Tuvimos la suerte de poder entrevistar a Morning Musume。 ’16 mientras ellas visitaron Houston por el décimo aniversario de Anime Matsuri. Esa fue la tercera ocasión en que el grupo se presenta en Estados Unidos (Después de estar en Anime Expo en el 2009 y su concierto en New York en el 2015.) pero fue la primera vez para los miembros de la doceava generación. Ellas se presentaron en el evento con una gran audiencia y también tuvieron un espacio de Preguntas y Respuestas al igual que varias sesiones de autógrafos a lo largo del fin de semana. Este evento también fue la última presentación en el extranjero de Kanon Suzuki (Miembro de la novena generación.) ya que ella estará graduándose de Morning Musume '16 al final del Tour de Primavera. Morning Musume '16, comenzó como Morning Musume en el año 1997, rápidamente se volvió famoso como grupo gracias a sus pegajosas canciones como Love Machine' y 'Renai Revolution 21' y su continuo cambio de alineación dividido por 'generaciones'- Después de una década en la escena del Pop Japonés, ellas descubrieron una nueva fuente de popularidad con la adición de los miembros de la novena generación (Quienes son actualmente las 'líderes del grupo' y con el sencillo 'One Two Three' (2012). Siguiendo con una racha de singles que se colocaron en el top del Oricon, se decidió que Morning Musume, cambiaría su nombre a Morning Musume '14 en el año 2014 y continuaría cambiando su nombre cada año. Para cuando Morning Musume。 ’16 llegó a Anime Matsuri, el grupo se encontraba promocionando su sencillo número 60 'Tsumetai Kaze to Kataomoi / Endless Sky / One and Only.' Ellas ya habían anunciado su sencillo número 61, el cuál saldrá a la venta el 11 de Mayo. A-To-J: テキサスを楽しんでますか? A-To-J: ¿Se están divirtiendo en Texas? Morning Musume。 ’16: はい!イエーイ!「Fun!」 Morning Musume。 ’16: ¡Sí! Yaaaay! “Fun!” A-To-J: 前回のニューヨークに比べて、テキサスはどう違いますか? A-To-J: En comparación con su última visita a Nueva York. ¿Qué tan distinto es Texas? 飯窪春菜: ニューヨークのときは冬だったんですごく寒かったんですけど、今すごい過ごしやすい気候で身軽な服装でいろんなところへ行ったり…ここらへんは静か?閑静な場所なので散歩とかがしやすいですね、公園だとかスーパーだとかが楽しいです。 Haruna Iikubo: Cuando nosotras fuimos a Nueva York era invierno, así que hacía frío. Pero esta vez el clima está muy agradable y podemos caminar a varios lugares con ropa ligera. También es muy tranquilo, así que es fácil ir caminando a lugares como el parque o el súper mercado. A-To-J: このライブのためにどんな準備をされましたか? A-To-J: ¿Qué han preparado para esta presentación? 生田衣梨奈: みんなでリハーサルして、ライブに備えて振りをそろえたりとか、今までこの12人で本格的なライブっていうのは初めてだったので、鞘師里保ちゃんのいた所を誰がカバーするというのをみんなで頑張って協力してリハーサルしました。 Erina Ikuta: Practicamos mucho para sincronizar nuestros movimientos en la presentación. Es la primera vez que tenemos una presentación como 12, así que trabajamos juntas mientras veíamos quién cubriría a Riho Sayashi en las canciones. 小田さくら: すこしだけ英語も喋れるようにしてきました。 Sakura Oda: También nos aseguramos de que pudiéramos hablar un poco en Inglés. A-To-J: こっちに来てから楽しいことする時間はありましたか? A-To-J: ¿Han tenido tiempo de hacer algo divertido desde que llegaron aquí? 佐藤優樹: 遊園地に行かせていただきました。あのですね!こういう…なんていうんですか?「Up and down」(上下)!くるーん… Masaki Sato: Fuimos a un parque de diversiones. ¡Y mira! Cómo lo llaman... 'Arriba y Abajo' ... Giratorio.... 鈴木香音: 日本にはない… Kanon Suzuki: Eso no existe en Japón... 小田さくら: アトラクションみたいな? Sakura Oda: ¿Fue un tipo de atracción/juego? 佐藤優樹: そうそう!めちゃめちゃ「けいふぉん」? Masaki Sato: ¡Sí! Ah... “Keifon?” 譜久村聖:「けいふぉん」? Mizuki Fukumura: “Keifon?” 石田亜佑美: 怖かったって言いたいのね Ayumi Ishida: Ella quiere decir que estaba asustada. 佐藤優樹: そう、とても怖くって…あと、優樹と石田亜佑美ちゃんは「びゅーん、ばよーん!」 Masaki Sato: Sí, fue muy espantoso. Además... Masaki y Ayumi estaban así como ¡Byuuuun, Bayoon!(Sonidos de brincos.) 石田亜佑美: 逆バンジー! Ayumi Ishida: ¡Bungee inverso! 佐藤優樹: というやつをやったんですよ。優樹たちがやる前に飛行機が飛んでたんですよ、それと超すれすれで… Masaki Sato: Lo hicimos. Antes de eso estaba un avión volando y lo sentimos muy cerca... 石田亜佑美: それぐらい高くまで! Ayumi Ishida: ¡Así fue! 佐藤優樹:そう、高くって!とっても楽しかったんですけど…今年入って初めての遊園地だったのでとっても楽しかったです! Masaki Sato: ¡Sí, muy alto! Aunque fue muy divertido. Ese fue al primer parque de diversiones al que he ido este año, ¡Entonces fue muy divertido! 石田亜佑美: 日本よりもアトラクションが全体的にハードルが高くって… Ayumi Ishida: La altura fue mayor a las atracciones que hay en Japón… モーニング娘。’16: すごく高かった! Morning Musume。 ’16: ¡Muy alta! 石田亜佑美: 全部怖かったんですよ! Ayumi Ishida: ¡Todos los juegos eran espantosos! 佐藤優樹: 本当にやばかったんですよ! Masaki Sato: ¡Fue realmente espantoso! 鈴木香音: 怯えすぎて力入れすぎて今もすごく筋肉痛… Kanon Suzuki: ME asusté muchísimo y sostuve tan fuerte que aún me duelen los músculos… 佐藤優樹:「ここずっと掴んでないと死んじゃう!」って思って…乗り終わった後ここが(手)すごく痛かったです。 Masaki Sato: Yo pensé "Si no me sostengo fuerte... ¡Voy a morir!" por eso cuando me bajé mis manos dolían mucho. 石田亜佑美: いっぱい手汗かきました(笑) Ayumi Ishida: Nuestras manos estaban sudorosas. (Risas.) 尾形春水: 海外に初めて来たので、アメリカのご飯も初めてで、ベーグルとグラノーラがおいしかったです。 Haruna Ogata: Como esta es mi primera vez en el extranjero, también es mi primer vez comiendo en América, los bagels y la granola son muy ricos. 飯窪春菜: ホテルのパン超おいしい… Haruna Iikubo: El pan del hotel es delicioso… A-To-J: こっちにきてから面白い食べ物を試す機会はありましたか? A-To-J: ¿Alguna comida que comieron y les haya parecido 'interesante' desde que están aquí? 小田さくら:今朝なんですけど、 フレンチトーストをプリンみたいに… Sakura Oda: Esta mañana comimos pan tostado con pudín... 石田亜佑美: プディング? Ayumi Ishida: “¿Pudín?” A-To-J: ブレッドプディング? A-To-J: ¿Pudín de Pan? 鈴木香音: あーそれだと思います。 Kanon Suzuki: Ah, creo que es eso. 小田さくら: それを初めて見て、すごくおいしかったんですけど、形のないパンを初めてみたので、すごく不思議な気持ちになりました。 Sakura Oda: Lo vi por primera vez y fue delicioso, pero también fue la primer vez que vi pan sin forma y fue muy extraño. 尾形春水: アメリカの方はリンゴを丸かじりするって言って、リンゴがそのままいっぱいおいてあってびっくりしました。 Haruna Ogata: La gente en América dice que comen manzanas enteras a mordiscos, me sorprendí mucho al ver manzanas ahí. 譜久村聖: 私、お買い物したんですけど、アボカドオイルっていうのを見つけて、普段オリーブオイルしか使ったことなかったから…お父さんがオイル大好きなので、アボガドオイル買ってったらめっちゃ食べる?飲む?調理が楽しみです! Mizuki Fukumura: Fui de compras y encontré algo llamado "Aceite de Aguacate" Yo solamente uso aceite de oliva... Mi papá ama los aceites, entonces pensé que si le compraba el aceite de aguacate, ¿Se lo comería? ¿Lo tomaría? ¡Estoy muy emocionada por cocinar con él! 飯窪春菜: あの、お嬢様なんですよ…(枯れ声) Haruna Iikubo: (Con voz ronca.) Uhm... Ella es una princesa. (Insinuando que es rica.) [Nota del Editor: Haruna Iikubo estaba recuperándose de una enfermedad cuando realizamos esta entrevista y ella tenía sus actividades en Anime Matsuri.] 他のメンバー: 声が…(笑) Las otras miembros: Oh... Su voz. 鈴木香音: 「リッチ!」(お金持ち) Kanon Suzuki: “¡Rica!" 譜久村聖以外のメンバー:「リッチ!」セレブ! Morning Musume。 ’16 excepto Mizuki: “Rica" ¡Una celebridad! 飯窪春菜: 譜久村さんはオリーブオイルしか使ったことないけど、大体(のメンバー)はサラダ油です(笑) Haruna Iikubo: Fukumura-san sólo ha utilizado aceite de oliva, pero la mayoría de nosotros sólo utiliza aceite vegetal... (Risas.) 生田衣梨奈: あとバター! Erina Ikuta: ¡Y mantequilla! 鈴木香音: マーガリン…(笑) Kanon Suzuki: Margarina (Risas) A-To-J: 海外でライブすることで難しかったことは?
