Tonight we talk about BiSH, Niji no Conquistador, Dempagumi.inc and more!
Recorded October 15th, 2016.
Ending theme song: “Dave Drops The Bass” by Chase Lim AKA 13thBeat
Charlie Cowdin’s twitter- @drako60
Yoshi Hagiwara’s Twitter – @yoshirekt
New School Kaidan Twitter – @newschoolkaidan
NSK Google+ Community
The PVs
Hello everybody, guest contributor TheNumber244 here to bring you up to date with the new month of Hello! Project Power Rankings.
October brought with it three single releases, the expectations for two more single releases, overseas concert performances, idol Halloween costumes, and more. But, even with that flurry of activity the news that dominates the here and now is Tsugunaga Momoko’s graduation from Country Girls, Hello! Project, and public life. You saw that correct: Momochi is hanging up the musubi. Technically, this news should belong in next month’s Power Rankings, and it still will appear there. But, in the here and now there is no bigger news. Momoko still has a few months with us- Momoko officially calls it quits on June 30, 2017 – exactly 15 years from the debut of Tsugunaga Momoka and the rest of the Hello! Project Kids.
And now,
Rankings come on!
Morning Musume ’16
Last Rank: 3
Change: (+2)
What really put Morning Musume ’16 in the penthouse suite of the Projects was a double whammy of foreign soil concerts/appearances. Firstly, the flagship group arrived in Korea to perform in the MU:CON LIVE AMN Big Concert at DMC Festival 2016 an the Sangam Culture Plaza. The girls performed their latest single “Utakata Saturday Night” and a “Love Machine/Renai Revolution 21” medley. As a bonus, Nonaka Miki and Oda Sakura performed a bit of the SNSD “Tell Me Your Wish (Genie)” choreography for the lucky audience.
Later in the month, Fukumura Mizuki brought her girls to Taipei for the group’s “Morning Musume ’16 Live Concert in Taipei”. The group’s return to Taiwan cam 8 years after their first concert in Taipei in 2008, which was also the first overseas concert by Morning Musume. No doubt many longtime Taiwanese fans waited a long time to see their girls again.
Up next for Morning Musume ’16 is their 62nd single release “Sexy Cat no Enzetsu / Mukidashi de Mukiatte / Sou ja nai” on November 23rd. With the Oricon changes hitting the rest of the projects (more on that later), one can only speculate how the group will perform on its second release of the year. So far, the release seems very polarizing with “Sexy Cat no Enzetsu” ‘s slinky sexiness and Makino Maria taking a page out of the Sayashi Riho playbook in “Sou ja nai”. Time will tell, right?
Country Girls
Last Rank: 1
Change: (-1)
As you are reading this, the most important news regarding Country Girls already broke (see introduction) making this entire Oricon ranking business a bit moot. Seeing as Momoko’s retirement from show business was announced in the new month, it doesn’t make the rankings for October. But, man this is the end of an era for Hello! Project.
See, I told myself to talk about Country Girls, their bus tour, and Morito Chisaki’s feature in Young Gangan, but all of that doesn’t matter much anymore, right?
Juice=Juice
Last Rank: 4
Change: (+1)
Stepping away from all this chart talk, Juice=Juice finish their year long “Live Mission 220” campaign next month with a date at Nippon Budokan. Their ambitious tour started at Yokohama Bay Hall in June last year and now ends at the storied venue. Really, I think the Live Mission 220 goes down as an under-celebrated achievement. The girls, the group, and the group’s profile grew tremendously in this time span. Hopefully we will start seeing Budokan as a permanent fixture on Juice=Juice’s tour itineraries.
Angerme
Last Rank: 5
Change: (+1)
℃-ute
Last Rank: 2
Change: (-3)
Kobushi Factory
Last Rank: 6
Change: (even)
Like always, you are free to disagree. In fact, please disagree! That will give us something to talk about! You can give me an earful in the comments below, my personal twitter, or the New School Kaidan Twitter. Don’t forget to visit my blog at TheNumber244. Until next time, “Ganbatte Ikuta”!
Hello everybody, guest contributor TheNumber244 here to bring you up to date with the new month of Hello! Project Power Rankings.
It’s been an eventful month in the projects. November spawned two single releases, an album release, a graduation announcement, a first-time Nippon Budokan concert, and a new generation announcement! And, if that isn’t enough news, Michishige Sayumi revealed (after some numberplay and wordplay) her comeback to the entertainment industry on November 26, a full two years after her graduation. The only thing for certain now is that the pink one will return next year. Details will be announced, so look out for Yummy Sayumi!
And now,
Rankings come on!
Morning Musume ’16
Last Rank: 1
Change: (even)
Well, the Sexy Cats strutted their way to the weekly number one spot with a total of 97,818 copies sold on the Oricon Weekly chart and 166,082 copies on the Billboard Japan chart. It is a bit of a shame that the group’s consecutive 100,000 sales streak halted at 8 singles (since “Wagamama Ki no Mama ~Ai no Joke~ / Ai no Gundan“), but these are the consequences of a new counting system.
The big bomb for November dropped on the day before the “Sexy Cat no Enzetsu” release. The group’s 13th generation audition finally reached a decision point, and the new members of the group will be announced at the Morning Musume ’16’s ~My Vision~ Tour finale at Nippon Budokan on December 12. Furthermore, the whole of the new generation will come from the Hello! Project Kenshuusei system. I don’t know if this means that the auditions proved fruitless for the second straight time (this is the second 13th generation audition) since the current Hello! Project is filled with unsuccessful Morning Musume auditions. But, the 13th generation is a great opportunity for those trainees who have long laboured in the H!P Kenshuusei system. And, since the trainees are all well-known among the Haro Wota, the handicapping game has been off and running.
Who will be the future of Morning Musume? We’ll find out very shortly!
℃-ute
Last Rank: 5
Change: (+3)
For me, one of the highlights of the month that was C-ute was the group’s performance on the NTV Halloween Live 2016. From the footage I saw, the Yajima Maimi and the gals dressed in midriff-baring frilly nurse outfit accessorized with long black gloves and fishnet stockings for their four-song set. As a bonus, Suzuki Airi brought her game to SCANDAL’s set where she dueted with Ono Haruna on the group’s single “Shunkan Sentimental”. If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know how I feel about both SCANDAL and Suzuki Airi.
Country Girls
Last Rank: 2
Change: (-1)
Like C-ute, Country Girls performed on NTV’s Halloween Live 2016. For their fashion report, the Girls dressed as “Happy, Excited, Euphoric Devils” with frilly FRILLY dresses and black devil horns. There’s something strange about seeing girlish pink bows adorning the goatish horns of a demon, but this is COUNTRY GIRLS, and Country Girls are CUTE. I’m pretty sure that’s how the conversation went.
Juice=Juice
Last Rank: 3
Change: (-1)
Finally, and this is just for me, Miyamoto Karin released her fourth video release, “bluest”. I’m not going anywhere with this line of thought; I’m just celebrating all things Karin.
Kobushi Factory
Last Rank: 6
Change: (+1)
As a kicker, Kobushi Factory released the gorgeously shot “Kobushi no Hana” promotional video as the month closed. Much like the archery motif, Hirose Ayaka and girls spent the majority of the PV running towards the unknown, which turned out to be a beach meeting of the group. Perhaps it’s my imagination, but the beach locale looked a lot like the beach used for Berryz Koubou’s “Tomodachi wa Tomodachi Nande” PV. This makes sense, so don’t disappoint me!
ANGERME
Last Rank: 4
Change: (-2)
Like always, you are free to disagree. In fact, please disagree! That will give us something to talk about! You can give me an earful in the comments below, my personal twitter, or the New School Kaidan Twitter. Don’t forget to visit my blog at TheNumber244. Until next time!
