October 2007

15 Results Found

Morning Musume All Singles Complete Packaging

Wednesday, 31st October 2007 02:00 | 39 Comments

I'm going to keep this post short as it's late and I'm really tired.
I got home about an hour ago and had a package waiting for me, a larger package than I was expecting. I wasn't expecting anything apart from the Morning Musume All Singles Complete Compilation album, so I was a little unsure as to what it was. Opening it had me gasping in surprise, it was indeed the Morning Musume All Singles Complete CDs, but it comes in a DVD sized case, I was expecting a fat CD box or something similar.
This is really an impressive set and as soon as I get a chance to go through it all I'll post about it again, but for the minute I just wanted to share some shots of it, it looks simply amazing. The Morning Coffee cover is great, and Reina looks amazing sandwiched between Kohachan and Lin Lin.

TAGS [ CD Morning Musume ]
Posted Wednesday, 31st October 2007 02:00 | 6810 Reads | 0 Tweet Count | Leave a Comment

Maki Go(es)to(o)

Monday, 29th October 2007 01:46 | 18 Comments

Here was me thinking that that H!P couldn't throw anymore surprises at us this year. With just over two months till the start of the new year I really thought we were all safe, fingers crossed this will be the last surprise from H!P in awhile, well I say that but H!P are more than welcome to keep up the recent good surprises like Ongaku Gatas and C-ute's recent single release.

If you haven't guessed from the title of this post, Gocchin has graduated from Hello! Project, reasons for which are a little vague at the moment, but Hello-Online has a lot of imformation on it, if you haven't read their article it can be found here.
At the moment there's been no official comments about the whole thing and from the comments Gocchin made it would appear that the reason for her departure is her brother, she has been quoted as saying;

"I'm sorry for all the trouble my brother Yuuki has caused, including for other H!P members. My future is uncertain, but I will continue with my solo activities as a singer. I want to keep progressing with my music"

This is all very odd, I can understand when members have left because of events that they themselves have been in, but leaving because of the event of a family member seems a bit off. From what I understand a recent incident with a Friday magazine reporter (and stealing some electrical cable) is what landed Yuuki in trouble, what any of this has to do with Maki and her career I'm not to sure, but can this really be the only reason why she graduated? To be honest I can't quite make up my mind, on the one hand it seems plausible, by association she's hurt the image of H!P and as we know from all the other incidents this year, this is taken very seriously. Add to that the recent album release and her inclusion in the calendars for 2008, this looks like something that wasn't planned. But then, if the rumors are true and Maki's been looking for a new label to sign with then this must have been planned for sometime, or at the very least UFA have known for sometime that she'll be leaving, especially when you consider that she was absent from the line up for the Elder Club/Wonderful Hearts Winter Tour (on a side note, does anyone know the dates of this tour?).
The other worrying thing is that although I've read that she's been looking for a new record label to sing with, at the moment a lot of people are mentioning Avex but at the moment there's no official comment as to who she'll be going with, which for me is the worrying thing. It's her comment about her 'future being uncertain', hopefully this means she doesn't know if she'll get the support of the fans when she moves rather than not knowing where she's going having somewhere to move to. Personally I know I'll be following Gocchin when her solo career starts up again, I'd imagine most other fans will do as well, so there shouldn't be any worries of a loss of a fan base.

It's also not just Gocchin's solo career that's going to be absent from H!P, it also puts the Morning Musume Tanjo 10 Nen Kinentai unit into a worrying position, they're now two members down and at the moment no replacements are stepping up, it's not like there would be a problem filling the positions, it's just that they haven't been filled, fingers crossed the unit will get a couple of new members and continue on, I'd hate to see this unit disappear after only two releases.

And although this is (yet again) a sad time, it's not all bad. If Maki's solo career continues on then things aren't that bad, she'll still be performing but under a different label. And let's not forget that although we've lost some members this year, we've also gained some as well.

