Berryz Koubou – “Aa, Yo ga Akeru!” Event V Cover And Tracklist Released

1. Aa, Yo ga Akeru! (Shimizu Saki Solo Vers.)

2. Aa, Yo ga Akeru! (Tsugunaga Momoko Solo Vers.)

3. Aa, Yo ga Akeru! (Tokunaga Chinami Solo Vers.)

4. Aa, Yo ga Akeru! (Sudou Maasa Solo Vers.)

5. Aa, Yo ga Akeru! (Natsuyaki Miyabi Solo Vers.)

6. Aa, Yo ga Akeru! (Kumai Yurina Solo Vers.)

7. Aa, Yo ga Akeru! (Sugaya Risako Solo Vers.)

The Event V cover and tracklist for Berryz Koubou’s 27th single titled Aa, Yo ga Akeru! have been released.

As everyone might already know, the Event V releases for singles are usually all the same, containing the solo versions of the PV for each member of the group, and this release is no exception, but I think that it’s really nice to see that the Single Vs are still being released since it gives fans a unique opportunity to enjoy the members individually.

The cover, unlike the tracklist, looks really unique and impressive since we get to see the girls standing in their pink outfits against a dark blue sky background with many white stars and a halo surrounding them, while the bottom of the cover is full of red and pink roses alongside the title on the bottom left, and it really feels like the are pursuing the elegant theme the other covers have with adding a nice touch which is the blue background.

Overall, I would encourage everyone to purchase a copy of the single V not only to support Berryz Koubou, but also because of the unique scenes this PV had which differs from the usual close-ups.

The Single V will be available for purchase at Shibuya AX on 9/11.

H!P official page about product

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.

Berryz Koubou Will Have A Regular Monthly Show On BS-TBS

According to an announcement made by TBS producer Tamon Andrew Niwa at an event today, Berryz Koubou will have their own monthly show.

The show will start this October and will air every 3rd Saturday of the month, similar to S/mileage’s Smile Factory.

I didn’t expect to see a monthly show for another group, especially Berryz Koubou, but like always it’s great to see that they will since they really deserve to have a regular appearance where they can promote their releases, and while details for the show are limited I hope we get to see a title for the show being announced sometime soon.

I haven’t watched S/mileage’s Smile Factory so I have no idea what to expect from this show, but I am looking forward to seeing a preview soon since it will be interesting to see just what the group does during the monthly shows.

The show will air every 3rd Saturday of the month, so hopefully everyone is looking forward to the first episode, but for now congratulations to Berryz with their new show!

The show will start in October.

Video uploaded by: Discoberrryz

EDIT: The title of the show has been revealed to be Kaette Kita Berryz Kamen! (Berryz Kamen is back!) which is a simple but catchy title that many fans will like, and while I’m not sure if the theme of the show will revolve around the Berryz Kamen it will be interesting to see how the first episode looks.

Mobekimasu – “Busu ni Naranai Tetsugaku” Group Profile Pictures Released

Group profile pictures for Mobekimasu’s 1st single titled Busu ni Naranai Tetsugaku have been released.

The outfits for each group have a different color: Morning Musume has red, Berryz has blue, C-ute has pink, S/mileage has silver, and Mano has gold, and while there might not be that much of a difference when it comes to the design of the outfit it is still a great opportunity to check out how each member looks.

The lineup for Momusu is surprising since I expected to see Gaki in the middle alongside Reina, but it seems that Riho is already being pushed to the front so while it might be a bit disappointing I am glad that everyone got a chance to appear clearly, especially Mitsui who appears to be placing a foot behind Erina to hide her injury.

For me the members who stood out here were Sayu, Gaki, Erina, and Mizuki since they all have a great look, and while the general theme of the outfit is the same for everyone it’s still a relief to see that there is at least some variety, such as different boots (in Mitsui’s case she’s the only one with that type of shoe) or different skirts and top designs.

Berryz Koubou all look amazing as well, although the Momo and Kumai pairing is somewhat bland since we have seen it in almost every Berryz picture. Despite that everyone looks impressive since they seem to each have a great and unique look, especially Chii, Miya, Momo, and Captain, and since they are the only group with knee high boots it really makes them stand out from among the rest.

