Caminamos por la ciudad de México juntos, con nuestros celulares en la mano tratando de utilizar el GPS para ubicar el lugar donde el grupo japonés °C-ute estaría presentándose. Estábamos perdidos y confundidos. Fue ese momento cuando un fan Mexicano (Con el que nos habíamos comunicado antes por vía web.) nos encontró y ayudó a llegar al recinto. Esa situación fue una muestra de la experiencia que se vive en un concierto: amistad, amor y emoción. Ya habiéndonos familiarizado con la ubicación, el día siguiente llegamos al lugar del concierto alrededor de las 10 de la mañana y vimos que algunos fans ya estaban en línea muy emocionados. No eran solamente fans mexicanos, de hecho había personas de muchos lugares incluyendo Canadá, Estados Unidos, Colombia e incluso Japón. Conforme fuimos escuchando los emocionantes fan chants que había en la fila, pudimos ver como varios vendedores colocaban sus pequeños puestos alrededor de la calle. Mientras caminábamos por la fila y hablábamos con los fans, no había nada más que emoción. Esta no era solamente la primera vez que °C-ute se presentaba en México, ni la primera vez que algún grupo de Hello!Project tenía un concierto en este lugar, si no, la primera vez en que un grupo idol tenía una presentación en este país. Las presentaciones fuera de Japón siempre han sido un poco complicadas debido a la gran cantidad de compromisos que hay, es por eso que este fue un gran honor para los fans de °C-ute en México y Norte América. Entre todas las personas que se encontraban reunidas afuera del recinto, había algunos fans que se encontraban vistiendo vestuarios de algunas canciones del grupo. Si bien, había muchísimas personas, quien resaltó más fue un grupo que vestía los lindos vestidos de ‘Sekai ichi Happy na Onna no Ko’. Ellas se esforzaron y dedicaron mucho para reproducir perfectamente las prendas. Mientras que, cruzando la calle, había más fans bailando varias canciones de Hello!Project para pasar el tiempo y entrar en ambiente. Ellos pasaron un tiempo muy agradable e incluso otros fans de cuando en cuando se unían a ellos. Conforme avanzó el tiempo, la emoción continuaba en aumento hasta que dieron las 4:15 pm, cuando las puertas fueron abiertas finalmente para las personas con el boleto VIP y comenzamos a ingresar por las puertas y avanzamos por las escaleras hasta donde se encontraba localizada la mesa con los godos del concierto. Había un set de fotos exclusivas, una playera con un diseño del concierto, una toalla con una muñequera del tour actual y un CD que contenía una selección especial de canciones, las cuales fueron seleccionadas por popularidad y también un ticket para el apretón de manos. Conforme la tensión y la emoción aumentaban, °C-ute finalmente salió y la multitud estalló con emoción. Nada pudo prepararnos para la energía y el ánimo que los fans mexicanos poseían. Los aplausos y gritos eran tan fuertes que podías quedar sordo. La energía era vigorizante. Esto era completa y totalmente contagioso. Fue ese momento en donde realmente comprendimos por qué °C-ute fue a México como si primer concierto en Norte América. Por las enormes sonrisas que poseían las miembros, creo que ellas sentían lo mismo. Sin esperar más, °C-ute salió al escenario. Se presentaron con trajes negros con brillantes tonos plateados y detalles en rojo, al igual que los zapatos que portaron. Ellas tuvieron un impactante comienzo con ‘Kanashiki Heaven’, canción que fue una elección muy inteligente debido, al complicado uso de su voz para cantar. Al terminar esa canción y ‘Adam to Eve no Dilemma’, continuaron con sus presentaciones. Ellas lo hicieron en español, lo cual fue espectacular. Por ejemplo, Maimi dijo que estuvo esperando por este momento y Saki dijo: “¡Vamos a pasarla bien chido!” Después de eso, continuaron con ‘Soku Dakishimete’. Ellas siguieron con ‘I miss you’. Algo que llamó mucho mi atención fue el hecho de que fueron capaces de cantar esa canción, ya que es algo complicada para cantarse en vivo. Como ya esperábamos, ellas se aseguraron de interactuar con la audiencia tanto como fuera posible, lo cual fue un trabajo perfectamente hecho, lo cual incluyó la sección VIP la cual no estaba situada frente a ellas. Con el término de la segunda sección, Maimi y Saki estaban en el escenario mientras las demás fueron a camerinos a descansar y a cambiar de vestuario. En este punto, ellas tuvieron un segmento de rifas, el cual incluyó números que fueron repartidos conforme entrabamos al lugar del concierto. Cuando ellas estaban diciendo los números a los emocionados fans que ganaban los godos, la chica a la que pertenecía el artículo rifado, firmaba el objeto en ese mismo instante. Maimi y Saki después fueron a camerinos, cuando Airi y Mai regresaron a continuar con la lotería con sus propios godos. Fue poco después cuando Chisato apareció usando una máscara de luchador plateada, diciéndose ser “Mil Máscaras.” Fue una de las cosas más torpes y lindas que llamaron la atención del concierto. Todos gritaban su nombre realmente fuerte. Después de jugar un rato, ella fingió ‘atacar’ a Airi y Mai con una ‘llave’ a la cual reaccionaron asustándose de una forma muy linda. Chisato retiró esa máscara para mostrar como ella estaba utilizando otra máscara más