10 posts from April 2009

Hello! Project arena concerts are among the few performances that look and sound almost as good on the factory DVDs as they do "live" at the arena itself.

But nothing matches being there in person when the Elder Club, Morning Musume, Berryz Kobo, °C-ute, the Eggs and other performing sensations such as Buono! and newbies Ice Cream Musume are doing their thing. Here's a closer look:

http://bloggerparty.com/content/momusu-junior-groups-shine-elders%E2%80%99-fete

The 2009 version on Feb. 1 was even more spectacular than the January 2008 blowout, also at Yokohama Arena. Some impressions of a first-time visitor:

http://bloggerparty.com/h_p_be_careful_what_you_wish_for

"Live" shows and nonstop tours are the lifeblood of Hello! Project as they are most music ensembles because of morally dubious free downloading of songs, and even DVDs, on the Internet, along with stifling marketing limitations that are now easing somewhat with the advent of Japanfiles.com and other direct online distributors. The global recession certainly hasn't helped. More on the economics of J-pop:

http://bloggerparty.com/content/live-performances-keep-hp-j-pop-going-strong

Then again, why is J-pop such an attractive medium of musical entertainment, and blog about it so much?

http://bloggerparty.com/why_japanese_idol_music_and_why_here

This is Rad♂ signing off -- for now.

Judging from what we saw and heard at the Elder Club’s graduation concerts at Yokohama Arena on Jan. 31-Feb. 1, it appears all the departing singers are at the peak of their careers. How, therefore, is it possible they are all out of a job, at least with Hello! Project and possibly with UFA itself?

 

For example, Ongaku Gatas – led by the likes of Yossie, Rika and Konno – easily had the best song of the bunch, “Come Together,” especially when the concert DVD (released this month) is reviewed. Yossie was stunning. They’ve never been better.

 

Now, as of March 31, Ongaku Gatas is no longer officially part of Hello! Project (though rumor has it that UFA will try and use OG and a number of other “graduated” groups in some kind of limited concert program, possibly at places like Shibuya-O East, where Melon Kinenbi has been blowing the doors off at live shows for years. They even invite Buono!, Berryz Kobo and others to these parties).

 

There remain existential issues and historical impacts with the Elder Club's graduation:

 

http://bloggerparty.com/content/elders%E2%80%99-fate-inevitable-tsunku%E2%99%82-hello-project

 

Speaking of Melon Kinenbi, they were sensational at the graduation blowout, which was by far the best concert I have ever witnessed. It just rocked in so many ways it’s hard to quantify or put into words. It’s unreal having a DVD available of a show you actually attended – and able to review that show in great detail, seeing how it meshes with all the other super-concerts Hello! Project has pulled off since 2003, when the Hello! Project Kids – later to become superstar groups Berryz Kobo and °C-ute – expanded the lineup from the soloists and Morning Musume into a very large contingent of up to 60 performers at a shot.

 

The Elders came out in white during the classic “Ame on Furanai Hoshi dewa Aisenaidarou?” opener, the same song that Hello! Project used to close out the Wonderful Hearts tour earlier in January and the summer 2008 show as well. It was a staggeringly beautiful start, as Morning Musume and the junior groups kicked off the show with the Eggs’ scarf-waving display an appropriate, and artistic, prelude.

 

The Elder Club is absolutely beautiful. Congratulations to them all and may they all continue their singing careers with even more performances than ever.

 

Unlike in January 2008, when I was on the floor with CK, it was my own decision to lay back and enjoy this three-concert binge from a distance. Day 1, on Friday, Jan. 31, I was able to swing a straight-on seat just up and to the right of the main launch pad straight across from the main stage.

