(Top Left: Ishihara Kaori, Top Right: Noto Arisa, Bottom Left: Ogura Yui, Bottom Right: Matsunaga Maho)
A new unit called Team Dekaris consisting of Happy Style members Ogura Yui, Ishihara Kaori, Matsunaga Maho and Noto Arisa has been announced. This unit will be in the Dekaris game sountrack, which is titled Koi no Dekaris.
Here is the tracklist for the soundtrack (I used a site to translate the Romaji so it might not be that accurate, but at least it gives you a general idea of what the name of the songs are):
1.恋の無敵コマンド Koi no Muteki Command
2.運命は “I” Love You Unmei wa “I” Love You
3.友情Try again! Yuujou Try Again!
4.恋色パズル Koi Shoku Pazuru
5.sweets×sweets
6.難しいけど愛してる ～デカリス～ Muzukashii Kedo Aishi Teru ~Dekaris~
7.コロブチカ Korobuchika
8.恋の無敵コマンド (Off Vocal) Koi no Muteki Command
9.運命は “I” Love You (Off Vocal) Unmei wa “I” Love You
10.友情Try again! (Off Vocal) Yuujou Try Again!
11.恋色パズル (Off Vocal) Koi Shoku Pazuru
12.sweets×sweets (Off Vocal)
A bit of background information about the game the soundtrack is for, according to a picture on Barks.jp it seems that Dekaris is some type of Tetris game that looks like this:
This game is controlled by two joysticks that are somewhat bigger than a basketball and have buttons on them (you can compare the size by the buttons on the middle) . Even though I have no idea why this game needs joysticks that are that big it is great to see that they decided to have members of Happy Style form a group to promote it.
I’m glad to see that Noto Arisa is still active and will continue to sing apart from acting. The other girls I don’t know much about since I don’t follow Happy Style a lot, but I do remember hearing about Ogura Yui from a promotional event or a show she did with Noto so hopefully the group does great.
The title for Mano Erina’s 1st album has been revealed to be FRIENDS.
“FRIENDS” sounds a bit strange but UFA might have a reason for naming it that way, possibly a new track or simply because it sounds great. As for the album itself, I think it is a great way for Mano fans to have most of her major singles, and hopefully they include some new songs.
A DVD of Taiyo to Ciscomoon’s reunion concert titled Arekara 10nen Taiyo to Ciscomoon LIVE 2009 Last&NewDecade Live has been announced. A preview of the DVD was released on Dohhh UP (link HERE) and here is the setlist for the concert (Credit: denadel @ H!O):
1. Everyday Everywhere (4th single)
2. HEY! Mahiru no Shinkirou (Final single)
3. Hey You! (1st album)
4. Sunrise Sore Demo Hi wa Noboru (1st album)
5. Medley:
→Versus (5th single)
→Be Cool Down (1st album)
→Kawaii Hito (B-side final single)
→Get on my Love (Tsuki to Taiyo b-side)
6. Uchuu de La Ta Ta (3rd single)
7. Audio comment from RuRu, “Ai Suru Hito” (2nd album) (Clip from their last live and a VTR greeting on screen, from RuRu)
8. Medley:
→Don’t Stop Renaichuu (7th single)
→Go Go Tokyo (7th single b-side)
→Matayacchatta ~Shibuya ALL no Tsuki~ (Kominato) (2nd album)
→Office Love (Shinoda) (2nd album)
→Ai no Kaizuu (Inaba) (2nd album)
9. Marui Taiyou -winter ver.- (6th single)
10. Be My LOVE (2nd album)
11. Queen of the night (Whitney Houston cover)
12. Tsuki to Taiyo (1st single)
13. Gatamekira (2nd single)
14. Magic Of Love (5th single)
15. ENDLESS LOVE -I Love You More- (1st Album)
Since I didn’t become a fan of H!P until 2006 I have almost no idea about the names of their songs and any other members apart from RuRu and Inaba, but I did have a chance to see the preview on Dohhh UP and I have to admit that some of their songs are catchy. Hopefully fans of the group can buy the DVD since it looks like it will be one of their last for some time.
