ANGERME recently released a triple A-side single consisting of Nana Korobi Ya Oki, Gashin Shoutan and Mahou Tsukai Sally. There are three words I can use to describe this release in a nutshell: exciting, fun and silly. Nana Korobi Ya Oki is exciting, Gashin Shoutan is fun and Mahou Tsukai Sally is silly. ANGERME had a reboot of a sort with the release of their previous single, re-branding themselves from S/mileage to ANGERME. This reboot was more than a name change and member addition, but also a clear shift in style, focus and presentation, as can be seen with their first single release as ANGERME and now this. First up is Nana Korobi Ya Oki. From the moment the singing begins in this song you hear a very strong presence and form. Especially of note is how powerful Meimi sounds for her lines. This song is an example of how I tend to describe a lot of Hello! Project music. The beat is more for establishing the rhythm while the lyrics are the real sound of the music. You hear many songs in Pop where the instruments (whether it be synthetic or organic) tend to carry the song rather than the singing, but this song is carried by the lyrics. As a result, it really helps show off all of the girls’ strengths (and likewise, their weaknesses). They really have a unique synergy that helps them all feel like a very cohesive unit (something that isn’t always the case in other H!P groups, past and present). The reason I call this song exciting isn’t just because of the strong vocal presence, though. It’s also because of the fact that the song often times makes me feel anxious, in a good way. There are parts of it where as I’m hearing the song I start to get anxious and excited for how the next line will carry or how the beat may shift in order to force the singing to shift as well. It’s quite a fun adventure of aural pleasures and while it’s not my favorite song on the release, I certainly feel like it’s the best in regards to technicality. Next up is Gashin Shoutan. While Nana Korobi Ya Oki has more of an emphasis on the vocals, I feel like this song has a bit more of a balance between the music and the vocals. There is more vocal talent that is shown off in this song, but they use the music to really help complement each other. It works out quite nicely. I call this one fun because it harkens back to the older style of very fun, jumpy and carefree songs that you can hear from older H!P music. To top it off it feels like it incorporates a Juice=Juice style of ‘cool’ music into what is starting to become a new ANGERME style. It’s a quite interesting mesh of various styles and features that ends up turning into the kind of song that immediately grabs your attention and makes you want to get up and dance. Last, and most definitely not least, is Mahou Tsukai Sally. This one is actually my favorite of the trio, because I just find it so darn charming. It’s definitely not the most complex or the best example of advanced skills in the trio. It makes up for this by being extremely silly. The chorus consists of an ‘incantation’ and the lyrics are extremely repetitive and really only talk about Sally and her being a witch. Not the most deep or most inspiring, as you can tell. That being said, the song is exceedingly catchy and addictive. As a result of the simplicity, it is also very easy to follow along to. I won’t commend them on amazing talent or amazing musical composition (though the music is very silly and fun as well), but I will commend them on being able to do a song that is easy to pick up and very addictive. It’s the kind of song you’ll likely hear me singing extremely loud as I drive down the freeway not caring about all the weird looks I’m getting. While not directly related to song in regard to the music, I want to point out that the cute witch costumes they have for this particular song are the most adorable things ever! If ANGERME continues with this kind of exceptional quality, then they are bound for a very big future. I’ve been thoroughly impressed by them since they rebooted, in music, performance and personality. Let’s hope that with the 4th generation auditions they bring in more talent to better expand on their positive qualities and to hopefully fill in for the gaping hole that will be in place when Kanon Fukuda graduates later this year. Nana Korobi Ya Oki / Gashin Shoutan / Mahou Tsukai Sally released on July 22, 2015. You can get the single from cdjapan.co.jp or whatever Japanese music retail you prefer to purchase from. This one isn’t on iTunes, unfortunately. ANGERME is: - Ayaka Wada (1st Generation) - Kanon Fukuda (1st Generation) - Kana Nakanishi (2nd