Wednesday, June 30, 2010

New Unit: French Kiss


AKB48 Has a new sub unit in the name of French Kiss. French Kiss is made up of the following members of AKB48, Kuramochi Asuka, Kawashigi Yuki [Former Morning Musume audition candidate] and Takajou Aki.

Together these women have come together with AVEX Entertainment to create French Kiss .French Kiss first single will be called “zutto mae kara” and will be the ending song for the anime 'Major'.

Some of you maybe wondering how these three were selected for this unit. The simple answer is they all belong to an agency called Watanabe .Because the members of AKB48 are under contract to independent agencies, they are normally doing things independent of or with the blessing of AKB48, leading to their growing popularity.


Their single will start as the ending theme on July 3




Anime Home Page

Group Home Page

S/mileage 2nd Single Radio Preview


Here is the clear radio version of the new single, with the clear sound effects, it`s even better then the live version. You will find yourself smiling over the sound effects.




Backups in case of delete,lol



S/mileage 2nd Single "Ganbaranakutemo ee nende!





S/mileage 2nd Single "Ganbaranakutemo ee nende!

Barks one of the main promotional sponsors for S/mileage has released the covers for their second single "Ganbaranakutemo ee nende!” Due out July 28

The single is schedule to hit the radio today according to S/mileage’s management twitter account.

This single continues the uniform theme that started with their first release.

Before we get to the covers here is the live version of the new single .This is such a fun song to listen to .I really can`t do it justice with words ,I don`t know if I should laugh in a good way or smile . You will understand after you hear it.You end up feeling good after hearing it.



Backup Copy in case one gets deleted





Now the covers





Momoiro Clover To Star In A Horror Film.





Momoiro Clover To Star In A Horror Film.

On June 26, Clover held a special live Nico Nico Full Concert.

In this concert, Clover learned that they had unknowingly filmed a horror movie.

Earlier this month the members of Momoiro Clover went to do some film work. They were originally told that it was for a television program. The show was purportedly a special about ghost spots, so they filmed at an abandoned school in the Tochigi prefecture. Horror Director Shiraishi Koji wanted to film the girl’s true emotions, so they were told that were filming only a television show.

In truth the members were filming a documentary style horror film called “Shirome” The film is based on the girls “fake” filming event and the story is centered on the members who as they filmed for the” fake TV show” trespass into an abandoned school in an attempt to have their wishes granted by a mysterious entity known as "Shirome."

The documentary style film will capture the girls true emotions as the filming took place.

"Shirome" will begin playing in theaters on August 13.

Momoiro Clover Special Live Broadcast.




Momoiro Clover Special Live Broadcast.

On June 26, Clover held a special live Nico Nico Full Concert.



EDIT: Please follow the link below and not the above video link

You can watch the entire concert here.

Momoiro Clover Special Live Broadcast

Because the concert contains 11 parts and could be deleted at any time by You Tube, I am not going to post each video part here in this post instead, you can watch every part through the above link that I have included, plus see  the in concert announcement that Clover as a group will star in a horror film.


If you have never experienced a Clover live, you should watch this broadcast .Their lives are not as big as say Morning Musume, they are more like Indy level concerts, and are high energy and fun. It`s only time before they leave their Akiba roots for bigger venues.

Special Bonus
Subbed Clover at Kawaii Japan

Girl`s Day Ji Sun Video Preview





DreamTea Entertainment has released the introduction video for the third member of Girl`s Day Ji Sun.

Very little details other then this video was given .For some reason at times she looks like Uee of After School with her hair down and certain camera angles

EDIT:
DreamTea has released a little bit more information on Ji Sun.

Ji Sun was born in 1989 and received numerous awards in dancing competitions during her junior and high school years.”


Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Girl`s Day Member Ji In Preview


The second member name released by Dream Tea is Ji In; she was the one in pink top in the mob dance.

As of now it`s only her dance close ups .I am expecting the same type of release as Min Ah ,little bits of her back ground over the next few hours .

Here is a thought to wonder,

Are the songs being featured with the profiles and the flash mobs in anyway related to the type of single they will release?

That idea makes things a little bit more interesting now that I think about it some more.

I will update her bio as more is released in the coming hours.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Girl`s Day Maknae Member Min Ah Preview





Dream Tea Entertainment the company that is behind Girl`s Day have started to release videos on each member .Again a very creative way of promoting a new unit. JPop could learn a few things in regards to promotions from their Korean neighbors.

First up is the maknae [youngest] Min Ah.

As of now Dream Tea is being very guarded with the groups songs , giving no previews at all .Instead they are using other artists .For example Min Ah video feature uses Jason Marz .

