After years of anticipation and failed Morning Musume and S/mileage auditions, Miyamoto Karin is in a new Hello! Project unit.  This new unit will feature H!P Kenshuusei members Miyamoto Karin (14), Kanazawa Tomoko (17), Miyazaki Yuka (18), Uemura Akari (14) , Takagi Sayuki (15), and Otsuka Aina (14).  Actually, Miyazaki Yuka isn’t a Kenshuusei member- she’s the one who isn’t wearing a beret.

My excitement level for this act is at 6/10.  I wasn’t expecting a new unit to be announced, although I probably should have sensed it coming.  I’m happy to see that there will be more Karin.  I’m happy that there will be more Yuka.

What do we know about the members?

The biggest name on this roster is Miyamoto Karin.  Karin has been in a few auditions, but had not found a place in neither S/mileage nor Morning Musume.  There has been thought that Tsunku was saving Karin for something special.  This new unit must be Tsunku’s special thing.  Karin impresses me in everything I have ever seen or heard.

Here’s Karin in Shin MiniMoni.  She’s the one who’s not Kanon or Takechan

Come to think of it, every member of Shin MiniMoni is an egg who later debuted with Hello! Project.  That’s a pretty good track record!

Miyazaki Yuka is best known as a member of the Satoyama unit Green Fields.  She is the only member of the unit who was not a member of the H!P Kenshuusei.  Yuka came to Hello! Project as a finalist for the S/mileage auditions.  After the S/mileage auditions, Yuka auditioned for the 11th generation of Morning Musume.  Yuka will be the oldest member of this unit at 18 years old.  I’m glad that Miyazaki is debuting, since it shows that her hard work and persistence payed off!  I wish I had more exciting things to say about her, but I really don’t know her yet!

Here’s a Green Fields PV:

Otsuka Aina was another finalist for Morning Musume.  After her audition for the 9th generation, Aina joined H!P eggs.  Aina auditioned unsuccessfully for S/mileage, and then auditioned unsuccessfully for Morning Musume’s 10th generation.  After that, she auditioned unsuccessfully for Morning Musume’s 11th generation.  This girl is unkillable.  Tsunku finally said, “FINE! You win!”

Here’s Aina as a9th generation finalist.  She is just beginning her time in Kenshuusei hell:

Takagi Sayuki is another auditionee for S/mileage and 11th generation Morning Musume.  I see that her nickname is Sayubee, which I find kinda funny.

Here’s Sayubee with Karin and a couple of other eggs singing “All I Want for Christmas”

Uemura Akari also participated in the 11th generation Morning Musume audtion.  I suppose she didn’t make it ‘cuz THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE.

Kanazawa Tomoko has not been involved in any audition.  I know nothing about her.

Well, I think I’ve flapped my trap about things I know nothing about.  Good luck, girls!  Try to be pickier about your wardrobe than S/mileage…

The pace seems to be quickening.  We just heard of the formation of this unit a couple of weeks ago, and we already have some big news.  Firstly, check out the picture of the new unit “Juice=Juice”.  I can’t yet associate all their names and faces (we are all just learning), but I do know that Karin is fourth from the left and looks extremely cute.  This looks to me like an off-shot since the lighting is uncontrolled.  Juice=Juice are already looking like a unit.

But wait … Juice=Juice?!  Where the hell did that name come from?

Tsunkuboy, you really are something else.  I think he must still be on the alphabetical naming riff.  He finally found an English word that starts with “J” that he liked.  So we have … Gomattou, High-King, Juice=Juice (was there ever a, “F” group?)

Whatever.  I like the repeated name, and “Juice” is a very pleasurable word to say.  You know how some words are pleasurable to say?  I just don’t know about that screwy equal sign.

Here was the scene when the girls were first given their new assignment.

Did you notice that Karin immediately broke down?  She has been the “second coming” of Hello! Project for almost four years at this point, and she finally is on the verge of debut.  Nevermind the fact that she has already released songs for some anime or other like this one.  She sounds great, right?  Why wouldn’t we want to see her debut as soon as possible?  I’m glad she gets her chance.

Here’s a translation of her interview (thanks to SoHee at Jplop)

What do you feel/think about this new unit?
Karin:First off I’m very grateful for being chosen and I really feel that I’m no good as I am right now. Up until now I’ve failed a lot of auditions. I’ve gone to the last round and sometimes not even that. Some girls with less experience than I have passed and it’s made me feel very sad and frustrated. So because of that I’m really happy about this but half of that is also insecurity. I don’t know how far me doing my best can take me from this point, and I must aim to be as good as my seniors in Hello! Project and that I can do that now in a way to return the favor to all the fans that have supported me so far is what makes me the happiest right now. So from now on I will do my absolute best to return this favor to everyone who has supported me despite me being a kenshuusei for all this time.

What kind of group do you want this to become?
Karin: Because it’s said that these days it’s the war-period of idols, I want this group to cause a revolution. Because if we don’t do that we’ll end up being looked over and it can’t end with us. So I want us to cause a revolution for many kenshuusei groups to debut after all. I want us to perfect singing and dancing and with that cause a revolution.

 you have anything you want to say?
Karin: What I want to say is… thank you so much everyone for supporting me up until now. From now I want to grow and do my best in rehearsal so I can give you a lot of love in return. Thank you so much.

Don’t you just wanna give her a hug?

Now we fast forward to yesterday’s news with the name of the group and the member colors.

Firstly, The name “Juice=Juice” is ripe for jokes- I realize this.  The name sounds like it should be the name of a local idol group in the countryside.  I’m sure even the most unimaginative among us can come up with some clever puns with the name.  I’m going to try to NOT be that guy.  Who knows- perhaps this name is something that will be popular with the young girl market that Hello! Project is desperate to lure.  I’m not a teenage Japanese girl, so I really don’t know.