Hello everybody, guest contributor TheNumber244 here to bring you up to date with the new month of Hello! Project Power Rankings. I’ll thank you very kindly for indulging me in my annual vacation, which explains the lack of H!P Power Rankings in January. Hawaii was wonderfully restorative, thank you for asking.
January always puts the girls of Hello! Project through the wringer of the company-wide Winter Concerts. This year brought two different productions: ~Crystal Clear~ and ~Kaleidoscope~. As for comings and goings, one group was suspiciously absent from the annual concerts: a prelude to the future of Hello! Project. Along those same lines, a couple of familiar faces announced their hiatus from the projects- both for health reasons. Of course, we will get to those absences in due course.
In concert news, Buono! will get a last hurrah after all! Tsugunaga Momoko, Natsuyaki Miyabi, and Suzuki Airi make a date with Yokohama Arena on May 22, 2017. No details about the performance have been made public, so you’ll have to wait for more info. For now, you can just mark your calendars.
In other news, Michishige Sayumi finally unveiled some plans for 2017. “SAYUMINGLANDOLL ~Saisei~” will run for 17 performances for M-Line Club members from March 19 through April 2. As yet there are no indications as to what will actually comprise these performances. Also, as a member of M-Line, I probably will not be reporting Sayumi’s latest news in this column after this month. Please follow her blog or Up Front Promotion to stay up-to-date.
And with that,
Rankings come on!
℃-ute
Last Rank: 2
Change: (+1)
Atop the rankings this month are the senior group in the Projects. In order to focus on their remaining time together, Yajima Maimi and the girls decided to skip the Winter Hello! Concerts I wrote about earlier. So, it came as little shock that the group announced their new release early in the month. As yet unnamed, the group’s 31st (and presumably final) single receives a March 22 release date. So far little is known about the release: untitled, no track lists, and no indication to whether this will be another triple A-side.
In lighter news, Yajima Maimi and Nakajima Saki were announced as cohosts for the TBS show “Furusato no Yume“. I haven’t seen the first episode, which aired on January 22, but sources say the two girls feature a single town or village and the hardworking people living therein. Maybe this is an indication of the girls’ future plans?
The big new of the month involves a pair of overseas dates for the group. That’s right: C-ute will make a return to both Paris and Mexico. First, the girls will return to Mexico City with “℃-ute Cutie Circuit ～¡De vuelta a México!～” on April 13-14 (more information here) with a live on April 13 and Fan Meeting for VIP ticket holders on April 14. From there, C-ute hops on a jet plane to Paris for “℃-ute Cutie Circuit ～De retour à Paris～” (more information here). In the City of Light, C-ute will similarly perform on April 16 and hold a Fan Meeting for Premium Ticket holders on April 17.
Of course, the June 12 date with Saitama Super Arena looms.
Morning Musume。’17
Last Rank: 1
Change: (-1)
OK, bad news first: Sato Masaki announced on January 6 that she would take a two month hiatus pending a doctor’s evaluation. Back in June 2015, Maachan was diagnosed with a suspected herniated lumbar disc, but did not undergo physical therapy. In January, it was decided that Sato could not continue activities until she had worked on healing herself and her ailing back. Because of this Sato Masaki will not participate on the group’s 63rd single.
Speaking of … Morning Musume ’17 releases their first single “BRAND NEW MORNING / Jealousy Jealousy” on Wednesday March 8, 2017. Other than the track names and Maachan’s absence, not much is actually known about the release (as of this writing). Being the 20th anniversary year of Morning Musume, a song with a rejuvenative title like “BRAND NEW MORNING” fits very nicely, although no one knows what it will actually sound like. The song titles seem to have people worked up, so I suppose mission accomplished on that tease campaign.
Finally, Morning Musume ’17 revealed a new product tie-in with Marukome Miso. In a news well-covered news conference, Morning Musume ’17 performed the purposefully re-lyriced “Morning Misoshiru” and unveiled Morning Musume themed Miso Cups. Miso soup is a breakfast staple in Japan, so the tie-in isn’t as obtuse as some believe. And, did you click that video link? The promotional video for “Morning Misoshiru” is a gorgeously shot piece with the girls camping together and (fictionally) welcoming the 13th generation to the fold with pillow fights and … wait for it … miso soup!
ANGERME
Last Rank: 6
Change: (+3)
Things began with some celebration for Angerme. With the impending graduation of Yajima Maimi, Hello! Project was in need of a new Queen Bee of the Projects. There was a bit of fan debate about the successor (hopefully no one lost any friends over it), but during the “Hello! Project COUNTDOWN PARTY 2016 ~GOOD BYE & HELLO!~” concert, Maimi officialy passed the crown to Angerme’s leader, Wada Ayaka. Maimi also declared the Morning Musume ’17 leader, Fukumura Mizuki, will serve as Dawa’s subleader, a first for Hello! Project.
3rd generation member Aikawa Maho, along with Morning Musume ’17 ‘s Sato Masaki, missed the Countdown Party due to poor health. At the time nothing seemed unusual. But, on January 11 the familiar “Concerning Maho Aikawa from ANGERME” hit everyone’s social media feeds, and we all discovered that AiAi had been diagnosed with Panic Disorder. With symptoms like headaches and vertigo increasing in frequency and magnitude, a break from ANGERME activities was deemed necessary. As yet, no timeline for Maho’s return has been released.
Unfortunately between Maho’s hiatus and the Hello! Project Winter Concerts, not much else came out of the ANGERME camp. A spring tour is scheduled, but barring a new single announcement the next we’ll hear from the group could be the spring Hina Fes concerts.
Country Girls
Last Rank: 3
Change: (-1)
The Country Girls made a few waves this month with their upcoming February 8 release “Good Boy Bad Girl / Peanut Butter Jelly Love“. The group released the promotional video for “Peanut Butter Jelly Love“, and boy is it cute. Tsugunaga Momoko’s solo at the start of the song is a fitting way to send off the group’s playing manager. And, it’s just a pretty, pretty performance. As of writing, the release of “Good Boy Bad Girl” is set for release at any moment.
Aside from their latest release, Morito Chisaki announced the release of her first photobook. Appropriately titled “Morito Chisaki“, the book has a release date of February 19. Unfortunately, I can’t point you to any preview photos since none has been released yet.
Tsubaki Factory
Last Rank: NEW
Change: (n/a)
Things get a little light from here on out, but, Tsubaki Factory have some real news to deliver! Formed in April 2015, the group’s future seemed tenuous as the lineup never seemed to gel and indie releases met with mixed reviews. Perhaps the deisbandment of C-ute forced Hello! Project’s hand. Perhaps the influx of second generation talent in August 2016 finally provided the mercurial mix of talent and camaraderie in correct proportion. But, with their major debut less than a month away, Yamagishi Riko’s Factory Girls released the first PV from their debut release “Hatsukoi Sunrise / Just Try! / Uruwashi no Camelia“. “Hatsukoi Sunrise” is relentlessly uptempo. The song’s monologue breaks and “Sunrise!” hook hopefully catches the group new fans. One thing is certain: Tsubaki Factory will need to gain new fans to make up for the loss of C-ute in June.
Kobushi Factory
Last Rank: 5
Change: (-1)
Let’s have a bit of recounting, shall we? Kobushi Factory’s debut album “Kobushi sono Ichi” reached number 11 on the Oricon album charts in late-November/early-December. That was about two months ago now. The last Kobushi Factory single “Samba! Kobushi Janeiro / Bacchikoi Seishun! / Ora wa Ninkimono” made it to number 3 on the Oricon singles chart way back in July last year. I think it’s time for a new single, don’t you? As yet there’s no news of a new single.