TAGS [ Gocchin ]
Posted Monday, 29th October 2007 01:46 | 5499 Reads | 0 Tweet Count | Leave a Comment

Up to Boy Vol.183

Sunday, 28th October 2007 01:36 | 37 Comments

Never has an issue of Up to Boy been crying out for a cover with Hello!Project members on it than this one. I know that the current trend with Up to Boy is not feature H!P on the cover but with the amount of members featuring in this issue it seems obvious (to me at least) to feature them on the cover, something similar to the first issue of Up to Boy I bought (Vol.165), which featured Sayumi, Eri and Reina on the cover in a group photo. So whose in this issue? It really is packed, we have; Aichan, Eri, Reina, a Berryz segment and a couple of pages on Buono! altogether spanning 15 pages.
Starting with Aichan and her PB Water, when I look at these photos I can't help but compare her to Charmy's photos in the last issue. Although not all of her photos featured her short hair there are a couple that do, I can't help but think that it doesn't suit Aichan as much as it did Charmy. I certainly think that her new shorter haircut looks a lot better when it's scruffy as it suits the shape of her face really well.
Eri is next with her PB Maple. This looks amazing and I've yet to see an Eri PB that dissapoints, her first solo book is still one of my favourites and on that basis (and seeing these shots) this has to rate highly, it also features what I think is the best bikini to ever feature in a H!P release, the bottom left bikini on her second scan. Eri really does an amazing body and much like Konkon, it's not until I see her in a bikini that I realise that I've seriously underated her looks.
Reina's PB Girl is also a PB that I've been looking forward to, at the moment it's sitting on my side waiting for me to have a proper look at it, but it's good to see a quick few shots of this release and it's really got me in the mood to grab it and have a look, in fact it'll be the next thing I do when I finish typing this. Reina's releases, much like Eri's are always impressive, she's able to wear any combination of outfits and look unbeliavbly great in them, she really has an advantage over other member of Morning Musume when it comes to what she can wear. Another reason I really like Reina's PBs is beacuse you're guaranteed a couple of shots of her in long socks and stockings! Being a guy I have my odd little fetishes and the long socks/stockings is one that rates near the top, especially when worn by someone with her looks.

In the back of this issue is a two page spread on Buono!, is it me or are Buono! everywhere at the moment? I know they're a new unit and they're promoting the Anime but it seems that they are recieving more publicity then any other unit in recent times, well at least that's what it seems to me. The main shot featuring Airi, Miyabi and Momo looks amazing, the bland colours of their surroudings really brings out their costumes a lot and again, Momo is catching my eye, lol, what's come over me?

The DVD included with issue features pretty much the same as usual we have previews of the PBs and a couple of extra featurettes. Normally I only post up the previews, but watching the Angel Battles, I noticed that one of them featured to girl fans of H!P, it's a really good watch and I'm really jealous of the prizes they win (I'm presuming they're prizes as I can't really understand what is actually going on) the most amusing thing is the strange wota dance she does which not only caught me by surprise but also the other girl in clip, it's the first time I've actually seen a girl doing something like this.

TAGS [ Aichan Berryz Buono! Kamei Reina Up to Boy ]
Posted Sunday, 28th October 2007 01:36 | 8141 Reads | 0 Tweet Count | Leave a Comment

Honto no Jibun Full PV

Saturday, 27th October 2007 10:39 | 78 Comments

:::Dohhh Up!::: have put up the PV for Buono!'s first single Honto no Jibun, although I'd imagine most people would have already seen the PV before this as it's been floating around the net for some time now.

For me Buono! have been a unit that I've found it hard to take an immediate liking to, there's just something about them that hasn't drawn me in as much as other groups. On looking back at the live performance that was put up awhile ago (Buono! Honto no Jibun) and reading my views on this performance, I can see why I felt this way, as even watching it now I still find that I'm not enjoying the performance as much as I'd like. The outfits and dance routine are good and I'm still the loving the air guitar moments, but the song itself really wasn't doing anything for me. But I'm pleased to say that after hearing the PV I'm loving this song, it must just have been a mix of the recording itself, the live vocals and the crowd putting me off.
The song really does sound a lot better when watching the PV, they all have such great voices which sound so well together, something I've hadn't picked up on before. I'm also really impressed with the PV itself, it has some great moments in it. My favourite part has to be in the class room with Momo asleep on the desk, not only do we get a special appearance from Maimi and Chisato but for the first time I'm looking at Momo and thinking to myself she's cute! With the paper balls being thrown at her and her asleep on the desk I couldn't help but smile, and then seeing her sleepy reaction when she wakes up topped it for me. Also the PV has something that I've never seen in a H!P PV before and thats guys in the background playing instruments!! When singing in the hall they may be at the back and out of focus but they're there, a guitarist, a bassist and a drummer! Now I may be wrong but this is the first time I've seen this in any PV before, it's not the most important thing, but I find it really does add something to the PV seeing them there.

