359 posts tagged “hello! project”

....great big giant *fuzzy* phone~....want!!

I'm now really convinced that Tsunku's been giving all of his best compositions♪♪～ to S/mileage and Mano♥eri of late...

..just as with S/mileage's previous two indies releases~ "aMa no Jaku" and "Asu wa date nano ni imasugu koega kikitai", "Sukichan" embodies everything that addictive & *cute* J-Pop so much should~! Music♪♪ which lifts the spirit~＼(^o^)／♥ with melodies that entice the ears and hold prisoner your very~ sugary soul~ into addicted bliss~ ヾ(＾∇＾)♥♥♥

Previous *gushing*~ ヽ(。´▽`。)ノ。。！！on S/mileage's first two indies singles~ can be found here ＾　＾。

From *cute* and catchy~ instrumentation to The Beatles going Baroquee ♪ S/mileage is fast becoming one of H!P's best produced groups...and this all coming from four most talented Eggs~. S/mileage are: Wada Ayaka, Maeda Yuuka, Fukuda Kanon & Ogawa Saki~ ＾　＾。

  Always so impressive are the girl's ensemble vocals which have driven their chorus lines~ and with each member's voice holding distinctly unique qualities~ so much of their personalities are gradually being spread throughout the generous solo portions being offered up by their perfectly choreographed vocal lines~. While "Sukichan" is much more a straightforward J-Pop song and especially when compared side by side to their previous two releases~ it still comes fully equipped with those alluring pre~chorus & chorus hooks♥ which have made S/mileage such an irresistible group thus far~ o(*´∀｀)o゛。







Watching the "making of" footage really gives you a sense of how developed each member of S/mileage are as idols and that being despite this being their indies debut together~...and my greatest *wish* for this unit? Please Tsunku keep S/mileage a true~ J♥Pop group for as long as possible as there is oh so much out there already in terms of J-Hip Hop, J-Dance as well as J-R&B~ ＾　＾。 As it's their type of brand of *pure* J♥Pop in which I so enjoy~ listening to っo(*´∀｀)o! I *adore* their closeness to one another and you can see their bonds so well developed even at this early stage~.









I so love♥!! their outfits in their second single~ (*´∀｀*)....would this be a pinkish expression of frilly renaissance lolly? (^-^*)♥ I find that the side to side panning of the camera~ really accentuates the dance so much and this one reminds me so every fondly♥ of second gen. Tanpopo~ as Tsunku delivers J♥Beatles~ o(*´∀｀)o゛。

And finishing on a so so amusing note~…(^q^)! more than half of the "making of" footage for "Asu wa date nano ni imasugu koe ga kikitai" is occupied by members of S/mileage dishing *secrets* about one another with a highlight being the always so *adorable* Yuukachan hearing from afar such a *moment* and declaring those whispers all~ "lies"...hmm 'lies?' I wonder?? (。ーωー。)。。。

Hm..but more than anything I find myself *wishing* for one of these very oversized and oh~so fuzzy phones! ………(゜∀゜)………。♥♥♥

And I love how they can be an absolute "direct" line to your friends~ and no one else...

.....and so funny when one falls off the wall~ on accident....

..whether choreographed or not...

.....it's definitely a *keeper~*! ＼(^o^)／☆

November 18th saw the release of Guardians4~ already third single~! And while the title group remains intact some big changes have occurred within H!P's Egg unit Shugo Chara Egg!~ including two new members most likely brought on due to the emergence of "Smile/age" as both Fukuda Kanon and Maeda Yuuka have left the unit~ taking on the task of their new group. Shugo Chara Egg's 2nd generation adds Maeda Irori and Fukumura Mizuki who *mysteriously* looks or maybe just reminds me so much of Maeda Yuuka? ＾　＾ The "veteran" member is now Saho Akari with plans perhaps to make Shugo Chara Egg! a 4nin unit once again~? It's just *wonderful* to see H!P Eggs getting more and more involved in major releases and while these may not be title group releases....they provide a great way for the Eggs to ease their way into the spotlight for sure~!

"Guardians4 "PARTY TIME" releases can be ordered here at Cdjapan.

Guardians4 "PARTY TIME" releases can be ordered here at YesAsia.