I really like Min Ah`s facial expressions in the flash mob dances, so far everything this agency is doing is sparking my interest in the group, I hope the final product, will not be a disappointment.



In her second preview we do get a preview of her voice, again singing another artists song.

Min Ah passes the vocal test, even with a little feedback from the speakers and surroundings. Hard to control a street live quality.

Interesting side story, some Korean fan sites are debating if she is related to G-Dragon, with claims that her face has shared features to him. Guess that news will come later if true.

What do you think ?

EDIT-A loyal reader of Pure Idol Heart and fan of G-Dragon has confirmed that he has no younger sister. However, she does look like him some, so I can see how the rumor or wishful thinking by fan girls could have started.


Min Ah`s Bio
She was born in 1993 and is currently 17, 2 yrs older then I guessed, lol. She was recruited two years ago to start training for Girl`s Day and has been trained as an Idol/actress, so we should be seeing her in dramas as her popularity grows. Min Ah comes in at a height of 164cm and 47kg. Min Ah has personally expressed that she is really stressed out ahead of their imminent debut, but she will live courageously because this is a dream for hers and she will show everyone her best side.

Wonder who we will get a preview of next ?




Sunday, June 27, 2010

Girl`s Day PT 2




Had a technical issue while working on part 1 ,so here is a follow up

Here are the members; I do not have their ages yet, however their official debut is July 9.


from left to right the members are: Ji In , Ji Hae , Ji Sun , Min Ah , and So Jin .Based on what I have read of the unit ,they will use social networking methods to their advantage to promote as much as possible.

If you can follow Korean language, then you can show your support for the group here.

Official Fan Café
Fan Cafe

Official Twitter
Girl`s Day Twitter

They have also started an official You Tube Channel 
Girl`s Day You Tube

For English First Fans
International Fan Supporters

International Fans Site

Philippines Fan Supporters

Philippines Fans Site

New KPOP Unit : Girl`s Day



There is a new KPop Idol unit about to make their debut in July Girl’s Day and as part of their pre debut activities they did something that in the Korean genre is called “Flash Mob Dance” .This is one of the best ideas I have seen in recent times .

It works like this, camera men are positioned in the crowd, as are the members of the unit and their support members. One by one, they will just walk up as if they are passing by and join the dance performance .At the end they do not wait for the audience to respond they simply separate and walk away as if nothing ever happened.

Even if you are not a fan of KPop, this is a creative way to get the buzz going about a new unit.

PIH will keep a watch on them and see if how they develop .If their singing skills match their dance skills, they will be a great add to our Idols across Asia coverage.

So what do you readers think, willing to give them a chance?




Scandal Namida of Regret Covers And Preview





Scandal Tears of Regret Covers And Preview
I fully expect Sony to remove this preview at any time as it is becoming more difficult to promote Scandal due to Sony’s over aggressive actions.


CD Cover

The new single is the second song, when they are wearing blue T-shirts’

I will be looking for longer previews

Scandal : Taiyou to Kimi ga Egaku STORY [updated]


In my own personal life, I come from a rock music background and I am a big Scandal fan .In fact my two favorite female bands right now are the Pop/Rock Idols Scandal and the Visual Kei Ladies of Exist Trace.

Scandal is different from most Idol groups as they are a true band, who write their own songs and of course play their own instruments very well in fact. Lead Guitarist Sasazaki Mami who just turned 20, 6 days ago can hold her own with any female guitarist and some men.

Scandal has everything working for them right now, looks, talent and great songs .Even their filler tracks are top quality. On June 2, Scandal will be releasing their sixth single "Taiyou to Kimi ga Egaku STORY".

For those who are unfamiliar with the group, before moving to Tokyo, they were an Indy label band based in Osaka .The members of Scandal are

Name: Ono Haruna [Leader]
Instruments: Main Vocals & Rhythm Guitar
Birthday: 1988/08/10

Name: Sasazaki Mami
Instruments: Lead Guitar & Vocal
Birthday: 1990/05/21

Name: Suzuki Rina
Instruments: Drums & Vocal
Birthday: 1991/08/21


Name: Ogawa Tomomi
Instruments: Bass & Vocal
Birthday: 1990/05/31


Scandal is a solid up and coming Idol/Band and one to keep an eye on. If you are a fan of the former group Zone, then you should find Scandal to your tastes.