bajo esa la cual combinaba con su tercer vestuario, uno plateado brilloso con detalles en blanco. Ella termino por retirarse esa máscara también, la cual mencionó era muy calurosa para usar, después de eso, se presentó como ‘Chisato Okai’. Después de haber arreglado su cabello rápidamente, ellas continuaron la rifa de godos autografiados. Chisato firmó la máscara dorada para rifar. Los godos incluían playeras, toallas, un set de aretes que fue parte de uno de sus vestuarios, la máscara de luchador, algunos folders e incluso un peluche de Suu-san, personaje que fue creado por Airi. Estos godos fueron entregados a los fans después del concierto. Después de que terminó la rifa, ellas se prepararon para iniciar la tercer parte con ‘Tokkaiko Junjou’. La audiencia se volvió loca y, sus gritos fueron tan fuertes que °C-ute no escuchó la entrada de la canción. Con muchísima habilidad y después del pequeño ‘tropiezo’, continuaron con ‘Tokkaiko Junjou’ con una energía impresionante que irradiaba por todo el lugar. Afortunadamente, para nosotros, también cantaron ‘The Middle Management – Josei Chuukan Kanrishoku~’ la cual fue una de las presentaciones más impresionantes en el concierto. Ellas cerraron la tercer parte con ‘Dance de Bakoon!’ la cual fue sin duda alguna la que tuvo las reacciones más ruidosas del público. ‘Dance de Bakoon’ cuenta con mucha energía, por lo cual haberla cantado fue una muy buena elección para cerrar de forma impresionante. Después de haber abandonado el escenario, la audiencia comenzó a gritar. Estaban gritando muchísimo para que ellas volvieran con un ‘Encore’ incluyeron incluso porras meramente Mexicanas. Ellos gritaban ‘¡Olé Olé Olé! Kyuuto Kyuuto!” Realmente no supimos cuánto duró esto, ya que era muy fácil perderse entre tantos gritos, porras, a los cuales terminabas uniéndote sin darte cuenta, aunque creemos duró entre 10 y 15 minutos. Ellas volvieron a salir entre fuertes gritos. Estaban vistiendo la playera del concierto junto con lindas faltas con vehículos que combinaban con su color representativo. El encoré comenzó con el cásico ‘Sakura Chirari’ Cada miembro leyó mensajes para el público. Maimi agradeció a todos por haber asistido, Saki dijo que estuvieron esperando para conocer a sus fans, Airi dijo estar muy feliz por tener la oportunidad de cantar finalmente en México, Chisato le pidió al publico el seguir apoyándolas para así poder regresar Mai, por último dijo estar muy feliz por haber conocido la cultura Mexicana. Ellas dijeron que cada uno de los asistentes eran parte del Team °C-ute y mostraron mucha gratitud y amor. Después de esto, ellas cantaron ‘Gamusha Lifre’ y cerraron el concierto con ‘JUMP’. Esas fueron elecciones fantásticas porque les permitieron ser un poco más informales con el cierre. El final conto con más interacciones para con el público, una forma muy efectiva para despedirse. Eso dejó a los fans imágenes muy positivas de ellas. Tan rápido como comenzó el concierto, así mismo termino. El lugar después fue dividido en dos grupos: VIP y General. Las personas con el boleto VIP tenían el beneficio del apretón de manos con las chicas, seguidos por el público de General, los cuales debían adquirir el CD. (Para así contar por el ticket del handshake.) Las chicas estaban realmente entusiasmadas conforme los asistentes iban acercándose a ellas en una fila. Ellas agradecían de corazón al público con unas sonriendo enormemente. Al final, pude decirle a Maimi que yo era de América y que ellas tenían muchísimos fans ahí. Muchos fans tenían mensajes similares para ellas, los cuales eran mencionados conforme avanzaban en la fila. Los portadores del pase Vip después del handshake recibían su fotografía firmada, el disco y los pases para el handshake (En caso de que quisieran guardarlo como parte de su colección.)
Cansados, calurosos y con casi nada de voz, salimos del lugar del concierto y comenzamos a pensar en lo que acababa de suceder. Nosotros ya habíamos escuchado cosas impresionantes acerca de lo genial que es °C-ute en sus presentaciones. Ellas no sólo demostraron ser buenas, si no que en realidad son mejor de lo que imaginamos. Entre la contagiosa energía y positivismo de los fans mexicanos, la impresionante presentación de °C-ute y la fantástica selección de canciones, nosotros batallaremos mucho en encontrar algo del concierto para quejarnos. Conforme caminábamos para buscar algo de comer, nosotros ya sabíamos que este concierto va a ser uno que nunca podremos olvidar. A-To-J Connections está muy orgulloso de ser parte de esta ocasión tan especial. Ahora tenemos la esperanza de que °C-ute pueda viajar al extranjero para que los fans sean capaces de tener una experiencia como la nuestra. °C-ute es: ◆ Yajima Maimi (矢島舞美, Líder) ◆ Nakajima Saki (中島早貴) ◆ Suzuki Airi (鈴木愛理) ◆ Okai Chisato (岡井千聖) ◆ Hagiwara Mai (萩原舞) Lista de canciones del concierto: 1. Kanashiki Heaven 2. Adam to Eve no Dilemma 3 MC (Introductions in Spanish) 4. Soku Dakishimete 5. I miss you 6. Forever Love 7. Massara Blue Jeans 8. Ookina Ai de Motenashite 9. Sekai ichi Happy na Onna no ko 10. Namida no Iro 11. Aitai Aitai Aitaina 12. Crazy Kanzen na Otona 13. MC (Lottery Corner) 14. Tokaikko Junjou 15. Love take it all 16. The Middle Management ~Josei Chuukan