H!P Releases December 28

Three releases today from three different groups!

• Morning Musume – Concert Tour Fall 2011 Ai Believe ~Takahashi Ai Graduation Memory Special~ (DVD & Blu-ray)
• S/mileage – “Please Miniskirt Postwoman!” (Regular, Limited A, Limited B, Limited C, Limited D)
• Kikkawa Yuu – “Konna Watashi de Yokattara” (Regular, Limited A, Limited B)

Morning Musume Concert Tour Fall 2011 Ai Believe ~Takahashi Ai Graduation Memory Special~ (DVD & Blu-ray)

Morning Musume’s Fall 2011 concert tour featuring Takahashi Ai’s graduation.

 Opening
1. Mr. Moonlight (Aichan main, 8 girls, Niigaki intro)
Opening VTR
2. Kono chikyuu wo honki de negatterun da yo!
3. Kare to issho ni omise ga shitai!
MC
4. Resonant Blue
5. Yamete yo! Sindbad
6. My Way~Joshikou hanamichi~ (New album song)
MC 6th+9th gen (Michishige, Fukumura, Ikuta, Suzuki)
7. Silver no udedokei (New album song) / Niigaki (rap), Tanaka, Sayashi
8. Kono ai wo kasanete (New album song) / Takahashi, Niigaki
MC (Takahashi, Niigaki)
9. Suki na senpai / Takahashi, Niigaki (On the monitor the footage of all 4 from 5th gen doing the song in 2002 at Saitama Super Arena concert was shown)
MC (Michishige, Tanaka)
10. Denwa de ne
VTR (From the members “Ai BELIEVE” talking about Aichan)
11. SONGS
12. Give me Love (愛) (New album song)
MC
13. Special Medley; Take off is Now / Takahashi, Niigaki, Tanaka→Do it! Now→Aisaresugiru koto wa nai no yo→321 BREAKIN’ OUT
MC
14. OK YEAH! (New album song)
15. ONLY YOU
16. Maji desuka suka!
MC
17. Bravo!

Encore
MC
18. Jishin Motte Yume wo Motte Tobitatsu Kara
MC
19. Tomo
20. Namidacchi

Source: 2ch (Romaji by Sohee @ JPLOP)

Ado

Ai-chan’s graduation was among the most important events this year since it marked the end of a generation, the so called “Platinum Era” by some fans. She was, and will continue to be, among the best leaders that the group has had due to her long reign compared to the others. This is why this release is among the must-have for any Momusu fan since it’s her last performance as a Momusu member, marking the graduation of one of Momusu’s most talented members.

As you can tell most of the setlist is made up of some of their recent releases, most notably their latest album. Along with that we also get to see her sing her solo song Jishin Motte Yume wo Motte Tobitatsu Kara and the traditional graduation ceremony where instead of wearing a dress she instead wore her own Ai-chan styled outfit.

I haven’t been able to find that many videos, but I’ve heard many concert rips from fans and I can guarantee that this release will be part of my collection soon since it’s Ai-chan’s last performance as a Momusu member, and while the price might be a bit high compared to other releases it’s worth it to get a chance to own a part of Momusu’s history.

ladylibra92

I know that they released an unedited “sokko” version of Ai-chan’s graduation concert and many of you may have seen videos on youtube already. I didn’t watch the sokko version until now because I wanted to see Ai-chan’s concert in a better quality. I couldn’t find any videos of this release though so I had to base my review off of the sokko edition, but I think that the sokko version is a good preview for what’s to come.

I’ve already commented on the cover and the tracklist. I think the cover needs a little bit more of work and the tracklist is solid. Regardless of that though the main thing is the concert itself.

The first thing I had to watch was Ok Yeah! That was my favorite song from the album so I thought I had to see it live. This performance was featured in the middle of the concert and they sounded a bit tired in the performance but I still thought they did great. Everyone gave 110% in the dance and I thought the green laser lights was a nice touch to the performance. With the song playing and the lights it makes it seem like a dance club instead of a concert. I also thought the parts where they do the wave while singing “YEAH YEAH…” was pretty fun and because Aika wasn’t featured here Mizuki had a small chance to shine since their joint line became a solo one here.

Uploaded by: Ar3liLapak

Next was Guru Guru Jump, which I believe is included in the tracklist as part of the medley. After Koharu left the song wasn’t the same and now that none of the original members were in here I thought it wasn’t going to be as fun to watch. It’s nothing like the original but I thought 9th gen was really cute here especially during the dance where they do the fluttering with their hands. I especially liked that they gave everyone a line in this song since it was sounds great the way it was distributed.

Uploaded by: mlVooVlm

The highlight of the concert and the main reason for it was Ai-chan’s graduation ceremony. I watched Ai-chan’s graduation message and her performance and it was very touching. In the sokko version they zoomed into a sign that I think it read something like “Thanks for 10 years Ai-chan.” When Ai was making her graduation speech I thought about all the previous graduations she had attended before and in the past she was one of few who were shedding a lot of tears. However here at her own graduation she barely shed a tear and that shows how much she has grown and what a strong person she is. Then when they went to her graduation song I thought that this was very Ai-chan.

The performance was amazing and it was expected from one of the most talented members of H!P. Her outfit was also fitting. I know before a lot of fans were speculating what kind of dress Ai-chan would wear for her graduation performance and she ended up surprising everyone by wearing jeans and a t-shirt which she fashioned and I think that even though she didn’t keep with that tradition everything at her graduation represented her very well.

Uploaded by: samp78250

There’s a lot that I want to talk about on this review but I think that it’s much better for everyone to check it out themselves. Overall there was nothing majorly wrong at all with this release, from the performance to the outfits everything was very fitting for Ai-chan’s last concert. Hopefully everyone has reserved a copy of this very special release.

