刊誌で
毎年発表している男前ランキングでは、’０２年から連続で上位にランキングしている。

一方のミキティは、『モー娘。』第３回追加オーディションをきっかけに芸能界入り。’０２年にソロデビューし、翌年に『モー娘。』の第５代リーダーに就任し、ハロプロの屋台骨として最注目アイドルの地位を築いている。また所属事務所が作っているフットサルチームでも副キャプテンを務めるなど、活発なキャラクターも魅力の一つだ。

第一線で活躍するトップアイドルと人気お笑い芸人が、二人きりで岩盤浴デート-----心穏やかではないファンの方もいるのではないか。では、この日の二人の様子を詳しくお伝えしよう。
庄司は４ＷＤのアメ車をミキティの自宅マンション近くに路上駐車し、彼女の部屋を訪ねていた。夜９時頃、庄司の車に乗ってでかけた二人は、恵比寿にある和風ダイニングバーに入っていった。
約２時間の食事を終え、店から出てきた庄司は、一人で車に乗り込み発進してしまう。これでお別れと思いきや、車は５０ｍほど走ったところで停車。
少し送れて店を出たミキティは、携帯電話を手にして辺りをキョロキョロと見渡し、庄司の車のほうへ向かった。彼女がすばやく乗り込んだのは、助手席ではなく後部座席。店は恵比寿駅からほど近い場所にあり、人通りも多い。人目が気になって同時に助手席に乗り込むのをためらったのだろう。
そして、二人は彼女の自宅マンションへと帰って行った。
夕食も済んでこれからまったり・・・・！？と思いきや、１時間も経たないうちに二人は再び外出。車を路上駐車させると、岩盤浴サロンのしたにあるコンビニへと入っていった。
庄司はＡＴＭでお金を下ろし「先に行ってて」とばかりに、彼女に岩盤浴店の会員カードを手渡す。ミキティが先にコンビニを出ると、彼は読み物と女性ファッション誌を買い、２階に向かった。

そして深夜０時を回った頃、揃って店を後にしたのが、冒頭の場面だ。
この後、二人の乗った車は、庄司のマンションへと滑り込んで行った。
この日は、奇しくも元『モー娘。』の辻希美（１９）の”妊娠＆結婚”がスポーツしにスッパ抜かれた日。辻ちゃんのオメデタ報道のウラでミキティもしっかり”お相手”を見つけていたようだ。
ミキティが庄司の家を訪れるのはこの日が初めてではない。コンサートツアー中の４月下旬の夜には、タクシーに乗ってハンチング帽＆ジーンズ姿で庄司宅を訪れた。
翌日、今度はほとんど同じファッションにマスクまで装着して登場。さらに次の日には、鍵を片手にエントランスを慣れた様子でくぐり・・・・と、”３夜連続”の逢瀬も目撃された。近くのコンビニで、お弁当を買って庄司の部屋を訪れたり、仕事現場から直接タクシーを飛ばして来たこともあった。そうまでして、カレの元に通っているミキティ。庄司への思いの強さがうかがい知れる。
一方の庄司は、出演中のバラエティ番組『リンカーン』（ＴＢＳ系）で、理想のキスシーンを演出＆主演。相手役の女優候補として、篠原涼子や相武紗季、栗山千秋らの名前を挙げた。もちろん、その中にミキティの名前があるはずがない。が、番組の企画とはいえ、結局、有森也実とのキスシーンを実現させた庄司、
そしてミキティの心中やいかに-----。
こうなると、ミキティを独り占めしている庄司に話を聞かせてもらいたい。『ルミネ・theよしもと』に出演後、車に乗って戻った庄司に声をかけた。
----フライデーです。藤本美貴さんとの交際についておうかがいしたいのですが。
警戒してこちらをうかがっていた庄司は、本誌がミキティの名前を出した瞬間、目を見開いてフリーズ。しばらくして「あの・・・・・・事務所に聞いてください。」と絞り出すように声を発した。
----本気で交際されているんですよね？
と尋ねても、顔をこわばらせたまま無言で車に乗り込み走り去っていった。
２６日からは、松浦亜弥とのユニット『ＧＡＭ（ギャム）』のコンサートツアーが始まるミキティ。キュートで元気印な幸せスマイルを見せ続けてください！！

Very interesting read indeed. It's the same as what we saw in the scans that is probably widely circulated by now. The NewsFeed at H!O have more videos and stuff updated. So please check it out.

This morning, the many new press covered the scandal.

From Japan-Zone Entertainment News

The first reported romance for new Morning Musume leader Fujimoto Miki (22) is none other than comedian Shoji Tomoharu (31). "Mikitty" has been spotted several times spending the night at Shoji's Tokyo apartment by weekly gossip magazine "Friday", who published the photos in today's issue. Friends say they have been dating since at least last autumn.

Other Japanese press:
Sankei Sports
Tokyo Sports
Chunichi Sports
Sponichi Annex

Will Mikitty get kicked out of Morning Musume?
Will she resign from leadership and Momusu, just like Yaguchi Mari?
Is Mikitty taking from past scandal examples, because she wants to quit Morning Musume?
Again, how will UFA handle this matter?
What is it in comedians that hot girls like so much anyway?

Frankly, I agree with my buddy in Japan -> I don't think Mikitty will get into too much trouble. I'm guessing that UFA will just let the matter slide and the news to cool down, the old trick of "If we don't talk about it, we can pretend it never happened". Matsuura Aya was Friday'd once before, almost similar elements - bought stuff at the convenience store, stayed over-night, photos taken... etc. There was an uproar then, but who talks about it now?

Sure, Ayaya may have some leniency being a solo artist and all, whereas Mikitty is in Morning Musume, where such things are a big no-no. BUT if nothing severe happens to Mikitty, we can probably safely say that the way UFA handles their talents are different now. For now, we'll see if Mikitty will be put on a language course overseas or not - meaning that she will be put on some kind of hiatus, she can't be walking the streets with HaroMoni@ given the current situation, right?

Fujimoto Miki Scandal - More News Clips

2007-05-25T02:47:00.001+08:00

Finally, WHG server was not accessible in the day until a while ago, and here's what they found.

