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It looks like Hello!Project's growth into the Asian market is expanding, with the news of the H!P Eggs New Star Audition in Taiwan. I'm guessing this is going to cause quite a bit of debate between fans, much like the addition of Junjun and Linlin did when they first appeared in Morning Musume. I have to admit to being a little sceptical when I originally heard about the introduction on Junjun and Linlin in Morning Musume, but now much like ever member I wouldn't have it any other way.
The curious thing with these auditions is the age range 6-24, I'm unsure of what the age range of previous Egg auditions have been, but to be honest I really couldn't imagine including a 24 year old into the Eggs, she would seem out of place. I'm wondering perhaps if this is also a move to try and recruit some older members for a new unit of solo careers? Certainly I can't imagine any of the girls making it through just being in the H!P Egg line up, with all the publicity around them surely it would be wise to put them into a new unit, but with all the recent activity within the H!P Eggs I'm sure this is quite a real possibility, perhaps a unit specifically targeting the Chinese fans? Or even a unit not based within Japan?


I'm also a little surprised by the whole apprant cheapness of how the Official Chinese H!P website is promoting it. First off there's the page promoting the audition http://www.helloproject.com.tw/audition/ basically a cut up of images, not exactly the best way to do a web page, but then with much like certain Japanese sites this can be overlooked because of the characters used, it's much easier this way to get the page looking good, but what really got me was the email addresses displayed on the page, I can't read the page but I'm guessing these are the addresses to contact with queries about the auditions and to send the application forms to...why aren't they addresses within the helloproject.com.tw domain, why use free Yahoo! and Hotmail ones...why is the application called test.doc? I know these are little things to pick on, but if you're going to do something like this surely you'd do it properly?
But these little things aren't going to stop me from being very excited about the whole thing, how many girls will sign up for the auditions? How many will be chosen? What will their roles within H!P be?

TAGS [ H!P Eggs ]

I've had quite a few people email with regards to buying tickets and finding out when and where concerts are on and so in attempt to try and make things a little easier for anyone wanting to find a bit more information about the concerts taking place (also I look at it this way, the more I look at the dates the more likely I am to give in and go to another concert, lol) I've set up a page which lists all of the current scheduled H!P concerts in date order, it's basically a reworking and traslated version of the page found on the Official H!P Site. At the moment it's still a work in progress as I want to add a filtering system so you can limit groups, dates, regions, etc, etc, but for the minute the basics are there, when I next have a quiet couple of evenings I'll sit down and tweak it a bit.
I've also put in some useful links, obviously Ohta's Store and Haropedia's Concert Guide, but I've tried to add links to maps and the home pages of the venues being played.

H!P Concert Tour Details Page

TAGS [ Concert Hello!Project ]

Ohta has updated his eBay Store with a new selection of Visual Screens and with both Morning Musume (Morning Musume Visual Screens) and Berryz Koubou (Berryz Visual Screen and Oijigi 30° Merchandise) having these releases it was inevitable that a C-ute version would be available sooner or later and thankfully it's sooner rather than later, as they feature the C-ute girls in the outfits worn in Namida no Iro. After watching the PV release for Namida no Iro and seeing quite a few promotional shots from the release it's fairly safe to say that I think these are the best outfits I've seen them wear, it pushes all of the members up to a much more mature and cool look and it's one I really like, so the prospect of owning these huge (180cm x 60cm) visual screens is something that I'm considering quite seriously. The previous versions of these have had me interested but haven't had me hooked, the initial Berryz versions were tempting as I'd never seen this kind of release of before, but although I was tempted I passed, the Morning Musume screens again were tempting but the outfits worn were the ones featured in the original version of the PV for Resonant Blue and I don't think they were the best for this type of product.
Both Erika and Nakki are rising within my favourite H!P members all the time, so if I was to purchase any it would have to be there's, but with them coming in at such a large size could I find anywhere to put them up...and if I did, wouldn't it look better as a full set? Tough decisions ahead.