Kanrishoku~ 17. Midnight Temptation 18. Kiss Me Aishiteru 19. Dance de Bakoon! ENCORE 20. Sakura Chirari 21. MC (Messages) 22. Gamusha Life 23. JUMP -Teepu (Bowser05) -Traducción: Rubi (U-bi) Para más información acerca de °C-ute, Up-FRONT y Hello!Project, visita: Twitter: @UpFrontLink Facebook: facebook.com/upfrontlink Fotografías: ©UP-FRONT PROMOTION Co., Ltd. Utilizados con créditos. C-ute - The Middle Management ~Josei Chuukan Kanrishoku~ / Gamusha LIFE / Tsugi no Kado wo Magare4/13/2015 Two weeks ago, C-ute's 38th single (has it really been that long since their debut?) dropped. It's a triple A-side single titled, "The Middle Management ~Josei Chuukan Kanrishoku~ / Gamusha LIFE / Tsugi no Kado wo Magare". This is the first single from a major, established Hello! Project group to have songs not written by Tsunku to be the solely featured tracks. That doesn't detract from it though, if anything it adds new life to a group that was already achieving something like a resurgence in popularity recently. After its release, the single went on to sale an impressive 60,000+ copies and hit a respectable #3 position on the Oricon charts. This is an interesting time to be a Hello! Project fan and there is lots to say about these songs so let's just jump right in! Up first is "The Middle Management ~Josei Chuukan Kanrishoku~". This song is amazing. That could be the end of the review right there, it is THAT good. I honestly thought that no C-ute song this year would top "I miss you", but I am pleased to say that I was wrong. This song is now the front-runner for idol song of the year in my book though I wonder if C-ute's next single will take that honor away. It's catchy, mature, edgy and has the kind of driving, danceable beat you expect from C-ute. With this said I must stop for a second and point out that this song may have amazing writing and production, but it is probably the most over-credited song in Hello! Project's catalog. It has five songwriters. This is a far cry from the days of just Tsunku or when just one person wrote the lyrics or music on any given track. I guess the song can't really be faulted for that, but I can't help but wonder just who to thank for this amazing song or feel that perhaps this song is good by way of over-production. This isn't so much a fault either, but I almost feel this song would have suited Morning Musume a bit more. I have no real reason for saying this except that it's something that I feel. Anyway, back to topic at hand. I mentioned the production values of the song and they definitely make their presence felt in the PV itself. While it still has the "budget" feel that one comes to associate with Hello! Project, there are some interesting locations used here and the bar was a nice touch. Shall we talk about the dance? C-ute has always been something of the "dance group" within Hello! Project and this song only serves to strengthen that notion. Choreography is spot-on here and the girls never miss a beat. Okai Chisato as center was an interesting choice too. Well, C-ute has grown up and it's nice to see them finally receive a truly mature song and PV! Next, "Gamusha LIFE". This is one of those songs that I don't care too much for on the first liten, but will assuredly grow on me over the years. It's a nice fun song that has the kind of hooks that burn into you slowly. This song is written by SHOCK EYE, DJ from reggae band "Shonan no Kaze", and he delivers a powerful song that makes me hope that he contributes more to Hello! Project in the future. I mention the non-Tsunku songwriting a lot in these recent reviews, but that is to be expected as Hello! Project was practically defined by Tsunku for over a decade and it's interesting to note when a song comes along to fit the existing groups like a glove, but is written by a Hello! Project outsider. Back to my impressions on the song. Actually when I set out to write about this song I found it good, but a little forgettable on its initial listen. I mentioned a bit ago that I think it's a slow one to catch on, but as I sit here writing about it I am realizing what an amazing song it really is. The bridge in the middle is something that Tsunku never really tried before and brings back memories of some of Buono's later ballad material. There's something in the song that makes it feel like it'd be a good song for a graduation. The potential is there, but I am glad it is not being used for that purpose. It also strikes me as the kind of song that will be amazing to see performed live. The video is beautiful as well. It follows the simple Hello! Project format (which is basically a modified dance shot) but the location and setting are great and simplicity isn't always a bad thing. Dance is spot on here too, but it's the girls that really push the song forward and they look great doing it. Last up we have "Tsugi no Kado wo Magare". I will admit that I am going to be very biased on this song right off the bat. This one is written by my personal favorite musician of all time, Takui Nakajima. This song (and ANGERME's "Taiki Bansei") were originally written and recorded for his latest studio album and exist in more rock-oriented versions there. In the past he's also composed "My Days for You" for