AKB48 vs Morning Musume 9th Generation

(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!

>> Read the rest of this article

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

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!
>> Read the rest of this article

Debunking the Myth of the End of Morning Musume

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

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.




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

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?
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Romance of the Wotagei ~ ヲタ芸のロマンス

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^_^
>> Read the rest of this article

Souvenir From Bangkok - Morning Musume 10 Years Anniversary Book

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
>> Read the rest of this article

Thoughts on Morning Musume latest single "Mikan"

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 ^_^


>> Read the rest of this article

You'll get a chance!

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!
>> Read the rest of this article

Is Korea ready for another girl group?

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 ]
>> Read the rest of this article

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

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


>> Read the rest of this article

Takahashi Ai Takes the Lead

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 ^_^
>> Read the rest of this article

Favourite Morning Musume Members Poll

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! ^_^
>> Read the rest of this article

Mikitty - The Revolution that Never Happened....

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.
>> Read the rest of this article

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

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
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Fujimoto Miki Resigns from Morning Musume

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.

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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
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Hyun Young Covers "Renai Revolution 21"

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. ^_^

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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
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