The cover and tracklist for Guardians 4 4th single titled Going On! have been released on the official H!P site.
For the most part the tracklist was already known since most of Guardians 4’s singles have had the a-side and b-side with the instrumentals for both songs.
Although this time I’m actually looking forward to hearing the b-side a little bit more than the a-side mostly because this will be the first time we hear Tanabe Nanami sing.
As for the covers I really like them since they use a lot of traffic signs and things you could find around a neighborhood, and although the title is a bit bunched up I like how they used various colors for it.
It also seems that the PV will probably have some sort of relation to the traffic signs, so hopefully we get a chance to see a PV preview soon to confirm that.
The official H!P profile picture has been updated for Guardians 4’s 4th single titled Going On!.
For the most part I like how the costumes look, although the yellow they used looks a bit strange. The rest of the costume looks like the others: black and white school shirt with some hair accessories, so nothing surprising apart from the color.
We will most likely get a preview of the song soon when the next season of Shugo Chara Party! airs so I will update when it is released.
Guardians 4’s 4th single titled Going On! and Buono’s 10th single titled Our Songs have been confirmed in an article about Shugo Chara Party.
The release date for Guardians 4’s single is being moved from 1/27 to 1/20, an entire week ahead of the planned release. The costumes for Guardians 4 have also been confirmed to be yellow for this single, which was expected since the 4 primary colors of Shugo Chara are blue, yellow, red, and green.
Now that we have a confirmation about the two singles we can now wait for the new season of Shugo Chara Party which will air previews of both of the songs (and hopefully parts of the PV like the last time).
The release date for Guardians 4’s single is set for 1/20 and the release date for Buono’s single is set for 2/3.
6 releases today, Sugaya Risako’s 1st solo DVD, Berryz Koubou’s 4th PV collection, Hello! Project’s 10th Pucchi CD and DVD, Mano Erina’s Single V for her latest single, and Guardians 4 Single V for their 3rd single:
Sugaya Risako – Sugaya Risako in Hokkaido: Sugaya Risako’s 1st solo DVD which takes place in Hokkaido. Since I haven’t had a chance to watch the DVD I will base my opinion on the preview from Dohhh-UP:
For the most part we get to see Risako posing for her PB and eating (something which is normal for all solo DVD’s), and like the preview suggests we get to follow Risako as she shoots her PB and enjoy’s the sights of Hokkaido.
The preview is a great way to get to see Risako in a more personal level as she interacts one on one with the camera during her trip to Hokkaido. Most of the preview consists of posing and even though the DVD most likely includes more I think that the preview does a good job of showing us what to expect from the DVD.
Overall I would recommend this DVD for fans of Risako since it is a great way to get to know her a bit more, and since it is her first solo DVD it is a great item for any collection.
Berryz Koubou – Berryz Koubou Single V Clips 4: Berryz Koubou’s 4th PV collection which features all of the PV from Dschinghis Khan to their most recent singles Watashi no Mirai no Danna-Sama/Ryuusei Boy.
The cover features Berryz Koubou in their Watashi no Mirai no Danna-Sama costumes (since there wasn’t a Single V for that A-side), which is great since these costumes were one of their best, the title art also fits in perfectly with the costumes because of the white and red color.
The DVD also features the Dance Shot for the following songs:
Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance
MADAYADE
Dakishimete Dakishimete
Seishun Bus Guide
And along with those they also included a Close-Up Ver of Dschinghis Khan and Rival, and the Another versions of Watashi no Mirai no Danna-Sama/Ryuusei Boy.
I would definitely recommend this DVD to any Berryz Koubou fan because of the amount of PV’s included (16) and also because it makes a great addition to any Berryz Koubou collection.
Hello! Project – Pucchi Best 10: Hello! Project’s 10th album and DVD in the Pucchi Best series which features some of the best songs from H!P for the year. Since the album features many songs and PV’s that I have already reviewed I will only talk about the new shuffle songs.
