I love Morning Musume's All Singles Coupling Collection!

Following on from my post on Abe Natsumi's mini album '25 ~Vingt-Cinq~' is this overview style post all about Momusu's delightful b-sides collection.

The front of the box case shows each girl's first photo as a musume. The front of the actual cd case shows their last/most recent photo. Unfortunately I myself forgot to take a photo of this. Oops.

The back of the box has a rather cute picture of everyone's favourite super 9.

The track listing goes like this. From 'Ai no Tane' Morning Musume's demo single and the b-side to their debut 'Morning Coffee' right up to the second b-side of the 40th single 'Nanchatte Rennai', 'Subete wa Ai no Chikara'.

Disc 1

1. Ai no Tane (愛の種; Seeds of Love)
2. A MEMORY OF SUMMER '98
3. Tatoeba (例えば; If)
4. Happy Night
5. Never Forget
6. Koi no Shihatsu Ressha (恋の始発列車; Love's First Train)
7. Wasurerannai (忘れらんない; I Won't Be Able to Forget)
8. 21seiki (21世紀; 21st Century)
9. Koi wa Rock n' Roll (恋はロケンロ－; Love is Rock n' Roll)
10. Tsuugaku Ressha (通学列車; Commuter Train)
11. Akogare My Boy (あこがれ My Boy; My Admirable Boy)
12. Inspiration! (インスピレ－ション!)
13. Dekkai Uchuu ni Ai ga Aru (でっかい宇宙に愛がある; There's Love in This Great Big World)
14. Popcorn Love! (ポップコーンラブ!)

Disc 2 

1. Morning Coffee (2002 version) (モーニングコーヒー (2002 version))
2. Chotto Ikashita PURE BOY (ちょっとイカした PURE BOY; Slightly Stylish Pure Boy)
3. Jun LOVER (純LOVER; Pure Lover)
4. Housekibako (宝石箱; Jewelry Box)
5. Never Forget (Rock Ver.)
6. Namida ni wa Shitakunai (涙にはしたくない; I Don't Want This to Cause Tears)
7. KoiING (恋ING; Loving)
8. Dekiru Onna (出来る女; Able Girl)
9. Fine Emotion! (ファインエモーション!)
10. Ganbare Nippon Soccer Fight! (がんばれ 日本 サッカー ファイト!; Good Luck, Japan Soccer Fight!)
11. Nebou Desu. Date na no ni... (寝坊です。デートなのに...; I Slept In. Even Though I Have a Date...)
12. Love & Pea~ce! HERO ga Yattekita. (ラヴ&ピィ~ス! HEROがやって来たっ。; Love & Peace! The Hero's Arrived.)
13. NATURE IS GOOD!
14. Ai to Taiyou ni Tsutsumarete (愛と太陽に包まれて; Enveloped by Love and the Sun)

Disc 3

1. Koi wa Hassou Do The Hustle! (恋は発想 Do The Hustle!; Love is an Idea, Do the Hustle!)
2. Chance Chance Boogie (チャンス チャンス ブギ)
3. Watashi ga Tsuiteru. (わたしがついてる。; I'm With You.)
4. Odore! Morning Curry (踊れ! モーニングカレー; Dance! Morning Curry)
5. Sayonara no Kawari ni (サヨナラのかわりに; Instead of Goodbye)
6. Hand made CITY
7. Please! Jiyuu no Tobira (Please! 自由の扉; Please! Freedom's Door)
8. Bon Kyu! Bon Kyu! BOMB GIRL (ボン キュッ! ボン キュッ! BOMB GIRL)
9. Sono Bamen de Bibiccha Ikenai jan! (その場面でビビっちゃいけないじゃん!; You Can't Be Surprised Then!)
10. Romance (ロマンス)
11. Yowamushi (弱虫; Coward)
12. 3, 2, 1 BREAKIN' OUT!
13. Aki Urara (秋麗; Autumn Beauty)
14. Subete wa Ai no Chikara (すべては愛の力; The Power of Love is Everything) 

The 3 discs look like this. Sadly, due to the colours the 'B' pattern doesn't really stand out on disc 3

As some of you may already know, the limited edition of this release comes with a rather nice little hardback photobook.

Simple but tasteful cover. Sorry folks, this book was never going to go on the scanner right so you'll have to make do with photos featuring my (not so) lovely hands.

The opening pages inform us that this is 'The Story of Morning Musume.'

Some comprehensible English for once and a great expression courtesy of Koha.

Aichan looking dreamy~

Just to clarify, there is another couple of pics of each member but I am not going to photograph cover to cover.

Riding the train with the first gen.

Eri, Sayu be careful! Sayaka's looking like she might just push you in!