Instead of member colors, we get member fruits AND colors!  This is a change of pace from the standard H!P SOP.  If you missed it, the colors are: Uemura Akari (Melon) = green, Miyazaki Yuka(Peach) = pink, Takagi Sayuki (Lemon) = yellow, Miyamoto Karin (Grape) = purple, Otsuka Aina (Orange) = orange, and Kanazawa Tomoko (Apple) = red.  The more observant among us noticed that the girls sat down in the same order as the picture at the top of the article.  We’ll probably be seeing this order more: Sayubee and Karin-chan-san in the center.

It should be obvious now that I am anxious for the major debut of Karin.  Aside from her, Aina is looking cute and has a similar never-say-die story.  I’ve heard some performances of Sayubee and she sounds pretty amazing, too.  Yuka has been performing as part of GREEN FIELDS, so it’ll be interesting to see how she works in a unit that will dance as well as sing.  I’ve got virtually nothing on the other two girl, unfortunately.

As a bonus, we won’t have to wait long to see the girls perform.  It seems Juice=Juice will be taking part in the Hinamatsuri in early March (don’t bust me for not knowing the exact date).  I suppose their upcoming performance is the reason the girls were wearing practice attire in the video.  As soon as I see or hear a performance, you best believe that I’ll write about it here!

The group is Juice=Juice.  The song is Watashi ga iu Mae ni Dakishimenakya ne

I have no admit, I’m not very impressed with the instrumentals of this song.  That saxophone is the corniest thing I have heard in a while.  It sounds like a chicken clucking obnoxiously.  Even without sexy sax man, the song doesn’t off much more than the girls in their first release.  Sure, it’s an energetic number, but I don’t think the chorus is catchy enough to overcome the my hate for this saxophone.  I hope no one at H!P is equating “mature” with “saxophone”, ’cause I’m gonna cut someone if all of their releases “feature” a sax.  Have I made myself clear?

Luckily the girls sound great.  Despite the nerves of their first performance as a unit, they already sound like a solid unit.  Let’s give them better material, OK?  Looking for more Juice, less sax.

I don’t know why I didn’t expect this PV, but here is Juice=Juice’s “Watashi ga Iu Mae ni Dakeshimenakya ne”.  Roughly translated, this song is about preemptive hugs.  My opinions of the song has not really changed- crappy sax line, a bit too simplistic, good presence from the girls, MOAR KARIN.  Terada’s declaration of Ju=Ju as a mature sounding group puzzled me as well.  Let’s see how these mature 14 year-old girls are going in the PV!

Immediately, we get jazz hands and Karin’s “DWEEB” T-shirt (still funny).  First impression is that the dance is super energetic!  Sayubee and Karin-sama pump their fists in the air with lots of power.

We get lots of solos of the girls as well starting with Otsuka Aina. Remember her, from the 9th generation Morning Musume auditions? Good on you, Aina.

And, of course, more Karin. At this point I would like to bring up the subtle member colors on their accessories. More specifically, if color is your thing you should look at the girls’ earrings.

The girls do a weird teeter tot move with their legs and shoulders.

The other big star here appears to be Takagi Sayuki. She has huge cheeks. I know people like that kind of thing. I am impressed by the close up shots of the girls. They strike wonderfully longing faces- they’re probably remembering the time when they accidentally dropped their ice cream cone on the pavement (or something similarly sad to a 14 year-old).

A girl who is really growing on me is this Uemura Akari (melon) chick. Really, I like melons, and melon girl has some wonderfully elfin features.

Ringo girl is Kanazawa Tomoko. (The only reason I know the Japanese word for apple is because of Shiina Ringo). Despite being on of the older girls at 17, she has only been in Hello! Project for three months. Imagine how shafted the other girls feel!

I enjoyed the camera angles during this close-up/dance-shot PV. The camera shoots at some interesting positions giving the impression of being right in the middle of the dance. Imagine dancing next to the DWEEB.

That’s right, H!P Jesus – hair everywhere, don’t care.

And seriously, where are Akari’s hips? She’s barely there!


This brings us to the girl who wasn’t even an egg … Miyazaki Yuka. She wasn’t in very many shots for the oldest girl out there (at a shocking 18). When you do see her, you have to admit that peach-girl looked fairly out of place dancing. Hopefully we can see her develop more in the context of the group- because we already know that she is a talent.

Finally, H!P Jesus encourages you to give her all of your money.

Fresh from the relative success of their debut single “Watashi ga …“, we have three members of the group featured in UTB magazine vol. 204. Miyamoto Karin, Otsuka Aina, and Uemura Akari sport their member colors in this colorful shoot. They definitely look cute! Note the knee socks and the member color shoes.

While I was sleeping, we got a new PV from Juice=Juice. You remember them, the ones who had that song with the saxophone that drove me crazy. The ones with H!P Jesus a.k.a. DWEEB in front. This time, we get “SA-MI-DA-RE Girls It’s Crazy” a song that isn’t really all that crazy. You can tell from the screenshot above that the PV starts all “Naichau Kamo” with the water droplets descending down a sheet of glass.
Let’s talk about the song first. As much as I disliked the saxophone in “Watashi ga …” I must concede that I liked the previous indie single more. Even with the brass accents and the guitar lead, I’m not blown away with the instrumentals. There’s something very old-style about this song that I can’t really articulate. The girls repetitively sing “SA-MI-DA-RE bijou …” during the chorus, which is probably what you will be doing as well (mission accomplished).
The set for the PV is predictably minimal. The recycled water effects I mentioned above makes an appearance in the close up shots of the girls. The main dance set is decorated with lanterns hung from above and spotlights illuminating from behind the girls. But mainly, much is done to keep the setting looking as black as possible. They’re probably in the same studio where they shot “Watashi ga …”

We also get the girls under parasol turning to face camera.


There are parts of this dance that are .. eh. I like the end of the chorus where the girls get down on one knee and slap the floor.

