Get your Hangry & Angry lunch box before it’s too late!

MB is excited about the debut release of Hangry & Angry, and has preview photos of the extravagant packaging of the limited edition.  And I agree, it looks a lot like those metal lunch boxes that were popular around…jeez, I’m guessing thirty years ago???  Yeah, I remember those.  I think my favorite was my Land of the Lost lunch box!

But seriously, I’m glad everyone is getting excited about this release.  And I guess to a lot of collectors it is cool to have special packaging.  Frankly, I find it annoying mainly because it causes a storage problem.  The most annoying CD in my rack is Ayaya’s Kiseki no Kaori Dance in that weird metal can.  And there is nothing more frustrating than trying to take a CD out of a can while driving!

But I guess if you are decorating the mantel or something this will be pretty cool.  Anyhow, the CD releases next week.  So if you are looking to get this edition, you might want to preorder it soon!

Hangry & Angry to get simultaneous U.S. release

Via Tokyograph.  Okay, we knew a lot of this already.  Yossie and Rika, aka Hangry & Angry are set to release a new mini album in less than two weeks.  There will be a special “limited edition” version released in Japan only, and a regular version is slated for U.S. release.  Additionally, Japanfiles will have the album available for digital download.  We knew all of that.  But the big revelation comes at the end of the article…

“Hangry & Angry will perform their first live show in Shibuya on November 28, with SHAZNA’s Izam taking on the role of their performance producer. In 2009, they are planning an international campaign in Japan, Europe, and the U.S.”

If this is confirmed news, this is huge!  I know many of you (us) will be rejoicing if this comes to pass.  And this thought just came to me…With this news, BoA’s U.S. release, and the earlier report about AKB48’s English language website, maybe all of our collective efforts are accomplishing something after all.  Noteworthy (you bet it is!)

Hello! Project -Official Site-
Elder Club members to graduate from Hello! Project (Hello!Online)
Hello! Project’s Elder Club members to graduate (Tokyograph)

Wow.

As of March 31, 2009, all the members of the Hello! Project Elder Club–including popular soloists Matsuura Aya, Abe Natsumi, and Fujimoto Miki, as well as full groups like Melon Kinenbi and Ongaku Gatas–will graduate from the H!P umbrella. So if your favorite soloist isn’t in Morning Musume, Berryz Koubou, or C-ute, or an H!P Egg, they’re probably leaving. H!O has a full translation of the list, Tokyograph brings the essentials to the table, and you can of course read the original announcement on the H!P website.

There’s no word yet on whether or not any of the graduating members will be moving to a new record label, TNX or otherwise, or even continuing their careers as idols. The lack of information is actually somewhat disheartening, and you have to wonder if this giant graduation is actually a giant firing. I’m certain that nearly everyone reading this has a favorite idol on this list, and you have to wonder what’s going to happen to them now that their future within H!P has gone from uncertain to … nonexistent. And even if you aren’t a fan of these idols… it is a sad day for them, not just their fans, and you have to wonder how they are taking it.

Take this whole thing as you will, but this is a startling announcement that leaves the future of many, many young women, as well as the entire body of Hello! Project, unclear. Obviously not all of these idols were getting a lot of attention, instead being constantly passed over in favor of the bigger flagship groups, but I don’t think many people really expected a mass departure like this to happen.

All I can say is wow. It’s a sad day for a lot of fans, and an even sadder day for a lot of idols.

Hangry & Angry…? (Shanimuni Paradise)
HARAJUKU FAIL (Morning☆Kuri)
HANGRY & ANGRY - new unit! (Resonant Blue)
Hangry & Angry New Unit! (Hello!Girl)
HANGRY & ANGRY! (SUPER HAPPY GENKI HYPERFORCE GO!)

Reactions are pouring in for Hello! Project’s newest unit, HANGRY&ANGRY, composed of fourth generation Morning Musume members Yoshizawa Hitomi and Ishikawa Rika! Some fans are shocked and dismayed at this new unit while others are ecstatic about their daring new style. While I personally have mixed feelings about this unit, I’m also interested in the way this unit has managed to immediately polarize our bloggers’ opinions!

First off, Tsukiki of Shanimuni Paradise and Kuri of Morning☆Kuri already don’t think this unit is a good idea! Tsukiki generally loves the parts of this unit (Yossie, lolita, and H!P), she doesn’t want to see them all mushed together. She doesn’t think this style will fit well with the rest of H!P’s style and doesn’t think HANGRY&ANGRY will be taken seriously. Kuri, on the other hand, was very excited for an IshiYoshi unit, but thinks their style is kind of fail. She likes their new song, Kill Me Kiss Me, and the fact that it’s Charmy and Yossie, but not much beside that.