One day after Chinami’s announcement that she had gotten sick it was announced that Kumai Yurina also has flu like symptoms and she will also miss the 11/7 Aichi Labor Hall and 11/8 Osaka Pension Hall concerts. With this announcement all of the Berryz Koubou members, officially, have caught the flu.
It was kind of expected to see all of the members of Berryz Koubou miss a concert or two when we got so many announcements in such a short time. Kumai and Chii looked like they were among the few who weren’t going to get sick, but in the end they all managed to get the flu.
Like Chinami I expect to see Kumai miss 5 days or so before she is back to good health and all of the other members seem to have gotten better so hopefully they take care to not catch it again.
The PV for Guardians 4 3rd single titled Party Time has been released. The PV has been out for a few days and although it hasn’t been officially released on Dohhh UP it looks like it was released before on M-ON (similar to Buono’s “Take It Easy” PV)
For the most part the PV was great, it features enough shots of the girls and it also has a somewhat loose storyline. Since the song is used as the opening for Shugo Chara it features many shots of the anime mixed in with the normal PV, and because of that it somewhat lost it’s impact.
They will most likely not reach as much popularity as Buono (who don’t have any anime in their recent PV’s and they also have their own tours), but the anime shots somewhat distract the attention for a bit. Apart from that there are no other things I dislike from the PV, and even though they used the common two shots a lot (Close-Up and Dance) there was plenty of other shots (mostly mixed with images of the fairies floating near them).
The storyline is simply the girls getting ready for the party, then having the party and eating cake at a table, and after that they decide to go play in the backyard with bubbles. Not that complicated but it fits the mood of the song, and it also is a good excuse to use bubbles in the background during the close-up’s and during the dance shot’s.
Like usual all of the girls got equal lines and equal opportunities to appear on camera, and for the most part the scenes where the girls are preparing for the party are great ways to add to the story. The part where the girls are taking turns putting each other inside the bubble looked like a great way to add to the bubble mayhem going in the background (and it somewhat reminded me of the “Mecha Mecha Iketeru” special where they tricked Momusu into thinking they were going to sing “Shabondama” in a bubble)
Overall I liked this PV a lot, it features equal shots and lines for the girls and it has a loose storyline which fits the song. The anime shots somewhat lowered my interest on the PV, but the overall PV came out fantastic. Hopefully we get more PVs like this one if they decide to have another single for the group.
I will update with a link to a Youtube version once it is released on Dohhh UP since right now there aren’t any full versions of the PV on Youtube because of the anime used in the PV (TV Tokyo blocks the video from being shown because of that).
Polls: The winner was Tsugunaga Momoko with 200 votes so congratulations to her! Michishige Sayumi came in second with 186 votes and Lin Lin came in third with 142 votes.
For the most part the poll was close since up until yesterday they all had around the same votes. This poll is also the second highest most participated poll with 528 votes, so thanks to everyone!
I forgot that Berryz Koubou will be releasing a new single next week (really busy with a project for school) so the next two polls will include Berryz members:
Shimizu Saki VS Sudou Maasa VS Sugaya Risako
Please vote!
Reviews: The Kimagure Princess review is on standstill since I haven’t recieved my copies of Kimagure Princess yet, but I already have the written review done so it will hopefully be up next week. Meanwhile I want to work on the other reviews I haven’t done and catch up on some stuff I had promised for the site (header, some profiles, etc.)
I ordered a lot of things from HMV and H!SU (it’s the holidays, so I thought why not?) and since I will be on holiday break from school starting in December I plan on doing reviews for all of them, here are some that you might expect to see before the end of the year:
Berryz Koubou – Watashi no Mirai no Danna-Sama (Limited A)
C-ute – C-ute Nan Desu! Zen Single Atsumechaimashita! 1 (Album)
Mano Erina Album
Kumai Yurina – FLOWERAGE (PB)
Hello! Store USA 2nd Purchase (7 photosets and a Berryz Kobo visual book)
So from what you can see I have my work cut out for me for a while so I will update with more as I progress on the review page.
