Oooph, this year was just a HUGE bust in general for the Entertainment industry due to the pandemic that occured. That said, H!P was definitely not in a good place this year, with a VERY small set of releases (probably their smallest yet!). Still, there was some activity during the year, so might as well check it out right?
Morning Musume ’20
Yeahhhh, so it seems like Morning Musume were pretty quiet throughout the year and had the safest year too with no graduations, although they did celebrate their 3 new members: Mei Yamazaki, Homare Okamura, and Rio Kitagawa in January with their single of the year, KOKORO & KARADA / LOVEpedia / Ningen Kankei No way way. For a while, I kind of thought they weren’t going to release a new single, but it was announced for November that a new single, Junjou Evidence / Gyuusaretai Dake na no ni was coming.
NOTE: Yeah, once again there’s a new song that was performed, but not released in “Hey! Unfair Baby” so it’s going to be skipped over this year.
GREAT SONGS
KOKORO & KARADA – I was definitely happy to see that this was chosen to be the leading A-side from the single because it definitely stood out to me when we first heard it in 2019. Yeah, it does focus on Mizuki, Masaki, and Sakura primarily, but mix in the pretty dope electronics and EDM style, it kind of really popped out amongst the light assortment of songs we did get in the year. Kind of reminds me of how much I adored “Mukidashi de Mukiatte” to be honest. Really awesome song for the group!
LOVEpedia – The remaining 2 tracks from the single were connected due to both having the same melody in the track itself, but with different lyrics and instrumentation. LOVEpedia felt like the focus was placed on the new members (going from the PV), but there was some focus on other members like Reina, Maria, Kaede, Erina, and other members you wouldn’t expect. All the new gals get a solo (Mei got a pretty hefty line and her vocals are quite high compared to others). It’s a fun track though and the energy is engaging for me!
OK SONGS
Ningen Kankei No way way – The other track, Ningen Kankei sounds more like a typical H!P track, going for that kind of disco/funk mix that some of their recent tunes have kind of been tackling and for that it’s not entirely feeling new to me in comparison to “LOVEpedia”. I do appreciate focus on more of the elder members here, actually I even see that Rio got a solo in the track, but most of the members that did get solos were from Kaede, Akane, Maria, and Reina. Actually, I didn’t even notice Chisaki throughout the whole single, what happened?!? Also, what is “Turkey in the Straw” doing in the bridge? Never understood why that was included and seems incredibly random and strange in a song like this. Probably the only negative thing for me. Otherwise, OK.
Gyuusaretai Dake na no ni – As for the 2nd A-side of their later single of 2020, Gyuusaretai Dake na no ni is step-up from “Junjou Evidence” but not by much because it’s still an EDM song, but the synths seem different and they do a little more than what they did with the other A-side. There’s even a Rio solo in the track which is short, but nice, but the usual suspects are also leading here (though I do love seeing Miki get a solo too). Still doesn’t quite reach the heights of the previous single’s tracks though and I ended up feeling disappointed.
MEH SONGS
Junjou Evidence – I mean there’s not much to really say when it comes to this song (spent a lot of time this year being unreleased). It feels like your standard EDM track from Momusu which is kind of unimpressive to me and it kind of reminds me of “Hana ga Saku Taiyou Abite” with the sounds of the synths and the melody itself. Surprised it still focused around Fukuchan, Maachan, and Odasaku…but it’s not bad, just nothing new.
Predictions from 2019
With 3 new members, I definitely hope the trio have a decent debut within the group, but I hope this means this time that the group will release more music too! As for graduations, maybe Fukuchan as she’s been the eldest for a while, I also get a feeling that Eripon might graduate too for some reason.
Actuality: What I did get right was that I’d say Mei, Homare, and Rio had a pretty decent debut single, though a little bummed it wasn’t in “KOKORO & KARADA” for that matter. HOWEVER, WE GOT LESS MUSIC THAN LAST YEAR! Yeah, 5 songs, like I know pandemic and whatnot, but like Tsubaki Factory also 2 singles, so why we holding off? Though flipside, no one graduated!
Predictions for 2021: With the pandemic still ongoing, how active MM is going to be is kind of in the air, I mean all H!P members have been doing tours doing ballads, so I suppose maybe that’s giving them some extra training in, so I’m hoping that their next release will surprise me. Though I definitely feel a graduation or 2 happening in the next year.
ANGERME
Man, if I thought 2019 for ANGERME was a wreck-and-a-half, then 2020 was the full on crash!
ANGERME coming off the graduations of Ayaka, Rina, and Kana last year was rough, but it was the ending announcement last year that Musubu Funaki also was planning to graduate this year. Though it truly got worse when it was announced that Haruka Oota was suspended over a scandal that she was a part of and that Mizuki Murota was going to graduate in March and having Funakki postpone to a later date with an audition announced around the time as well.
Though, the pandemic ended up postponing Funakki’s graduation even further and so came another single (which was her last) in August, Kagiri Aru Moment / Mirror Mirror.