Only one item gives Kobushi Factory the buoyancy to stay out of the cellar. Namely, Hirose Ayaka nd Inoue Rei released a joint mini-photobook on January 14. Those two girls seem to be favorites of the Western fandom in particular, so such a release curries great favor with these charts.
Juice=Juice
Last Rank: 4
Change: (-3)
OK, we have arrived at the basement. It’s a bit chilly down here, right? All I can really do is give you an update on where Juice=Juice stands. The Juicers released “Dream Road ~Kokoro ga Odoridashiteru~ / KEEP ON Joshou Shikou!! / Ashita Yarou wa Bakayarou” on October 26 last year, which means three months have passed. Juice=Juice’s performed at Nippon Budokan on November 7, so about the same amount of time has lapsed since their last major performance. What does this mean? IT’S TIME FOR SOMETHING NEW. Hopefully Miyazki Yuka and the girls are reloading a special new juice box for us, just waiting for an unveiling.
Things aren’t all bad, though! A major overseas opportunity lies just up ahead for the group: Juice=Juice are performing in Hong Kong again on February 11 and 12 as part of the “@JAMxTALE in HongKong 2017“. The event hosts other Japanese Idol favorites: SUPER☆GiRLS, Tokyo Girls’ Style, Moso Calibration, and Ariel Project. That’s a helluva silver lining.
Perhaps it’s a sign of things to come.
Like always, you are free to disagree. In fact, please disagree! That will give us something to talk about! You can give me an earful in the comments below, my personal twitter, or the New School Kaidan Twitter. Don’t forget to visit my blog at TheNumber244. Until next time!
Links to all the releases I mentioned
ROCK A JAPONICA – Kyouka Shock!
GEM – Fine! ~fly for the future~
Atarashii Gakkou no Leaders – Gakkou Ikeyaa
Kobushi Factory – Osu! Kobushi Damashii
Wa-Suta – Ultra Mirakurukuru Final Ultimate Choco Beam
Niji no Consuistador – Senjou no St. Valentine
Momoiro Clover Z – Mahorovacation
Maison book girl – cloudy irony
PASSPO – Bachelorette wa Owaranai
Tokyo Girls’ Style – Mille Feuille
Yumemiru Adolescence – Mai Jene!
Hello everybody, guest contributor TheNumber244 here to bring you up to date with the new month of Hello! Project Power Rankings. February 2017 saw the major debut of a Hello! Project, an overseas H!P live event, photobook news from new girls and seasoned pros, television announcements, movie announcements, single announcements, and Ninja Girls.
Perhaps most anticipated of all, however, was the new set of Hina Fes videos. If you’ve never seen them before, the entirety of Hello! Project gathers together to lottery for spots in solo performances and small group performances during the yearly Hina Fes. Taking over from Hamaura Ayano’s colonel character is Kiyono Momohime as “Supreme Commander Marshal Momohime”, and let me tell you: those aviator glasses were as cool as Kim Deal. Watch the lottery videos here: [1] and [2]
And now,
Rankings come on!
Country Girls
Last Rank: 4
Change: (+3)
Coming in at the top of the rankings this month is Country Girls. The group’s fifth release “Good Boy Bad Girl / Peanut Butter Jelly Love” drove much of this resurgence as its sales showed a 3,903 unit improvement. Things are a bit relative, of course, since the single failed to crack the 30,000 unit mark by “just barely” (total first week sales were 29,053 units). “Good Boy Bad Girl / Peanut Butter Jelly Love” will be the last Hello! Project single to contain a member of Berryz Koubou (playing manager Tsugunaga Momoko). Perhaps this bump in sales can be attributed to this “Momoko effect”, but at the very least we can say that the Country Girls single sales have yet to settle down.
Speaking of Momochi, the release of the last Tsugunaga Momoko photobook was announced early in the month, just barely ahead of the release of the aforementioned 5th single. Now, that’s some timing! The March 6 photobook received some previews in both UTB and Flash late in February, and I know more than a few see this book as a collectible piece of Hello! Project history as well as a last peek at Momoko.
Momoko wasn’t the only Country Girl to release a photobook this month. Little Morito Chisaki donned the bikini and released her eponymous debut photobook on February 19. I’m not sure what more I can say about this release other than marvel that Chisaki is very cute in the previews and looks great in every shot I’ve seen. Is this the dawning of a new H!P photobook queen?
Tsubaki Factory
Last Rank: 5
Change: (+3)
I feel refreshed putting Tsubaki Factory up near the top of the rankings. After a long road to the majors, Yamagishi Riko and her Factory Girls came up big with “Hatsukoi Sunrise / Just Try! / Urawashi no Camellia“. The group peaked in the daily charts at number 3, and finished the week with that same number 3 ranking and a total weekly sales of 35,241 units. NOT BAD! I know the newness of the group factored into these numbers, but Tsubaki Factory just bested the last releases from Country Girls, Juice=Juice, and ANGERME. This calls for some congratulations.
Well, before you order a second helping of cake, we should probably dissect this release just a bit further. The trend that really worries me is the lack of news outside Tsubaki Factory’s sales numbers. Truly, every item regarding Tsubaki Factory directly linked itself to the release of their single. Without building the expected media momentum, I think we still need to be very cautious about fate of the group. I hate to be the Debbie Downer for Hello! Project.
Morning Musume。’17
Last Rank: 2
Change: (-1)
Announced on February 21, Fukumura Mizuki and co. get their own television program! “Tokugi☆Saikenshou Momusu DE Gozaru!” starts airing on March 8 (remember that date?) and will feature the girls attempting to verify the special skills they have listed on their official profile pages. We’ll need to tune in to find out what exactly it’ll look like.
The other big news from February is the scheduled return of Sato Masaki. Out for most of the year with herniated discs, Maachan will return to Morning Musume in March as the group begins its Spring 2017 ~The Inspiration~ Tour on March 18. It sounds like her return will be watched closely by doctors, and Masaki will be participating in the events cautiously. Then again, when has Maachan ever been cautious about anything?
Before I get accused about forgetting other news items, I’ll mention Ikuta Erina’s turn in “Konnichiwa, Joyuu no Sagara Itsuki Desu” with Momoiro Clover Z’s Sasaki Ayaka and NMB48’s Fujie Reina announced for a March airing, Nonaka Miki’s appearance on “Otona e Novel” on February 23, Kudo Haruka and Makino Maria’s photo spread on UTB+, Haga Akane’s mini-photobook release announcement, and Fukumura Mizuki’s latest turn as cover girl for Young Gangan.
Juice=Juice
Last Rank: 7
Change: (+3)
I’m putting Juice=Juice at number 4 this month for their pair of concerts in Hong Kong mid-February. Miyazaki Yuka’s Juicers appeared and performed alongside SUPER☆GiRLS, Moso Calibration, Tokyo Girls’ Style, and Ariel Project at the @JAM x TALE event on February 11th and 12th at Music Zone @ E-Max in Hong Kong. Hello! Project groups performing overseas is probably the most welcome trend in recent years. So this performance should be viewed as not only the continuation of that trend, but also a signal that the group of Juicers will be making more trips outside of Japan. In my mind, the @JAM x TALE Hong Kong performances also presented a unique opportunity to see H!P group side by side with groups from other agencies.
And now for some news: Juice=Juice release their 9th single “Jidanda Dance / Feel! Kanjiru yo” on April 26, 2017. Naturally, not much information is known about this release. Stay tuned for more details!
Kobushi Factory
Last Rank: 6
Change: (+1)
Kobushi Factory take the fifth spot this month largely on the strength of their latest musical “JK Ninja Girls“. To tell the truth, other than the girls playing ninja, I have no idea what this musical is about. OK, the girls play “ninja girls of justice” and “ninja girls of evil” and do battle at a certain girls’ school. What’s more, the musical was deemed strong enough to receive a movie adaptation with a theatrical release date of July 17.
