There’s only two groups releasing today but they’re still pretty important releases, today’s releases include:
- Morning Musume- Pyoko Pyoko Ultra (Regular, Limited A, Limited B, Limited C)
- Buono!- Hatsukoi CIDER/DEP MIND (Single V)
Morning Musume – Pyoko Pyoko Ultra (Regular, Limited A, Limited B, Limited C)
Morning Musume’s 48th single, which debuted on the Oricon at #3.
With Ai-chan’s graduation we didn’t know what to expect from the new Gaki-led Momusu since the group has gone from cute to mature many times in the past. As time went by and the costumes for the single were released, alongside the preview of the song, and the covers it was clear that this was going to be yet another cute single, and as a result many fans immediately dismissed it. At first I was a bit hesitant about the single since the outfits were very weird for my taste, but as time went by I really started to like the song and so far it’s among my favorite’s since it mixes in everything that makes Momusu so unique.
The outfits are probably the thing that most fans dislike since they’re basically chick outfits with a somewhat awkward look. I agree completely with the fact that the outfits are weird, but in a way they hold a special symbol for the 10th generation, since they, alongside the rest of Momusu, are “hatching” into a new era/group. The outfits are cute in a way with Gaki having a special outfit that stands out as the “mother hen” and the 10th gen with egg shells in their outfits (newly hatched), so it’s a cute, although slightly awkward, theme for the single.
The single is cute and upbeat, which many immediately hated simply because it wasn’t what they expected. In a way I’m very surprised since Momusu is well known for singing ballads in one single, then immediately changing to a kid themed song, and I relate this release in a way to the “Morning Musume no Hyokkori no Hyoutanjima -> AS FOR ONE DAY” period since it’s basically the same pattern (cover of a children’s puppet show theme song to a cool and fresh ballad). Tsunku has already revealed that the newly announced single (Gaki’s last) will be fresh and cool, so from that it’s easy to see that Momusu will once again change sound to a more cool and mature look.
That being said the song itself is very catchy and upbeat and matches the age of the new members, so it’s perfect mainly for that reason since it gives the new members to establish themselves. It’s an interesting way of giving the already established members a break from their mature releases and joining the new members alongside their debut. In a way the song has a slightly more mature sound than expected since the lyrics don’t really pop out in an upbeat way, and apart from the few synthesizers it was a slightly low key song, which was fun and interesting.
I don’t really like the PV for a few reasons, the biggest of them being the lighting used for the green screen where only the outlines are viewable making the scenes where they walk out of the small theater somewhat distracting. In a way I understand what they wanted to accomplish but for some reason it didn’t come out well (the different green tones probably affected it). Apart from that they seem to overlap in a way that makes them look projected, which also ruins the “walking out into the field” theme they had. Basically the theme was good in concept but it wasn’t executed well.
Despite that I really enjoyed the many scenes it had, from the traditional close up and dance shots to the interesting shots of them playing around the set, it really made for an interesting PV. The scene where they have their heads in frames with their names and Gaki flipping a sign saying “Introducing the 10th generation” (or something along those lines) guaranteed that the people watching actually understood who the new members were, something that Maji Desu ka Ska! didn’t have.
Video uploaded by: morningmusumechannel
Gaki, Reina, Sayu, and Aika seem to be a bit laid back in this video, which isn’t surprising since Reina was clearly a bit disappointed with the overly cute sound and theme in a blog post a while ago. Despite the slightly more laid back look they had it was cute to see them interact with the new members in a way that made the group a bit more united.
To sum things up this single was a small introduction to the new Momusu, and it’s not surprising to see many fans hate it since it’s impossible to please everyone. Following Momusu for a few years clearly shows that the group isn’t just restricted to one genre, they have released slow ballads, powerful ballads, catchy upbeat songs, overly cute songs, among many, many more. This was a small way of giving the 10th generation a way of showing themselves off to the new fans in a genre that fit them well, which was done in a perfect way since I couldn’t imagine them singing a mature ballad about broken hearts with their first release since it doesn’t fit their age well.
The group will continue to release new, original songs that please the majority in a way, so I’m really happy to see that Tsunku decided to use this sound since it shows what Momusu is capable of. Sure, the outfits are probably not that good, the PV might have some lighting problems (especially with the bright yellow outfits), but the song itself is well worth a listen by anyone and is highly recommended by me.
Buono! – Hatsukoi Cider/Deep Mind (Single V)
ladylibra92
1. Hatsukoi Cider
2. DEEP MIND
4. Hatsukoi Cider (Momoko Solo)
5. Hatsukoi Cider (Miyabi Solo)
6. Hatsukoi Cider (Airi Solo)
There wasn’t a review done last week for Buono!’s single, so instead of just commenting about the Single V, I wanted to comment about the entire release. When they announced this single we weren’t given much info and fans were left in the dark for a long time until suddenly we were told that this would be a double a-side. That was probably the highlight of the year for me since I’m a big Buono! fan and it’s their first A-side.
After a while we started seeing the outfits for Hatsukoi Cider and I thought the hot pink suits were funky. I’ve never seen anything like that before but it looks good on all of them so it works. As for the outfits in Deep Mind, we only get to see it in the PV but I think those are equally as awesome, it’s cute, mature and makes them all look amazing.
For the song itself I like Deep Mind more because of the rock sound, Hatsukoi Cider hasn’t grown onto me much but it seems like that’s the case with most fans, where they favor one song over the other instead of loving them both equally. I like the PV for Hatsukoi Cider more though because the different effects they used and their personalities shine more in this one than Deep Mind.
The only thing I would’ve asked for about this release is better promotion. This is a really solid single but other than that there’s been no promotion, which is quite a shame. As far as I know the only promotion they have/had for this is that Deep Mind was used in their movie and Hatsukoi Cider is being used as the ending theme for Music Station as well as H!P’s math drama. I do understand that it’s because they’re not one of the “main groups” and they’re also busy with other things but a little promotion wouldn’t hurt.
Overall this single rates as a 5.
Ado
Generally I don’t pay much attention to Single V’s since I prefer to watch them online at the official channels a few times then focus more on listening to them on my iPod. This release is no exception since I can’t really say I’m excited about the additional shots, but fans of each member will be glad to see that the tracklist includes solo versions of Hatsukoi CIDER for each member.
Since the Single V is focused on Hatsukoi CIDER I will focus a bit more on it, so starting off the song is a bit more upbeat compared to DEEP MIND which isn’t surprising since that song was made as a theme for a horror movie. This sing is a cute reminder of what Buono is capable off with catchy rock-jpop songs that really make the group stand out. Compared to the other a-side the PV has a very bright look since the outfits they wear are bright pink, but the PV set has a black and white theme with the white color being the primary look for the set.
There isn’t that much to say that I haven’t already said but for the most part I love the PV since it has many impressive visual effects, and while it’s mostly just the scene of them singing on stage with the band it made this release a bit more unique and fun in a light hearted way.
For the most part I recommend this single to those who enjoy watching the PVs since it’s basically just the 2 PVs and 3 alternate scenes of one of the a-sides, and while I haven’t seen the new shots I recommend Buono fans get a copy of their own to check it out.
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| Morning Musume Pyoko Pyoko Ultra (Single) Regular |
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| Morning Musume Pyoko Pyoko Ultra (Single+DVD) Limited A |
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| Morning Musume Pyoko Pyoko Ultra (Single+DVD) Limited B |
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| Morning Musume Pyoko Pyoko Ultra (Single+DVD) Limited C |
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| Buono! Hatsukoi CIDER / DEEP MIND Single V |
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