TAGS [ C-ute Ohta ]

After a slightly longer than usual wait the latest issue of Up to Boy is out, was it worth the wait? I certainly hope so as a week before it's release I took out a years subscription.
The new title across the top looks a lot more stylish, although one thing I'm slightly confused about is to whether the magazine is still called Up to Boy. Although the cover has this abbreivated down to UTB it's not until I got into the magazine that it seems the abbreviation no longer stands for Up to Boy but for Ultimate Top Beauty, as to whether this is just another meaning for the abbreviation I don't know, certainly the Wani Books website is still calling the magazine by it's original title.
Unlike previous issues this issues seems to be more a celebration of 100 of the top idols of 2008, than of inidividual idol releases. So although with both Aichan and Gakisan having PB releases coming out (in Gaki's case it's already out) they don't feature in here, instead they feature in an article about Morning Musume as a whole, much the same as Berryz and C-ute. The only members to feature indiviually are Onagku Gatas member Satoda and eating champion and Gyaruru member Sonene. There's also no extras included, usually we are given a DVD featuring promotional clips for the idols included and before the introduction of these, document holders and poster featuring the idol on the cover. The actual quality of the whole magazine seems to have improved as the whole magazine is now printed on glossy paper, the black and white centre sections are no more. Overall I really like the new look and feel of the magazine.
I'm curious to see what the next issue will be like as this seems very much to be an issue not only celebrating it's redesign but idols as a whole, if the next issue is to revert back to the old format of preview shots from upcoming releases I wonder if we'll see the resurface of the DVD or some other kind of extra?

It's good to see Gal Sone, having not really seen her since Gyaruru last single release (well aside from when I was in Japan and she was on almost every TV show) I know some people found her to be a little strange, but although I had a feeling that I would be liking Abe Asami the most from the unit in the end it turned out that Sonene's personality won me over, this is mainly thanks to the PV Making Of footage. It also looks like that the release of another single from the unit is now even less likely, although their blog hadn't been updated in ages there was always the hope that a surprise entry may appear with the promise of a new release, but when I checked earlier today the site was no longer up, although nothing official I'm guessing that hearing nothing from the unit in such a long time and now the blog site going down there's not much hope of seeing another release.






TAGS [ Berryz C-ute Gyaruru Morning Musume Satoda Up to Boy ]

I've finally managed to pick up the latest issue of Up to Boy and I should be able to get around to making a post about at some point during the week, in the mean time I thought I'd post some scans from the last couple of issue of Friday magazine that I bought recently. Unfortunately I haven't been able to get a translation of the two Aibon articles if I do I'll make sure I'll update the post with them.
It's interesting how I've seen neither of these articles surface anywhere, certainly I'm dying to see what the people who originally reported the Aibon Smoking Scandal have to say about her (second) return.
The first article is taken from the issue 4/25 I have a brief translation of the article it talks about Aibon's return, her mother, her boyfriend and how she cut her wrists, I'm guessing it's basically a break down of the interview she gave OhMyNews, on the plus side the magazine wants her to come back again and stil thinks she's cute, there can be no arguing with that.
The second article taken from the recent 5/9-16 issue (every other scan after is taken from the same issue) I'm guessing mentions her appearance at the Ameba Studios, Hello!Online has some information about this interview here.


Something I can't remember ever seeing in an issue of Friday is a member of H!P in one of the sealed sections, these sections contain the more racier photos and normally fall into one of two categories nude/kinky PBs or like this sealed section photo of celebrities where we get to see a little bit more than they wanted us too. Inside we have Reina where if you squint and strain your eyes you can see up side of her shorts and see her pink knickers! Also in this section we get treated to a bit of Mikitty as well, as she's walking up the stairs we get to see a bit more leg than we normally would...well probably not as much as we would see in a GAM PV, but oh well. Who said Friday wasn't a classy publication.