C-ute’s outfits are among the easiest to see since they are really bright and stand out from the otherwise calm and dark colors, and while the hairstyles and looks remain basically the same I have to admit that I really loved the way each one of them look, especially Airi and Mai.

S/mileage have gone through quite a lot of changes in the past few weeks so to me it’s still strange to see a 8-nin S/mileage, but despite that I really like the way everyone looks since the S/mileage “skirt” theme is preserved with them being the only group where all of the members have skirts, and apart from a few hairstyle and accessory additions there isn’t much to say about their outfits since they all have the same look (apart from the tops which have a few different designs), although I really like how great Yuuka, Kanon and Kana look.

Mano is the only solo artist in H!P so it’s no surprise to see that her group picture is just an individual profile picture, but I’m glad that we get to see her clearly since her outfit really matches her perfectly and makes her stand out from the others. Being a big Mano fan I am slightly biased toward her but I think I speak for many when I say that she looks beautiful, mostly because of her cute look and the great pose she’s doing, but also due to her golden outfit that really gives her a unique look compared to the other members.

Overall the outfits all follow a similar theme, which is not surprising since this is a single for 29 members and giving each one of them a unique outfit would take a lot of effort, but each member manages to stand out in their own way, which is a good thing since the PV will show all 29 of them at the same time making it somewhat difficult to notice someone at first glance.

Despite that everyone looks amazing and I’m really looking forward to seeing the full PV so we can see for ourselves how the outfits relate to the theme, and with everyone looking their best this will most likely be an impressive release for everyone to enjoy.

The release date is set for 11/16.

Oricon Article

Serend Blog Permanately Closed

http://twitter.com/#!/Serendnet/status/108768567650037760

The Serend Blog will permanately be closed.

This doesn’t relate to H!P too much but each Berryz Koubou member had a mini-blog here, C-ute had a temporary blogs here and I believe Tsunku had a blog here too.

From my understanding the site has closed down, so it wasn’t a decision that H!P had a say in. It’s a shame that the site has closed down since the blogs provided a means of communication with the fans.

Hopefully H!P can find a replacement site for the Berryz Koubou blogs and maybe Tsunku can even “relocate” his blog too.

The site will close on 9/20.

Mobekimasu – “Busu ni Narinai Tetsugaku” Preview Released

A preview of the song and of the shooting for Mobekimasu’s PV for their single titled Busu ni Narinai Tetsugaku has been released.

For the most part we get to see only a black setting with all of the members dancing, and while it might not be that much of a preview for the PV it is for the song since we get to hear about a minute of it, and to say it simply I’m really impressed with the song.

It’s not cute or too mature, it somewhat aims for the middle and has a pretty catchy beat to it that seems to match a common theme for all of the members, which is a relief since it’s a mix of everyone’s images and gives us a chance to listen to a pretty unique song that will most likely be an impressive release.

As mentioned before the release date will be in November so Ai-chan was naturally not in the shot with Risa taking over as leader (Mitsui isn’t either, but she’s probably not in it since it’s the dance shot), and while she is still part of the group I have to say that it’s really weird to see a group shot with only Sayu, Gaki, and Reina in the front, as well as S/mileage without Ogawa, but like always the show must go on and it seems that this group will do a really good job since they have 8 Momusu members, 7 Berryz members, 5 C-ute members, Mano, and 8 S/mileage members for a total of 29 members.

I really encourage everyone to listen to the song since it’s an amazing release for this group, and while it will probably be a temporary group I am glad to see that we get another H!P group release since having a single with all of the members in H!P is simply the best way for everyone to enjoy a single, even more when there will be 7 versions of the single.

Hopefully a full song or PV preview is release since this song sounds simply incredible so far.

The release date is set for 11/16.

Video uploaded by: DARC423

EDIT: For those curious about the group pictures they included in the video, PON! did in fact add Morning Musume’s group picture twice when they explained the Mobekimasu name:.

Berryz Koubou First Concert in the USA Sakura Con FC DVD Cover Released

The FC DVD cover and back cover of “Berryz Koubou First Concert in the USA Sakura Con”  has been released.

