  Today is Christmas so there won't be a Throwback Thursday post. Instead I will feature my favorite Christmas song to come out this year, E-girls' "Mr. Snowman. E-girls have had a great year, plain and simple. They released a string of amazing singles that have been accompanied by some of the best videos this side of the other big Avex artists. This one is the last of the year, but it is no exception to the legacy of excellence. Let's start with the video here as it is also one of the best that I've seen all year, many of the runner-ups being other E-girls videos anyway. Avex pulled out all the stops when it came to budget and set pieces with E-girls. There are several locations in this video (mainly used to feature each of the different groups that make up E-girls) from the teacup ride, the red-caped snow forest, the snow palace and the light/dark mirror room, not mention a few others. All the girls look great here too though to be honest, I am only familiar with a few of these girls/groups, the others being virtual unknowns to me at the moment. If this year is any indication though, they'll be one to keep an eye on in 2015. Back to the video, the costumes are all spot-on as well and the effects and concept designs throughout the video make it an instant classic, especially for the holidays. Now the song itself is extremely catchy with a chorus that begs singing along. Being a Rhythm Zone release, this track is most assuredly as dance-worthy as any other E-girls song, holiday themed or not. The group's strong focus on dance is apparent here, but unlike some other artists' attempts at dance music, this never feels like it deters from the enjoyment of the song on a pure aural level. The whole package reminds me of why I have a particular love for Idol Christmas songs in the first place. The single has been out for about a month now and I encourage everyone to check it out, or at least watch the video here. That being said, like other Avex uploads, the video itself is a teaser of sorts and drops off before the final part. A definite disappointment, but fans of Avex probably already expect this and it's not a deal breaker in and of itself. Watch and enjoy! E-girls (Exile Girls Unit) is a pop unit under Rhythm Zone that is made up other Avex groups Dream, Happiness, Flower, Bunny and EGD. Their third album, "E.G. Time" will be released on New Year's day 2015. E-girls Official Site: e-girls-ldh.jp  Hello! Pro Station Episode #98 Contents MC: Sayashi Riho & Sugaya Risako ◆ Berryz Koubou - "Love together! (Promotion Edit)" PV ◆ Berryz Koubou - "VERY BEAUTY" Live At COTTON CLUB ◆ S/mileage - "Yume Miru 15" Live At TATSUYA O-EAST ◆ Juice=Juice - "J=J School For Girls" ◆ Q & A Corner This week's episode of Hello! Pro Station starts with the Promotion Edit PV of Berryz Koubou's song, "Love together!". This song is sad, plain and simple. No other word properly describes it. I'll admit that I wasn't really feeling too nostalgic over Berryz's graduation, but this song made me realize how different Hello! Project will be without them. Saki Shimizu will never become Hello! Project leader, Momoko will still be around, but in a different capacity and we'll see little of Risako and Miyabi. A different Hello! Project indeed. Back on topic, the video and song are beautiful and it's a fitting farewell to the group. Few graduating groups, or members, get songs this well put together. I am glad they gave them such a fitting song to close with and didn't leave it with simply "Romance wo Katatte/Towa no Uta". The lyrics are completely fitting and I am more than a little sad that I didn't catch them both times they came to the US. I also wish I had given them more attention the past couple years, especially as I was often busy talking about how mediocre they were becoming. I'm sure that in retrospect I will realize they were an amazing group. Of course that realization will come too late.  Onto our hosts. This episode is hosted by Sayashi Riho (Morning Musume '14) and Sugaya Risako (Berryz Koubou. Risako is very close to tears in the beginning and there are some sadly awkward moments at the start of this episode. This is of course understandable with the new video just being played and all of Hello! Project the eve of a series of major changes. Riho must feel it too as this is the close of Morning Musume '14. Very soon they will be Morning Musume '15, Sayumi's absence will become absolute and the new line-up will finally debut. Lots of changes are in store...  The episode continues with a performance from Berryz's dinner show at The COTTON CLUB. The song chosen here is "VERY BEAUTY" a song that I never really cared for. I'm sure the set list was better and I wish they'd have chosen a better song for this episode. I'll refrain from bashing this choice though as I just stated earlier that I think I was too hard on Berryz Koubou recently. There are some comments following this and I hope that we get to see more Berryz in their final few months.  Iikubo Haruna takes over the 4-kanji phrase segment on this episode. I still am not really sure who this segment is aimed at, but yet I watch it every week anyway...  Onto...original S/mileage! At least non-third-gen S/mileage. Here we are given a clip of them performing Yume Miru 15 at a recent concert at TATSUYA O-EAST. One of their more popular songs and one of my favorites. Will we still get the loud "Earphone de" when they become ANGERME? Will they even still do this song? Either way, enjoy this performance of a S/mileage that we will never truly see again.