EDIT: This clip from Nikkan Sports.

... However, the relationship between Fujimoto and Shouji is still shallow at this time, apparently the office will see to the matter in a stern manner in order to deal with the situation of the two smoothly. The office of both parties have not given further comments...

And found more from the 2ch BBS...

AND there's an update on the H!O NewsFeed.

Is this the end of the road for Mikitty?

I'm going to bed now. When I wake up... I hope it's all a bad dream.

H!P HNPH News - Yasuda Kei in Theater and Tsuji Gives Sugiura a Go-Ahead

2007-05-25T01:06:00.000+08:00

Yasuda Kei Promotes Her Latest Theater Work

There were many comment given by various celebrities regarding Tsuji's case. Even Hello! Project's own Yasuda Kei. Yasuda appeared for a press conference in Osaka, promoting her latest theater work in "Youkihi no Kanbouyaku" ~ 楊貴妃の漢方薬 where a tragic life story of Yang Kwei Fei, the concubine of the last emperor of Tang Dynasty in China. The play will be performed in HEP HALL in Osaka until the 29th this month. When asked, Yasuda commented about Tsuji, by saying that she didn't think Tsuji would surpass her (by getting married). Furthermore adding that although Tsuji have to apologise for the trouble caused in her work, Yasuda hopes that everyone, as previously said by Tsuji herself, to "watch over Tsuji warmly".

Tsuji Nozomi Gives Permission to Sugiura Taiyou to be Gay!

Don't be scared, I'll explain. ^_^

Tsuji Nozomi have recently appeared on the news again. Tsuji's husband (Gah... I can't believe I've just typed 'HUSBAND' there T^T ) Sugiura Taiyou attended the private screening of the movie "Academy" that he also a part of. This movie is a production directed by Gavin Young. In short, it tells the story of trials and tribulations of a few aspiring dancers when joining AAA (that's "Australia Art Academy", not the other AAA ^_^). The movie will open in theaters on 2nd of June. Here's the interesting part - Sugiura plays the part of a gay student falling in love with a fellow male classmate. Tsuji's comment as quoted by Sugiura -> "Since it's a guy, it's OK. I'll allow it.". Sugiura added that everyone should catch the movie and see the "boy's lifestyle" as presented in the movie.

Oh, another thing.... Leah Dizon, who guest stars in the movie was also at the event, and she presented Sugiura a bouquet, which he accepted with smiles. Maybe being gay is OK, but THAT's a No-No!

Endnote: I almost mistyped the post title... Use your dirtiest imagination and you will know what I mean. ^_^

H!P HNPH News - GAM's Mikitty Lives her "Freedom" and Satoda Getting Busy

2007-05-24T23:30:00.000+08:00

You know Hello! Project is getting too much attention, when a busy guy like me is creating 4 posts on a single day, and covering 5 news in two posts. ^_^ Not that it's forced upon me, but because things like this has to be historically documented somehow.

First things first...

GAM's Theme is "Freedom"

In an exclusive interview with Oricon yesterday on the 23rd, members of GAM, Matsuura Aya and Fujimoto Miki talked about their first album "Amai Yuuwaku" ~ "1stGAM～甘い誘惑" which was launched on the same day. The interview started off by mentioning Hello! Project caters to different listeners to their own age. Ayaya noted that because their busy schedules, the pair have to do their recording on different sessions and in order to do so they each have to imagine each other's presence. But given their long time friendship, their chemistry provided for great teamwork and have completed their recording without major problems. For example, when Ayaya sings the chorus, she is able to envision Mikitty's voice and singing style in her head to provide her part. The pair stated that they owed their rapport and chemistry to them knowing each other since their solo career days even though they have formed GAM only a short while ago.

Therefore Ayaya and Mikitty exclaimed that the theme for GAM is "Freedom". The pair wished to show the fans the GAM that they have created on their live concert, and is confident that they will enliven the crowd to sing along.

All this sounded good, and I look forward to their first concert. However it seems to me Mikitty have exercised her "freedom" a little too much, because...

Fujimoto Miki got Friday'd

The headlines on Friday tabloid on Fujimoto Miki isn't just a hoax. Friday have proven time and again on their reliability for such scandals. Love 'em or hate 'em, they're just doing their job. Had it not been Friday, some other tabloids would have covered the scoop, I'm sure. The good people at Hello! Online have further discovered more news about Mikitty's case. Here's a little quote from there ->

Friday reveals news of the two leaving a sauna, and having a 3-day-long date. Both are seen entering Shouji's 4WD car, going for a 2-hour-long dinner to a Japanese-style dining bar, then stopping at Miki's apartment and leaving in less than one hour for a sauna salon. Just after midnight, they are seen going back to Shouji's apartment.

Is this the end of Mikitty? Are we witnessing the shortest reign of being leader of Morning Musume at only 3 weeks? How will UFA handle this situation given the recent trouble caused by Kago Ai and Tsuji Nozomi?
Source here.

On the brighter side of things...

Satoda Mai getting busy

Busy with work, that is. Satoda Mai have been receiving numerous praises of being a wonderful TV talent. Other than her pioneering a new futsal league back her hometown, Satoda have been increasingly active in her "solo career" as sole member of Country Musume. Her activeness on variety shows and the like is only second to Nakazawa Yuuko. Even Yaguchi Mari is getting less appearances, but then again she has her own radio show and a regular show.

Satoda Mai have a solo single released, entitled "Oyaji no Kokoro ni Tomotta Chiisana Hi". Or rather a duet really, as reported in BARKS. The single will also feature the participation of veteran duo "Fujioka Fujimaki", whom have their own show called Oyaji Entertainment. I don't think this single is aiming at the top of the charts, but it's meant to be fun. Some Boys! Blog noted this news and provided a sample, please buy it if you like it.

In addition to that, Satoda gets her own regular column in B.L.T. magazine, named "Satoda My Favorite" starting today. ALSO, she will be next featured on Hello! Project Digital Books for the month of June. Yup, ANOTHER photo album eyecandy for us.