There are 5 new songs on the album by the new shuffle groups: Pucchimoni V, Tanpopo#, Aa!, Shin Minimoni, and High-King. Pucchmoni V’s song “Pira! Otome no Negai” stood out more since it has an upbeat sound a catchy intro, and even though I strongly prefer the live version to the studio version (most likely because I haven’t gotten used to it) in my opinion it is the best song on the album.
Tanpopo#’s song “Umbrella” has the same sound Tanpopo has been known for (hard to describe the specific genre but it is different to what we commonly hear), and even though there seems to be a lot of effects in the voices and the song it still is a great song because of the catchy chorus.
Aa!’s song “Yume to Genjitu” strongly reminds me of their first single “First Kiss”, which is great since they don’t stray that much from their roots. When I heard the song I was impressed to hear that Saho fit in with the rest of original members, although the grunts and “Wahoo’s” seem to be added at the last minute to fill in the silence between the instrumental and the singing.
Shin Minimoni’s song “Pen Pen Kyoudai” is one of the few songs which somewhat annoy me and entertain me, and I say annoying only when I refer to the overuse of the word “Pen” since the rest of the song has the same great Minimoni feeling many fans are familiar with. For the most part the song is something I would have expected from the old Minimoni since they try to teach something with their songs, and even though I now hate the word “pen” I really liked the song.
High-King’s song “Destiny Love” has the same R&B sound we are used to, and even though there is a slight overpowering by Ai-chan and Tanaka it still has a great sound despite the ballad R&B beat.
Overall the album turned out pretty well, and despite having somewhat bad covers the songs included are definitely a must have for fans.
Mano Erina – LOVE&PEACE=Paradise (Single V): Mano Erina’s Single V for her 5th single which features the normal version, the Close-Up Ver, and the Making Of. Since I haven’t seen the Making Of I will only review the two PV’s included.
The normal PV was interesting since it features a winter theme with Mano in cute winter costumes dancing in front of a pink and white background. The amount of shots included in the PV was amazing, and even though UFA continues to rely heavily on Close-Up’s and Dance shots it was a nice change to see Mano in a swing or playing her piano.
The Close-Up ver of the PV features Mano singing to the camera while wearing (slightly awkward) big fluffy earmuffs, and even though the PV is dominated by Mano’s cuteness I can’t help but focus more on her earmuffs than on her.
Overall I would highly recommend this Single V to fans of Mano since both of the PV’s are a great addition to any collection.
Guardians 4 – PARTY TIME (Single-V): The Single V for Guardians 4 3rd single which includes the normal PV, the Dance shot Ver. and the Making Of. Like most of the Single V’s I haven’t had a chance to see the Making Of so I will only comment on the PV’s.
For the most part the normal version of the PV seems to have been made specifically for the anime Shugo Chara instead of being an actual PV because of the amount of scenes from the anime they included. Despite the overwhelming amount of anime the girls do get a chance to shine and I have to admit that they did a pretty good job.
Most of the PV involves the girls preparing for a party, and even though they seem to have used the idea a bit too much I’m glad to see that they included that since it was a great idea to have a loose storyline.
The Dance Shot version takes place in the backyard of the house where they are having the party. Like the normal PV there are a lot of bubbles and even though they get somewhat annoying I have to admit that the dance was great.
Overall I would recommend this Single V for fans of Guardians 4, mostly because of the Dance Shot ver since it will help fans learn the dance easier.
The next release date is set for 12/9 with Berryz Koubou’s Gekidan “Thank You Very Berry” DVD and Nakajima Saki’s first PB.
Guardians 4’s 4th single has been announced, it will be titled “Going On!“. The title for the c/w, sang by Shugo Chara Egg!, has also been released to be “Arigatou ~Ookiku Kansha~“.
The title for Guardians 4 song is somewhat different than the others because it doesn’t suggest a ballad or an upbeat sound, but since it will be used for the anime (most likely but not confirmed) I kind of expect to hear an upbeat sound.