The episode closes with footage from another Juice=Juice fashion event titled "J=J School For Girls" and the usual Q&A Corner with our MCs. Some discussion over the winter concerts and Morning Musume's latest photobook and we wrap up this show. This penultimate episode of 2014 is full of content from start to finish. Last week's episode felt like it had a bit of filler and this episode is the complete opposite. I can't wait to see what they have in store for next week's, which will be the last one of the year! As always, watch and enjoy!  Hello! Pro Station Episode #97 Contents MC: Tsugunaga Momoko & Yamaki Risa ◆ S/mileage/ANGERME Announcement ◆ Hello! Pro Kenshuusei ◆ 4 Kanji Phrase ◆ Berryz Selection ◆ Q & A Corner First off, this episode features Momoko as MC along with Country Girls member, Yamaki Risa. They've been paraded around a bit, but this is the first real time a lot of people outside of Japan (or those that don't follow their blogs, etc. closely) get to see members of the newest Hello! Project group. Let me take a moment here to say that I still don't understand what Momoko's role in the group will be. Frankly, she confuses me. She's their "Play Manager" and is set apart from them, but she will also be performing with them? I know this hearkens somewhat to the days when Rika Ishikawa and Konno Asami/Miki Fujimoto joined Country Musume as guests, but this seems just a little too different, just a little more permanent. I guess time will tell how this odd role plays out regarding the group. The two discuss their likes and dislikes, Momoko chastises Risa just a little bit, but that's her way I guess. Mikan anyone?  Moving on, we get the announcement of S/mileage's name change to "ANGERME". I did a whole post about this so I'll keep this brief. I still don't know what to think about the romanization of the name being too similar to "anger me" but I don't think it's necessary a bad name all things considered. The concept is a little off considering the group's former sound, but with everything up in the air at the moment, it's possible their sound might be changing too. This is probably more so due to the fact that Takui Nakajima (not Tsunku) will be composing their next single. I also wonder what this means for their back catalog of S/mileage songs. Will they still be performing them regularly? Will the most recent singles end up in a release-limbo since they are not collected on any albums? I guess we'll find out in 2015. Lot of Tamura Meimei fun in this clip by the way and we also get to see more of the new members whose names I can still barely remember...  We get a Hello! Pro Kenshuusei live which is not too bad, but I never really care much for Kenshuusei performances. They remind me of the Under Girls performing in AKB48. Nothing wrong with that group, but it's weird to see traces of 48-inspired idol tactics within Hello! Project. The song is spot-on though and the performances are strong. Like it or not, there are future members of Morning Musume, and ANGERME, mixed in amongst these girls...  We get yet another 4-kanji phrase from Tomoko Kanazawa and Sasaki Rikako. Is this anyone's favorite segment? If it is, please tell me why... I'll admit that whenever this segment comes on, I tune out. It's almost like a commercial break. Like I know that I have two minutes to go do something more worthwhile...  The episode wraps up with a Berryz Selection and a Q & A Corner with Momoko and Risa. A little bit of an uneventful episode with practically no new music or live footage (they could have milked the Sayumi graduation concert or even the recent S/mileage one where the name announcement was made) but it's still a nice way to pass the time! Check it out!   This week's Throwback Thursday post goes back to Christmas 2010. Not as far back as I usually go for these type of posts, but it's Christmas time and I want to change things up just a little. It's 2010 and Hello! Project idol group C-ute was on track following single "Dance de Bakoon" which featured a more dance-anthem style. This sound was hinted at in this song "Aitai Lonely Christmas" and would be best represented in their next single, "Kiss me Aishiteru". In short, these three songs would come to define what C-ute's sound would ultimately be over the next few years until now. "Aitai Lonely Christmas" was sandwiched in the middle, but that's okay, it was the weird song in the bunch after all. It was the Christmas song. I have a soft spot for Christmas songs and I like that most of the Japanese ones, idol or otherwise, don't always tread down the cliche, sappy routes, but usually have songs that have a Christmas "feel" or motif to them instead of being simple a song about Christmas. This song doesn't fail to deliver and five-member C-ute (this reduced line-up was still barely a year old at this point) were in great form on this single. Their dancing skills were starting to become a central focus and with good reason. Focusing on this point, it is interesting to note that not a single shot of the dance made it into the full PV that I am sharing here. There is a dance to this song, and there is in fact a dance shot PV, but those shots exist solely there and not in the video proper. This is one of the few times that Hello! Project and UP-FRONT has done this and it's all the more interesting that it was done to C-ute. Back to the video itself, what it lacks in dance shots, it make up for in oddly-creepy house shots! The house here looks like it came out of a Tim Burton movie, but look nice and not totally out-of-place nonetheless. The shots of the letter-writing do an okay job of breaking up the monotony of a dance-less video though the action in the video seems a little lacking. The outfits are a nice choice as the girls are clearly cold shown by their hats and ponchos, but apparently they are comfortable enough to be in shorts and skirts in the falling snow... Did I mention the odd out-of-place instrumental break that seems empty without a corresponding out-of-place dance break? Yeah, there's that. Watch it and see for yourself! Oh yeah-Merry Christmas!!  