UPDATED -Replaced deleted videos

Taiyou to Kimi ga Egaku STORY






Scandal Covering Zone`s Secret Base




My #1 song by Scandal Shunkan Sentimental

Saturday, June 26, 2010

AVEX Super Girls Audition Video Part 1




AVEX Super Girls Audition

One of the best times to be an idol fan is auditions. The genre is designed to create new fresh and young idols and  groups to replace aging  idols or groups  who reach 20+ ,often around 25 is old age for an Idol as wotas like all things youthful and cute.

As we are not from the looks of it going to get new auditions from Morning Musume, AVEX has provided us with some clips of the recent Super Girls audition.

I will be posting this in parts with around six-eight videos each part. Most are around 5 minutes, so we only get a brief look at the auditions.



Part 1

SG 1



SG 2



SG 3



SG 4



SG 5



SG 6



SG 7




SG 8

[I call the 3:00 min mark " Touched by the Idol spirit,LOL"]

AVEX Super Girls Audition Video Part 2



AXEV Super Girls Audition Part 2

SG 1



SG 2




SG 3



SG 4



SG 5



SG 6



SG 7


SG 8

AVEX Super Girls Audition Video Part 3




AXEV Super Girls Audition Part 3


SG 1



SG 2



SG 3



SG 4



The Final Stage has not been posted

Friday, June 25, 2010

SKE48 3rd Single PV [updated]



The members of SKE48 have come out with some new releases

The Senbatsu members of SEK48 lead the way with summertime feel good song called “Gomen ne Summer”


Not to be outdone by the Senbatsu members the SKE48 under girls come out of the gate firing off some strong support songs.

Shojo wa Manatsu ni Nani wo Suru is actually my favorite track on the upcoming release .This single is worth buying just for this song. The video tells a good story, the performance costumes are nice and that is saying a lot coming from a guy who rarely pays attention to the outfits as I focus on the music and vocals of songs.

The PV is not expensive based on the footage, however that takes nothing away from the video .Instead the entire package counters the limited budget needed without having to use a lot of CGI backdrops.

The last support single is Hazumisaki
This is a good song, with a weak video mainly because it comes off to me as the little sister video of the lead video and middle single. Other then that it`s a good video that tells a story.

The staff involved with SKE48 managed to produce three quality songs with PV`s that are made to budget, while telling attention keeping stories.

This single hit’s the stores on July 7th .


Gomen ne Summer



Shojo wa Manatsu ni Nani wo Suru



Hazumisaki


I forgot to post one of the PV with the single

Pinocchio Army


Momoiro Clover on TV [Update]



The former Akiba Idols, now newest national idols Momoiro Clover on some recent TV events to support their major debut.

Momokuro do some PR challenges




This is not as enjoyable as the first show ,however their track plays the entire segment as background music ,makes up for it.














UPDATE
[Download] Clover on Music Japan

Clover on the Music Japan Idol Special .Clover manages to get Perfume to laugh in the background with their post song PR. As for the song, the group had an energy filled performance .They really made the most of their time to perform. We are going to have keep an eye on Clover.

New Unit:SUPER☆GIRLS [New Update ]





Avex is debuting a new idol unit , the unit will be called SUPER☆GIRLS and the unit will make its debut on August 7 at A-Nation.

SUPER☆GIRLS was created by an audition that saw 7,000 girls age 12-21 take part. The finals was reduced to 24 , with the final 12 selected .

The unit is made up of the following

* Yasaka Saori (21)
* Kano Kaede (17)
* Akita Eri (17)
* Miyazaki Rina (16)
* Tanaka Mirei (13)
* Mizote Ruka (13)
* Watanabe Hikaru (16)
* Goto Aya (13)
* Arai Reira(15)
* Maeshima Ami(12)
* Shimura Rika (17)
* Katsuta Rino (15)


During the PR event after the audition, the members expressed their dream of becoming successful idols that could one day surpass AKB48.

 Related Web Site



NEW UPDATE

Group Performances of the final 24 stage



Official Home Page
Official Home Page

Member Photo
Left to right (top) :
Watanabe Hikaru(16), Arai Reira(15), Shimura Rika(17), Tanaka Mirei(13), Yasaka Saori(21), Kanou Kaede(17)

left to right (bottom) :
Katsuta Rino(15), Goto Aya(13), Maeshima Ami(12), Akita Eri(17), Miyazaki Rina(16), Mizote Ruka(13)

Tokyo Girls’ Style 3rd Single PV


TGS has a new single   Ganbatte Itsu Datte Shinjiteru [I always believe in luck] scheduled for release on July 21.  For a group that is young as they are, they have wonderful voices; however, they are slow out of the gates in terms of sales. This is likely AVEX one mistake with this unit so far as they released them without any Independent build up and instead are having them build a fan base off of each single.

While AVEX is letting the group build a fan base off each single, they are not wasting anytime, as this is their third single since May 5.  With no real fan base prior to their first release to support the group, I would not be surprised if AVEX releases a new single for them, every other month for the rest of this year

On related news

On April 29, 2010, the group was the opening act for label-mate AAA's AAA Heart to Heart Tour 2010 tour stop. More events like that and TGS will not have to worry about building a fan base.

Berryz Koubou New Single 30 Sec .Preview

There is some confusion going around both online shops and fan sites as to what the name is of Berryz Koubou`s new single.


Berryz Koubou New Single 30 Sec .Preview

This has the makings of a fun and spirited video .They have the punk /street style working for them in this video. Really looking forward to seeing the full product.


Thursday, June 24, 2010

AKBINGO! 6-23 Episode


AKBINO! June 23 Episode


Part 2 of the broadcasters lessons, this episode they do news casting, Storm reporting and mascot Sumo.

Footnote: If you like seeing Idols are hit in the face with stuff, while facing a wind machine, this is a must watch episode.


AKBINGO 6-23 

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

BREAKING :Okada Yui No Longer An Idol




Okada Yui has announced that she is leaving the Idol world. She said in her statement that she admired the women and men who designed the hair and makeup for Hello!Project artists .She was impressed with how they made everyone look so cute and has decided that is the path that she is now to walk and to become a certified stylist.

Yui was my favorite member of the Ishikawa Rika solo project, I mean Biyuuden. She was also in my opinion the least appreciated person not named Konno Asami, who won that award in my opinion.

I really do not blame her for leaving really, if you look at it, what really outside of a few in the Elders Group has done anything since they were pushed to the side.

We could be sad about this and say don’t go Yui , but the truth is the agency had nothing for her and she had nothing left for them ,so we should be thankful for what she gave us as an idol and happy that she is leaving on her own terms and not renewing her contract.

The idol world can be harsh, dirty and heartless at times and leaving is not always on your own terms, something that Yui has been able to do it seems.

Best of luck Yui, maybe one day we will be seeing Idols or an actress that you helped look cute that day.

Yui`s last day as an Idol will be June 30 when her contract runs out


Saturday, June 19, 2010

The Possible New Special Single Release










[Playing catch up again]


Nice Girl Project! Members The Possible have a new special release single out as they are teaming up with the cast of the YTV TV show "Oto No Moto" .This union was made possible thanks to The Possible being guests together with Tsunku on a segment called “rice cooker recipes”

The single came out on June 2, and I just over looked it, while trying to cover other things.

The Possible have some nice outfits in this one, I cannot decide if they look more like airline attendants of Hotel workers, LOL. I do not mean that in a bad way, just trying to think what they remind me of.

Main Single

Yabe~Nabe~ na Atsuryoku Be~na~





Fujii Takashi ni Narikari Karaoke Version:



Tsubaki Oniyakko ni Narikari Karaoke Version:





Dance Shot Version

KPop Idol Group 4 Minute HUH PV [updated]


KPop Idol Group 4 Minute, who will soon be starting activates in Japan, have released their new single Huh featuring the male group Beast in Korea.

Of all the songs currently out in both Japan and Korea , I think that I am starting to like this one the most .I am not a fan of the intro ,however it fit’s the overall aggressive nature of the video.

This is a look and song style that Morning Musume could easily pull off if given the chance as both groups are close in age ,with 4Minute`s youngest being the red haired former Wonder Girl Member Hyuna at 18 .

[Edit ,Misspoke the youngest is in the cap So Hyun at 16]

This will never happen as the genre`s are so different, with KPop being more aggressive in showing a more sexy side of idols and their focus on teens and young adult audiences. While JPop idol genre`s focus is on catering to men in their mid 30`s ,who think that Idols should forever look like 13yr old anime characters ,wearing outrageous circus tent designed costumes ,signing poppy feel good songs ,instead of letting them grow up.

Hey growing up worked for Koda Kumi, Hamasaki Ayumi, Speed and Dream, it could work for Morning Musume.

OK complaint time over, lol.

Huh, continues a recent line of powerful songs with a black costume theme that is coming out of Korea. With the Wonder Girls relocated to New York and the women of KPop advancing across Asia, our J-Idols will have to some point enter the modern age, if they want to compete internationally.

If you are, open to like all types of idol groups, then you may end up liking this single after a few plays. If your heart belongs to only one idol group with a certain style, then you may have a hard time embracing 4 Minute and KPop in general. It Does take some getting use to after being used to our all things cute J-Idols.

