Mitsui Aika Wins Game to Voice Gurocchan In Kirari Revolution

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
>> 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

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

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.
>> 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
>> Read the rest of this article

Niigaki Risa featured on Friday tabloid

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

Previews from Niigaki Risa PB "Isshun"

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

Eyecandy Galore - A Season of H!P Photobooks

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.
>> Read the rest of this article

Niigaki Risa Internet Meme - "Gaki-san says..."

There is a popular internet meme within the Japanese web community going on, and is used to either make a statement or for a short humorous comment in forums or BBS. I call it the "Gaki-san says..."

Here are a few examples.
Gaki-san says...

Give me boobs!	Aibon: Reflect on your mistakes. Gaki: Speak for yourself!
My number is 072-4737	(Random pics)
Nakanunara, watashi ga nakou, hototo kizu (Fans of "Curious Nono" would be familiar with this.)	Am I cute?
No dirty jokes!	Reina

I find it amusing and decided to see if we could adopt it ourselves. Just use the template here and with your favourite image editor, enter whatever caption you like, maybe something in your heart and you wanted to say out loud. Resize it if you have to.



I'll start: Gaki-san says...




I'm sure we can popularize this meme even further. I tag everyone (especially all Gaki-san lovers) out there to join me on this game!

Let me know if you've created one yourself. You can mention it in the comments section, and I'll add the image link or page link to this post. Good luck!

But before I go...........

(^o^)/
>> Read the rest of this article

New Radio Segment "GAKI KAME"

A late night radio slot "Hello Project Night" which airs at 11:00 P.M. to midnight, have two segment. The first 30 minutes will be Cutie Party segment, navigated by C-ute themselves. The second half will be hosted by Niigaki Risa and Kamei Eri. It's called "GAKI*KAME"

http://www.fmfuji.co.jp/topics/0704/01_np_program.html



My oh my! Looks like my previous speculation of the next upcoming duo unit is coming true. I think this pair will do very well, based on what I see on the previous Hello ga Ippai segments. Note that the two are the only ones to have two consecutive Haroippa back to back. Maybe UFA likes what they saw, and decided to give them a try at the airwaves. Now who wants to send them an email?

Go Gaki-Kame!

Source from WHG.
>> Read the rest of this article

Niigaki Risa is in Love!

WHG had an entry which caught my attention: About where Niigaki Risa thinks that the dude underneath the Usagi (of the famed Zekkyu Commercial) is an "Ikemen", meaning "handsome guy". Yes, another scandal is on the way. And this time it involves Gaki-san!



Here are the past memories of the two lovebirds:


Pretty clingy, don't you think? They don't act like strangers at all.

So who's behind the mask of the cuddly Usagi? Though it has been hinted many times in the show that the Usagi character is a female (hence being PINK), we have glimpses of the dude behind the mask showing up here and there

The last episode of Zekkyu Commercial provided us a glimpse of him.


Last week's World Pucchi Game.


Later I found THIS on the uploaders:

Quite a good lookin' guy there, innit?


Hoho~~! Gaki-san is in love? Another scandal? Perhaps trying to break the Sakura Gumi Curse?



Note:
Sorry... Please do not take the last two post too seriously. I'm sure that thread in WHG was meant to be a joke. Plus, I'm definitely blogging under the influence of alcohol here...... It's the only way I can get a grip of myself before I move on, after the saddening news about Aibon.

Cheers! Blogging as usual after this~~~!
Peace ^_^
>> Read the rest of this article

Bokura ga Ikiru My Asia, Juunen Ai - Lyrics, Romaji and Translation

By popular demand, here are the lyrics, romaji and translation for Morning Musume A-Team's Bokura ga Ikiru My Asia and Juunen Ai. Nihongo lyrics taken from actual CD leaflet.