The only difference with this release from the normal edition is the tracklist, which includes more bonus footage. 1 of them is of the Gokkies reunion which took place a day before Ai-chan’s actual graduation. I was really happy when I saw that their appearance would be included on the blu-ray since fans that didn’t get to attend can check it out. I haven’t had a chance to see the bonus footage yet but I saw clips of their Sukina Senpai performance and it was nice seeing them altogether. Plus seeing the the screen play the first time they did the performance also very heartwarming.

For this release I rate it as a 5.

Regular Edition CD Tracklist

1. Please Miniskirt Postwoman!
2. Te wo Nigitte Arukitai
3. Please Miniskirt Postwoman! (Instrumental)

1. Please Miniskirt Postwoman
2. Konnichiwa Konbanwa
3. Please Miniskirt Postwoman! (Instrumental)

Limited Edition D CD Tracklist

1. Please Miniskirt Postwoman!
2. S/mileage Singles Gekiyaba Remix
3. Please Miniskirt Postwoman! (Instrumental)

S/mileage’s 8th single, last featuring Maeda Yuuka, debuted on Oricon at #4.

Ado

I’m not that big of a fan of S/mileage lately, mainly due to their vocals which are a bit higher than others, but I consider myself at least a fan since I enjoy their releases and how different they are compared to other groups. This release came as a surprise since most of their newer releases are upbeat and happy, in comparison this release has more ballad sound to it although with a happy sound to it combined with the group’s cute sound.

At first I didn’t like the song, but listening to it again with headphones let me appreciate the bass and other sounds I didn’t listen at first. That along with the cute intro by Meimi and Wada really gave the song a perfect sound to it that fits well among their other releases. The instrumental is filled with synthesizer, violins, and other great sounds that fit well, and while the high pitch of some of the voices are still a bit hard to hear for me I still love this release.

The PV has a similar theme to the song: a cute post theme with dozens of balloons with letters, miniskirts, and the usual S/mileage playful close-ups featuring all of the members. I liked the intro showing Ayaka changing into a postwoman magically and arriving at the post office where the other members were since it added a bit more to the theme. That in my opinion made the PV perfect for this release and highly recommended for everyone.

Overall this release is well worth buying for all S/mileage fans, especially Yuuka fans since this will after all be her last release with the group. The song has a cute upbeat ballad sound to it and the PV has an impressive theme that fits well with the song without going overboard. I didn’t mention the various b-sides but as you can tell there are different for each one of the releases, one being a remix, another being the usual H!P cover (this time from Goto), and an original b-side which I already reviewed but basically has a cuter but slower sound that’s a perfect c/w but not that good as a song itself.

I highly recommend it!

Kikkawa Yuu “Konna Watashi de Yokattara” (Regular, Limited A, Limited B)

 

Regular Edition

1. Konna Watashi de Yokattara
2. Early Snow
3. Konna Watashi de Yokattara (Remix)
4. Konna Watashi de Yokattara (Instrumental)
5. Early Snow (Instrumental)

Limited Edition A

1. Konna Watashi de Yokattara
2. Early Snow
3. Konna Watashi de Yokattara (Instrumental)
4. Early Snow (Instrumental)
5. Konna Watashi de Yokattara (Music Video)

Limited Edition B

1. Konna Watashi de Yokattara
2. Early Snow
3. Konna Watashi de Yokattara (Instrumental)
4. Early Snow (Instrumental)
5. Konna Watashi de Yokattara (Making Of)
6. Early Snow (Music Video)

Kikkawa Yuu’s 3rd single, debuted on Oricon at #9.

Ado

Kikka is on her third release as a solo artist, and so far most of her releases have a somewhat generic idol sound to them. Nothing really stands out and the songs, at least to me, are usually quickly forgotten since they don’t have any hook that makes me remember a part of the song.

Konna Watashi de Yokattara is a perfect example of the kind of songs that I like since it’s slightly more upbeat than her past releases with a catchy chorus. It has a somewhat generic style at first but the chorus really brings in the listener since it has a unique style that brings out Kikka’s voice well. There aren’t that many instruments in the song so that’s a good way of bringing out her voice, but unfortunately the instruments increase in noise along with Kikka’s voice so it’s hard to listen to her well since they seem to drown out her vocals.

The PV for this release hasn’t been released and that’s usually what happens with Universal releases (Avex too) where they avoid posting the full PV in order to encourage everyone to buy a copy to see it, but it doesn’t really help that much since many fans who don’t listen to radio rips don’t have a good idea about the song and can’t decide whether to buy one for themselves or pass. We have seen small clips here and there but the theme is very contrasting so I’m not sure how it looks, so I’ll wait until I can see it to decide whether I like it or not.

Despite that I give this release a 4 since it has a nice theme and catchy chorus, despite the somewhat generic sound.

	Morning Musume Concert Tour Fall 2011 Ai Believe ~Takahashi Ai Graduation Memory Special~ (DVD)
	Morning Musume Concert Tour Fall 2011 Ai Believe ~Takahashi Ai Graduation Memory Special~ (Blu-ray)
	S/mileage Please Miniskirt Postwoman! (Regular)
	S/mileage Please Miniskirt Postwoman! (Limited A)
	S/mileage Please Miniskirt Postwoman! (Limited B)
	S/mileage Please Miniskirt Postwoman! (Limited C)
	S/mileage Please Miniskirt Postwoman! (Limited D)
	Kikkawa Yuu Konna Watashi de Yokattara (Regular)
	Kikkawa Yuu Konna Watashi de Yokattara (Limited A)
	Kikkawa Yuu Konna Watashi de Yokattara (Limited B)