Then in October, it was announced that Haruka Oota would be leaving the group and start over from the beginning (to what that meant is unknown right now).
Though the auditions finally came to its conclusion in early November with 3 new members; Rin Kawana, Wakana Matsumoto and KSS member, Shion Tamenaga.
And finally we got to watch Musubu Funaki finally graduate out of the group in December, although a little later, Funakki’s final song with the group, SHAKA SHAKA TO LOVE was released as a digital single near the end of the year.
NOTE: As much as I did wanna talk about the new ballad version of Samui ne. with the 3 new members that joined, it wasn’t released digitally yet…but I do like the ballad-like sound of this version (plus damn Tamenaga, Kawana, and Matsumoto sound great here!)
GREAT SONGS
Mirror Mirror – As for the other A-side, ANGERME returned to their disco/pop flair like in “46-okunen LOVE” and while this one wasn’t bright and fun, the classy vibe and slickness of the vocals were what drew me in pretty well I’d say. Once again all 7 do get vocals except Rin because for no reason, but the song’s danceable energy was great to hear and I do love Takechan, Layla, and Funakki’s vocals completely here.
SHAKA SHAKA TO LOVE – It’s nice when we get to see ANGERME let down their hair more and just have a good time. Though “Mirror Mirror” did it in a familiar, disco/pop vibe, SHAKA SHAKA TO LOVE is a little more pop/rock and funky. The first thing I thought of when I heard this was that it was the love-child of “Eighteen Emotion” and “Manner Mode”. It’s fun and bright and even though it’s advertising a teeth whitening agent, it’s a catchy tune and hell I actually noticed Hashisako in the song! Surprised to see it release at the end of the year xD
OK SONGS
Kagiri Aru Moment – This song both caught me by surprise and yet also somehow disappointed me in the long run. Since the group was at 8 members (Haruka and Mizuki out), I was wondering how the group would sound. Though it’s kind of nice hearing them together like this because we got to hear more Funakki, Kamiko, Rikako, and Layla more and they kind of worked the song well. Though Akari, Ayano, and Kassa had moments too. Can’t say Rin got much of anything which is sad, since she’s the newbie. Though what sadly disappointed me was that chorus which was a total change of moods and I dislike that so much because the verses kicked so much ass. Oh wells.
Predictions from 2019
I’m hoping Funakki gets a solo song when she graduates, but I don’t think it’ll happen because she hasn’t been in ANGERME too long (then again Yanamin got two graduation songs, so wtf). I don’t know if anyone else will leave (Akari is still kind of a prediction, but who knows). I also hope that Haruka, Layla, and now Rin will get more of a push in the group moving forward into the new year! Though I can’t help that maybe they’ll try to add more members to bring the group back to that golden number of 12 since it seemed that was the pattern for a while.
Actuality: Wow was this a pretty messy year. So, I wasn’t expecting Funakki to basically drag out her 2020 to her graduation at the end of the year that’s for sure (but she did get a graduation song, YAY!, but even then she wasn’t given a full focus on her last single, which is a bummer. Though I also wasn’t expecting Murotan and Haruka to drop out too.
What I will say is that Layla did get pushed (sad for Rin who felt almost invisible this year to me).
Predictions for 2021: Of course more releases especially here since they ONLY had the one single and one digital song this year. Dunno bout other things that could happen though, maybe Layla center and push for Rin hopefully and a good debut for the new members?
Juice=Juice
Juice=Juice was also pretty quiet mostly this year. Well mostly.
No surprise though that in February, Karin Miyamoto announced her graduation originally set for June after the April single, Pop Music / Suki tte Itte yo (which was also the legitimate debut of Riai Matsunaga & Yume Kudo). However, plans were dashed as the pandemic was taking over which sadly pushed Karin’s graduation out to December (alongside Musubu Funaki’s graduation which were a day apart from one another).
The other big thing is that in April right after Kobushi Factory’s disbandment, Rei Inoue was announced to have joined Juice=Juice (she wasn’t a part of the single that was released ON THE SAME DAY sadly).
…and yeah that was it.
NOTE: Though they did finally release “Borderline”, we ended up with another unreleased song in Platonic Planet and it’s kind of unfortunate since now Karin has graduated, so who knows when we’ll see this one pop up.
GREAT SONGS
Borderline – I was a little disappointed this was held back to now (song was first performed when both Nanami and Yuka were still a part of the group). Now with them gone and including Riai and Yume, the changes weren’t too different, neither of the two got solo lines sadly. The song though was upbeat and has that kind of speedy sound that made it feel more cool and classy. Might feel a bit like an album song, but I liked it!
OK SONGS
Suki tte Itte yo – After being disappointed with the leading A-side, I was hoping that the other lead track would do better and it kind of fixed things up for me despite not a song I would end up fully remembering. I do like the funky bass in the song and the group is pulling off more vocals here. