A picture featuring the outfits for Morning Musume’s 49th single titled Renai Hunter has been released on Aika’s blog.

Since fans have already seen the outfit used on stage for the performance of the song, it was expected to see members blogging pictures of them in the outfits since they’re no more a secret, and I have to say that I really love those outfits for various ways.

First of all, fan reports mentioned shiny silver outfits, which is exactly what we see, but I never expected them to look this great since I immediately thought of something more extravagant, and I’m happy to see that they are made of short silver shorts with a matching silver top with a high collar and knee-high boots for everyone, and I specially love how they centered the focus on Gaki with giving her the only gold colored outfit between the members, while the others share a system of color-coding per generation (Kyuukies get red, Juukie blue and the older members black), and I think that this idea is really amazing to distinguish the girls, as well as it gives a push to the new members and Gaki which are shining in their bright colors (even if it may look unfair for Tanaka, Sayu and Mitsui).

Apart from that, the outfits are the same for everyone but since Aika mentioned that this picture was taken the day of the jacket shooting for the single, we can easily expect to see the girls as they are in this picture featured on the covers, and I love how everyone got a different hair accessory to match their outfits since it adds a special touch to the hairstyles which also seem to follow a pattern: Mitsui, Kudou, Ikuta and Gaki have edgy updos, Riho and Mizuki have a similar hairstyle, as well as Ayumi and Reina who both have high ponytails, and I really think everyone looks amazing since no one seems out of place and they managed to make even the youngest look edgy and somewhat fierce to match the song.

Hopefully profile pictures will be up soon so that we can see each member clearly!

The release date is set for 4/11.

H!P’s official profile page for C-ute has been updated with new profile pictures for their 18th single titled Kimi wa Jitensha Watashi wa Densha de Kitaku.

With the idea of the red and black outfits from the H!P 2012 Winter Concert Tour in mind, I definitely did not expect seeing those gorgeous outfits on the profile pictures, but I’m more than glad to see that there is alternative outfits that are sensual and feminine, perfect for the song, since it makes me hope that those are the ones that will be used for the covers and the red and black ones on one of the scenes of the PV (the dance probably) since everyone looks just amazing in those girly outfits.

First of all, in the group profile picture, I have to say that the first thing that caught my eye was Maimai and Maimi since they both look absolutely stunning, Maimi with her longer hair and her flashy smile, as well as Maimai with her cute pose and adorable look, and I love how everyone seems to stand out in their own way thanks to the different outfits, and the background seems really nice since they added some kind of effect to it unlike usual.

Maimi is looking really amazing with her hair getting longer as time goes by, and she is wearing a striped yellow and red sweater with a white blouse underneath, alongside some wide shorts and knee-high boots, and while her look might be really simple and somewhat boy-ish compared to the others’, I think she looks really gorgeous since her natural charm works in both pictures alongside her cute pose and great smile.

Nakky has probably my favorite outfit of them all (alongside Maimai) since she is wearing a very original grey dress with black dots and a big bow as a belt, and the details in the dress like the soft mousseline used for the collar as well as the matching socks give her a preppy look, and the white sweater underneath is perfect for not making it too black, as well as the beige shoes that add a touch of color to her outfit. Her hairstyle reminded me of the one she had for Kiss me Aishiteru since it’s long and wavy, and I think it suits her best since she somehow looks like a princess.

Airi’s outfit is probably the most original since it consists of layered pieces of clothing; the denim short are almost covered by a fluffy white top that is overalled by a big off-white knit, and this look suits her really well since it allows the focus on her face thanks to the soft colors of the outfit, and I love how they didn’t add any other accessory than a simple necklace to compensate for the big pumps she is wearing.

Chisa’s look is the most disappointing to me since all of the other members got a very girly and soft look while this outfit seems a little out of place and a little childish, but I think that the main point is the very dark boots that take the focus apart from the outfit that could have looked great without them. She is wearing a straight white skirt with a white sweater and a blue blouse underneath, and her cute pose in the full-body shot as well as her cute awkward smile in the first one make up for the outfit since she looks great. Also, this is Chisa’s last profile picture with long hair since she has cut it very short and dyed it brown.