A-To-J: ¿A qué tipo de retos se enfrentaron al prepararse para esta presentación fuera de Japón? 工藤遥: ライブの曲中で煽りをやってることがあるんですけど、みなさんに「おいおい」って言ってる中に「もっと!」って掛け声をしたり「みんなで行くよ!」っていう掛け声を今回はほとんど英語に変えているので、やっぱり普段使い慣れない言葉を曲中でリズムを良く言わなくちゃいけないというのは苦労するなーと思います。 Haruka Kudo: Nosotros le pedimos a la audiencia el apoyar nuestras presentaciones mediante 'fan chants' nosotras decimos: “oi oi” o “motto! (more!)” al igual que “minna de ikuyo! ("¡Vamos todos!”), pero tuvimos que cambiar esas frases al inglés. Fue complicado utilizar palabras a las que no estamos acostumbradas y hacer que no perdiera el ritmo de la canción. 石田亜佑美: あと一番は私たち、「One and Only」という全編英語詞の曲を歌わせていただくんですけども、日本で披露してるときは正直日本のファンの方しかいないので…私たちが英語で歌ってても、「あ、英語できてるんだね」ってみんなは思うかもしれないけど、現地でみなさんに聴いていただくとなると発音が本当に試されるな、と思うので…そこは英語ペラペラな野中美希ちゃんに教えてもらいつつみんなで完璧な発音でファンのみなさんに見てもらえたらいいなと思ってます。 Ayumi Ishida: Lo más complicado es que vamos a cantar una canción completamente en inglés, llamada "One and Only". En Japón, aunque cantemos en Inglés, ellos piensan "Oh, ellas pueden hablar Inglés", pero lo complicado es estar aquí. Siento que estuvieran poniendo a prueba nuestra pronunciación… Entonces, Miki Nonaka, quien posee un inglés fluido, nos ayudó, por eso queremos mostrarle a nuestros fans nuestra perfecta pronunciación. 野中美希: 私も、英語喋れるんですけど、5年ぶりなので来るのが、すごくプレッシャーを感じていて…ずっと来る前は英語のテレビ番組をみてました。 Miki Nonaka: Yo puedo hablar inglés, pero siento la presión porque no había estado aquí en cinco años. Estuve viendo programas de televisión en Inglés antes de venir acá. 譜久村聖: えーすごい! Mizuki Fukumura: Wow, ¡Eso es asombroso! A-To-J: 全部英語詞の曲、「One and Only」という曲がありますが、曲の感想を教えてください。英語の歌詞を習って慣れるのは難しかったですか? A-To-J: Ustedes tienen una canción completamente en inglés llamada "One ad Only". ¿Qué piensas acerca de la canción?¿Fue difícil aprender inglés y sentirte 'a gusto' con el idioma? 譜久村聖: 最初に歌詞カードを見たときに衝撃的だったんですよ、全部英語だったから。「え、これどっからどうしたらいいんだろう」っていうあわあわした状態から始まったんですけど、でも野中ちゃんに教えてもらったり、自分で曲を聴いて勉強したりって中で一番難しかったのが意外と分かる単語が続いたときがすごい難しくって。2コーラス目の終わりに「We can be so happy in life」ってところがあったんですけど、そこをカタカナになっちゃうんですよ。「ウィーキャンビーソーハッピーインライフ」ってなっちゃってそれを英語っぽく言うのが難しかった! Mizuki Fukumura: La primer vez que vi la letra, estaba muy sorprendida porque estaba completamente en inglés. Entramos en pánico y pensamos "¡¿Cómo vamos a hacer esto?!" Pero, nosotras tenemos a Nonaka-Chan nos enseñó la pronunciación y escuchamos la canción nosotras mismas mientras la estudiábamos. Lo más difícil fueron ciertas partes que venían seguidas. El final del segundo coro dice "We can be so happy in life" y esa parte, viene en Katakana. (Dando a entender que la pronunciación es muy japonesa.)Se le como: "We kyan bii so happi inn laifu” y fue complicado hacer sonar eso con nuestra pronunciación del inglés. 牧野真莉愛: 私は英語は日本で習ってたんですけど、そういう読むとか歌にあわせてやるとぜんぜん発音とかもうまくできなくって…歌の英語の先生がいたので、その先生に歌ってもらって録音して練習したりとか一番言えなかったのは「style」(スタイル)という英語なんですけど…「スタイ・ウー↓」が全然できなくってそれもリズムの中で「スタイ・ウー↓」な風に言わないといけないのでそれが難しくっていっぱい練習してレコーディングしたときには先生に「上手くなったね」って言われたんですけど、でもその歌割はもらってないです。 Maria Makino: Aprendí inglés en Japón, pero no soy muy buena al leer o cantar con una pronunciación adecuada... Había un maestro de canciones Inglés, entonces le pedimos cantarla, para así escuchar su grabación y practicar con el audio. La palabra con la que más batallé en pronunciar fue "Style"... Yo no podría pronunciarla como "Sty-le" y debía pronunciarla al ritmo de la canción... Fue muy difícil y debía practicar mucho. Cundo grabé la canción, el maestro me dijo "¡Mejoraste!", pero a mí no me había tocado ya aquella parte de la canción. 他のメンバー:(笑) Las otras miembros: (Risas) 小田さくら: 私、小田さくらすごいピンポイントなんですけど…えっと…「You have a voice that’s unafraid and you sing with all your might♪」(野中さんに)歌って…(笑) Sakura Oda: Esto es algo muy persona para mi, Sakura Oda... Umm... “You have a song that’s unafraid and you sing with all your might♪” (Hacia Miki) Por favor, canta… (Risas) 野中美希:「You have a voice that’s unafraid and you sing with all your might♪」(完璧な発音で) Miki Nonaka: “You have a voice that’s unafraid and you sing with all your might♪” (Con pronunciación perfecta) 小田さくら:「This!」(これ!) Sakura Oda: ¡Eso! みんな一同:(笑) Todas: (Risas.) 小田さくら: これがすごく難しくってしかもちょうど自分がそのパートをいただいたので本当に舌が噛まないように気をつけてます。 Sakura Oda: Esa parte fue muy difícil y como era mía, traté de no balbucir al cantarla. 鈴木香音: 音楽プレイヤーの減りが早かったです。 Kanon Suzuki: La batería de mi reproductor de música se acababa más rápido de lo usual. A-To-J: ハロー!プロジェクトには色々な曲がありますが、他のグループの曲でライブでやりたい曲はありますか? A-To-J: Hello!Project tiene una enorme variedad de música. ¿Hay alguna canción de otro grupo que quisieras cantar? 生田衣梨奈:「出すぎた杭は打たれない」(アンジュルム)という曲があって、あの曲は二組に分かれて大人数同士のパフォーマンスを見せるところがあるんですけど、℃-uteさん、Juice=Juiceで5人でやってもちっちゃいフォーメーションになっちゃうと思うんですけど、この12人が9人負けない迫力を出せばアンジュルムに勝てる気がします(笑) Erina Ikuta: Hay una canción llamada: “Desugita Kui wa Utarenai” ANGERME) y hay una parte en donde se separan un grupos. Aún y si °C-ute y Juice=Juice lo hacen con 5 miembros, creo que se vería un poco pequeña la formación. Con 12 personas (En Morning Musume '16), creo que se vería igual de 'poderosa' y bien que con 9 personas (Como en ANGERME) y podríamos ganar. 鈴木香音: 勝ちたい? Kanon Suzuki: ¿Tú quieres ganar? 生田衣梨奈: 勝ちたいし、モーニング娘。早い曲っていっても、みんなで歌う曲が多いので チームに分かれてやる早い曲がやってみたいなという風に思います。 Erina Ikuta: Yo quiero ganar, incluso si nosotras (Morning Musume) hacemos canciones rápidas, todas cantamos la canción, por eso a mí me gustaría tratar de cantar una canción rápida, mientras nos dividimos en equipos. 牧野真莉愛: 私、牧野真莉愛は、バレーを10年間やってたので、アンジュルムさんの「乙女の逆襲」という曲で今、相川茉穂ちゃんが曲の途中でバレーをやっているのでそこを私が踊ってみたいなと思います。 Maria Makino: Yo, Maria Makino, practiqué ballet por 10 años. En la canción de ANGERME "Otome no Gyakushuu", hay una parte en la que Mako Aikawa hace pasos de ballet en el solo de la canción, por eso quisiera bailar esa parte también. A-To-J: 12期メンバーに質問ですが、モーニング娘。に入って良かったことは? A-To-J: Específicamente a los miembros de la doceava generación. ¿Qué es lo que amas de ser parte de Morning Musume? 尾形春水: 一番嬉しかったことは、「Oh my wish!」という曲で台詞パートを頂いて、羽賀朱音と二人で台詞を頂いたことがすごい嬉しくって。それを歌うときはいつもワクワクしてます。 Haruna Ogata: Lo más feliz para mi, fue cuando recibí frases "habladas" en la canción "Oh my wish!" Estaba realmente feliz de haberlas recibido junto con Akane Haga. Cada vez que canto esa canción, me siento muy emocionada de poder hacerlo. 牧野真莉愛: 私は道重さゆみさんが大好きなので、道重さゆみさんとは一緒にパフォーマンスは出来なかったんですけど、いるときにモーニング娘。に入れたというのと、あと今こうしてモーニング娘。として憧れだった先輩方とずっとテレビで、見てたモーニング娘。の方と一緒にステージに立ってパフォーマンスしているということが幸せです。 Maria Makino: Amo a Sayumi Michishigue y aunque no tuve la oportunidad de presentarme junto a ella, estoy muy feliz por haberme unido al grupo, mientras ella aún era parte de Morning Musume. También estoy muy feliz de tener la oportunidad de estar en un escenario y cantar con mis mayores y con el Morning Musume que solía ver por el televisor. 羽賀朱音: 私は中学1年生のときに部活で演劇部に所属していたんですけど、そのときに、文化祭でやらせていただいたときに大道具係だったので…本格的な役というのをやらせていただいてなかったんですけど、けどモーニング娘。の入ってミュージカルとかもやらせていただいて、たくさんのお客さんの前で演技が出来るというのがすごく楽しかったです。 Haga Akane: Cuando estaba en el primer año de escuela media, estaba en el club de actuación. Cuando participaba en el festival cultural (Un festival que se hace en las escuelas de Japón cada año.) estaba a cargo de los accesorios... Yo no tenía la oportunidad de tomar roles importantes, pero cuando entré a Morning Musume, recibí la oportunidad de actuar en musicales y de actuar frente a una gran audiencia. Fue muy divertido. 野中美希: 私は世界中の人とこうやって歌とかダンスを通してコミュニケーションができるのがすごく嬉しくって、今日こうやって来れたこともライブもある予定なんですけど、そういうのを通して海外の方とも交流できることが一番嬉しいです。 Miki Nonaka: Estoy muy feliz de tener la oportunidad de comunicarme con las personas alrededor del mundo a través de canciones y mediante el baile. Me siento más feliz aún porque estar hablando hoy, aquí hoy y por poder seguirlo haciendo más adelante en nuestra presentación también. A-To-J: 海外のファンにもっと通信するためにやりたいことはありますか? A-To-J: ¿ Hay algo más que les gustaría hacer con sus fans extranjeros? 飯窪春菜: (小声で)ワールドツアー… Haruna Iikubo: (En voz baja) Tour mundial… 他のメンバー: ワールドツアー!(笑) El resto: ¡Tour mundial! (Risas) 譜久村聖: 声が…(笑) Mizuki Fukumura: Su voz… (Risas) 小田さくら: (飯窪春菜さんの)声が出なくなっちゃった!(笑) Sakura Oda: ¡Su (Haruna Iikubo) voz es muy ronca! (Risas) 飯窪春菜: ワールドツアーがやりたいです。世界中にファンの方が応援してくださるのが嬉しいので、生でパフォーマンスを見せる場所をもっと増やせたらなって思います。 Haruna Iikubo: Me gustaría hacer un Tour Mundial. Estoy muy feliz de que varios fans alrededor del mundo nos apoyen, por eso me gustaría que hubieran más lugares a los que pudiéramos ir para tener un concierto. A-To-J: 最近グループとしていろんなことを達成されてますが、次の日本での大きな目標は? A-To-J: Considerando que alcanzaste últimamente una meta en el grupo. ¿Cuál es tu siguiente meta en Japón? 譜久村聖: モーニング娘。は結構クールな曲がすごく多いので、もっといろんなバリエーションの曲とか、私たちを見てもらいたいなという風に思うので、ハロー!プロジェクトでこぶしファクトリーとかがイケイケな感じだったり、カントリーガールズみたいなすごいかわいい感じだったりというそのバリエーションをどんどん増やして行きたいなという風に思うのと…あとは今モーニング娘。16’、12人なので、一人一人の個性をもっと出していけるグループになりたいなと思います。 Mizuki Fukumura: Hay muchas canciones geniales de Morning Musume, es por eso que me gustaría hubiera más variedad en ellas, así como ser más vistas. En Hello!Project, Kobushi Factory tiene una vibra de mucha energía y Country Girls tiene un aura muy linda, me gustaría una variedad así. Además, como hay 12 miembros en Morning Musume '16, me gustaría que fuéramos un grupo que muestre las características de cada miembro. A-To-J: 最後に、海外ファンに向けて特別なメッセージはありますか? A-To-J: Por último. ¿Tienen algún mensaje especial para sus fans internacionales? 尾形春水: 私は今回、先ほども言ったんですけど、初めて海外に来て、初めて私を見る方もいたと思うんですけど…「おはる」とか「はーちん」とかニックネームで呼んでいただいたのが本当に嬉しくってコンサートも楽しみだし、またこうやってみんなで海外に来れたらいいなと思うので待っててください、と伝えたいです。 