Shuukan Yoro: It’s the 2nd day in Sugaya Risako’s week about the fantasy world.
Today’s theme is Fairies, and the entire episode is full of Risako’s cute and funny mistakes. It also includes some other memorable moments such as Miyabi almost hitting Maasa with a chair during the daily duties by Chi…Nami-san before the lesson had started.
For the most part the episode is funny, and it is highly recommendable because of Risako, so please enjoy it!
A 2nd preview for S/mileage’s 3rd Indie single titled Suki-chan has been released, this preview features the dance lesson for the single.
The first half of the video consists of the girls practicing the dance without the music and getting instructions from the dance teacher, and the 2nd half of the video features them dancing along to the song.
The dance seems like it will fit the song great since it has a lot of moves that fit the energy and feeling of the song. The kicks add to the intensity of the song and for the most part look great (Wada’s kicks at the end had a lot of energy and she almost hit Yuuka in the knee for some reason).
We will most likely get another preview with more of the song or some sort of preview for the PV in a week or two, so hopefully that turns out well.
Tokunaga Chinami has been diagnosed with flu like symptoms, and as a result will have to rest for 5 days. She will miss two Berryz Koubou concerts during that time, which are: 11/7 in Aichi Kinrou Kaikan (Nagoya) and 11/8 in Osaka Kosei Nenkin Kaikan.
It seems that the flu again has started with the other Berryz members, and after infecting all but one member it seems that the flu has started to affected H!P once again, more specifically Berryz Koubou. Kuma-chan is the only member of Berryz Koubou until now who hasn’t been infected, and hopefully that is still the case by the end of the tour.
As for Chinami I hope that the symptoms are nothing serious and that she can come back to perform smiling like always in no time. Her solo will probably be done by another member during her absence so hopefully they give it to a member who hasn’t had a chance to sing that much in the tour.
Three releases today, a DVD of H!P’s latest concert, a DVD of Mano Erina’s drama and the Single V for Morning Musume’s 41st single:
Hello! Project 2009 Kakumei Gannen ~Hello! Chanpuru~: Hello! Project’s new concert tour featuring Morning Musume, Berryz Koubou, C-ute, Mano Erina, S/mileage, Ice Creamusume and the new shuffle groups Aa!, High-King, Pucchimoni V, Tanpopo #, Zoku Biyuuden, Shin Minimoni and ZYX-Alpha.
The concert consists mainly of the many groups performing their latest singles, for example Berryz Koubou singing “Seishun Bus Guide” and C-ute singing “EVERYDAY Zekkouchou!”. Since the highlights of the concert were the new songs of the shuffle groups I will concentrate on them more.
This concert was the first performance of the three new shuffle songs: “Pira! Otome no Negai” （Pucchimoni V),” Umbrella” （Tanpopo #), and “Yume to Genjitsu” (Aa!）. “Yume to Genjistu” has a familiar Aa! sound to it, so fans of the group won’t be disappointed. Saho Akari did an incredible job of performing as part of Aa! and I hope we get to see another performance of the song on the next H!P tour.
“Umbrella”, like “Yume to Genjitsu”, has the group feeling to it since it is somewhat of an upbeat ballad. Kamei, Kumai, Mitsui and Chisato did a great job of singing the songs, and they really keep the spirit of Tanpopo alive with the song.
The new Pucchimoni V song “Pira! Otome no Negai” was one of the best songs I heard from the shuffle groups, and I have to admit that even though the song sounds extremely hard to perform well Mano and Nakajima did an excellent job (Maimai was sick on the last day and wasn’t present). The dance is active and the song is upbeat and easy to remember (The “Para-Para-Pi” and the “Para-Para-Po’s” are still stuck in my head), and the performance stands out among the others because of that.
