Having had the pleasure of travelling to see various idols perform, I had never gone to the popular ‘Naruchika’ events that Hello! Project started back in 2013. I finally had the opportunity to go during my most recent trip to Japan (specifically to a Morning Musume。‘16 Naruchika concert in Shunan), and I can speak from personal experience on why they are as amazing as fans make them out to be. First thing’s first though: what does ‘Naruchika’ even mean? Naruchika is a shortening of the phrase ‘Narudake Chikakude’, which essentially means ‘being as close as possible’, which is what the concert revolves around. While it is completely normal and expected to be able to go to small venues in small towns and see indie idols perform, it’s not exactly the case when it comes to major idols such as AKB48 or Morning Musume。‘16. More than anything it ends up being a logistical issue. There’s much more money to be had in big venues, which is important considering the heightened costs that come with more popular idol groups. It’s an unfortunate but understandable situation. The general idea behind Naruchika is to kind of re-capture that feeling that we get when we go to small indie lives. The closeness you feel by being in a live house or small venue, where it’s easier to interact, be noticed and overall experience everything that is happening. Not only that, but this movement was designed to cater to some of the smaller towns where fans may not necessarily be close enough to larger areas like Tokyo or Kyoto where they may not be able to afford the trip to the bigger cities or may merely not have the time to make that kind of a trek. As a result, these places which have fans who would like to support their groups in the same way as fans in the big cities end up being left out. Thus they get to deliver to the small-town where people don’t have as easy access to the idols they love. This all turns into a multi-faceted situation where more people get to experience the idols they love and everybody is happy. The concept kicked off with a °C-ute and S/mileage crossover concert tour in 2013 that hit smaller locations within areas like Hokkaido, Gifu and Kochi. Unsurprisingly, these were very successful and as a result have continued every year with various groups, the most recent of which being Morning Musume。‘16. So now that I got to experience one, was it all it was cracked up to be? You bet! Having only been to Tokyo in my trips to Japan, I decided to give this a go. I made the long trek south to Yamaguchi Prefecture via the Shinkansen. It was about 6 hours when I finally arrived in the town of Shunan, which is almost at the southern tip of the main island of Japan. With my minimal communication skills, I was able to manage my way around. I got up early the next day and went to the venue to discover a lot of local fans who I tried to chat with, along with fans from all over the country who made the long trip for the idols they love. Interestingly enough, I was the only foreigner that I was able to spot. The concert itself was really cramped, but really charged. The most exciting part of the whole experience was that everyone could clearly see the group and everyone could get noticed by the group. When it comes to idols, oftentimes those are the most important things. It was a very personal experience and I enjoyed it thoroughly (even if I didn’t win any of the raffle). Incidentally, if you’ve gone to any of the overseas Hello! Project performances then you have an idea of how a Naruchika is, since these concerts tend to be modeled in that way.