Also within the issue we're given a preview of Gakisan's latest PB release Happy Girl. I was looking into ordering this when I placed my order with HMV for the latest issue of BLT U-17 but unfortunately they were out of stock and I didn't want to delay the order so I passed on it, I'm regretting it now as these shots look great, the 3rd scanned page is one I'm really liking, Gakisan has such a great body, she looks amazing in those bikinis. Happy Girl is such a perfect name for this release as well, if there's one member within Morning Musume that I'd associate with these words it would be Gaki.


Towards the back of the magazine we're also treated to another two pages featuring H!P members, there's a photo of Charmy at her recent Fanta promotion, Friday being Friday not only have a shot of her doing the dance, but of her bum as well, well done Friday! I feel I have to branch away from H!P at this point and briefly discuss Japanese drinks, soft drinks in Japan are about a million times better than any other country I've ever been too, first off drink machines are located on almost every corner of ever street, not just shopping areas but residential areas as well, you will never get thirsty. Secondly, the drinks are quite unique, there are flavours that I've not seen anywhere else, fizzy mandarin in a can with pieces of mandarin in it (tasty!), C (my favourite drink in the whole of Japan, kind of like Red Bull but much better) and it you find yourself needing something alcoholic go for a Calpis Sour, really refreshing.
Mikitty also reappears with an article about her appearance in Hakana. Both of these articles can be found below along with a clip from both events.





TAGS [ Aibon Friday Gakisan Mikitty Reina Rika ]

:::Dohhh Up!::: have had the PV for the latest Ayaya release up for a few days now, I'm feeling myself a little bogged down recently hence why haven't posted about it sooner, I was even thinking about putting it off again now and going to sleep, this has nothing to do with my feelings towards the single but more to do with the fact that I was working late last night and had planned a lay in today...just one problem I forgot to turn off my alarm and I was up at 6:45am :S
I have to hold my hands up and say that I haven't listened to Double Rainbow as much as I would like to have, although I love Aya (for those that don't know she's my favourite H!P member) this album was something that after a couple of listens to I classed as an OK/average album, nothing to great certainly not better then Naked Songs or X3. It wasn't until Thursday of last week as I waited for a bus (sods law that I have a problem with it a week before I have a service booked) in the pouring rain that I decided I should give it another chance (as a side note I actually feel at this point of typing, hahaha, well I'm awake now so I'll continue). Soaking wet standing in the rain, wishing that there was somewhere I could get some shelter Ima wa Let it Be started playing and I was content with where I was, leaning against the fence behind me I watched all the people driving by and suddenly the fact that I had another 5 minutes till the next bus didn't bother me neither did the rain. It was as if I was listening to this album with from afresh and I was loving every second of it. It's funny how a situation can make you look at something differently, I wonder how this post would have gone if I hadn't got caught in the rain? It would have most likely taken the form of 'another Ayaya ballard'...'when will GAM reform?'.

So, Kizuna 'another Ayaya ballad'. It's an interesting release, especially when you consider what it was originally written for, as the song for the 4th Special Olympics Japan Winter Games, it was something that I really wasn't expecting. When ever I think about a song related to a sports event, I don't think slow I think fast paced Pop, the releases for RAKUTEN Eagles are good examples, they're songs that get your fist pumping in the air as you chant along. But from reading the reactions to the surprise performance at the opening ceremony (Matsuura Aya 20th Single Announced) it's clear to see that it's a song that everybody associated with the is behind and with good reason the song sounds beautiful, Ayaya's voice is as usual a complete pleasure to listen to.
I was slightly concerned about the PV, having checked out some reactions before watching it, it seems the general reaction is that it's not only a boring PV but Ayaya looks like a...Granny!
First off, Ayaya looking like an old lady, at the age of 21 it will take a lot more than having her hair in a bun to make it look like she could be someone's gran, the outfit she has on isn't the most revealing but then a song such as this wouldn't really feel right any other way, plus I'm sure there keeping both Ayaya's and Mikitty covered up until the next GAM release...'when will GAM reform?'
The PV isn't the worlds most exciting but when watching it, I did suddenly think to myself what makes this so boring? Admittedly there are a couple of shots; Ayaya making a brew, holding an orange and an empty rocking chair that don't really help either Ayaya 'old lady' image and the boringness of the PV, but their are some great shots of Ayaya in there and she is looking good and she really comes across as getting into the song.
The sad thing with this release is I just know that it's not going to sell as well as it should, which is a shame when you consider what an amazing talent we have here. I wonder what UFA will be doing with the Elder Club members, as the sales for their releases seem to be falling whilst those of the the H!P Kids seem to be increasing it's obvious where the attention is going to go, but then I guess the real question is why aren't the fans buying the releases?