The cover features a cropped photo of each Berryz Koubou member on a black background that is outlined by yellow dots. It’s somewhat hard to make out what’s behind these pictures but it looks like it’s something related to cherry blossoms, which are also featured all over the cover. The center has a pirate’s skull that has a lot of “Berryz Koubou twists” on it and the title is placed at the center which matches the skull.

I really like the pirate’s skull here however I don’t see how it’s related to Sakura Con. Regardless though I think the Berryz Koubou influence on the skull is really cute, especially since the eye patch has BK written on it and the other eye is heart shaped.

The yellow outline around each picture really makes the member pictures shine a bit more and the cherry blossoms all over really does remind you that this was from the Sakura Con. (Sakura is Japanese for cherry blossoms.)

The back is very similar to the front however there are 2 group shots located on the back and there are more digital cherry blossoms. It’s somewhat faded into the background but there are a few dots on the back that make the shape of the cherry blossoms and that’s a nice touch to things since they added cherry blossoms without using the same effect on the back.

On the back DVD cover you may have also noticed the setlist, the setlist for the concert is the same as before since they only performed at Sakura Con for one day. The last three titles listed on the back however I believe is not footage from the concert, since the concert setlist from this post ends with All for one and one for all. I can’t read Japanese but I’m certain that it’s footage from the other days or even some commentary from the members.

Overall this is a great release for all Berryz Koubou fans. For fans that couldn’t attend they can see it on DVD and hopefully feel the experience for themselves and for the fans that did attend, this release will be a wonderful reminder of the event.

Unfortunately the DVD was only available for FC members so fans who would like a copy will have to buy one from Ebay or Yahoo auctions, but there should be a few since there are always a few fans who get some more and sell them through those sites.

[Update] Berryz Koubou And C-ute Single Announced, Titled “Amazuppai Haru ni Sakurasaku”

A new single for the collaboration concert of Berryz Koubou and C-ute has been announced. It will be titled Amazuppai Haru ni Sakurasaku (On a bittersweet spring, the sakura blooms).

The single comes in 3 editions, one regular and 2 Limited Editions, A and B, which will each probably feature a bonus of one of the groups.

Alongside the Mobekimasu single announcement, I’m really happy to see that Berryz Koubou and C-ute will yet have a great joint single in time for their upcoming joint concert since those type of concerts are usually a great opportunity for us to have a single from the 2 groups combined, and with having H!P Kids reunited for a single after many years is really amazing news.

According to the translation of the title, it seems that the song will be somwhat calm and happy because there’s a mention of spring and of cherry trees blossoming which always remind me of a happy and calm place, and it probably will turn out to be this way since the title of their concert tour is also somewhat related to calm and relaxation with the word “Island”.

Even though we can’t know for sure the content of the single, it could either feature a main song by both groups as well as another c/w by both, or just like Mobekimasu’s single, it could feature a different c/w on each edition that belongs to either C-ute or Berryz Koubou, but we’ll just have to wait until more information is released to find out for sure.

Overall, I’m extremely happy about this announcement since C-ute and Berryz Koubou are groups that have solid members in them with great singing potential thanks to the many years they spent together, so hopefully we’ll get to see what kind of song it turns out to be.

Hopefully we’ll later on find out the content of the single as well as if there will be a PV or not since it seems like a great opportunity for one to be done.

The release date is set for 11/09.

SonyMusicShop page about Regular Edition

SonyMusicShop page about Limited A Edition

SonyMusicShop page about Limited B Edition

EDIT: It seems that the song will be the ending theme of the movie “Oosama Game” that Berryz Koubou and C-ute members are participating in according to Neowing, and it was also said that a PV will actually be filmed with C-ute’s version of it on one Limited Edition, and Berryz Koubou’s version on the other.

C-ute will be releasing their Limited Edition under Zetima while Berryz will be releasing theirs under Piccolo Town, and there will also be 2 different c/w songs for each group, so I’m thinking that the Limited Edition that comes with C-ute’s vers. of the PV will come with their c/w song, same for Berryz with the second Limited Edition.

Even though everything seems unclear right now, when the clear and detailled information is out it will be much easier to understand the content of the single and it’s concept since right now, everything seems kind of mixed up on information sites because the single has just been announced.