So if you’re a fan of Hello! Project groups, I can’t recommend enough that you do your best to make it out to a Naruchika concert at some point. With the rare exception like Berryz Kobo going to Bangkok in 2015, Naruchika concerts are held exclusively in Japan. It’s a very endearing experience from a fan’s perspective and also opens opportunities to see areas of Japan you may not go to normally! - Teepu First of all, let me just say that this is my first review at A-To-J Connections despite being on the team for a year. I’m not the best at describing sounds and song genres but I felt like writing a review so here it is. This new song by ANGERME, “Ai no Tame Kyou Made Shinkashitekita Ningen Ai no Tame Subete Taikashitekita Ningen” which in English means “Humans that have evolved for love Humans that have degenerated everything for love”. Ok, what is up with that title? It is horribly long and hard to say. I wonder how fans are going to shorten it? (Something to look forward to) This is the first song to feature Momona Kasahara, who just recently joined right after Meimi Tamura had left. Even though she doesn’t have the most lines, she got some key lines to showcase herself. Just like recent other Hello!Project single releases, this is one of the 3 songs in their triple A-side single which also includes the songs “Umaku Ienai” (Can’t Say It Well) and “Wasureteageru” (I’ll Forget For You). The song itself has EDM qualities to it and the lyrics are very futuristic. It is about humans in a futuristic world that have convenient gadgets and technology but they still have trouble finding love. The dance also reflects the lyrics and has a robotic feel to the movements. All the moves look sharp and cool just like the past couple of ANGERME dances. It really shows how much they have stepped up their game! Now the MV… Per usual for H!P songs, the MV is a simple studio shoot with a couple of backgrounds, lip-synching scenes, and a dance shot. Hearts show up in the MV signifying the love they are yearning for. Even though it is simple, I personally think it shows off the girls more with the cool tone colors and the almost post-apocalyptic setting. The costumes are also simple and the asymmetric dresses are a nice touch. I feel like I’m watching a Morning Musume MV from when they were more EDM heavy in their songs since it has a similar feel to the music and dance. I can’t keep my eyes off of Ayacho because she is a total beauty and has matured quite a bit now! I have nothing really to complain about in this song and MV to be quite honest. Lines are nicely distributed, there are cute scenes in there, and the dance looks stunning as usual. I actually didn’t the MV too much when they showed the short preview on Hello! Station but after seeing the full version, I’m a complete fan. I look forward to the lives for this song and the MVs for the other songs! Also hoping to see a dance shot for this song… (I’m sure I’m not the only H!P fan out there that misses Dance Shots for every song!!) The single comes out October 19th, 2016 so make sure to pick it up and support ANGERME for more awesome content! -Tiffany Fujii ANGERME - "Ai no Tame Kyou Made Shinkashitekita Ningen Ai no Tame Subete Taikashitekita Ningen" MV As we all know, Tamura Meimi of Hello! Project’s ANGERME will be graduating from the group, as well as Hello! Project as a whole in spring of 2016. She is doing this in order to start anew and refocus her training on becoming a musical actress. While Tamura is arguably the best vocalist in ANGERME, it can also be said that she is among the top vocalists in all of H!P as well. On top of her being a very talented singer, she is also one of the most capable actresses in the company as well. Put these two factors together and you get the phenomenon that is Tamura Meimi. Taking a brief look at Tamura’s family background, and her own personal experiences, one would not be surprised that she has both an interest in, as well as a skill in singing and performing in musicals. Her mother was a troupe organizer who also acted in Gunma Prefecture in Japan. Her elder sister is also an actress who had graduated from a music academy in early 2015 and joined Toho Ent. Tamura’s first public performance Tamura’s first noted public performance, was when she was just a mere 5 years old and a member of the Dodonpa Kids on March 27th 2004. This performance was during the concert tour of Japanese Enka singer Hikawa Kiyoshi, on the stage of the Okinawa Convention Center. Just 5 years later in 2009, Tamura was cast as Yuiki Yaya in the Shugo Chara musical. This would later prove to be what sparked Tamura’s interest in S/mileage (now ANGERME) and would lead to her audition in the future. Tamura would later become a member of S/mileage in 2011. Since her becoming a member, she has been part of a handful of stage plays and musicals through Hello! Project. One of the most notable musicals being LILIUM, as well as a solo musical put on by S/mileage called SMILE FANTASY. Tamura was given the opportunity to perform a solo number in each of these two musicals and was able to tackle the challenge tremendously! Although it is sad to see her go, there is no doubt in my mind that Tamura will be incredibly successful in her path to becoming a musical vocalist and actress. What kind of musicals would you like to see her perform in? Action? Romance? Comedy? She has the ability for them all so take your pick! Official Announcement: http://www.helloproject.com/news/4010/ Translation of Announcement via Up-Front Link: https://www.facebook.com/notes/up-front-link/en-announcement-concerning-meimi-tamura/991425097583074 Tamura Karen Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/tamurakaren Notable Performances By Tamura Meimi |
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