Finally, Maimai has definitely the look I like the most since it’s very cute and it fits her like crazy. She is wearing a plaid red skirt with a soft pink knit, and even though there isn’t anything special apart from the cute necklace and the high pumps with white socks, her overall attitude and look from the hairstyle to the pose make her easily noticeable among the members, and I’m impressed by how well she looks since she seems to have gained again the image of baby of the group, but in a more mature style.

Overall, I have never been so excited about a single thanks to the outfits, so hopefully the covers will be out soon for fans to start reserving their preferred copy!

The release date is set for 4/18.

H!P official profile for C-ute

Yoshizawa Hitomi and Ishikawa Rika will sing the OP theme for the tentatively titled Sengoku Collection anime.

According to the information Yossie and Rika will sing the OP theme and Sweety will sing the ED.

The anime itself is based on a social networking game, but here is some info about the anime from ANN:

The story is set  in the tumultuous Sengoku Era of historical Japan, when military masters circle the figurative throne of Japan’s first shogunate. In the game, “God of War Cards” have been sealed in six hidden treasures, and fighting breaks out among those who seek the treasures. As a new military master, the player embarks on a journey to obtain the treasures by clearing quests and fighting bosses.

Like always it’s fun to see that current and former H!P members sing anime themes since it usually gives them a chance to get great promotion along with a song to eventually release as a single. Rika and Yossie are an interesting choice since it’s been a while since they sang for an anime, and since they have been occupied with Dream Morning Musume and HANGRY&ANGRY it seems like this is a nice change of pace for them.

It’s interesting to note that it’s not HANGRY&ANGRY, but just Rika and Yossie who according to the information released will form a new unit to sing the theme. It seems like this is somewhat expected since the anime doesn’t have a gothic look to it (from what I can tell), and having a group with a dark look sing the theme might not fit well with the theme.

It will be interesting to see just how the OP theme sounds since Rika and Yossie singing outside of HANGRY&ANGRY is something we haven’t seen in a while.

The anime will start on 4/5.

Video uploaded by: DARC423

Alternate links

A preview for Morning Musume’s 49th single titled Renai Hunter has been released.

Like always the usual disclaimer: this is a concert preview so the quality isn’t good. If you would prefer to wait for a radio rip then I strongly suggest you wait for that, since the song is a bit hard to hear sometimes.

That being said I can say for sure that I completely love the song. Everything from the mechanical songs in the instrumental to the lyrics, the catchy sound and beat, as well as the cool sound really make this one of the best songs that I have heard from them in a while.

The song has a distinct mechanical sound to it, which seems in line with what we heard from the members in their blogs (zombie dance moves kind of fit the robot look). Apart from that it’s not a normal song since there are many distinct robot sounds that give it a unique sound, which is perfect since it sounds good so far and sounds exactly like something Tsunku would try out, especially the mechanical Sayu lines in the song.

Like Tsunku mentioned the song is very cool, the lyrics sound catchy and mature, something many will love since it’s a completely different sound compared to their Pyoko Pyoko Ultra single. Apart from the mechanical sounds it also has many synthesizers which give it a modern sound, and while it might be hard to tell exactly who is singing it seems like there are various Risa lines along with Reina, Riho, Sayu, and a few others.

As a Risa fan I couldn’t ask for more since this is a perfect song for her to graduate with since it has a very catchy sound with a mature and cool theme that many will love. If you can’t wait for a radio rip I strongly encourage you to check out the song as soon as possible since it will probably be taking down soon on Youtube.

Hopefully we get a radio rip or outfit previews soon!

The release date is set for 4/11.

The concert setlist for “Morning Musume Concert Tour 2012 Haru ~Ultra Smart~” has been released.