Oh, I forgot to mention that I now think that Double Rainbow is Ayaya's best album to date.



CD Release Date : 21 - 05 - 2008    DVD Release Date : 04 - 06 - 2008


Matsuura Aya - Kizuna (CD)
Amazon | CDjapan | HMV | YesAsia

Matsuura Aya - Kizuna (DVD)
Amazon | CDJapan | HMV | YesAsia

TAGS [ Ayaya PV ]

A couple of my CD purchases have been held up at YesAsia due to Mikitty's Okitegami release not being in stock, having got tired of waiting I decided to split the order and get the other two singles delivered separately, Friday morning I received my copies of Nanni mo Iwazu ni I LOVE YOU and Namida no Iro. I've still got to find the time to listen to C-ute's single but with V-u-den's I just had to listen to it straight away, sadly it's their last release but the content on the CD is a really fitting farewell. Along with the main track, we're also treated to three solo songs from each member and it's these three tracks I've been looking forward to listening to the most.


The thing that is really noticeable about this whole release, from the packaging through to the songs and even the PV is the effort that has gone in to it. The usual tongue in cheek sexy style of the PV is absent, the image portrayed here is a lot more classier than recent releases, the girls still have their usual sex appeal but it's not so forcefully shoved at you, there's very little flesh on display, the outfits worn are a lot less "look at my bum...look at my boobs" then usual, I don't think we even get to see a shot of Yui's cleavage through out the whole PV. The whole feel of this release is a 'clean' feel. The colours used through both the PV and the packaging are focused mainly on white and light blue and these make for some amazing shots.


The upbeat liveliness of the previous single have been replaced with a more mellow and relaxing sound, a sound that I think suits the ending of the unit. I had originally thought that the last single being a cover of a Morning Musume track was a bit of cop out but that was quickly all forgotten upon listening to it the first time. This version of the song sounds a lot better than the original, the sound in general is a lot more calm and less synthesized, and with the perfect vocals of all the members it'll be a song that I'll be listening for quite some time to come. The distribution of the lines in this release seem to be extremely well distributed with no one taking control in either the vocals or the PV.
The Limited Release of this single includes a Close Up Version of the PV, a version of which I think I prefer over the normal. Although the normal version does fit the song very well and has a kind of 'nice memories' feeling about it the close up version is the version I'll be watching the most, there's just something about watching Rika, Erika and Yui singing along and looking genuinely happy whilst doing so.


As I mentioned at the start, the most interesting and exciting about this final release is the fact that we are also treated to three solo songs. Charmy's release is a fast(ish) paced rock inspired song, listening to the start of it always gets me thinking of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, this is a genre of music that I've always wished that H!P would delve into at some point, it's a genre that I still think would suit Yossie but listening to Charmy she's equally as capable of pulling it off, I'm really quite impressed with her voice here I was a little worried that she might not be able to pull it off.
Erika's release, Ano Natsu no Yoru, is much slower in comparison. Her voice, which I've always considered to be the strongest out of the three is amazing. Saigo no Natsuyasumi, is easily my favourite of the solo songs, the style of song is somewhere between Charmy's and Erkia's and it's Yui's voice that I'm really liking.

Without a doubt this is a great release for V-u-den to depart on and it's good to see that a considerable amount of thought and effort has been put into it and it's even better to see the sales figures for this release and it's great seeing the fans getting behind the group and giving them that last little push that they needed, they may have only just squeezed into the Top 10 in their first weeks sales, but that's something they haven't been able to since their 3rd single, Ajisai Ai Ai Monogatari. Nanni mo Iwazu ni I LOVE YOU is a great departure song and the additional three solo tracks are also a nice farewell, but offer us a little bit of hope at the same time, would UFA allow such obviously talented girls go to waste after hearing these? Unfortunately as proven in the past with other members of H!P the answer is 'yes', I can only hope that UFA see sense and don't waste any of their talents. With the recent sudden graduation of Gocchin, Mutou and Ayaka I'm dreading that UFA are doing a late spring clean and upon the members graduating V-u-den they may graduate from H!P as a whole. I'd like to think that Charmy is safe, she's been around for awhile and although she may not have the strongest voice she has a large fan base and certainly her cute yet sexy image keeps us interested and with a constant supply of PB releases I think it's safe to say she'll be around for awhile longer. My real concerns are for Erika and Yui, but I guess we're just going to have wait and see.

TAGS [ CD DVD PV V-u-den ]

Buono! are becoming a formidable force within H!P in my eyes, although I've failed to post about their album that's not to say that I dislike it, far from it, at the moment it's one of (if not the most) listened to album on my iPod. Quite literally there isn't a bad song on there, there's not even a mediocre song they're all of such a high standard that I've been eagerly awaiting this new release and upon watching the PV I've decided this has to not only be my favourite release from Buono! but also my favourite PV from them.
This song follows along the same sort of line of the previous two singles it's a fun rocky track, if perhaps a little calmer. The calm moments within the song are the bits that I really like the most, the guitars quiet down and the main focus is on the drum beat and the vocals and then after awhile the guitars kick back in given a really lively feeling to the song, it's such an amazing mix. And then there's the bit with the harmonica! Which not only sounds amazing but is a great part of the PV to watch.

Much like the previous PVs this is just as colourful and lively and really suits the song and Buono!'s image perfectly. The short skirts and knee high socks (as always) please me no end, everyone looks great, the stylists of Buono! really know what they are doing. Airi is looking amazing and although I have to favour Momo's looks in this PV (41 seconds into the PV we're given one of the best views ever ;p) it's really Airi that's the most striking, mainly because I can see why she's getting yet another PB release and it's something that I've never seen before...she looks really good.
The PV also features the usual humour found in their other releases and it's Momo getting all the laughs, it's these parts within the PVs that has really helped me to grow to like her so it's obvious that they're going to be my favourite parts. I think my favourite Momo clip in this PV has to be where everyone is sitting down and reading their books, it brought a smile on my face to see Momo pull out her strange shaped children's book (is it a donkey?) but then on the pan back and we see the girls reading, it's Momo's seriousness and head nodding that really made me love this part, I'd kill to know what pearls of enlightenment are written on those pages.
I also mentioned the harmonica section and this is another great part of the PV, the harmonica is first heard as the girls attempt to clean a corridor, we're treated to some great Airi clips here, her facial expressions are so cute! I think perhaps this PV will do to me for Airi what Honto No Jibun did for Momo, I'm curious to see in a couple of releases time her position within my rankings of C-ute. Also, as I'm sure everybody knows by now, my love of the pretend playing of guitar well Airi certainly gets point here, but unfortunately Momo's air drums and AMAZING harmonica playing beat her, Momo always manages to surprise me with how cute and wacky she can be.



CD Release Date : 14 - 05 - 2008    DVD Release Date : 18 - 06 - 2008


It's quite a tough choice to decide which version of the release I'm going to order, the cover for the Regular Release being my favourite, but I'm not to sure if I'd be able to pass on the DVD incuded with the Limited Release...it looks I may end up ordering both.