The counter that has me most concerned is the “Time Since the Last Kobushi Factory Single” counter. It’s been about a half-year since “Samba! Kobushi Janeiro / Bacchikoi Seishun! / Ora wa Ninkimono“. I’m telling you now: enough is enough! Let’s get some Kobushi Factory in here now!
℃-ute
Last Rank: 1
Change: (-5)
February was a cool month for C-ute. The group provided cover shots and a set of photos for UTB+’s March 2017 issue and cover. Along those same lines the group announced the release of the “C-ute Last Official Book” for release in May, 2017. Aside from photographic content, you can expect articles highlighting each girl as well as some talk sessions between the members as they reminisce and attempt to explain what the group means to them personally. On the horizon for the group is it’s final single “To Tomorrow / Final Squall / The Curtain Rises” set for release on March 29, 2017.
ANGERME
Last Rank: 3
Change: (-4)
I tried to scour for news items about Wada Ayaka and her group of girls, but I came up empty handed. Perhaps the group put itself on hold in hopes for the return of 3rd generation member Aikawa Maho. Personally, I hope this means the group has something big up their sleeves.
Like always, you are free to disagree. In fact, please disagree! That will give us something to talk about! You can give me an earful in the comments below, my personal twitter, or the New School Kaidan Twitter. Don’t forget to visit my blog at TheNumber244. Until next time!
Hello everybody, guest contributor TheNumber244 here to bring you up to date with the new month of Hello! Project Power Rankings.
March came, and with it the Hello! Project groups celebrated another Satoyama/Satoumi event and Hina Fes Concerts. With the upcoming graduations of both C-ute and Tsugunaga Momoko, this set of concerts proved significantly poignant. For their part, C-ute members joined each of the lottery chosen subunit performances. Momoko got an entire concert dedicated to her: the Tsugunaga Momoko Premium Concert (Don’t worry, C-ute got their own Premium Concert, too).
And now,
Rankings come on!
Morning Musume。’17
Last Rank: 3
Change: (+2)
Everything seemed to go in Morning Musume’s direction in the month of March. The first big celebration for the group was the return of Sato Masaki to performance. Out since the beginning of the year, Maachan rejoined the group on the first day of their “Morning Musume。’17 Concert Tour Haru ~THE INSPIRATION!~” on March 18. Many a mowota were happy to see her singing and (more importantly) dancing again. Of course, no seemed happier about Maachan’s return than Maachan herself. Fingers crossed, we don’t see another episode like this in a long time.
But HEY! March also brought the 63rd single release for the Hello! Project flagship group. “BRAND NEW MORNING / Jealousy Jealousy” put the group at the Weekly Number 2 spot with 79,206 copies. Promotional appearances for the group provided a steady stream of media ops well through the month, fueling Morning Musume ’17’s surge to the penthouse of the Projects.
You want more? Morning Musume ’17 announced their next overseas concert early in March. The group will make its way to Hong Kong on June 25, 2017. This will be the first overseas trip for the new 13th Generation (Kaga Kaede and Yokoyama Reina). Expect the inevitable DVD release.
More still? Fukumura Mizuki leads her girls into battle with the web game “Idol Nama Gassen” against ANGERME. Specifically, Morning Musume ’17 and ANGERME are split into 4 color squads (MM- red and yellow, Anju- blue and green) for a four-way melee. The game officially launched its campaign on the opening day of the Satoyama/Satoumi event. I don’t know too many details about gameplay or objectives, but I’m sure more will be fleshed out for us by the April 16 “Live Battle” event. You can watch the promotional CM here.
While we’re at it, a few magazines photo sets were released featuring Fukumura Mizuki, Makino Maria, and Ogata Haruna; Haga Akane released her “Haga Akane ~Greeting~” mini photobook; and Ishida Ayumi, Oda Sakura, Nonaka Miki, Kaede, and Reina made their way to Taiwan for an handshake event. So yes, it’s been a great month for Morning Musume.
℃-ute
Last Rank: 6
Change: (+14)
The most important thing to know about C-ute this month is the news of their final single. “To Tomorrow / Final Squall / The Curtain Rises” saw the senior Hello! Project group debut at number 2 on the Oricon Daily Charts and take the weekly number two spot with 66,470 units counted. Unfortunately, this means Yajima Maimi and the girls will never experience a weekly number 1 single with her loved group. While those rankings may not mean much in the actual scheme of things, I imagine the lost opportunity and being locked out from wearing the “Number 1” badge might sting just a little bit.
The girls are already busy with their future plans. For their parts, Maimi and Nakajima Saki host the weekly “Furusato no Yume” show, and Okai Chisato continues to be a fixture on the variety circuit. But, the biggest winner for March seems to be Suzuki Airi. To begin with, Airi graced the cover of “Young Gangan” early in the month. Along those same lines, Airi released her commemorative photobook “Eien” featuring excerpts from her photobooks from 2010 to 2017. But, the the crown here might be the late-March announcement of Suzuki Airi as the “image girl” and star of CMs for Chiba Bank. Listen, I don’t know one Japanese bank from another, but this deal could definitely lead to more and more such jobs for Airi. Which means we haven’t seen the last of her … thank heavens.
Up next for C-ute is the release of their Last Official Book” on May 1 followed closely by the “℃OMPLETE SINGLE COLLECTION“. That final(?) CD release will be either a 3CD+BD or a whopping 6CD set depending on the version you choose. Can you feel the end approaching, yet?
Country Girls
Last Rank: 1
Change: (-2)
Actually, Momoko seems to be leading her group yet again as the Country Girls are popping up on the book racks of late. First came Morito Chisaki’s solo photobook “Morito Chisaki” last month. Then, the Funaki Musubu / Yanagawa Nanami duo announced their joint Blu Ray release “Greeting ~Yanagawa Nanami Funaki Musubu~” with a great preview video (I’m biased as you can see). And, as if saying “me too!”, Yamaki Risa released her “Mini Photobook ‘Greeting ~Photobook~'” on March 25. These three girls seem quick to follow their leader’s footsteps with photobooks and magazine features just a few inches away.
Up next for the Country Girls is a Spring Tour that will carry the group through May. After that, the group should definitely factor in the graduation of their Playing Manager the following month.
Tsubaki Factory
Last Rank: 2
Change: (-2)
With their major debut now in the rear-view mirror, Tsubaki Factory perhaps should take a moment to smell the blooms of their accomplishment. Their debut outsold the last single from Country Girls, Juice=Juice, and Angerme. Tsubaki Factory was still buzzing from their February 22 release with a stream of television appearances that kept the group’s profile up for the month of March. But, of course now the group begins their battle to stay relevant in the rapidly changing landscape.
Early in the month, Tsubaki Factory found themselves in Young Gangan (the same issue as Fukumura Mizuki- see above). Don’t worry, the pictures were squeaky clean with the girls donning school uniforms and horsing around at a school campus … perhaps the same campus as the “Magnificent Camelia” promotional video. Perhaps the raciest thing you’ll see from the Factory Girls is the group playing recorders.
So let’s see: the group doesn’t have an upcoming tour nor plans for second single … so leader Yamagishi Riko took it upon herself to get the gravure ball rolling with her debut photobook. Announced on the eve of the Satoyama/Satoumi event, “Riko” hits the book racks on April 27; this is just in time to keep the Tsubaki flag waving through April.
Kobushi Factory
Last Rank: 5
Change: (-)
Kobushi Factory began their month with their “JK Ninja Girls” Musical where Hirose Ayaka and crew play … NINJA GIRLS. OK, I know I had a real brief synopsis of the musical last month, and I’m not going to rehash any of that. I think it’s best if I reiterate the eventual outcome: The “JK Ninja Girls” movie adaptation. For the movie’s July 18 release version, the evil Ninja girls from the musical (Inoue Rei, Fujii Rio, Taguchi Natsumi, and Ogawa Rena) will be possessed by the Ninja Oyajis rather than being actual evil ninja. I hope the movie gets some comedic mileage out of the possessions. Oh, and if you wanted the “JK Ninja Girls” soundtrack, well it hit the stores on March, 29.