Haruna Ogata: Como dije antes, esta es mi primer vez viajando al extranjero y estoy segura que, hay personas que me verán por primera vez... Me hace muy feliz escuchar que los fans me llaman "Oharu" o "Haachin" u otros nombres. Estoy muy emocionada por el concierto y me gustaría volver a venir con todas, por eso quiero decirle a los fans que por favor esperen por nosotras. 鈴木香音: 私は海外に来て、ニューヨークでも公演おこなったことあるんですけど…そのときにすごく感動したのがファンの方もそうですし、普通に街を歩いている方もそうなんですけど、すごく自分の感情をストレートに表現する方が多くって。それがとてもかっこよくって、変に遠慮することもなく、私たちにまっすぐ気持ちを伝えてくださるのがすごく嬉しかったですし、幸せな気持ちになったので、私もそういうファンの方を尊敬して生きていきます!(笑)尊敬していますということを伝えたいです。 Kanon Suzuki: Ya había venido al extranjero, cuando nuestra presentación en Nueva York... En ese tiempo me sentí muy feliz por los fans y por la gente que caminaba por la calle, porque varios de ellos expresaban su sentir de forma directa. Es genial, ellos no lo piensan dos veces, me hace muy feliz que expresen de forma directa su sentir para con nosotras. ¡Yo viviré respetando a ese tipo de fans!(Risas) Quiero decirles que los respeto. 譜久村聖: 私たちって日本で活動しているので海外のみなさんに会える機会ってなかなか少ないんじゃないかなという風に思うんですけど、でも会ったらすごくやっぱり声援とかくれたり、普段からブログを見てくれてたりとか、日本に来てくれてる方もいるとか…ここ現地にきて気づいたことってたくさんあるので、これからも世界の方々と繋がることが出来たらいいな、と思います。 Mizuki Fukumura: Como somos muy activas en Japón, no hay muchas oportunidades para conocer a los fans internacionales. En todo caso, cuando tenemos la oportunidad de verlos, ellos nos apoyan mucho, nos dicen que ellos visitan nuestros blogs con frecuencia e incluso varios de ellos han ido a Japón... Hay muchas cosas de las que me di cuenta después de haber venido aquí, es por eso que siento que de ahora en adelante quiero ser capaz de 'conectar' más con todos alrededor del mundo. Queremos agradecer a Morning Musume '16 y Up-Front Link por la oportunidad que nos brindaron para realizar esta entrevista. ¡Esperamos que todos revisen los enlaces que se encuentran abajo para más información! La entrevista anterior fue realizada por Manuel Figueroa, con la traducción y redacción de Tiffany Fuji y Ruby G .Fotografías de Eric Drabeck y asistencia de Teepu Khan. Morning Musume。’16 Is: - Fukumura Mizuki (譜久村聖; 9th Generation) Leader - Ikuta Erina (生田衣梨奈; 9th Generation) Sub-Leader - Suzuki Kanon (鈴木香音; 9th Generation) - Iikubo Haruna (飯窪春奈; 10th Generation) Sub-Leader - Ishida Ayumi (石田亜佑美; 10th Generation) - Sato Masaki (佐藤優樹; 10th Generation) - Kudo Haruka (工藤遥; 10th Generation) - Oda Sakura (小田さくら; 11th Generation) - Ogata Haruna (尾形春水; 12th Generation) - Nonaka Miki (野中美希; 12th Generation) - Makino Maria (牧野真莉愛; 12th Generation) - Haga Akane (羽賀朱音; 12th Generation) A-To-J Concert Report: http://a-to-jconnections.com/idols/-take-off-is-now-morning-musume16-in-houston A-To-J Event Report: http://a-to-jconnections.com/idols/morning-musume-16s-landing-in-houston Official Morning Musume。’16 Links Website: http://www.helloproject.com/morningmusume/ Google+: https://plus.google.com/+morningmusume/posts Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Morningmusume.Official/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MorningMusumeMg YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/morningmusumechannel UP-FRONT LINK Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/upfrontlink/ UP-FRONT LINK Twitter: https://twitter.com/UpFrontLink Anime Matsuri Link: http://www.animematsuri.com/ We were lucky enough to get the chance to interview Morning Musume。 '16 while they were in Houston for the tenth anniversary of Anime Matsuri. It was the third time for Morning Musume。 to appear in the US (following Anime Expo in 2009 and their New York concert in 2015), but the first time for the twelfth generation members. They performed at the convention to a full audience and also held a Q&A panel as well as several autograph sessions over the weekend. This event also marked the last overseas appearance of ninth generation member Kanon Suzuki as she will be graduating from Morning Musume。 '16 at the close of their Spring Tour. Morning Musume。 '16 originally formed as simply Morning Musume。in 1997 and quickly became famous for their hit songs, such as "LOVE Machine" and "Renai Revolution 21", and their changing line-up marked by "generations". After over a decade on the Japanese Pop music scene, they found a new surge of popularity with the addition of the ninth generation members (who currently make up the senior-most members of the group) and the single "One Two Three" (2012). Following a string of Oricon chart-topping singles, it was decided that Morning Musume。would change its name to Morning Musume。 '14 in 2014 and would continue the name changes each year. At the time of Anime Matsuri X, Morning Musume。 '16 was promoting their sixtieth single "Tsumetai Kaze to Kataomoi / ENDLESS SKY / One and Only". They have since announced their sixty-first single which will release on May 11th. A-To-J: テキサスを楽しんでますか? A-To-J: Are you having fun in Texas so far? Morning Musume。 ’16: はい!イエーイ!「Fun!」 Morning Musume。 ’16: Yes, yaaaay! “Fun!” A-To-J: 前回のニューヨークに比べて、テキサスはどう違いますか? A-To-J: Compared to your last visit to New York, how is Texas different? 飯窪春菜: ニューヨークのときは冬だったんですごく寒かったんですけど、今すごい過ごしやすい気候で身軽な服装でいろんなところへ行ったり…ここらへんは静か?閑静な場所なので散歩とかがしやすいですね、公園だとかスーパーだとかが楽しいです。 Haruna Iikubo: When we went to New York it was winter time and very cold but this time the weather is very nice and we can walk around to many places in light clothes. It is also very quiet here and it’s easy to take walks to places like the park and the supermarket. A-To-J: このライブのためにどんな準備をされましたか? A-To-J: What did you do to prepare for this live? 生田衣梨奈: みんなでリハーサルして、ライブに備えて振りをそろえたりとか、今までこの12人で本格的なライブっていうのは初めてだったので、鞘師里保ちゃんのいた所を誰がカバーするというのをみんなで頑張って協力してリハーサルしました。 Erina Ikuta: We rehearsed and we synchronized our moves for the live. This is our first time having a real live as 12 so we worked together and figured out who will cover where Riho Sayashi was in the songs. 小田さくら: すこしだけ英語も喋れるようにしてきました。 Sakura Oda: We also made sure we could speak a little bit of English. A-To-J: こっちに来てから楽しいことする時間はありましたか? A-To-J: Have you had time to do anything fun since you’ve been here? 佐藤優樹: 遊園地に行かせていただきました。あのですね!こういう…なんていうんですか?「Up and down」(上下)!くるーん… Masaki Sato: We got to go to an amusement park. And listen! What do you call it… “Up and Down”… spinny… 鈴木香音: 日本にはない… Kanon Suzuki: It doesn’t exist in Japan… 小田さくら: アトラクションみたいな? Sakura Oda: Kind of like an attraction? 佐藤優樹: そうそう!めちゃめちゃ「けいふぉん」? Masaki Sato: Yes! Really “keifon?” 譜久村聖:「けいふぉん」? Mizuki Fukumura: “keifon?” 石田亜佑美: 怖かったって言いたいのね Ayumi Ishida: She wants to say that she was scared. 佐藤優樹: そう、とても怖くって…あと、優樹と石田亜佑美ちゃんは「びゅーん、ばよーん!」 Masaki Sato: Yes, it was very scary… also, Masaki and Ayumi Ishida went on… “Byuun, Bayoon!” (jump-y sounds) 石田亜佑美: 逆バンジー! Ayumi Ishida: Reverse bungee! 佐藤優樹: というやつをやったんですよ。優樹たちがやる前に飛行機が飛んでたんですよ、それと超すれすれで… Masaki Sato: We did that. Before we did it there was an airplane flying and it felt very close… 石田亜佑美: それぐらい高くまで! Ayumi Ishida: That’s how high it went! 佐藤優樹:そう、高くって!とっても楽しかったんですけど…今年入って初めての遊園地だったのでとっても楽しかったです! Masaki Sato: Yes, very high! It was very fun though. This was the first amusement park I got to go to this year so it was very fun! 石田亜佑美: 日本よりもアトラクションが全体的にハードルが高くって… Ayumi Ishida: The levels were higher than the attractions in Japan… モーニング娘。’16: すごく高かった! MM: Very high! 石田亜佑美: 全部怖かったんですよ! Ayumi Ishida: They were all scary! 佐藤優樹: 本当にやばかったんですよ! Masaki Sato: It was really terrifying! 鈴木香音: 怯えすぎて力入れすぎて今もすごく筋肉痛… Kanon Suzuki: I got too frightened and gripped too hard so I still have muscle pains… 佐藤優樹:「ここずっと掴んでないと死んじゃう!」って思って…乗り終わった後ここが(手)すごく痛かったです。 Masaki Sato: I thought “if I don’t hold on forever, I’ll die!” so when I got off my hands were in pain. 石田亜佑美: いっぱい手汗かきました(笑) Ayumi Ishida: Our hands got sweaty (Laughs) 尾形春水: 海外に初めて来たので、アメリカのご飯も初めてで、ベーグルとグラノーラがおいしかったです。 Haruna Ogata: Since this is my first time overseas this was my first time also eating food here in America; the bagels and granola were tasty. 飯窪春菜: ホテルのパン超おいしい… Haruna Iikubo: The hotel’s bread is very delicious… A-To-J: こっちにきてから面白い食べ物を試す機会はありましたか? A-To-J: Are there any interesting foods you were able to try since you’ve been here? 小田さくら:今朝なんですけど、 フレンチトーストをプリンみたいに… Sakura Oda: This morning we ate french toast in pudding… 石田亜佑美: プディング? Ayumi Ishida: “Pudding?” A-To-J: ブレッドプディング? A-To-J: Bread pudding? 鈴木香音: あーそれだと思います。 Kanon Suzuki: Ah, I think that’s it. 小田さくら: それを初めて見て、すごくおいしかったんですけど、形のないパンを初めてみたので、すごく不思議な気持ちになりました。 Sakura Oda: I saw it for the first time, it was very delicious but it was my first time seeing bread without shape and it felt very strange. 尾形春水: アメリカの方はリンゴを丸かじりするって言って、リンゴがそのままいっぱいおいてあってびっくりしました。 Haruna Ogata: The people here in America said that they bite into whole apples and I was surprised to see so many apples uncut there. 譜久村聖: 私、お買い物したんですけど、アボカドオイルっていうのを見つけて、普段オリーブオイルしか使ったことなかったから…お父さんがオイル大好きなので、アボガドオイル買ってったらめっちゃ食べる?飲む?調理が楽しみです! Mizuki Fukumura: I went shopping and I found something called avocado oil. I usually only use olive oil… My dad loves oils so if I thought if I buy him avocado he would eat it? Drink it? I’m excited to cook with it! 飯窪春菜: あの、お嬢様なんですよ…(枯れ声) Haruna Iikubo: (in a hoarse voice) Um… she’s a princess… (Implying she’s rich) [Editor’s Note: Haruna Iikubo was still getting over an illness at the time of both this interview and their activities at Anime Matsuri.] 他のメンバー: 声が…(笑) The other members: Oh no her voice… 鈴木香音: 「リッチ!」(お金持ち) Kanon Suzuki: “Rich!” 譜久村聖以外のメンバー:「リッチ!」セレブ! MM except for Mizuki: “Rich”! A celebrity! 飯窪春菜: 譜久村さんはオリーブオイルしか使ったことないけど、大体(のメンバー)はサラダ油です(笑) Haruna Iikubo: Fukumura-san has only used olive oil but the most of the other members use vegetable oil (Laughs) 生田衣梨奈: あとバター! Erina Ikuta: And butter! 鈴木香音: マーガリン…(笑) Kanon Suzuki: Margarine… (Laughs) A-To-J: 海外でライブすることで難しかったことは?
