By Winfield Ly It was announced on October 18, 2019 that Country Girls will cease activities on December 26th, 2019 following their concert at LINE CUBE SHIBUYA. They will release a compilation album titled “Country Girls Daizenshuu” on December 4th and it will contain all of their songs and MVs released to date since their revival in 2014.
2017 is shaping up to be a very iconic year for Hello! Project, for better and worse. Among the many announcements and events that have happened already, the ones that stand out the most are: the recent disbandment of °C-ute, the announcement of Country Girls’ new shuffle style and slowdown, the announcement of Haruka Kudo’s graduation, Momoko Tsugunaga’s upcoming graduation. Now we have another huge set of announcements that were made in today’s Hello! Station (being mentioned in the same order they were made in the video).
June 30th 2002. That’s when Momoko Tsugunaga joined Hello! Project as a Hello! Project Kid. Almost 15 years later, she’s announced that she will graduate from Hello! Project and Country Girls on June 30th 2017. She will be able to go out on her 15th year anniversary being in the business. Momoko has grown into being an integral part of Hello! Project over the years. A couple years after she joined H!P, she was part of the formation of Berryz Kobo. For many years she ended up being a lead vocalist in the group as they moved forward with a lot of amazing music and projects. In 2007 she became a part of Buono!, who had a very special reunion concert this past August. Throughout the years she always gave her all as an idol and never faltered in delivering to her fans or having fun with her character. Unfortunately, though, all good things must come to an end. The main group she was involved in, Berryz Kobo, went on indefinite hiatus in 2015. We thought we would lose Momoko in the world of idols but she surprised us all with an announcement of her being Playing Manager for the reboot of Country Musume。as Country Girls. Her goal was to teach the new girls all she could and get them molded into the best idol group they could be. It was an odd role, especially in the world of H!P, but she pulled it off with flying colors. We knew this wouldn’t last though, since she said from the beginning that she wouldn’t be sticking around for long. She just wanted to help these girls shine for a couple years and then leave and let them spread their wings. That time has finally come, with the announcement of Momoko’s graduation. She’s stated that she is going to leave the entertainment industry altogether. She’s found her calling: as a teacher. She wishes to be an elementary or kindergarten teacher, which is a noble sentiment. With teaching license already in hand, she’s bound to be able to bring all her wonderful experiences in her life into the classroom. Momoko will be the last remnant of the Hello! Project Kids, since °C-ute will be graduating earlier that same month. It’ll be the end of an era, but let’s not forget what she worked so hard to cultivate, and continue to support these groups (namely, Country Girls) into the future. Let’s wish her all the best in her future endeavors, and cheer extra loud for her in these upcoming few months. - Teepu When it was announced that Buono! was going to hold a concert titled “Buono! Festa 2016” at Nippon Budokan, fans held their breath and hoped that this would lead to an active Buono! again. Composed of Miyabi Natsuyaki (formerly of Berryz Kobo), Airi Suzuki (of ℃-ute) and Momoko Tsugunaga (also formerly of Berryz Kobo, currently Playing Manager of Country Girls), Buono!'s future looked unsure following Berryz Kobo's hiatus and besides small one-off performances at joint Hello! Project concerts, Buono! had not been active in several years. As the concert drew nearer fans learned more about this event. Miyabi Natsuyaki's new group would be revealed at this concert and in the weeks leading up to the concert itself, we learned that Buono! had recorded a new single and that it would be made available before its actual release date at this concert! Besides this the Buono! Festa 2016 line-up would be filled by the individual member’s other groups. This meant that Country Girls, ℃-ute, as well as Miyabi’s unnamed group would all perform in their own guest corner segments. August 25th, 2016, the time had come for the world to see Buono! again! The crowd shuffled into the sold-out Nippon Budokan and got ready for what was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Besides the crowd at the venue, the concert was also being broadcast live in several theaters in not only Japan, but also in Taiwan and Hong Kong as well. A huge Buono! banner covered the stage and everyone at Nippon Budokan eagerly waited to see the