1. Pyocopyoco Ultra
2. Guruguru JUMP
VTR
3. Kanashiki Koi no Melody (without Mitsui Aika)
4. Give me Love (without Mitsui Aika)
MC / Mitsui Aika, Niigaki Risa
5. Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari
6. Kaiketsu Positive A (without Mitsui Aika)
7. My Way 〜Joshikou Hanamichi〜 (without Mitsui Aika)
8. Otome no Timing / Mitsui Aika, Ikuta Erina, Suzuki Kanon
9. Silver no Udedokei / Tanaka Reina, Sayashi Riho w/ Niigaki Risa, Mitsui Aika
10. Suki da na Kimi ga / Michishige Sayumi, Fukumura Mizuki
MC: Quiz! Ultra Smart – Mata Mata Senpai ni Kikimashita / Niigaki Risa, Iikubo Haruna, Ishida Ayumi, Satou Masaki, Kudou Haruka
11. Suki na Senpai / Iikubo Haruna, Ishida Ayumi, Satou Masaki, Kudou Haruka
12. Namida ga Tomaranai Houkago / Fukumura Mizuki, Ikuta Erina, Sayashi Riho, Suzuki Kanon
13. Genki Pikappika! / Fukumura Mizuki, Ikuta Erina, Sayashi Riho, Suzuki Kanon, Iikubo Haruna, Ishida Ayumi, Satou Masaki, Kudou Haruka
14. Egao ni Namida 〜THANK YOU! DEAR MY FRIENDS〜 / Niigaki Risa (Back-up dancers: Fukumura Mizuki, Ikuta Erina, Suzuki Kanon, Satou Masaki)
15. Shanimuni Paradise / Niigaki Risa, Michishige Sayumi, Tanaka Reina, Mitsui Aika
MC / Michishige Sayumi, Tanaka Reina
16. Itoshiku Kurushii Kono Yoru ni / Michishige Sayumi, Tanaka Reina
MC / Mitsui Aika, Ikuta Erina, Suzuki Kanon, Iikubo Haruna, Ishida Ayumi
17. Special Medley: HOW DO YOU LIKE JAPAN?〜Nihon wa Donna Kanji Dekka?〜 → TOP → Ikimasshoi! → Yamete yo! Sindbad (without Mitsui Aika)
18. Sono Bamen de Bibiccha Ikenai jan! (without Mitsui Aika)
19. Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai! (without Mitsui Aika)
20. OK YEAH! (without Mitsui Aika)
MC
21. Aruiteru
ENCORE
22. Renai Hunter (without Mitsui Aika)
MC
23. Namidacchi

Thanks to Starra

This is the first concert for Morning Musume without Ai-chan so I’m really curious as to what performances will be like without her since she was a lead vocalist for quite some time. Aika also participates in a few performances and it’s been a while since we’ve seen a “complete” Morning Musume so I’m looking forward to seeing the performances with her.

When they mentioned that the concert would be called “~Ultra Smart~” the first thing I assumed is they would have songs from 12, Smart. I thought that this setlist would be really similar to their fall concert last year so I was a bit disappointed that they were doing the same things two times in a row.  The setlist though doesn’t look that bad though and I really like that they had each “generation” got to do a few songs for themselves since it’s easier for them to show off their talents in small groups than trying to compete with everyone else.

One thing that caught my eye a lot was Gaki performing Egao ni Namida 〜THANK YOU! DEAR MY FRIENDS〜 . Her graduation single has her covering a past H!P song and seeing her perform this solo makes me think that this could be the song on her graduation single. Out of the entire setlist she’s the only person to have received a solo so it makes me think that this could be her graduation song, though I still somewhat doubt that this could be her song. Mainly because it’s kind of weird for her to be singing her graduation song so early in the concert.

Tsunku has also recently blogged about the concert rehearsals:

Sayashi and Ishida’s dance battle is worth seeing.
Kudou and Fukumura – the egg group – have grown better to express themselves.
Suzuki and Satou have suddenly grown so much it will shock you.
Ikuta is a really good girl. Might be a genious of smiles.
Iikubo is the one who were the most behind and worked the hardest. But one can tell that she practices until midnight and put in a lot of effort.
But more than anything, none of them complain. Everyone is positive. It’s admirable!