This feels like Goto's died or something.

All aboard H.M.S 4ki.

It surely can't take that much effort to push Renai and a cardboard Miki.

Everyone's together!

Not a great arrangement as far as height goes (putting Koharu in the centre is rather emphasising a certain someones lack of height) but I love these outfits a lot!

'Idols with Craft Knifes'. New horror anyone?

 Following this is a picture of every member in their last single's outfit with info telling us their name, D.O.B. and place of birth. I didn't bother taking any pics of this section.

Finally, the Morning Musume timeline. It's great to see all the member additions and graduations down on paper like this.

Now for Kath's recommended songs!!!

A MEMORY OF SUMMER '98 
The strings, oh the strings. This song is great for an orchestration junkie like myself. 1st gen fans will love this as well as they take all the solos.

Tatoeba 
Great arrangement, sincere melody, raw but pleasant delivery. What more could one want from an early Momusu b-side.

Wasurerannai 
Think a less ballady 'Memory Seishun no Hikari' but just as depressing. Criminally underrated track.

21 Seiki
A great song about dreams for the 21st Century, a perfect b-side for love machine. Most of the vocals are in unison and have a very full sound (I love you Ayappe). The instrumental break is almost eargasm worthy and the girl's dreams are really just too cute.

Dekkai Uchuu ni Ai ga Aru
I assume most fans will know this one. It's a classic and never fails to put a smile of my face! :D

Never Forget (Rock Version)
This was sung originally by first gen Fukuda Asuka but this version is sung by Yasuda Kei. I apologize to any Asuka fans/first gen purists but I honestly feel Kei does the better job with this song. Asuka has a great voice but she always sounded much stronger in her lower register and so parts of this song were just a bit high for her. Kei has a very versatile voice and pulled this of brilliantly. And as a bonus the re-arrangement is amazing.

Koi ING
Everyting about this song is just to sweet. Read the lyrics if you can.
Anyway, the optimistic melody flows perfectly and Ai, Miki and Eri do a fine job in the vocals department. Also you should check out this version of the song from some AiGaki dinner show a while back. They are both top notch vocally.

Dekiru Onna
Morning Musume at their most Queen-esque. I love Rika's lines in this song. Even though her voice isn't technically great it always leaves my wanting more.

Odore! Morning Curry
This song is bonkers but in a really good way. And I can't be the only one to get a kick out of these lyrics.
"It's fun, but
kind of bitter
It feels good, but
it's definitely painful
Morning Curry (HI!)
Morning Curry (HI!)
Morning Curry Morning Curry
Morning Curry Morning Curry"

Hand Made City
More Queen influence here, this time in the 'We Will Rock You' Style beat. And you know, it's a concert staple this one. Although they might be a bit more challenged with the loss of Ai and her growl. 


Bon Kyu! Bon Kyu! BOMB GIRL
I love this song far too much. It sounds like a cheesy old tv theme but the brass, guitar and general energy make it so much more.


Yowamushi
This song is sang by Gaki and Sayu. Odd combination but it kinda works. I was really hoping to hear the two of theme sing it live but I guess the chance is gone. *sigh* I love the old school Momusu song of this song.


3, 2, 1 BREAKIN' OUT 
I wish this could've been an a-side. The combo of that riff and the 8-bit sounds was just too flawless. Luckily, I did get a music video and was theme for the girl's trip to Anime Expo over in the States.


Aki Urara
I really dig the guitar intro and then the transfer into a more synthy sound. The vocal harmonies are pretty nice too.




Overall, I would say this is a must have for any Morning Musume fan. If you're worried about price then find an overseas version. I got the Taiwan version from Yesasia for about £18. Not half bad for 3 cds and a photobook. For the record, I much prefer the presentation of this to the A-sides collection with it's annoying dvd. Four performances of Do it! Now was 3 too many (and two of them were the same!!). If you've made it the far then thanks. Your award shall be in heaven. XD 

The regular edition can be bought here: 

Mitsui Aika set to graduate

It has been decided that 8th generation member Mitsui Aika will graduate Morning Musume due to health problems with her leg. The original announcement can be read here and a translation can be read here. Mitsui will graduate on the 18th alongside 5th generation member and leader Niigaki Risa.

Aika has never been my favourite Momusu member but I am fairly sure that she has always been in my top 5. The first morning musume music video that I happened to see was 'Nanchatte Renai' and despite not being prominently featured, Aika was captivating. I think most of it was that she was definitely the stand-out rapper in that song.

 

 Here's Aika's solo shot as a little treat.