banner finally be removed. The excitement of the crowd could be felt as a countdown signaled the group's arrival. A silhouette gave way to the trio we had all been waiting for and Buono! took the stage along with their backing band Dolce. They immediately jumped into their first song, their come-back single "Rockno Seichi", a song that is a spiritual successor and answer song to their earlier favorite, “Rockno Kamisama”. The crowd went wild and following an MC would only get more crazy when Buono! followed this with "We are Buono! ~Buono no Theme~". The crowd's cheers of "B-U-O-N-O!" rocked Nippon Budokan and not a bit of energy was lost when the band finished out their initial set with "Rottara Rottara". Now being that this is Buono! Festa 2016 and not your standard one-man live, we were going to be treated to several other acts before Buono! took back the stage. First up was the introduction of Miyabi Natsuyaki's then-unnamed group. Following the announcement of Berryz Kobo's hiatus, the future of some of the members was unsure. While many of the members stayed within Up-Front or Hello! Project, only a few, like Momoko Tsugunaga, remained in the performing spotlight Therefore, fans were very excited when it was announced that Miyabi would be leading her own group and that excitement was brought to a head at Buono! Festa 2016! The audience was treated to video auditions of the chosen members (Hikaru Kobayashi and Yuka Nihei) and a short documentary of the new group learning the material as well as recording their first release. Following this introduction we were treated to the much-anticipated reveal of the new group's name, "PINK CRES." short for "pink crescendo". The trio took the stage next supported by DJ JURI. Their first song was a medley of "Warning ~Mirai Keihou~" and "Uwa no Sora". These songs were very different, one being a dance song and the next being a slow ballad, but they definitely showed the crowd that this was a group that was worth watching in the future. The crowd was then treated to PINK CRES.' very first MC where Miyabi asked the crowd to change their penlights to pink. Everyone happily obliged and their set closed out with the song "Summer Wonderland" which was complete with not only pink penlights, but also twirling towels. Country Girls were up next. Following the hiatus of Berryz Kobo, Momoko Tsugunaga made a new name for herself as the Playing Manager of Country Girls and took the group on a path straight to the top. They opened their set "Koi Dorobou" and the crowd's cheers and chants were completely on point. Following this introduction we got an MC where it was mentioned that while this was Country Girls' third time at Nippon Budokan it was the first time for with the new line-up that sadly featured the absence of Manaka Inaba who had left the group just weeks before. Their next song was their latest single, "Doodatte Iino". They closed out their guest corner with the fan favorite "Itooshikutte Gomenne" a song that is both very catchy and cute, but still able to whip the crowd into a frenzy. Now up to this point all the previous groups had proper introductions and stage exits, all that ended when it was time for ℃-ute to take the stage. ℃-ute came on stage immediately following the end of Country Girls' set and the "Are you ready?!" shouts that accompanied the intro of "Tokkaiko Junjou" were nearly enough to tear the roof off the venue. This was a particularly hard set to watch as it was announced just days before that ℃-ute would be graduated from Hello! Project the following June. Following their MC they went into "Jinseiwa STEP!" and followed that up with the ever-popular "Kiss me Aishiteru". Their set was pure energy and both ℃-ute and the fans gave every bit of themselves to each other. Also following immediately, "Dance de Bakoon!" wrapped up their guest corner. Before we were treated to the return of Buono! we were given one last performance. ℃-ute (minus Airi Suzuki) along with a Momoko-less Country Girls performed the Buono! hit "Hontono Jibun". While I personally would have loved to have seen this song performed by Buono!, this was an interesting take on it nonetheless. Buono! took back the stage with “Independent Girl ~ Dokuritsu Joshide Arutameni” a song that brought every fan in the venue to their feet and into the air. To go along with this powerful return we were also given flames which heated up Budokan even more so than the fan’s cheers did. The group was in rare form here and continued to several other hard-rocking numbers “Zassou no Uta” and “JUICY HE@RT”. While the physical fire on stage had died down by this point, the fire within their performance was not showing any signs of giving way. Buono!’s interaction with backing band Dolce is