CONGRATULATIONS TO MORNING MUSUME FOR GETTING WEEKLY NUMBER 1 ON THE ORICON CHARTS!!!! YAAAAAY!!!
With three singles in a row with fantastic sales, not to mention reports of many new fans at events, I think we have proof that this comeback is real, not a fluke. Slowly but surely, people are beginning to respond to the “new” Morning Musume. Next single will be Reina’s graduation song, so can we hope for 100,000+ first week? A year ago, that would seem ridiculously high, but now I think it’s very possible.
Now, to the video! The Hello! Project discography is full of encouraging songs. So much so in fact, that I’ve limited this “Songs of Encouragement” video to Morning Musume songs only. If you need a little pick-me-up, some affirmation, or a push to do something that scares you, this video is for you!
As previously announced, I am creating a new h!p video of the top songs of 2012, and I need your help! Below is a list of every song released by Hello! Project in 2012. All you need to do is pick your top 10 songs, put them in order, and tell me your list. It should look something like this.
+10 Song Name
+9 Song Name
+8 Song Name
+7 Song Name
+6 Song Name
+5 Song Name
+4 Song Name
+3 Song Name
+2 Song Name
+1 Song Name
Except instead of “Song Name” fill in the song that you’d like to receive those points. The song you mark as +10 (your favorite song) will receive 10 points, the song you mark +9 will receive 9 points, etc. There are four voting options. I’d prefer you choose #1 or #2 to keep the results more of a surprise
1. Comment in this blog post (comments will be hidden)
4. Vote in the comments section of the youtube announcement HERE
PLEASE ONLY VOTE ONE TIME!!! Do not send votes to all four places. Just pick one. I’m counting on you guys to be honest here. Fans from any country are welcome to submit votes. Votes may be submitted in English or Japanese.
Note: I realize we have yet to hear a couple of the new B-sides (The B-sides to “Want”, “Samui ne”, and “Next Myself”). If you would like to change your vote to include any of those songs you may BUT THE ONLY CHANGES ALLOWED ARE TO INCLUDE THESE SONGS. Other than that, once you vote, it is final.
Song Options
Morning Musume
ピョコピョコ ウルトラ (PyocoPyoco Ultra)
悲しき恋のメロディー (Kanashiki Koi no Melody)
恋愛ハンター (Renai Hunter)
私がいて 君がいる (Watashi ga Ite Kimi ga Iru)
One Two Three
The 摩天楼ショー (The Matenrou Show)
私の時代! (Watashi no Jidai!)
アイサレタイノニ・・・ (Aisaretai no ni…)
青春ど真ん中 (Seishun Domannaka)
ワクテカ Take a chance (Wakuteka Take a Chance)
普通の少女A (Futsuu no Shoujo A)
大好き100万点 (Daisuki 100 Manten)
信念だけは貫き通せ! (Shinnen Dake wa Tsuranukitoose!)
Loveイノベーション (Love Innovation)
What’s Up? 愛はどうなのよ～ (What’s Up? Ai wa dou na no yo~)
Be Alive
ラララのピピピ (Lalala no Pipipi)
ドッカ～ン カプリッチオ (Dokka~n Cappricio)
ゼロから始まる青春 (Zero kara Hajimaru Seishun)
地球が泣いている (Chikyuu ga Naiteiru)
涙一滴 (Namida Hitoshizuku)
笑って！YOU (Waratte! You)
Berryz Kobo
Be 元気<成せば成るっ!> (Be Genki (Naseba Naru!))
もう、子供じゃない私なのに… (Mou, Kodomojanai Watashi na no ni…)
Cha Cha Sing
Loving You Too Much
ももち！許してにゃん♡体操 (Momochi! Yurushite Nyan Taisou)
Want!
勇気をください！ (Yuuki wo Kudasai!)