Buono! - Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! (Regular CD)
Amazon | CDJapan | HMV | YesAsia

Buono! - Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! (Limited Edition CD + DVD)
Amazon | CDjapan | HMV | YesAsia

Buono! - Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! (DVD)
Amazon | CDJapan | HMV | YesAsia

TAGS [ Buono! PV ]

I've been half anticipating and half dreading the arrival of my copies of Morning Musume's latest single Resonant Blue arriving, for me the switch to two versions containing a separate DVD with a different version of the PV isn't something I've been looking forward to.


The fact that in the past as a H!P fan I've been really spoilt with their releases, the mini photobooks, cards, posters and cases are things that I've always seen as the reasoning for getting the Limited Versions whenever I think of Limited Versions with alternative PVs my mind automatically thinks about the complete and utter disappointment that was GAM's Limited album release. I fear that these other versions of PVs are just a quick collection of footage that hasn't been used elsewhere and have been cut together to make a barely passable PV, the Ayaya and Mikitty PV versions on the GAM album have seriously scarred me for life.
I know it probably sounds silly to moan about something so minor and I know that I'm repeating myself yet again on the subject on the inclusion of DVDs in the Limited Edition releases, but for me it's something that I'm really not keen on. Single V releases I'm fine with as I know what to expect and generally the thought and effort gone into making these releases are normally so much more, with the Single V releases not only do we get the PV but we get the Making Of, which I find to be one of the hi lights of the whole H!P single releases, the Making Ofs let us experience the fun of seeing everyone together producing the finished product, through this process we get to see a more personal that we might otherwise not see and it's these bits that really interest me and I have to admit that before I knew the DVD content this was what I was hoping would feature on at least one of the DVDs.
When I receive a H!P CD I generally follow a pattern; I open it, I look through the inlay and any additional extras, I then put the CD in my PC and listen to it probably for the rest of the night, it then gets ripped into iTunes and their it sits, the CD goes onto my shelf along with the rest of my H!P CD singles. If a DVD is included, the process is pretty much the same I backup the DVD onto my PC, watch it a few times and then that's it until I have the urge to watch it again. And this is my real problem, much like PB's I enjoy relaxing and flicking through them, I enjoy being able to grab a CD and not just experience the song that's on it but be able to look at the cards, books, posters etc included, it gives the purchase a whole new lease of life it's not something I listen to once then move it over onto my PC and is forgotten, it's something that's loved and allows me to regularly to go to back and appreciate the thought and effort gone into it. I would have to say the release that always has me going back to it is Roman ~My Dear Boy~, with it's collection of posters.
There's also the fact that it's something that I can reach out and touch and that's the only real way to own it, I don't want to get into the whole piracy debate but for me, owning these releases is something that's really important and with extras that you aren't able to replicate on a computer there's that extra special feeling about them, there have been single releases in the past where I've seen a photo or a scan of the cards/mini photobooks included and I've just thought to myself I don't want to own a scan I want to own the real thing. All my life I've been a collector of something and with H!P I've finally found something that I love, they go out of their way to please the fans with each release...I just don't want to see these Limited Releases becoming lazy.


The Limited A Release features Another Version of the PV and unfortunately I feel the titles suits it perfectly as it is just that 'another' version of the PV, it just comes across a mash up of three different versions of the PV to form one PV that in all honesty doesn't make much sense. Sure it solves the problem with the regular PV (although I really like the regular version now) and we get to see a lot more of the other members but this version has no meaning and as such makes no sense. On their own I'd imagine each version of this PV would be great (certainly the two I've seen are and I'd imagine the Night Scene version to be just as good) but here combined it looks and feels like a mess, it looks like three PVs hacked to pieces to make 'Another Version' to be include as an extra.