 

More on this, and more on the superb showings by Morning Musume, °C-ute, Berryz Kobo and the Eggs, can be found here:

 

http://bloggerparty.com/content/momusu-junior-groups-shine-elders%E2%80%99-fete

 

Day 2, I was to the left, and the later show on Day 2 – Sunday, Feb. 1 – I was on the right. Each time I was 17 rows up. It was great for the view and, though I never thought I would be able to get on the DVD that far away, sure enough, I was clearly visible during songs by Ayaya, Miki and the finale “All for One.” Wow, what a once-in-a-lifetime experience and something I will be able to review forever because of the DVDs.

 

Tsunku♂ is to be commended for keeping everything on the DVD that occurred on that third and final show – which, as tradition has held, is when the DVD shoot takes place – on Feb. 1. That included what looked like, at first, a horrific breakdown by Hello! Project’s new six-member Taiwan unit, Ice Cream Musume.

 

ICM got it right perfectly in the first two shows. Each of the six members rattled off a sharp, carefully memorized Japanese phrase (remember, being from Taiwan they wouldn’t necessarily be that familiar with Japanese as opposed to their native Chinese language). But in the third and final shot, during the DVD shoot, it all went south. They all stumbled to an extent, some worse than others, and angst grew among the thousands in attendance at Yokohama Arena, as they rooted them on anyway, prompting them and assisting however they could. It might have been embarrassing for Ice Cream Musume, but a darling, vulnerable but precious moment that will likely endear these Taiwanese kids forever in the hearts of fans worldwide.

 

But there’s more silver lining to that. JunJun and LinLin traded off as “counselors” during Ice Cream Musume’s MC breaks, along with Elder Club member and former Morning Musume star Mari Yaguchi. It was LinLin on duty for that third show and DVD shoot, calmly walking the ICM members through the tight spot like the mentor she is. Yaguchi did likewise, patiently guiding them through the awkward sequence until it was completed.

 

That moment, for me, represented everything decent, wholesome, positive and enlightening about Hello! Project. They are truly “All for One, and One for All.”

 

This is Rad signing off – for now.

Seems that fellow blogger Zush is on a basketball kick once again at Berryz Kobo International:

http://www.berryz-kobo-international.com/blog/?p=449

That being said, Berryz Kobo has the potential of being a hellacious basketball team. To wit:

*** Yurina: At six-foot-plus (or at least it looks like she's that tall), center is the perfect position. Rebounding and defense.

*** Maasa: Power forward, for obvious reasons. Didn't her latest photobook show her draining straightaway jumpers?

*** Risako: Athletic as hell. Forward, working in tandem with Maasa and Yurina. Inside rebounding and defense.

*** Capt. Saki: Of course, the Captain would also be, well, captain of the basketball team. Point guard, distributor of the basketball, court general. All that and more.

*** Momoko: If she could shoot, solid off-guard.

*** Off the bench: Chinami could be a solid swing player, forward or guard. She's a little thin to be a forward, and she'll have to learn how to launch 3-pointers to be a guard. Miyabi? Not sure here. She appears to have the size for the frontcourt, but her sped might be lacking in the backcourt. Still, she would also make a good sixth man off the bench.

°C-ute might have had the basketball video, but Berryz would clean their clocks in a scrimmage. Only Maimi has any real athleticism.

Umeda haas some frontcourt potential, as does Kanna (if her toe holds up), but at guard, °C-ute is hurting. Chisato and Hagiwara just will not hack it (despite their cool basketball PV). Saki? Hmm. She looks great, but where's the outside shot?

Suzuki might be OK at one of the forward slots, but C-ute just does not have a natural center. Maimi will want to play facing the basket.

Morning Musume? Hmm. Can't see them playing basketball or anything close to it right now. Soccer? Maybe.

This is Rad signing off -- for now.

 

 

Cancellation of the May 22-24 Stockholm Japan Expo 2009, and perhaps the historic Buono! concert that would have accompanied it, might not seem a big deal in the larger scheme of things, but then again ...

http://bloggerparty.com/content/buono-cancellation-tip-iceberg

Hey, all you socialists in Scandinavia: Not so fast.