JUNE 19 UPDATE
4MINUTE is ripping apart the KPop charts right now and off to a good start in Japan. With this unit extremely hot right now and the visits to the post up, I have updated the post with fresh performances.

Their PV by the way, I could put on a replay loop and just keep watching it. Even the stuff that I didn`t like on first play has now grown on me. Maybe it`s the part of me that longs for Morning Musume to evolve into this level unit, reaching out to 4Minute.







-------------
[Updated -Fixed deleted file]
Live TV Stage ,Notice the fan girls in support

Senbatsu Election Final Results [New Update]


How did your Idol do ?


The election results starts with the announcing of the results in reverse order.

Under Girls

40 Ishiguro Atsuki - 1603
39 Matsubara Natsumi - 1859
38 Yagami Kumi (S) - 1909
37 Katayama Haruka - 1935
36 Yamauchi Suzuran (RS) -
35 Takayanagi Akane(KII) - 2030
34 Yonezawa Rumi - 2171
33 Fujie Reina - 2460
32 Umeda Ayaka - 2499
31 Satou Sumire - 2591
30 Komori Mika - 2613
29 Nitou Moeno - 2693
28 Shimazaki Haruka (RS) -3076
27 Ishida Haruka - 3235
26 Hirajima Natsumi - 4106
25 Masuda Yuuka - 4137
24 Oya Masana (S) - 4634
23 Kuramochi Asuka - 5355
22 Oota Aika - 6145

Senbatsu Members

21 Miyazaki Miho - 6371
20 Nakagawa Haruka - 6567
19 Sashihara Rino - 6704
18 Sato Amina - 6921
17 Akimoto Sayaka - 8049
16 Kitahara Rie - 8836
15 Ono Erena - 9468
14 Minegishi Minami - 9692
13 Takajyou Aki - 11062

Media Senbatsu

12 Kasai Tomomi - 11080
11 Matsui Rena - 12082
10 Matsui Jurina - 12168
09 Miyazawa Sae - 12560
08 Kashiwagi Yuki - 15466
07 Kojima Haruna - 16231
06 Takahashi Minami - 17787
05 Watanabe Mayu - 20088
04 Itano Tomomi - 20513
03 Shinoda Mariko - 23139
02 Maeda Atsuko - 30851
01 Oshima Yuko - 31448

I will be adding member comments in the hours to come
Hirajima tweets
Hirajima, "I completely feel insecure. I'll do my best to get slimmer next year."


JUNE 19 UPDATE




Sunday, June 13, 2010

Ayarin loves S/mileage




Ayarin loves S/mileage

AKB48 member Kikuchi Ayaka posted in her blog that she loves S/mileage. Ayarin loves S/mileage so much that she is trying to learn their new single, but keeps messing up the lyrics. She said that the members had a good thin style and in her own words her feelings on the members of S/mileage are “ they’re cute, they’re perfect ,I want to be like that LOL ,Continuing from that, I’m repeating the video”.

Seems like S/mileage has a new wota named Ayarin .LOL

With Michishige Sayumi coming out a few days ago expressing her love for AKB48 along with her already known love for Idoling!!! , seems that Idols are each other’s biggest fans outside of their traditional fan base.

Looks like the only rivalry between AKB48 and Hello! Project is between their fans.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Has Morning Musume Been Betrayed?




Has Morning Musume been Betrayed?

Morning Musume has another #1 single, that would be great if it was not for two things,
This single won the#1 rank with sales of 15,525. Around 1,000 lower then their last release and not even on the same planet as AKB48 or the fact that they just beat Idoling!!! Who comes in at #2 with 14,510.

I would be happy if this was not an embarrassment in terms of sales, what Morning Musume was and what Morning Musume has become.

It`s not their fault but their agencies fault and sadly none of us have a say so in the situation short of not buying the product and that is happening more often with each passing single.

Since this lineup has become “the” Morning Musume, UFA/Hello! Project has wasted every opportunity handed to them by mainstream media and fan loyalty. Every group not named Morning Musume has gained from being on the recent Music Japan special .Morning Musume for their part came dressed in a costume more suited for a festival tent and had a half hearted performance. Moreover, their appearance showed in these sales results.

This goes much deeper then half hearted performances ,costumes ,videos or even the songwriter .Lets look at how this lineup has been treated ,they were poorly prepared to take over from the OG as most of the nation can not even name who is in the group now . A point that Sayumi found out on a TV show, when random people picked former members off a picture board and she was holding the picture board, with her picture on it as well.