Mano Erina and "Lady Mermaid" for DiaLady and I hope this is only the start of a long song-writing partnership between him and Hello! Project. With that in mind, you can really hear his style in this song, more so than in ANGERME's "Taiki Bansei". Very little was done to his original arrangement here. The song is an excellent choice for C-ute though and I almost wish this was the lead song on the single. It ties in well with the other two A-sides and helps give the entire single the proper "mature" feel that C-ute has deserved recently with being the current senior Hello! Project group. The heavier string section and additional layers in the vocals make this version unique from Takui's and I have to say that I think I prefer C-ute's version despite my bias. Let me add, that it's refreshing to have an idol song that a male fan can sing along to! Line distribution in all these songs is great and is fair here too, all the girls get a good amount of screen time and no one girl takes the spotlight for too long. Even though "Middle Management" has the catchy pop hooks and "Gamusha LIFE" is the song I want to hear live, this is the song that I feel truly stands out on the new single. It's subtle in its power and the message of its lyrics is just a notch above what you see in the others. Lyrically and thematically it's a fitting song for the new face of Hello! Project and C-ute. There have been many changes lately, Tsunku's career-ending illness, Berryz Koubou and Sayumi Michishige's graduations, S/mileage's image change and the addition of two new groups. If there was ever a time for H!P to be turning a new corner, it is now. Let's move onto the PV now. It's simple too, but the location here has a certain beauty in its simplicity and the way it's lit. The subtle play on colors is actually what makes this video unique. The variance of colors, from their complete absence to over-saturation, is something that most people might not be completely aware of when watching first watching the video, but it adds to the overall power of the song and video. Also, Kenshuusei in a PV in 2015? Truly Hello! Project is entering a new era! I'm sure Takui Nakajima didn't have a dance in mind when he wrote the song, but the one that we see here is perfectly fitting and it can't be a C-ute song without a strong dance. This song is the perfect way to wrap up the single. There you have it, I remember just a few months ago raving about "I miss you" being the be-all-end-all C-ute song and here I am citing three that are equal, if not better, than that one! If you haven't checked out the single do so now, you won't regret it! Listen, watch and enjoy!
C-ute Are: ◆ 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) Hello! Project Station Episode #103 Contents MC: Nakanishi Kana, Aikawa Maho ◆ Hello! Project - I Know ◆ Hello! Project - Rival ◆ ANGERME - Otome no Gyakushuu Live ◆ 4 Kanji phrase 大器小用 ◆ Discussion: Yajima Maimi & Shimizu Saki ◆ Q&A Corner ◆ Inaba Manaka (Country Girls) Hair Arrange Episode 103 opens with two of the big Hello! Project performance from the recent concert tour. First up we get Aya Matsuura's "I Know" which was a song I never really cared for around the time of its release. It's a bit more interesting here performed by Hello! Project at large, but just as forgettable as before as far as I am concerned. Thankfully this wasn't the only song presented, we next get Berryz Koubou's "Rival". This was a song that I liked when it was released but never really listened to after that. It was the double A-side to "Seishun Bus Guide" and, for me at least, that song got the most attention. That being said, it was refreshing to hear it again and of course fitting to use a Berryz Koubou song as the group performance as this is their final Hello! Project tour. With that in mind, I must say that I think there are far better songs in Berryz' catalog to perform as an ensemble, but there are also far worse ones too.... Anyhow, watch and enjoy and wait the long wait until they release these Hello! Project concerts on DVD/Blu-ray The hosts for this episode of Hello! Project Station are both from ANGERME, we get second gen member, Nakanishi Kana and recent addition Aikawa Maho. They make for a very interesting pairing and there is lots of friendly banter between the two. We hear of Kana's Osakan accent slowly reappearing thanks to new Hello! Project members who also hail from Osaka and we also get a glimpse at Maho's deep love for classical balet and karaage! There is some talk of the pairings within ANGERME and perhaps we'll see more of the Aihara/Nakanishi duo in the future? Some interesting talk about the ANGERME single release show, especially regarding the performance of S/mileage songs with the new nine-member line-up. I can't wait to see these performances properly when they are eventually released. After this, we move into yet more ANGERME promotion. Not that I am really complaining as I feel that this is a group that should get far more recognition/support than S/mileage received. The next segment is a live clip of "Otome no Gyakushuu" from the recent Hello! Project concerts. I've said it countless times, but I love the song and I love this new line-up. This live only confirms the fact