 

So you want to cancel the Stockholm Japan Expo 2009 and strand hundreds of fans of Buono! from around the world who can’t back out of their travel plans? Better think again.

 

This kind of classless, ridiculous but typically left-wing behavior might be OK in Europe, but it sucks everywhere else. So … find a way to at least keep Buono!’s concert date. You have to try. The U.S. is bailing out European banks to the tune of $1 trillion. Why not give a tiny drop of that back and save yourselves years of embarrassment?

 

For global fans out there who have booked hotels and flights with little chance at getting refunds, e-mail the Swedish Embassy in Washington, D.C. Demand a bailout for Buono! and the Stockholm Japan Expo 2009!

 

If Swedish banks can take billions in U.S. bailout cash spooned over by President Obama last month, they sure as hell can keep the convention from complete collapse by financing at least the Buono! concert. That’s the least these gutless commies can do.

 

My e-mail is already on the way. Here’s the address:

 

ambassaden.washington@foreign.ministry.se

 

The overall Swedish Embassy site is here:

 

http://www.swedenabroad.com/Start____6989.aspx

 

Write to them as well. Here’s the address:

 

Embassy of Sweden
2900 K Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20007

 

Call them. I certainly am today. Here’s the voice and fax numbers:

 

Phone: 202-467 2600

Fax: 202-467 2699

 

And, finally, an open note to the Swedish Ambassador (you can cut and paste the text and e-mail it):

 

Swedish Ambassador to the United States

Embassy of Sweden
2900 K Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20007

 

Dear sir:

 

An outrageous international incident has been created by the organizers of the Stockholm Japan Expo 2009, an event which is to take place May 22-24 in Stockholm. The organizers have canceled this event, only a month before it was to take place.

 

Fans from around the world have committed resources to be at this special event, especially since a world-class musical ensemble, Buono!, was to make its first European appearance ever.

 

Further, the great nation of Japan and its sensational music companies, Hello! Project and Up-Front Agency, have been robbed of an opportunity to show the world a positive, upbeat program of music and dance that would have dramatically lifted spirits in light of the global economic crisis we all find ourselves facing.

 

Cancellation of the Stockholm Japan Expo 2009 is unwarranted and preventable. How? By providing a bailout package directly from the Swedish government, at least enough to keep the Buono! concert date alive. Failure to do this will leave a stain of unreliability on Sweden that will not soon be washed away.

 

Sweden, like all G20 nations, benefited from the $1 trillion bailout provided by the U.S. during President Obama’s visit. Take a tiny fraction of that and save the Stockholm Japan Expo 2009, or at least Buono!’s appearance, and do this immediately so that further damage to Sweden’s global reputation can be avoided.

 

Thank you and may God bless the Swedes.

 

This is Rad♂ signing off – for now.

 

 

Buono!, the hybrid trio featuring three of Hello! Project’s top vocalists and formed back in the fall of 2007, is on fire, with Tsunku♂ providing some of the fuel.

 

Starting out as an anime spinoff whose work is featured on the Shugo Chara! anime series, Buono! has morphed into a monster act, and the trio’s seventh single, “My Boy,” unlike prior Buono! songs, is penned by none other than Tsunku♂ himself.

 

“My Boy” is huge. The PV is radically different than the other six Buono! songs, portraying Suzuki, Miyabi and Momoko as spies, mere puppets of a mysterious behind-the-scenes operator. The music is hard rock. This single follows two other roaringly hot singles, “Rottara Rottara” (Lotta Love Lotta Love), and “Co-No-Mi-Chi” (This Road).

 

Here's the "My Boy" PV:

 

http://www.dohhhup.com/movie/Le9FFzAnSAzKkYaQDW4hNS265tYNSS66/view.php

 

“Rottara” and “Co-No-Mi-Chi” sizzled at the January “Wonderful Hearts” tour and Yokohama Arena concerts, respectively. Both songs were penned by composers other than Tsunku♂, as Buono! is primarily a leased-out ensemble more answerable to Pony Canyon than Hello! Project. But make no mistake: This is Hello! Project talent orchestrated by Tsunku♂,himself.