Mythology～愛のアルバム～ (Mythology ~Ai no Album~)
世の中薔薇色 (Yononaka Barairo)
Shy Boy
Because Happiness
恋愛模様 (Renai Moyou)
新しい日々 (Atarashii Hibi)
C-ute
君は自転車 私は電車で帰宅 (Kimi wa Jitensha Watashi wa Densha de Kitaku)
「愛はいつもいつも」 (Ai wa Itsumo Itsumo)
会いたい 会いたい 会いたいな (Aitai Aitai Aitai na)
悲しきヘブン (Kanashiki Heaven)
最高ミュージック (Saikou Music)
ひとり占めしたかっただけなのに (Hitorijime Shitakatta Dake na no ni)
行け! 元気君 (Yuke! Genki-kun)
ズンタカマーチ～人らしく生きよう～ (Zuntaka March ~Hitorashiku Ikiyou~)
都会のネオンが驚くくらいの美しさがほしい (Tokai no Neon ga Odoroku Kurai no Utsukushisa ga Hoshii)
輝け! 放課後 (Kagayake! Houkago)
幸せの途中 (Shiawase no Tochuu)
「大好き」の意味を教えて！(“Daisuki” no Imi wo Oshiete)
Mano Erina
ドキドキベイビー (Doki Doki Baby)
黄昏交差点 (Tasogare Kousaten)
Song for the Date
青空が笑ってる (Aozora ga Waratteru)
Next My Self
青春 レインボウ (Seishun Rainbow)
純情警察K・I・S・S (Junjou Keisatsu KISS)
Glory Days
熱血先生 (Nekketsu Sensei)
I Have a Dream
バンザイ! ～人生はめっちゃワンダッホーッ！～ (Banzai! ~Jinsei wa Meccha Wonderful~)
風の薔薇～歩いて地図を作った男のウタ～ (Kaze no Bara ~Aruite Chizu wo Tsukatta Otoko no Uta~)
あなたがいるから (Anata ga Iru Kara)
天気予報があたったら (Tenkiyohou ga Atattara)
S/mileage
チョトマテクダサイ! (Choto Mate Kudasai!)
チャンス到来! (Chance Tourai!)
ドットビキニ (Dot Bikini)
すまいるブルース (Smile Blues)
好きよ、純情反抗期 (Suki yo, Junjou Hankouki)
寒いね (Samui ne)
私、ちょいとかわいい裏番長 (Watashi wa Choito Kawaii Urabanchou)
黄色い自転車とサンドウィッチ (Kiiroi Jitensha to Sandwich)
Buono
初恋サイダー (Hatsukoi Cider)
Deep Mind
Fever
GO!GO!ゴーダ (Go! Go! Gouda)
未来ドライブ (Mirai Drive)
BELIEVE★★★
夏の星空 (Natsu no Hoshizora)
Never Gonna Stop!
Other
超HAPPY SONG (Chou Happy Song), Berikyuu
キャベツ白書 (Cabbage Hakusho), Peaberry
フォレストタイム (Forest Time), Harvest
フォレフォレ~Forest For Rest~ (Forefore~Forest For Rest~), DIY
Boys Be Ambitious!, Green Fields
彼女になりたいっ！！！ (Kanojo ni Naritai!!!), Hello! Pro Kenshuusei
Cat’s Eye, Cat’s Eye 7
Note: You may not vote for non-h!p songs such as those by Kikkawa Yuu, Kitahara Sayaka, or Nice Girls Project. You may not vote for singles that were first released in 2011 but then re-released on albums in 2012. You may not vote for remixes, covers of previously released h!p songs, or the re-recorded songs on C-ute’s album. “Because Happiness”, “Shiawase no Tochuu”, and “Chou Happy Song” will all count as separate songs.
Please feel free to spread the word! The results will be better the more people vote. The deadline for voting is JANUARY 1ST. I will probably have the results video within a week.
~Celestia~
Here’s last year’s video to give you an idea of what the results will look like.
Hey, this is just a quick heads up that I’ve decided to make a new “Top H!P Songs of the Year” fan poll/video for 2012. I think last year’s was pretty successful, and I’m hoping that even more people will vote this year!
Voting is not open yet because we haven’t heard the Berryz or ManoEri singles that will be releasing in December, but the blog entry is set, so once we get previews of those (or by mid-November at the latest) we’ll be ready to go!
First, I’d like to give a huge thanks to everyone who participated in the poll! And now, your top 25 songs of 2011, starting with #25 and working our way up to #1! Youtube won’t take it, so here are a couple alternates (they’re the same video)
An previously announced, I am creating a new h!p video of the top songs of 2011, and I need your help! Below is a list of every song released by Hello! Project in 2011. All you need to do is pick your top 10 songs, put them in order, and tell me your list. It should look something like this.
+10 Song Name
+9 Song Name
+8 Song Name
+7 Song Name
+6 Song Name
+5 Song Name
+4 Song Name
+3 Song Name
+2 Song Name
+1 Song Name
Except instead of “Song Name” fill in the song that you’d like to receive those points. The song you mark as +10 (your favorite song) will receive 10 points, the song you mark +9 will receive 9 points, etc. There are four voting options. I’d prefer you choose #1 or #2 to keep the results more of a surprise
1. Comment in this blog post (comments will be hidden)
4. Vote in the comments section of the youtube announcement
PLEASE ONLY VOTE ONE TIME!!! Do not send votes to all four places. Just pick one. I’m counting on your guys to be honest here. Fans from any country are welcome to submit votes. Votes may be submitted in English or Japanese.