But I don’t like the sumo shove. Please, can we stop this move from ever being performed? Where’s the petition; I’ll sign right now.

Mostly, there’s way too much arm flailing for me.


Of course the girls make the most of the arm flails in the chorus. It works pretty well, but then the back line of girls are doing that weird squat. I’m not a fan of the squat unless it’s Reina’s yanki squat.

Girl check.
Aina starts off the song and has quite a few lines. It’s interesting that they use her so much in this unit considering she was cast off so many auditions. Actually, that describes all the girls in this unit, doesn’t it?


H!P Jesus is as energetic as ever. I don’t like her shorts, but that’s just personal taste.

DWEEB gets a few jumps

DWEEB gets a few kicks

and DWEEB, Aina, and Sayuki get Matrix on us.

Sayuki … I just can’t get into her.


Yuka was almost invisible in this PV. Where the hell did she go?

Why is she so off here?

Tomoko is the biggest mover for me. She has a very rich voice. Tomoko’s voice makes me think that there’s a dark character somewhere in there. That’s kinda titillating, no? I look forward to more of her.


And, Akari is still built like a ladder. A really cute ladder.

Well, there you have it. The girls are still as spunky as ever. It’s too bad they don’t a song that can showcase their talents properly. Hopefully that’s coming down the pipe. Hopefully, Yuka doesn’t disappear before that happens.

Watch the PV here!

This week, we get Nakanishi Kana as our host.  You don’t know her?  I’m not totally surprised: she’s a part of the new S/mileage and is NOT named “Dracula”.  Kana gets the action going quickly with a performance of “Uchouten Love” by S/mileage.  I haven’t seen much of the new lineup performing this song- still too much feels.  I suppose watching this will be therapeutic.  Too be fair, they do a great job with this song, although I wish I got my Kanyon closeups!

Kanana keeps the pace brisk and almost immediately gives us S/mileage performing “Suki-chan”.  The girls are wearing the performance outfits for “Tabidachi ga …” and I really like the way the hooped mini-skirts move!    After the clip, she explains how the “Suki-chan” bridge works, in case you didn’t already know.

And, Kanana keeps on rolling, quickly tossing to the next clip where Makoto introduces Tsunku and Ogawa Makoto at a Kenshuusei event.  We see some Kenshuusei performances starting with “Uchouten Love” (again), and continuing with “The Matenrou Show”, and “Bye Bye Bye!”- they’re just dancing, though.   Next we have a crapload vocal performances from the eggs.  I’ll do the painstaking task of figuring out who’s who and what badge number they are wearing for you, starting with “Sono Bamen de Bibiccha Ikenai Jan!” from (1) Yoshihashi Kurumi, “Watashi Choito Kawai Urabancho” from (2) SASAKI RIKAKO (!!!!!), “Arigatou! Otomodachi” from (3) Hamaura Ayano, “Aitai Lonely Christmas” from (4) Taguchi Natsumi, “Uchouten Love” (AGAIN) from (5) Wada Sakurako, “Yumemiru 15″ from (6) Nomura Minami, “Suki na Senpai” from (7) Kosuga Fuyuka(!), “Waratte! YOU” from (8) Kishimoto Yumeno, “Campus Life ~Umarete Kite Yokatta~” from (9) Tanabe Nanami, “The☆Peace!” from (10) Makino Maria, “Daite yo! Please Go On” from (11) Kaneko Rie, “Maji Bomber!” from (12) Kaga Kaede, “First Kiss” from (13) Murota Mizuki, “Samui ne” from (14) Ichioka Reina, “Kono Machi” from (15) Yamagishi Riko, and finally “Furusato” from (16) Ogawa Rena (when I started this list, I didn’t think we would see EVERYBODY singing ….).

Ogawa Makoto then announces Wada Sakurako’s name … she won something.  Then Tsunku announces Tanabe Nanami as a winner!  I don’t know what she won, but I’m assuming it’s for this singing contest that we just watched.  Then Tsunku announces Tanabe as a winner again!  I really don’t know what they are winning here.

Next up is a performance from Juice=Juice of their latest indie single: “Samidare Bijou ga Samidareru“.   It’s nice to hear the song live- the girls really bring their spunkiness to this performance!  I have to admit that I like this song a lot more as performed live!

Kanana leaves us with Hagiwara MaiMai fixing her hair.  Yes, another thrilling hair segment …

Except, we get a bonus segment of Kanana playing keyboard!

Another week of Nakanishi Kana! This edition is packed with performances, and like last week, Kanana keeps the action coming at a decent pace. These performances seem to all come from Hello! Project’s recent Premium Live at Hibiya.
Opening to Hibiya premium live. Not much to say.

5:05 things get rolling with the new Kenshuusei/Juice single. I didn’t expect the next Juice=Juice single to be a collaboration with the rest of the Kenshuusei. I think we should just consider this a Kenshuusei release. I really think that Hello! Project have finally caught on to how important releases from all of their members. Also, since they seem to be serious about promoting through their ranks (finally), this experience is nothing but positive for all involved. How is the song? It’s a sing-along number punctuated with a nice trumpet. The choreography consists of a lineup of girls line dancing their way through. The inconsistency in performance level is obvious, but unexpected.

10:30 S/mileage perform new single, “Atarashii Watashi ni Nare!”. The song reminds me of a C-ute song. This is not unwelcome. I’m still not 100% sure I want a mature S/mileage, but I enjoyed this performance and song. A change of pace for these girls is welcome. Anything to keep Druacula-chan from being so damn hyper!

14:48 C-ute perform new single, also a double A-side, “Adam to Eve no Dilemma”. And, wow, those outfits are green and off the shoulder. The synth lead is back for this song- love it or hate it. I like the chorus of this song even if it ends with the strange robotic/dubstep sounds. And I just got distracted by Airi’s shoulder.