Generation) - Akari Takeuchi (2nd Generation) - Rina Katsuta (2nd Generation) - Meimi Tamura (2nd Generation) - Mizuki Murota (3rd Generation) - Aikawa Maho (3rd Generation) - Rikako Sasaki (3rd Generation) You can view the music videos for all of the songs below: One of the inevitable pains of being an idol fan is accepting the idea of graduations. This is when a member of a group retires from the group and pursues other goals, such as a solo career or a break from the public scene. Hello! Project has recently seen one of its most beloved groups go on an indefinite hiatus (graduate, for all intents and purposes). With this week’s episode of Hello! Project Station another graduation announcement was made: Fukuda Kanon of ANGERME (formerly known as S/mileage). Kanon began by announcing that after almost 11 years in Hello! Project (almost 6 years in S/mileage and ANGERME) she would be graduating from ANGERME and Hello! Project this coming fall. The addition of the 3rd Generation members last year (Murota Mizuki, Aikawa Maho and Sasaki Rikako) kicked off a major change and shift for the group, along with a name change. Kanon stated that it was at this time that she started to think about her own graduation. She was careful to mention that this was her own decision, and that she wants to walk a new path in life. She’ll be taking a break from university until her graduation so that she can put her whole heart and time into ANGERME until her graduation. She didn’t specify what she wants to do after she graduates, but she did mention that she wants to study hard and graduate from university. The precise date of her graduation is still to be determined. To all the fans out there who love Fukuda Kanon, don’t forget to support her through to the end. Graduations are in the very nature of the industry. This does not make it any easier for the fans, but it certainly is to be expected. She came to this conclusion on her own, and her decision should be respected. It’s been a tough year so far for Hello! Project fans, but we have received some good out of it too. Remember to always love and support the idols you enjoy, and never forget the good times either! Fukuda Kanon, born March 12, 1995, is one of two remaining 1st Generation members of Japanese pop idol group ANGERME. She began her career in Hello! Project as a Hello Pro Egg in 2004. After much practice and dedication she finally debuted into a major group in 2010: S/mileage (they officially started in 2009 as an indie group). Since then she has participated in various productions, many singles, survived S/mileage’s evolution into ANGERME and even voiced a character for an anime (Hime Chen! Otogi Chikku Idol Lilpri). Below is a link to a translation of the announcement done by Up-Front Link and below that is a link to the segment from the Hello! Project Station. https://www.facebook.com/notes/up-front-link/en-comment-of-kanon-fukuda-concerning-her-graduation/883216095070642 NOTE: The announcement starts at 7:55 and ends at 13:10.
-Bowser05 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! ANGERME's second A-side "Otome no Gyakushuu" Promotion Edit PV is out now! ANGERME won me over completely on "Taikibansei" and this song just blew me away even though I thought nothing was going to top their debut effort. It is definitely the best Hello! Project song I've heard over the past year and is front runner for idol song of the year so far. Any other song that comes out down the road will be hard pressed to top this one as far as I'm concerned! Those who have read my previous blog posts, both here and on other sites, know that I am not a big fan of S/mileage. I never was and I always thought that at best I'd be a casual fan of a particular song/single/etc. I didn't think anything of the ANGERME name change either. In fact I thought it was a mark that the end was near for them. They were going through a complete identity change and Tsunku was no longer going to write for them. I predicted they'd last a year or two at most. Well, I was right in that they were getting an identity change, but completely wrong in thinking that this was the beginning of the end! If anything this is clearly a new start for them and Hello! Project is making sure that they make the best of it! This image change was definitely needed and I'm sure I'm not the only fan who is completely accepting of it! This song has a somewhat dark, playful feel in its melody and is something that you would never really hear in a S/mileage song. That being said, it stays completely catchy throughout and I defy anyone to not be humming along by the end. The beat drives