Another memory I have of Aika is seeing her performing her solo song 'Watashi no Miryoku ni Kizukanai Donkan na Hito' at the 2009 Spring tour. With a huge bow in her hair and adorable choreography, Aika was the epitome of idol cuteness. With fellow 8th gen members as back-up dancers all three of them shine and you realise just how much of a pity it is that they all had to graduate before their time.

Throughout her time in Morning Musume and Hello! Project Mitsui Aika has proved to be talented and an incredibly hard worker. Unfortunately some 'fans' don't appear to see this and are instead still bitter about Aika getting into Momusu rather than their audition favourite. I am pleased to inform you that I honestly feel that Aika was the most deserving Auditionee. She demonstrated her ability well and never cracked under the pressure. Over the past few years we have seen Aika mature from a cute thirteen year old into an admirable young woman. Despite being disheartened to see Aika graduate at such short notice without any major part in her last single and without any of the typical graduation bonuses such as photobooks and dvds, I am looking forward to see what life brings her in the near future. She deserves a lot.

光井愛佳卒業おめでとう！！

Best version of "Kimi wa Jitensha Watashi wa Densha de Kitaku" yet . . .?

Well, I think so anyway!

  Today the official C-ute channel uploaded a version titled, "Yajima Maimi Short Movie Totsusen Dance Ver." The video starts off with a film like segment involving Maimi and her friend out eating something on a stick before progressing into what seems to be Maimi on the walk home. At one point she starts quietly singing the song to herself acapella and somehow manages to sound better than she ever does which is odd. Oh well, maybe whisper singing is the way to go. At sometime around 5.48, the music kicks in and the video changes into a sort of dance around the street like you're in a musical kind of affair. Sadly, Maimi's little dance outburst comes to an end when she almost walks backwards into a cyclist. These things happen.

I don't know who this girl is but what's going with her hair?

Have H!P got some sort of promo deal with the Coca-Cola company?

God knows why Maimi thought it was a good idea to leave her bag here.

Don't mess with Maimi. She dances wherever she likes.

New Review/Overview Idea

I found my last post 'I Love Vingt-Cinq!' fairly enjoyable to write and put together and I am interested in doing more reviews/overviews in a similar fashion.

I have taken a picture of my rather pitiful collection of Hello! Project CDs and I will replace the photo if and when said collection grows and edit it to score out items as we go along. This is where you come in. I would greatly appreciate it if you could leave a comment specifying which CD you would like me to feature.

Here is a photo and list to get you started.

(doing away with the picture for the moment as my camera's memory card is full and I am to feart to delete photos)

• Abe Natsumi - Hitoribocchi
• Goto Maki - Makking Gold
• Morning Musume - Zen Single Coupling Collection
• Morning Musume - Cover You
• Tanpopo - Tanpopo 1
• Abe Natsumi - 25 ~ Vingt-Cinq 
• Goto Maki - How to Use Sexy
• Morning Musume - All Singles Complete ~10th Anniversary~ 
• W (Double You) - 2nd W
• W (Double You) - Duo U&U
• Tanpopo - All of Tanpopo
• Abe Natsumi - ~Best Selection~ 15 Shoku no Nigaoe Tachi
• Morning Musume - Rainbow 7
• Goto Maki - Daite yo! PLEASE GO ON
• Morning Musume - Renai Hunter
• High King - Cinderella Complex

Comment away! ^__^

I love Vingt-Cinq!

One thing people tend to complain about as far as Hello! Project goes is presentation. Or in simpler terms, the fact that a lot of their releases tend to look a bit crap. However, one release that has, in my opinion, lovely presentation in Abe Natsumi's 2007 mini album '25 ~Vingt-Cinq~'.

Now, because I have too much time on my hands am desperately trying to avoid revision, I have scanned all the lovely Nacchi pics in the release. Sorry the scans are low quality. The scanner in my printer isn't exactly world class.

Front and back covers of booklet. I have the CD&DVD edition, the CD only one has a different cover.

This is what is behind the CD.

Back cover. Damn she's flawless.

Lovely girl next door Nacchi.

 

I swear those are the exact same curtain things as in the new Renai Hunter MV.

Nacchi+Strawberries=ultimate cuteness

That is one weird camera.

One for the foot fetishists among us.

If it's any bonus, the actual CD and DVD are rather pretty too.

 I love all the songs on this album and they are representative of that more mature style Nacchi had from here on. My personal favourites are the title track, '25 ~Vingt-Cinq~' and 'Kuchibiru de Tomete', to songs which work amazingly live with Nacchi's great live band. They can be watched here and here respectively.

Unfortunately, the DVD is a bit of a strange one. The two leading singles of the mini-album, 'Sweetholic' and 'Amasugita Kajitsu' are listed as being "live at Shibuya O-EAST". However, it seems to be sort of pretend live. I would say, "I wish they'd just put the PVs on the DVD" but both these songs PVs were rather underwhelming.