that the re-branding is just the sort of change that S/mileage needed to remain relevant. While we're on the topic, I was always more than a little confused as to why the powers that be waited so long to add a third generation to the group. Returning to the performance, the girls are all in top form when it comes to the dance and their vocal talent is present even in this slightly low-quality clip. There is a bit during the chorus where everyone just sounds a little too loud, but it can be forgiven by the rest of the performance. Check it out and the single itself if you haven't already! Be a tree! Next up is the 4-Kanji corner, a segment that I do not usually care for. This one is a little more entertaining as we get some good dialogue between Morning Musume 15 sub-leader, Iikubo Haruna and Country Girls' member Inaba Manaka. For one we learn that Manaka shares Haruna's love for anime and manga which leads to some nice asides. Just like most of these segments, Manaka knows little about the phrase itself. She's not alone though as I found this phrase especially confusing to me even with the explanation... It closes with Haruna asking Manaka to sing. She breaks into an impromptu "Taikibansei" and I can't help but wonder if Haruna was just trolling her not thinking she'd actually comply. Anyhow, I found this segment far more entertaining than I usually do, so I suggest you don't skip it this time around! Next we have a very interesting segment, a talk between Hello! Project/C-ute leader, Yajima Maimi and Berryz Koubou Captain, Shimizu Saki. This is a very informative retrospective discussion that goes all the way back to their days as members of Hello! Project Kids. They talk about the audition process, their first roles in acting and the early days of being back dancers for the established Hello! Project artists both in PVs and in lives. They both talk about their feelings that their dancing skills were not up to par which is interesting as many fans consider these two amongst the strongest dancers in Hello! Project. The talk then moves along to the formation of the groups "ZYX" and their first single "Iku ZYX Fly High!". What I found most interesting about this segment is the revelation that the girls wore butt pads to make themselves look more mature! I was not aware that UP FRONT and H!P would go to these lengths to push a group and it makes me wonder if there are any other similar stories in H!P's history.... This discussion is not complete though and is to be continued in the next episode. A somewhat quick Q&A corner follows some discussion about the recording of "Taikibansei". Aikawa Maho apparently is a Nakanishi Kana fan! Even though this segment moves really fast, it was also really entertaining. These two interact well and I guess that is for the best as they will be spending a lot of the Idol careers in each other's company. Kana basically steals the closing speech and goes in depth on the the meaning of ANGERME. Good way to wrap up this episode....but wait, there's more! This episode closes with a hair arrange by Inaba Manaka from Country Girls. I usually don't care too much for these segments since they seem like fluff, but I watched most of this one for a change. Basically curled twintails with some high braiding. If you want to mimic this look, the instructions are there! Some interesting anecdotes from her, but I still don't know too much about her so perhaps these segments will have more of an impact once the new members settle in. Hello! Pro Station Episode #102 Contents MC: Katsuta Rina & Natsuyaki Miyabi ◆ ANGERME - Otome no Gyakushuu (Dance Shot) PV ◆ Country Girls Major Debut Announcement ◆ Hamaura Ayano Interview Part 2 ◆ ANGERME - Taikibansei Dance Lesson ◆ Q&A Corner ◆ Nakajima Saki Hair Arrange The 102nd episode of Hello! Pro Station kicks off with the Dance Shot PV for ANGERME's song, "Otome no Gyakushuu". I love this song and I love this PV, but I've talked about this many times elsewhere, so I'll just skip the usual praise here. The dance is great and the choreography is rather unique for Hello! Project. Many fans notice that there is dance recycling in a lot of PVs (For all Hello! Project groups too, not just ANGERME/S/mileage) but there is little of that here. The dance matches the song and video well and the break in the bridge (Which is unfortunately where this video cuts) is a unique touch. Also, I wrote this after I saw the episode so I know now what the Thriller-esque hand poses I mention in other posts are supposed to represent... well.... more on that later. I like this Dance Shot PV more than Taikibansei's as it shows more of the dance proper without typical PV-style editing and cuts. Taikibansei's was edited much like the normal promotion version, but without the close-ups. This one is pure dance without too much fancy editing which is what a proper dance shot should be. Our hosts for this episode are Natsuyaki Miyabi of Berryz Koubou and ANGERME's Katsuta Rina. They are an interesting pairing and I can't help but comment on Miyabi's sweater which is pretty cool with its wax seal design. It apparently is a topic worth discussing as the two do mention it and clothes in general. Lots to talk about here, Miyabi is a fan of "Otome no