In a month filled with so much eye candy, Kobushi Factory felt like they should add to the stacks of magazines and photobooks. Fujii Rio and Ogawa Rena give it their best shot with their joint mini photobook released on March 25. The “Fujii Rio・Ogawa Rena Mini Photobook Greeting -Photobook-” probably won’t be as exhilarating as anything you would find in the magazines listed earlier in these Power Rankings, but it’s a start, right?
Juice=Juice
Last Rank: 4
Change: (-2)
With its “Juice=Juice LIVE AROUND 2017 ~NEXT ONE~” tour in full swing, Miyazaki Yuka and the rest of the Juicers stay out of the basement for another month. Of course, the group has some serious work to do. Juice=Juice might be a bit rusty on their singles game having not released a new work since darn near Halloween last year. Undaunted, the group release its ninth single “Jidanda Dance / Feel! Kanjiru yo” on April 26. In March, the biggest news on this single’s front was the debut performance of “Jidanda Dance” at the Hina Fes concerts. Having seen the performance on Hello! Station, I can say the song has a distinct Berryz Koubou feel- which is to say that it’s practically mental.
In more wota-centric news, the group also participated in their second fan-club tour, “Juice=Juice Fanclub Tour ~Miracle×Juice×Bus 2~ in Izu”. The group’s promotional photos features some maid-inspired costuming, so I could only imagine how popular the event was with the attendees. It’s sounds pretty special to me! (I’m anxiously awaiting the digest video for the event)
ANGERME
Last Rank: 7
Change: (-)
Unfortunately for all you new Murota Mizuki fans, ANGERME continues to stall in the Power Rankings. Not that Murotan didn’t try to lift the group with her hilariously energetic and “adorkable” dance routine during the Satoyama/Satoumi event. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if all anyone remembers about the 2017 event is Murotan.
There is some light at the end of this tunnel. A new single is in the works for Wada Ayaka’s girls. As yet untitled, ANGERME will fly again on June 21st with its 23rd single release. Couple this with the “Idol Nama Gassen ~Kunitori Tenka Touitsu Hen~” web game (see the Morning Musume ’17 ranking) and ANGERME seems set to Taiki Bansei into 2017 (finally).
Now the bad news: 3rd generation member Aikawa Maho continues her absence from the group, with some bittersweet news. Early in the month, AiAi indicated that her hiatus will continue until mid-May. Unfortunately, this timing precludes Maho from participating in the “Idol Nama Gassen ~Kunitori Tenka Touitsu Hen~” live battle event (Juice=Juice’s Miyazaki Yuka will take her place). With the new single announced for June 21, it seems like the the group is putting itself on hold until she returns. So, while that happens we wait.
Like always, you are free to disagree. In fact, please disagree! That will give us something to talk about! You can give me an earful in the comments below, my personal twitter, or the New School Kaidan Twitter. Don’t forget to visit my blog at TheNumber244 where Yumemiru Adolescence’s Kyouka has taken over my life. Until next time!
Violins over an electro beat seems to be a staple sound for ANGERME, as evidenced by their new song “Ai Sae Areba Nanni mo Iranai”. The group uses a stately European-style manor for the setting, which appropriately fits the sounds. Keeping with the theme, a quick waltz-time pre-chorus breaks up the 4/4 beats, and I can almost see ballgowns twirling. The washes of pink lights over pink clothes make the themes of love and distance visible, while physical distance between the members on the fabulously Baroque love seat give flesh and blood the that same theme. “Ai Sae Areba Nanni mo Iranai / Namida Iro no Ketsui / Majokko Megu-chan” goes on sale June 21, 2017. Save those tears.
Note: This site participates in the amazon.co.jp associates and the cdjapan affiliates programs, a program with hundreds of thousands of members to promote sales on the Internet . Using the links above can help credit up to 10% of your purchase to the site and its writers to help keep this website afloat at no additional cost to you.
ANGERME Official Links
Web Site | Blog 1 2 3 | Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | iTunes
Hello everybody, guest contributor TheNumber244 here to bring you up to date with the new month of Hello! Project Power Rankings.
With the upcoming graduations in June, May felt very much like it was waiting for the ball to drop. Yes, anticipation is building for the next round of releases from Hello! Project. But, first things first: let’s give ℃-ute their well-deserved spotlight.
And now,
Rankings come on!
℃-ute
Last Rank: 1
Change: (even)
Can you feel that? The Summer Wind, the winds of change are blowing. By the time you read this ℃-ute will be no more, but before we can report on the final days of ℃-ute we need to talk about their month of May. The ℃-ute wrap up started early in the month with the release of the group’s “℃-ute Last Official Book”. Filled with last gravure photos, solo projects, two-shot dialogues, solo interviews, and round-table talks, the book sounds like it would be welcome on any ℃-ute wota’s shelf [amazon] [cdjapan] [yesasia].
The next summative release for the group was the group’s “℃OMPLETE SINGLE COLLECTION”. If you go “whole hog” on this release, you treated yourself to every single release, every coupling track, a disc worth of rare tracks, a Blu-Ray of ℃-ute Special Live 2017 ~℃ocktail in ℃OTTON CLUB~ (2017/2/9 Recording), and a Blu-Ray of the group’s Music Video Clips. That mountain of material spread itself among three different editions of the release. Happy retail day [amazon] [cdjapan] [yesasia].
With these two releases, the continuation of the group’s final tour, and the last hurrah of television spots for the group, it’s not any wonder the group is on top of the Projects for its final full month. I’m sure you know what to expect next month when the girls play their final concert at Saitama Super Arena.
Morning Musume。 ’17
Last Rank: 1
Change: (+1)
I know last month’s Power Rankings didn’t have enough time to let it sink in, but Kudo Haruka is graduating at the end of the Morning Musume ’17 fall tour. Do you remember those years when Duu was the youngest member (ever) in Morning Musume and the youngest active member of Hello! Project? The youngest is graduating ahead of her seniors to become an actress, and that is significant. Maybe as a lead up to her graduation, and maybe to give the wota what they always wanted, Kudo Haruka and Sato Masaki released a MaaDuu single: “Miss Henkan!!”. The digital release featured artwork from Country Girls member Yamaki Risa and can be had at iTunes and Recochoku.
In other news, Makino Maria landed the cover of Young Magazine 2017 no. 24. I suppose there’s less and less to say about that since Maria seems to be getting a lot of regular work. It’s summertime, so you know what to expect (bikinis). Keeping with the Ham Fighters fan, Maria also threw the first pitch at ZOZO Marine Stadium in Chiba on May 30 as part of Morning Musume ’17’s tenure as official cheerleaders/support ambassadors during an “Interleague” (Central League vs. Pacific League) tournament.
To close things, Morning Musume ’17 stopped by Nippon Budokan for a performance of their “2017 Haru ~THE INSPIRATION!~” tour. Confusingly, the tour won’t wrap up until the next performance on June 23rd, again at Budokan … and then makes another (make-up) stop at Okayama on August 13. Why the delay? The girls are performing in their summer musical “Pharaoh no Haka” for the most of the first two weeks in June … which will definitely be reported here.