Fans of Hello! Project and S/mileage may recall an announcement that a name change was to come with the arrival of the new third generation. For those in the know, this name change was the result of a trademark dispute over the use of the name. It seems that UP-FRONT was not too sharp on trademarking one of its central idol groups and their image had to suffer for it. This somewhat shocking news was followed by a call for submissions for said new name. Submissions were open to anyone who could properly fill out the form. I myself submitted a name (which I can barely recall) and apparently, according to the official statement, so did about 10,000 others. With all these wonderful name suggestions the powers that be at UP-FRONT and Hello! Project had to choose from, they were sure to come up with an amazing one right? Well, you can judge for yourself. The group that was once known as "S/mileage" is now to be known as "ANGERME". You read that right-"ANGERME". Now anyone with a smattering of English will automatically pronounce that as "anger me", while that is natural, it is not totally correct. Their new name is actually a portmanteau of sorts of the French words for "angel" (ange) and "tears" (larme). Why they are not called "ANGELME" is something that myself and half the internet is asking and it's pretty much anyone's guess. One can only assume the answer is lurking somewhere in a case of odd romanization of the original katakana. Also one can wonder at the irony of the name change moving from one referencing smiles to one referencing tears. Stranger still is the fact that this name change apparently came via suggestion of member Nakanishi Kana. This of course makes one wonder what the point of the submission contest was in the first place. Either way, the name change is official and there is no going back. The re-branded group's first major single, "Taiki Bansei/Otome no Gyakushuu", drops February 2nd of next year.
S/mileage was an idol group originally formed of four members of Hello! Pro Eggs (now referred to as "Hello! Pro Kenshuusei"). Original members Wada Ayaka, Maeda Yuka, Fukuda Kanon and Ogawa Saki released four indie singles before their major label jump was announced. This major label move was not without its challenges however, the four girls were charged with amassing 10,000 "smiles" (i.e. pictures of fans smiling either submitted or collected). This was of course done with some semblance of ease and said smiles were submitted from not only Japan, but around the world. I myself did not participate (I will freely admit to not being a S/mileage fan in those early days) but I know of quite a few from the local scene alone who saw their smiles on that big canvas board they used to display them. Following the move to a major label, S/mileage saw the addition of five new members in what would be their second generation. Now, this nine-member S/mileage only truly existed on paper as Ogawa Saki took this moment to announce her sudden graduation. Maeda Yuka would soon follow as would one of the newest members (Kosuga Fuyuka) who left for health reasons. The remaining six members became the S/mileage that Hello! Project fans the world over have known for years. They went from Mano Erina's back dancers to tour headliners in a relatively short time. Their style ranged from both cutesy anthems to mature songs of romance and longing."Aa Susukino/Chikyuu wa Kyou mo Ai wo Hagukumu" marked their last release as "S/mileage" and they officially debuted the new nine-member line-up at Sayumi Michishige's graduation concert on November 26, 2014. ANGERME Is: ● Wada Ayaka (和田彩花, leader) ● Fukuda Kanon (福田花音) ● Nakanishi Kana (中西香菜) ● Takeuchi Akari (竹内朱莉) ● Katsuta Rina (勝田里奈) ● Tamura Meimi (田村芽実) ● Murota Mizuki (室田瑞希) ● Aikawa Maho (相川茉穂) ● Sasaki Rikako (佐々木莉佳子) Official Website: helloproject.com/angerme SNS Links Below  Hello! Pro Station Episode #96 Contents MC: Fukuda Kanon, Murota Mizuki & Sasaki Rikako ◆ Berryz Koubou - Romance wo Katatte" ◆ C-ute - I miss you ◆ C-ute - Aitai Aitai Aitai na ◆ 4 Kanji Phrase ◆ Takagi Sayuki Hair Arrange ◆ Q & A Corner ◆ S/mileage In Okinawa This week's Hello! Pro Station begins with Berryz Koubou! A live of their latest single "Romance wo Katatte" to be exact. I've said it before and I'll say it again. It's sad that Berryz Koubou are graduating next year, but I think it's worse that they're leaving with such a lackluster single. That being said, I don't think the song is terrible, but it's very generic and has that "album track" feel to it. I know that there are legions of Berryz fans who will disagree with me on this, so I will simply move on.  