 

Enjoy the "Rottata" PV here:

 

http://www.dohhhup.com/movie/XLUILxY5IDHBAu2KkKeYNn8qaapM5Aax/view.php

 

”Rottara" is a terrific 1960s retro bounce song, lyrics by Iwasato Yuuho and music by Shinjiro Inoue. The song was huge during Wonderful Hearts, especially at the tour’s last stop at Chukyo Hall where it brought the house down as clearly the best song of the two-show performance Jan. 25.

 

“Co” is a heavenly ballad, fast-paced, and performed at the Elder Club’s graduation concert in January before a Yokohama Arena crowd so thunderstruck they almost forgot to applaud. Kawakami Natsuki wrote this one, with music  by Ooyagi Niroo. Not bad, but certainly not Tsunku♂.

 

Check the visually stunning "Co-No-Mi-Chi" PV here:

 

http://www.dohhhup.com/movie/avdLFikKy1muY4bthJzzzrQy4nRAUiEy/view.php 

 

But “My Boy” is thunderous. This is Tsunku♂ at his astonishing best.

 

In short, despite the cancellation of May's Stockholm Japan Expo 2009 in Sweden where Buono! was supposed to make its first-ever European appearance, the No. 1 song-and-dance trio in the world won't miss a beat.

 

Maybe Buono! cuold show up anyway and have a concert for those fans who can't back out of their travel plans to Stockholm (leave it to the socialists to screw this up). Or ... why not just have Buono! join Morning Musume at Anime Expo 2009 on July 2-5 in Los Angeles and let's all have a great big party? Time to sign up for AX 2009 right now here:

 

http://www.anime-expo.org.

 

This is Rad♂ signing off – for now.

Yes, the injury list is lengthening. Kanna of °C-ute is on injury hiatus because of turf toe, Chinami of Berryz Kobo apparently fainted during the group’s spring tour and the Elder Club was retired.

 

But that’s the price to be paid as a professional singer and dancer, whether it be ballet, hip-hop or Japanese idol music. Hello! Project’s athletes are among the best out there, and they stay in great shape.

 

However, the human body was never meant to be used to that extreme, just as young baseball pitchers’ arms aren’t supposed to be twisted like pretzels trying to throw curve balls before the kids even turn 12.

 

Hello!Online has graciously acknowledged an old post along these lines that our sister blog Radreview did last year. Here’s the Hello!Online thread:

 

http://www.hello-online.org/index.php?showtopic=13697

 

You can check the original post here:

 

http://bloggerparty.com/content/hello-project-girls-are-physical-miracles

 

This was posted long before the Kanna and Chinami incidents, before Aika of Morning Musume got appendicitis in the fall of 2007 (wearing a bandage around her waist during the fall 2007 Morning Musume tour), and before Capt. Saki was seen nursing what appeared to be a bad hamstring on her heavily wrapped left leg (note the Battle Concert DVD of 2008). The blog was updated with more recent photos, however.

 

Capt. Saki also sported a bruise the size of a saucer on her right thigh, clearly showing on both Wonderful Hearts theatrical and Winter 2008 arena DVDs. Such is the nature of HDMI-detailed videography.

 

Bottom line: Appreciate these ensembles while you can. Like a vapor, such magic can be gone in a heartbeat.

 

This is Rad♂ signing off – for now.

Move over, Simon. Here comes Tsunku♂.

 

How much better is this going to get? Not only is Morning Musume to make its U.S. debut at Anime Expo 2009 on July 3, the creator of Morning Musume and Hello! Project, Tsunku♂, is also appearing to be a judge on an American Idol-like singing competition during AX 2009, July 2-5, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

 

Holy moly. We saw this one coming a long, long time ago, in November 2007:

 

http://bloggerparty.com/content/tsunku%E2%99%82-hello-project-greatness-upon-greatness

 

 

It makes you wonder what’s really going on here. Tsunku♂ would not come to America to socialize, or to hobnob with the anime world’s elite. He’s coming out here for business. Serious music business.