I guess we can quash that speculation of having Satoda, Yoshizawa Hitomi and Coconuts Musume Ayaka forming a buddy unit. BUT, as I always say, never say never! ^_^

Previews from Niigaki Risa PB "Isshun"

2007-05-24T19:34:00.000+08:00

A certain kind fellow managed to get a shot of some pages of Niigaki Risa's 3rd solo photobook "Isshun" ~ 一瞬 , and uploaded it for everyone.

NICE!! And appropriately named, I might add. "Isshun" means "In an instant".... who would have thought that the same kid who thought "Chan Pon Chan" was the capital of China and ended up being 2nd runner-up of Mechaike Bakajo Year End Exam.... would turn out like this? ^_^

Friday'd! Fujimoto Miki & Shouji Tomohiro Love Scandal

2007-05-24T12:41:00.000+08:00

Alright now... here's what I found.

A front cover of Friday with headlines highlighting current Morning Musume leader Fujimoto Miki in love relationship with a man named Shouji Tomohiro. Forget the cover girl, it's the yellow texts on the right that I'm worried about. Man, there is absolute havoc Japanese BBS right now!

I don't know much about Shouji, he could be well-known in Japan, I think. He is one-half of manzai comedian duo Shinagawa Shouji. Can anybody who knows more about this please step up, slap me and tell me that this just a hoax? Please~~~

So now........ I'll be waiting to see if:
1) Major news sites/papers acknowledging this scoop
2) UFA/UFW acknowledging the news

Either one of them leads to the other, so only then we'll know if it real or plain speculation.

Some info:
ADDED: Friday Article titles - Page 9 "「モー娘。」藤本美貴、庄司智春「３日連続通い愛」現場"
Japanese Wikipedia entry on Tomohiro Shouji
Here's a bunch of videos of him on Youtube, if you are curious to know how he is like.

Eyecandy Galore - A Season of H!P Photobooks

2007-05-24T11:20:00.000+08:00

Golly! So many photobooks of members under the Hello! Project umbrella have their photobooks released. What the heck is going on? Are they expecting their fans to buy them all? Has there been a boost of economy in Japan (or worldwide for us oversea fans) or what? Nevertheless I'm glad to see some of the H!P Kids lose their photobook virginity finally.

The mission to separate the fans from their wallets is never ending, it seems. (Hmm... Where have I heard this prose before?)

The latest is Michishige Sayumi. Yup, AGAIN! It's only on January this year when her 2nd solo photobook "Doukei" ~ 憧憬 was released. There must have been a great demand for more "Usa-chan Peace!" goodness from the fans, or UFA is finding ways to give Sayu more work. It's due next month. This better not be a hoax. Source here.

NEXT, we've finally get to see the cover of Niigaki Risa's 3rd photobook "Isshun" ~ 一瞬 which is due to be released on the 28th this month. And golly she looks good WET! From the looks of it, I'm guessing there may be some shots that shows a mature side of her.
Source here.

Before this, here's what we have:

[ No Image ]
Tsugunaga Momoko 1st Solo PB - “momo”
Release Date: 20th June 2007
Source here.

Natsuyaki Miyabi
Release Date: 31st May 2007
Source here.

Suzuki Airi 1st Solo PB - "Airi"
Release Date: 23rd May 2007
Source here.

Yajima Maimi 1st solo Photobook - "Maimi"
Release Date: 27th April
Source here.

The rest of the list can be found from the official Hello! Project site here.

Tsuji Nozomi Cries while Watching Missed Theater

2007-05-23T13:33:00.000+08:00

Slowly coming back to blogging... how could I resist? ^_^

Tsuji Nozomi attended the theater show of "Itsu no hi ka kimi kaeru" at Nissay Theatre in Tokyo, in which she dropped out due to her pregnancy. Before the start of the show, she visited the dressing room, to apologize to the acting leads Kakei Toshio and Kuroki Meisa. Everyone responded with a "Congratulations, Tsuji-chan!", and caused her to weep loudly.

Tsuji proceeded to watch the show from the audience seats. During the show, moved by the performance of Ishikawa Rika and her character's storyline, Tsuji cried again. As the show ends with the curtain call, Tsuji applauded over and over again when her replacement Yoshizawa Hitomi appeared.

降板舞台千秋楽訪れ…辻ちゃん大泣き

　元「モーニング娘。」メンバーで俳優杉浦太陽（２６）と結婚する辻希美（１９）が２２日、妊娠で降板した舞台「何日君再来　イツノヒカキミカエル」（東京・日生劇場）の千秋楽を訪れた。

　開演前、楽屋を訪れて主演の筧利夫（４４）黒木メイサ（１８）ら出演陣に「ご迷惑をお掛けしました」と謝罪。全員から「辻ちゃん、おめでとう！」と祝福されると「うえ〜ん」と声に出して大泣き。客席では眼鏡を掛けて観賞し、同期の石川梨華（２２）の奮闘ぶりと感動のストーリーに再び感涙。カーテンコールでは代役出演した吉澤ひとみ（２２）も舞台に登場。辻は立ち上がって何度も拍手を送った

Source from Sponichi Annex

Be Right Back...

2007-05-21T14:04:00.000+08:00

First of all, big THANK YOU for checking back on this site. ^_^

Thought I'd explain my disappearance here.
It seems that life has caught up with me, again. One thing I've learned -> Procrastinating is never a solution, things come back to haunt you no matter what. Right now, I am busy with so many things - work, wedding stuff, apartment hunting, and other things like renewing passport, medical appointments... etc. So tired... so tired.....

Ya know, I hadn't spared the time to sit down and recollect my thoughts about Tsuji Nozomi's announcement to marry Sugiura Taiyou. I must say that the last time I ever camped outside the news sites and searched the net so vigorously for information, was during Kago Ai's second scandal. (And of course, Yoshizawa Hitomi's loss of her brother). A small but conflicting sense of relief though, that Tsuji did not announce her retirement. I had thought that was going to happen.