The c/w is special since it will most likely be the first time we hear the new member Tanabe Nanami, which means that we will finally get a chance to listen to her sing. As for the c/w, the name somewhat suggests an upbeat sound, so hopefully we find out soon with a preview.
Like Mano’s recently announced single we have to wait for an official confirmation to get excited, so hopefully H!P or Neowing confirms it soon.
The release date for the single has been set for 1/27, and the release date for the Single V has been set for 2/3.
Guardians 4 – PARTY TIME (Single+DVD) (Limited Edition) CDJapanYesAsiaHMV
5 releases today, Berryz Koubou’s Single V for “Ryuusei Boy”, C-ute’s first “Best Of” album, and Guardians 4 3rd single:
Berryz Koubou – Ryuusei Boy (Single V): The Single V to one half of Berryz Koubou’s 21st single titled “Watashi no Mirai no Danna-Sama/Ryuusei Boy”. This Single V features the normal PV, the Close-Up Ver, and the Making Of the Ryuusei Boy PV (the Making Of I won’t comment on since I haven’t seen it). This DVD debuted on the Oricon at #16.
The normal PV is basically a Dance Shot with many effects and camera angles, and even though it was not what I had in mind for a PV I was surprised that they managed to make it look more professional and somewhat distract from the fact that they used a few shots.
Most, if not all, of the PV features Berryz dancing on a light platform in space, and for the most part it fits in well with the theme of the song, although it would have been great to see more close-up’s.
The Close-Up Ver. was incredible, mainly because of the effects and backgrounds they used during the transition of the PV. When the members sang a solo line they were the only one’s on the screen, but when two or more members sang, for example Yurina and Chii, they appeared in boxes, which is a great advantage since it helps to easily identify who is singing in what line.
Overall this is a great addition to any Berryz collection, and a great DVD for fans who liked the PV for Ryuusei Boy.
C-ute – C-ute Nan Desu! Zen Single Atsumechaimashita! 1 (Album): C-ute’s first “Best Of” album featuring all of their singles from “Massara Blue Jeans” up to “EVERYDAY Zekkouchou!!”, a total of 14 tracks. This album debuted on the Oricon at #6.
I won’t go into much detail since the album features 14 tracks and also because I plan on doing a review of the album, but one thing that I can comment on is the booklet and the cover art. My favorite cover would have to be the Limited Edition mostly because the natural “look” of the cover makes it one of the best I have seen from H!P in a while.
The cover has an outside location background which fits well with the fall themed clothes they are wearing, and the pink title they used fits in better than I would have imagined with the rest of the cover. The regular cover, on the other hand, could have been a little bit better if they had chosen some other type of costume.
The white frilly dress looks somewhat strange when combined with the background they choose, and even though the costumes aren’t that bad I feel they could have chosen something better. The booklet that comes with the Limited Edition features both costumes so fans that liked both of them will be pleased. Here are some previews:
Each member gets to have two pages for each costume plus the group shots, so it is a great addition for limited version of their first “Best Of” album.
Overall I would recommend this album not only to C-ute fans but to everyone who hasn’t had a chance to listen to C-ute since, after all, this album features all of their singles.
Guardians 4 – PARTY TIME (Single): Guardians 4 3rd single featuring 4 tracks: the A-side titled “PARTY TIME” by Guardians 4, the B-side titled “Watashi no Tamago” by the new lineup of Shugo Chara Egg, and the instrumental to both songs. This single marks the first time Shugo Chara Egg performs a song that isn’t a cover of the A-side. This single debuted on the Oricon at #13.
The A-side “PARTY TIME” sung by Guardians 4 is an upbeat track which features almost equally distributed lines with a catchy rhythm. One of the main points of the song is how easily you will remember it since it has a really catchy chorus (I haven’t heard the song for a few days and I still remember the “Pa-pa-ya-pa-pa-pa-pia”), and that is an advantage since someone who goes to a CD store will probably remember the tune and buy the single if they liked the song.