The management allowed this lineup to be disrespected and walked over by the hosts of Utaban, who at one point interviewed singing cats 2 minutes into an interview with Morning Musume. Other times they completely ignored the current events related to Morning Musume`s appearance, to talk about members who had not been in the group for at least 4-7 years.

If you watched Utaban regularly, then you are aware that comedy was a big part of the broadcast, however no single artist was treated with so little respect as the current lineup for Morning Musume .Again not the fault of the members, their management should have stopped this situation after the first taping break.

Members?
Many fans have regarded Tsunku as a genius when it comes to member selections , Up-Front chairman Yamazaki Naoki also carries a lot of say in who enters or leaves Morning Musume. Their recent additions to the group were Kusumi Koharu, Mitsui Aika, JunJun and LinLin. It`s a subject for individual fans to decide, if these members have made a shift in sales or popularity in favor of or against Morning Musume. There are six idols that auditioned for Morning Musume who were not selected, who are now making important or growing impacts to their groups.

They are Idoling!!! #12 Kawamura Yui, SKE48`s Momona Kitou,
Furukawa Airi and AKB48`s Umeda Ayaka ,Satou Sumire and Kashiwagi Yuki .The three AKB48 members by the way combined for 20,556 Senbatsu votes ,that is more then the total sales of Morning Musume`s current release.

Casual Fans
Hello! Project has done a poor job in reaching out to the casual fan and to female fans. It`s only been recently that Hello! Project has reached out to female fans again, by giving them limited promotional events. There are no promotions or contests that target school students, something that AKB48 has used in the past to break away from the grip of wotas.

It seems that over the years that Hello!Project has worked harder to push away from the original crossover appeal that the OG created to make the entire agency 100% wota supported .There is nothing wrong with being 100% wota supported if you are a new idol unit ,it is if you have been around for 13 yrs .

When you watch a random music variety show that mentions Morning Musume without them being on it, two things seem to happen #1 most the guests cannot even name a current member outside of one or two. #2 Most everyone can remember the costumes that Morning Musume performed in to support Love Machine.

For whatever their reasons the agency has pushed their artists to be completely dependent on wotas ,who some have a questionable attitude towards other idols, fans and cause trouble at TV events .Not all mind you as most are real cool fans , just enough to push some female and casual fans and certain TV programs away .

They have managed it seems to get most major TV programs to blacklist them, notice how Idoling!!! Can be on Music Station, yet an artist that has a sales record on the level of Pink Lady cannot.

Betrayal?
Has Morning Musume been betrayed? Morning Musume is what it is an idol group. Wotas from the time that the genre was created have played a center role for idol groups .Without them, there would be no genre to support, Agencies pushing sales to them goes with the product , so set them to the side in all of this as all idols have wotas.

It was not long ago that we were all wondering if Morning Musume`s next single will cross 70,000 to a 100,000 and the race to catch AKB48 is on. Now we are faced with a new reality, AKB48 is on a far different level then Morning Musume .AKB48 is not the enemy as many fans would like to believe . Morning Musume now finds themselves in an even larger danger of being passed by Idoling!!! As the #2 idol group. Yes, Morning Musume entered the charts at #1 again; however, they did so in a weak sales day and just beat Idoling!!! , so it`s a hollow victory, that was planed from the start by management, to justify their half hearted work.

So many things have resulted in this situation, so Morning Musume in a way has been betrayed, but not by what you may think.

Morning Musume has been betrayed by the sands of time. Morning Musume has been around 13 yrs, the spark has left them and a need for new fresh members and fresh ideas has never been more urgent then it is right now or the sands of time will run out.

Then again, maybe the sands of time have already run out and we just simply stopped looking at the hourglass.

 -------------------
Footnote:
As this article will soon be a year old, is still being read today, and will be for the years to come, some historians and future fans may be wondering what single sold those figures for the week. The sales totals at the start of this article are opening day sales totals, not weekly. That note should have been made clearer.

A personal note.

This is a note to everyone involved in the making of this article.
Remember when we stood at looked at the storm clouds over the Rainbow Bridge in Tokyo Bay, wondering if this idol industry would ever change. It`s funny how a year later the members of a new  generation ,have pushed away the gathering storm clouds and the sun is now shining on the Rainbow Bridge and excitement and rebirth have replaced that same hourglass.

Rainbow Bridge

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Oricon : AKB48 & S/mileage [6-8 Update ]

May 26 Results

AKB48 1st day sales #1 spot 354,403

S/mileage #5 as only the top three have sales totals listed, the sales number for S/mileage is not clear at this time.