worth noting here too. With the addition of a second guitarist (bringing the total of musicians who could traverse to stage to three) the group was able to more properly pair off for fun on stage antics. Together, Buono! and Dolce owned the stage and took the show directly to everyone be they down the middle along the ramp, or along both wings of the stage. Following this powerful opening, we got the second MC from Buono!. This one was special though as following some remarks about how it had been a long time since they shared the same stage, Miyabi was presented with a birthday cake and everyone from those in the crowd to those on the stage took part in wishing her a happy birthday! What a birthday it was too! A birthday that saw the reformation of the beloved Buono! and the debut of her own group PINK CRES. Surely this birthday can be seen as a new beginning bright with opportunity! Following the MC, they continued with their new single, “Sorashido~Neenee~”. This was followed by “Gachinkode Ikou!”, “My Love”, and “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” which saw this segment wrapped up with the girls on a centrally placed bed where they eventually finished the song following a pesky alarm. This was a fitting place to end this segment as the songs up to this point were all high energy and the power of the concert would be enough to tire out even the most seasoned of performers! The MC that followed saw Buono! changed into elegant white dresses as they introduced the band to the crowd. This introduction also featured a special guest violinist who would play an important part in the next segment. Following a request for the fans to sit for the next part, the band took us into a nice acoustic set that was as beautifully powerful as the first half of the show though in a more subtle way. With the girls seated far to the front in the middle ramp, they began with “Urahara”, by the time they moved into “Kimiga Ireba”, the sole violinist was now joined by a full string quartet. This part closed with “You’re My Friend” which saw the full band accompanying the strings bringing a sound one rarely hears at Hello! Project concerts. Before we moved onto the next set of songs we were treated to some very funny special videos that are best seen rather than explained. Suffice to say that they were quite amusing and played up to the comedic strengths of the members very well! The next set of songs was kicked off by “Nakamushi Shonen” which was followed by “Kataomoi。”. “Hatsukoi Cider”, with a slightly slower opening finished this set. We had been taken on a musical journey that had taken us to many different stops, but things were clearly getting ready to ramp up again following the earlier acoustic parts. The shouts of “P. A. T. I!” signaled the start of “Bravo☆Bravo” a song whose iconic chants were something that must be witnessed to believe how powerful they could be. Other powerful rocking songs “Janakya Mottainai!” and a “Lady Panther” complete with dueling guitar solos. Fire, along with smoke this time around, once again filled the stage for “MY BOY” which was every bit the hard-rocking metal crossover song it was. “Renai♥Rider” was officially the last song of the night and a fitting way to wrap up the main part of Buono! Festa 2016 as it was their second single (Their first single being performed earlier by the non-Buono! members). Streamers fell from the ceiling and filled Nippon Budokan with a colorful rain during this song and fans grabbed at them all the while continuing to cheer with them held high. Following this song Buono! exited the stage, but it thankfully would not be for long. Seeing Nippon Budokan lit by thousands of colorful penlights is something that can never be properly described unless one has directly witnessed it themselves. It is as beautiful as it is powerful and it can be nearly breathtaking. Added to this sea of light were the constant and rhythmic calls for Buono’s return. After several minutes of this, return they did and their first encore song was none other than “Rockno Kamisama”. Following this amazing towel-swinging performance and another MC, the band entered into the true final songs of the night, “Warp!” and “Tabitachino Uta”. The former of which saw hearts fall from the sky in the colors of the group which featured a message. These were quickly scooped up by the lucky fans while on stage the string quartet had grown yet again into a full ensemble that added a new layer to what was already a wonderful show. Following some call and responses with “Tabitachino Uta” the concert came to a reluctant end. All said, Buono! Festa 2016 was made up of three hours of music and performance, but everyone within Budokan probably wished the night didn’t have to end.
