UFA is really late in getting on the band wagon in terms of trying to secure an overseas market. The Koreans have been at it for years with their whole 'Korean Wave' thingy and they have seen considerable success.
Although I don't want to sound like a wet blanket, I have to say that I'm not particularly optimistic about H!P's success. Still, its good to see them try. With spiraling sales in Japan, the girls desperately need an alternative fanbase.
And where does the company set their sights on after a failed attempt in China? Land of the Kimchi aka South Korea.
So there's this audition held in Korea called 東京少女 'Tokyo Girl' where one or more girls get picked to enter the amazing idol making factory known as Hello! Project. As long as they don't mess with MM by stuffing one of these random girls into the current line-up, I'm fine with whoever they choose.
Previously many of the girls have made a visit to Korea either for concerts or promotional activities. Let's take a look at the list shall we? From the top of my head I can think of these.
Ai, Risa and Koharu (MM) - Promo for 'All Singles Daizenshu' concert
MM - 'All Singles Daizenshu' concert
Captain (Berryz Koubou) and Maimi (C-ute) - Promo for 'Tokyo Girl'
Berryz Koubou - Asia Music Fest
Maimi and Erika (C-ute)
Ai, Risa, Reina and Lin Lin (MM) - Promo for 'Tokyo Girl'
Berryz Koubou was supposed to hold a mini-live on the 22th of May. No mention of the event anywhere after the day so I'm not sure if it went through.
Number 6 occured recently. I think it was in the beginning of May 2009. The girls got to appear on Mnet's Jpop Wave and in a park (?) to meet with the hosts and contestants of 'Tokyo Girl'.
There was a handshake session. Those incredibly lucky fans got to hold Gaki-san's hand!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *Yells like a mad person* I'm never gonna get over why Korean fans have handshake sessions bestowned on them so often. There was definitely one for number 1 at a shopping mall and number 3 as well. *grumbles*
THAT'S IT! If I can't be reborn as a Japanese in my next life then I wanna be Korean XD
Mnet Jpop Wave
There is more to this vid but the other parts got taken off YT :(
'Tokyo Girl' Event
I expected Risa to talk more. Major bummer :( At least her hair was awesome ^^ Ai-chan had this aura about her. It was like she had suddenly gotten more confident or something? Whatever caused it, it made her so darn attractive! Her action of jerking her head to get her fringe out of her eyes was incredibly sexy *nosebleed*
'Tokyo Girl' CM
Kamo Kamo Kamo :D
Since we're on the topic, here are more videos about H!P girls and Korea.
Does anyone know the penalties involved for ogling Ai's PB making of in a public place? If I risk being thrown in the slammer for it, at least I can take heart in the fact that Takahashi's legal ^^;
I wanted to include scans from the PB, released on May 25 2009 in this post but I have not gotten my hands on it yet so screencaps from the making of will have to do for now.
This is the leadaa's 10th PB. Nope, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. It's T-E-N. I'm certain this lady with the eternal baby-face has earned herself plenty of moolah from doing her 1st PB till this one.
The way she smiles in this pic reminds me of a monkey. Before you start pelting me with rotten eggs, I meant that in a good way. When a fan links monkey with Ai-chan, it can only mean good things. Didn't she once say she thinks she resembles a monkey or something?
@@ Since when did Ai get so big? You know what I mean XD
The 'wet look' never fails to get me. Although Ai isn't really wet, her hair seems like it is a little soaked and that's good enough for me. I can leave the rest to my imagination :P
I can envision Ai clinging on to her beloved red blankie like this. Awwww, isn't she adorable? <3
She looks a tad more mature here but still nowhere near her real age.
I have no idea why she would wanna put her chin on the meter especially at a time like this. There could be a million germs on that thing. H1N1 anyone? XD
You know there are some girls who look like they have absolutely nothing up there? Well. Ai isn't one of those airheads. I can believe she knows what she's reading on that paper. Although I'm pretty sure she doesn't understand most of it :P
Didn't Eri have some pics with the giant freezer in one of her PBs too? Was it in 'Days'? She had the exact same pose. Why didn't someone put Ai INSIDE the chiller? That would be fun :D
Cute nails there. Did your wifey Gaki-san do them for you? ^^
Possibly my fav outfit from the PB. The school-girl look is always a winner!
Yummy! *stares at burger* Care to share Ai-chan? Judging from your figure, you would probably only finish a quarter of it.
I don't really have a reason for taking these caps. I just did *sweatdrop*
Ooooh, sultry seductress gaze there.
Was there any doubt that lying down / crawling shots would be included?
Ai seems to replicate a number of poses from her previous PBs. I think the hands-covering-mouth angle was done in her second PB - アロハロ! 高橋愛.