The B-side is the first time Shugo Chara Egg, now reduced to three members (two of which are new: Fukumura Mizuki and Maeda Irori), sings their own song instead of doing a cover of the A-side. The song is upbeat with a somewhat calm tone and even though I somewhat miss hearing Maeda and Kanon the song sounds great with the two new members.
Overall I would recommend it to everyone mainly because of the quality of the song and the variety between the A and B side’s. Hopefully Shugo Chara Egg gets another chance to release singles on their own sometime in the future since the new member lineup and the promotion on the anime’s show will probably help out a lot.
Next release date is 11/23 with S/mileage’s 3rd Indie single titled “Suki-chan”.
1 Morning Musume – Shouganai Yume Oibito (5:04)
2 Berryz Koubou – Seishun Bus Guide (3:25)
3 C-ute – EVERYDAY Zekkouchou!!(4:19)
4 Pucchimoni V – Pirai! Otome no Negai (3:51)
5 Tanpopo # – Umbrella (4:33)
6 Buono! – MY BOY (4:12)
7 Mano Erina – Otome no Inori (4:51)
8 Aa! – Yume to Genjitsu (4:17)
9 Shin Minimoni – Pen Pen Kyoudai (3:26)
10 High-King – DESTINY LOVE (4:12)
11 Guardians 4 – Omakase♪Guardian (3:20)
12 Shugo Chara Egg! – Shugo Shugo! (3:18)
13 Tsukushima Kirari starring Kusumi Koharu (Morning Musume) – Happy☆Happy Sunday! (3:41)
14 S/mileage – aMa no Jaku (4:46)
15 Abe Natsumi – Screen (4:49)
16 Matsuura Aya – Chocolate Damashii (4:54)
17 Yaguchi Mari – Seishun Boku (4:09)
18 Satoda Mai with Gouda Kyoudai – Bye Bye (3:39)
Total Album Length (according to J-Books): 1:15:10
The full tracklist for Hello! Project’s Pucchi Best 10 album has been released. The new tracklist features new songs for most of the shuffle groups, including High-King and Shin Minimoni.
The two new songs from Shin Minimoni (Pen Pen Kyoudai) and High King (DESTINY LOVE) sound like they fit the image of their respective groups perfectly, especially Shin Minimoni’s. The only shuffle group that is missing a song is ZYX-a, which is most likely due to the graduation of two of their members (Kusumi and Erika).
Overall the tracklist looks great since it includes something for everyone because of the variety of songs included (Elder Club, Hello! Project, Hello! Pro Egg, etc).
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).
The cover for Hello! Project’s Summer 2009 Kakumei Gannen ~Hello Chanpuru~ has been released on Neowing. It features Morning Musume, Berryz Koubou, C-ute, Mano Erina, the shuffle units, Buono, Guardians 4, S/mileage, and Ice Creamusume.
I have to admit that the cover doesn’t look that great, especially the yellow background which doesn’t match anything at all (the only thing that looks like it combines is the “Hello!” and the “ru” in “Chanpuru”). Ignoring the bad background I really like the pictures they used for the groups, and how they all managed to appear, including Ice Creamusume and S/mileage.
Hopefully they try harder next time, but for now I think they could have done a bit better.
The cover for Guardians 4’s 3rd single titled PARTY TIME has been released on the Pony Canyon site. Both of the covers have a party theme with a lot of pink ballons and streamers.
The regular edition has the girls in “stripes” which actually looks great, but it would have been slightly better if Kumai would have smiled a bit more. The limited edition has the girls in the same “party” theme but the girls are jumping, and it also looks great, but Risako looks like she jumped too high and is crouching a bit to get into the pictures.
Overall I really liked both of the covers, especially the title of the single which really fits the covers. The entire PV will hopefully be released soon so I will update when it is released.
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