I made lots of blog drafts but none gets finished, interrupted by various elements (or gets outdated). Will return to blogging in a few days, maybe sooner. In the meantime, you know where else to go for more H!P goodness and news, I'm sure. ^_^

Other than blogging, I hope to get back to my other projects as well, like transposing more H!P songs to play on guitar, mix some short trance tunes, continue doing my digital manga, and compose and arrange J-Pop songs... etc.
Currently I'm involved in a fan-subbing project for the Utaban show on the 3rd of May as translator. It was tough, but heck I had fun doing it, and certainly have learned a lot, and improved my hearing, comprehension and translation skills.

All these while being occupied with a busy life. I'm crazy, innit? ^_^
Someday, I may need to sacrifice some of those projects,

Ooops, time's up... I gotta go now... I'm bloggin' this from office during lunch break. :P

Stay Genki+ and Be Positive!

Peace ^_^
jin

Abe Asami Joins Gyaruru!

2007-05-15T11:33:00.000+08:00

Thanks to Anna for the heads-up. You rock! (^_^)b

Apparently we have a new member for Gyaruru. And that person is Abe Asami, the younger sister of Morning Musume 1st generation member Abe Natsumi.

In the comments section of Tsunku's official site, he mentioned that he was keen on continuing Gyaruru, that based their gimmick on the Gyaru theme, and was catching on to the masses.

It all started when Tsunku watched Asami's performance in a theater show called "Out of Order" on March and was captivated with her comical but mature act, though he didn't recognize her under the make-up and outfit at first look. He was going "EH~~~!" when he found out who it was. After further research, it was known that back in the high school days, Abe had previously been scouted by another agency while she was shopping in Shibuya. And guess what? She was sporting Kogal fashion! The scouter, of course, was not aware of Abe's identity at that time, and had scouted her with the intention of producing for Kogal starlet that looks like Abe Natsumi. (Yeah, that could have been a cool AV production, innit? ^_^)

After Tsuji's withdrawal, Tsunku thought that it was a good idea to include Abe in the mix. After all, who could have a better credibility to play a part in Gyaruru, than ex-Kogal Abe herself? Abe said that it brings back bitter-sweet memories of her youth, after looking at herself in the mirror wearing Kogal fashion again.

And as is the theme, where competitive eater Gyaru Sone is "Sonene" and Meganekko idol Tokito aMi is "aMiMi" (yeah, I just recently realised that the official spelling for Tokito aMi is with a lowercase "a"), Abe Asami was named "Abebe". Sonene will take the place of Tsuji as leader of Gyaruru.

Tsunku also added in his comments that he had thought of canceling the release of Gyaruru's debut single "Boom Boom Meccha Maccho" because he didn't want an incomplete work to be released and thought that it would be disrespectful to the fans. However, with Abe's addition and her positive participation in the recordings and jacket photoshoot, brought the potential in Gyaruru back to surface again. With that, he was convinced that this will be an attractive single. Lastly, he expressed his regret regarding the delay of the single release to the fans, staff and record stores.

As for me, I didn't expect that it would be Asami. What a surprise indeed!
I knew her as a mainstream J-Pop singer-songwriter, and is fairly well-known for her unique style. Also, I think Tsunku did a good job at following up, whether Asami was deliberately a backup plan or not, the timing was just fine. Plus, end of the day, we get to listen to "Meccha Maccho" and all is right in the land.

Gyaruru will hold an "in-store" event on debut day on 20th June in Tokyo record stores. A free live show and a hand-shake event wil be held on 30th June, at Shibuya C.C. Lemon Hall in Tokyo.

Sorry Yakkun... ^_^ (But then again.... never say never. )

News from Sanspo
Comments from Tsunku's official site
ADDED more news source:
Nikkan Sports
Sports Hochi
Sponichi Annex
Daily Sports

======================
UPDATE 1:11 P.M.
This just in.

Tsunku's message in TNX official site, similar with his comments on his own official site.
PLUS, messages from Gyaruru members in TNX. See front page and click on the second button under 'News & Topics'.
Or more specifically go here.

Translation:

Messages from Gyaruru Members

To the fans that have supported Gyaruru, to company staff that have worked with Gyaruru, and lastly to the members "Sonene" and "aMimi", I truly apologise for causing trouble and worry with my sudden withdrawal.

Although it was a short period working as "Tsujiji", it was fun being able to put on the Ganguro make-up, curled hairdo and fashion that you normaly don't wear. I have heard that we have a new member joining, Asami-chan. I am looking forward to the power-upped and reborn Gyaruru with Asami who will take my place, together with Sonene and aMimi, As former Gyaruru leader, and though I'm going to be a "yanmama" (Young Mama), I will support Gyaruru more passionately than anyone else.

Tsuji Nozomi

Firstly, congratulations to Tsujiji for the marriage and baby! Although it was unfortunate that we were not able to work together, we wish you happiness for always. Next, welcome to Gyaruru, Abebe! Starting with our CD release event, let's all go "BoomBoom" on it (^O^)／!

Tokito aMi

【ギャルルメンバーメッセージ】

ギャルルを応援してくださっているファンの皆様、ギャルルの活動に関わるスタッフの皆様、
そして、メンバーである「そねね」と「ぁみみ」、突然の脱退でご心配、ご迷惑をおかけしまして、
本当に申し訳ありませんでした。

つじじとして活動していた期間は短かったですが、ガン黒メイクをしたり、巻き髪をしたり、
普段しないようなメイクやファッションがふたりと一緒にできてすごく楽しかったです。
新メンバーで、麻美ちゃんが加入するということを聞きました。
麻美ちゃんが加わって、そねね、ぁみみと一緒にさらにパワーアップした新生ギャルルを
楽しみにしています。私は元ギャルルリーダーらしく「ヤンママ」になりますが、
ギャルルの事は誰よりも熱く応援していきます。

辻希美

まずは、つじじ、結婚・そしてベイビーおめでとう！
一緒に活動できないのは残念だけど、いつまでもお幸せに！
そして、あべべ、ようこそギャルルへ！
まずはCD発売イベントに向けて、Boom Boom　行きましょう(^O^)／！

時東ぁみ

Scandals, scandals..... What the heck is going on in Hello! Project?!