Secondly, our supportive bloggers! IndigoSkies from Resonant Blue thinks this unit is really cool and quite different from anything else H!P has done, but in a good way. However, she does think some parts of this new unit (namely the clothing and hair) are going a bit overboard. Hello!Girl is pleasantly surprised at our new dynamic duo and absolutely loves the song and everything about it. She also explains to us the differences between HANGRY&ANGRY’s style and real goth-loli style, which I found interesting. Last but not least, superhappygenki thinks this new unit is awesome. She loves the song and style they’re portraying. She also wonders if we’ll be able to see another IshiYoshi kiss in their upcoming PV, based on some pictures we’ve seen of HANGRY&ANGRY, something I personally wouldn’t mind seeing!

H!P Turns to Visual Kei!  (Hello!Musume)
Say hello to Hangry & Angry  (Wotaku Now!)
Kill Me Kiss Me Thrills Me  (The J-Pex)
Kill Me, Kiss Me: HANGRY & ANGRY…grr  (Stardust)

This is unbelievably cool, and quite a different direction for UFA to be taking.  According to Nakane of Hello! Musume, Hangry & Angry are a new unit working in conjunction with a Harajuku fashion store of the same name.  Their first “mini-album” will be released mid-November.  And in what I believe is an unprecedented move by H!P, they have set up an official MySpace site featuring the first single!

Shirow finds this unit interesting, but wonders if this is going to be a long term group.  And as much as he likes Yossie and Rika, he doesn’t feel the “gothic-lolita” style really fits them.  Pex sees this as the closest UFA will ever get to Henkka’s Killer Bitch Unit!  And Mars really likes the new single!  Everyone has posted photos (which I think look awesome), the song, and a link to the offical MySpace site.

Personally, I really applaud them for making this type of move.  It a much more contemporary sound, and it shows that UFA is willing to take chances with their image in order to stay successful.  The songs kicks ass, and the girls look great!  Maybe it strays away from the “virgin-pure image” H!P likes to portray.  But what’s wrong with that?  I don’t have a problem with it.  I wonder what our own Pengie thinks of this group?

Tokunaga Chinami’s Cellphone Stolen D: (H!P Fangirling like Nobody’s Business)
So, if any idols cell phone were to be stolen… (Cutie Party)
Amy is Going to Steal Risako’s Cellphone One Day (Merry Go Round)

DJ_MaiMai is bothered by the incident and hopes for some sort of punishment for the thief. Still, almost begrudgingly, DJ_MaiMai admits it is nice to see the girls acting normal.

Misa at Cutie Party and Amy at Merry Go Round respond to CFB. Shockingly, Misa chooses Yoshizawa Hitomi. But she has her reasons and explains them well. Shockingly, and that is a sincere one, Amy picked Sugaya Risako and not Suzuki Airi. Her reasoning is that Airi wouldn’t be taking pictures of herself. Uhhh, not sure about that one Amy!

Yay for H!P Dreams!

Charmy’s been dreaming of Hello! Project a lot recently, or at least of a certain member or two. Include Yossie, Inaba, a radio station, and you’re pretty much there. Like all dreams a lot of the details are lost with time, but it’s nice to know some of you can wink off to such places. I think I’ve had only one Hello! Project dream ever, and me and Nono were enjoying a lovely bento by the river.

Mierna’s Morning Musume Ranking Ver. 2!!

Mierna has used the Wota Distractions at American Wota to rank her Hello! Project members. Kusumi Koharu and Yoshizawa Hitomi are among her favorites with Tanaka Reina being last. I always find rankings fun to read.

Hello!Project & Sweeney Todd

Recommended reading. When I saw this post title in my feeds, I literally had to do a double take at first. Hello! Project and Sweeney Todd?! That is definitely a very intriguing concept…

I haven’t seen a stage performance of Sweeney Todd, but I have seen the recent movie release starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, and the musical is just completely outside of anything H!P has ever done. That being said, I would love to see H!P take on a project as crazy as this, though as Midori says, “While this would be hilarious and rather win, it will never, ever happen, so I’ll just imagine what it would be like.”

Midori gives her ideas on who would best play each role, and the idea of watching a spastic Ai-chan puts a smile on my face.

@Hitomi Yoshizawa@ *10*

Will has a few photos of Yossie wondering the steets of Japan at night, looking glum and troubled and, well, I think she’s just carried out a hit. goodbye Yurina!