It had been over four years since Buono! had properly active, but if one didn’t know any better they would have assumed that no time had passed at all. They were in as perfect a form as they ever were and performed with as much power and drive as they did on their first ever solo concert. While the night had more than its share of bittersweet moments especially when one recalled the recent announcement regarding the future of ℃-ute, these were counteracted by the fact that the thousands of fans assembled, as well as those watching from afar, had witnessed something special. Something that could never happen again. A legend had reformed and hopefully would begin a new chapter. A chapter that would be long and bright and hopefully one that would never again see such a prolonged absence of such great a group. -Manuel (alavic_222) Setlist: M01.Rockno Seichi MC1 M02. We are Buono! ~Buono! no Theme M03. Rottara Rottara Guest Corner: PINK CRES. Warning ~Mirai Keihou~ / Uwanosora (Medley) MC Summer Wonderland Guest Corner: Country Girls Koi Dorobou MC Dou Datte Ii no Itooshikutte Gomenne Guest Corner: ℃-ute Tokaikko Junjou MC Jinsei wa STEP! Kiss me Aishiteru Dance de Bakoon! Hontono Jibun (Maimi Yajima, Saki Nakajima, Chisato Okai, Mai Hagiwara, Risa Yamaki, Chisaki Morito, Mai Ozeki, Nanami Yanagawa, Musubu Funaki) SE M04. Independent Girl~Dokuritsu Joshi de Arutameni ~ M05. Zassou no Uta M06. JUICY HE@RT MC2 M07. Sorashido~Neenee~ M08. Gachinkode Ikou! M09. My Love M10. Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! MC3 M11. Urahara M12. Kimiga Ireba M13. You're My Friend Video Corner M14. Nakimushi Shounen M15. Kataomoi。 M16. Hatsukoi Cider MC4 M17. Bravo☆Bravo M18. Janakya Mottainai! M19. Lady Panther M20. MY BOY M21. Renai♥Rider ENCORE EN1. Rockno Kamisama MC5 EN2. Warp! EN3. Tabitachino Uta Buono! Is: Tsugunaga Momoko (嗣永桃子) (Leader) Natsuyaki Miyabi (夏焼雅) Suzuki Airi (鈴木愛理) PINK CRES. Is: Natsuyaki Miyabi (夏焼雅) (Leader) Kobayashi Hikaru (小林ひかる) Nihei Yuuka (二瓶有加) Country Girls Is: Tsugunaga Momoko (嗣永桃子) (Playing Manager) Yamaki Risa (山木梨沙) Morito Chisaki (森戸知沙希) Ozeki Mai (小関舞) Yanagawa Nanami (梁川奈々美) Funaki Musubu (船木結) ℃-ute Is: Yajima Maimi (矢島舞美) (Leader) Nakajima Saki (中島早貴) Suzuki Airi (鈴木愛理) Okai Chisato (岡井千聖) Hagiwara Mai (萩原舞) Official Links Buono! Official YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/buonochannel PINK CRES. Official Site: http://www.pinkcres.com/ PINK CRES. Official Blog: http://ameblo.jp/pinkcres UP-FRONT LINK Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/upfrontlink/ UP-FRONT LINK Twitter: https://twitter.com/UpFrontLink All pictures ©UP-FRONT PROMOTION Co., Ltd. Used with permission. While I’ve personally been pleased with Country Girls’ progress since they rebooted, there’s no denying that they have had an interesting journey trying to identify their own style. They express themselves exactly as their title suggests: a group of country loving girls who live fun lives. Their latest release helps to express this completely and powerfully while still providing some fun variety, which was lacking from their previous release unfortunately. ‘Boogie Woogie LOVE’ is their kick-off track that’s groovy and exciting and superbly catchy. It has a very heavy jazz style to it that seems to be the running theme of a lot of the Hello! Project music this year. The next song, ‘Koi wa Magnet,’ transitions smoothly into a catchy and fun song that is very reminiscent of more old-style idol music and music in general. It reminds me of a lot of the old 80’s and early 90’s music that I grew up with, which is really endearing and nostalgic. It’s a great way to please older listeners while presenting something (potentially) fresh for younger listeners who aren’t familiar with older music. They close out with ‘Ranrarun ~Anata ni Muchuu~’ which holds onto the very carefree and innocent style that is their overall defining feature and has been since they rebooted. It’s not particularly new or fresh but it’s still super fun to listen to. I was very pleased with the overall improved quality of songs in this release considering their mediocre output before that. If Country Girls keeps up with this then they could truly become one of the most special groups Hello! Project has ever had. Boogie Woogie LOVE / Koi wa Magnet / Ranrarun ~Anata ni Muchuu~ released in Japan on March 9th. You can get your copy from cdjapan.co.jp or your preferred retailer. - Teepu During the first anniversary event in Shinjuku for Country Girls, fans were given some pleasant news: two new members would officially be joining the group. The two new members are Nanami Yanagawa and Musubu Funaki, thus making them a 7 member group. Nanami joined Hello Pro Kenshuusei this year on the 1st of April. She had originally auditioned for Morning Musume, but didn’t make the cut. Luckily, her talent was recognized and she was brought in as a Kenshuusei in hopes of developing her into something truly special. She quickly showed her qualities and improved herself, which eventually helped her get into Country Girls.