I think the most interesting thing for me about watching the PV is the fact that I'm really liking Momo in it, my usual reaction towards her is strange one, as her look generally freaks me out a bit, it's something to do with her smile/mouth, but here she looks and acts amazingly cute and I think that within Buono! I can start liking Momo more, which in turn should help boost my interest in Berryz.

CD Release Date : 31 - 10 - 2007 DVD Release Date : 21 - 11 - 2007
On looking at the covers for both the Regular and Limited releases, for me the Regular version stands head and shoulders above the Limited cover, as the Regular version features body shots of each member and we get to see the wonderful outfits they have on, the only downside to this is that the Limited releases DVD sounds like it's going to a good watch, apparently including Making of footage of the PV and behind the footage, although if this is the case what's going to be included on the Single V release, as this normally features the Making of?

My First H!P Purchase

Wednesday, 24th October 2007 01:56 | 27 Comments

Are H!P releases becoming more and more frequent? I can't quite work out if I'm falling deeper and deeper in what can only now be described as 'my obsession' with H!P and I've become unable to resist the temptation of the next new single, album, PB, DVD, shirt, etc etc. I must admit that before I started this blog my knowledge of H!P was very delayed, I very rarely looked for new releases as with such an extensive back catalogue there was so much older stuff to check out, and there still is. At times I find it slightly frustrating that there's so much of the back catalogue that I'm dying to get my hands on, and the minute I think the new releases are calming down and there's going to break, out comes something else that I can't help but preordering...although I'd complain if newer releases were to become fewer, I guess it's just one of them things.
If I think back I can remember my first H!P purchase, this was Mini Moni's 2nd album Mini Moni Songs 2 and for me it was a great feeling actually stumblimg across this album in a shop in London, when I think back there was also a number of other H!P CD releases on the shelf, but at that time I wasn't to sure of the relationship between Mini Moni and Morning Musume, let alone aware of the existance of the mighty H!P.

This album remains one of my favourites, the first track on the album simply titled -OPENING- really blew me away (it even spent a long while as the ring tone for my phone) and that's not even taking into consideration the other tracks on the album. I can imagine that there's some people out there that didn't like the direction this album went, it's no where near as cute and light hearted as their first album, it's much more grown up, and I think this is what did it for me, to be honest I wasn't to sure what to expect, I'd heard a couple of singles from the album; Genki Jirushi no Oomori Song, Mirakururun Grand Purin! and Minihamuzu no Kekkon Song, but to hear the mix of musical styles on the album with the outright cuteness of Mini Moni was something that I never thought I'd hear and it was something that threw me right back into music at a time when I'd lost almost total interest in it.
This interest over time grew into something more than just the music, as I slowly became attached to the members, having favourites and attempting to follow their progress and at the same time discovering new sub groups and other units. I think one of the hardest and complicated things for someone to do is to get into Hello Project and totally understand what the hell is going on, oh but when you finally crack it! Lol, I'm wondering if it's just me that had such troubles understanding H!P.

Whether releases are coming out more frequently or not one thing I do know is that annoyingly my free time is getting less and less and I'm slowly building up a stock pile of CDs, DVD and PBs that I just haven't had time to sit down and go through properly.

These have all turned up within the last week or so, and I just haven't had enough time to sit down and give them the attention they deserve, also add to this Sayumi's Love Hello DVD which I still haven't watched all the way though. I'm quite dissapointed with myself that I haven't sat down and listen to How to Use Sexy properly as I've had it for quite some time now, I've listened to it a few times, but all these times have been when I've been coming home from work...which means I last about 2 songs max before I fall asleep. I really need to set some time aside to relax and go through these.
What must it be like to be a fan living in Japan where everything is readily and easily available. How do they find the time?