2007-05-14T23:29:00.000+08:00

Been SO busy with work and I didn't have the time to digest the news of Tsuji's marrying Sugiura. Please take this blog post as my personal way of ranting and collecting my thoughts. Apologies in advance for any offense caused.

So here we go...

There are so many scandals going on in Hello! Project. That I can't help but wonder - what has happened? Who or what started it? Here I recount some, and only some, of the many scandals that I can recall and blog about.

Yaguchi Mari
Any news press that talk about scandals within Hello! Project will surely mention Marippe on their articles. Now, she is not only remembered for her outgoing and outspoken personality, she has become the mother of all scandals in H!P. Sure, Nacchi and Kaorin had been rumoured to have boyfriends, it wasn't as shocking as Marippe's.
I've said this before and I'll say it again - I've always thought Yaguchi Mari's scandal with Oguri Shun wasn't a coincidence. At the back of my mind, I still think that it was damn well planned and orchestrated. Why? Because I've read news, rumours and other hear-says that Marippe was tired of being Morning Musume leader but nobody listens to her, or do not offer enough respect. When I watched the video of the jacket photoshoot for "Namida Tomaranai Hokago" single, I saw the other girls playfully teasing Marippe for her height. Sure they're friends and all, but come on... she's their senpai and leader. You don't see them do that to Kaorin, do you? (With the exception of Yossie, of course) Therefore, I suspected that she used this method to force her agency to remove her from Morning Musume.

Now, being a big fan of "The Gooch", I still reserve about 30% of doubt about her scandal. Maybe she did indeed found a happy relationship with Oguri. However, apparently due to work commitments, they broke up, but Oguri found another girlfriend soon after, in Tokuzawa Naoko . Marippe, on the other hand, doesn't seem too shaken by this, and found herself headlining the Friday tabloid with another relationship, this time with former Kansai Johnny's Jr. - Uotani Teruaki.

But, no matter what was the truth behind her private life and relationships, in my view, this has caused a chain reaction of scandals later on. Did the other girls used Marippe's case as an example? Did Marippe's daring actions and having the guts to make her own decisions about her own life affect others?

Kago Ai
Kago Ai was caught enjoying a puff on Virginia Slims at a restaurant, and as we all know, was suspended for underage smoking. Later on, she was reportedly feeling the regret, and worked as an intern en route to her come back. Then it happened again, and not only because that she was reported by Weekly Gendai that she was smoking again, she spent the night with Ishimoto of SOMA at an onsen.
However, I suspected that this incident may have happened much, much earlier. There were sightings of Kago going for onsen trips during the same year of her suspension, so maybe that news was recycled again due to her hot comeback news. Cos' I still cannot get over the fact that the current chief editor of Weekly Gendai was formerly working for Friday. Nevertheless, Kago had admitted to the relationship.

Matsuura Aya
Ayaya have long been associated with Keita Tachibana of Jpop super trio w-inds. Later on, good ol' Friday tabloid made it official when they spotted her loaded with bags groceries and stayed over night at his house that one night. This news didn't get too publicized, due to it being an "open secret". The storm slowly settled down and nobody got kicked out of either of their agencies. Which brings me to the next person who also didn't get kicked out.

Tsuji Nozomi
This by far is the least scandal-like. Mostly due to the positive feedback by UFA, and the much televised press conference announcing the marriage. Why, yesterday's Haromoni@ even featured the announcement in the final minutes of the show. Tsuji did the right thing of pre-informing the agency about her relationship, probably have lessen the severity of her "scandal". However, I still lament the timing of it. But who knows, maybe the agency have gotten used to these news already, OR maybe this is a start of how differently the management view their talents' personal life.

... and the most ironic of them all...

Tanaka Reina
Sorry I had to bring this up, CJ.
I dove into my picture archives and found this....

"Tanaka Reina in Love and Retires"

"And the plan is to get pregnant..."

Can't remember when and where I got this from, but most possibly it was back when Reina got Friday'd last year.
Reina was involved with a boy in high school, and eyewitnesses said that they saw the two have been going out together many times. The agency couldn't afford to lose her to a scandal at that point of time, where Morning Musume's popularity was already fading and was trying to promote her by making her center in the "Ambitious! Yashinteki de Ii Jan" single.
So the agency summoned her to the meeting room and asked her "Either you break up with him, or you quit", in which Reina promptly replied "Okay, I'll quit", much to their surprise. We don't know what happened in the end or what UFA did, eventually Reina is still around and her boyfriend was never mentioned ever again. But as a result, Reina was never featured much ever since then and became the least active member in Morning Musume... compared to Sayu, Kame, Gaki-san, and even newcomer Mittsi, who have their own radio shows.

The ironic part of that news clip is that a personnel from another agency suggested a surefire method for her freedom from UFA - get pregnant. However, this method cannot be executed smoothly because her boyfriend was still in high school. Whether Tsuji picked up this idea from Reina or not, is up to us to guess.

These are only a few that made it to the headlines. I didn't even list down the other rumoured scandals yet and...... you know what, I think I might do that on my next post.

Thanks for reading.
Peace ^_^

Full Translated Transcript of Tsuji and Sugiura Press Conference

2007-05-10T22:51:00.000+08:00

I'm doing this because I'm still curious... and some of the bits are quite... cute and romantic, but intriguing to say the least. Yes, there are some cover-ups.

Here is the full translated transcript of Tsuji Nozomi and Sugiura Taiyou's press conference to announce their marriage.

UPDATE: Complete!!
Whew... it's a lot of work, I didn't think it would be this long. But in summary, a light hearted interview, with lots of funny bits. The press keep trying to dig some ugly info from them, but Tsuji and Sugiura answered them the best they can.

In a way, I can relate to Sugiura's feelings and the responsibilities that he have to undertake, because I am going to get married soon as well. Thought I hate it when I think of the havoc Tsuji has caused in everyone around for this shotgun marriage, I guess after being an avid Nono fan for so many years, I have no choice but to offer my best wishes and hope that she have a happy marriage and a healthy baby.

Enjoy!

