Morning Musume’s 10th Generation Finalists Revealed

The 10 finalists for Morning Musume’s 10th generation audition have been revealed on Hello! Pro Time.

The full list of the 10 finalists is somewhat long so check out the full post after the break!

Takahashi Ai – “AiAiAi” PB Cover Released

The PB cover for Takahashi Ai’s 13th solo PB titled AiAiAi has been released.

At first glance, I have to say that I was just overwhelmed by Ai-chan’s beauty since the simplicity and elegance of the cover is incredible thanks to Ai-chan’s calm expression, soft make-up and elegant pose against a simple white background.

Even though I’m usually not a big fan of bikini cover PBs, I have to say that this cover is simply amazing even though it’s the case since we get to see a perfect harmony of Ai-chan’s skin alongside the background with no disturbing clothe or piece of fabric which seems like a very smart move to show off her natural beauty that is complimented by a neutral make-up and soft earrings.

The title is also doing a great job of adding to the elegance of the cover with being written in small characters and in a free white space on the top right of the cover, and the combination of the black letters for the title as well as the nice yellow tone for Ai’s name make a nice colorful addition to the sobre concept.

Overall, I have to say that this is by far one of my favorite Ai-chan PB covers ever thanks to the simplicity and elegance of the image used and the title art, and I find it an amazing farewell release with a great cover.

Hopefully everyone who didn’t do so yet can reserve a copy to provide themselves with an amazing copy of what is set to be a memorable release.

The release date is set for 9/14.

Amazon.jp page about product

H!P Releases September 7

Back today from a small break with two releases.

Today’s releases include:

• Tanaka Reina, Shimizu Saki, Sudou Maasa – Gekidan Gekiharo Dai 10 Kai Koen “Taishou Roman Haikara Tantei Aoi Ruby Satsujinjiken” (DVD)
• C-ute – Sekai Ichi HAPPY na Onna no Ko (Regular, Limited A, Limited B)

Check out the full post after the break!

HelloPro! Time Airing Morning Musume Audition Training Camp Special

 HelloPro! Time will be airing the Morning Musume 10th gen audition training camp special!

As a fan this is my first time I’ll be seeing the training camp as it goes on so I’m excited to see what type of members will be there and if I remember correctly, the last training camp was from the 6th gen auditions so it’s been awhile since they’ve done this sort of audition. However I’m expecting to see something similar to the 5th gen training camp, where Tsunku trains them in singing, dancing and acting as well as observing them to see their group interaction skills.

Also according to fans there were 50 participants in the 3rd round and only 10 have passed, which really does back up Tsunku’s words that they’re of a high level.

The entire program is dedicated to the training camp so I highly recommend everyone to feature in, even if you don’t understand Japanese I would still try to watch it and check out some of the audition members. I didn’t watch a lot of S/mileage’s audition footage and from what I’ve been reading there are quite a few members from S/mileage’s audition in this audition so I need to do some catching up and see who to root for. Though in the end whoever is added as a Morning Musume member I will be fine with it.

The episode will air on 9/15.

Reborn ~Inochi no Audition~ Stage Play Official Blog Opened

The official blog for Reborn ~Inochi no Audition~  the stage play has been opened.

Like most blogs for stage plays, this one will be opened temporarily. Though this play has a very mixed cast so regardless of the blog’s short life span I’m looking forward to seeing what they’re all doing together behind the scenes. A summary about the play was released but it doesn’t tell us much so I’m hoping we can get some hints of the play through the blog and when the play does begin I’m looking forward to seeing what the characters are like since we’ve only seen small previews of things.

So far there’s only one post, which is from the staff member announcing that the special blog will start soon. It’s not much a post but hopefully the cast members will start posting and I look forward to it.

Just a reminder the stage play will be from 10/8-10/17, so we can get an idea of how long the blog will be active.

Official Stage Play Blog

Hello! Project 2012 Calendar Covers Released

The covers for Morning Musume, Takahashi Ai, Berryz Koubou, C-ute, Mano Erina, and S/mileage’s 2012 calendars have been released.