 

This is more than huge. It is history-making.

 

Tsunku♂ is the top pop-music composer of the last 100 years, on a par with Lennon, McCartney and even Broadway greats like Rodgers and Hammerstein. Throw in Beethoven, Mozart, Ellington and Basie for that matter. Don't forget some Steely Dan and Led Zeppelin, even. Tsunku♂ has done all that and more.

 

No doubt Tsunku♂ has left some controversy in his wake, inventing the concept of changing members, "graduating" them out of first Morning Musume -- then cutting loose roughly 24 others in the so-called Elder Club over this past year. It was a decision he had to make, to preserve the vision of his company:

 

http://bloggerparty.com/content/elders%E2%80%99-fate-inevitable-tsunku%E2%99%82-hello-project

 

In any event, a visit by Tsunku♂ to this country is to J-music what St. Peter was to the Catholic church. It will allow U.S. music fans to meet one of the great minds in modern music, dance and technical excellence as it applies to large-scale, epic live musical production.

 

Tsunku♂... in America? t’s happening. In July. At AX 2009. Sign up – now, before it’s too late, at:

 

http://www.anime-expo.org

 

This is Rad♂ signing off – for now.

Saki Ogawa, 12, has demonstrated once again she is one of the best-ever Hello! Project Eggs, and the next superstar to spearhead the future of this company.

 

The proof is in the recent Eggs concert at Yokohama Blitz, segments of which are on DohhhUp.com, including this one:

 

http://www.dohhhup.com/movie/rhtUgZeM1ZrY33ub1bXDGLXM14mQERS3/view.php

 

In the opening number, Saki-O, fronting the Eggs in the yellow dress, is clearly the top crackerjack in that row. At 2:52, she beautifully fronts the °C-ute song "Endless Love" with two other Eggs. But fast-forward to around 4:35 and see pink-clad Saki-O stun everyone with a splendid rendition of “Shiny Girl,” made famous by Reina of Morning Musume in that group’s fall 2006 concert DVD.

 

But Saki-O has had it from the start, going back to audition screenings:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNRChVLlEXw

 

As for prised “Shiny Girl,” remember that Reina reprised it during Yossie’s graduation concert in May 2007 (but please note that song was on the extra material, not the main body of the concert on that Sexy 8 show's DVD).

 

In any event, Saki-O killed “Shiny Girl” in the Eggs bash, and proceeded to jackstomp a Berryz Kobo number – "Jiriri Kiteru," the one Berryz led off their April 2007 concert with at Saitana Super Arena – with a couple other Eggs at around 6:54 in the DohhhUp! video.

 

Why is Saki-O oh, so special? For one, she can carry a solid tone with near-perfect pitch and thunderous volume, and seems to have a great ear for what’s she’s singing. Second, she enunciates better than anyone in the company; none of her lyrics are the least bit jumbled or muddled.

 

Saki-O's voice has a fabulous, wavy, raw tone to it, and she has great range for a 12-year-old. She did some tremendous work with Suzuki of °C-ute and Buono!, and LinLin of Morning Musume in a trio during the summer 2008 condert at Yoyogi Hippodrome (the number with the fluffy white cocktail dresses).

 

Saki-O also has over-the-top dancing ability, so smooth and effortless that it makes the other Eggs look clumsy and awkward in comparison. She's is "genki" all the way. Saki-O's contributions in recent Hello! Project concerts, most notably in the opening segment of the Hello! Project Winter 2008 show at Yokohama Arena, add to the growing legend,

 

Finally, Saki-O has rocked as a backdancer for Kusumi on "Balalaika" and other numbers. There's noboby better in the company right now. 

