H!P Releases February 17

• C-ute – Cutie Circuit ~Five~ (DVD)  CDJapan YesAsia HMV
• Mano Erina – Koisuru Hello Kitty (DVD)  CDJapan YesAsia HMV
• Melon Kinenbi – MELON’S NOT DEAD  CDJapan YesAsia HMV

Three releases today, C-ute’s latest concert DVD, Mano Erina’s DVD for her Koisuru Hello Kitty play and Melon Kinenbi’s 1st album since graduating from H!P:

C-ute – Cutie Circuit ~Five~: C-ute’s latest concert DVD which is featured outdoors, similar to Morning Musume’s Yomiuri LAND DVD.

I haven’t had a chance to see the concert completely but I did see some performances and I really like what I have seen so far. Since the concert is long I will only review one performance:

C-ute – Wakkyanai (Z) (Cutie Circuit Live)

Video uploaded by: marioshingai

Before today I had never seen this song performed so I was glad to find out that this was among my favorites because of the energy C-ute showed as they performed.

Maimi smiles throughout the performance which is a great thing to see since she seems to be enjoying performing in front of all of the fans. The costumes for the song are obviously just the t-shirts for each of the members, but they are a great addition since they mix in well with the upbeat sound.

Overall the DVD is a must have for C-ute fans since it is one of the few live performances they have done outside, and even though the concert is somewhat short it’s still an incredible concert.

Mano Erina – Koisuru Hello Kitty: DVD release for the play Mano Erina was with S/mileage members about a girl who helps others as Hello Kitty.

Not many previews have been released but here is a video which is included in the DVD which should give you a good idea of what happened during the play since it basically shows the staff for the play rehearsing, performing and having fun:

Koisuru Hello Kitty Backstage

Video uploaded by: youkahren02

In the backstage video we can see most of the staff practicing their lines and dances and it also has some previews of the cast on stage before the play starts where we get to see Mano crying and the cast of the play posing for pictures.

The video also shows us the end of play where they all perform a musical number and after Mano thanks everyone for coming.

Upon seeing the video I was surprised since I was expecting them to at least perform on a wider stage since they perform in a circle which is in the center of the room.

Despite that I liked what I see and it seems that the cast had a great time performing for everyone. I would recommend this DVD for all Mano fans since it is a great opportunity to see her act, and also to all S/mileage fans since they do an incredible job as well.

Melon Kinenbi – MELON’S NOT DEAD: Melon Kinenbi’s first album since graduating from H!P which features all of their collaboration singles plus some new songs.

Since the album features many songs, both new and already released I will only review a couple, so first:

Melon Kinenbi – Ai da! Ima Sugu ROCK ON!

The song is incredibly upbeat and it features all of the members singing along to a rock instrumental with happy lyrics. I have to admit that I was impressed with how well it came out since the melody and rhythm of the song are both catchy.

This song is definitely among my favorites for the album since it is a nice reminder of their new rock image which is both hard but still upbeat.

Melon Kinenbi – Romantic wo Tsukinukero～Break it now～

Videos uploaded by: stumbling

Compared to the previous song this one is somewhat more calm but it still has their great rock sound. This one is also among my favorites since it has somewhat of a Jpop sound to the lyrics combined with drums, guitar and basically a great sound.

Overall the album is a great addition to any Melon Kinenbi fan since it features many great songs with their new rock sound, I definitely recommend it to all H!P fans as well who like rock since the songs are very impressive.

The next release date is 2/20 with Buono’s Winter Fiesta concert tour PB.