Neowing info page about product

SonyMusicShop info page about product

EDIT 2: Things have somewhat started to clear up since it was announced thanks to CDJapan that the single will actually be released in 6 editions for a total of 2 Regular Editions, 2 Limited A Editions and 2 Limited B Editions, which is due to the fact that each group will be releasing for itself 3 versions of the single under their own label while the other group does the same for their versions under their label.

The confusion was made because Sony Music Shop only posted the versions that come under Zetima for C-ute without stating Berryz’s versions under Piccolo Town (thanks to EmEl for the information).

 

 

Mobekimasu Single Announced, Titled “Busu ni Naranai Tetsugaku”

A new single for all of the Mobekimasu members within H!P has been announced. It will be titled Busu ni Naranai Tetsugaku (Not ugly philsophy/A philosophy that doesn’t get ugly).

The single will come in 7 different editions, one regular and Limited A, B, C, D, E and F, which will each respectively feature as a c/w a song by a different group, and all of the editions (including regular) come with a special ticket for a handshake and live event.

There was no mention weither the 10th generation members will be participating in this single as a part of Momusu or not (although they should have entered the group by then), but it’s being said that Ai-chan won’t be in this release and that the new S/mileage sub-members will take part in it.

When I first saw the news, I have to say that I was very surprised since I didn’t expect seeing a Mobekimasu release this year because of all of the changes H!P groups undertook, from the 9th generation auditions to the S/mileage’s new members,etc… but I can’t help but think that this single may be released because of those events, to promote H!P in general and probably boost sales for all of the groups.

Even though we have no info apart from the fact that all of the groups will be participating in this which is already a huge event, as well as the release date and the title, we can still see from the title that means something like Not ugly philosophy that the song will probably be something uplifting and happy to boost everyone’s spirits since it would be kind of weird to have a Mobekimasu release turning out to be a sad or fierce song, even though everything is possible.

Apart from that, I’m really excited about getting more information concerning this release, mostly weither there will be a PV for this single or not since it’s an amazing chance to see all of the members together again (this happened back when the song One for All and All for One was released), and I also would like to know weither the c/w’s will be the main song sung by each group or a different c/w for each edition that belongs to a different group.

Overall, I’m highly excited about this release since this is a very important event that doesn’t happen very often within H!P, and I’m impressed by the effort UFA is putting into promoting H!P groups right now.

Hopefully more details will be out soon so that fans can start reserving their copies since it seems like a perfect release that will please every H!P fan thanks to the special feature of different c/ws, that way everyone can pick their favorite group and reserve a copy of the appropriate edition.

The release date is set for 11/16.

SonyMusicShop info page about product

Kumai Yurina and Suzuki Airi’s “Ousama Game” Navigate DVD Cover Released

The cover for the Navigate DVD for Kumai Yurina and Suzuki Airi’s upcoming movie titled Ousama Game has been released.

First I would like to remind everyone that this is only the Navigate DVD, which means that it’s the making of showing scenes of how the movie was made, not the movie itself, but it’s safe to say that the movie DVD will have a similar look.

That being said I really like the way the cover looks since we get to see the main stars of the movie (the guy next to Kumai, Kumai and Airi) along with the other actors in their roles, with a strong focus on Berryz Koubou and C-ute members in the first two rows. Apart from the normal school lineup of the actors they added a red tint over most of the cover, which is a pretty cool effect since it adds to the horror theme.

I’m not sure if the members that are in the white space have any kind of significance to the story since it might refer to them as being among the few who have a large role in the story, but what I do know for sure is that the white outline of a person behind Risako will probably be important since it suggests that the main antagonist of the story is a member of the class, although I don’t know much about the story so I don’t know for sure.

The title is in gold and really easy to see, with the words “Navigate” in white at the bottom, so it’s safe to say that this is a very eye catching cover, although the only complaint I can see is that the red tint is a bit overpowering since it’s somewhat hard to tell who is who at a glance (everyone in the middle is recognizable, but since Chisa is at the end of the row I couldn’t tell if it was her or someone else).

Despite that the cover is impressive and perfect for this horror release, and while the horror theme is a bit overused I am really looking forward to this release since it has an interesting story, but hopefully anyone who is interested in finding out just how the movie is made will get a copy of this release since we will probably wait for the movie a few months more.

The release date is set for 11/3.

Amazon.jp Site