Note: I realize we have yet to hear S/mileage’s new B-side, so I will allow you to change your votes later to include that if you would like to. I do want to get voting started so there’s plenty of time. However, no vote changes will be allowed OTHER than inserting that songs into your list, so choose carefully.
Song Options
Morning Musume
まじですかスカ! (Maji Desu ka Ska!)
もっと愛してほしいの (Motto Aishite Hoshii no)
Only You
やめてよ！シンドバッド (Yamete yo! Sindbad)
この地球の平和を本気で願ってるんだよ! (Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa o Honki de Negatterun da yo!)
彼と一緒にお店がしたい! (Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai!)
自信持って 夢を持って 飛び立つから (Jishin Motte Yume wo Motte Tobidatsu kara)
Give me 愛 (Give Me Love)
シルバーの腕時計 (Silver no Udedokei)
好きだな君が (Suki da na Kimi ga)
怪傑ポジティブA (Kaiketsu Positive A)
この愛を重ねて (Kono Ai wo Kasanete)
My Way ～女子校花道～ (My Way ~Joshikou Hanamichi~)
乙女のタイミング (Otome no Timing)
Ok Yeah!
Berryz Kobo
ヒロインになろうか！(Herione no Narou ka!)
ヒーロー現る！ (Hero Arawaru!)
愛の弾丸 (Ai no Dangan)
思い出 (Omoide)
ああ、夜が明ける (Aa, Yo ga Akeru)
大人にはなりたくない 早く大人になりたい (Otona ni wa Naritakunai, Hayaku Otona ni Naritai)
一丁目ロック! (Icchoumei Rock!)
Bomb Bomb Jump
真っ白いあの雲 (Masshiroi Ano Kumo)
女子会 The Night (Joshikai The Night)
ガールズタイムス (Girls Times)
女のプライド (Onna no Pride)
単純すぎなの私・・・ (Tanjun sugi na no Watashi)
C-ute
Kiss me 愛してる (Kiss Me Aishiteru)
二十歳前の女の子 (Hatachimae no Onna no Ko)
桃色スパークリング (Momoiro Sparkling)
Faraway
世界一ＨＡＰＰＹな女の子 (Sekai Ichi Happy na Onna no Ko)
偉大な力を！ (Idai na Chikara wo!)
超WONDERFUL！ (Chou Wonderful!)
Midnight Temptation
いざ、進め！ Steady go! (Iza, Susume! Steady Go!)
ルルルルル (Rururururu)
別れたくない・・・(Wakaretakunai)
サークル (Circle)
３番ホーム ３両目 (3Ban Homu 3 Ryoumei)
嫌いで嫌いで嫌い (Kirai de Kirai de Kirai)
Mano Erina
青春のセレナーデ (Seishun no Serenade)
21世紀的恋愛事情 (21 Seikiteki Renai Jijou)
My Days for You
0カラットの煌めき (10 Karat Kirameki
S/mileage
ショートカット (Shortcut)
パン屋さんのアルバイト (Panya-san no Arubaito)
恋にBooing ブー! (Koi ni Booing Buu!)
初恋の貴方へ (Hatsukoi no Anata e)
有頂天LOVE (Uchouten Love)
自転車チリリン (Jitensha Chiririn)
タチアガール (Tachiagaaru)
スマイル音丼 (Smile Ondon)
プリーズ ミニスカ ポストウーマン! (Please Miniskirt Post Woman!)
こんにちは, こんばんは (Konnichiwa, Konbanwa)
Buono
雑草のうた (Zassou no Uta)
ラナウェイトレイン (Runaway Train)
Juicy He@rt
夏ダカラ！ (Natsu Dakara!)
Ice Mermaid
Partenza ~Let’s Go!!!~
フランキンセンスΨ (FrankincenseΨ)
My Alright Sky
キアオラ・グラシャス・ありがと (Kia Ora Gracias Arigato)
1/3の純情な感情 (1/3 no Junjou na Kanjou)
Other
ブスにならない哲学 (Busu ni Naranai Tetsugaku), Mobekimasu
もしも・・・ (Moshi mo…)
かっちょ良い歌 (Kacchoii Uta)
負けるな わっしょい!) (Makeruna Wasshoi!), Bekimasu
甘酸っぱい春にサクラサク (Amazuppai Haru ni Sakura Sake), Berikyuu
青春劇場 (Seishun Gekijou), Berikyuu
アサアサンバ (Asaasamba), Kusumi Koharu
Note: You may not vote for non-h!p songs such as those by Kikkawa Yuu or Kitahara Sayaka. You may not vote for singles that were first released in 2010 but then re-released on albums in 2011. You MAY vote for the cover songs on the Buono mini album (new to h!p), but you may not vote for S/mileage covers of previous h!p songs.