TAGS [ Hello!Project Mini Moni Stuff ]
Posted Wednesday, 24th October 2007 01:56 | 3731 Reads | 0 Tweet Count | Leave a Comment

Chance! Full PV

Sunday, 21st October 2007 02:32 | 29 Comments

After seeing the commercial for Koharu's new single Chance! (Kohachan Chance! CM) I've been so looking forward to listening to the song in full and watching the PV, thankfully it looks like the lovely people over at :::Dohhh Up!::: knew exactly what I was thinking and decided to put the PV up for me to come across just minutes before I decided I was going to go to bed, looks like I'll be up for a little while longer whilst I watch this a few more times.

If you've seen a PV for any of Kohachan's previous solo releases you should by now know pretty much how it's going to go. We have Koha on a small circle stage dancing in front of a sparkly star, looking as cute as ever, and every now and then we switch to clips of her just generally being cute.
Although the PVs are all quite similar in the way they play out they all get 2 thumbs up from me, well except for Balalaika which gets just gets the one, the colours and her haircut are just too dull...one day I'm sure I will get over this. The dance routines, although nothing spectacular, are always fun to watch and generally always feature some good kicks and if you're lucky some air/broom guitar moments.
When we're not watching Koharu dance, we're watching her do numerous cute things, in this PV we see her skipping around the innards or a picture book, jumping around on a bed and my favourite (and cutest) bit with her powdering the camera. There's also some broom guitar in this PV that attempts to rival Koi Kana's (Kusumi Koharu PV), but in my opinion Koi Kana's is the ultimate in broom guitar, Koharu put's in so much effort in this part of the PV that it's going to be a tough one to beat!
I'm hoping that with the POP PB winning Koharu some new fans, this single will do the same.

TAGS [ Koharu PV ]
Posted Sunday, 21st October 2007 02:32 | 3627 Reads | 0 Tweet Count | Leave a Comment

Shori no Big Wave!! Full PV

Friday, 19th October 2007 14:32 | 21 Comments

I wasn't too sure when I first heard this song on :::Dohhh Up!:::, to be honest I didn't really know what to expect. With Nono's opening theme being a cover or Morning Musume's Koko ni Iruzee! (Robby & Kerobby), it really just left the next song open for any particular style. But seeing as it's a kids anime, it's kind of obvious in what direction it would be going in...super kawaii!
The PV reminds me a lot of Mini Moni, for a number of reasons. The nature of the whole PV is very Mini Moni-esqe, it's extremly bright, lively and cute. It features a lot of close ups of the girls with them doing cute hand gesture type dances, out of these Mitssi stands out a lot, as she is looks really cute, her little thing she does when they sing 'Big Wave' gets a 10 out of 10 on the cuteomiter. The outfits, obviously to fit in with the anime are all brightly coloured, Nakki and Chisato wearing matching yellow costumes with Mitssi wearing a variant of this outfit and Gakisan wearing a similar style outfit but in completely different colours, it's not just the bright colours that remind me of Mini Moni, but the fact that there seems to be a pattern to who's wearing what. Lastly (lol, although it's last in my list, it was the first thing that made me think of Mini Moni) we have the introduction to the song, with Gakisan talking in English on her white and pink microphone, it reminds me a lot of the voice coming out of the speaker in Rock n' Roll Kenchoushozaichi.
The basic English chanting made me smile as it's so cute, the fact that they've managed to get 'Okie-dokie' amazes me, it's an expression that I never thought I'd ever see turn up in a song, especially sounding so cute! When ever I imagine anyone using this in a sentance, all that comes to mind is Ned Flanders.

Kohachan Chance! CM

Wednesday, 17th October 2007 01:55 | 38 Comments

Another solo release from Koharu, another reason for me to go WOW! OK so this is only a preview, but what a preview! Kohachan (for me at least) never fails to impress.
To be honest I don't know what to write that I haven't already written about her other releases, it seems that whenever there's a release of any kind featuring her, I just love it and can't wait for it to be released...I think, no, I know I'm addicted to her.
The song is upbeat and cheery like most of her solo work, but this is to be expected, I can't imagine the anime suddenly deciding not to have a song of this style playing as the opening theme, and this isn't a complaint as I think this style of song suits her perfectly.
Song aside, Koharu looks amazing as per usual, the outfits look great. The 60's style dress she has on at the start looks really cute on her and by the looks of it she still have the shorts on from Happy ☆. The second costume I think really shows off her beauty, as the long red dress looks great on her.

CD Release Date : 07 - 11 - 2007 DVD Release Date : 14 - 11 - 2007
The only thing left to do is to decide which copy of the single I get. I've been holding out until I see the covers, as like the rest of releases the Limited Edition version comes with a card whilst the First Press Normal Edition comes with a sticker set, neither really appeal to me as they are based on the anime characters rather than Kohachan and so my decision on which one to get is based on what cover I prefer. This time around the choice is a tough one, as both covers are similar looking, at the moment I'm edging towards the regular release, which is the left hand picture below, there's just something about it that I'm liking.

Iki wo Kasanemashou Full PV

Sunday, 14th October 2007 16:29 | 33 Comments

I can't help but feel that this single would have been better released earlier in the year, it's a more livelier release than her last single Too far away ~Onna no Kokoro~ (Abe Natsumi Too far away ~Onna no Kokoro~ Full PV) and I think it would have been better for this to have been released around the time of year.
In the Spring/Summer time of the year I love to lay on my bed open up the window, shut my eyes and listen to some music. At that time of year you get the warmth of the sun and the breeze coming in and with the right songs it makes for a great way to pass the time. I would have loved to listen to this song then.

The PV isn't the most fancy, but much like the PV for her last release there's no need for any extravagance as it really suits the song. It's shot in a great location, the mix of the green grass, the beach and sea really looks good, and Nacchi's outfit really goes well with the scenery, again it's simple a green dress with a white scarf, but the bright green of the dress really looks good against the grass.

Acchi Chikyuu wo Samasunda Merchandise

Wednesday, 10th October 2007 01:34 | 22 Comments

Ohta's Store has recently put up merchandise from the Cultural Festival 2007 "Acchi Chikyuu wo Samasunda" and I really love the shirts. Much like the posters they feature a pair of sweaty polar bears standing on melting ice cap, personally I think the design looks great, but that aside it does good job of getting the message across that they are trying to promote in a fairly light hearted way, which in turn means more people will listen.
As well as the the shirts, there's a whole bunch of other stuff for you to grab, Visual Books, Posters, a DVD and Berryz Koubou/Cute/Morning Musume sets of photographs and files.

The great thing about this event is that it feature Eco Moni, Sayu and Charmy!! The other great thing with this is that within this Sayu colour is blue rather than pink, which means if I get a blue version of the shirt I'm technically getting a Sayumi shirt which isn't pink, right? Lol, I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and buy myself a pink shirt.

In the past few weeks :::Dohhh Up!::: have been uploaded so many from this event that I haven't had enough time to sit down and watch them all, let alone start watching the clips they've also uploaded from yesteryears. The great thing that they've done and what I've actually sat down and got around to watching are the performances of Help!! Ecomoni no Acchii Chikyu wo for the events.
This is one of my favourite songs and it's good to sit down and be able to watch the difference performaces. I have to say the recent performance is no where near as good as the other two that :::Dohhh Up!::: have uploaded (from 2004 and 2006), it all seems slightly messy, but it's still good to see Sayumi singing, I know I'm in the minority but I really like her voice.

TAGS [ Eco Moni Live Morning Musume Ohta ]
Posted Wednesday, 10th October 2007 01:34 | 3641 Reads | 0 Tweet Count | Leave a Comment

H!P T-Shirts

Monday, 8th October 2007 02:04 | 25 Comments

Way back in January 2006 I first found Ohta's Store on eBay, at that time I wasn't really ordering that much H!P stuff through sites such as CDJapan and the like, I was mainly buying older releases through eBay and some of the newer releases from the Japan Centre (I miss the times when I was able to buy H!P singles and albums and listen to them all within my lunch break). The thing that stood out about Ohta was that he had a great range of items that I had never seen before and just couldn't be got anywhere else. What caught my eye were the concert T-Shirts, these were something I had never seen before, but were something I had been looking for for awhile. The shirts were on auction and I always bidded if I could, the only unfortunate thing was the obvious time difference, auctions ended at 3-4am my time and quite a few times I missed out, other times I got lucky...normally by setting my alarm and staggering downstairs to put a last minute big on. From then to now I've managed to get a few H!P T-Shirts and I love them! I wear them whenever I get a chance, there's never an inappropriate time to go strolling around in your fave H!P shirt!
Whilst I wait for my Reina Bon Kyu! Bon Kyu! BOMB Tour T-Shirt I'd thought I'd grab the ones I have and have a look through them.