Musubu joined Hello Pro Kenshuusei on September 22, 2013. She had also attempted to join Morning Musume, as a 12th Generation member, but didn’t make it either. Over time, she has worked extremely hard and has finally been rewarded for her hard work by being able to join Country Girls. The girls who trained in Hello Pro Kenshuusei tend to adapt and evolve quickly, so we can expect some great things out of these two. Let’s cheer for them and hope for a wonderfully successful future. ~Teepu (Bowser05) Country Girls Are: - Tsugunaga Momoko (嗣永桃子) - Yamaki Risa (山木梨沙) - Inaba Manaka (稲場愛香) - Morito Chisaki (森戸知沙希) - Ozeki Mai (小関舞) - Yanagawa Nanami (梁川奈々美) - Funaki Musubu (船木結) Check out the official announcement here: http://www.helloproject.com/news/3770/ Check out some extra information at Up-Front Link here: https://www.facebook.com/notes/up-front-link/en-country-girls-new-members-announced/970475676344683 Country Girls return to a familiar retro Hello! Project feel with their new song and PV, "Tamerai Summer Time". While many of their songs up to this point have had a standard idol feel to them, not taking away from their greatness of course, it is this song that finally makes one remember that they are in fact successors to classic Hello! Project group, Country Musume. Harkening back to a very different time in idol history, this song does more than simply make me appreciate Country Girls, it also makes me appreciate the Hello! Project/Tsunku legacy as well as the genre itself. This song is one of two A-Sides from their upcoming single "Wakatte Iru no ni Gomen ne / Tamerai Summertime". A look at the first song can be found here. First off one has to talk about the song itself. I mention the retro feel and yes there is something akin to the Golden Age here in both its simplicity and its style. In short it's a beautiful song that does away with much of the modern frills, but still manages to draw the listener in. The song is penned by Miura Yoshiko who has a long pedigree with Mano Erina and Buono! amongst many others. She most recently penned Juice=Juice's "Ca va Ca va" and is quickly becoming a strong creative voice in the new Hello! Project. Nostalgia reigns supreme here and one cannot help but feel they are being pulled into the song itself courtesy of the five girls lovely performances both vocally and in the video itself. Vocal-wise while the song is top notch, I still have been struggling to find that one special vocalist in the lot that draws my attention more than the others, they all do an admirable job here. I must say however that this type of songs are usually the ones that I love upon initial listens and think are a treat when performed live, but I rarely find myself listening to them on a regular basis. This of course is a matter of opinion, but it's that type of ballad that I don't think actually lives up to continuous play. Maybe it's the tinge of nostalgia in the song that makes it hard to hear regularly for myself, but this is something best left to each individual listener to decide on. Onto the video itself. Now it does follow a very standard formula when it comes to content. Dance, close-ups, short drama sequences, call it a day. What makes this one truly unique is the location. Lovely Hokkaido is featured in all its glory. This is fitting of course as Country Musume was originally envisioned as a group made up of Hokkaido natives. Beautiful locations aside the video has a unique balance of colors that seems to put one instantly at peace. The girls look good here, no comments on the outfits and the dance is what is to be expected in a song like this. That selfie stick sequence though? I know it's referenced in the song as well, but I'm a sucker for selfies and this was a nice touch that made me like the song just a little more. While I personally still prefer "Wakatte Iru no ni Gomen ne" in this set, this one does well in holding its own. The true test for this song's longevity will of course be when the song becomes part of their live set. With that we have heard and watched both new Country Girls songs! We remind everyone that the single drops on August 5th. While that's nearly a month away from now, I'm sure that to all the fans the time will fly by! Make sure to get those pre-orders in! Watch and enjoy! Country Girls Are: ◆Tsugunaga Momoko (嗣永桃子) (Play Manager) ◆Yamaki Risa (山木梨沙) ◆Inaba Manaka (稲場愛香) ◆Morito Chisaki (森戸知沙希) ◆Ozeki Mai (小関舞) Just weeks after the departure of member Shimamura Uta, Country Girls have released the PV for "Wakatte Iru no ni Gomen ne", one half of the new double A-Side single "Wakatte Iru no ni Gomen ne / Tamerai Summertime". Not a group to be overlooked, Country Girls does not skip a beat and they succeed in delivering a song that is sure to keep even the most diehard Uta fans interested despite the loss of the well-loved member. For more on Shimamura's departure, check here. In terms of sound, the song is a refreshing one that bears a style that is both familiar and unique to what one normally hears in Hello! Project. Lyrics come courtesy of Kodama Ameko who is quickly becoming one of my favorite Hello! Project song writers. (The first being Takui Nakajima) So this new style is probably becoming the new standard for the Tsunku-less