Please feel free to spread the word! The results will be better the more people vote. The deadline for voting is JANUARY 1ST. I will probably have the results video within a week.
Hey guys. I made some new AKB themed “Name That Song” videos, and I needed somewhere to post the answers. Rest assured, I am still primarily a h!p fan, but my youtube channel dabbles in both fandoms.
So, apologies that this isn’t related to h!p. I promise that the next blog post will be back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Team A Video- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b50L5GB3wGI
Highlight Below for Answers
1. Zutto Zutto
2. Haru ga Kuru made
3. Kurumi to Dialogue
4. Dakedo…
5. Party ga Hajimaru yo
6. Switch
7. Senaka kara Dakishimete
8. Tanjoubi no Yoru
9. Anata to Christmas Eve
10. Love Chase
11. Hoshi no Mukougawa
12. Rider
13. JK Nemurihime
14. Namida no Shounan
Team K Video- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAW6y26oLpE
Highlight Below for Answers
1. Shamu Neko
2. Sentakumonotachi
3. Blue Rose
4. Theater Pirates
5. Wagamama na Nagareboshi
6. Boku ni Dekiru Koto
7. Seifuku Resistance
8. Erai Hito ni Naritakunai
9. Cinderella wa Damasarenai
10. Hoshizora no Mistake
11. Return Match
12. Umi wo Watare!
13. Yakusoku yo
14. Maria
Team B Video- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0tDLeCycrs&feature=related
I’ve finished my most recent video project! I put a lot of work into this one, and I think it came out pretty well (though I still can’t seem to top my Eri/Jun/Lin graduation OPV). This time it’s my Top 20 Current H!p members. I had to get this finished before Ai-chan graduates, or she couldn’t be included. The song is “All for One and One for All” because that HAS to be the song for something like this.
Hope you like it! The old youtube channel surpassed 400,000 views a while ago, and I’m pretty excited about that. Big thanks to everyone who’s watched my videos!
Hey all. Something a little bit different today: my top 12 anime themes! But since that doesn’t have much to do with h!p, let’s do some mini-reviews first.
Aa, Yoru ga Akeru: Pfffffffffffft. Berryz songs are all starting to sound alike since they decided to go with this new “sexy” angle. I miss the Berryz from 2005- early 2010.
Sekaiichi Happy na Onnanoko: It’s starting to grow on me. The PV is pretty cute. However, the dance is the stupidest thing I’ve seen out of h!p for a long time, and “Kiss me Aishiteru” and “Momoiro Sparkling” are both better songs.
“Paretenza” and “Natsu Dakara”: Buono is back! Natsu Dakara is a great summer song, and I’m impressed with the singing skills. There are some good tracks on the album too. I especially like “San Bun no Ichi no Junjou na Kanjou”. Yeah, I know it’s a cover, but it’s the first time hearing it for me, and I like how they used their deeper voices.
Also, have I mentioned that I love “Uchuoten Love”? Because I do.
Now, on the topic of anime themes:
I think it’s very interesting that in Japan, themes for TV shows are usually real songs by real artists. I think most established acts in America would never stoop to doing a TV theme, but in Japan, the biggest artists do songs for TV shows all the time, and they top the sales charts. For this reason, you can find some real quality songs attached to animes.
I have to admit, I’ve put together a pretty eclectic list. There are old songs, new songs, cute songs from girly anime, and epic songs from violent anime. Now, I don’t claim to be an anime expert. In fact, I haven’t even watched the shows several of these songs come from. I just found a cool song and later learned it came from an anime.
Oh, and I limited myself to just 1 h!P song, because otherwise the list would be overrun with Shugo Chara and Inuzama 11 songs.
12. Sousei no Aquarion, Genesis of Aquarion: A pretty popular karaoke song in Japan. I actually first heard it on a game of Taiko no Tatsujin
11. Yuzurenai Negai, Magic Knight Rayearth: Ah memories of middle school. I taught myself how to play this on piano. People would ask me “what’s that pretty song?” but I wouldn’t admit what it was
10. Cha-La Head-Cha-La, Dragon Ball Z: THE classic anime theme. Japanese law stipulates that it’s got to show up on lists like this.
9. Life is Like a Boat, Bleach: Don’t really care for Bleach, but I love Rie Fu’s voice. A really simple, but beautiful (and bilingual) song.