In conclusion, this is a great, well presented mini-album and a must have for any Nacchi fan. However there's not much need to bother with the limited edition with the DVD. Save yourself a few quid and just get the normal one. XD


The regular edition can be bought here:

25 - Vingt Cinq [Regular Edition]

Natsumi Abe

PV Round-up: Be Genki, Kimi wa Jitensha and Tasogare Kousaten

Today has been a busy week as far as Hello! Project music video's are concerned. 3 have been dropped and two of them feature guys! As most of you will probably know, this is pretty much unheard of.

So, first off is Berryz Koubou's 'Be Genki! Naseba Naru'.

When I first saw these outfits I wasn't really 100% in favour of them. Now, however, Miyabi and Risako have completely sold them to me. This single is basically a huge Miyabi/Risako fest and so it helps if you like the two of them (like me!). While I didn't really like Miya's hair in the Buono! single, she is totally working it here and has a lot more "spark" than usual. In other observations, Yurina and Risako both look very like younger versions of themselves. In Risako's case it is the forehead. Yurina, I'm not so sure. One thing that annoys me is that everything is going great and then all of a sudden the girls are running around in a circle holding on to each other's capes. What the heck people? Seeing the PV I now love the dance. There is something incredibly 'Berryz' about it. The shot of the girls walking like some sort of superhero gang is also pretty cool. Overall, a great start to the year for Berryz Koubou.

Second in line is C-ute's 'Kimi wa Jitensha, Watashi wa Densha de Kitaku'.

Due to what is probably either the video being to new for Blogger to locate, or possibly just my own stupidity, you will have to follow this link in the meantime.

For some reason I feel the need to clarify that I have never had any issue with these costumes. In my puny mind the are just perfect. I shall just start off by saying that I love this song to death. By the time the single actually comes out I will have massively overplayed it. It almost makes me want more ballad singles (almost, not quite). Personally, the realization that C-ute (as a group) now have the best vocals in H!P was a strange one. This is a very Airi centered single and as talented as she is I found myself waiting impatiently for Maimi (this may just be crazed fandom getting the better of me). Although some may argue that the lighting makes the girls a bit washed out, I love it. The softness is perfect for the song and is also very flattering. As usual, Nakky ponytail is an epic win. C-ute's best single since 'Kiss me Aishiteru'.

To finish today's PV extravaganza, here is Manoeri's Tasogare Kousaten.

Another great single from Mano Erina, Yay! With 'My Days for You' and 'Doki Doki Baby/Tasogare Kousaten' it seems like Mano has finally found her niche. Also, she is back behind the piano in this video! It feels like it's been a while since we last saw her tinkle the ivories.  While Mano's vocals may not be technically brilliant I myself rather like her voice. It's very sweet. Her hair is somehow Nacchi-esque. That's got to be a good thing. (Though slightly odd for someone who looks like the child of Goto and Sayumin). Being a PV with a story it helps that Manoeri is not a half bad actress. A great start of 2012 for Hello! Project's one and only soloist.

"Fans" can be mighty stupid sometimes . . .

As probably anyone in the fandom, in close contact with the fandom or breathing the same air as the fandom probably already knows, there has been a incident involving some rather rude T-ara "fans" (I use the term lightly).

For those who haven't seen the story, here, here.

As anybody who has read comments on any k-pop youtube video (and a fair few j-pop ones) will know, k-pop fans can be, well, slightly mental. Can I just clarify now that this does not refer to all k-pop fans and to those of you with common sense and some form of sanity, I feel genuinely sorry for you. It is hard to have the reputation of a fan community dragged down because of a few incompetent individuals.

One thing that struck me about the whole Berryz/T-ara incident (apart from the bit about people hating on two of the cutest girls on the planet of course) is that I can't see what these so-called fans thought they would get out of abusing a couple of innocent girls. They did nothing but bring a bad name on the fandom and despite what Joan Jett may say, people do give a damn about a bad reputation. I am less tempted into the fandom because of these kind of fans. People completely blinded by their k-pop love who never think about what they are doing to the reputation of the girls they claim to love so dearly, not to mention using death threats against people who have never done anything wrong.

I sincerely wish that fans of Hello! Project have more common sense than this vocal minority of T-ara fans. I really feel ashamed when I see people who claim to be H!P fans hating on any of the girls and then using "it's okay because I'm a fan" ticket out. I remember things like this disgusting me when I was just discovering the group (still do). To see these people say such horrible things about other groups is something I hope I never have to witness.

Berryz Koubou (and their new single's covers) are great and no-one should say otherwise!