So far we've only gotten a glimpse of how Aika handles the camera. It's nice to see Ai having a go at it too.
Body parts galore! I don't wanna look like a hentai but geez, try having so many of these shoved in your face. It's hard to resist XD
Kawaii~~! She's the perfect candidate for a toothpaste commercial. And Reina can model the before pics for an orthodontist XD
I know what's you're thinking of. Don't, go there *nudge*
Apparently the slightly parted lips pose is a crowd pleaser.
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Part 1 of the DVD that comes with the PB
Part 2
There is a separate DVD for this. Usually they run for about 50 min. So get it if you need more Ai candy, eye candy get it, LOL. Gosh, I can be so lame XD
PS: I saw a comment made by CrypticShadow8 which NEEDS to be mentioned. Quoting him / her: It amuses me to think of what the people in Hawaii must be thinking while this is going on. (As in seeing Ai being photographed) Like I'm sure a lot of people at the store were like "I wish this girl would get out of my way so I could finish shopping." lol She was in such populated places. It was nice though.
Thank you so much for writing that! I had a horrid morning but after reading it I started grinning like a dork :D Now I feel much better ^^
Ever since I heard about Ai-chan landing a part in a prime time drama, I've been anticipating the DVD release. After weeks of waiting and hunting, I've finally gotten my hands on it.
And the most awesome thing about buying this the moment I saw it is.... *takes deep breath* it has an English subtitles option! No more wondering what is going on and being lost regarding the plot and cases.
The box containing the discs looks pretty damn decent with pictures and all. I must say it looks very pretty. Ai looks VERY pretty ^^
Although the ratings weren't the best and the story moved rather slowly, at least Takahashi now has 'female lead' to add to her list of accomplishments. I think that's great and I hope she gets more opportunities in the future.
Of course I wanna see GakiKame get a shot at acting too. And Sayumin as well. She would make a good actress with her height and gorgeous face <3
This will most likely be my last post for April. The dreaded exams are looming *cries* Because I was putting off revising, I ended up stumbling on vids from the two latest H!P concerts. I couldn't help sneeking a peek and tada~~ I realized it was impossible for me to not purchase the DVDs. Sigh, my poor pocket and bank account.
Here are some of the perfs I couldn't stop rewatching.
KameMame Suki, Suki, SUKI~~! Er...yes you too Ai-chan :P
How can Risa and Eri be so perfect in every way?? Their voice, looks, dance, personality...basically everything, EVERYTHING, about them is perfect <3
Smexy to the MAX. Someone please turn up the airconditioning? It's getting hot in here *fans self*
Super upbeat and addicting song with Koharu and the JunLin. Nice starting there by the MM girls and XD at Ai-chan's expression and :D at Eri's adorable face. I have to say, Koharu was mighty cute in this perf. And boy did she nail that super high line *Impressed*
MM's Naichau Kamo. Need I say more?
Same as above. It's MM! What complains could I have? :P
BUONO! doesn't get enough love in my blog. Which is a pity cuz I love these girls. They are my top 3 H!PKids. Besides, Co.No.Mi.Chi is a great song ^^
The HQ version of the new PV is finally out. I was expecting to only see it during the first week of May. Have H!P PVs always been released so early in advance? Anyway, after viewing the clearer video, I am all the more convinced that I LOVE it! I actually took screencaps of the PV. Is that a miracle or what? XD The number of caps each girl got doesn't signify my adoration level for them. It was largely dependent on how many pretty looking scenes I could grab :P
For once nobody looks bad in a cover. This is the normal edition btw. All of the girls have stunning smiles and hair shiny enough to shoot a shampoo advertisment. The details about the 2 LE is, they come with different versions of the PV. My guess is one will be a close up while the other an alternative version. Possibly in their various outfits and not the white/cream dress which will be in the dance shot version. I wish this single came with a PB edition. It should be epic.
Ai-chan
First thought that appeared in my mind when I saw Ai was "Q.E.D!" Doesn't her hair resemble Kanna's? Did UFA want the audience to be reminded that she was the lead actress in the drama? Or did they think that she looks younger with this hairstyle? For some reason, I think Ai-chan would have looked tons prettier with her hair let down or tied to the side. Ai looks much better in the close up. See, it's the hair that messed up. The ending bit of the PV was almost like Onna ni Sachi Are with Ai's extended face shot. I like her denim jacket.