Each year there are always calendars for the main groups in H!P for the next year, like for most artists/groups, although this year we have had many lineup changes for two groups so as a result the lineups are really different, the most obvious of them being the Momusu calendar cover which notably only features 8 members, as a result of Ai-chan having her own solo calendar.

There will most likely be many who are disappointed (for Ai-chan not being in the cover or Riho being in front) but I am still impressed with how it looks since everyone came out amazingly well: from Riho’s smiling face to Sayu and Mizuki’s cute expressions I really liked how everyone turned out, especially Kanon who seems to be the only one who didn’t simply smile but also threw in a peace sign as well.

The white painted wood fence fits in with the casual outfits everyone is wearing and while I would have liked to see Eripon with short hair and the title a bit bigger and not in cursive, it’s still an amazing cover and well worth a look for anyone.

Ai-chan got her own calendar this year, and it’s not surprising since the calendars will be released on the day she graduates, technically making her a solo performer/artist, so it’s nice to see that she didn’t just get pushed aside and was instead given a really great way for fans to remember her, and while I would have preferred a picture of Ai-chan smiling I have to admit that the picture of her looking at the camera in front of a white background is enough to make me want to get a copy.

Berryz Koubou’s cover is colorful, modern, and basically among the standouts for the H!P calendar releases since it’s a nice and cool way of showing all of the members off, and with each member smiling widely while wearing an outfit with their member color as well as a background with their member color it really looks impressive.

C-ute’s cover is a bit similar to Momusu’s since it’s a group picture in front of a wooden fence (with a plant in the corner to complete the theme), and while it’s a bit less casual due to the uniform styled outfits I was impressed with it since everyone is easy to see and with their own hairstyles they all have a nice way of standing out from the rest.

Mano’s cover can be summed up with two words: perfection or angelic and it’s easy to see why since it stands out from the rest due to the amazing light effect they added, which gives Mano’s already cute picture an almost heavenly look, but while the picture looks perfect there is a small but very noticeable mistake: the bottom says that the calendar is for 2011.

It’s a small mistake that really stands out since everything else apart from that is simply a masterpiece, and while I’m biased as a Mano fan I am still concerned that it might affect sales in one way or another since many might think that it’s last years calendar but hopefully staff caught the mistake and fixed it since everything apart from that is perfect.

S/mileage has gone through quite a lot in the past few months, with 5 new sub-members joining the group and one member leaving, and since calendar pictures are usually taken months in advance (as evidenced by Eripon’s long hair) it’s not surprising to see that the cover for the calendar has not been released since they are probably still working on it, and while it’s still not available I hope we get to see every member, sub or full, clearly since it’s a great opportunity for everyone to show off their cute poses.

Overall the covers are as always impressive, and while there might be a few mistakes here and there (Mano) I still loved how all of the covers looked since each group/member has a unique style that fits in with their group theme, and while many (including me) wish they could have them all I will probably get Mano and Momusu’s calendars since they are the ones that stand out the most to me.

Hopefully everyone has their favorite already picked out from the cover alone, but if not I encourage you to check a few previews of the calendars once they are released since they are a pretty nice addition to any H!P fan’s house, and with large pictures for every month with your favorite group/member it really is a must have for anyone who can get one.

The release date is set for 9/30.

Morning Musume – “Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Nagatterun da yo!/Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai” Full PVs Released

The full PVs for both of the a-sides from Morning Musume’s 47th single titled Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Nagatterun da yo! / Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai have been released on the official Momusu Youtube channel.

As many fans mentioned when the previews were released it seemed that the PVs for this double a-side single were connected since they had similar scenes, and when the PVs were uploaded to the Morning Musume Youtube channel we finally got a confirmation that they were in fact connected, bringing the PV for this single to a total of 10 minutes.

Since I already talked about the PV for Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Nagatterun da yo! I will only be talking about the PV for the other a-side, Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai, mostly because talking about both would basically be repeating myself.

So that being said the 2nd PV starts off at 5:12, with Ai-chan walking toward the door, and for everyone who has seen the preview there can only be one word to describe the main theme for this PV: Japan. The PV is full of many fun and interesting effects which  match the song perfectly, from the colorful outfits to the many effects that they added this PV is simply one of the most fun and colorful that they have released.