The Limited B version and it's Lesson Studio Version of the PV is something that really got me excited, admittedly it's nothing that special but it's certainly a unique idea for a PV and although the whole thing is planned and directed I find it reminded me a lot of the Making Of footage, it had a sense of being more personal with each member in what you imagine is there own choice of clothes turning up to practice the dance routine for the video. I really like the outfits worn in this version of the PV with Gaki's green tracksuit really catching my eye.
Although I do like this version of the PV I can't help but feel that perhaps a little more could have gone into it. If you're going to portray this version of the PV as the girls in a lesson performing the dance routine why not try and push it a bit more? Why not add an introduction to it before they start dancing? Certainly the footage is there as we saw it in the Another Version with everyone stretching, why not add a few seconds to the start or to the end separate from the song adding more to the overall feeling?


I realise I'm moaning quite a bit but it's only because I like this song so much and I just wanted more from these releases, there's so much potential to be had and I just feel that H!P need to raise the bar with these Limited DVD releases, if you include the Single V that's 3 versions of the single which come with a DVD, with the Making Of taken I would have loved to see something that we wouldn't normally have seen, interviews about what they think about the song, footage of the girls doing promotional work for the release, clips showing a real dance lesson to compliment the Lesson Studio PV.

TAGS [ CD DVD Morning Musume PV ]

I've just read over at Some Boys! Blog that Mutou Mika will be graduating not only from Ongaku Gatas but from H!P, so that she can concentrate on her education. I was going to write how things aren't looking good on the Ongaku Gatas front but I don't think they're looking as bad as they seem, admittedly it's been nearly 5 months since their last single release but it's not like they've been that quiet, in the time since their last single with had an album, a concert tour and a soon to be released concert DVD, there's also a weekly 30 minute radio show Ongaku Gatas no Guts10☆Gatas on CBC Radio which I wasn't aware of until now. So although the unit has taken some hits I'd like to think that they're far from over.
Although losing out on Mucchi is bad, I think the real blow to the unit was the departure of Manoeri, right from the very first time I watched the PV for Narihajimeta Koi no BELL my attention was drawn to her, she's an amazingly cute girl with a voice to match. But a unit like Ongaku Gatas, much like Morning Musume, is more than just one or two girls, you only need to look at the still amazing line up within the unit to see that they still have so much potential, the veteran members of H!P within the unit all do an amazing job and just seeing the likes of Konkon, Satoda and Yossie active within a unit is something by itself that I really enjoy. Arguably with the loss of the Eggs the unit may be losing some of it's punch as I think one of the reasons why I liked the unit so much to begin with was all the new talent that I hadn't seen before, the WOW factor of seeing a group of girls from a side of H!P that up until then I had brushed aside and regarded as an annoyance within concerts.

Moving away from Ongaku Gatas but sticking to Mutou graduating, I would love to know if her education or want for a normal life is the real reasoning behind her graduation. Much like all the similar graduations within H!P I'm always a little dubious. Now I may be totally wrong here and she may have genuinely decided to concentrate on her studies, but it just seems odd that you would leave a job that has so much potential, to go and...study. Now I know people have different dreams with what they want to do with their lives and over time these dreams can change (and in some cases these dreams aren't your own and are forced upon you by others), I guess being a member of H!P can't be as fun and as glamorous as it looks, the pressure that is put on any that join must be immense; the work hours, restrictions on your social life and how often they actually see their family all take it's toll. The thing I think I'm forgetting is the girls generally aren't 'adults', they are just that, girls in their teens, and mixing work with study can't be a good thing.
Obviously the views of fans on a particular idol will inturn influence their career, Manoeri is a great example of this, but I wonder if perhaps Mutou has experienced something similar but in an opposite direction. I've read numerous comments about people not liking how she looks and I would imagine that if it's being said in our corner of the H!P world then it must surely be echoed over in Japan? I wonder if perhaps a lack of sales in her merchandise or a lack of building up of a substantial fan base could have caused this outcome?

TAGS [ H!P Eggs Ongaku Gatas ]

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