A-To-J: What kind of challenges do you come into performing overseas? 工藤遥: ライブの曲中で煽りをやってることがあるんですけど、みなさんに「おいおい」って言ってる中に「もっと!」って掛け声をしたり「みんなで行くよ!」っていう掛け声を今回はほとんど英語に変えているので、やっぱり普段使い慣れない言葉を曲中でリズムを良く言わなくちゃいけないというのは苦労するなーと思います。 Haruka Kudo: We ask for the audience to cheer at lives within our songs and we say “oi oi” or “motto! (more!)” as well as “minna de ikuyo! (let’s go everyone!)” and we had to change them into English. It was a challenge to use words that we are not used to and say it rhythmically within the song. 石田亜佑美: あと一番は私たち、「One and Only」という全編英語詞の曲を歌わせていただくんですけども、日本で披露してるときは正直日本のファンの方しかいないので…私たちが英語で歌ってても、「あ、英語できてるんだね」ってみんなは思うかもしれないけど、現地でみなさんに聴いていただくとなると発音が本当に試されるな、と思うので…そこは英語ペラペラな野中美希ちゃんに教えてもらいつつみんなで完璧な発音でファンのみなさんに見てもらえたらいいなと思ってます。 Ayumi Ishida: The number one thing is we’re going to be singing a song that’s fully in English called “One and Only”. In Japan, even if we sing in English they just think “Oh, they can do English” but when we’re here at the real deal I feel like we get tested in our pronunciation… So we had Miki Nonaka who is fluent in English teach us and we want to show our fans our perfected pronunciation. 野中美希: 私も、英語喋れるんですけど、5年ぶりなので来るのが、すごくプレッシャーを感じていて…ずっと来る前は英語のテレビ番組をみてました。 Miki Nonaka: I can speak English but this is it was pressure for me since I haven’t been here (in the USA) in 5 years. I watched TV shows in English before coming. 譜久村聖: えーすごい! Mizuki Fukumura: Wow, that’s amazing! A-To-J: 全部英語詞の曲、「One and Only」という曲がありますが、曲の感想を教えてください。英語の歌詞を習って慣れるのは難しかったですか? A-To-J: So you have a song that’s completely English called “One and Only”, what are your thoughts about the song? Specifically, was it hard for you to learn the English and to be comfortable with it? 譜久村聖: 最初に歌詞カードを見たときに衝撃的だったんですよ、全部英語だったから。「え、これどっからどうしたらいいんだろう」っていうあわあわした状態から始まったんですけど、でも野中ちゃんに教えてもらったり、自分で曲を聴いて勉強したりって中で一番難しかったのが意外と分かる単語が続いたときがすごい難しくって。2コーラス目の終わりに「We can be so happy in life」ってところがあったんですけど、そこをカタカナになっちゃうんですよ。「ウィーキャンビーソーハッピーインライフ」ってなっちゃってそれを英語っぽく言うのが難しかった! Mizuki Fukumura: When I first saw the lyrics card it was startling since it was all in English. We started all panicky and thought “How are we going to do this?” However we had Nonaka-chan teach us and we listened to the songs ourselves and studied it. The hardest parts were when there were easy terms that we knew in a row. The ending of the 2nd chorus has the lyrics “We can be so happy in life” and that part turns into Katakana (implying the pronunciation sounds very Japanese). It turns into “We kyan bii so happi inn laifu” and it was hard to make it sound more English. 牧野真莉愛: 私は英語は日本で習ってたんですけど、そういう読むとか歌にあわせてやるとぜんぜん発音とかもうまくできなくって…歌の英語の先生がいたので、その先生に歌ってもらって録音して練習したりとか一番言えなかったのは「style」(スタイル)という英語なんですけど…「スタイ・ウー↓」が全然できなくってそれもリズムの中で「スタイ・ウー↓」な風に言わないといけないのでそれが難しくっていっぱい練習してレコーディングしたときには先生に「上手くなったね」って言われたんですけど、でもその歌割はもらってないです。 Maria Makino: I learned English in Japan but I’m not very good at reading or singing it in proper pronunciation… There was an English song teacher and we had the teacher sing it so we can record it and listen to it for practice. The term I had the hardest time was the English word “style”… I couldn’t pronounce it as “Sty-le” and I had to sing “Sty-le” rhythmically so it was hard and I practiced it a lot. When I recorded the song, the teacher told me “you’ve improved” but I wasn’t assigned to that part of the song. 他のメンバー:(笑) The other members: (Laughs) 小田さくら: 私、小田さくらすごいピンポイントなんですけど…えっと…「You have a voice that’s unafraid and you sing with all your might♪」(野中さんに)歌って…(笑) Sakura Oda: This is very particular pinpoint for me, Sakura Oda… Umm… “You have a song that’s unafraid and you sing with all your might♪” (To Miki) Please sing it… (Laughs) 野中美希:「You have a voice that’s unafraid and you sing with all your might♪」(完璧な発音で) Miki Nonaka: “You have a voice that’s unafraid and you sing with all your might♪” (With perfect pronunciation) 小田さくら:「This!」(これ!) Sakura Oda: This! みんな一同:(笑) Everyone: (Laughs) 小田さくら: これがすごく難しくってしかもちょうど自分がそのパートをいただいたので本当に舌が噛まないように気をつけてます。 Sakura Oda: This part was so hard and I received this part so I try my best not to stutter when singing it. 鈴木香音: 音楽プレイヤーの減りが早かったです。 Kanon Suzuki: The batteries of my music player drained quicker than usual. A-To-J: ハロー!プロジェクトには色々な曲がありますが、他のグループの曲でライブでやりたい曲はありますか? A-To-J: Hello!Project has a very extensive catalogue of music, Is there any song from another group you would like to perform? 生田衣梨奈:「出すぎた杭は打たれない」(アンジュルム)という曲があって、あの曲は二組に分かれて大人数同士のパフォーマンスを見せるところがあるんですけど、℃-uteさん、Juice=Juiceで5人でやってもちっちゃいフォーメーションになっちゃうと思うんですけど、この12人が9人負けない迫力を出せばアンジュルムに勝てる気がします(笑) Erina Ikuta: There’s a song called “Desugita Kui wa Utarenai” (by ANGERME) and there’s a part where they perform split up into two groups. Even if ℃-ute and Juice=Juice do it with 5 people, I think the formation will look small. With 12 people (in Morning Musume。 ’16) I feel like we can be as powerful as 9 people (in ANGERME) and we can win. 鈴木香音: 勝ちたい? Kanon Suzuki: You want to win? 生田衣梨奈: 勝ちたいし、モーニング娘。早い曲っていっても、みんなで歌う曲が多いので チームに分かれてやる早い曲がやってみたいなという風に思います。 Erina Ikuta: I want to win; also even if Morning Musume。 does fast songs we all sing the lyrics together so I want to try a fast song where we split in teams. 牧野真莉愛: 私、牧野真莉愛は、バレーを10年間やってたので、アンジュルムさんの「乙女の逆襲」という曲で今、相川茉穂ちゃんが曲の途中でバレーをやっているのでそこを私が踊ってみたいなと思います。 Maria Makino: I, Maria Makino, did ballet for 10 years. In ANGERME’s song “Otome no Gyakushuu”, there is a part where Maho Aikawa dances ballet in the middle of the song so I want to dance that part too. A-To-J: 12期メンバーに質問ですが、モーニング娘。に入って良かったことは? A-To-J: Specifically for the 12th generation members, what do you love about being in Morning Musume。? 尾形春水: 一番嬉しかったことは、「Oh my wish!」という曲で台詞パートを頂いて、羽賀朱音と二人で台詞を頂いたことがすごい嬉しくって。それを歌うときはいつもワクワクしてます。 Haruna Ogata: The happiest thing was I received speaking lines in the song “Oh my wish!” I was very happy that I received this along with Akane Haga. When I sing the song, I’m always excited about it. 牧野真莉愛: 私は道重さゆみさんが大好きなので、道重さゆみさんとは一緒にパフォーマンスは出来なかったんですけど、いるときにモーニング娘。に入れたというのと、あと今こうしてモーニング娘。として憧れだった先輩方とずっとテレビで、見てたモーニング娘。の方と一緒にステージに立ってパフォーマンスしているということが幸せです。 Maria Makino: Since I love Sayumi Michishige, even if I didn’t get to perform with Sayumi Michishige, I’m happy that I got to join when she was still a part of Morning Musume。. Also I’m happy that I get to be on stage and perform with my seniors and the Morning Musume。 I saw on TV. 羽賀朱音: 私は中学1年生のときに部活で演劇部に所属していたんですけど、そのときに、文化祭でやらせていただいたときに大道具係だったので…本格的な役というのをやらせていただいてなかったんですけど、けどモーニング娘。の入ってミュージカルとかもやらせていただいて、たくさんのお客さんの前で演技が出来るというのがすごく楽しかったです。 Haga Akane: When I was in my first year of middle school, I was in the drama club. When I participated in the culture festival (a festival done yearly in many schools in Japan) I was in charge of the props… I wasn’t able to do big roles but entering Morning Musume。 I was given a chance to act in musicals and act in front of a big front. It was very fun. 野中美希: 私は世界中の人とこうやって歌とかダンスを通してコミュニケーションができるのがすごく嬉しくって、今日こうやって来れたこともライブもある予定なんですけど、そういうのを通して海外の方とも交流できることが一番嬉しいです。 Miki Nonaka: I’m very happy that I get to communicate to people around the world like this with songs and dances. I’m happiest that we get to communicate because we are here today and through our live will be doing later. A-To-J: 海外のファンにもっと通信するためにやりたいことはありますか? A-To-J: Is there anything you would like to do to reach out to your foreign fans more? 飯窪春菜: (小声で)ワールドツアー… Haruna Iikubo: (In a small voice) World tour… 他のメンバー: ワールドツアー!(笑) Other members: World tour! (Laughs) 譜久村聖: 声が…(笑) Mizuki Fukumura: Her voice… (Laughs) 小田さくら: (飯窪春菜さんの)声が出なくなっちゃった!(笑) Sakura Oda: Her (Haruna Iikubo) voice is hoarse! (Laughs) 飯窪春菜: ワールドツアーがやりたいです。世界中にファンの方が応援してくださるのが嬉しいので、生でパフォーマンスを見せる場所をもっと増やせたらなって思います。 Haruna Iikubo: I want to do a world tour. I’m very happy that many fans around the world support us so I want to have more places to be able to show them a live performance. A-To-J: 最近グループとしていろんなことを達成されてますが、次の日本での大きな目標は? A-To-J: Considering your major accomplishments in the group lately, what is your next big goal in Japan? 譜久村聖: モーニング娘。は結構クールな曲がすごく多いので、もっといろんなバリエーションの曲とか、私たちを見てもらいたいなという風に思うので、ハロー!プロジェクトでこぶしファクトリーとかがイケイケな感じだったり、カントリーガールズみたいなすごいかわいい感じだったりというそのバリエーションをどんどん増やして行きたいなという風に思うのと…あとは今モーニング娘。16’、12人なので、一人一人の個性をもっと出していけるグループになりたいなと思います。 Mizuki Fukumura: There are many cool songs from Morning Musume。 so I want to have more variation and to be seen more. In Hello!Project, Kobushi Factory has a very hype vibe and Country Girls have a very cute vibe and I want more of that kind of variety. Also since there are currently 12 members in Morning Musume。 ’16, I would like us to be a group that shows off the characteristics of each member more. A-To-J: 最後に、海外ファンに向けて特別なメッセージはありますか? A-To-J: Lastly, do you have any special message you would like to give to your foreign fans? 尾形春水: 私は今回、先ほども言ったんですけど、初めて海外に来て、初めて私を見る方もいたと思うんですけど…「おはる」とか「はーちん」とかニックネームで呼んでいただいたのが本当に嬉しくってコンサートも楽しみだし、またこうやってみんなで海外に来れたらいいなと思うので待っててください、と伝えたいです。 Haruna Ogata: Like I said, this is my first time coming overseas and I’m sure there are people that have seen me for the first time… It makes me very happy hearing fans call me “Oharu” or “Haachin” and other nicknames. I’m excited for the live and I would like to come overseas again with everyone so I want to tell the fans to please wait for us. 鈴木香音: 私は海外に来て、ニューヨークでも公演おこなったことあるんですけど…そのときにすごく感動したのがファンの方もそうですし、普通に街を歩いている方もそうなんですけど、すごく自分の感情をストレートに表現する方が多くって。それがとてもかっこよくって、変に遠慮することもなく、私たちにまっすぐ気持ちを伝えてくださるのがすごく嬉しかったですし、幸せな気持ちになったので、私もそういうファンの方を尊敬して生きていきます!(笑)尊敬していますということを伝えたいです。 