Gyakushuu" (aren't we all?) and Rina mentions that the dance moves are meant to be tree stances, that's right, tree stances. I would never had thought trees, I thought monster/zombie/whatever and I'm fairly certain a lot of other people did too. I guess that can be forgiven, but they are meant to be trees apparently! Anyhow, this is Miyabi's last hosting on Hello! Pro Station, so get the most out of it! Only mere days left as of this posting till Berryz Koubou ceases operations... Next we have the Country Girls major debut announcement. Momoko reads a message from Satoda Mai and messes up a couple times along the way! This was probably the best part, especially the first time as she re-reads the whole message assuming probably that the mistake would be edited out; no such luck! Well, to the details of the announcement, Country Girls will have their major debut on March 25th and their previously announced indie debut has been cancelled in favor of the major one. Everyone seemed really shocked, not the least of which were the fans, and quite a bit of tears flowed. We get the second half of the interview with Hamaura Ayano. More of her time with the Kenkyuusei and her experiences recording and training with them. There is some interesting insights here and more than a few funny/interesting anecdotes, but I personally don't feel too much regarding her personality. Perhaps when the unnamed group debuts I'll revisit this to see an early side of her character, for now though, I'll just move along.... This is all followed by.....Taikibansei dance lessons led by Wada Ayaka! It's in interesting segment and feature's Morning Musume 15's Sayashi Riho, Ishida Ayumi and the 12th Generation members. This is worth noting as there has been so little Morning Musume present in recent Hello! Project stations. Other than that little novelty, I don't think this segment was really all that necessary. Then again, it seems to have replaced the kanji lesson this week so I can't really complain... Everyone catches onto the dance really quickly and the new members are very skilled if I do say so myself. Hope we see more from them in the coming weeks! The Q&A segment follows, but I found this one not as interesting as most. Maybe this is just me. Our hosts did a good job though and sadly this will be the last time we'll ever see Miyabi host Hello! Pro Station. More promotion for the new ANGERME single (out as of this posting) and we get a final goodbye to Miyabi and move onto the final segment.... A hair arrange from Nakajima Saki! Yeah, I actually don't care too much for these segments. The last time we say Saki though she teased her hair in a crazy fashion that made the 80s jealous! This time is just a little more boring, but perhaps you wanted to mimic one of her braids, I don't know. Anyhow, watch and enjoy! Hello! Pro Station Episode #99 Contents MC: Yajima Maimi, Fujii Rio and Hirose Ayaka ◆ New Hello! Project Unit Message ◆ New Hello! Project Unit - "Onna no Sono" ◆ Country Girls Message ◆ Country Girls - "Itoshikutte Gomenne" ◆ Juice=Juice Message ◆ Juice=Juice - "Watashi ga Iu Mae ni Dakishimenakya ne" ◆ ANGERME Message ◆ ANGERME - "Taiki Bansei" ◆ Juice=Juice - "J=J School For Girls" ◆ Morning Musume '15 New Year Resolutions ◆ Morning Musume '15 - "Tiki Bun" ◆ C-ute New Year's Resolutions ◆ C-ute - "I miss you" ◆ Berryz Koubou Message ◆ Berryz Koubou - "Love Together!" ◆ Maimi Yajima Announces New Unit This is a big episode as we get to see and hear the new Hello! Project units/members in action! The episode starts with member introductions of the as-yet-unnamed group performing the new song "Onna no Sono". This song is a nice upbeat track that is somewhat reminiscent of the early S/mileage songs. I can't wait to hear more from this group as they have a great sound and I'm sure they'll evolve into a cornerstone of Hello! Project. Especially with the upcoming departure of Berryz Koubou. Next up we get a message from Country Girls. This whole segment confused me as there is Momoko introducing them and acting like a member, but when they perform she's no where to be seen. I am seriously confused as to what her role really is in the group and whether she is actually needed if she isn't going o be performing with them. That being said the song "Itoshikutte Gomenne" is a good song and rather catchy, but I don't think it's going to fly off the shelves. It does have an classic feel to it reminiscent of Country Musume's "Shining Itoshiki Anata" and while it doesn't have the same exciting feel of the new unit's song, it does have me wondering what Country Girls' sound will eventually be. Moving on to Juice=Juice, we get a performance of "Watashi ga Iu Mae ni Dakishimenakya ne". This is somewhat standard so there isn't too much to say except that they're spot on in their performance as they should be since this is a staple song for them. Watch for Karin's solo in the final chorus and perhaps you'll laugh as much as I did with her over-the-top delivery. Next we get ANGERME (Still trying to get used to calling them that) with a message and performing their new song "Taiki Bansei". This is the best new song of the bunch. I was worried when I found out the song wasn't going to be a Tsunku composition, but