Member #15  (Yoshizawa)

Member #16  (Matsuura)

Member #17  (Takahashi)

Member #18  (Konno)

Member #19  (Ogawa)

Member #20  (Okada Yui)

Member #21  (Jun Jun)

And when I say big guns, I am not just talking about Yui!

Maple GreanTea’s new Okesuna Blog has gotten off to a fast start with quite a few profiles of some of H!P’s top talent in this long-running series.  I was a little surprised to find out who Okesuna likes and dislikes.  But that’s all part of the fun!  There is a wonderful write-up of Takahashi Ai, who OB obviously likes.  And I’m glad there is love for the goddess Ayaya.  But then again, I’m yet to meet the person who doesn’t like her!  They are all nice profiles with some great eyecandy.  Recommended.

Christmas sets from Morning Musume Sakuragumi/ Otomegumi.

MorningBerryz recently got some holiday sets from Yahoo Japan Auctions, and I think these new sets are quite fitting seeing as he recently did a post on the amazing Morning Musume subgroup Sakura Gumi. Here, he has the 2003 holiday sets of both Sakura and Otome Gumi.

Like MB, I’m loving these photos to death because of the Hello! snowperson. I loved the H!P Kids snowperson photos and there are almost as awesome (really, how can you beat the cuteness of the H!P kids when they first joined H!P? XD). However, I must say that I am highly amused with a few of these shots because the angle at which the some of the girls hold the snowperson hides the “o” in Hello! making it look like they’re holding stuffed toys with the word “Hell!” sprawled across the front (ie. Gaki [slightly], Eri, Ayaka, Tsuji [slightly], Sayumi [slightly] and Reina).

Cover for Ongaku Gatas’ Come Together

Totally Hello! Project shares the cover for Ongaku Gatas’ upcoming single, Come Together. To be blunt, I find this cover pretty hot. I guess that’s what Yossy in an orange biker jacket and a tight leather skirt does to me. For any girls who think they like men, this might be one of those turnaround points for you! Don’t be afraid to come out of the closet.

モーニング娘。さくら組, 永遠に。。。

Recommended reading. MorningBerryz discusses what it was about Morning Musume’s temporary subunit, Sakura Gumi, that so tickled his fancy. The lineup, the song choice, the image… For him, it was all near perfection. If you haven’t given this group a listen to before, I must say they’re definitely worth giving a shot. MB has the PVs and well as live performances of the group’s two singles available for viewing. The pink kimonos they wore in the Sakura Mankai PV remain one of my favourite H!P PV costumes for they are absolutely beautiful. And I must say that Risa biting her hair is so cute!

When Tsunku gets it right

Isilwentari shares who she thinks are the four best leaders of Morning Musume. The choices are hardly surprising, but her reasons are interesting and dig deep into the leader/group dynamic. There’s also quite a bit of eyecandy to further back up her opinions. Mm, leaderlegs.

Got H!P gifs? #1
H!P Opinions of a Metalhead - Podcast #5

Henkka has some stellar animated gifs: Maimi invites you to check her age on wiki again, while a sexy chubby Yossy beckons, cutie Risa cutes and happy Abe threatens to eat us all.

He’s got another podcast too, where he talks about compulsory army service, massara black jeans and a deepening of his devotion to providing wupleasure. Plus fanservice!

C-ute’s “Edo no temari uta II” blends Japan’s past and present.
Morning Musume “Love” calendar 2003…a look back. (continued)
HM@ 8/3/08- “The one where Kamei throws the book 1 million times & Mittsi’s snack knowledge tested.”
Berryz工房 tops C-ute by slim margin

Recommended reading/ogling. MorningBerryz got C-ute’s latest single a little while ago and shares all the wonderful extras as well as goes over a wonderful review of the single and the”b-side”, which he feels is good enough to be an a-side. He ends off the post with a nice rundown of why he likes each girl as he shows off the alternate jacket covers that come with the LE version.

Up next, MorningBerryz comes back with the next installment of his look back on Morning Musume calendars. Here he shares the 2003 edition. This year’s calendar was filled with white, and I’d have to say my favourite shot was the September/October photo with Yossy and Rika, 2 of my favourite Morning Musume girls.

Then MorningBerryz goes over the Aug 3 episode of Haromoni@, and it’s one of the episodes that I’ve actually watched. The GakiKamei segment is awesome in this episode… At least I thought so, as did MB. I guess it depends on how much frustration and repetition amuses you. Well, it amuses ME greatly, thus the non-stop love for Eri here.