It’s hard to explain every scene since there is way too much to mention, for example the floating Sayu heads singing over Reina’s body, Kanon growing wings and flying to the clouds along with all of the other members, Gaki fighting Godzilla, Riho petting a cartoon dog that starts singing along with her while mini versions of Ai, Reina, Gaki, Sayu, and Mitsui dance in front of her, among many, many other fun scenes.

Despite the lack of a dance shot I have to admit that I loved every second of this PV, mainly because each color filled scene makes me remember why I love this group so much, and with so many effects and fun scenes it really makes you watch it again and again.

The song has lines for everyone, so everyone will probably be happy since we get to see every member clearly during most of the PV (Mizuki wasn’t easy to see during her solo line, but she did appear a lot in the other shots), and by having all of the members do funny faces during the bridge of the song they really managed to capture the mood of the song perfectly.

Japan has a tradition of thinking outside the box when it comes to shows and videos, so I’m very happy to see that Momusu is among the many groups who go for a unique style when they present their songs since not many groups would have a video full of the effects we just saw, and while there are times when it’s a bit too colorful and unique (the floating Sayu heads) I simply love this release since they match the song well while linking the two releases together.

I didn’t focus that much on talking about the PV since it’s something you have to see for yourself to understand, so hopefully everyone can take a look at the entire 10 minute PV to see the amazing mix of sounds and images they made for this release, but if you have already seen the first PV and only want to check the 2nd then please skip to 5:12.

Hopefully everyone has their copy of the single reserved since this release is well among the most unique that Momusu has, and with the many additions and themes that it includes I can say for sure that this single is simply amazing.

The release date is set for 9/14.

Video uploaded by: morningmusumechannel

Morning Musume – “12, Smart” Concert Previews Released

Concert previews for 6 tracks from Morning Musume’s 12th album titled 12, Smart have been released.

Previews for the following songs are included in this post:

• My Way~Joshikou Hanamichi~
  
• Suki da na Kimi ga
  
• Kono Ai wo Kasanete
  
• Give Me love
  
• OK YEAH!
  
• Silver no Udedokei

Since the post will be somewhat long with 6 videos, please check out the full post after the break!

“Morning Musume Concert Tour Fall 2011 Ai Believe ~Takahashi Ai Graduation Memory Special~” Setlist Released

1. Mr. Moonlight (Aichan main, 8 girls, Niigaki intro)
Opening VTR
2. Kono chikyuu wo honki de negatterun da yo!
3. Kare to issho ni omise ga shitai!
MC (Explanation of Riho’s return, Aika’s abscence and Aichan’s thoughts.)
4. Resonant Blue
5. Yamete yo! Sindbad
6. My Way~Joshikou hanamichi~ (New album song)
MC (Tanaka, Ikuta, Sayashi, Suzuki)
7. Suki da na, kimi ga (New album song) / Michishige, Fukumura
8. Kono ai wo kasanete (New album song) / Takahashi, Niigaki
MC (Takahashi, Niigaki)
9. Suki na senpai / Takahashi, Niigaki (On the monitor the footage of all 4 from 5th gen doing the song in 2002 at Saitama Super Arena concert was shown)
MC (Michishige, Tanaka)
10. Yume kara samete / Takahashi
VTR (From the members “Ai BELIEVE” talking about Aichan)
11. SONGS
12. Give me Love (愛) (New album song)
MC
13. Special Medley; Jounetsu no Kiss / Takahashi, Niigaki, Tanaka→Egao Yes Nude→Motto Aishite hoshii no→Guru guru JUMP
MC
14. OK YEAH! (New album song)
15. ONLY YOU
16. Maji desuka suka!
MC
17. Bravo!

Encore.
MC
18. HOW DO YOU LIKE THIS JAPAN? ~Nihon wa donna kanji dekka?~
MC
19. Tomo

Changes in Evening Setlist

MC 6th+9th gen (Michishige, Fukumura, Ikuta, Suzuki)
7. Silver no udedokei (New album song) / Niigaki (rap), Tanaka, Sayashi
10. Jishin motte yume wo motte tobitatsu kara / Takahashi
13. Special Medley; Take off is Now / Takahashi, Niigaki, Tanaka→Do it! Now→Aisaresugiru koto wa nai no yo→321 BREAKIN’ OUT

Source: 2ch (Romaji by Sohee @ JPLOP)

The setlist for Morning Musume’s Concert Tour Fall 2011 Ai Believe ~Takahashi Ai Graduation Memory Special~ has been released.