Kobushi Factory
Last Rank: 6
Change: (+3)
Juice=Juice
Last Rank: 3
Change: (-1)
With all the speculation and anticipation hovering around Juice=Juice and their upcoming World Tour, you might expect at least a shred of news, you would expect some news about the group’s globe-trotting ways. But actually, nothing materialized during May. Tickets for Mexico City went on sale, but that’s it (spoiler: European tickets on sale now, details here). So, what kept Juice=Juice from the basement this month? To begin with, the group’s latest single “Jidanda Dance / Feel! Kanjiru yo” finished its release week with a number 3 ranking and 32, 788 units in sales. This slight bump over their last previous release tells us that the group hasn’t settled into anything, yet! In fact, with the Oricon counting change, there’s a strong possibility the group actually still around the same sales amount as their Oricon high mark of 41, 745 (“Next is you! / Karada Dake ga Otona ni Nattan ja nai”). Keeping with release news, mid-month the group released their first digital single “Goal ~Ashita wa Acchi da yo~” [iTunes] [Recochoku]. The song has been a part of Juice=Juice’s setlist since about October last year, so now we finally get a release of the song using the latest method of deployment for Hello! Project. Finally, Miyamoto Karin made a move back to the print realm with a cover and gravure pages in Weekly Shounen Champion no. 25. You know where my tastes lie; I hope this appearance signals the coming of her fourth photobook!
ANGERME
Last Rank: 5
Change: (even)
Decidedly less news comes from the ANGERME camp these days. May brought the anticipation of the new single, but not much actual news of the 23rd single. But, there were at least two items from the month that helped keep Wada Ayaka and company afloat. On the softer side of the news, the Murota Mizuki photobook “MURO” finally hit the shelves mid-month after what feels like months of teasing by Murotan herself. And then, well OF COURSE, ANGERME sold out their performance at Nippon Budokan on May 15. Whether or not the group would sell out their show concerned a great many HaroWota, but in the end all the tickets were sold. As a special treat for you, the concert also held a backstage mini-reunion of ¾ of the original S/milage when both Fukuda Kanon and Maeda Yuuka visited their former group. Up ahead, June will be a busy month for the group with the release of the triple A-side “Ai Sae Areba Nanni mo Iranai / Namida Iro no Ketsui / Majokko Megu-chan” on June 21st. Look for the ANGERME ascension!
Country Girls
Last Rank: 4
Change: (-2)
Rounding out the middle floors of the Projects, Country Girls kept themselves busy in May with their “2017 Haru ~Momochi-ism~” tour. The big news, and the news that will no doubt dominate the group’s fortunes next month, is the upcoming graduation of Tsugunaga Momoko. Early in the month, the “Tsugunaga Momoko Idol 15 Shuunen Kinen Album ♡Arigatou Otomomochi♡” was announced for release on June 21 (subsequently rescheduled for June 28). The sprawling 3 disc set will include solo cover versions, unreleased Country Girls songs, and a “fan choice” disc. For Country Girls fans, the disc is a must-have for those unreleased tracks. Speaking of releases, the Yanagawa Nanami / Funaki Musubu ~Greeting~ Blu-ray Disc finally went out to the people in May (to answer your question- mine hasn’t been shipped yet). Which leads us into June, which will see the release of the YanaFuna ~Greeting~ Photobook, the Morito Chisaki “Chisaki in Paradise” ([amz] [cdj] [ya] solo image Blu-ray, and the Momochi triple-album before ending with the Country Girls down one member and playing manager. I’ll try to keep it together.
Tsubaki Factory
Last Rank: 7
Change: (even)
Welcome to the basement of the Projects. This is the second straight month Tsubaki Factory have been down here, and I feel bad about that. But, they are a new group who still need to find their legs in the idol scene. Fortunately, the group took a big step forward with their performance at @JAM 2017 this month. Along those same lines, the group perform at GIRLS IDOL FESTA 2017 mid-June along with other up-and-coming idol groups. I think the GIRLS IDOL FESTA performance will be a great look at how the latest Hello! Project group stacks up against the competition. Tsubaki Factory also celebrated the release of the soundtrack to their musical “Nega Poji Poji” which looks at the lives of the daughters of a rice cracker shop in Tokyo. With the sparse schedule the girls have in the next month, perhaps they’ll need to take “Just Try!” to heart a bit longer.
Like always, you are free to disagree. In fact, please disagree! That will give us something to talk about! You can give me an earful in the comments below, my personal twitter, or the New School Kaidan Twitter. Don’t forget to visit my blog at TheNumber244 where Fukumura Mizuki is always relevant. Until next time!
The power crew talk about STU48, ANGERME, Fairies, PALET, Jelno!, and Colorful Scream.
Recorded June 10th, 2017.
Ending theme song: “Dave Drops The Bass” by Chase Lim AKA 13thBeat
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The PVs
To round out the group’s 23rd single release, ANGERME present their contribution to Aidorusai 2017 ~Idol Matsuri~, “Meg the Little Witch”. The opening theme to the 1974 anime of the same name, “Majokko Megu-chan” preserves much of the verve of the Showa-era arrangement while simultaneously adding some surf rock guitars that sound right at home (see 1974 opening). ANGERME plays up the budding sexuality inherent in magical girl anime with some short shorts, sly looks, and letting the youngest member, Kasahara Momona, sing that line … you’ll know the one. For my 2¢, I appreciate a bit of levity on a single that seems incredibly sober for the young group of girls. ANGERME’s “Ai Sae Areba Nanni mo Iranai / Namida Iro no Ketsui / Majokko Megu-chan” hits the record store racks on June 21, 2017.
Note: This site participates in the amazon.co.jp associates and the cdjapan affiliates programs, a program with hundreds of thousands of members to promote sales on the Internet . Using the links above can help credit up to 10% of your purchase to the site and its writers to help keep this website afloat at no additional cost to you.
ANGERME Official Links
Web Site | Blog 1 2 3 | Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | iTunes
The power crew talk about THE Natsuno no Mamono, PLIC ROCK, ANGERME, BiSH, Manekikecha, and CY8ER.
Recorded June 17th, 2017.
Ending theme song: “Dave Drops The Bass” by Chase Lim AKA 13thBeat
Join us every Saturday night on Twitch or on YouTube live!
New School Kaidan Discord Server
The PVs
Note: This site participates in the amazon.co.jp associates and the cdjapan affiliates programs, a program with hundreds of thousands of members to promote sales on the Internet . Using the links above can help credit up to 10% of your purchase to the site and its writers to help keep this website afloat at no additional cost to you.
ANGERME Official Links
Web Site | Blog 1 2 3 | Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | iTunes
The new Hello! Project received its grand unveiling this morning through a special Monday edition of Hello! Station. The fates of 6 H!P members finally came to light. In summary, Country Girls’s Morito Chisaki is now a member of Morning Musume ’17, CG’s Funaki Musubu and new member Kawamura Ayano are in ANGERME, and CG’s Yanagawa Nanami and new member Danbara Ruru are new members of Juice=Juice. New member Ichioka Reina is the leader of a new Hello! Project unit (members and name TDB).
The reorganization of Hello! Project transpired through a series of events that began in May 5 with the surprise announcement of Ichioka Reina, Danbara Ruru, and Kawamura Ayano’s debut at the closing of the Hello! Project Kenshuusei Happyoukai 2017 ~Haru no Koukai Jitsuryoku Shindan Test~. Those three members were still “up in the air” when the June 9 announcement of the semi hiatus of Country Girls with members Yamaki Risa and Ozeki Mai participating only during school holidays. The three other members of Country Girls: Morito Chisaki, Yanagawa Nanami, and Funaki Musubu were now set for transfer to other Hello! Project groups. These six members finally received their new assignments today.
Morning Musume ’17:
Fukumura Mizuki, Ikuta Erina, Iikubo Haruna, Ishida Ayumi, Sato Masaki, Kudo Haruka, Oda Sakura, Ogata Haruna, Nonaka Miki, Makino Maria, Haga Akane, Kaga Kaede, Yokoyama Reina, Morito Chisaki
ANGERME:
Wada Ayaka, Nakanishi Kana, Takeuchi Akari, Katsuta Rina, Murota Mizuki, Aikawa Maho (hiatus), Sasaki Rikako, Kamikokuryo Moe, Kasahara Momona, Kawamura Ayano, Funaki Musubu
Juice=Juice:
Miyazaki Yuka, Kanazawa Tomoko, Takagi Sayuki, Miyamoto Karin, Uemura Akari, Danbara Ruru, Yanagawa Nanami
Kobushi Factory:
Fujii Rio, Hirose Ayaka, Nomura Minami, Hamaura Ayano, Taguchi Natsumi, Wada Sakurako, Inoue Rei
Tsubaki Factory:
Yamagishi Riko, Ogata Risa, Niinuma Kisora, Tanimoto Ami, Kishimoto Yumeno, Asakura Kiki, Ono Mizuho, Onoda Saori, Akiyama Mao
New Unit (Name tbd):
Ichioka Reina, tbd
According to the UP-FRONT Link statement (below), the newly reorganized Morning Musume ’17, ANGERME, and Juice=Juice will begin their activities with the Hello! Project Summer Concert Tour “Hello! Project 2017 SUMMER ～HELLO！MEETING～/～HELLO！GATHERING～”. The new members are expected to fully participate in their new groups by Fall of this year. Although Reina will participate in the summer tour, the “Ichioka Reina Factory” group still needs members, and membership will be decided at a later date.
Much attention has been focused on the reception of the new members. Ruru and Nanami were greeted warmly by leader Miyazaki Yuka . Ayano and Musubu received a typically crazy ANGERME reception led by leader Wada Ayaka and a hyperactive Kasahara Momona. By most accounts, Chisaki received a more tepid reception into Morning Musume ’17. Leader Fukumura Mizuki shared a teary moment onscreen and lamented the passing of the Hello! Project of her childhood. I personally would not read too much into the reaction of the flagship group: the group’s well-defined and strictly maintained social structure doesn’t seem to allow for ANGERME-like nuttiness in these situations. With the kind of push that Chisaki received in Country Girls, I’m not particularly surprised at her placement. I’m looking forward to seeing Chisaki shine on a bigger stage.
Morning Musume ’17
ANGERME
Juice=Juice
Ichioka Reina
Statement from UP-FRONT link
[EN] Concerning the new organization in Hello! Project
Thank you for your continued support towards Hello! Project.
Tonight, [Hello! Station Extra ~Hello! Project 2017 new system decided special~] has been uploaded,
The following members will have their main activities in parallel of Country Girls: Chisaki Morito in Morning Musume。’17.
Nanami Yanagawa in Juice=Juice,
Musubu Funaki in ANGERME.
The following Hello! Project Kenshusei members will enter the groups:
Ruru Danbara in Juice=Juice,
Ayano Kawamura in ANGERME.
Reina Ichioka will be the leader of a new group.
The other members of this new group will be announced later.
Morning Musume。’17, ANGERME and Juice=Juice will start their activities with their new organization during the Hello! Project Summer Concert Tour “Hello! Project 2017 SUMMER ～HELLO！MEETING～/～HELLO！GATHERING～”.
It will be at the Osaka Orix Theater on July 15th, the first day of the tour.
Since then, the new members will participate on each group basically,
But we aim for a complete and full participation by this fall.
Concerning the announcement of the new group, it will take some time from now,
But Reina Ichioka will take part at the Hello! Project Summer Concert Tour.
Please continue to support us with the new organization in Hello! Project.
2017/06/16
UP-FRONT PROMOTION Co., Ltd.
http://helloproject.com/news/7272/
PS: The translation may not be perfect/accurate, thank you for your understanding.
#helloproject
The power crew talk about Stella Beats, ANGERME, Yurumerumo!, Musubizm, Yumemiru Adolescence, and Wakita Monari.
Recorded June 24th, 2017.
Ending theme song: “Dave Drops The Bass” by Chase Lim AKA 13thBeat
Join us every Saturday night on Twitch or on YouTube live!
New School Kaidan Discord Server
The PVs
Hello everybody, guest contributor TheNumber244 here to bring you up to date with the new month of Hello! Project Power Rankings.
Due to some personal summer vacation time at the beginning of the month, I was able to bring you up-to-date until this very late point in the month. Apologies to anyone who was affected by this delay. At one point I seriously contemplated skipping July and heading straight into August for the Power Rankings. But with so much happening in Hello! Project’s June, I felt it unfair to leave it until next month. You’ll find these Power Rankings a bit briefer than in most months, but I believe I still hit all the notes needed to correctly characterize the month that was.
And now,
Rankings come on!
℃-ute
Last Rank: 1
Change: (even)
Well, did you see ℃-ute ascend into idol legend? With their final concert at Saitama Super Arena, Yajima Maimi, Nakajima Saki, Suzuki Airi, Chisato Okai, and Hagiwara Mai ascended up the steps and into the clouds … literally. As reckoning, we are talking about a group of women who spent 15 years of their lives in Hello! Project, released 4 indie singles, 31 major singles, 9 albums, and made the journey from the youngest to the most senior Hello! Project group. For much of the fandom, the career trajectory of ℃-ute mirrored their personal journey with H!P: from top to the bottom and back to the top again.
Luckily, most of the group haven’t been out of sight since their date with destiny. Saki, Chisato, and Airi opened official Instagram accounts and update daily. The group even took a group vacation to Hawaii that was chronicled through their official accounts. In some respects, ℃-ute became more visible after their disbandment. With most of the group staying on with Up-Front, the girls may return to spotlight sooner than we think.
Country Girls
Last Rank: 6
Change: (+4)
You see, the retirement of Tsugunaga Momoko is just as important as the disbandment of ℃-ute, but perhaps twice as bittersweet. The forever pink idol created a special outdoor venue in Odiaba on June 30, 2017 that was threatened with rain right until the last moment. All of Hello! Project provided the opening entertainment, and Momochi emerged from a giant peach bathed in pink lights. Tsugunaga sang highlights from her 15 year career spanning from ZYX to Berryz Koubou to Buono!. The second half of her set starred Country Girls with Momoko front and center. In the closing moments, Momoko raised her fist, her trademark pinky out, and descended into the stage. In that last moment, Momoko clasped her pinky to tell us her time as an idol finally expired. If you’re not a Hello! Wota, then this probably sounds incredibly cornball; but, if you have some sort of history with H!P I’m sure you, like me, were hit right in the feels.
So, what’s all this bittersweet talk?
Well, as detailed here at New School Kaidan, the remaining five Country Girls are now subject to the grand experiment of Hello! Project. Briefly (you can get more details following the previous link), Yamaki Risa and Ozeki Mai are now only part-time members who are devoting their time to finish their studies. Morito Chisaki transferred into Morning Musume ’17 as the sole 14th generation member. Yanagawa Nanami (along with H!P Kenshuusei powerhouse Danbara Ruru) received transfer papers into Juice=Juice, and Funaki Musubu (and H!P KSS Kawamura Ayano) are now the 6th generation of ANGERME. Notice that these transfers are not part-time, and they are not temporary. Chisaki, Nanami, and Musubu are now full-time members of groups that are not called Country Girls.
And, Country Girls is now reduced to a part-time group. This certainly sounds like an ending, doesn’t it?
Morning Musume.’17
Last Rank: 2
Change: (-1)
Before I get too long-winded here (I’m on a strict schedule), I’ll mention that Morning Musume.’17 continued their international appearances with a June 25 concert in Hong Kong. This was the first trip to overseas for the 13th generation girls, Kaga Kaede and Yokoyama Reina. Of course, until we might not know the adventures the girls got themselves into until the usual concert DVD is released. Not date on the DVD yet, BTW.
ANGERME
Last Rank: 5
Change: (+1)
Isn’t this something? ANGERME release “Ai Sae Areba Nanni mo Iranai / Namida Iro no Ketsui / Majokko Megu-chan” to great sales, and it isn’t enough to get them into the top three in the Power Ranking. Hey, don’t blame Wada Ayaka and the rest of the girls. The group’s 23rd single sold 45,101 units (according to Oricon), which makes it ANGERME’s second best selling single (or maybe its best selling single depending on who’s counting). Before all the “reorganization of Hello! Project” talk blinds us, we should really appreciate these numbers. Without a doubt, ANGERME now takes the second spot behind the flagship Morning Musume. That, my friends, is a long strange journey to the top.
And, how about that reorganization? How about that 6th generation? Funaki Musubu, the chosen successor of Tsugunaga Momoko, boasts some real talent in both the vocal and dance departments. Without a doubt she will add a boost to the vocal color of the group. Kawamura Ayano, like the rest of ANGERME, took a long strange path the get here. Kawamuu spent 2011 through 2016 with the Kochi based idol group Hachikin Girls, giving her probably more experience that most of the “new girls”. She left the group to join the 26th generation H!P Kenshuusei, which was probably an “all-or-nothing” gamble for the young girl. I heard a lot of talk about her age (Ayano is 18) making her too old to debut in Hello! Project; I’m glad that was just all talk from the experts.
Kobushi Factory
Last Rank: 3
Change: (-2)
Continuing of to fifth place, we have Hirose Ayaka and Kobushi Factory bracing themselves for impact. These Power Rankings being told in past tense, we know that big trouble hits the Factory girls in July (Fujii Rio’s contract termination and Ogawa Rena’s hiatus). Here in June, the 8nin released their final single with their starting lineup. “Shalala Yareruhazusa / Eejanaika Ninjanaika” sold 22,493 units and barely missed the top three weekly sales. You could probably have clued out that trouble was brewing, but the other shoe won’t drop until next month. So, we will just leave it here.
Juice=Juice
Last Rank: 4
Change: (-1)
With a world tour upcoming, you would probably expect a higher ranking than 5, right? Well, that just goes to show how much happened in the projects in June. The Juicers released the details for the bulk of their World tour early in the month. And in the end of the month, the Juicers received the gift of Ruru. Danbara Ruru. Ruru started in Hello! Project in 2013 as a 20th Generation Kenshuusei with notables Yamaki Risa (Country Girls), Niinuma Kisora (Tsubaki Factory), Haga Akane (Morning Musume), and Funaki Musubu (Country Girls/ANGERME). Can you believe this ASH graduate (Sayashi Riho, Babymetal, Perfume, etc.) won the 2014 public vote, was the 2015 Runner up (to Funaki Musubu) for Judge’s Special Award – Singing, and won the 2017 public vote during those years’ “Spring Public Ability Diagnosis Tests”? Yes, Danbara Ruru is rightfully one of the most anticipated debuts in Hello! Project. The Reorganization also brought Country Girl Yanagawa Nanami to the group. No, she doesn’t have the same pedigree as Ruru. But, Yanamin is a FEARLESS performer who adds a great MC persona to the group. If this doesn’t convince you … well, Nanami is actually one of my favorite girls in Hello! Project.
Tsubaki Factory
Last Rank: 7
Change: (even)
Here at the basement you will find Tsubaki Factory. In June, the biggest news in Camelia town was Asakura Kiki’s herniated lumbar disc. This put Kiki out of commision for a while. In July, Tsubaki Factory are going to set the world on fire. Just wait for it.
Like always, you are free to disagree. In fact, please disagree! That will give us something to talk about! You can give me an earful in the comments below, my personal twitter, or the New School Kaidan Twitter. Don’t forget to visit my blog at TheNumber244 where you can look back at my twitter series “24 Views of Fukumura Mizuki“. Until next time!
Who wants to go on a bug hunt with the short girls? Actually, Musubu and Reina are the short girls with voices that are larger than their statures. Decked out in safari khakis and hats, the Angerme/Country Girls member and the Morning Musume ’17 member search far and wide, high and low for their cicada but never actually catch anything. The surf rock accompaniment fits their voices well with touches of sass and lots of fun. Before you get too caught up here, remember that this release is meant to be fun and not a new single from either of the girls’ parent groups. So, sit back and enjoy as the girls complete their summer assignment.
MORNING MUSUME Official Links
Web Site | Blog 9 10/11 12 13| Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Google+ | iTunes
ANGERME Official Links
Web Site | Blog 1 2 3 | Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | iTunes
Country Girls Official Links
Web Site | Blog: 1 2 | Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Google+ | iTunes
The 24th single from ANGERME gets an official start today with a cell phone promotional video for “Manner Mode”. New to the mix this time around are new members Kawamura Ayano and Funaki Musubu (Country Girls). Also new to Hello! Project is the “DVD/Blu Ray” single format. That’s right, “Manner Mode / Kisokutadashiku Utsukushiku / Kimi Dake ja nai sa…friends” will not (well, not yet) receive a traditional CD single release. Aside from the obvious screen formatting, the promotional video features some rather off-shot footage with the girls shopping, or eating, or bowling. No connective thread puts the scenes together even though watching the girls flip through the screen like they were on chat is a little fun. “Manner Mode” plays some vamping guitar licks and rock-influenced sounds underneath vocals that are part sassy and part pleading. Will there be a more polished version of “Manner Mode” due soon? I don’t know, but more than a part of me wishes we get more than this. “Manner Mode” pre-releases digitally on November 11, 2017, and “Manner Mode / Kisokutadashiku Utsukushiku / Kimi Dake ja nai sa…friends” gets its full (DVD/Blue Ray) release on December 13, 2017.
More ANGERME coverage from New School Kaidan
Note: This site participates in the amazon.co.jp associates and the cdjapan affiliates programs, a program with hundreds of thousands of members to promote sales on the Internet . Using the links above can help credit up to 10% of your purchase to the site and its writers to help keep this website afloat at no additional cost to you.
ANGERME Official Links
Web Site | Blog 1 2 3 | Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | iTunes
The power crew talk about Maison book girl, Yanakoto Sotto Mute, Lyrical school, RHYMEBERRY, ANGERME, and DEADLIFT LOLITA.
Recorded November 18th, 2017.
Ending theme song: “Dave Drops The Bass” by Chase Lim AKA 13thBeat
Charlie Cowdin’s Twitter – @drako60
Yoshi Hagiwara’s Twitter – @yoshirekt
New School Kaidan Twitter – @newschoolkaidan
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The PVs
As previously thought, ANGERME release an actual promotional video for “Manner Mode” (which gets the redundant English title “Silent Mode”). Sort of. The cell phone theme sticks, which makes sense given the song title, and we get to see the girls in performance outfits killing their choreography with Sasaki Rikako’s short hair front and center. In keeping with the song, the girls are distracted by the cell phones, and those very same phones also provide a fractured look at the group. It’s a novel way to show multiple perspectives and split screens in a PV, but “Silent Mode” only provides us with a scant short version. I really hope this short version business doesn’t infect the rest of Hello! Project, or we’ll have very little to talk about. Well, that aside … “Manner Mode” pre-releases digitally on November 11, 2017, and “Manner Mode / Kisokutadashiku Utsukushiku / Kimi Dake ja nai sa…friends” gets its full (DVD/Blue Ray) release on December 13, 2017.
More ANGERME coverage from New School Kaidan
Note: This site participates in the amazon.co.jp associates and the cdjapan affiliates programs, a program with hundreds of thousands of members to promote sales on the Internet . Using the links above can help credit up to 10% of your purchase to the site and its writers to help keep this website afloat at no additional cost to you.
ANGERME Official Links
Web Site | Blog 1 2 3 | Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | iTunes