Back into the episode proper, this episode is hosted by S/mileage member Fukuda Kanon and new third gen S/mileage members Murota Mizuki and Sasaki Rikako. Before I move on into the rest of the episode, am I the only one who thinks that Kanon has just a little too much make up on? That being said, I still find it weird that S/mileage has pretty much inserted the three new girls without too much fanfare.  Next up we get some C-ute footage! There's some backstage off-shoots, but more importantly there are lives of "I miss you" (Probably my favorite C-ute song period) and "Aitai Aitai Aitai na". Both performances are spot on, but the size of this venue, not to mention the camera placement, leaves something to be desired. "I miss you" loses a little something in the low-fi audio, but I still think this song is where C-ute shines.  Tomoko Kanazawa and Sasaki Rikako do a 4-character kanji phrase and Juice=Juice member, Takagi Sayuki makes Kenshuusei member, Taguchi Natsumi into her twin via a hair arrange. After this we get some weirdness involving our hosts and some footage of S/mileage in Okinawa. A slightly uneventful episode, but a nice way to spend a free 50 minutes. Be sure to watch!    This week's Throwback Thursday song is "Sabishii Nettaigyo" by pop duo Wink! This group is one of my personal favorite Golden Era idols and this song is not only my favorite of theirs, but it was also their biggest hit. The video reeks of the late 80s/early 90s both in sound and fashion, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing! There is definitely a certain charm in the video that is lost in most current JPop. Those who know my musical tastes when it comes to Japanese Pop know that I have a soft spot for the classic idols of the eighties and nineties. With that in mind let me point out that this group, and song, define the tail end of the Golden Era of Idols. Moving back to the song, it is not only infectious, but also contains a certain timeless quality that allows modern listeners to enjoy it without it coming off as campy or cheesy. Also noteworthy regarding this song's timeless factor is the fact that this song has been covered my many artists over the years, not the least of whom are "W" (A Hello! Project unit consisting of Kago Ai and Tsuji Nozomi) and Up-Front soloist Kikkawa You. A true classic if there ever was one. Wink was a duo made up of Suzuki Sachiko and Aida Shoko. They were formed by way of a beauty contest put on by UTB (Up To Boy) Magazine, a contest in which Suzuki won and Aida was a runner-up. They debuted with the single “Sugar Baby Love” in 1987 which was a cover of a song by American artists, The Rubettes. This cover would not prove to be a unique occurrence as many of their early singles/songs were in fact covers of western songs with original Japanese lyrics. Their first major chart-topping single was “Ai ga Tomaranai ~Turn It into Love~” (1988) which was, you guessed it, a cover. This one being their take on the famous Kylie Minogue song of the same name. Even though their excellent covers can be listed ad infinitum, they are probably best known for their single “Sabishii Nettaigyo” (1989). Which is also notable for being their first original, non-cover single. Sadly, facing the coming of the "Idol Ice Age" Wink disbanded in 1996, they both continued their careers as TV personalities, actresses as well as some solo activity. Wink - Sabishii Nettaigyo (1989) W - Sabishii Nettaigyo (2004) Kikkawa You - Sabishii Netaigyo (2012)  Fresh off the single "Mr. Snowman", E-girls have released their latest video for the song "Move It! -Dream & E-girls TIME-". The dance-friendly, pop supergroup's latest single features the group "Dream" which, besides being one of the many groups within the E-girls collective, has been active in the Japanese pop scene for well over a decade. Their latest infectious song and video may focus on Dream, but the other girls in good form too and their dancing skills are on the forefront just as much as Dream are. The video bears the typical Avex attention to quality and has the high production values one has come to associate with E-girls. Expect lots of sets pieces and some visually appealing locales. The song, complete with catchy hooks, an infectious beat and some nice rap breaks, will immediately catch you attention from it's rhythmic opening, so do yourself a favor and check out the video!  Dream, as a pop group, has had a long varied history. Originally formed as a trio in 2000 with the last original member leaving in 2010. During that time, and beyond, Dream went through more changes than just new members. They also changed their name to "DRM". Following several years as "DRM" Dream was renamed in 2008 and today stands as a four-member girl group consisting of Erie Abe, Aya Takamoto, Ami Nakashima and Shizuka Nishida. E-girls (Exile Girls Unit) is a pop unit under Rhythm Zone that is made up other Avex groups Dream, Happiness, Flower, Bunny and EGD. Their third album, "E.G. Time" will be released on New Year's day 2015. E-girls Official Site: e-girls-ldh.jp Dream Official Site: dream-ldh.jp/  On December 8th 2014, during a 9th anniversary concert performance, AKB48 General Director, Minami Takahashi surprised fans worldwide with her announcement that she would be graduating from AKB48 on the group's 10th anniversary, December 8th 2015. At this same time she also named Yui Yokoyama as her successor. Further announcements on post-AKB48 activities have not been announced, though we can assuredly look forward to one last amazing year with her as AKB48 Leader.