If I remember rightly these were the first three that I purchased and they remain my most favourite designs, as you can probably tell by the fact that I have two of the Dai 6 kan Hit Mankai Concert tour ones. The Baribari Kyoushitsu ~Koharuchan Irasshai!~ is probably my favourite out of all the shirts design wise, the print on the front is nice and simple and the back of this shirt is just a great print, which I've yet to see beat, it's just such an original way of showing of the names of all the girls (all be it that it's just their initals). I'm still on the look out to see if Ohta gets this in different colours, as I know when it was originally up there was a couple of colours, white and black I think.
The interesting things with these shirts is the difference between them and the recent concert tour t-shirts. I really love the design and colours of these, the fact that they come in more than one colour other than just black, the ones for recent concerts seem to be all in black with a metallic print on them, if they were releasing white versions I'd be snapping them up.

Out of all the shirts I own these two are my least favourite to wear. Both seem to be made of a material slightly thicker than the usual shirt material which makes them a bit uncomfortable to wear if the suns out and it's a hot day, especially the Aqua Stars Sports Festival one as the stripes down the bottom add an extra layer to the shirt, imagine thick heavy print running around your waist on a thick t-shirt, definitely one for the winter!
The H!P 8th Anniversary T-Shirt isn't the worlds greatest design but it has a great touch of having a printed autograph on the sleeve.

W as far as I know never had a T-Shirt design just for them, it always featured them as part of a line up, I'm guessing as they never toured on their own no shirt was made specifically for them. Although the last one of the three is purely for W it was an event that they were promoting rather than a concert, I'm guessing much like the Global Warming event H!P are promoting at the moment. The only other W shirt that I know of was for the tour they did with Berryz Koubou I remember seeing this in Ohta's store but I think the colour for the W version was pink, the exact same colour which always stops me from buying a Sayumi shirt!!

Another tour shirt that isn't black! I like this shirt a lot, mainly because of the colour, blue and yellow go so well together, it's really a striking colour combination. For some reason the first couple of times I wore this I thought the hearts either side of the word 'Wonderful' were snowmen, hahaha, I think when I had orginally looked at it I saw the word winter and just presumed ther were snowmen.

The most recent of my concert tour shirts, are from the Sexy 8 Beat Tour and the Odore! Morning Curry. The Sexy 8 Beat tour is hands down my most favourite shirt I own, even outside of H!P shirts. It's so comfortable!!! Whether this has something to do with the fact that I wore it solidly for 3 days in a row when I was stuck in Rome this summer (after British Airways so kindly lost my luggage) or not is another thing, lol, it's been moulded into my shape. I'm quite surprised that this is my favourite as the print on this shirt is in pink glitter writing, two things that usually I try to stay away from when it comes to anything I wear is the colour pink and glitter, but this shirt is the exception! I'm actually wearing it now as I type!!
The Morning Curry shirt was a Christmas gift from my girlfriend, it was a great surprise as I'd spent weeks not being able to make up my mind what colour to get this in and by the time I had decided Ohta had sold them all (Doh!) come Christmas Day I had a big smile on my face when I discovered I had in fact not missed out on it!

These four are my most recent purchases. All member shirt from recent tours. Although Ohta didn't have Yui's one in his store, I had noticed it on the H!P website and really loved the design, much like the recent Berryz Koubou shirts, each member had designed the front of the shirt themselves, I don't know if these are life size prints of Yui's hands and feet but if they are she's tiny!!

I still can't understand why H!P haven't releases any sweatshirts, every concert I've been to in the UK sells these and I would have thought that H!P would do the same. I would really love a coloured member sweatshirt. The fun they could have with the designs would be great, not only have you got the front and the back but also if they are hooded the hoods! Who knows perhaps one day?!