Kanon Suzuki: I’ve come overseas and performed at New York before as well… At that time I was very touched by the fans of course as well as the people just walking on the streets because many of them express their feelings straightforward. It’s very cool and they don’t hold back, it makes me happy that they express their straightforward feelings to us and I will live respecting those kinds of fans! (Laughs) I want to tell them that I respect them. 譜久村聖: 私たちって日本で活動しているので海外のみなさんに会える機会ってなかなか少ないんじゃないかなという風に思うんですけど、でも会ったらすごくやっぱり声援とかくれたり、普段からブログを見てくれてたりとか、日本に来てくれてる方もいるとか…ここ現地にきて気づいたことってたくさんあるので、これからも世界の方々と繋がることが出来たらいいな、と思います。 Mizuki Fukumura: Since we are active in Japan I don’t think there are many opportunities we get to meet foreign fans. However when we do get to meet them, they cheer a lot for us and tell us that they check our blogs normally and some even come to Japan… There are many things I realized after coming here so I felt that from now on I want to be able to connect more with everyone around the world. We thank Morning Musume '16, Up-Front, and Up-Front Link for the opportunity for this interview. We hope that everyone will check out the links below for more information! The above interview was conducted by Manuel Figueroa with on-site and post translation by Tiffany Fujii. Photography by Eric Drabeck and assistance by Teepu Khan. Morning Musume。’16 Is: - Fukumura Mizuki (譜久村聖; 9th Generation) Leader - Ikuta Erina (生田衣梨奈; 9th Generation) Sub-Leader - Suzuki Kanon (鈴木香音; 9th Generation) - Iikubo Haruna (飯窪春奈; 10th Generation) Sub-Leader - Ishida Ayumi (石田亜佑美; 10th Generation) - Sato Masaki (佐藤優樹; 10th Generation) - Kudo Haruka (工藤遥; 10th Generation) - Oda Sakura (小田さくら; 11th Generation) - Ogata Haruna (尾形春水; 12th Generation) - Nonaka Miki (野中美希; 12th Generation) - Makino Maria (牧野真莉愛; 12th Generation) - Haga Akane (羽賀朱音; 12th Generation) A-To-J Concert Report: http://a-to-jconnections.com/idols/-take-off-is-now-morning-musume16-in-houston A-To-J Event Report: http://a-to-jconnections.com/idols/morning-musume-16s-landing-in-houston Official Morning Musume。’16 Links Website: http://www.helloproject.com/morningmusume/ Google+: https://plus.google.com/+morningmusume/posts Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Morningmusume.Official/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MorningMusumeMg YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/morningmusumechannel UP-FRONT LINK Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/upfrontlink/ UP-FRONT LINK Twitter: https://twitter.com/UpFrontLink Anime Matsuri Link: http://www.animematsuri.com/ Recently, Morning Musume。'16 was able to come to Houston, Texas to participate in the popular Anime Matsuri convention as the guest of honor. The last time they were able to make it over to the United States for a convention (Anime Expo) was back in 2009 in LA. Since then, the lineup has completely changed and the direction of the group has evolved greatly. Lucky attendees of the convention were able to experience Morning Musume。'16 in all their glory throughout the weekend via a multitude of events. Their adventures at the convention began on the first day (February 26th, Friday). They attended the Opening Ceremonies, where they were introduced to a standing ovation. Miki Nonaka presented the group to the attendees using her English skills, which she acquired from her 8 year stay in Alabama as a young child. Before they were sent off-stage, a couple of hard-working fans were able to present a special welcome banner to the girls. This banner contained messages from various fans hailing from a multitude of locations. This gesture moved the girls and they were ecstatic to receive such a welcoming gift from their overseas fans. As they left the stage, they walked around the seats on the floor waving to everybody and proudly displaying the banner, before finally heading back to their seats. Directly following the Opening Ceremonies, there was a Q&A Panel with the group. The girls specifically requested that the fans be allowed to sit as close to the stage as possible, in order to afford a more personal interaction. As soon as the attendees were seated on the ground surrounding the stage, the session began immediately in order to not waste a minute. Keep in mind that the following transcript provided contains rough translations of the answers. Fan: Now that she’s (Riho Sayashi) gone, she has opened the position of center ace that is unfilled in the group. So I was wondering which one of you plans to take that spot and how do you plan to do it? -EVERYONE RAISES THEIR HAND- Haruna Iikubo: Everybody wants to be the ace! Fan: Hi. ALL: Hi! Fan: Um, when members graduate, how do you guys go about deciding lines? Does the management decide or is it between you guys? Maa-chan got lots of Reina’s lines. Is it because she likes her or is it because management decides to give it to them? Masaki Sato: The management actually decides it. They listen to the voices and find the one that fits the line the most. Fan: Maa-chan, do you have any funny episodes about your new hamster? Masaki Sato: My hamster only listens to my father. So when my father is not around it won’t listen to anyone, but when my dad is there it will actually listen and sit down. Fan: Ayumi-san, now that Sayashi Riho is gone, do you have a favorite person you like to dance with? Ayumi Ishida: We’re in the middle of rehearsal for our spring tour. I MIGHT be pairing up with one of them. I really loved dancing with Riho but after she graduated I had more of a chance to dance with other people. It’s a different experience but I really enjoy it too! Fan: For the girls that have been to America before, how are you finding Houston and for the girls who have not been to America before what are your favorite things about America so far? Haruna Ogata: I’m Ogata Haruna! It’s my first time coming here in America and I really enjoyed the bagel from the lunch buffet. It was really yummy. Kanon Suzuki: I’ve been to New York back in 2014 but I feel like it’s really different. When I landed in the airport I thought the air was really different. I really wish, even for one month, I really wish I can live here then I’ll feel better. Haruna Iikubo: When we did the New York concert Kanon’s cheer was the loudest back then. Even in Houston she gets the loudest cheer, I’m impressed! Fan: Zukki, I know you’re going to be leaving soon and of course your fans are sad, but I want to know what are some of your happiest memories being part of Morning Musume。? Kanon Suzuki: I have a really great memory from when I was 14. For my birthday I received a book with a lot of messages from fans all over the world. It is really surreal that people know me through the internet and through people and relationships people got to know me and I feel really surreal. It’s my most precious treasure in my life. Fan: I’ve been waiting 7 years to meet Morning Musume。, I’ve been a fan since I was 11 years old. My question is, would you support overseas idols? Erina Ikuta: Because I am an idol fan as well, I would really like to see and support foreign idols as well. Miki Nonaka: I can speak English too so…. I really want to talk with idols overseas. Yeah I want to do a lot of things with idols overseas. I want to see a combination of our group and other idol groups. Fan: Hi Zukki. I wanted to tell you that you are one of my favorites. My sons introduced me to Morning Musume。 music. We went to New York in 2014 to see you in Manhattan and we had a blast. We had so much fun and my question for you is, what are you going to do after you graduate? Are you going to school or what’s your future look like? Kanon Suzuki: After graduation I would like to be a social worker, like a counselor and helper. I really enjoyed helping people through singing and dancing and after I graduate I won’t be able to do that in front of people but in another way I’d still like to help people out. Fan: I’m a big fan of video games. I love Final Fantasy, it’s one of my favorite series. I was wondering, are any of you fans of Final Fantasy? Which one is your favorite? If not, what is your favorite video game if any of you play video games? -THEY ALL INDICATE THEY DON’T PLAY FINAL FANTASY- Haruna Iikubo: Dragon Quest, Dragon Quest Online, Monster Hunter, Biohazard (Resident Evil). Oh and also Zelda! Ayumi Ishida: I like dance…dance appear please. -FAN DANCES AND IS NOTICED- Fan: HI ODA! I have a question. So my question is, you have a lot of songs. I was wondering if there was one that you really liked to perform that means a lot to you. Sakura Oda: It’s a song that I’m not originally in, but I love ‘Roman My Dear Boy.’ Ayumi Ishida: I AM SHOCK! (In response to the fan asking Sakura the question instead of Ayumi, since she’s the one who picked him.) Masaki Sato: Rock, scissor, paper! –FANS PLAY AGAINST HER- -LAST MATCH IS TWO FANS AGAINST EACH OTHER TO BE ABLE TO ASK THE QUESTION- Fan: I wanted to thank you guys for coming here since I didn’t get to see you in New York. I honestly didn’t think I would have another chance to see you. So I wanted to ask Mizuki what you find the hardest part of being leader. Mizuki Fukumura: The hardest thing to do…because there’s so many of them, is to get all 12 of them in one place! Fan: Some of you already have been to America. Where are some other places you’d like to travel in the world? Haruka Kudo: I want to go to Brazil and see the real soccer there. Fan (Same person who asked the previous question.): Sakura I love you! Haruka Kudo: I AM SHOCK! I am shock. Fan: First of all I got introduced to the play ‘LILIUM’ last year. My favorite play! What was your best memory of doing that? Sakura Oda: I played Sylvatica. One of my last scenes is me jumping off from the tower. I actually really jumped off from the top tower. It was really scary for me! Fan: Obviously you guys are my favorite female Jpop group. My favorite male Jpop group is Arashi. So I was wondering if you also like Arashi and who’s your favorite member from Arashi? Haruna Ogata: A little while back we were doing a fitting and someone told me that if you put Morning Musume。 