Mitsui has made quite a come-back and was able to take part in rehearsals too. Her RAP is quite good too. She’s cool.

Niigaki is, no matter what, in an amazing condition. All members are like that but, whenever they get closer to their graduation, they become even more perfect. Or rather they get better at their singing, dancing and expressiveness so that it makes me think “Aa~ I wish I could have them in the group for one more year…”

Tanaka and Michishige’s 6ki MC is great, but that they’ve improved their performances is amazing. Tanaka’s singing, it’s amazing.
She’d be able to do anything.
Michishige is sometimes out of pitch (lol), but as she gets better keeping the rhythm, her singing improves, too.

On the first day of the tour, the next single “Renai Hunter” that will go on sale 4/11 will be performed for the first time. It’s really worth checking out!

He mentioned a dance battle with Ayumi and Riho though there’s no mention of it yet. I think a dance battle between these two members is something a lot of fans are looking forward to so hopefully they do it at least once during the concert. Also Tsunku mentioned awhile back that the dance for Renai Hunter was intense, since it’s featured in the setlist I’m really looking forward to a preview. The preview may give us some hints of what the dance is like and I have really high hopes for Renai Hunter so I’m really excited for it. This is what’s been said about the song so far:

from bluemaple at H!O:

one 2ch netizen said renai hunter sounded like Aki Urara
and another said it was great with cool high notes belting by risa, riho and reina,
an agitating song with many cool facial expressions from risa lol
and the dance was somehow like zombie and robot, but was a high-level formation dance
outfits are in silver color, sleeveless and with pants

I’m very positive that a concert rip for Renai Hunter will come but I also hope that other concert rips will become available too. I’m really looking forward to seeing this on DVD and I think hearing the concert rips might calm my anxiety for this release.

Here’s the date and times for the rest of the concert performances:

Schedule Page

An official Niigaki Risa Ameba blog titled Risa! Risa! Risa! has been opened.

A new Gaki blog was a big surprise for many since she already has one on Oricon, but since her graduation will be pretty soon it seems like she might want to start off with a fresh new blog she will use to post about her life (the blog is under the UFA category so that might be why).

As for the name, it’s pretty catchy and very in line with her personality, and the picture of her with a doughnut is very cute, but the design of the blog’s background is somewhat hard on the eyes. The pink and black does match the one used for her blog header but I hope she decides to change it to something a bit more easy to see.

The blog hasn’t been mentioned on her Oricon blog, but hopefully we get a confirmation soon, but for now please check out her new blog since she has been using it quite a lot lately!

Official Niigaki Risa Blog

Thanks to Eri for the tip!

Site: Thanks to everyone who has applied so far for the Facebook auditions!

Like I mentioned last week I was planning on announcing the results by next week, and from what I can tell I think I’ll have to do that since I have to study for a few tests during the weekend and I won’t be able to check the new applications I received. Despite that I have gone through most of them and there are many that I’m interested in contacting for the next phase (it’s hard to choose since basically everyone makes a good candidate), but I’ll have an idea of who will make it to the next round soon.

I received around 20 applications during the week which I think is double what I received last time, so a big thank you to everyone who did apply! It’s hard to choose from among all those applicants (it’s hard for me to not accept someone, I’m not good at telling someone bad news) but I’ll do my best to check each message thoroughly and contact those who I’m interested in for the next round, but even if you didn’t make it to the next round I’ll personally respond every application I received thanking you for your time.

So, by next week (hopefully Wednesday or sometime near that) I’ll send out the email to those who applied (if you still want to apply there is time, after I send out the 1st emails we won’t accept any more) and by the end of the week we should have the winner!

Thanks to everyone who applied!

Social: 704 followers on Twitter and 644 fans on Facebook, and like every week a big thank you to everyone.

We finally passed the 700 follower mark on Twitter, and we are close to our 3000th tweet!