"PARTY TIME"'s LE includes a first press photo card (I'm guessing there may be individual member cards available?....mine's is a group photo ＾　＾) and additional DVD which focuses solely on jacket and photo shoots making of~. Guardians4 segment is just over 8 minutes while Shugo Chara Egg!'s photo session is just over 7 minutes as the DVD has them in separate chapters to choose from~.

"pa pa paya~pa pa pa pia?"....papaya~♥? "PARTY TIME" which serves as Shugo Chara's opening theme song~ is part modern disco....part thumping dance club and 100% boogie *wonderland~*! While it's definitely so much an engaging track~!....it may be that I still have Chocolove on the brain Σ(￣◇￣*)！but I think Shugo Chara Egg!'s coupling with track "Watashi no tamago" tickles me (^-^*) a bit more~! It's just that when it really comes down to my first love♥ of J-Pop it's really these purely written songs which capture me the most~.....uninfluenced by American or European or any other musical styles~ is "Watashi no tamago"....this one's purely Japanese♪♪～ driven o(*´∀｀)o゛。And while for the most part these are ensemble vocal stylings...don't H!P Egg's always sing so cutely~?!...so *well*~! ＾　＾

W~ai! the 'BIG CRACKER SCENE?!!' (・o・) It's a much over~sized version of those poppy thingies where you launch confetti~ by pulling on its string!.....

......by Nakki's reaction I don't think the aftermath of the "BIG CRACKER" smelled too good!! (ノロ≦。)！

Mizukichan takes over as Shugo Chara Egg!'s "Heart♥" member and she's so the perfectly *adorable* idol to fill Maeda Yuuka's place in this unit~.

And you may have thought these segments were only about *cuteness*~? Educational too~ ＼(^o^)／☆ as we witness the *perfect* way to creating your hand heart♥ o(*´∀｀)o゛！Hmm...I guess being new in unit one must learn the ways of projecting ~♥~! ＾　＾

かんぺきね～！

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I was so *excited* to see that H!P was finally releasing individual member T-shirts which bear their own *images*~! ＾　＾ The only drawback is that they're so so large!!! (・д・`*) It seems that they only come in one size now...."large?" and they really really are just that~! (/∇＼*)！Still that takes nothing away from these designs from Momusu's "9 Smile" concert tour~ and I can always *sleep* in them ne~ o(*´∀｀)o゛♥。

Both front and backs bear prints~ and while each back has the now very familiar "Nine Smile" logo of smileys~ =D it's their fronts which really are so much *prettier* than I was anticipating.....as a lot of times those oh so tiny merchandise photos while ordering are much too small to show the true details~ of the prints!

I'm sorry that these didn't turn out so well (._.;)! as I couldn't seem to use the flash as it would always obscure these closer up images~. But the member images are actually really clear and nicely done~! I chose my favorites♥ in Gakisan, Aichan and umm.......OF COURSE KAMEI♥!!! Σ(￣◇￣*)！as she's my most favorite♥ out of the current group lineup just barely edging Aichan♥~ ＾　＾。

Each T-shirt set~ includes two member photographs and I always love these so much~! as everyone's wearing their own designs and while these photos are standard for these sets what's not quite expected are those "Smile mini boards" which include adhesive clear strips to attach to their backs~ making them like miniature masks~ ＾　＾。Just as with the "smiley" T-shirt designs....each smiley mini board corresponds to a specific member which are also color coded to match~ and it was really a surprise seeing these in place of the nearly always present wristbands~ which typically accompany these releases~. I just wonder how one will see (・_・)； with these one as only the mouth portions are open~?…(^q^)!

The member photograph sets are so *pretty* too~! and each member's gestures while wearing these designs....so *cute*~! One with smiley~...one without~..below are their scans ＾　＾。。。

I was really quite apprehensive (ﾟﾍﾟ) of what this,...Momusu's now 41st single release would sound like as leading up to this weekend I've read as well as been told ( ﾟ∀(・－・)！quite a lot of varying opinions on the musical♪♪～ direction that Tsunku may be taking here with their latest offering~.