Minami Takahashi first joined AKB48 in 2005 when she was chosen as one of the original 24 winners of the first AKB48 audition. In 2009, she became the leader of AKB48's Team A. In 2012 that role was taken by Mariko Shinoda and she assumed the role of AKB48 General Director, taking charge of AKB48 and all its sister groups. She has been featured on nearly every AKB48 single and is also a member of sub-group no3b with Haruna Kojima and Minami Minegishi. She has also released one solo single, "Jane Doe", in 2013.
For this week's Throwback Thursday post, we'll go back just a little over a decade ago an look at Mini Moni's "CRAZY ABOUT YOU". Most people know of Mini Moni in it's original form of Yaguchi Mari, Kago Ai and Tsuji Nozomi. Of course Mika Todd (of Coconuts Musume) was added when the group eventually debuted, but that came a little while later. Their first single was "Minimoni. Jankenpyon!/Haru Natsu Aki Fuyu Daisukki!" (2000) topped the Oricon charts, no mean feat in those days, but this was the height of Morning Musume's fame and the Mari, Ai and Tsuji were all then-current members. Everyone knows the famous clips that spawned from the antics of the original members as well. Just two of these being Ai punching Mari Yaguchi in the crotch and, of course, the infamous "dramatic hamster" clip. Elsewhere, there were the Hamtaro tie-ins and the countless other media pulls that involved endorsements and tons of merchandising. This grew exponentially to the point where Tsuji Nozomi and Kago Ai were two of the most highly paid talents in the industry. Then there is what came after... There are some that don't know the latter part of their career that took place when Yaguchi Mari left to front ZYX and that's a shame. Even with the loss of Mari, Mini Moni soldiered on with Takahashi Ai (Then new 5th generation member of Morning Musume) and Mika Todd taking over leadership duties. This series of events can be seen in a more entertaining form in their movie "Mini Moni The Movie: Okashi na Daibouken" though the group that Mari fronts there is more properly the "4Kids" group and not what would eventually be ZYX. Anyhow, this new line-up's first single would be the more mature-sounding "CRAZY ABOUT YOU". Unfortunately, the single didn't sell too well and the group would break up soon afterwards following a second album and the single "Lucky Cha Cha Cha" (The third single with this line-up). The group disbanded in 2004, but Mini Moni continued in a sort of truncated fashion with "W" which was a duo made up of Tsuji Nozomi and Kago Ai. Two albums and many singles later, this duo too would eventually break up due to Ai's repeated involvement in scandals. While Kago Ai's career would never fully recover, Mini Moni didn't simply fade off into the sunset. Mini Moni as a group would see countless revivals in concerts, but most notable would be resurrected as "Shin Mini Moni" with members Linlin (Then of Morning Musume), Fukuda Kanon (Later of S/mileage), Takeuchi Akari (Also later of S/mileage) and Miyamoto Karin (Later of Juice=Juice). Despite possible high hopes, this line-up would only record two songs and mostly existed as a live unit. This would be the last revival of Mini Moni barring future ones. Throughout Mini Moni's checkered history, we are left with some amazingly catchy songs, many of which I feel are often overlooked, hence my choice of this song over, say, "Jankenpyon". Also, I have been lucky to have seen Kago Ai in person twice (Once performing, once in a promotional appearance) and Takahashi Ai twice as well (Once live with Morning Musume and later as a DJ at the recent J-Melo Party). With all this in mind, watch and enjoy! Mini Moni Are: ●Mika Todd - Leader ●Tsuji Nozomi ●Kago Ai ●Takahashi Ai |
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