in Arashi I’m like the Ohno position. So I’d really like to see him and meet him one day. -IT’S MIKI’S TURN TO PICK AND SHE NOTICES A SIGN AND PICKS THAT PERSON- Miki Nonaka: Welcome home Miki. Fan: First I would like to welcome you back home. –FANS CLAP- Now, being able to speak both English and Japanese, what was your initial feeling when you were chosen to be in Morning Musume。? Where do you want to take it in the future? Miki Nonaka: Yeah I can speak Japanese and English, both of them. So I really can speak Japanese more than English so I thought I had to study English too, but I really like doing concerts in my country Japan too. But I really really love to do concerts overseas, this time in Houston. I’m so excited so I couldn’t hardly wait for this event. So yeah I’m very happy to come overseas. Thank you very much! Maria Makino: I am Maria. Nice to meet you! I love baseball, and you? –NOTICES SOMEONE WEARING A FIGHTERS CAP- Fighters! I love Fighters! Fan: Are the Fighters going to win the Japanese series this year? Maria Makino: Of course! Number one! -FAN YELLS ‘ERIPON SMILE’ BECAUSE SHE HAD A SERIOUS FACE FOR A MOMENT. SHE SMILES WIDELY- Fan: My question is to the newest members. What’s been your favorite experience since joining the group? Akane Haga: I was in the play ‘Triangle’ last year and I was in drama club. So it was a really good experience for me to be in an actual musical. Maria Makino: Because I love Michishige Sayumi. For me to be able to be a member of Morning Musume。 and to be able to meet Sayumi was the biggest and nicest experience for me. Miki Nonaka: So the biggest…the biggest is right now!!! Haruna Ogata: If I wasn’t a member of Morning Musume。 I wouldn’t have been able to come abroad, so just being here is the biggest experience for me. Mizuki Fukumura: Thank you so much everyone for all the questions you asked us. So tomorrow we’re going to have a live concert and we have practiced the MC in English, so look forward to it…come and enjoy. -Q&A ENDS- Much later in the evening, A-To-J Connections hosted our Hello! Project panel (with a heavier focus on Morning Musume。, of course) which was a major success. We even had the pleasure of having Aika Mitsui (former 8th Generation member of Morning Musume。) attend a portion of our panel. There was also a fan-held party called Hello! Disco that was held partially during (and after) our panel. At this party, fans gathered together to have a great time celebrating their common interests in Morning Musume。'16 and Hello! Project as a whole. Aika actually made a surprise appearance at this party as well, much to the delight of all attending fans.
The next day of the convention was also quite busy for the group (February 27th, Saturday). The day kicked off with a Press Conference, where various news outlets were able to interview Morning Musume。'16. Following this was a special autograph session that was held specifically for Super Pass holders of the convention. Attendees were allowed to get any official Anime Matsuri or Morning Musume。'16 merchandise signed by the girls. This session was especially loved by fans because it granted time for some very fun and personal interactions with the members. At the end of the autograph session, the girls took a group photo with the fans in the back. This photo, we were told, would be featured on the official site for a time. The final event of the day, which was the event most people were waiting for, was the concert itself. The concert was an absolute success, with an extremely high attendance rate (of fans and newly interested attendees alike). A link to our full concert report will be provided below. On the final day of the convention (February 28th, Sunday), there was a final autograph session held specifically for general attendees. Like the Super Pass session, this provided fans with a wonderful opportunity to interact and have fun with the girls as everyone was able to get their beloved autographs. From here, Morning Musume。‘16 left the convention after an extremely exciting and eventful weekend. Fans were able to share in a special kind of experience with Morning Musume。'16 at Anime Matsuri, the kind of which you don't see normally even in Japan. There is no doubt that this will be long remembered as one of the most exciting Hello! Project events in the USA, and all fans who were able to attend will forever cherish it. For more coverage of Morning Musume。'16, check out our official concert report and our exciting interview (links provided below)! - Teepu Morning Musume。’16 Is: - Fukumura Mizuki (譜久村聖; 9th Generation) Leader - Ikuta Erina (生田衣梨奈; 9th Generation) Sub-Leader - Suzuki Kanon (鈴木香音; 9th Generation) - Iikubo Haruna (飯窪春奈; 10th Generation) Sub-Leader - Ishida Ayumi (石田亜佑美; 10th Generation) - Sato Masaki (佐藤優樹; 10th Generation) - Kudo Haruka (工藤遥; 10th Generation) - Oda Sakura (小田さくら; 11th Generation) - Ogata Haruna (尾形春水; 12th Generation) - Nonaka Miki (野中美希; 12th Generation) - Makino Maria (牧野真莉愛; 12th Generation) - Haga Akane (羽賀朱音; 12th Generation) A-To-J Concert Report: http://a-to-jconnections.com/idols/-take-off-is-now-morning-musume16-in-houston A-To-J Interview: Official Morning Musume。’16 Links Website: http://www.helloproject.com/morningmusume/ Google+: https://plus.google.com/+morningmusume/posts Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Morningmusume.Official/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MorningMusumeMg YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/morningmusumechannel UP-FRONT LINK Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/upfrontlink/ UP-FRONT LINK Twitter: https://twitter.com/UpFrontLink Anime Matsuri Link: http://www.animematsuri.com/ All pictures ©UP-FRONT PROMOTION Co., Ltd. Used with permission. Walking through the doors to the concert hall, the first thing we all saw was the various Hello! Project music videos being shown on the main screen on stage. As we all shuffled into our optimal positions the reality of the situation started to sink in: Morning Musume。'16 was in Houston! As we waited patiently for the hall to fill and for the girls to come out, people pumped up some balloons and started throwing them around the crowd. Meanwhile, some small clusters of fans rocked out to whatever song happened to be playing on the screen. The people behind the convention came up for a short message and to welcome Morning Musume。’16 with some cheers. Before long, the lights dimmed, the screen turned off, and the girls came out to thunderous cheering wearing their modified ‘One and Only’ outfits (with cute Sheriff Badges to boot). They jumped right into their brand-new all-English song 'One and Only'. The crowd went wild and most of the people around me burst into song along with the girls. It was rather touching. They then lead right into 'Oh my wish!’ kicking off the concert with an unimaginable amount of energy. Miki Nonaka was in a chair of course, due to her injury, but put forth just as much energy and excitement as the rest of the group! The girls took a moment to introduce themselves, and they even did so in English. It was clear that they worked incredibly hard to learn the English for their introductions, and they all did a fantastic job. They then jumped into another of their brand new songs: ‘ENDLESS SKY’. After that they jumped into high-energy songs like ‘Renai Hunter’ and ‘Sukatto My Heart’. They were doing an absolutely fantastic job of mixing in both old and new songs in order to keep the crowd interested. Their formation dancing, singing skills and coordination were particularly impressive throughout the show. 'Love & Peace! HERO ga Yattekita' was performed to close out this section of the show. Half the group went backstage to change into new outfits while the rest stayed up in order to have another MC section. Aika Mitsui, former 8th Generation Morning Musume。member, joined them as the surprise guest and interpreter for this. Aika mentioned that she had been interviewing fans before the concert and that she was going to ask the members questions that the fans had asked. Unlike their previous times in the USA, this MC section felt a lot more like the ones in Japan, which was really neat and fun. Aika even decided to teach us a Japanese phrase: 'Ganbatte ikimasshoi'. She explained that backstage, before a concert, all the girls say this to each other as they place their hands on top of each other's while gathered in a circle. She said that this was a great way to get hyped or to lift somebody's spirit. The girls on stage then demonstrated how they do it. At this time, Miki (who was still in her chair) got up excitedly to join the group and they all said 'Ganbatte ikimasshoi!' Miki later jokingly said that she probably shouldn't have gotten up but she got so excited and wanted to do it with everyone. It was extremely adorable. After this, the girls from backstage were changed and switched spots with the ones who were not. The new outfits were black with puffy skirts and some frills as well. They were pretty. Aika then continued by asking the next set of girls questions from the fans. One of the most standout questions was when she asked the girls which graduated Morning Musume。 