So with bated *breath* (・д・`*) I wondered if this could possibly be the very first Momusu single~ that I'm not very fond of? Hmm....so not the case so....um Henkka aka "Henttai" now (^-^*) you may still make fun of me being so easy to please and liking..."everything?"…(^q^)! I'm still waiting for their accompanying pv DVD single to arrive so for now there are at least two pv versions to enjoy in the meantime~ ＾　＾！

So this is Kohachan's last single with Momusu (;´□｀) and while I still long to hear more songs specifically written for graduating members as with "Never Forget" and "Koi no kioku", still this is a *wonderful* single to remember as Kohachan's last~. "Kimagure Princess" is no doubt a throwback song~ taking the listener way back to two most prominent singles...those being among Tsunku's most creative masterpieces I think...in both "Koi no dance site" as well as "Happy Summer Wedding."

Morning Musume's "Kimagure Princess" can be ordered here at Cdjapan.

Both Japanese & Korean versions of Morning Musume's "Kimagure Princess" can be ordered herer at YesAsia.

Morning Musume's "Kimagure Princess" can be ordered here at HMV Japan.

Admittedly at first after hearing of vocal manipulation and maybe possibly some oddness??....I was so expecting Tsunku to have penned a single among the likes of his most awesomely quirky ヽ(。´▽`。)ノ。"Chokotto Love♥!!"

Still one of the best strange songs that Tsunku has written to date~...the first time I listened to "Chokotto Love" I was like..E~h?! (・_・)； but by my second listen I was is love♥ ………(゜∀゜)………。with this so fun song~! The pv is also quite priceless too~ so I've included the music video just below of my babbling here ↓↓↓。

(*sigh*) it was Sayaka's first and last single with Pucchimoni as she was soon to leave even Momusu (;´□｀)。。。and it also marked about the central moment of Japan going from their most unique 3" CD single format to the conventional full sized disc for singles~. I say 'central' because I always found it quite interesting that Pucchimoni's "Chokotto Love" came in a full sized CD jewel case while the disc itself remained as a 3" sized disc~. Songs and Tsunku's imagination just doesn't get much more fun than this single♪♪～！！Quirky *perfection* o(*´∀｀)o゛～♥。。。

”まる○まる○まる～まる～まる○○○○○(^-^*)/！

Here are the accompanying photos...in order♥:

Koha♥chan's is my favorite♥ in this set as she's so *adorable* here showing which smiley♥ is hers~! (￣▽￣)

...and Koha♥chan's set:

Fighto~ pose~♥!!

...and Manoeri's set:

(Fighto~! pose♥!)

Minna *kawaii* ne~♥!

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It seems that I've been listening to this single for nearly a month now but I'm only writing this now (._.;)! A~h and it's almost time for a Halloween post~ so this may be a bit shorter than usual...maybe a good thing?

The solid pastel colors make for beautiful packaging for Manoeri's fourth major single release~ and while the tone recently has been *genki* J-Pop heaven with her singles ""Sekai wa Summer Party" and "Hajimete no keiken", "Kono mune no tokimeki wo" shows a much more contemporary pop style for H!P's very active soloist~!

Continuing with this most attractive formula~ are the inclusion of the quartet of very very talented and *adorable* H!P Eggs~!...and here even with a ballad based composition their presence even in a "dance ver." which I was a bit surprised by at first does bring a whole new dimension and liveliness to the performance~.

Mano Eri's "Kono mune no tokimeki wo" releases can be ordered from YesAsia.

Mano Erina releases can be ordered here at HMV Japan.

"Kono mune no tokimeki wo" is presented in 3 pv versions~ and to collect each one LE type A, type B along with the accompanying pv DVD single bring them together collectively with a "piano ver.", "dance ver." and the original version of the pv respectfully included with each release~. The shades of Fall are clearly presented in the pv's overall feeling and appearance and you so have to love all of the leaves scattered throughout the main set which creates such a warm ambiance~.

The coupling with song "Happy Birthday Mama" has a most distinctly 80's sound to it which is much like some of Manoeri's previous releases and with the same music composer as well as the same lyricist for both tracks~ it's really quite striking just how different types of genres these fall into going from a deeply moving adult contemporary composition to a most playful and high energy song which is deeply retro at heart~.