the track forward and it becomes readily apparent that ANGERME is shaping up to be one of the better dance-friendly H!P units. Speaking of the dance, I rarely point them out, but this one is great. There is the usual borrowing from past dances from other groups (I can only imagine this because they share the same choreographer) but all the girls show off their dancing skill in good form, even the new arrivals. About those new arrivals, I have to say that I think I prefer them over the second generation of S/mileage. They just seemed to smoothly integrate better than the Second Generation did. It also helps that the song is more evenly split up in terms of solos and screen time than one usually sees in a Hello! Project video. Also, I'm not big on picking favorites in idol groups (I know that this is a huge part of the fandom, but rarely am I able to pick a favorite) but I think that Rikako is slowly becoming a favorite of mine both in the group and amongst the new additions. I also can't forget to mention Meimi in this context either since she stated in the recent Hello! Pro Station that she's a fellow Takarazuka fan! Onto the video itself. It's clear that this video has the bigger share of production values over "Taikibansei". The location is beautiful and the video does a great job playing on the contrast of light and dark throughout. I am unsure if this location is a set or an actual existing building, but it's a nice setting for this video nonetheless. To complement the great location, the videography is perfect, complete with timely cuts, sweeping angles and clever shots/focus pulls/etc. What this means in non-technical terms is that the video is gorgeous! The playful dance break also is something that was all-but nonexistent in H!P before and is yet another breath of fresh air in the somewhat aging collective. Returning to the darkness that seeps through the song, at points it's strong in the PV as well both literally and figuratively. That said, dark or not, it never hurts the songs appeal nor detracts from the overall enjoyment. Did I mention how great everything looks at the end when the set lights up? Well, it does! The single "Taikibansei/Otome no Gyakushuu" drops on February 4th and I suggest everyone go out and buy it like I will! It'll be available through the usual online outlets and import shops. Be sure to watch the video and check out ANGERME if you haven't already as they are shaping up to be the future face of Hello! Project! ANGERME Are: ◆ Wada Ayaka ◆ Fukuda Kanon ◆ Nakanishi Kana ◆ Takeuchi Akari ◆ Katsuta Rina ◆ Tamura Meimi ◆ Murota Mizuki ◆ Aikawa Maho ◆ Sasaki Rikako Hello! Pro Station Episode #100 Contents MC: Tamura Meimi & Miyamoto Karin ◆ ANGERME - Taikibansei PV ◆ ANGERME Name Choosing ◆ 4-Kanji Phrase : 水魚の交 ◆ New Hello! Project Unit Announcement Part 2 ◆ Q&A Corner ◆ Murota Mizuki Hair Arrangement The 100th episode of Hello! Pro Station went up last week and it was full of all the new Hello! Project groups that we're going to see lots of this year! The episode starts with a clip of the ANGERME's new PV "Taikibansei". The song and video are amazing. I had heard this song previously in previews/rips/etc, but hearing it in its proper form allows one to hear just what a great song this is! It's catchy with a nice beat and melody and the girls, new and old, shine here! This single is coming out soon and the full version of the PV (and it's other A-side) are actually already out at the time of this writing. Check them out whether you were a fan of S/mileage or not! We move to our hosts who for this episode are Tamura Meimi of ANGERME and Miyamoto Karin of Juice=Juice. Meimi just might become a favorite of mine since she mentions that she loves Takarazuka! This was something I never knew about her. Has she stated this before? If anyone can pinpoint clips that refer to her love of Takarazuka I'd love to see them. Drop me a comment or message if you can. Anyhow, we have some fun banter with our hosts and then move into a clip that shows how the name "ANGERME" was decided upon. There were some good name choices there. I can't remember what mine was, but I submitted one too and I was hoping that they'd mention it here. They didn't. Did anyone's submission get mentioned? Anyhow, they clearly decide on ANGERME and I still think it's a little unfair since it came from a member's idea and makes the whole contest thing moot. Moving on, after this clip we move into what I'm sure is everyone's favorite segment (sarcasm present) the 4-Kanji Phrase! Ikubo Haruna (Morning Musume '15 sub-leader) introduces this one to Inaba Manaka from Country