members they looked up to. Maria Makino was first to answer, and immediately said that Sayumi Michishige (who graduated in 2014) was her favorite. Each of the other members said that Aika was their favorite, as a joke. Even Erina Ikuta said this, despite Aika pointing out that everyone knows that Risa Niigaki is her favorite (who graduated in 2013). All of the girls were asked to give Aika hugs, except Maria since she said Sayumi was her favorite. They all ran to Aika and gave her a huge hug while Maria sat down and pouted. Eventually Aika invited Maria for a hug too which she happily complied to. Aika also taught the crowd another Japanese term: 'Ichiban suki' (meaning you love something the most). After a good time, the rest of the group came out, ready to continue the performance. As Aika left, everyone cheered for her. The next section was kicked off with a medley consisting of the classics 'Souda! WE'RE ALIVE', 'LOVE Machine' and 'Renai Revolution 21'. These are some very beloved songs, especially for overseas fans, so the amount of energy and love that the crowd threw at Morning Musume。'16 was to be expected. There was a very clever outfit change in the middle of ‘Renai Revolution 21’. They folded a layer of their outfit over the black to create a new white outfit. This one had the American flag on the skirt and an outline of a rocket on the upper portion (referring to the NASA center in Houston), with variations for each member. It was an extremely cute and clever way to express a theme that screams Houston and America. Once the superb medley was over, the group took a picture with the whole crowd, which we were told would appear on the official site. From there, they jumped right back into the performance with ‘Tsumetai Kaze-to Kataomoi’, a personal favorite of mine. This song originally had Riho Sayashi (who graduated on the last day of 2015) doing some graceful solo dances during the song. With her not in the group anymore, Ayumi Ishida took over the spot with extreme finesse and amazing control. It made for a very touching performance that I’m sure would have made Riho proud. They then continued with some more favorites. The two that stood out to me the most were ‘Wagamama Kinomama Aino Joke’ and ‘What is LOVE?’ These songs got an extremely powerful crowd response and I felt like they did some of their best dancing during these songs. They left after that, and shortly after the crowd exploded into a chant to bring the girls out again for a song or two more. Eventually most of the crowd who had glow sticks that could change color changed to green, which is the color for Kanon Suzuki. Kanon will be graduating from the group at the end of their spring tour, so this was her last performance overseas within the group. The fans had all agreed beforehand to do this in her honor and everyone broke into a call for her using her nickname ‘Zukki’. It was quite touching to see, and we could all see that Kanon felt the same way when they all came out for the encore. They jumped into ‘HOW DO YOU LIKE JAPAN? ~Nihon wa Dona Kanji Dekka?~’ which was also a crowd pleaser. They were wearing their outfits from their previous tour (Gradation) which displayed each of their member colors prominently. With the concert clearly reaching a close, Mizuki read a letter to the crowd. During this time, the crowd gave Kanon a ‘Zukki’ call again, which brought her to tears on stage. With that, she caught her breath, and told the whole crowd “Thank you, I LOVE YOU!” with that huge contagious smile that nobody could hate. Following that, they jumped into the final song: ‘One Two Three’. They put their all into this final song, as did the audience. Before we knew it, it was over. The members all thanked the crowd and went off-stage. We were promised a set list of upbeat and fun songs, and they delivered in full force. Slowly, we all shuffled out of the concert hall. Without a doubt, we knew that this had been the best performance we’ve seen out of Morning Musume。’16 in America so far. Concerts like this not only bring Morning Musume。’16 to new places, but they bring fans from all walks of life together via a special unbreakable bond. We can only hope that the girls will have the opportunity to come back to the USA again in the near future. GANBATTE IKIMASSHOI! - Teepu (Official UP-FRONT pictures used with permission. All other copyright A-To-J Connections) CONCERT SETLIST 1. One and Only 2. Oh my wish! -MC- 3. ENDLESS SKY 4. Renai Hunter 5. Sukatto My Heart 6. Love & Peace! HERO ga Yattekita -MC- (Aika Mitsui as Surprise Guest) 7. -MEDLEY- Souda! WE’RE ALIVE LOVE Machine Renai Revolution 21 -MC- (Photo Session) 8. Tsumetai Kaze-to Kataomoi 9. The Matenrou Show 10. Aino Gundan 11. Wagamama Ki-nomama Ai-no Joke 12. What is LOVE? -ENCORE- (Zukki Call) 13. HOW DO YOU LIKE JAPAN? ~Nihon wa Donna Kanji Dekka?~ -MC- 14. One Two Three Morning Musume。’16 Is: - Fukumura Mizuki (譜久村聖; 9th Generation) Leader - Ikuta Erina (生田衣梨奈; 9th Generation) Sub-Leader - Suzuki Kanon (鈴木香音; 9th Generation) - Iikubo Haruna (飯窪春奈; 10th Generation) Sub-Leader - Ishida Ayumi (石田亜佑美; 10th Generation) - Sato Masaki (佐藤優樹; 10th Generation) - Kudo Haruka (工藤遥; 10th Generation) - Oda Sakura (小田さくら; 11th Generation) - Ogata Haruna (尾形春水; 12th Generation) - Nonaka Miki (野中美希; 12th Generation) - Makino Maria (牧野真莉愛; 12th Generation) - Haga Akane (羽賀朱音; 12th Generation) A-To-J Event Report: http://a-to-jconnections.com/idols/morning-musume-16s-landing-in-houston A-To-J Interview: Official Morning Musume。 ’16 Links Website: http://www.helloproject.com/morningmusume/ Google+: https://plus.google.com/+morningmusume/posts Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Morningmusume.Official/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MorningMusumeMg YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/morningmusumechannel UP-FRONT LINK Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/upfrontlink/ UP-FRONT LINK Twitter: https://twitter.com/UpFrontLink Idol School is a Chinese idol unit produced by pop singer and former Morning Musume member Linlin (Qian Lin). Linlin graduated from Morning Musume in 2010, and focused on her solo career until 2015, when she started working with Idol School as their producer, and even composed their first song "Your Chapter". Idol School themselves had formed just a year earlier. "Happy Happy New Year Yeah" is Idol School's most recent single, also produced by Linlin. The song is super catchy and upbeat. It's definitely a typical idol song, but maybe not what you would expect if you were discovering this group as a Morning Musume fan. Their sound is a lot brighter, and the members have higher voices. The synths are also higher in the mix, and much bouncier than anything Morning Musume would normally do. The whole thing is just sounds really optimistic and cheery. The video itself is pretty basic in execution. The members of Idol School dance and sing, and there's an overlying Chinese New Year theme. A few of them are dressed as elderly parents or grandparents, complete with fake facial hair and grey wigs. It's a pretty cute video for a pretty cute song. With so many members though (there are eleven) it can be a little difficult to figure out who's who, especially for a new listener and with little information on them in English. I think "Happy Happy New Year Yeah" is a super cute and fun song, and Idol School are all pretty talented singers and dancers. There's really nothing negative to say here at all. -Justin Idol School - Happy New Year Yeah MV Being a fan of idol groups, graduations are to be expected. Yet, whenever they happen, we are never prepared. The last couple years have been really challenging for Hello! Project fans with graduations, a group going on indefinite hiatus and the mastermind behind the groups having officially declared retirement.
Most recently, Morning Musume '15's 9th Generation member, Riho Sayashi, graduated on December 31st. Now, with people starting to settle down with the group as it is now, we received another piece of news thrown at us in the form of Kanon Suzuki's (also a 9th Generation member) graduation. She's been in the group for 5 years, and joined during a time that Morning Musume was suffering from lower popularity. Her youthful attitude, positive outlook and caring demeanor has completely driven her up as one of the most popular members overseas. In her official announcement, she indicated that she wants to pursue a career that involves helping others. There were no specifics made beyond that, but she did point out that doing the SATOYAMA events helped put this attitude into perspective and to make her more determined. Kanon announced that she'll be graduating at the end of this spring tour. As always, make sure all you fans out there keep supporting her, and give her your best for those of us who will see her in Texas later this month. Also, don't forget that this is the nature of Morning Musume '16. Let's keep supporting them not only in honor of Kanon, but also in the upcoming excitement of inevitable 13th generation members. Hold strong! - Teepu Official Announcement: http://helloproject.com/news/4322/ Translation of Announcement from Up-Front Link: https://www.facebook.com/notes/up-front-link/en-concerning-kanon-suzuki-from-morning-musume16/1016601485065435 Everybody loves vinyl. They are a relic of times past. They also represent a level of aural quality that sounds quite a bit more natural than the digital spectrum. These are some of the main reasons many decide to stick with the medium whenever they can.