Nihongo lyrics typed out using NJStar Communicator. Also used my old dictionary to help me with the translations too. (well, I'm not that perfect yet, ya know~~ ^_^ )

UPDATE 31-01-2007:
Updated the translation for Juunen Ai from some inputs by anon commenter, but not without some modification. Further corrections and proof read by the lovely chu3nii for Bokura ga Ikiru My ASIA and Juunen Ai translations. (Thanks so much!)


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

Bokura ga Ikiru MY ASIA - 僕らが生きる MY ASIA
Music/Lyrics: Tsunku
Arrangement, Programming and Guitar: Takahashi Yuichi
Chorus: CHINO

Nihongo:

同じ夜空の
星を見上げた
遥か遠くに思い寄せ
まだ知らぬ友に会えそうだ
シルクロード進もう

共に励まし 共に讃えて
共に心を通わせ
家族のように 生きいけるさ
絆もきっと出来るさ

万年行き交う この道に
すべての希望が詰まってる
万年誰かに伝えてく
不思議な魅惑 MY ASIA
僕らが生きる MY ASIA

恋に黄昏
海を見渡す
こんな近くに歴史もある
同じような顔に見えても
同じ人はいない

夢を数えて 涙に変わり
季節がまた流れてく
家族の言葉 大人になって
なんだか胸に轟く

万年行き交う この道が
すべての笑顔の始まりで
万年待ってた この時を
愛し合おうよ MY ASIA
僕らが生きる MY ASIA

万年行き交う この道が
すべての笑顔の始まりで
万年待ってた この時を
愛し合おうよ MY ASIA
僕らが生きる MY ASIA

Romaji:

onaji yozora no
hoshi wo miage ta
haruka tooku ni omoi yose
mada shiranu tomo ni ae sou da
shirukuroodo susumou

tomo ni hagemashi     tomo ni tatae te
tomo ni kokoro wo kayowa se
kazoku no you ni     iki te ikeru sa
kizuna mo kitto dekiru sa

man nen yukikau     kono michi ni
subete no kibou ga tsumatteru
man nen dareka ni tsutae te ku
fushigi na miwaku     MY ASIA
bokura ga ikiru     MY ASIA

koi ni tasogare
umi wo miwatasu
konna chikaku ni rekishi mo aru
onaji you na kao ni mie te mo
onaji hito wa i nai

yume o kazoe te     namida ni kawari
kisetsu ga mata nagare te ku
kazoku no kotoba     otona ni natte
nanda ka mune ni todoroku

man nen yukikau     kono michi ga
subete no egao no hajimari de
man nen matte ta     kono toki wo
ai shi aou yo     MY ASIA
bokura ga ikiru     MY ASIA

man nen yukikau     kono michi ga
subete no egao no hajimari de
man nen matte ta     kono toki wo
ai shi aou yo     MY ASIA
bokura ga ikiru     MY ASIA

Translation:

Looking up at the same starry night
Sending my thoughts to the far distance
possibly meeting friends that you never met
moving on along the silk road

Together encouraging and praising each other
Together linking our hearts
Living together like a family
Surely a bond will form

In this crossing roads of ten thousand years
Uniting our hopes together
Convey it to someone for ten thousand years
My Asia, a strange fascination
My Asia, where we live...

Love in dusk
Looking around the ocean
We do had a history nearby here
Even if there are people who look similar
there are no people who are the same

When counting dreams, change to tears
the seasons have switched again
Somehow, words from family roars in your heart
when you become an adult

This crossing roads of ten thousand years
is the beginning of all smiling faces
At this time after waiting for ten thousand years
My Asia, let's love
My Asia, where we live...

This crossing roads of ten thousand years
is the beginning of all smiling faces
At this time after waiting for ten thousand years
My Asia, let's love
My Asia, where we live...

