Musician and manga writer Mikito Tsurugi has adapted his 2014 autobiographical essay Ano Koro: Danshi Kashimashi Monogatari for the big screen, with a screenplay by Tominaga Masanori and starring Tori Matsuzaka (The Blood of Wolves) in the lead role. The movie In Those Days will follow Tsurugi's challenging and life-changing events after failing his grad … Continue reading Harowota: The Movie
Top 20 Morning Musume Singles Cover Art
As we near the 22nd anniversary of Morning Musume's debut single, "Morning Coffee" (1/28/1998), I went through all of their single covers and ranked my top 20(+1). Only covers for audio editions that were available for purchase to the general public through normal channels are considered, so no Single V's, and no event, promo or … Continue reading Top 20 Morning Musume Singles Cover Art
Generation XV
Morning Musume - "KOKORO&KARADA / LOVEpedia / Ningen Kankei No way way" The most anticipated Morning Musume singles for me these days are those that debut a new generation. I've been less interested in the H!P flagship than all other H!P groups since Sayumi graduated, and that saddens me a bit. MM is the group … Continue reading Generation XV
BEYOOOOONDS the Valley of the Idols
BEYOOOOOND1St Announced just one month after their debut single dropped, the production schedule for BEYOOOOOND1St broke with J-idol conventions by hewing more closely to the 70s-80s rock system of rolling out a single to promote an impending new album, usually a month or so before its release. In an era where new idol groups are … Continue reading BEYOOOOONDS the Valley of the Idols
What Do You Do With A Girl Like Rei Inoue?
Rei Inoue is the sole member of Kobushi Factory who will remain with Hello! Project after KF disbands, so the speculation surrounding her future role in H!P is lively. The three most likely scenarios are: 1. solo career; 2. lead a new unit; 3. join an existing unit. I'll avoid speculating on what I think … Continue reading What Do You Do With A Girl Like Rei Inoue?
Kobushi. RIP.
If you're reading this blog, you're probably already aware that Up Front has decided to pull the plug on Kobushi Factory. Their final single, "Seishun no Hana / Start Line," will be released on March 4th, with their farewell performance set for March 30th. And as one would expect of KF, the announcement was released … Continue reading Kobushi. RIP.
Did “One•Two•Three” Save H!P?
I saw this pop up in my Twitter feed a few days ago: https://twitter.com/ainogundan/status/1208394441142292481 This is an interesting theory. There's no question that "One•Two•Three" (OTT) returned Morning Musume to relevance in the J-idol world, but it's effect on the Hello! Project itself is something I'd never considered. I did some research using data from the … Continue reading Did “One•Two•Three” Save H!P?
Tsubaki Factory — “Ishiki Takai Otome no Dilemma / Dakishimerarete Mitai” single
The sixth major single from Tsubaki Factory is so Tsubaki Factory, and I mean that in a positive way. Sure, they're channeling "Teion Yakedo" on "Dakishimerarete Mitai", which shouldn't be too surprising considering both were written by the same team (Kodama Ameko and Ohashi Riko), but "Dakishimerarete Mitai" is more subtle and restrained in terms … Continue reading Tsubaki Factory — “Ishiki Takai Otome no Dilemma / Dakishimerarete Mitai” single
Ningen Isu – “Heartless Scat”
If you've visited this blog with any regularity, you know that the focus here is on idol-pop, and on Hello! Project idol groups in particular. Today, we're getting our metal on, because I need to talk about Ningen Isu. I opened up Youtube last week and saw an odd video recommendation. The thumbnail was of … Continue reading Ningen Isu – “Heartless Scat”
Riho Sayashi to join Babymetal?
Did Riho Sayashi join Babymetal? Maybe. No one knows at this point. What we do know is that the ex-Morning Musume ace performed with the metal-idols at their June 30th Glastonberry Festival performance, with no announcement or introduction made prior to or during the show. Sayashi's appearance made the group a trio again, and allowed … Continue reading Riho Sayashi to join Babymetal?