 

Clearly, Saki-O could walk right in and replace, say, Kanna of °C-ute if the latter cannot heal up her toe and continue her career. And, Saki-O would also make a nice addition to Berryz Kobo should Chinami have to graduate prematurely after passing out due to exhaustion during a recent Berryz show.

 

In both cases, Saki-O would be a second Saki. In °C-ute, Saki Nakajima remains a steadfast member, and in Berryz, Capt. Saki Shimizu is a fixture.

 

Maybe there’s room for yet another Saki somewhere. Saki-O has already been tapped for a new Eggs-based quartet. We’ll see where all this goes.

 

This is Rad signing off – for now.

No doubt the vast majority of participants in Paul Thomas’s latest – and no doubt best – Hello! Project poll at Hello!Blog will favor the now-graduated Elder Club in heir respective Top 10 picks, but in this corner, it’s time to recognize the behind-the-scenes members who have carried, and will carry, the company to its current heights of excellent in music and dance.

 

Cast your votes today at:

 

http://helloblog.co.uk/comment.php?commentID=438

 

The following results should come as no surprise. In Paul's other polls, we registered similar opinions:

 

http://bloggerparty.com/content/hp-poll-risa-chinami-hagitty-rise-top

 

*** No. 1: Mai Hagiwara, °C-ute. How can a kid who’s just turned 13 be the best this company has ever had to offer? Check the DVD archives, and Hagiwara has been there, done that, with a quiet, modest efficiency for going on six years now.

And, more important, Hagiwara represents the future of this company, should she decide to extend her career beyond °C-ute, which has blossomed into one of the world’s top song-and-dance ensembles. Even with the loss of Kanna to turf toe, the remaining six °C-ute members still put on the best show in idol music, and their latest single, “Bye, Bye, Bye,” is indicative of that.

 

Mai has a tremendous, undervalued, sharp-edged low alto voice, and is a top dancer. Further, her comedy bit “D.J. Mai Mai” – which portrays a confused and dysfunctional D.J. who screws up sound sessions and rips off V-u-den and Berryz Kobo songs, triggering belly laughs by the thousands – is one of the unique acts in all of J-music.

 

Hagiwara was but one of 14 sensational performers in the earthshaking "Battle Concert" in April 2008 that turned the tide in favor of Hello! Project's junior groups:

 

http://bloggerparty.com/content/%E2%80%98battle-concert%E2%80%99-and-legacy-hello-project 

 

Plus, Mai is just a great kid. Her parents must be more then proud.

 

*** 2. Saki Nakajima: Yes, another °C-ute entry but one that will most assuredly carry Hello! Project into its second and possibly even third decade. What a dancer! Given the right opportunities – she’s just been spun off into another group in recent weeks – Saki has already made a deep impression and can only get better.

 

Saki stole the show at the Hello! Project Winter 2008 show at Yokohama Arena, as °C-ute capped what was the most sensational year, 2007, that any pop-music ensemble has ever seen. The hits just kept on rolling, with “Jump!,” “Tokaikko Junjou” and “Meguru” a trio of the bets songs ever put out by this company.

 

In fact, "Jump" is probably the greatest song ever composed and performed. Find out why here:

 

http://bloggerparty.com/c_ute_s_jump_greatest_pop_song_ever

 

Just look at the DVDs folks, which do not lie. Saki was an acrobatic sensation during the °C-ute vs. Berryz Kobo “Battle Concert” in April 2008, highlughted by an unforgettable when she held her own with Capt. Saki of Berryz Kobo and the astonishing Maimi in “Summer Lipstick.”

 

*** 3. Airi Suzuki: From °C-ute to Buono! to the best concert solo work in Hello! Project aside from the likes of Ayaya, Suzuki is awesome. The crystal-clear voiced never sounds worn, and her dancing has improved immensely over the years since °C-ute was pieced together in 2005.

 

Like Hagiwara and Saki before her, Suzuki – whose dad has cut back on his professional golf exploits to help nurture his superstar daughter’s singing career – oomes from that original set of 14 Hello! Project Kids who later became Berryz Kobo and °C-ute.