TAGS [ Hello!Project Ohta Stuff ]
Posted Monday, 8th October 2007 02:04 | 4355 Reads | 0 Tweet Count | Leave a Comment

C-ute - Tokaikko Junjou Full PV

Friday, 5th October 2007 01:32 | 25 Comments

'Holy fucking shit, C-ute rule!!'
That's all I could think whilst watching this PV and listening to the song. This has to be one of the best surprises ever! I really wasn't expecting this kind of release from C-ute, it really sounds like it could have been written for Morning Musume, that and the fact that I'm sure they used a Speak and Spell for the 'Are you ready' bits, make for a totally awesome single!
Then there's the PV! I was amazed at how good the girls looked on the previews for the cover of this release, but that was nothing compared to actually seeing them in the PV, every single one of them looks amazing, my usual favourites Erika and Maimi look even better than normal, but they're not top in the looks department in this PV, that's reserved for Maimai. She's still got that cute image she usually has, but add to this a look that makes her look much older than she usually does, a coolness that stands out above the rest of the girls and a strut that makes me think she'd beat me to a pulp if I stepped in her way and not think twice about it...this is a whole new image for her and for C-ute as a group! Please Tsunku, please keep this new image and please release more songs like this!

TAGS [ C-ute PV ]
Posted Friday, 5th October 2007 01:32 | 3671 Reads | 0 Tweet Count | Leave a Comment

Jajauma Paradise Limited CD

Thursday, 4th October 2007 01:07 | 27 Comments

V-u-den just get hotter and hotter with each new release, a trend that I hope they stick to with all of their future releases. The cover for the limited release of Jajauma Paradise has the girls dressed up in their short red skirts and black tops showing some amazing cleavage, except for Yui who for some reason in the shots seems to be obscuring hers from the camera (although she does make up for it in the PV)...I can only guess that she doesn't want to put either Erika or Rika to shame. Both Yui and Erika are hugging Pool cues and in the background you can just about manage to see a pool table. It's not until you turn case over and check out the back picture that you see they have their pool sharking hats on and are clinging onto what looks like pole dancing poles...I'm keeping my fingers crossed that along with the Pink Version of the PV we'll also be seeing the Pool Sharking, Pole Dancing Version. Lol, I can dream can't I!?

Onto the actual song, and I'm really surprised to see such a mixed reaction to this release. Personally I'm liking it, it's a very light and lively and quite possibly the only song which features an accordion that I like. It's a grower for sure and can guarantee that much like myself it'll be sitting in your brain for ages and have you humming away, I'm also wandering around singing the little "1, 2 Chop/Kick" bits, this song is seriously catchy!

TAGS [ CD V-u-den ]
Posted Thursday, 4th October 2007 01:07 | 5330 Reads | 0 Tweet Count | Leave a Comment

POP Kohachan's 2nd Photobook

Wednesday, 3rd October 2007 02:50 | 74 Comments

I always enjoy a new PB release by my favourite H!P members, there's always that excitement to see what's in the pages and for me the most important part (even more so than how many pages feature bikini shots ;p) is if they actually manage to portray the personality and the image in my head that I have of them.

Generally when I receive any PB the first thing I do is rip off all the packaging in a fit of excitement, leaving it all in a pile on the floor/table/chair, then I have a quick flick through, literally I will get through the book in about 40 seconds. I do this because my girlfriend is generally with me and there's only so long you can stare at a page without getting whacked! This however isn't a bad way to a quick first impression of what the PB has to offer. The initial quick look generally allows me to single out shots that catch my eye immediately then later I can take a more leisurely flick through checking out the rest of the shots. Why do I mention this? Well, I want to get my initial reaction of Kohachan's PB out of my system, I flicked through and the first thing that came into my head when I put the book down was...she has a great bum!

Now that that's out of the way, I can carry on. This has been my most anticipated PB to date, Sayumi's and Nono's last books come close but this one has hooked me for ages. There's the obvious reason that Koharu is currently my favourite member within Morning Musume, but also she is the first member that I've been able to follow right from the start and have been able to see the changes and progress she's made. And if we compare her two PB releases, the change and progress is glaringly obvious.
In the year and a half since her first book, Koharu's appearance seems to have evolved, she still has the same cute image, but added to this we also have a more sophisticated and mature look, which isn't just portrayed in this release, just look at the Morning Musume Tanjo 10 Nen Kinentai PVs. For me it's not just Koharu that makes this book, it's everything about it, the photographer has done a great job, the colours, surroundings and outfits all fit perfectly.
I think Koharu's best feature has to be her smile, it just screams "I'm having so much fun!!".