19:58 mitsui aika performs “Watashi no Miryoku ni Kizu” from Morning Musume’s “Platinum 9 Disco” album. This was a bit of a surprise. Other than Green Fields, we haven’t seen much of Mittens performing. She’s not my favorite performer, but I confess that I didn’t fast forward this immediately. Mitsui still sounds like off-pitch self. I know she’s probably out of practice, but then again she has never blown me away with a performance before.

Berryz Kobo’s latest double-A side, “Sayonara Usotsuki na Watashi” is performed next. I watched this performances closely to see if there is any difference between this Berryz and the pre-Miya co-captain Berryz. From the camera angles it was difficult to see much of choreography. Vocally, we seem to have returned to the Risako/Mia/Momoko Berryz lead- with a splash of Yurina. Maybe this is because I was concentrating on it too hard, but there seems to be more Miya than normal. Also, the singing parts are more challenging than we have seen in the recent releases. I’m sure I’ll be writing about this more, so I’ll stop here.

We get the beginning of “Chou Happy Song” abruptly cut short by Tsunku himself! The girls are seriously scared of this announcement! When Tsunku separates Berryz and C-ute, the girls’ confusion grows even more. We all know by now that this announcement revealed Berryz Kobo’s upcoming performance at Nippon Budokon.

Morning Musume performs “Resonant Blue” next. It’s very interesting to see this lineup perform the song from the Ai/Reina years. Riho, as expected, seems to have inherited all of the Ai lines in the song- and I imaging that Sakura should get the Reina lines now that Reina has graduated. I particularly enjoyed the prechorus part of this song where Sayumi and Mizuki take the Gaki/Eri choreography in the center. From the angles we get to see, the Michishige 11 do a great job with this song- not surprising since this group of girls and this song are very dance-centric. This was a highlight of the show (for me).

Finally, all the girls come out and sing “Love Machine”. I’ve seen this song performed so much, that I don’t know what to say. I’ll leave some stream of consciousness, how about that?
…whoa, Haruna in the center?…that’s a lot of girls…Hello Kitty again?…I might like the S/mileage outfits the best…oh, they’re still squeaky sounding…Mizupon line!…wait, what are those S/mileage shoes?…oh, hey there stage left Juice=Juice!…Did Uemura Akari just miss her cue?…yes, love is SO wonderful….Hello Kitty looks like she’s dressed like a granny in comparison…(spoiler tag) Kudo gets the final “Love Machine”

As befitting, we get a S/mileage song to close this extremely performance centered Hello! Station. In a remarkable change of mind, I find that I enjoy Dracula-chan’s voice more than I enjoy Takeuchi’s voice. I remember when the 2nd gen started, I figured that Akari would be the vocal standout when she learns to control her voice more. This hasn’t happened, and Meimi has improved dramatically. Kanyon’s still my favorite, though.

Honey is back for her second week! Highlights this week are the premiere of S/mileage’s “Yattaruchan” (which I really like) and a metric ton of backstage footage from the Hello! Project concerts. Let’s get started!

C-ute live performance of “Kanashiki Amefuri” from their forthcoming double-A side (with “Adam to Eve no Dilemma”). Song doesn’t really do it for me on my first listen. There’s more Tsunku wacky synthesizer sounds. Cute still perform the best of all current H!P groups, but this song .. I might take a pass if my opinion doesn’t improve after a couple of listens. I did like their outfits. They looked like they were going to have cocktails- classy. It was also weird to see little MaiMai in a strappy top. I feel like I’ve gone from seeing her in diapers to seeing her all grown up. This is probably why it’s difficult for anyone to recognize her appeal.

Morning Musume event for “Help Me!” in Osaka. There’s a small amount of live coverage followed by the girls in small groups. More specifically, we have Sayu, Fuku-hime, Kanon, Ayumi, and Masakissu at a Tower Records event on 1/27. They show off some drawings, but I have no idea what they are saying. Then we have the balance of the girls (Reina, Eripon, Riho, Harunan, Kudo, and Sakura) at a handshake event. The report skips to 2/12 where Sayu and Mizuki makes and eat some Sayudon.

Premiere of the PV for S/mileage’s “Yattaruchan”. I’m really liking this song and PV, so I will write up a long form review. Can I just point out Kanana with a megaphone?

LOTS of Hello! Project backstage footage from Honey’s cam. We immediately get Chisa eating a donut. There is plenty of off-shot footage of the girls wearing their new single outfits including the green C-ute outfits, the white S/mileage outfits and the striped Berryz outfits. The Juice=Juice girls are there. Remember before how I was all “KARIN KARIN KARIN”? It’s starting to turn into “AKARI TOMOKO AKARI”. I dunno anymore. Berryz are back there sitting together at a table. I always wondered whether if the Berryz girls pal around like this backstage. Maybe this is one the new rules imposed by subleader Miyabi? There’s a funny bit with Captain and Harunan trying to say “yellow”. Harunan next targets Oda Sakura watching and dancing along to a monitor showing C-ute’s “Massara Blue Jeans”. Some Aika footage is then followed by Masaki clinging to Reina and Sayumi- adorable. PonPon are together backstage, and Haruka shows off her Hello! Kitty doll (I’m not making that up).

Let’s get it out of the way: this is a low budget PV. There is nothing to see here other than the girls in a white cyc dancing. Nope, not even a dance shot/one shot PV! And for plot- forget about it. Giving the trainee unit a “better” PV is probably a waste of precious resource. This does seem to be the start of something bigger, though. Hello! Project Kenshuusei (trainees) never got their own song before, let alone a PV. Since the PV we’re looking at is the “Zero-edit version”, a proper PV should be a few days away.