 

Sorry about snubbing the Elder Club and flagship Morning Musume, but few are better at this game than Suzuki.

 

*** 4. Chisato Okai: What? Isn’t this member of °C-ute often reviled, criticized for not having neither the talent nor verve to evenbe in the ensembles to begin with? Hmm. For one, the voice. A big voice, bigger than almost anyone in the company. Don’t think so? Just look at that YouTube clip where Chisato sings the legs off the piano during her club solo – burying any comers, including even the likes of Suzuki and many of the Morning Musume members themselves.

 

Chisato also bounces around like a jumping jack and is a big reason why °C-ute is the best in the world. And what a smile!

 

*** 5. Capt. Saki: Berryz Kobo’s steadfast leader is one of the top hip-hop dancers in the world and she has shown hat time and time again in both Berryz concerts and guest shots like High King. Capt. Saki was also in top form during the Hello! Project Summer 2007 show in a shimmering cobalt-blue outfit with a silver, backwards baseball cap.

 

More on the Captain here:

 

http://bloggerparty.com/berryz_kobo_s_magnificent_little_captain

 

Capt. Saki will be a major force should she elect to stay a member of Hello! Project.

 

*** 6. Chinami Tokunaga: Clearly the most underutilized talent in the company. Who can forget Chinami’s killer duet with Yurina during Berryz Kobo’s historic solo concert in April 2007 at a packed-out Saitana Super Arena? And Chinami sizzles in Berryz Kobo’s latest single's PV.

 

It’s time to unwrap Chinami for more solo work, and she has deservedly been named to a new spinoff along with Berryz Kobo colleague Risako and Saki of °C-ute.

 

*** 7. Risa Niigaki: The firepower gap left by the graduation of Yossie and forcing out of Miki in 2007 was filled mostly by Risa, who has stepped up along with Aichan to keep Morning Musume No. 1 in most fans’ eyes despite the seeming drain of high-octane talent.

 

Most known fer her sassy interpretation of such classics as “How Do You Like Japan?,” “Aozora,” “Bomb Girl” and many others, Risa is a firecracker and recently told the Japan Times she has no plans on graduating any time soon even thiough she ranks with Aichan as the longest-standing member of Morning Musume, having joined in 2001 with the fifth generation.

 

*** 8. Asami Konno: Why is Konkon even on this list? Because she has always tested out as being one of the smartest of all members, and because she is just darn cool over and above any limitations she might have displayed vocally or dance-wise.

 

Even Tsunku admitted to the world when Konkon joined Aichan, Mako and Risa as a fifth-generation audition winner by saying her voice wasn’t her strong suit. So, why was Konno thrown in with Miki and Country Musume for such enduring classics as “Honey Pie,” which was selected to be part of the Elder Club graduation concert on Jan. 31-Feb. 1 at Yokohama Arena? It’s because she is a great performer with heavy stage presence.

 

*** 9. Rika Ishikawa: Ordinarily, Rika would be on many lists of all-time Hello! Project performers, having graced Morning Musume, V-u-den and endless shuffle groups.

 

But her place inn history is on the big screen where she starred alongside Ayaya in “Yo Yo Girl Cop,” a crazy police-science fiction-action film in which she played an evil character, enemy to the heroine Ayaya.

 

And Rika’s not done yet, ready to visit the U.S. with Yossie in “Hangry & Angry” at the Sakura Con in Seattle. Wash., April 10-12.

 

*** 10. Manoeri: Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. Mano has already made more bank than almost anyone with merchandising, so nobody yet cares whether she can hold her own on stage as a singer or dancer. One thing is certain: She broke in with a bang with Ongaku Gatas in 2007 and hasn’t loked back since despite two dubious singles.

 

In short, the future is now, and the younger Hello! Project members stand to make far more history than their Elder Club predecessors.

 

This is Rad signing off – for now.