that was unfounded as the song is amazing. It has a lively feel and dance and the new girls do an amazing job continuing the S/mileage legacy. I hope this is an indicator that good music will continue to come from them. Next up is Moring Musume '15. We get some New Year resolutions from the girls. Ikuta wants a show, Kudo wants to be cute and Nonaka wants a world tour. Their performance of "Tiki Bun" isn't too exciting except that it contains the 12th Gen members. It's a good performance, but I was hoping for a better track that showcased their post-Sayumi strengths. Not necessarily a new song, but a better choice of song to display the new line-up. Next we get C-ute's New Year resolutions. Maimi notes that it's the group's 10th Anniversary this year and hopes for a Yokohama Arena concert to mark this event. I second this, but I don't know how likely it is. Their performance of "I miss you" is as good as any other. Once again nothing ground-breaking here, but I really like this song so I'll allow a bit of rehashing in their case. That's not fair of course as I'll never tire of this song so it'll always seem fresh to me. Nice editing throughout some of the harmony segments adds a nice flair too. We get a message from Berryz Koubou and a performance of "Love Together!" to close out the series of performances. I love this song too and I am glad that they gave Berryz such a good song to graduate with. The lyrics are completely fitting and are the right hint of nostalgia that will stand the test of time rather than becoming stale. I hope we get to see lots of Berryz Koubou before their graduation. The show closes with Maimi announcing to the then-Kenshuusei that they are to be part of a new Hello! Project unit (the very same one we saw at the top of the episode. Tears flow and we get to see a small number of the Kenshuusei move forward in their Idol careers. That concludes the episode, but there was a lot to see here. From great performances to new songs, this was an episode that was filled to the brim. I should not here that this episode was hosted by Yajima Maimi (C-ute), Fujii Rio and Hirose Ayaka (Both New Hello! Project Unit) who do a good job with this extra long episode. Watch and enjoy! This week's Throwback Thursday post goes back to Christmas 2010. Not as far back as I usually go for these type of posts, but it's Christmas time and I want to change things up just a little. It's 2010 and Hello! Project idol group C-ute was on track following single "Dance de Bakoon" which featured a more dance-anthem style. This sound was hinted at in this song "Aitai Lonely Christmas" and would be best represented in their next single, "Kiss me Aishiteru". In short, these three songs would come to define what C-ute's sound would ultimately be over the next few years until now. "Aitai Lonely Christmas" was sandwiched in the middle, but that's okay, it was the weird song in the bunch after all. It was the Christmas song. I have a soft spot for Christmas songs and I like that most of the Japanese ones, idol or otherwise, don't always tread down the cliche, sappy routes, but usually have songs that have a Christmas "feel" or motif to them instead of being simple a song about Christmas. This song doesn't fail to deliver and five-member C-ute (this reduced line-up was still barely a year old at this point) were in great form on this single. Their dancing skills were starting to become a central focus and with good reason. Focusing on this point, it is interesting to note that not a single shot of the dance made it into the full PV that I am sharing here. There is a dance to this song, and there is in fact a dance shot PV, but those shots exist solely there and not in the video proper. This is one of the few times that Hello! Project and UP-FRONT has done this and it's all the more interesting that it was done to C-ute. Back to the video itself, what it lacks in dance shots, it make up for in oddly-creepy house shots! The house here looks like it came out of a Tim Burton movie, but look nice and not totally out-of-place nonetheless. The shots of the letter-writing do an okay job of breaking up the monotony of a dance-less video though the action in the video seems a little lacking. The outfits are a nice choice as the girls are clearly cold shown by their hats and ponchos, but apparently they are comfortable enough to be in shorts and skirts in the falling snow... Did I mention the odd out-of-place instrumental break that seems empty without a corresponding out-of-place dance break? Yeah, there's that. Watch it and see for yourself! Oh yeah-Merry Christmas!! Hello! Pro Station Episode #95 Contents MC: Tokunaga Chinami, Oda Sakura ◆ S/mileage Live From Michishige Sayumi Graduation Concert. ◆ Michishige Sayumi Graduation Message ◆ Michishige Sayumi - "Akai Freesia" ◆ Morning Musume '14 - "Aruiteru" ◆ 4 Kanji Phrase: 天真爛漫 (Innocence) ◆ Berryz Selection: Tsugunaga Momoko & Sudo Maasa with Suzuki Airi ◆ Juice=Juice Harajuku Event ◆ Q & A Corner with Chinami & Oda This week's slightly late episode of Hello! Pro Station is hosted by Tokunaga Chinami (Berryz Kobo) and Oda Sakura (Moring Musume '14) Before I delve into the video proper let me say I love the girls' sweaters here. They are very