It’s been a long since we’ve seen a release that was a straight up “idol” song like “Ten Made Nobore”. It’s filled with hopeful lyrics like “Come let’s sing a song full of dreams, a song that makes us smile” and “This star loves you, so I want to reply full of love” or “Let’s shine! Go up higher!”. There isn’t an ounce of the pessimism to be found here- which is appropriate considering these girls have nothing BUT dreams at this time in their life. The instrumental track is filled with pleasing synth padding accented with trumpets- think a less aggressive Juice=Juice.

The song is a great showcase for the talent base that Hello! Project has built up over the last 5 years (the longest serving Kenshuusei/Egg is Kaneko Rie (15) who joined Hello! Project in 2008). The girls are similarly styled with unfettered straight or wavy black hair crowning a shiny black lapelled vinyl (?) top. A black skirt and white boots complete the picture. These girls are idols, so there’s lots of midriff and leg which might make some people uncomfortable. Every one of them look cute- quite an accomplishment. This single outfit is one of my favorites from all of H!P’s last year’s worth of singles: clean, flattering, and eye-catching.

It’s natural that your eye will be drawn to Juice=Juice first. They are in the front row of the formation and dominate the center focus. And, it’s difficult not to focus on someone like H!P Jesus, who is energetic, sharp, and is always smiling for the camera (ever other time I paused the video for screen caps, there was Karin smiling). The rest of the girls are unknown to most casual H!P followers. This is their time to shine!

The most exposed moment occurs in the second verse as each of the three lines of girls get a solo shot.

Looking at the PV frame by frame, it’s easy to see which girls are ready for prime time. Some of the girls look great in every frame, and smile at the camera with their eyes. They look like they are in motion and not flat-footed. See if you can tell…

Much like “Yattaruchan”, this is a song that Hello! Project needed. None the griping about electro-Musume, or racist-Berryz, or slutty-C-ute can be levelled at the girls in this release. The girls are here simply to make you smile as they work their hardest towards their eventual, hopeful debut. If you think the struggles of bunch of young girls can give you inspiration for your daily life, then idol music and this song are for you.

You can buy “Ten Made Nobore” at CDJapan

Welcome to another Hello! Station! This week we get a kyuukie Morning Musume: Suzuki Kanon. If you follow along with the H!P community, then you know that anticipation has been building for this episode. Speculative fans presume at least some of the new Morning Musume PVs will get a debut.

Well, the moment we’ve been waiting for comes first! “Ai no Gungan (Dance Shot ver.)” premieres after some introduction from Kanon. The girls sport red and black military inspired outfits with berets as the headgear of choice. Musically, “Ai no Gundan” starts off sounding like a Perfume song. The PV keeps that deception with the girls executing some slow synchronization. When the tempo picks up the girls move to a sideways kick line. You find out really quickly what this song is really about, though. There is some FANTASTIC hand movements that are synchronized like they came from World Order. By the time the half time drop of second verse, you are hypnotized. And then during the instrumental break, you are crying. The girls help you out with line distribution guesswork by raising their hands during their solo/duet lines. I am blown away again.

Now, how do you follow that? Turns out, you follow it with C-ute from Paris. C-ute perform their early single “Massara Blue Jeans” in its entirety. Unlike the videos from the last C-ute in Paris report, the video utilizes a variety of angles. We even get some super close ups where you can practically feel Maimi sweating.

Kanon cues up footage of Nakanishi Kana and Takeuchi Akari tossing the first pitch during the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes game on 7/16/12. We’re talking baseball here. Yoshi from New School Kaidan thinks Kanana needs to rework her entire delivery. On the other hand, Takechan gets high marks. With celebrity events like these I only care about how they look (that’s totally a lie), and I think Kana’s still shot looks better than Akari’s still shot. Yes, Akari threw the ball wide left, but it hardly matters, right?

SOLO SONG CORNER! Tsuganaga Momoko sings “Kokuhaku no Funsui Hiroba“. This song is one of my favorites from the Berryz catalog. The performance highlights the real shame of the Momochi character that Momoka often plays. Momoka is a fantastic singer. We often associate her with an affected high pitch squeal. But, I think most people would change their minds if they watched some live Buono!. This was filmed in a cafeteria. Bonus points for the chef in the background checking out the action. I really think they should start to film these weekly and at random locations around Tokyo guerilla style. That would be exciting!

Kanon says “bye bye” prematurely. She leaves us with the introduction video for Juice=Juice’s Uemura Akari. Akari first came to my attention because she looks like a twig. That was a very incomplete assessment of the the girl. She’s quite a pretty girl who is growing taller faster than she can fill curves. These recent shots of Aari should give you an idea.

After the credits roll, we get a surprise! H!P gives us a gag reel from MaiMai’s recent hosting gig. Enjoy!

I don’t remember the last time anticipation for a Hello! Station was this intense. As the release date for Morning Musume’s 54th single nears, this anticipation only heightened. Last week, Hello! Station played the dance shot for “Ai no Gundan”. A concert rip of “Wagamama Ki no Mama Ai no Joke” appeared following the summer Hello! Project concerts over the weekend. Earlier, Tsunku coyly hinted that the PV for “Wagamama Ki no Mama Ai no Joke” would air on H!S 26, then a preview of the PV aired on Japanese television. This morning “staff” tweeted that problems delayed the release of this episode by a few hours. Can you feel the anticipation building? You wanted it; you got it.

I plan on spilling my guts on this PV later this week, so I’ll be somewhat brief. “Wagamama…” is the most satisfying Hello! Project PV in terms of production this year. The PV opens with some tantalizing close ups of Michishige Sayumi’s lips mouthing the refrain of the song. Using the empty theater provides some drama to the camera shots as well as magnificent lighting production. The “jailbird” outfits and the black pants outfits give the girls femininity for one, and a toughness for the other. Morning Musume brings their usual sharp choreography which is intensified with some jump cuts; yet, the editing also paradoxically lessens choreography’s impact. Where “Ai no Gundan” unfolded like a kaleidoscope, “Wagamama…” feels like a punch or a slap. Of course, more to come on this PV.