Sugiura: Hello, thanks for all for gathering here from your busy schedule. At this time, we would like to announce that I, Sugiura Taiyou and Tsuji Nozomi will get married. On March I have turned 26 of age. She is still 19 years old. Although she turns 20 next month, she will register in the family in welcoming her turning to 20 years of age. At this time, to everyone, especially to her related company staff, and the all fans, we have caused worry and inconvenience to you all. We offer our deep apologies. Truly sorry for this.

Tsuji: Hello everyone, and thank you very much. Because of this sudden state, for causing worry and inconvenience to all the fans and people, truly sorry for this. I, Tsuji Nozomi have decided to marry Sugiura Taiyou. I am truly happy. From now on, please watch over us warmly.

Sugiura: To elaborate my dating with her in detail, on April last year, it started and came to know each other through a mutual acquaintance, in the form of a group friendship, and started going out during summer. Through this association, we came fall in love with each other. Round about January this year, we started to think about marriage, and at the time of my birthday on 10th March, I proposed to her and gave her a ring as a present. Both our parents have given consent, have reported to both of our agencies in the beginning of April and received their acknowledgement. We thought of giving preference to marriage, but because we both have our own work, we thought of putting it on hold. However due to the change in her physical condition, at that time we came to realise that she was possibly pregnant. Of holding this press conference in a hurry, please be kind to us.

Legend:
Tsuji (T)
Sugiura (S)
Press (Q)

Q: When exactly did the love relationship begin?

S: About summer last year.

Q: When did the notion for marriage start?

S: January this year.

Q: And Tsuji-san?

T: Because I have the feeling of love, I thought that it's nice to get married, but practically I haven't really thought about it.

Q: How many months pregnant?

T: 9 weeks pregnancy.

Q: What were the proposal words?

S: How embarassing! Because I love her smile, so I said "I want to look at your smile forever. Would you be with me for always?"
(Note: Sugiura proposed to Tsuji in Kansai dialect)

T: Honestly, when those words are said to me, my mind went blank. Tears came out emotionally, I was really happy.

Q: What kind of timing was it said?

S: It was my birthday, went for a drive in my car. At that time, I presented her a ring.

Q: What kind of ring?

T: I was born on June, it was a birthday stone.

Q: Have you thought about contraception?

S: It was life born as a result of love, we want to treasure life.

Q: You didn't think about how this will affect your work?

S: Regarding this matter, because we caused inconvenience, it was inexcusable, however, I am a man, and will properly protect her with my life, I even have a child so I am happy that I am allowed to watch over them.

Q: Tsuji-chan was diagnosed of pregnancy during the checkup of gastroenteritis, wasn't it? Were you aware that you were pregnant?

T: A while ago, though I suspected of it because of the change in my physical condition, I didn't think it will come to that extent.

Q: What do you think now that you know you're pregnant?

T: Quite recently, my sister just have given birth to a baby, it was right after that (about the pregnancy). When I looked at my sister, I came to have similar feelings and was very happy, because of the surreal feeling of having another life in my belly, the maternal instinct in me have came out.

Q: What did you do when Tsuji revealed it to you?

S: Well, I was told that probably she was pregnant. But I have decided to marry, so frankly I was happy.

Q: Was the morning sickness alright?

T: It has finally settled down. Now I'm okay.

Q: Aren't you surprised with the pregnancy?

S: Not knowing what to say to each other, we laughed. But it was filled with happy feelings.

Q: So you found out about the pregnancy during the checkup for gastroenteritis, wasn't it?

T: Initially, it was diagnosed and treated as acute gastroenteritis. It was known during a proper re-examination. It was on its 8th week, after frequent inspections it was on its 9th week when we came to know about it.

Q: We have here the news about commencing with the marriage registration on Tsuji-chan's birthday.

S: Well, in consideration that turning 20 years of age is about welcoming adulthood.

Q: Weren't the parents of your partner surprised?

T: Originally, the word about the marriage was told to family and the office. Isn't it a fact that getting married is a feeling that you will have when you are seeing someone? Dad and Mom understood this, and because we made this decision ourselves, they greatly approved of it.

Q: When will the marriage plans going to take place?

S: Tentatively, we considered to have it about next year.

Q: How did you tell this to the members of Morning Musume and your friends?

T: Told to each one of them by email, and everyone have replied with supportive words like "congratulations" and "although it's going to be touch, but keep your spirits up".

Q: Were they surprised?

T: Yes. Just as I thought, the older 'sister' said that she didn't think that Tsuji-chan will surpass her. She's 34 years old this year.
(Referring to Nakazawa Yuko)

Q: Will you be living together?

S: After registering into the family. We already have a living spot, will slowly discuss and decide on things from then on.

Q: What about the wedding?

T: After everything is settled down, will work on it wholly.

Q: Who decided on the marriage?

S: I think I'm all 'feelings'. We met by chance, and I felt that my destined one has to be this person. I felt that I will protect her for the rest of my lifetime.

Q: What made you think so?

S: Normally, we always tend to run into each other in places where we least expected. This is where we hit it off. We didn't think we would be going out together, but it came to a point where it felt like it was destiny for us to meet and be together.

Q: Where did you meet?

S: At a house of a 'friend', by chance. We just meet up.

Q: We have information that you encountered each other via Yaguchi Mari.

S: It has nothing to do with Yaguchi-san. It was completely a normal friend.

Q: What about you, Tsuji-chan?

T: His laughing expression, and he eats his food in such a delicious way. Things like that.

Q: Home-cooked food?

T: Yes. My specialty is stewed cooking, which I learned after recently taught to me by my mother, and also...

S: Sakuzenni, wasn't it?

T: Yeah, like Kinpira.

Q: What about work from now on?

T: Definitely because of my dropout from the theater and withdrawing from (3 person unit) Gyaruru, for causing inconvenience to everyone I am filled with regret, however because of the live in my belly that was given to me, nothing else is more important. Although it is regrettable, I will do my best in delivering this baby, and once I have settled down and able to work, I will start from scratch again.

Q: Meaning that you still want to work in the entertainment showbiz?

T: Yes. Now I'm in the state of taking a break, will think about it slowly and carefully.

Q: Previously, Sugiura-san said that former Morning Musume Yoshizawa (Hitomi) was his type, right?