#3 Sold 15,621 so it is safe to say that S/mileage is near 10,000

-----------
AKB48 streak of #1 singles continues as Ponytail to Shushu becomes AKB48 highest single day release .Ponytail to Shushu and AKB48 are the hottest product in Japan at this moment. AKB48 rise was expected, but I do not think that any of us saw this fast of a rise coming and to the level that they are making other idol companies after thoughts to mainstream media.

AKB48 is currently controlling the airwaves with programming on nightly and with the members under individual agency contracts, they look set to grow as a group and as individual talents for some time. Just as Akimoto Yasushi did with Onyanko Club, he has created the perfect idol system, Idols that you can be friends with and talk to.

In an industry that demands idols to be sheltered and live in a bubble to protect a false image, Akimoto has went against all the rules and created the cool idols that you can hang out with.The gap between AKB48 and other Idol units will continue to grow as long as Akimoto holds true to this concept and the individual rivalry system that AKB48 uses as part of it`s member development.

The new girls S/mileage are creating a solid foundation .With a lot of Hello!Project`s time being devoted to S/mileage , S/mileage looks set to grow in importance.

With H!P being a wota fan service and “their need to have fresh ,young unknown idols to worship” ,look for S/mileage to grow at the cost of sales for their big sisters Morning Musume ,Berryz Koubou & C-ute.


UPDATED
S/mileage member Wada Ayaka posted on her blog that they sold 7,000 on day 1

UPDATED MAY 27


AKB48 holds on to #1 with day sales of 49,477 [403,850]
By the way stores received 500,000 copies of the CD

S/Mileage took the normal H!P day two drop and fell to #11.However they still can end up when it`s all over with a 20,000 total sales . That is a good start for a new unit.

So don`t look much at chart numbers , but total sales numbers .

Will update S/mileage again if/when the members make a comment

May 27 Update #2 

According to the members of S/mileage the demand for the single was higher then expected and all copies on day 1 was sold out in Tokyo by early afternoon.
Restocking is underway on the 27th,

May 28 

Day 3 sales

AKB #1 28,671 [432,521]  They also just got # 1 on Music Station CD Ranking
S/mileage moved to #8 after restocking  ,They also just got #9 on Music Station CD Ranking

May 29

AKB48 #1 27,112 [459,633]
S/Mileage #14

May 30 [Sales for May 29]

AKB48 #1 23,418 [483,051]

S/mileage jumps up to #6 ,they should be around 15,000 by now


May 31 [Sales for May 30]

AKB48 #1 18,560 [501,611]
S/mileage jumps up to #5


June 8
This will be the weekly totals

S/mileage :Yume Miru Fifteen 2nd week chart update
Weekly rank #34
sales : 2,617
total : 23,055

AKB48 Fell to # 3 for the week

Sales: 46,279
Total: 559,732

PIH will be updating this story as events happen.

S/mileage on Oguma no Beabeya




This may get deleted from You Tube at anytime ,so watch while you can.

The girls looked like they are starting to have fun on TV now .

Thursday, June 3, 2010

AKB48 Senbatsu Election Update #2



AKB48 Senbatsu Election Update

The opening voting of the election has started , here is the rankings as of day one.
There is a lot of strategy involved in these elections ,fans often hold votes to the last minute , cut deals with other fans to counter a rival ,so this ranking will change a lot as the days advance .

PIH will update this as updates are released.


Top 40 after day 1


Votes
*1. *6,846 A Maeda Atsuko
*2. *6,317 K Oshima Yuko
*3. *4,072 B Watanabe Mayu
*4. *3,802 K Itano Tomomi
*5. *3,765 A Shinoda Mariko
*6. *3,319 A Takahashi Minami
*7. *2,985 B Kashiwagi Yuki [Auditioned for Morning Musume]
*8. *2,673 S Matsui Rena
*9. *2,616 K Miyazawa Sae
10. *2,506 A Kojima Haruna
11. *2,252 A Takajyo Aki
12. *1.558 K Ono Erena
-media line-
13. *1,422 B Kasai Tomomi
14. *1,379 B Kitahara Rie
15. *1,345 K Minegishi Minami
16. *1,275 B Sato Amina
17. *1,224 A Sashihara Rino
18. *1,199 S Matsui Jurina
19. **,977 A Nakagawa Haruka
20. **,961 B Miyazaki Miho
21. **,718 K Akimoto Sayaka
-senbatsu line-
22. **,718 A Oota Aika
23. **,704 A Kuramochi Asuka
24. **,653 K Masuda Yuka
25. **,602 B Hirajima Natsumi
26. **,487 B Komori Mika
27. **,357 K Kikuchi Ayaka
28. **,355 K Nito Moeno
29. **,352 K Fujie Reina
30. **,344 B Sato Sumire [Auditioned for Morning Musume]
31. **,338 KII Ishida Anna
32. **,301 S Ooya Masana
33. **,291 S Yagumi Kumi
34. **,285 B Ishida Haruka
35. **,276 K Umeda Ayaka
36. **,259 A Katayama Haruka
37. **,249 kks Yamauchi Suzuran
38. **,231 KII Takayanagi Akane
39. **,214 kks Oba Mina
40. **,208 K Yonezawa Rumi
-undergirls line-