After that PV, I thought to myself, “what the hell else can Kanon possibly show?” I also found myself fixated on Kanon’s “LAUGH” top. At what am I laughing , Kanon?
Kanon tosses us to live footage of the summer Hello! Project concert. The girls opened the concert with this version of ““Busu ni Naranai Tetsugaku” All of Hello! Project dressed up like they are heading to the beach with skirts, sunglasses, and big hats. I see that, predictably, Riho and Sakura sang many of the solo/duet lines from graduated members. And since this footage was shot from a single camera from the rear of the hall, it fails to satisfy completely.

More surprises! Remember Juice=Juice? They have a soon to be released single, as well? The whirlwind of Morning Musume activity unfortunately reduced Juice=Juice’s “Romance no Touchuu” to collateral damage. Luck for us, we get a live performance of the song. On the outset, the song is funkier and more playful that the recent Juice=Juice singles. At one point in the verse the song breaks into “Love Machine” rhythmic accents just in case you forgot where you were. Even though Aina’s departure saddened me greatly (she was the last remaining 9th gen auditionee), the new 5 member group’s choreography became more focused and centered. The houndstooth patterned outfits are still practical looking- there are no frills or sequins anywhere with this group. When the slap bass bridge starts, I thought to myself, “How many covers of this will I see on YouTube?”

And the Hello! Concert footage continues with S/mileage performing their last single “Atarashii Watashi ni Nare“. Like the previous footage, the long shot fails to bring any immediacy to the performance. Frankly, the choreography is not impressive enough on most of these songs to warrant a long shot. However the vocal performances from this concert are stellar. And Kanon likes the “Cat” move from the song. Who’s complaining?

C-ute bring us a performance “Kaneshiki Amefuri” in the next segment. Really, I’m talked out on this song. I still think it is the superior A-Side from the last C-ute double-A offering. And, like I thought, the long shot services this performance since the choreography is compelling. Wow, Suzuki Airi’s vocals are SO STRONG. I’m always impressed with her! As a group C-ute just perform their asses off! Why can’t they come to Southern California?

This wouldn’t be complete if Berryz Kobo didn’t perform, would it? They give us “Golden Chinatown“. When Berryz are given something other than a trivial “point at the sky” choreography, they look great and synced. But I’m sorry Berryz fans- Yurina sings way too much in this song for me. Man, I really want another breakout single from Berryz Kobo- they are still my favorite H!P Kids group (there are only two) but they are languishing!

As if you didn’t get enough of “Wagamama Ki no Mama Ai no Joke”. I’ll just take this moment to tell you how pleased I am at Masaki’s solo “Aisaretai” at the end of the song.

To close out this performance heavy episode, Kanon shows us the full PV to Morning Musume’s “Ai no Gundan”. In my early reckoning, I think “Ai no Gundan” is the stronger of the two songs for the 54th release. Surprises! Firstly this PV is shot as a day/night PV. The girls don lovely white dresses and lounge luxuriously amid rose petals in the day scenes. The night scene is the same as the dance shot. Also, there are bubbles. I suppose they wanted something to take the place of the lens flares?

Hello! Project’s freshest group appear in UTB with this set of lovely photos. I love the styling of the girls in these particular shots. They look young and vibrant and ready to take on the world. Failing that, they could probably give you a cavity.
Here the girls are promoting their latest single, “Ijiwaru Shinaide Dakishimete yo / Hajimete wo Keikenchuu”. I sure hope Akari doesn’t go Kumai and grow another 30cm. She already looks tall next to the other girls. Then again, the really tiny Karin in nestling with her, so …

Akari and Tomoko getting close.

Sayuki and Yuka getting cozy with a pole. You know, Yuka’s limbs make her look a lot skinnier than I thought.

Is this the starting line? Are they chasing the balloons? Perhaps a metaphor for their dreams and aspirations?

Karin …

I’m feeling that not many people know a lot about Juice=Juice, yet. As the newest Hello! Project group, this is expected. Let’s start with their latest PVs:

And perhaps a nice photo spread (I like the rock theme):





Here’s a “User Manual” that Takagi Sayuki wrote. It’s a little bit about each member of Juice=Juice. There’s no entry for Sayuki, unfortunately. (thanks to H!O member Greyface

Miyazaki Yuka

• Nothing’s wrong.
• Compared to the other members of J=J she’s mellow.
• Given mentaiko onigiri or Stem Lettuce she is delighted
• She like Pokopan [celphone game]
• She will always smile when in front of ℃-ute’s Yajima Maimi.
• She runs fast.
• She gets goosebumps easily.
• She often yells, “Heeeey What’re you DOOOING! Hurry it up!” but she is definitely not angry.
• A cute point is that in the middle of talking, with things like, “Shitente” or “stottente” “~tente” comes up a lot.
• Nothing’s wrong.

Kanazawa Tomoko

• Compared to the other members of J=J she’s relaxed.
• She punches other members in the face.
• She likes the older members (according to herself)
• She is interested in the younger members (according to herself)
• Given crunchy umeboshi she’s delighted.
• She likes ChocoPie
• She has 2 human friends. She claims to be friends with Pretty Cure [anime heroine].
• She’s always talking with Line’s automatic response system.
• She hides her funny personality so, when the more experienced members see her messing around, she actually gets uneasy. lol
• She’ll immediately say “It’s like I’m about to run out of tears.” (What’s more, it’s a lie)
• She’ll immediately say, “I’m interested! I’m so interested I won’t be able to sleep tonight.” (What’s more, it’s a lie)
• She prefers to part her bangs precisely rather than loosely.