It’s hard for me to imagine that the site would get so many followers on Twitter since it was opened, but I’m really glad to see that it has since it’s a great show of support from the many fans who love H!P. Like always this is just a small milestone but it’s a step toward the big 1,000 mark.

Since I started using both Twitter and Facebook I didn’t think that much about them that much since I mainly used them for complementing the blog, but lately they have become their own addition to the site and hopefully with the new Facebook audition the page for the site will become almost as important as the site itself since most of the info that doesn’t make it here will appear there.

Hopefully everyone is looking forward to the results of the audition, but for now thank you to everyone who follows the site, our Twitter account, as well as the Facebook page!

If you don’t have a Facebook account then don’t worry, the updates can be viewed without an account, so feel free to check it out.

Polls

The winner for this poll was Suzuki Airi with 443 votes (47%), congratulations Airi! Tanaka Reina came in second with 350 votes (37%), and Tsugunaga Momoko came in third with 153 votes (16%).

There was a total of 946 votes for this poll.

Congratulations Airi!

I’m not at all surprised to see that Airi won since she does seem to have quite a lot of fans as the main singer of C-ute, but it’s interesting to see that Momo did relatively bad compared to previous polls, it might be the vote total but it’s impressing nonetheless. Reina did relatively well with about 100 votes between her and Airi, which is around normal since she is after all going against Airi.

For the most part it seems like Airi is similar to Gaki since she does seem to win in almost every poll she’s in, but it will be interesting to see what happens in her next poll.

Good luck to Reina and Momo in their next polls, but for now congratulations to Airi!

For the next poll it’s Satou Masaki, Fukuda Kanon, and Kikkawa Yuu, and as you can tell it will be a very interesting poll. I decided to include Kikka in the H!P polls since including her in the UFA polls along with the Momusu graduates would have been somewhat too much of a difference, and since she is still relatively new it’s a good way to give her a chance to compete with other members who are also new. Masaki has been growing in popularity lately so it will be fun to see how she does in this poll, and while Kanon might have a lot of time in H!P it seems like all of the members are equally capable of winning.

The winner for this poll was Goto Maki with 295 votes (26%), congratulations Goto! Kago Ai came in second with 280 votes (25%), Yaguchi Mari came in third with 275 votes (24%), Tsuji Nozomi came in fourth with 224 votes (20%) and Yasuda Kei came in fifth with 63 votes (6%).

There was a total of 1,137 votes for this poll.

Congratulations Goto!

This poll was very close since the first four spots were close almost all of the week, but like most of the polls there can only be one winner and Goto managed to win. It’s interesting to see that there was such a close result, but it seems like all top four of the members are pretty popular, although Yasuda seems to continue to get 5th place with under 100 votes.

Hopefully Yasuda can get a higher position, but for now good luck to Tsuji, Yaguchi, Kago, and Yasuda and congratulations to Goto!

To make it easier for fans I will provide the direct link to the H!P poll HERE.

Please vote!

Shuukan Hello: Hopefully everyone enjoyed last week’s episode since this week we’re changing programs to Haromoni@!

Not many liked this series and it’s not hard to see why, since in the end it was basically a show where we saw the members react to pre-recorded videos and not much else. Despite that the series did have it’s own interesting moments, for example today’s episode where Jun Jun, Lin Lin, Sayu, and Kame compete against each other in a “Baka battle”.

I couldn’t find the first part of the “battle” (where the members compete to see who remembers the most) but I have watched this episode many times since it’s fun to see how they do remembering two-character words. Like always Kamei is adorable and the reactions are fun to watch, and along with the few videos at the start like Kamei throwing an umbrella from far away it’s a very fun episode for everyone.

Hopefully everyone enjoys it!

A Yajima Maimi version of C-ute’s Cutest PB has been released as an app for Android.

As most of you might remember Momusu’s Alo Hello PB was released as an app a while ago, along with individual apps featuring unreleased images from each member. It was a great way to encourage everyone to get the app since it was a nice way to support your favorite member, and while it was released during a long time many seemed to like it.