H!P. Lyrically the song is great and the production and arrangement are spot on. One quickly remembers that unlike most idol groups, Country Girls did not have to enter the scene via the indies. The drama parts are entertaining and the girls' vocal abilities all shine throughout here. While I personally find it hard to pick a new favorite vocalist, I'm sure most fans won't be too hard pressed to find a favorite here if theirs was formally Shimamura Uta, as is the case with myself. While much has been said of the "new" Hello! Project, I think that it's fair to say that Country Girls are leading this new era in both their skill and the management's push with giving them good songs and PVs. Now onto the PV itself. While only a few things separate this from the typical Hello! Project-type video, with a central dance shot only broken up occasionally by close-ups, the locations are great and the girls do a good job in the in-between drama sequences. Seriously though, that kabe-don anyone? Acting in the aforementioned drama scenes is spot on as is the dance. Speaking of the dance, the choreography is a welcome step-up from what is usually seen outside the main H!P groups. Then again, I guess in this new era Country Girls is a main H!P group. The costumes run along the usual here, there are two and we can easily guess which one will be the one most featured live in concert, but what else can be said about Momoko's outfit and make-up? I will once again stop here and reiterate that I am still not totally sure what her continued presence will be in the group, but I am glad for it nonetheless! The wrap-around story sequences also do a good job breaking up the typical Hello! Project PV monotony. There you have it! We have an awesome new Hello! Project PV to enjoy and a short wait until the second one is released. Be sure to check it out and pick up the single itself when it drops August 5th. Enjoy! Country Girls Are: ◆Tsugunaga Momoko (嗣永桃子) (Play Manager) ◆Yamaki Risa (山木梨沙) ◆Inaba Manaka (稲場愛香) ◆Morito Chisaki (森戸知沙希) ◆Ozeki Mai (小関舞) On the 6th of June an official announcement was put out by Up-Front Promotion that Uta Shimamura’s contract with the company would be cancelled due to a disagreement on the terms of the contract. It was said that the family and Up-Front Promotion could not come to an agreement on contract terms that was satisfying to both parties, the contract was thus terminated. Uta originally auditioned for Morning Musume ‘14’s 12th generation of members, but didn’t make it all the way. She was eventually added to the new and improved Country Musume, which got renamed to Country Girls. With the shaky history of Country Musume, Country Girls managed to get off to an explosive start with their major debut release of Itooshikutte Gomen ne / Koi Dorobou. This was not just due to the music, but due to the amazing synergy all the girls had witch each other along with the timing of their unveiling (following along the heels of Berryz Kobo’s indefinite hiatus news). It helped renew faith and reinvigorate interest in Hello! Project all over again. It wasn’t the sole reason, but it was one of many that escalated this interest. Being a member of Country Girls, Uta quickly became popular due to her extremely cute demeanor and presentation. In many ways she rivaled even Momoko Tsugunaga, who has reigned over the realm of cuteness since Sayumi Michishige graduated from Morning Musume ’14. In recent times though, Uta had been silent from a lot of social media in comparison with her fellow members in Hello! Project, and this announcement helped solidify all of our fears. Statements have been left by all the members as well as their supervisor, Mai Satoda. The tone is almost universally the same: sorrow, surprise and a slight tinge of disappointment with a touch of hope moving forward. While this is tough to accept for Country Girls fans and especially for Uta fans, please do your best to support her and her family in this decision. Most importantly, don’t forget to continue to support Country Girls during this time, since the transition can quickly either go sour or move forward depending on how fan support goes. I wish Uta Shimamura the best of luck in her future endeavors. Below is a link to the Country Girls Fan Club Facebook Page’s post that contains translations of the announcement and the messages from the individual members. Member Messages (Click Here) Below are the music videos for their double A-side ‘debut’ single. -Bowser05 When Country Girls formed last year I was confused by many aspects of the group. Are they a revival of Country Musume? Are they going to be performing that group's back catalog? Will their releases be as sporadic? What exactly is Momoko's role in the group? Well, their first single dropped a couple weeks ago and I am glad to say that while very few of those questions were answered, Country Girls did pull off an awesome debut release! You may recall that this single was originally going to be an indies release. That was of course changed and Country Girls get to kick off their career with a major debut. The group's talent is clear in this single as well as the fact that this single sold an impressive 45,000 copies its first week (Putting it in the #3 spot on the