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

Note: I think Juunen Ai is not supposed to make much sense, because Tsunku is trying to fit references to all the titles of Morning Musume singles in the lyrics. (of course, he failed to do so in the end... heh!)Read this post if you don't know what I mean. So go ahead and try to spot them Morning Musume song references in this song. \(^o^)/


Juunen Ai - 十年愛
Music/Lyrics: Tsunku
Arrangement, Programming and Guitar: Takahashi Yuichi
Chorus: Takeuchi Hiroaki, Tsunku

Nihongo:

会いに来てよ
十年経っても同じように
会いに来てよ
つべこべ言わずに来てよ

雨が降っても会いたいし
お天気良い日は尚うれしい
たまの浮気は許すけど
純情見せてよね

いつも此処で 貴方
待つわ 貴方
いつも此処で 歌を
唄っていますから 鳴呼

愛の機械
十年経ってもステキだわ

朝のコーヒー
ずいぶん昔の話

平和になれと歩いてる
どこにも行かないここにいる
そうね うちらは生きている
愛を下さいな

大阪女 浪漫
Wow Wow Wow Yeah Yeah Yeah
愛があらば It's All Right
まるで シャボン玉 鳴呼

恋のダンスしましょ
直感 マンパワー
ハッピーサマーウェディング
全部は入らない
十年おめでとう

Romaji:

ai ni kite yo
juunen tatte mo onaji you ni
ai ni kite yo
tsubekobe iwa zu ni kite yo

ame ga futte mo aitai shi
otenki yoi hi ha nao ureshi
tama no uwaki wa yurusu kedo
junjou misete yo ne

itsumo koko de     anata
matsu wa     anata
itsumo koko de     uta wo
utatte imasu kara     Ahh

ai no kikai
juunen tatte mo suteki da wa

asa no koohii
zuibun mukashi no hanashi

heiwa ni nare to aruiteru
doko ni mo yuka nai koko ni iru
soune     uchira ha ikiteiru
ai wo kudasai na

osaka onna     roman
Wow Wow Wow Yeah Yeah Yeah
Ai ga araba It's all right
marude     shabondama     Ahh

koi no dansu shimashou
chokkan     Manpawaa
happii samaa uedingu
zenbu ha hairanai

juunen omedetou

Translation:

Come and see me
just like always even after 10 years
Come and see me
Stop complaining and just come see me

Even if it's raining, I still want to meet you
If the weather is good, it will be more delightful
Although I can forgive an occasional unfaithfulness
show me your naiveness/innocence

We will be right here
waiting for you
Because we will always
be singing here.... Ahh


love machine
still sounds cute even after ten years
morning coffee
now that's really an old story


Longing for peace, we are walking ahead
Always will be here, not going anywhere
that's right, we're alive
oh, please give me love

Osaka women are romantic
Wow Wow Wow Yeah Yeah Yeah
It's all right if you have love
just like a soap bubble ... Ahh

Let's do the dance of love
Instinct, Manpower
Happy Summer Wedding
Can't include them all

Happy 10th anniversary

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

Bokura ga Ikiru My Asia - PV Review

So I managed to download the PV from Hello! Online. My god,... the number of times I played the video has got to be the same as the times I played the song itself, if not more.

All the girls are strikingly beautiful, all in my favourite colour blue. Bamboo shoots, paper sheet windows, galls of water, lotus flowers... everything East Asian. Credit the editors for doing a great job on the presentation. The focus are still the girls, themselves. Iida Kaori - High dress cut, gorgeously sexy. Abe Natsumi - Womanly, but still cute. Goto Maki - Voluptuous, superstar quality. Niigaki Risa - Adult-like, sweet and beautiful. Kusumi Koharu - Refreshing, absolutely cute.


I haven't gone to the store yet, because of my busy schedule. I hope it's not all sold out yet.

It's late over here. So I'll update this post with the rest of the review with the screenshots later.
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Niigaki Risa - the next push?

Ladies and gentlemen, the Niigaki Risa boom has come.

Some crazy points here, coming from a huge Gaki-san fan. Apologies in advance if this sounded bias.