Girls. This week's phrase is "水魚の交" which refers to close friendship. I am not sure as to the point of this segment or if anyone truly enjoys these, but they are here and I watch them! I guess it helps with some of the quirks of the Japanese language if one is a student. It's a bit too esoteric though for the casual student/learner though I think. Inaba Manaka surely didn't know this week's phrase... After this we move into the second half of the new Hello! Project Unit's announcement. Expect more tears from the former Kenshuusei as they are told about their new status in Hello! Project. After this little bit we get Maimi's assessment of the girls. She wishes them the best in the future career as do we all! This week's Q&A corner is dominated by Meimi's thumb! I can't get over what her thumb can do and I don't think Karin could either! Check it out. Our hosts do a good job keeping everyone interested which I was actually surprised by since neither of them are anywhere on my favorite member lists. I still can't get over Meimi's new hair by the way though I'm sure in a couple weeks I won't notice anymore. The episode closes with a hair arrange by Murota Mizuki of ANGERME. Another segment that I don't really care for though I can see its appeal to others. That said, I don't think I've seen her hair arranged like this in any clips/segments. All in all this was a really good episode of the usual format and if you haven't watched it yet, watch it now! Be sure to check out all of ANGERME's new PVs too! The first PV from ANGERME dropped a couple days ago and it is one of the best Hello! Project songs in recent memory! This is the first single to be released under the new name (For those that don't know, they were formerly known as "S/mileage") and the first to feature the new members Murota Mizuki, Aikawa Maho, and Sasaki Rikako. I honestly didn't know what to expect from their new sound, but I wasn't expecting too much. Basically I was figuring this name change was going to be the beginning of the end for S/mileage as they're sales were steadily dropping the past few years. I am glad to say that I was wrong to think that the changes in Hello! Project (name changes, group disbandment, new group formations, Tsunku's sickness) were going to make every aspect, from music to promotion, take a turn for the worse. The song "Taikibansei", which is the first A-side from the single "Taikibansei/Otome no Gyakushuu" is a departure from the material that S/mileage has released before. That isn't necessarily a bad thing as there are some songs in their earlier catalog that I simply can not stand. For years there seemed to be an identity crisis at the Up-Front offices when it came to how to promote S/mileage. They were either super cutesy and upbeat ("Dot Bikini" and "Yattaruchan") or they were mature, both in sound and content ("Mystery Night!" and "Aa Susukino"). This song is the perfect mix of the two ideas. It is upbeat and catchy but does not have that unspecified quality that might turn off certain listeners with too much over-the-top antics and cutesy-ness. The video isn't going to win any awards, but it's well-edited and put together and the girls all look great here. That being said am I the only one who still can't get used to Meimi's new haircut? It seems to have gotten shorter. The song is where everything really shines though. The arrangement is amazing with one of the best mixes I've ever heard from Hello! Project. The song drives forward with a powerful beat and catchy chorus. I guarantee you that it will be stuck in your head long after you're done listening to it! The lyrical content is typical idol fare I will admit, but nothing too distracting. I'm looking your way, "Mystery Night!".... Everyone gets a chance to show off their vocal talent here too and this is refreshing as some of the bigger groups heavily favor only certain members. Have I mentioned that I have always thought that S/mileage/ANGERME has the best vocal talent in Hello! Project? I'll admit that I am not a fan of Wada Ayaka, but Takeuchi Akari, Fukuda Kanon and Tamura Meimei have amazing voices and the new girls seem to be living up well to the legacy. I am glad to see that their talents are not being squandered in this new single. All this said, I can't wait for the single to come out on February 4, and I encourage all you to check out the video and to mark your calendars for the eventual release date! ANGERME Are: ◆ Wada Ayaka ◆ Fukuda Kanon ◆ Nakanishi Kana ◆ Takeuchi Akari ◆ Katsuta Rina ◆ Tamura Meimi ◆ Murota Mizuki ◆ Aikawa Maho ◆ Sasaki Rikako |
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