Looking at the setlist it seems a bit random since it doesn’t follow a clear pattern, but despite that I like how they added songs from the new album in while still giving Ai-chan quite a few songs to sing and perform in her last concert tour as a Momusu member.

Surprisingly, Jishin Motte Yume Motte Tobidatsu Kara isn’t anywhere in the setlist, instead her other solo song Yume Kara Samete appears, and while having her first solo release in the setlist is a perfect reminder of her history I would be happy to see both of the songs on the final setlist since they would be a perfect way of showing everyone her first and final solo release as a Momusu member.

Apart from that I was impressed with the addition of a TakaGaki Suki na Senpai performance with footage of all the 5th gen performing the song in the monitor since it really shows how united the 5th gen was and still is, especially Gaki and Ai-chan who have just recently become the only members to pass 10 years as members of Momusu.

As for album songs there are about 5 of them in the setlist, most of them group songs but there are also a few duets, from Ai-chan and Gaki and the surprising combination of Fukumura and Sayu, and while the titles are a bit simple for a few I have to admit that I’m really looking forward to hearing them since they all sound like interesting additions.

Overall the setlist looks pretty good since it has a nice combination of new songs with many classic songs, such as Suki na Senpai and 5th gen’s first single Mr. Moonlight, and while I would have loved to see Ai-chan’s new solo song among the setlist we will probably get a chance to do so in the last performance of the tour, since there are usually some changes by then.

Hopefully fans who can attend the tour will do so since this concert tour will be the most memorable that Momusu has had in a while.

Here are the rest of the dates for the tour:

Date	Venue	Concert Starts
09/03	Aichi Ken Geijutsu Gekijou Dai Hall(Aichi)	13:30/14:30 17:30/18:30
09/04	Aichi Ken Geijutsu Gekijou Dai Hall (Aichi)	13:30/14:30 17:30/18:30
09/11	Kishiwada Shiritsu Nami Setsu Hall (Osaka)	14:00/15:00 17:30/18:30
09/25	Phoenix Plaza Hall (Fukui)	14:00/15:00 17:30/18:30
09/29	Nippon Budokan (Tokyo)	17:30/18:30
09/30	Nippon Budokan (Tokyo)	17:00/18:00

EDIT: I just updated the setlist with the evening changes and it seems that they have managed to give us yet another amazing setlist, mainly because of the addition of a new album song with a Gaki rap, Ai’s solo song, and a special medley with Take Off Is Now.

As far as the additions I couldn’t be happier since we get to hear two amazing Ai-chan songs along with a Gaki, Reina, Riho song, but hopefully they can add all of the songs at once on the final concert instead of having separate concerts for her final performance since that would be simply the best.

Morning Musume – “Alo Hello 5” DVD Cover Released

The cover for Morning Musume’s Alo Hello 5 DVD has been released.

For the most part it has a very simple theme: a grid of pictures of each member in the form of a 5 with a pink background and the title of the DVD in yellow on the bottom, but despite the very simple appearance I liked the way it looks since we get to see a unique layout of pictures with an eye catching picture for each member.

The concept of forming a five with the pictures of each member was pretty interesting since I never expected that simply taking off a bit off each picture could form a 5, but apart from being somewhat hard to tell at first glance I wish they could have used another more interesting background since the pink and yellow don’t really look that visually appealling.

Despite that, the pictures for each member look amazing and I’m glad to see that they included a picture for each member instead of a lineup with everyone since we can check out how they all look, and to say it simply these are among the best pictures I have seen for each member since the setting and the outfits really fit in with the Hawaiian theme (especially Sayu, Mizuki, Kanon and Erina).

Hopefully fans already have their copy of the DVD pre-ordered since it seems like this will be a must see release for everyone to enjoy, and while the cover could have looked a bit better I am still impressed with the great solo member shots they included.

The release date is set for 9/28.