S: It used to be. At that time she (Tsuji) was still about 14 years old.

Q: So you still haven't found someone like that which is your type, have you?

S: Yeah.

T: It appears so. I found out about this from watching TV. Even so, I asked him "Yocchan was your type, wasn't it?" on the phone.

Q: And how did Taiyou-san reply?

T: He said "At that time".

Q: Does Yoshizawa-san know about this?

S: Of course not.

Q: Does Yoshizawa-san know about this announcement?

T: She still doesn't.

Q: How do you call each other?

T: For me, because he is called Taiyou, I call him "Ta-kun".

S: As for me, I call Nozomi-san "Non" or "Non-tan".

Q: Was the dating process smooth?

S: It was really a group date.

T: We had meals with everyone.

Q: You've been to place like amusement parks.

S: Yes.

Q: Was it with a big number of people even at that time?

S: It was a group even at that time.

Q: You've even went skiing.

S: I went to an acquaintance's place. But due to lack of time, and my face is showing, so I went back.

Q: Did you wear today's outfit with a hint of wedding dress?

T: Yeah. Because I love white, I responded with my hope of wearing white, also my ring is also pure white, so it matches.

Q: Was Sugiura gentle to you after knowing you were pregnant?

T: Because he has a tender character by nature, and because he is gentle by nature, since he going to be a Papa, I want him to do his best towards being a Papa. And since I am going to be a mother myself, will draw example from my mother and mature up.

Q: Looks like Sugiura-san's sense of responsibility.have increased.

S: I feel this day by day. I can do nothing but do my best to watch over them, as a father and as a husband!

Q: Have you thought of any names yet?

T: Though I have read books, but since we don't know if it is going to be a boy or a girl, will think about it when we know.

Q: What kind of married couple would you like to be?

S: Definitely I have the leadership authority. Because there are times that I am depended on, I will lead. Though someday this role may be reversed.

Q: Have you had quarrels?

S: Though we've had quarrels, but nothing serious.

Q: The reason to the quarrels?

T: It's me. I tend to keep him on a leash, and being selfish, things like that.

Q: Which one apologizes?

T: We both don't apologize, but after a night's sleep everything is like "Good Morning!" on the next day.

Q: If the baby was a girl, would you let her in Morning Musume?

T: Because I entered into showbiz as a Morning Musume after graduating from junior school, so maybe after she graduates from middle, or high school.

Q: So if it is a boy, then let him be Ultraman?

S: Definitely we'll do that. I dream of being Ultraman since junior school. I will show my child Ultraman.

Q: Any anxieties of being a mother?

T: Of course, there are things like 'what should I do' and 'what should I do in my free time'. However, I will ask other pregnant ladies and my mother of things that I can do during pregnancy. For my sake, I will find my own tastes at this time and mature up.

Q: A word to the fans?

S: At this time, although we have surprised a lot of people, I have been granted a new life, I can do nothing but to protect them. Because I am a man, I will protect my bride and my child with my entire life. For warmly watching over us, I am happy.

T: Definitely, to all the fans and all people that we have caused worry and inconvenience, we are truly sorry. But we have really made this decision after many considerations, from now on we will give our best with all our might. Everyone, please watch over us warmly.

Sources:
Full press transcript in Japanese courtesy of Mainichi News
News from Mainichi News <-- pictures from the press event, 80 of them in all! Damn Nono is SO pretty. And Ultraman Sugiura is kinda cute actually, if I may say so myself.

EDIT: I found out that some people have trouble downloading the pictures because to the right-click is disabled by the site. So for those who don't have 'downloader' plugins, I zipped up them pics for you to download here --> http://www.sendspace.com/file/bdoetl

Tsuji Nozomi and Sugiura Taiyou Press Conference - Marriage Announcement

2007-05-10T15:36:00.000+08:00

What we've all been waiting(or dreading) for is here!

News from Oricon.

Tsuji and Sugiura, first words on press conference is "Sorry!"

On the 8th of May where the affiliated agencies of both parties have announced the shotgun marriage and the 9-week pregnancy, former Morning Musume Tsuji Nozomi and actor Sugiura Taiyou announced their marriage in a press conference, on the 10th May 4p.m. in Takawa Hotel, Tokyo.

With 14 cable cameras and 100 press journalists watching on, the "heroine" appeared before them, donned in a white dress and a mysterious expression, saying "Although this is sudden, apologies for causing inconvenience and worry to the fans and related personnels. Please watch over us warmly from now on."

The "hero" Sugiura who is 7 years older, revealed that he presented an engagement ring and proposed to Tsuji on his birthday 26th March, adding that "To her(Tsuji) fans and related personnel, sorry for the trouble caused. We have been dating each other, and had the notion for marriage since January this year."

[This paragraph elaborates the history of Aibon's scandal, W, the theatre double cast with Ishikawa and the replacement by Yoshizawa... bla bla bla..]

Furthermore, Tsuji will register into his family when she reach 20 years of age next month.

EDIT: News clip added. All words from their own mouth here. -->

Source from Oricon

辻＆杉浦、会見の一言目は「すみませんでした」

　5月8日（火）に“電撃”結婚と妊娠9週目と所属事務所から発表された元モーニング娘。の辻希美と俳優の杉浦太陽が10日（木）午後4時より、東京・高輪のホテルで結婚報告会見を行った。

　テレビカメラ14台、およそ100名もの報道陣を前に、白のドレス姿で登場した“ヒロイン”の辻は神妙な表情で「突然のことで、ファンや関係者の皆様にご迷惑、ご心配をおかけし、申し訳ございませんでした。これからも、温かく見守ってください！」と挨拶。

　7歳年上でパパになる“ヒーロー”杉浦は、今年3月の自身の26歳の誕生日に婚約指輪とプロポーズを辻に行ったことを明かした上で「彼女のファン、関係者にご迷惑をおかけし、申し訳ございませんでした。お互い思いやるような交際で、今年1月には結婚を意識しだしました」と語った。

　2人は昨年春に出会い、親密交際を続けていた。辻は先月26日、急性胃腸炎を理由に舞台『何日君再来（イツノヒカキミカエル）』を緊急降板。その後、医師の診断で妊娠が発覚したという。代役には石川梨華と吉沢ひとみが務めることで、辻の穴を埋める。さらに結成されたばかりのギャルユニット『ギャルル』は脱退。今年に入りデュオ“W（ダブルユー）”でコンビを組んでいた加護亜依が、2度目の喫煙報道で事務所を解雇されたばかり。自身も 10代前半からトップアイドルを走り続けていたが、最終的には“女の幸せ”を実現させた形となった。

　なお、入籍は辻が20歳を迎える来月以降になる予定。

Yakkun Wants to Join Gyaruru

2007-05-10T01:37:00.000+08:00

Here's a little something on the side to quench our anticipation, while waiting for news from Tsuji's press conference.