8. Kesenai Tsumi, Full Metal Alchemist: FMA just has too many great songs to choose from!
7. Blue Bird, Naruto: This was playing everywhere my first year in Japan! Another one where I know the song but not the series.
6. Sekai Wo, Death Note: My favorite anime series. I never skipped through this opening, because the song’s so cool with the animation!
5. New Future, Full Moon wo Sagashite: Okay, so it was only used as the ending for the final episode, but that still counts as an ending theme! All of the “changin’ my life” songs from this series are really great, but this one’s my favorite. (Ever heard of this show? It’s a cute little anime about a girl who wants to be a singer so she can reach the guy she loves (who moved to America when they were little). Magical transformations! Sappy messages about never giving up on your dream! Oh, and also she’s dying of throat cancer, her parents are dead, and the guy she loves is actually dead too but she doesn’t find that out until later. Odd show)
4. Rottara Rottara, Shugo Chara: Had to get at least 1 h!p song in there. This is my favorite Buono song.
3. Asu e no Brilliant Road, Uchuu no Stellvia: I was able to see Angela perform live a couple years ago, and I fell in love with this song. It’s very unique, don’t you think?
2. Melissa, Full Metal Alchemist: So…catchy! Now it’ll be stuck in my head all day.
1. Zankoku na Tenshi no Thesis, Neon Genesis Evangelion: I have a love-hate relationship with Evangelion, but a love-love relationship with this anime theme classic.
And the surprise at the end? Just try and tell me you weren’t tempted to start singing along.
It’s summer refreshment time! So please, kick back and enjoy looking at this picture of my refreshment provided by International Wota. I bought ingredients and stuff to make a blueberry crisp with icecream! Here you can see the crisp editing a video. (Fun fact: All my videos are edited by baked goods)
Within the idol sub-genre of the Jpop genre, there are several sub-sub-genres, mostly seasonally based. There’s the “songs about spending (or not spending) Christmas with that special someone” genre (i.e. Aitai Lonely Christmas, Pittari Shitai Xmas). There’s the “it’s spring so we are mandated by Japanese law to sing about sakura” genre (i.e. Sakura Mankai, Sakura Chirari) But perhaps no idol genre is quite as prolific as the “summer song” genre.
So what constitutes a “summer song”? I put forth the following three qualifiers:
1. The song must be released within the time period of May through August.
2. The song must be light, upbeat, and cheerful. Preferably with a “refreshing” feel
3. The word “summer” or “natsu” doesn’t have to be in the title, but the lyrics and/or the PV must contain Japanese “summer” imagery which may include any of the following:
Use of the word “summer” or “natsu”, watermelon, yukata, festivals, fireworks, beaches, bikinis, bright colored beachwear, surfboards, beach balls, squirt guns, excessively sunny outdoor scenes, bubbles, ice cream, and shaved ice. Let me know if you think I missed any important ones.
Using these criteria, we can definitely say that not every song released during the summer is actually a “summer” song. I would also argue that many songs that include the word “summer” are not songs in the “summer” genre. For example, S/mileage’s “Yume Miru 15sai” meets qualification numbers 1and 3 with a May release date, many uses of the word “natsu”, and mention of festivals and fireworks, but I wouldn’t consider it to be a true summer song because it fails qualification number 2. The overall feel is just too dark to really be in the summer genre. Morning Musume’s “Summer Night Town” and Berryz Kobo’s “Natsu Remember You” would be excluded for the same reason.
So, for your refreshment and viewing pleasure, here’s a compilation of some of H!p’s summeriest.
It’s been a while since I’ve made a game! The rules are simple, listen to the video below and name that song. You’ve got to listen fast though, because each clip is only 2 seconds long. All songs are from Morning Musume albums, singles, or B-sides. Some are much easier than others.
So how’d you do? If you got all 12, you are a true Momusu wota (personally, I think I’d only get 10 if I were playing). How’s the difficulty level? I thought about doing all h!p, but then I narrowed it to just Morning Musume because I thought that’d be too hard. Maybe I’ll do that for next time though!
~Celestia~
FOR ANSWERS HIGHLIGHT BELOW
1. Be Positive! (Sexy 8 Beat Album)
2. Happy Summer Wedding (Single)
3. Dekiru Onna (Ai Araba B-side)
4. Kira Kira Fuyu no Shiny G (7.5 Fuyu Fuyu Morning Musume Mini Album)
5. Pepper Keibu (Single)
6. “Suggoi Nakama” (No.5 Album)
7. Harajuku 6.00 Shuugou (3rd Love Paradise Album)