random. Disco and comfortable sheep? Makes you wonder who makes these girls' wardrobe choices. Moving on... This episode is chock full of content and a lot of it centers around Sayumi Michishige's graduation concert. This is all well, good and proper since it is the most important Hello! Project event in recent memory and the first of many changes that are just around the corner. Speaking of the upcoming changes, this episode starts out with S/mileage, a group that will very soon cease to exist in its current form. In this clip we see the introduction of nine-member S/mileage perfoming "Eighteen Emotion". They opened the Morning Musume '14 concert at Yokohama Arena and I'm not sure if this was broadcast too as by the time I joined they were well past this point. Either way I guess I am seeing this for the first time and I'm not sure what to say about it. The new members seem to fit in well, but we don't get much out of them performance-wise as the song stays firmly with the original members. I'll reserve judgement on the direction of the group-formerly-known-as-S/mileage as their future unfolds. I will say that I hope they choose the name I suggested for them! I won't say what it is until the final decision is made, but I think I chose a good one. Did anyone else submit a possible name when the form was up? Oh, did I mention anything about Tamura Meimei's hair? Well, you'll be hard pressed to not realize that it's now quite short, though it is a good look on her if I do say so myself. Moving into the main segment of the episode, we get lots of footage from the actual graduation portion of the concert. We get Sayumi's graduation speech, her performance of "Akai Freesia" and the closing performance of "Aruiteru". I covered most of this is my previous post about the graduation concert's livestream so I won't go too much into it here. "Akai Freesia" may have shocked me initially (keeping in mind that I forgot that it was her audition song) but it has since grown on me again and I find myself listening to Melon Kinenbi for the first time in countless years. As for "Aruiteru" I must once again state that I am glad that we got the original version here and not the one that Sayumi recorded for the "BEST" album. Her graduation comments? They are as funny and touching as ever. If anyone is interested there are subs of all the graduation messages that can be found online without too much effort. Closing out that momentous occasion we move onto more mundane elements of the episode. Another 4-Kanji phrase that I can't begin to understand. This week's one is "天真爛漫" and is brought to us by Kanazawa Tomoko of Juice=Juice. Moving on we are treated to more Berryz Selections. This one features the Berryz Kobo x C-ute live so it features members of both groups, namely Momoko and Maasa (Berryz Kobo) and Suzuki Airi of C-ute. This one is a little more interesting than some of the previous ones as the members have good interactions, but I never really cared for this segment even prior to the announcement of Berryz's uncoming disbandment. Onwards, we go and we get footage of Juice=Juice's Harajuku event complete with backstage shots and interviews. We close with our hosts' Q & A segment and that wraps up another episode of Hello! Pro Station! Be sure to watch as this episode has lots to see, especially if you missed the graduation concert. As usual, if you wait a few days Up Front will put up Japanese captions which Youtube will translate for those that need rudimentary subs. Watch and enjoy! Today I will feature one of °C-ute's newest songs, "I miss you". This song comes from their new single "I miss you/THE FUTURE" which was released on the 19th of this month and has sold quite well. This has to be one of my favorite °C-ute songs and one of the best idol songs I've heard in recent memory. The song has the smoothest production you'll hear in Hello! Project. The melodies and harmonies are carefully laid with intricate overlapping of the lines. The video itself takes this concept further and is edited in a fashion to match the style of the song, split-screens and all. The amount of work it must have taken to get this video shot boggles the mind. The concept isn't too high-budget, but it's clear that lots of thought and planning went into this one. Also, the girls all look gorgeous here and sound amazing. My only slight complaint is that the song is just a little too short. They can't really be faulted for that though. While I feel that this video is perfect, I wonder what differences we'll find in the actual completed video. Those in the know know that the "Promotion Ver." of the PVs usually differ slightly in what we see in the official video releases. I can only assume this is for the sake of retaining their original work. Anyhow, I don't think they can perfect upon this so I hope the changes are minimal. If you haven't heard this song please check it out! If you like it be sure to pick up the single from itunes or any number of great import sites! Feel free to contact for more info regarding this if you want. °C-ute Are: ●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 |
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February 2024
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