A is Team A member
K is Team K member
B is Team B member
S & KII are SKE48 Members
KKS is a AKB48 trainee


The second of three Senbatsu Election Standings updates has come out
As of June 2

01 Maeda Atsuko 20,966
02 Oshima Yuko 19,465
03 Itano Tomomi 13,400
04 Shinoda Mariko 13,289
05 Watanabe Mayu 12,307
06 Takahashi Minami 9,983
07 Kojima Haruna 9,252
08 Kashiwagi Yuki 8,709
09 Miyazawa Sae 7,683
10 Matsui Rena 6,419
11 Takajo Aki 6,357
12 Ono Erena 4,766
13 Kasai Tomomi 4,532
14 Kitahara Rei 4,414
15 Minegishi Minami 4,091
15 Matsui Jurina 4,091
17 Miyazaki Miho 3,369
18 Sashihara Rino 3,357
19 Sato Amina 3,227
20 Nakagawa Haruka 2,726
21 Akimoto Sayaka 2,621
22 Oota Aika 2,332
23 Kuramochi Asuka 2,278
24 Masuda Yuka 1,644
25 Hirajima Natsuumi 1,633
26 Komori Mika 1,430
27 Oya Masana 1,217
28 Nito Moeno 1,050
29 Umeda Ayaka 903
30 Yagami Kumi 897
31 Ishida Haruka 892
32 Fujie Reina 880
33 Sato Sumire 869
34 Yamauchi Suzuran 838
35 Shimazaki Haruka 835
36 Katayama Haruka 736
37 Ishiguro Atsuki 682
38 Yonezawa Rumi 646
39 Kikuchi Ayaka 641
40 Takayanagi Akane 568
40 Maeda Ami 568

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

S/mileage Comes Out Strong





S/Mileage Comes Out Strong

S/mileage first week sales will come in at #5 with 20,438. When you compare it to Berryz Koubou`s 1st single Anata Nashi de wa Ikite Yukenai which sold 15,315 and C-ute`s 1st major single Sakura Chirari which sold 23,827 it`s 1st week and 26,595 overall, S/mileage maybe already in some ways stronger then both Berryz and C-ute at this stage of their respective careers.

I have had a feeling from the start that we are witnessing a start of the changing of the guard in Hello!Project ,as much as we would like to kid ourselves to believe something else , Morning Musume ,Berryz Koubou and C-ute will someday end and S/mileage and groups to come will take over .

Watching a new group grow is an exciting time and if you are a fan, of S/mileage, this is a very happy time and I believe this is only the start of things for S/mileage.


May 30 S/mileage did a live Ustream , here is the broadcast.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

AKB48 Sets A New Record







When Oricon releases the weekly sales update Ponytail to Shushu will become the highest selling female idol group single in 9.5 years at 513,453 ,just missing Morning Musume`s Renai Revolution which sold 515,000 in it`s first week and 986,000 overall.

It is also the highest selling female artist single since Utada Hikaru released Can You Keep a Secret. Nine years ago. The release by the way sold 784,000 in the first week.

While AKB48 cannot become the first female idol group to reach one million sales as Princess Princess, a Bandol [Band-Idols, like Scandal and Zone] did that with DIAMONDS in 1989 and then later Morning Musume accomplished that mark with back-to-back singles Love Machine and Koi no Dance Site.

Their accomplishments are no less as impressive with records being broken with every release.


If your looking down the road and thinking maybe the next single will sale 1 million in it`s first week? It`s almost impossible in Japan for any artist to achieve as only three have sold 1 million in the first week. Mr. Children accomplished this in 1996, Hayami Kentaro & Shigemori Ayumi in 1999 and Utada Hikaru in 2001. I would not put it past them to become the 4th at some point with the rate they are growing.


With the group having weekly TV shows almost every night of the week and the members signed to individual independent talent agencies with their own TV events unrelated to AKB48 and a strong push to bring in school age boys and girls across Japan as their core fan base ,AKB48 look set to continue their rise in popularity for sometime.