Overall I was impressed with the amount of groups that performed, there is certainly something there for all fans since their was a mix of upbeat happy songs and slow ballads which help to make the concert stand out. Even though the cover isn’t the best I recommend the DVD for anyone who can get it since the performances are great and the girls gave it their best.
Mano Erina – Koisuru Seiza Web Drama (DVD): Mano Erina’s DVD for her internet drama which features small stories about a girl (usually different in each episode) played by Mano in some sort of love situation (basically a normal drama).
I have only seen one episode of the series and even though my view of the drama isn’t that complete I have to admit that the series turned out great. Mano is a great actress and even though the stories are short she manages to give the viewer an incredible performance.
Overall a great start for Mano to practice her acting, and highly recommendable to Mano fans who wish to see her act.
Morning Musume – Kimagure Princess (Single V): Morning Musume’s Single V for their 41st single “Kimagure Princess”. The Single V features the normal PV, a “Green Dance” Ver and the Making Of (since I haven’t seen the Making Of I won’t review it since I don’t have a good idea of what is in it).
The normal PV is among the best made I have seen in a while, mostly because of the different shots and the location which fit the song’s mood. All of the members who usually don’t appear that much (Lin Lin, Jun Jun, and Mitsui) get more chances to be on screen, and Kamei got almost as much time as Ai-chan which is great news for her fans.
The location of the PV is in a church called “La Foresta di Magnifica” which is dimly lit and has the girls dancing in the middle of a hallway. Most of the close-up’s feature the girls in front of a silk fabric which fits the feeling of the song well, and for the most part the shots fit in well with the song (the only one that didn’t was the one where the girls drew a circle of fire around themselves). For the most part the PV was great because it features decent screen time for all of the girls and great shots.
The “Green Dance” version is basically the girls dancing individually in front of a green screen where the shots are rapidly changed so as to make the girls seem like they are dancing the same moves. For the most part the PV was great since it lets us see the entire dance with only one girl at a time, and I really liked the way they tried to make the girls look like they were dancing the same way, the main word being tried because the girls dance on opposite sides on some parts and it doesn’t match that well with some parts (Sayu’s bunny hop to the center around 2:26 was really cute but sort of distracted from the center shots).
Overall the Single V turned out great, it includes the normal PV which is fantastic on its own and it also includes a “Green Dance” version and a Making Of which make for a complete DVD for fans who liked the single. Even though the normal and the Green Dance versions of the PV might have their small faults (difference in choreography position when trying to make it look like they are dancing the same moves in the same place, somewhat bad fire effects, etc) the they turned out great and I highly recommend them to fans who liked the single.
The next release date is set for 11/11 with Berryz Koubou’s latest single “Ryuusei Boy/ Watashi no Mirai no Danna-Sama”, Abe Natsumi’s DVD for her latest tour and HANGRY&ANGRY’s latest album “Sadistic Dance”.
A new Morning Musume site has opened for promotion of their 41st single titled Kimagure Princess. The page features links to buy the single on Amazon and iTunes, and it also has links to Dohhh UP, the official page of UFA and the official H!P page.
The site features profile pages for each member which look incredible (and somewhat opaque their current H!P page profiles):
Takahashi’s profile as an example
The PV for the single continuously plays in the background (even when you are seeing profiles), and when you first visit the site you have to turn on the sound on the upper right hand corner. You can also play the PV in a small window by pressing the “PV” link under the Amazon link which will pop up a purple colored window (similar to Dohhh UP’s window but without the watermark).
For the most part the page is a sign that UFA is taking promotion seriously (would have liked to see the page up sometime before, since the single had been out for a few days), which could mean that we can expect to see them use the site for future promotions, since the site address is after all “morning-musume.jp”.
Great job on the page UFA, hopefully the other groups get their own promotional site soon too but for now you are doing well by increasing promotion.
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