Miyamoto Karin

• She’s the huffiest member of J=J.
• Unfunny.
• Not just unfunny, but she covers up her failed jokes by laughing. So, she’s even less funny. lol
• Her abs are stiff. [as in ripped muscles, I chose a strange wording for a reason...]
• Her shoulders are stiff.
• Her waist is stiff.
• Given snacks, she’s delighted, but her mother will get angry, so don’t give her snacks.
• If it’s something like Umeboshi, her mother won’t get angry. So it’s okay to give her Umeboshi.
• A scale is included. [for weighing herself]
• At handshake events, her voice goes up one octave.
• She’s smitten by Takeuchi Akari.
• She’s smitten by Niigaki Risa.
• When her bangs get soaked with sweat it’s called “Wakame bangs.”
• When she gets wakame bangs she says, “Enough! I gave up!” giving up on something.

Uemura Akari

• She’s the most childlike member of J=J.
• People often say she’s an airhead, but among the members of J=J there’s a suspicion that she’s not an airhead, but is actually just careless, so keep an eye open.
• She resembles her mother.
• Joy, anger and pleasure show on her face immediately. Sadness is not seen [This is playing with the expression of the "four basic emotions" but I can't carry the joke into English, sorry]
• Given chocolate she says, “Huh? It’s mine!? A present!? Thanks <3″ becoming exceptionally delighted.
• When given things she dislikes or doesn’t especially like, she makes a “I don’t want that” face. But she doesn’t say it, because she’s a good girl. (Said because when she isn’t complimented, she gets perverse)
• She can’t draw. But, her drawings have the power to bring peace to wherever they are. (Said because when she isn’t complimented, she gets perverse)
• When she’s angered, she’s scary.
• Before she goes to get doted on by the more experienced members, she gets cross-hairs in her eyes. lol
• She’s very strict with her father. (What’s more, it’s in the Osaka dialect, so it’s scary.
• After her relationship with somebody reaches a certain depth, she doesn’t like using “~chan”. And she’ll give strange nicknames.

There a rumor going around bullying occurs between the members (it’s a joke, don’t get all upset).

H!P Jesus recently sang Hare Ame Nochi Suki [Morning Musume Sakura Gumi](my favorite) solo at the Miyamoto Karin & Uemura Akari Birthday Event … now we can really judge her.

At the same event, here’s Uemu singing Aishiteru Aishiteru [C-ute]

And, there is a low doorway that tends to whack the members on head…
Yuka? Whacked.

Sayubee? Thwacked.

Karin? Shmacked.

Tomo was immune, apparently. She just happened to be ready to take pictures.

There’s a great mix of talent with the girls. Not to mention they seem to have good chemistry. Here’s looking to their future!

I knew this would happen, actually.
I’ve always contended that Miyamoto Karin belonged in Morning Musume because of her talent and looks. Mind you, I’m happy that H!P Jesus found a home with Juice=Juice.

Even though she is the youngest of the group, Uemura Akari’s sharp features and lean physique belong in print. She’s the kind of girl that’s always going to look great on film.

I’m just happy that we get to see more of these girls. And by the looks of things, Japan is happy to see more of them, too!



These are my favorite Juice=Juice girls, long may they prosper!

Really, who was this photographer? Dawa looks good enough, Kanyon looks fantastic, but Kana’s smile is incredibly awkward. I already don’t like Akari’s smile very much, but at least she’s styled nicely.

Fukuda Kanon is always a win for me. I just can’t believe that Nakanishi Kana’s smile isn’t photographed well in these pictures. She practically glows.

Oh, look. Oomori Seiko talking about Hello! Project! Didn’t see that coming. (You should buy her album ….)


JUICE=JUICE! I love the way Takagi Sayuki looks. They should keep her hair up more often. Kanazawa Tomoko is showing off her legs, but strangely Uemura Akari is practically hidden. That doesn’t make sense to me.


Now. I really need my coffee, NOW!

I’m usually very bitter on this day. I refuse to celebrate love just because “the man” tells me that I should spend more money. I refuse to celebrate love because Hallmark needed to right their account books between Christmas and Easter.
However, I will celebrate a lovely set of pictures from Hello! Project. Here are the girls of MoBeKiSuJu. Fun facts: (a) look at Sayumi’s Valentine Card and see for yourself! (b) Mizuki’s vertical stripes are at their limit, (c) Miyabi’s horizontal stripes are barely affected, (d)as a group C-ute are also really good at drawing, (e) Airi drew Suu san again, (f) Kanyon looks AMAZING, and (g) Uemu looks like the cutest bully I’ve ever seen.
Morning Musume ’14










Berryz Kobo







C-ute





S/mileage






Juice=Juice

When I first saw the promotional frills for “Hadakano Hadakano Hadakano Kiss”, it should have been obvious.  A stark black and red palette.   Frills.  Subtle polka dot patterns.  I don’t know why I didn’t prepare for the Spanish sounds of the third single release.  Let’s get a few things out of the way right here.  The title, at least in English, is meant to titillate.  No one will argue that the girls not hand-picked to  attract an audience, and this title is a logical extension of that idea.  It doesn’t bother me too much that this single plays with some highly charged words.  And, before I start to hear the moral majority attempt to chastise me for condoning the use of words like “naked” and “breast” by children, might I remind the reader that Juice=Juice are probably not as young as he/she thinks.  Trust me: 15 year-old Karin and Akari know all about their bodies by now (as did the reader, I assume).