Oricon Chart). I admit that I always assume the worse of the younger Hello! Project members. I always assume they're vocals are going to be off-putting and their talent questionable. Well, Juice=Juice proved me wrong a couple years back and Country Girls do it again here. Before I continue let me state here that new Hello! Project lyricist, Kodama Ameko, has been doing an amazing job partially filling in for Tsuku's absence. This twenty-one year old woman has talent! The two Country Girls songs she penned are pretty amazing and let's not forget that she was also behind ANGERME's "Otome no Gyakushuu". While I lament Hello! Project's loss of Tsunku I am glad that people like her and Takui Nakajima are able to so effectively carry on the Hello! Project legacy. Let's jump right into the single now. First up is "Itooshikutte Gomen ne" ("I'm Sorry For Being So Adorable"). I normally don't care much for songs like this, It's cutesy and has a tinge of that forgettable generic vibe to it. This isn't necessarily a bad thing if this is where your tastes lie, it's just that these type of songs come up a lot in the course of idol groups and they can sometimes start to blend together. Let me stop there and mention that this song does not totally fall into that category, the chorus and retro-style melody save it in my opinion. It reminds me of some of the songs the old Country Musume line-up put out and also had me initially wondering if Takui Nakajima had a hand in its writing (He did not). The English parts are a nice touch too and the production quality itself is what you'd expect from a major Hello! Project release. I do not recommend this song for those that can't stomach the sugary sweet side of Hello! Project though especially when one watches the video! Then again is there really a fan of Hello! Project who can not at least tolerate the cuter side of things? That being said, I am pleased to note that Momoko isn't hamming up her Momochi personality in Country Girls. I know that that wasn't the purpose of having her in this group, but I initially feared that she would attempt to act in a fashion similar to the other girls who are much younger than her. This brings me to a question I asked earlier: What is Momoko's role in the group? She's their leader of sorts and performs too, but she operates in a strange position apart from the rest of the girls. I at first assumed she'd act like a borrowed member like Rika Ishikawa and Konno Asami/Miki Fujimoto did in the past. That doesn't seem to be the case as she's not only much more involved than they were, but she also has no other group to return to outside of Country Girls. I wonder if this is just a way to stall her graduation for another year. Anyhow, the song is catchy and the video is very cheerful without being too distractingly cute. The outfits in the video scream classic S/mileage to me for some reason though and I can't help but have that thought run in my mind whenever I watch the PV. There are worse things to compare a group to though aren't there? The other A-Side to this single (Remember when Hello! Project actually had proper B-sides?) is "Koi Dorobou" ("Love Thief"). Remember how I mentioned the other video not being cute, but not too cute? Well this one throws that concept out the window and mixes in some pink. LOTS of pink. That was honestly all I took away from the video the first time. The fact that every aspect of it was tinged pink. PV aside, I actually like this song a bit more than "Itooshikutte Gomen ne". It has the same catchy vibe present in the original, but has a stronger driving beat complete with a catchy chorus and playful lyrics courtesy of the aforementioned Kodama Ameko. Gotta love the use of "love me do" in the song too, something that Tsunku used to add to several of his Hello! Project songs. I can't help but wonder if this was an homage to him. I might have to look that up. Back to the song, the song moves fast and this one also had me checking the writing credits to see if Takui Nakajima had a hand in it. He didn't, but the song is still really catchy. Try to not sing along if you can! If there is one song from this single that I'll probably still be listening to later on in the year, it's this one. Gotta love that "Oh my god!" at the end! I mentioned that the other song's outfits reminded me of S/mileage, well the ones here are reminiscent of something Juice=Juice would be outfitted in. There you have it. Country Girls are apparently here to stay and this is not a bad thing! Hello! Project was sorely lacking in new groups and these girls fill that void very well. Being the first group to not have Tsunku-produced material did not keep them from surpassing not only this fan's expectations, but probably all those who didn't believe that a debut Hello! Project group could still command such impressive first-week sales. Be sure to pick up the single if you haven't already and check out the PVs I so graciously provide in this review!
Country Girls Are: ◆ Tsugunaga Momoko (嗣永桃子) (Play Manager) ◆ Yamaki Risa (山木梨沙) ◆ Inaba Manaka (稲場愛香) ◆ Morito Chisaki (森戸知沙希) ◆ Shimamura Uta (島村嬉唄) ◆ Ozeki Mai (小関舞) |
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February 2024
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