Her hair and clothes are perfect! I can't believe Risa looks so awesome. Or should I say, I can't believe the company gave her a decent image. Gosh, her striped shirt, tie and sweater practically screams college girl. Though I think a lighter colored pair of pants would have been more suitable, I can't really complain since Gaki-san looks nothing less than incredible <3 Oh, and is she wearing the same jeans as Kame, right down to the way they folded them? Damn, seeing Risa makes me wanna run my fingers through her tresses :P
Eririn
There is no denying that Eri is a beautiful girl. And this video really proved that. Although Risa's outfit was more schoolgirl and Eri's could be something any young woman going shopping would've worn, I somehow still got a university student vibe off her. In my mind, Eri would be the quiet studious type who hides in the library all day reading by herself. One other thing that got me all hyped up is, they put her in a cardigan! The Eri character in my fics tend to be dressed in a cardigan cuz I feel it fits her. Whatdyaknow, apparently someone in the wardrobe department thinks the same way :D
Shige-san
I think Sayumi wins the award for making me forget to breath the most number of times. I have to congratulate the lighting guy for doing such a good job of making Sayu look creamy white. Her skin is so pale and enticing that it plays off her raven dark hair and eyes wonderfully. The off shoulder dress and her expression didn't hurt either. Sayumi was totally channeling the kind of "you-know-you-want-me" feel she gives off in her photobooks. In other words, it kills the viewer instantly.
Tanakacchi
Reina is like the unofficial "bag girl" XD Why is she always the one carrying a bag? Remember her leopard print handbag in Resonant Blue? I liked her purple plaid one-piece. Not many people can pull off this color but its obvious Reina has no problems there. The way the front of her dress was flipped open is such a tease! It made me er....nothing....I better not type that out :P I will probably never understand why Reina doesn't leave her hair down more often. She definitely looks ravishing when she does. When she appeared like that I was left shellshocked. That image of her was that dazzling.
GAKIKAME/KAMEMAME/RISAERI
In my fantasy world, Eri askedLin LinforRisa's schedule so she could wait for her at the elevator to kinda "bump" into her. Tee hee hee, doesn't that sound likely? And Kame seems rather happy herself. Look at how sweetly she is smiling :D I'm not very sure if the person Eri is talking to in the 2nd cap is Risa cuz it looks like some of the mystery girl's hair is tied up. And I can't see from Gaki-san's caps whether the back of her hair is done like this.
I'm really lost on the finger biting thing. I get that it's a good way to get people watching the vid riled up, if you know what I mean XD Even I got somewhat hot under the collar when I saw it. But what has that got to do with the song? Is it mentioned in the lyrics? I wonder if everyone bites their finger except for Ai. I guess I'll have to wait till the dance shot gets released to find out. Oh and OnDiet said KameMame were biting their fingers cuz they were starving XDD
Group Shot
If these 9 girls were in the same course in university, I bet noone is that cohort would graduate. I'll be too mesmerized by them to pay any attention to the lecturer XD
Koharu-chan
In the blurry LQ version of the PV, I thought Koharu was wearing a lab coat XD Initially I guessed she was an associate professor or teaching assistant. Thank goodness for the dohhh up PV. Now I can tell she was in fact wearing a blazer. Kinda strange that UFA dressed her up so maturely when she's just 17 in 2009. I don't like the hair but Koharu's still pretty in the close ups so I can live with it. Her running scene made me LOL. Clearly she can't emote that well but most idols can't anyway.
Mittsui
Is this the first time Aika colored her hair brown? I can't recall if she did it in Pepper Keibu. Nevertheless, I'm positive Shouganai Yumeoibito is gonna be her break out song. Nice outfit, it portrays her outgoing personality very well. Watch out for Aika during the dance shots. She had extensions and man, were they remarkable! Not everyone can look good with both short and long hair. I think Aika is a great example of someone who can. Keep your eye on this 8 Gen-ner. She's gonna rock your socks off in no time.
Jun Jun
The whole theme of this PV had the girls in normal clothes and light make up. I really liked Jun Jun's black and white jacket. It hints of slight sportiness but is still within the feminine range. Isn't that exactly her personality? Hmmm, what else, oh right. In the close up, it pretty apparent that Jun Jun can look okay without make up. What I mean is, she won't be the type to scare you silly should you see her on her day off.
Lin Lin
It's funny how although Lin Lin has the nicer features, it's usually Jun Jun who comes out prettier in videos. Is it the hair, the clothes or what? Nonetheless, Lin Lin is a funny girl who isn't afraid to show her crazy side. That's why I quite like her. To tell you the truth, there isn't anyone I don't like in the current line-up. That's why it's so difficult for me to rank them. Because us fans already know Lin Lin is a nut case XD we can't really imagine her as an introvert. Yet from her screencaps, she's rather believable as a shy person.
JunLin
These 2 are cute together. I could see them as a dating couple :D Jun Jun is the boy while Lin Lin the girl. Awwwww, makes me feel all mushy inside ^^