Considering the importance of ℃-ute’s last single, it came as no surprise that they would release it as a vinyl alongside the standard digital and CD copies. That being said, this practice is not the norm within Hello! Project. In fact, it is quite a rare occurrence. In a surprising turn of events, we are being blessed with yet another 12-inch vinyl release. Morning Musume ‘16’s most recent single, ‘Tsumetai Kaze to Kataomoi / ENDLESS SKY / One and Only’, is getting a vinyl release as well (released under ‘Morning Musume ‘15’). Included will be the original three songs recorded in analog specifically for the vinyl along with a special track. The special track is a classical arrangement of the song ‘Tsumetai Kaze to Kataomoi’. This arrangement is particularly pleasing to me, because I always felt like that song would be able to take immense advantage of a classical arrangement. It looks like my dream has come true, and I hope the arrangement does the song justice. ENLESS SKY is a song presented as a farewell to Riho Sayashi, who graduated from Morning Musume ’15 on December 31st, 2015. Finally, One and Only is the first song that the group has ever done entirely in English. To top everything off, this single was the first single to reach #1 in the Oricon Weekly charts since Sayumi Michishige graduated back in 2014. That should speak volumes about the quality of the release. The vinyl is being sold on Up-Front’s official online shop: e-LineUP! Pre-orders for it have already begun, and will end on February 9th. The expected ship and release date is sometime in late March. These vinyl tend to sell out and are released in limited numbers. If you decide to order it, I highly recommend you do it soon. If you aren’t sure which third-party export service to use, I highly recommend checking out Michael’s shop on Facebook called ‘No Country For Tall Men Exports’. He specializes in acquiring good for fans overseas, is very professional and offers some of the best commission prices I’ve seen. Links are provided below. Whatever service you ultimately decide to use, don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity! Let’s hope this recent trend becomes a new standard from Hello! Project. - Teepu Official e-LineUP! Listing: http://www.e-lineup.com/shopdetail/000000008306/ No Country For Tall Men Exports: https://www.facebook.com/NoCountryForTallMenExports/ I had the pleasure of attending Riho Sayashi’s last bus tour as a member of Morning Musume ’15. Here is my story. Day 1 We gathered at Tokyo station on Saturday morning and rode our bus to Boso, Chiba. I believe the total number of participants was 372 with 9 buses total. We were separated in about three different hotels. One of the first things was the on-the-bus video which took the format of Riho's old radio show ‘RIHO-DELI’. It was one of my favorite things she did over the years and I missed it dearly, so I was so ecstatic that they brought that back. They had all the sound tracks they used on the actual show (even Deli-Kun, Riho's pet/partner). After a brief introduction and explanation of the trip, they had their "Shuwa Shuwa Mail Corner" which was a part of their radio show where they read and answered emails they received. Since this was a special version the emails were sent from the other members Morning Musume ‘15. Sadly these Riho deli segments won't be on the DVD. The first activity was two-shot picture. Rather than the usual cheki, this was taken by a professional camera man. It was taken in one of the ceremony rooms at the hotel I stayed at. First, our whole bus was taken into a waiting room and the bus tour MC Suzuki Keita from Jo-Jo Gundan came in to greet us. Then Riho was called in to the room and we finally got to see her! She was being very goofy and she walked into our room with her face hidden behind a big poster (that had our bus number on it) and she had changed her voice to say "Hi everyone. What if I'm not Riho Sayashi?” Then she asked us if we had already chosen our poses for the picture and that her pick will be the Sayamaru pose. I ended up asking for the LA pose. I first panicked because I forgot to ask her to smile but I ended up getting the best face. We received the printed picture at the end of our trip and it’s an L size. To top it off, she even signed each and every one of our pictures. Next, we had a chance to pick up some goods. We then drew two lottery papers, which indicated our seats for the concert later in the day as well as the event the next day. There was a nice early dinner before we headed out to the venue. Now this venue was amazing. It was very new and clean, and also probably a lecture hall because each seat had those pull up tables. All of the rows were higher than the other so I don't think anyone had trouble seeing Riho no matter what seat you had pulled. As for the concert, most of the fans were expecting to have a similar set list to her solo live she had a few days before but she actually changed most of it. The only same song was the new Tsumetai Kaze. The rest of the set list is as follows: - Kimagure Princess - Take off is now! - Kiseki no Kaori Dance - Moonlight night ~Tsukiyo no Ban da yo~ - *Present corner* - Go Girl Koi no Victory - The Matenrou Show - Dokka-n Cappriccio - Egao ni Namida ~THANK YOU! DEAR MY FRIENDS During the present corner Riho picked out seat numbers from a box. One person won a present of Sayashi drawing their face (which was surprisingly good). Two won Sayashi writing a calligraphy kanji for them. Whoever got chosen would come up to the stage and Riho wrote the first kanji that came to her mind by looking at them. One guy got 柔 which basically means soft and it was because the guy was a bit chubby. The next lady got 凛 meaning frigid and dignified. For this one when she first thought of it she couldn't remember how to write it so she almost gave up, and told the MC she'll change it. We wanted to know what it was though, so then the audience shouted out how to write it and she ended up sticking with it. One person won the ability to have her record a voice message onto an alarm clock. He asked for "It’s morning, wake up. Shuwa shuwa pon!!" It was really cute! The last present was three bracelets that Riho had made in her free time. Concerning the performance itself, the place was most heated up during Dokka-n! The last song, Ayaya's Egao ni Namida ~THANK YOU! DEAR MY FRIENDS, made me burst into tears, especially since I was an old Risa Niigaki fan too (this song was her graduation single). Part of the lyrics say: We'll probably see each other again. We'll probably see each other again smiling. It was optimistic and left us with less bitterness and more hope. It was just a train wreck of feelings for most fans because at her solo live a few days back, she started out with her song from the play Stacy's Kimagure Zetsubou Arigatou. The song begins: Thank you, so don't be hurt. Thank you, so don't be sad. I thought that was said straight to us fans and it was very sad but at the same time you knew she was reaching out to us and trying to send a message. You know she picked the songs carefully, and I'm so glad she had these opportunities to perform all of them in her short time. After the live we all got to say bye or good night to her on our way out as handed out a pouch with the bus tour logo on it. Day 2 Today we started the day off at a farm called Mother Bokujyo. We watched a sheep dog show with Riho, and she even got to feed a baby sheep. After that we took group pictures. One group was half a bus with 18 teams in total. I was lucky enough to stand right next to her in the picture! I feel like I used up all my life’s luck! That one is a 2L sized picture. After that we had lamb meat barbecue for lunch. At that place Riho came to say "Itadakimasu" with us and walked around the room. Her outfit for the second day was the cutest thing ever. While we ate we also received these custom packaged gums since lamb meat is known to smell (although no one wanted to open them). Next was our last planned evening event. It started out with watching a fan club event history compilation video all the way back to her first fan club 9th generation greeting event (which was adorable). Some memorable moments were talked about and then the NYC concert came up and the MC asked if any of us in the audience had gone to the concert. I was so happy I got to proudly raise my hand to that. I’m pretty sure she thought I was one of the Japanese native fans who supported her, though. The next part Sayashi had been told that they’d hold a Q&A event, but it was a secret surprise planned by the staff and us fans. Before the tour, we had received a message card to fill out and all those cards were put into albums to give to Riho for her bus tour memories. A leader was picked from each bus to give a small message/speech on the stage and after their message they would hand their bus's album to her. Then all the people on that bus would stand in the audience and shout our previously chosen short message to her. Some messages were: "Hyahho-i x3", "Please believe in yourself!" and my bus’s was "We will always love you". My bus leader's speech was the most honest and heartfelt. "You're actually going to graduate...I can't tell you congrats from the bottom of my heart. Do you remember at your birthday event this year you had said 'I realized that taking care of myself is the way to give back to my fans'? That is correct. Please take care of yourself. Both your body and your heart/mind. Please be healthy. Thank you for everything. We will always be rooting for you. I will not graduate being a Sayashi-oshi." The whole room was as one at that moment, because our team leader expressed everything we all wanted to express. After all our speeches were done, as our last present to her, we all sang Maji Desu ka Ska! to her and she walked around the aisles while she held her tears. After that, Riho spoke. "I'm always trying to give back to my fans...but my fans would always give back so much more. I can never beat my fans." One last surprise was announced from the MC and it was a video from her favorite person. All the fans murmured that it has to be Takahashi...but it turned out to be Rola, the half celebrity. She had been one of Riho's favorite celebrities for a long time, and the staff was able to get a video message from her saying congrats on your graduation and good luck on your study abroad. Sayashi was so surprised and happy that she wanted to watch it twice. After that was a handshake on our way out. I was so full of emotions it was really hard to think of what to even say to her. When I got there I was able to tell her that the two days were so much fun, and that English isn't too hard so ‘ganbatte’. She was like, ‘Oh really?’, but I successfully got to tell her what I wanted. Then we all went back to our buses. She came out to wave and say bye to each sides of our buses and we went on the road to go home. Or at least that's what we thought! On the bus we had watched our last episode of the Riho Deli video and then one more video started to play. It was the MC and he was talking about how much fun the event was and how sad he was that it ended. He went on to say "Don't you want to see her again!? You can't go home yet! One last surprise event! Head straight back to the farm!" Excited, we were taken back to the farm. It was dark and super cold by then. The surprise event was that Riho would be brought to the place thinking she's going to shoot a little video with the illumination at the farm in the dark. She would come with an eye mask because the director wanted her pure reaction and things like that. In truth, all 372 fans were waiting for her arrival in the dark trying our best to keep dead silent so we wouldn't be noticed. After getting settled in our spots and having our procedure explained, the car with Riho came driving in to where we were. Then comes out Riho with an eye mask lead by her manager, the camera man and the director. She walked right next to the big crowd of fans as we held our breaths. The funny thing was, since it was a farm with a bunch of sheep, in our dead silence you could clearly hear the sheep bleating in the distance. This made a lot of us fans snicker. When Riho was walking to her spot, she got excited when she heard the sheep too. The director said "Why don't you have a conversation with them?" and Riho laughed and went on to bleat at the sheep in the distance. She even got a reply back from a sheep and she was super excited. At this point we fans were dying trying not to laugh, and that was the hardest part of the bus trip. Once she got to her place the director counted down to take off her eye mask, and when she did, we greeted her with the biggest "SURPRIIIIIIIIISE!!!" She was so dumbfounded and taken aback she tripped off her small stage! It was the cutest reaction! She was so impressed by our silence and said that she didn't feel any presence and she was also super embarrassed because we had all heard her conversation with the sheep. -Konomi
Hey guys! Michele here coming at you with a little bit of Hello! Project news, and by "little" I actually mean "pretty important"! It was announced on January 2nd, 2016, during the “Hello! Project 2016 WINTER ~ DANCING! SINGING! EXCITING!” concert that Morning Musume ’16 will be holding their “Morning Musume’16 Shinseiki Audition” to form their 13th Generation! The date for these auditions has not been announced as of yet and although not many details have been given, we can only hope they give us snippets of information as time goes on. For those of you that don’t know, Morning Musume is a Japanese pop idol group with continuous line-up changes with older members graduating and newer girls being added at regular intervals. Recently this seems to almost be annual occurrence. With the recent graduation of 9th generation member and ace, Sayashi Riho, coming into 2016 without newer members would have been almost something of a shock. While details are few, they are looking for applicants between the ages of 10-17 who have a passion for singing and dancing as well as a headstrong feeling for their future. Girls who love Morning Musume more than anything else in the world are also encouraged.
Now having followed all of Hello! Project acts since 2010, I have witnessed quite a few Morning Musume graduations myself, as well as many auditions. While this was of no shock to me, with the somewhat recent addition of 12th generation members, Nonaka Miki, Makino Maria, Ogata Haruna and Haga Akane, they could have fooled anyone! Now as auditions can go on for several months and new members are usually announced at the end the next tour, that means if auditions were announced in the winter we can hope to get the new generation announced by the end of the summer tour. As history is bound to repeat itself, applicants that do not make it into the group may have the opportunity to become Hello Pro Kenshuusei, a group of girls that are given dancing and singing lessons within Hello! Project in hopes that one day they will debut into one of the many groups in Hello! Project. These girls mainly perform as back-up dancers for major acts but have also formed groups of their own. This is going to be an exciting year for Morning Musume ’16 fans, I know I said I wasn’t shocked to hear about the news of another generation, but I am definitely excited to see where this will as Morning Musume ’16 will definitely turn into quite a large group! Until next time! -Michele Official Announcement - facebook.com/notes/up-front-link/en-new-audition-for-morning-musume16-announced Official 13th Generation Audition Page - musume-audition.com
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