The first sounds heard from “Hadakano Hadakano Hadakano Kiss” are the Spanish guitar and the tell-tale claps of a flamenco.  These Spanish-influenced sounds are constants throughout the song.  One could argue that they’ve heard this song before, but think about it: for the Spanish influences, one might need to reach all the way back to Morning Musume’s “Iroppoi Jirettai” or maybe High King’s “Cinderella Complex“.  For the obvious acoustic guitar, one might need to reach back to C-ute’s 2008 release, “Namida no Iro“.  I don’t believe I have heard this kind of guitar work in a Hello! Project in a long time.  We are talking about a span of 6 to 9 years since Tsunku worked the magical castanets and nylon string combination.  Take a good listen to the bridge of “Hadakano Hadakano Hadakano Kiss”: it’s a guitar solo.  Coming out of the bridge we are treated to almost naked vocals over the guitar.  Even with a soft synth pad, this is a rarity.  As much as the insistent bass and drums try to push “Hadakano Hadakano Hadakano Kiss” as a typical Hello! Project number, the instrumentation fo “Hadakano Hadakano Hadakano Kiss” challenges the listener to think of this song as a departure from the standard operating procedure.  I particularly enjoy the timbale accents heard throughout the song, because they say “pay attention, dummy”.

Now, you might not like this Spanish sound: that’s personal taste.  But, if your main talking point is the homogeneity of idol songs in general (and Hello! Project songs in particular), then you are getting an ideal situation with “Hadakano Hadakano Hadakano Kiss”.  And, if the main criticism is “This is too similar to (the aforementioned) ‘Iroppoi Jirettai ‘”, please remember that you are talking about a song from 9 years ago and a group of girls who (except for Michishige Sayumi from a different group) have all graduated from Hello! Project.  We are talking about Juice=Juice- a group with practically NO precedence.  We are not talking about how you might have binged on Morning Musume’s “All Singles Complete” a few months ago and are now sick of Spanish-influenced J-Pop.

As this is Juice=Juice’s third single, a more interesting topic touches on the identity of the group.    What shingle does Juice=Juice hang?  Is it important for Juice=Juice to have THEY’RE thing?  We can look back into the past with the Hello! Project Kids and see that Berryz Kobo were the energetic fun group while C-ute played the part of dead-serious entertainers.  If we acknowledge the approach of the end days for Berryz and C-ute, does it seem logical that Juice=Juice become the future C-ute while S/mileage assumes the Berryz role?  The similarities already exist.  Like C-ute, Juice=Juice were the second group to be formed by Tsunku.  Also like C-ute, most of the girls in Juice=Juice were “cast-off” in the sense that most of them failed one Hello! Project audition or another, while the girls from S/mileage all “won” their auditions (the older girls from Shugo Chara Egg! and the younger girls from … well the S/mileage audition). Most importantly, Juice=Juice are acknowledged for their talent, while S/mileage are (mostly) acknowledged for their manic energy.

While all of the above seem like the logical casting of Juice=Juice and S/mileage, I hope to see the groups surpass the level of their forebears.  With Juice=Juice, this seems tantalizingly possible.  The girls are young, attractive, and talented.  Down to a single member, there is no single Juicer with glaring deficiencies.  This is the most frustrating thing about “Hadakano Hadakano Hadakano Kiss”.  Even though the group appears ripe for their breakout, the song brings a flavor to their releases that will probably do little to catapult the group to the next level.  I can’t believe that I’m making an argument for blandness, but Juice=Juice did not need a song that segments their audience.  Mind you, I am not asking for generic idol song. I am questioning the wisdom of releasing a genre song at a critical moment in the group’s short history. As much as “Hadakano Hadakano Hadakano Kiss” has grown on me in the last 1.5 hours of binge listening (and my appreciation for the song has also grown), I don’t think this was the right song to release at this time. Perhaps the song they needed for this release will be the second A-Side, which I have yet to hear.

OK, let’s talk about the PV!
Well, isn’t Karin a bendy little thing..

My favorite parts of the dance are these arm and hand formations

The baby of the group, Uemu Akari. I’m sure everyone sees her potential.

It’s a struggle for me NOT to screen cap all of H!P Jesus.

More of Akari’s potential. We can talk about that mole some other time (when she’s not so rail thin).

I don’t talk about her much, but Takagi Sayuki is an integral part of Juice=Juice. Her voice is probably the meat of the group’s sound.

Remember how much I loved this?

Here’s Kanazawa Tomoko, the “bully” of the group. At 17, she’s gaining a reputation among fans (especially after her performance with Sugaya Risako and Fukumura Mizuki)

This is a great moment in the PV. Sayuki might not be symmetric, but look at the angles H!P Jesus is giving us!

Some people might call it distracting, but I liked the way the camera moved during the dance shot. In fact, there were a variety of shots in the PV that came unexpected to me. Case in point: I didn’t expect to see this high angled shot in the PV.

I know. You did this to yourself, though. I ain’t writing this blog for anyone but me.

Another member who I don’t name too often. Even though she’s the oldest, Miyazaki Yuka came to the group with the most incomplete set of skills. As the only member of the group who didn’t spend time as an H!P Egg, this was expected. Yuka is often hidden in the back of the dance.

And, scene. This shot gives a good look at the set. I have no reason to believe that this not the same set used in practically every H!P PV in the last 3 years. But, look what the set decorators have done! Creative use of cheap materials and lighting add texture and depth to an otherwise uninteresting set.

You can buy Juice=Juice’s “Hadakano Hadakano Hadakano Kiss” at CDJapan.

I’m not writing a whole bunch for this post. Real quick, these pictures come from the June issue of UTB. I’ll just turn over these pictures to you and stand over here, on the left coast.
First we’ll start with some pictures of Kudo Haruka. It certainly seems like she is outgrowing her tomboy image fast! It’s probably about time. Before long, a new genereation of Morning Musume will descend, and that mantle can rest on someone else’s shoulders. Unless Tsunku takes Chiima’s advice and adds only members older than Haruka to MM’15. That would be the ultimate troll maneuver!

And finally here’s Juice=Juice’s youngest: Uemura Akari. I recently went on and on in my tweets about Uemu. I took a series of 10 screen caps from her latest turn as host of Hello! Station. Usually I can get one or two derpy pictures of the host. But, not Uemu! Every screen shot of her looked as delicate and beautiful as the one before it. Really, you all should watch this one: she is going to blossom into something special!