One most notable change to this year's designs are that the familiar metal clasp that was used to keep all of the calendar's pages binded together atop has now been replaced by a much wider cardboard~. What this means is that if you had been like I have...folding each month over without removing them in an attempt to preserve these calendars, the larger cardboard top will cause each month to crease much lower down into each page which isn't very good so perhaps now removing them completely after each month expires may be for the best~. What's nice now though is that in removing each month the task is much much easier as they're clearly perforated atop right aside of the cardboard tops. =) ....so no more trying to cut them across with a razor which will make anyone nervous I think~!

In replacing 2009's calendars at the end of the year I'm still finding that I have 4 areas available to display these full sized wall calendars......so it encouraged me to once again not hold back in getting each of H!P's 3 main group's calendars for 2010 (*´∀｀*)！I was also most tempted to purchase Manoeri's but in the end I decided on getting Hirano♥Aya's instead~＾　＾。Most of this years calendars range in price from 2200 yen ~ 2500 yen.

2010 Japanese calendars can be ordered here at Cdjapan.

Please return to the top to vote for your favorite design for 2010~.....


Berryz Koubou's theme for 2010 is shigoto....or careers I should say?...work~. =) From a moving company, fast food, flower shop, beauty & salon, record shop♥ to bakery~ the members are grouped into pairings of two or three per calendar page but what I always seem to find to be the best shots are the ones which include the entire group together and besides this year's cover, the final extra page which isn't marked by a month is once again the prettiest I think to display~ o(*´∀｀)o゛！It's quite a change from last years too in that 2010 for BK really has gone cartoonish in a way rather than showing them in the ambiance of the outdoors~.

S/mileage are Wada Ayaka, Maeda Yuuka, Fukuda Kanon & Ogawa Saki~.

Tsunku continues to compose♪♪～ such gems* for the H!P Eggs~! and following up their most awesome/catchy debut "aMa no Jaku" S/mileage has once again released such a well written, produced and performed single~.

Tsunku's 60's inspiration was running very high while he wrote "Asuwa date nano ni, imasugu koega kikitai" which means....asu (morning)...nano ni (has more than one usage but here it means "in spite of" or "even though").....imasugu (right away, as soon as possible)....koe (voice)....and kikitai (want to hear; kiku is the stem form which means to listen;hear;ask)...which when put together has a meaning like...."Although we have a date tomorrow, (I) want to hear your voice right away...(or sooner)." And I think we've all experienced this *feeling* so much as even though we know we're going to see our loved♥ one very soon it's just not soon enough~. ＾　＾

As of today October 14th there are still at least two copies of S/mileage's "Asuwa date nano ni, ima sugu koega kikitai" indies single still available at Ohta's eBay store~.

From dueling organ pitches and harpsichord (I just so love that distinct *plucked* sound that the harpsichord produces as its strings aren't struck as with a piano....and if you've seen the inside of a harpsichord it's really a fascinating instrument with an ingenious design) "Asu wa date nano ni, imasugu koega kikitai" is pure 60's love♥~ o(*´∀｀)o゛and in some ways it can be envisioned as Bach meets~ The Beatles as there's a very Baroque era theme hovering over all of the twinkling psychedelic keyboard riffs which stream beside a most Paul McCartney like bouncy bassline assault~. And all of the Eggs sound so polished here and particularly in their ensemble vocals~....much of this song is very very reminiscent of the works in which Tsunku used to write for one of H!P's most beloved groups...Tanpopo♥~. They too were very much 60's inspired and when Tsunku's not busy composing the sounds of "pure" J-Pop untouched by Western or any other influences, I think here in this very genre of style he's so much at his very best~!! There's also a lot of very *cute* touches which seem to simulate those sounds of classic video games~ and they can be heard oh so clearly throughout although while listening to the karaoke version so much of this song's little *charms* can be so much better appreciated....so just in case you'd love to sing (*´∀｀*)♪♪～。。。along I've included the karaoke version just below~. I'm so in love♥ with this single~!! ＾　＾

The jacket photography and art direction actually do reflect so much in the classical sounds heard in this single~ and here all four Eggs look so *adorable* in their outfits as classic meets with a modern twist~♥!

 

If one owns all of Momusu's singles and therefore their accompanying b-sides then perhaps this release is far more collectible than necessary to own....however even though I do own all 40 of their singles in every edition type the presentation and packaging alone make this a definite must have~!