Sakurazuka Yakkun, during the launch of his latest English-learning DVD, expressed his desire to join Gyaruru, which Tsuji Nozomi has withdrawn from. For those who have been following Hello! Morning would probably remember his "diving-kendo-slash" cum "show-underwear-in-the-process" incident on that episode last year. He remembers Tsuji whom he partnered along with Sayu to win a round of game with dominance.

His comments:

"Firstly, I'm surprised! She's 19, right? The rate of divorce for those who got married before turning 20 is high, so I really wish the two will continue to be together."
"If it was me, I'll can join in from a Marc Panther-like stand point. I want to do this, even if it is for 'limited time only'. I'll give Tsunku a call".

*Marc Panther is a Jpop artiste who joined Globe as the group's rapper and lyricist.

He also demonstrated his English skills and congratulated Tsuji's marriage:

"Hope and sunshine shotgun marriage congratulation!"

Nozomi means "Hope" in Japanese (referring to Tsuji Nozomi)
Taiyou means "Sunshine" in Japanese (referring to Sugiura Taiyou)

If there is anything more bizarre than a fake-tan Tsujiji, is a rapper dude cross-dressing as a gyaru in a sailor school uniform and dancing Para para.

Maybe Yakkun is trying to emulate Koriki's success of joining Para Para idol group Hinoi Team?!

Source from Oricon
Source from Sports Hochi

Tsuji Nozomi Marriage Press Announcement on the 10th

2007-05-08T22:06:00.000+08:00

So how is everyone taking the news about Tsuji's pregnancy and love affair? So far, so good...? Man, I'm thinking about it the whole time in the office.

Here's more development:
Source from Sports Hochi

Tsuji-chan Marries, Couple Interview on the 10th
Tsuji Nozomi (19 yrs), former member of popular idol group will marry actor Sugiura Taiyou (26 yrs) soon, this is confirmed by the agencies of both parties. Tsuji who is 9 weeks pregnant, will suspend all upcoming talent activities. The date for marriage ceremony and registering is undecided. An interview for the couple will be held in the city on the 10th, announcing the marriage.

CJ Marsicano noted in IntlWota.com that Ikimasshoi found out UFW have confirmed the marriage situation to FujiTV. Cj also noted a collection of reactions from prominent bloggers here and here.
Ray of AmeWota also have a roundup of blogger reactions here and here.

More news on Hello-Online, where Tsunku was quoted with "She's been doing a good job as a singer until now, but after meeting the love of her life, she will be able to gain new experiences!"

Oricon also reports, and added Tsunku also said "Please give her(Tsuji) your best support". Also in the news, is Tsuji's current activities, where she will withdraw from the newly formed Gyaruru. Furthermore, adjustments will be made to find a replacement for her voice acting role of the character "Atena" in the anime "Robby and Kerobby".

UPDATE:
Up Front Works have made it official news and Hello! Project as well. Tsunku has made his comments too and congratulates Tsuji. Basically, it's no different from what we already know. Except that the person that introduced Tsuji to Sugiura was noted merely as a "mutual acquaintance" instead of *coughcoughyaguchimaricoughcough*. Looks like the management is not taking it as serious as I thought.

.... like I said. So far, so good..... Peace ^_^

Tsuji Nozomi pregnant?! And is getting married??!!

2007-05-08T08:03:00.000+08:00

It's true. Tsuji Nozomi IS pregnant. Two months. And now she is getting married on 17th June.

It is known that on the 7th, Tsuji Nozomi (19 yrs), former member of popular idol group Morning Musume will marry Sugiura Taiyou (26 yrs). Tsuji is currently 2 months pregnant. The couple have been going out since 2 years, and apparently at the end of the same year they have been witnessed to frequently visit each other's home. Though Tsuji have formed a new unit "Gyaruru" on April, she dropped out of the theater "Itsu no hi ka kimi kaeru" which is opening on the 4th, with the reason of acute gastroenteritis.

Source from Sports Hochi

辻希美が杉浦太陽と結婚！妊娠２か月

　人気アイドルグループ「モーニング娘。」の元メンバーの辻希美（１９）が、俳優の杉浦太陽（２６）と結婚することが７日、分かった。辻は現在、妊娠２か月。２人は昨年から交際をスタートさせ、同年末には両家を行き来する姿が度々、目撃されていたという。辻は、４月に新ユニット「ギャルル」を結成していたが、４日に開幕した舞台「何日君再来（イツノヒカキミカエル）」（２２日まで・日生劇場）は体調不良を理由に降板していた。

UPDATE:
The news scans here. -->

UPDATE 2: The news in video, so you know how her boyfriend looks like. -->

SOOoooo... is that why Tsuji is moved to TNX label? Because Hello! Project cannot tolerate this kind of things?
Two pregnants pregnant, eh? That's February, so meaning they had sex on Valentine's day? Oh, wait... that's also when we got news about Kago's comeback on February... so the couple decided to have sex to celebrate the news or what? This reminds me a lot about Ishiguro Aya's case.

Sorry for ranting... I can't take this at the mo. Actually, I don't mind her having a boyfriend or anything, but the timing is just not quite right. Think about it ... the concerts, the theater, Gyaruru, Gatas Brilhantes, fan club events... etc. She has affected everyone else's schedule. Just like Kago...

So now... The Tsuji-Kago twin-effect have proven true. Maybe the two of them should have been in better control from the start...

I need to go to work now.