With the release of C-ute’s Cutest PB on Android it was just a matter of time until we got individual apps for the members, and it seems like they they didn’t waste any time since it was announced almost a day after the PB for the group was released.

Like always the details are the same: some PB pictures as well as unreleased pictures from the PB for fans to enjoy. Here is the description from the page:

We release unpublished photos of Maimi Yajima’s photo collection “cutest”!!
Maimi Yajima is a member and the leader of C-ute, a J-pop group within Hello! Project.
She became 20 years old this year, became increasingly attractive.
She wears One-piece swimsuit, portion of the back of is wide-open, skillfully.
She looks like both as child and as adult. It is the special charm she has.

From what I can tell the previews are amazing so I encourage everyone interested in getting a copy for their Android device!

Android Store Link

App Walker Plus Site

More details about Niigaki Risa’s upcoming FC bus tour titled ~Morning Days Happy Holiday ~ Risa Niigaki Fanclub Tour In Shizuoka have been released.

It’s great to see that more details have been released for Gaki’s last bus tour as a Momusu member since everyone will be able to see the application and apply if they are interested (if they are in the FC). The prices are listed and like always they are relatively high (ranging from 63,800 ~ 65,800 Yen, or around $648 US dollars), but it’s a price to pay to spend two days in a tour with Gaki and many would agree that it’s worth it.

It’s interesting to see that they decided to use blog pictures instead of the usual studio pictures from their latest singles, but it’s a nice touch since it gives it a more personal touch. The gold bus in the 18th century setting is a bit strange but like always it’s a fun and unique look that many will love.

Since this will be Gaki’s last bus tour there will probably be a lot of fans who wish to attend, so I encourage those who are interested in applying early. Other than that I look forward to seeing pictures and reading fan reports about the event since it will most likely be among the most important fan events this year for many.

The bus tour will take place from 4/21 ~ 22.

UFA Site

The first song is Because Happiness performed by the entire group. The beginning sounded a lot like the beginning of Ok Yeah! by Morning Musume, when I heard that I was expecting something techno but the song isn’t like that at all. It sounds like a regular idol song and nothing stands out right away.

I really like that they added in the harmonizing during the chorus and at the ending of the song. Though towards the end of the song it sounded a bit awkward and didn’t seem to fit in too much. There was also a small instrumental break where I heard violins. It just stood out to me and I thought that it was cool.

The preview has been uploaded on Youtube so I recommend everyone check it out as soon as possible since it could be taken down at anytime.

Uploaded by hsnpreviews1

The next song preview is  Renai Moyou by Chinami, Kumai, Risako and Maasa. My ear isn’t trained that well to distinguish whose voice is whose so I can’t say if they all got a line in the song. The song sounds like a really sad love song, like this is a song they’d use during a break up scene in a movie or something. Compared to those type of songs this one is about the same so there’s not much I can say about it so hopefully everyone can check it out.

Uploaded by hsnpreviews1

The final song preview is Yononaka Barairo which is performed by the entire group. At the beginning they go “Ja ja ja…” and I knew that was going to be the part that gets stuck in my head. Then during the chorus they repeat a few lines and they even have the background vocals that make you also want to shout along. Since the chorus was repetitive it gets stuck in your head very easily.

I did hear a lot of different voices during the verses so I’m guessing that everyone had atleast one line there and they all performed the chorus together. What I really like about this song is you can hear their natural voices. Sometimes on CDs or albums it sounds like they slightly altered their voices but for this song it sounds almost as if they were singing live. The song is very cute like and I like that they were able to sing it without having their voices altered to match. it

Uploaded by hsnpreviews1

Hopefully everyone can check out the video before it’s taken down. I did save a copy of the video so if any of them are taken down please comment below and I’ll try to upload it again.

Since the release date is next week I’m sure that we’ll probably get to hear more radio rips soon. Please remember to support Berryz Koubou and reserve a copy. The release date is set for 2/22.