42 songs♪♪～, three discs, and a 100 page all photo booklet come housed in a sturdy outer slip case and everything is *wonderfully* decorated with all Momusu members....past and present to make up one of the most impressively packaged releases that H!P has yet released~.

While this LE is sold out at Cdjapan, happily it's still available to order at YesAsia~...koko ni click~! to order. ＾　＾

While the lyrics booklet contains only one photo (scanned above), the LE's 100 page red booklet is completely filled with color photos all playfully combining the current lineup w/ all members of the past~ through solo photo shoots...group shots....a very cool and impressive time line of when each member joined as well as a complete single cover discography~. And the best part is that the LE's photo booklet is a hard cover edition~!....very much like how H!P's "ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL" LE first pressing single's hard cover booklet was designed~!...making this LE I think a must have for this reason alone!!

I love how UFI decided to use one of the earliest photos available for each member's picture on the outer slip case...while the lyrics booklet does the complete opposite showing each member in their latter or current appearance which is quite a *sweet* touch~.

And talk about *natsukashii~* o(*´∀｀)o゛♥~。。。as listening♪♪～ to each of these three discs in succession brings back so many memories~ and it puts a great twist on just listening to the main title tracks as one perhaps may tend to do?

B-sides have always somehow had a very special place in my heart♥~...in that it just seems that so often I find myself loving these coupling with songs either equally or at times even more than their title tracks~....

...so while it would be painfully odd for you to want to read them all, I've just listed my most favorite♥ coupling with songs♪♪～ here...."ai no tane", "Happy Night", "Never Forget", "Inspiration!", "Dekkai uchuu ni ai ga aru", "Popcorn Love!", "Jun Lover", "Never Forget (Rock Ver.), "Koi ING", "Fine Emotion!", "Love & Peace! HERO ga yatte kita", "Watashi ga tsuiteru" and "Sono Bamen de Bibiccha Ikenai Jan!" Um...I could keep listing them but those are just the very top for me in Momusu b-sides~. ＾　＾

I apologize so much for my poor scanning as some of these aren't quite straight (ノロ≦。)！as I was so trying not to harm the booklet's spine and adhesives for the pages~.......but somehow I did manage to scan the entire hard cover booklet just below ↓↓↓。。。just to give you a clear idea of what to expect if you do decide to order this complete coupling with collection~....very highly recommended!! ＼(^o^)／☆ Love all of these photos so much!!....

Just watching the 20 minute making of DVD which is included with Kohachan's 4th shashinshuu which will be her last as a member of H!P reminds me so much of how in so many ways she'll be missed when she graduates on December 6th of this year~. While in comparison to some of Kohachan's earlier photo shoots...this one may seem a touch subdued at times but it's just her growing maturity making its presence known on the surface as that very familiar glittering of unmatched idol energy~ is just below the surface waiting to bubble* at any moment~. (￣▽￣)

Much like "Koharu Nikki", "Sugar Doll" blends Kohachan's incomparable playful side~ along with a sizzling sexiness and I'm so so impressed by so many of the wardrobe choices which go from casual to mizugi to really fantasy like~ all the while remaining very much in tune with Koha's personality and natural physique~. And each location choice adds a very down to earth ambiance throughout which is never overpowering..further enhancing Koha's perfect facial features and figure allowing her to shine front and center~.....is it okay to say that I'm so shamelessly envious~! (*´艸`)！From the indoors of "home" to beach to bay to pool to the greenery of outdoors there's a very natural transition in photography from cover to cover and indeed if this is Kohachan's final photography collection for Momusu/H!P fans.....she's left us with a perfect *gem*~.

Kusumi Koharu's "Sugar Doll" can be ordered here at Amazon Japan.

Kusumi Koharu's "Sugar Doll" can be ordered here at YesAsia.

If a future career in modeling is truly what Kohachan aspires to this shashinshuu presents itself as a *perfect* launching board~ and perhaps acts as an "audition" of sorts?

Everything's just so *beautiful* and stylish here and beginning with "Sugar Doll"'s (under dust jacket) cover which temps the label of "gravure" photography~ just a bit..the gate fold style photo half of which is below is just the first of 43 scans which I chose to present here as my favorites♥~....







 

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