I could go on about this for ages, but it's late and I need to be up in 3 hours, so I'm going to have to leave it there. Sorry if I've waffled, alcohol and a need for sleep are rarely a good starting point when deciding to sit down and write something.

TAGS [ Koharu PB ]
Posted Wednesday, 3rd October 2007 02:50 | 6978 Reads | 0 Tweet Count | Leave a Comment

Ongaku Gatas Smashing New Single

Monday, 1st October 2007 01:48 | 18 Comments

I got this delivered from YesAsia about a week ago, along with Maki's new album, but lately because of one thing or another I haven't had a chance to post.
Anyway, before I post about how great this single is (and it is great) I'm going to whine for a little bit. Take a look at the photo below, what's wrong with it?!

Damn! The really annoying thing is that each of the CDs were well packaged. Both were in their own individual bubble wrap bag, which in turn were in another bigger bubble wrapped bag, so you would imagine that should of been enough to protect them. Oddly (and thankfully) only this CD was damaged, How to Use Sexy was in perfect condition.
One thing I hadn't noticed until this had happened, is that the CD cases have changed, they're no longer the standard cases, but a slightly smoother, ever so slightly curved case which looks a little nicer than the regular cases. The only down side to this is I don't have any spare ones, the older style I have a ton but the only ones of this style are from my recent H!P releases. It looks like it may have to stay in a smashed case.

Now onto the single. I have to say that I love Nari Hajimeta Koi no Bell and ever since :::Dohhh Up!::: had put the PV up, I've listened to it at least a couple of times a day and now that I have it on CD I can copy it across onto my MP3 player and listen to it whenever and where ever I choose, I'm no longer tied down to listening to it on my laptop! I have to agree with MorningBerryz comment about the song, when he says 'we now have another candidate for H!P song of the year!' it really is that good!
The line up for this unit is another reason why the single is so good, the mix of well known H!P members and the lesser known (at least for me) Eggs really help push the single. I must admit to thinking it was a shame that Mikitty didn't make it into this unit, but I have to say that now when I watch the PV I'm almost glad that she isn't, as no doubt it would involve losing a current member and that would be criminal. Obviously, it's impossible to talk about the line up without mentioning Konkon and for me this is where it gets a little tough. The return of Konkon is an amazing thing and her presence within the group is great, it's good to have her back and singing, but I can't help but be reminded of Nono, and although I wouldn't want to change the line up, just imagine how fun it would have been to see Nono within this group, I think that she would of got on with the Eggs better than any other member within the group and as with anything that features Nono, laughs would surely follow.

When you watch the PV (Nari Hajimeta Koi no Bell Full PV) you really know that the line up works and this carries across into DVD extra included with Limited release, which features a photo shoot of all the members.
Yossie who throughout the whole of the PV and in this clip really does shine. Her whole attitude and presence is really that of a captain/leader and not only that but she looks so damn good! She moved away from the tomboy image ages ago, and although I've said it before, I'm really pleased she did, as I think her look now really suits her and just makes her look amazing.
The clip also provides a little more insight into those wonderful Eggs and although Erina remains my favourite there's something about Mika that's making her a close second.

TAGS [ Ongaku Gatas Yossie ]
Posted Monday, 1st October 2007 01:48 | 3658 Reads | 0 Tweet Count | Leave a Comment

October 2007

Morning Musume All Singles Complete Packaging

Maki Go(es)to(o)

Up to Boy Vol.183

Honto no Jibun Full PV

My First H!P Purchase

Chance! Full PV

Shori no Big Wave!! Full PV

Kohachan Chance! CM

Iki wo Kasanemashou Full PV

Acchi Chikyuu wo Samasunda Merchandise

H!P T-Shirts

C-ute - Tokaikko Junjou Full PV

Jajauma Paradise Limited CD

POP Kohachan's 2nd Photobook

Ongaku Gatas Smashing New Single

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