And finally, MB posted the results to his Berryz Koubou vs. C-ute poll… Can you guess who won? I just have to say that I love the special appearance at the bottom of the post… So cute!

A look back at…the 2001 fanclub singles.

aiwish472 reviews the Morning Musume Solo Fanclub Special CD. She looks at the tracks from each member, particularly enjoying the ones from Goto Maki, Yoshizawa Hitomi and Ishikawa Rika.

Morning Musume calendar 2001…a look back. (continued)
久住小春最新写真集。。。小春日記。(PB WARS ep. III..Has Koha joined the darkside?!)
Morning Musume calendar 2002…a look back. (continued)

Recommended ogling. MorningBerryz continues his look at some old Morning Musume calendars. The 2001 calendar featured the 4th generation members for the first time. I’d have to say that my favourite shot from this calendar is the January photo with Yuko and Rika. They look the most relaxed and happy in their photo. The warmth in their expressions is definitely heart warming for the winter months.

Up next, MB goes through Koha’s latest photobook, and he was also surprised with the sexy Koharu portrayed here. Though, he gives some evidence of Koharu heading in this direction from back in 2006… Thong shot on Musume Dokyu, anyone? .. XD Going through this post was my first time going through her whole photobook, and I still have to say I’m amazed that this PB goes from the sexy black outfit to the pink, balloons and puffy hair…

And finally, MB has Momusu’s 2002 calendar to share. Here we have a café themed calendar, and the 5th generation’s introduction in Momusu calendars. I’d have to say the gokkie page would have to be my favourite one within these photos.. They’re such cute little newbies, I can’t help it!

I dream of Yossie

Recommended reading. Misa has moved her Yossie blog from Vox to Wordpress. She’s done up a few posts already filled with eyecandy, and one of particular note: “Why do I love Yossie?“. I find it’s quite nice to get the background reasoning for why she loves Yossie as much as she does for it gives some insight into the reason for having the worship blog. It never hurts to get a little commentary inbetween the eyecandy posts.

A Super Quick Update

Celestia takes a look at various Hello!Project news. The fact that yet another scandal or problem has occured with Celestia not around on the Interwebs is worrisome. She also found a neat picture in a bookshop while in Japan.

When Yossie comes to town, Airi has to step down.

Misa posts a response to Amimi’s Airi and Chuck Norris write-up. Expect props from Misa and there’s that Yossie photo I never get tired of. A short entry, this one.

Morning Musume - 3 girls ^10^
@Hitomi Yoshizawa@ *09*
Reina Tanaka #11

Will has a trio of Hello! Project posts for our viewing pleasure this time around, and the first is of an early 6th gen in Hawaii, whilst the other two are of Yossi in her tomboy era and then Reina looking all hot in a whilte mini-skirt and matching white boots.

TLS JUNE Madness: This Finally Ends

Recommended reading. Our broomhead FINALLY completes the TLS [insert month here] Madness series with an exciting finale!

The suspense must have been killing all of you.
Or no one cared anymore about it. And with just cause.

I was part of the first group. LOL XD I really enjoyed this series by broomhead, even though he knocked Miya out in the early goings…

Elder Club 2008 - The ladies are at their peak!

Recommended reading. Madara shares his own unique take on the Elder Club concert DVD from the four-disc set. I especially like how he takes issue with the opening number of “Joshi Kashimashi” in maid uniforms - he finds it beneath the ladies’ dignity. I’m left thinking, “Since when has being an idol had ANYTHING to do with dignity?”

The hair styles of Hello! Project
Up! Front Agency creates phsycopath
Two years of waiting for . . Ogawa Makoto

Actually Sakura Ichigo says she likes music from classical to heavy metal but in her blog there seem to be focus mostly on H!P artists. She has posted already three entries in June and they all are worth of checking.

I’ve never kept my eye on Hello! Project girls coiffure so it’s quite interesting to read SI’s remarks on those ever changing hair styles of various girls. Well, I must admit that there are TWO girls whose hair style changes I know very well and also those are mentioned in SI’s post.

In her second blog entry Sakura Ichigo talks about some evident things related to this so-called-Miya-scandal. SI is disappointed that those kissing scenes are even called as scandal. She makes a good point when saying:

“It is ethically wrong to fire a person because of their love interest. That kind of paragraph should be erased from their contract. It’s discrimination towards women. Girls should have basic human rights.”

Can’t agree more.

Lastly SI feels happy because Makoto is back to business and she wonders what kind of role H!P is offering for Mako now. Is Ongaku Gatas a good option? I think it could be. And I also hope that Makoto is going to be regular member in haromoni@ again.