Old news made new. Way back (I think a couple months) before Yossie's graduation announcement, read from somewhere that there were some 'insider' rumour from internal staffs, that Yoshizawa Hitomi, Fujimoto Miki and Takahashi Ai have their solo plans scheduled already. Was it true? Now Yossie's gone, two to go. When? This year? Next year? I don't know. But one thing's for sure, the year 2007 has to be Gaki-san's time to shine.

Sometimes I don't get UFA nor Tsunku's rationale. They have been pushing Tanaka Reina and Kusumi Koharu all this while, but lately it's Gaki-san have been getting some good spots. I'm guessing, Gaki-san is being pushed to the front in preparation to take the lead of Morning Musume once Mikitty and Takitty has graduated.



Firstly, flashback ->

Niigaki Risa was the one who "shined during the final studio recording", according to Tsunku. Actually, Gaki-san was not new to the media. Prior to joining Momusu she has done karaoke commercials with Tomy Corp. Even took part in a local fashion competition. There has been talks amongst Momusu fans over the net, that there were suspected connections between that competition and her possible chances in joining Momusu. As a result, she had a certain amount of following before she finally joined Momusu in 2001.

Initially, Tsunku did make use of Gaki-san's modelling experience for the Tin Tin Town Fashion programme. Even put her in Tanpopo along with Shibata Ayumi. But years gone by, Tsunku seemed to forgot the reason why he chose Gaki-san, and she barely have many opportunities. But then again, she was outshone by her peers(namely Takahashi Ai) and the Tsuji-Kago combo at that time.

After the graduation of Nono and Aibon, Gaki-san became more outspoken, and not afraid to speak her mind. And after the graduation of Ogawa Makoto and Konno Asami, Gaki-san gets more attention - from the management agency and from the fans.


I think I speak for everyone when I say Gaki-san has opened our eyes(and ears) and proved to us that she is well capable of carrying her own weight, with reference to her famous solo rendition of "Koe" in the internet-only programme "Hello Pro Hour".

Video Link



Other than that, here are some noteworthy track record of Gaki-san, since the mid of last year till now:

1) Most appeal time and appearance time in Hello! Morning. Appeared in ALL segments in a single episode at one point. (Variety segment, Pucchi Game, Zekkyu Commercial)

Don't underestimate the lure of the Haromoni show. Yes, the ratings have dropped somewhat compared to the golden years. But when any of the girls are not scheduled for other prime-time TV programs such as Waratte Itomo and Music Station, Haromoni is the next best available place for self-appeal.




2) Centre position and lead lines.

Morning Curry - 2006 Fuyu Fuyu Special

Thanks! Aruiteru 2006 Ambitious Version - Kouhaku

3) Lined up next to Yossie on position and lead lines. Whether it's the sequence of camera shots in Kouhaku, lead lines in the upcoming "Egao Yes Nude", or dance position, she is arranged to be next to Yossie at a lot of times. I wonder if this is deliberate, perhaps to signify anything at all. (Seems like my dream last week was trying to tell me something)



4) Of course, who could leave out the Momusu A-Team.

I had thought since in the "Bokura ga ikiru My Asia" jacket photo Gaki-san is positioned to the far side, opposite of Iida Kaori, she was going to be another flower-vase yet again.

But after watching the Haromoni on Sunday, it presented otherwise, they're not shy to present Gaki-san (along with Koharu-chan) at the same level with the golden girls Nacchi, Kaorin and Gocchin. If Tsunku's plan of expanding to the Asian market works, with Gaki-san's chinese-like look, she may become even popular.




All this while, Gaki-san knows her place and remained in the background supporting others when it's not her time. She is one young pro, who loves her job and her fans, and she deserves her share of the limelight someday.

I'm not trying to predict anything, or make any brave statement. Just noting that it has been a good year of 2006 for Niigaki Risa. And the year of 2007 has started with a big bang for her too.

Let's hope this little Momusu veteran of 6 years will finally show us the power of her "Mayuge Beam".


Thanks for reading. Peace ^_^
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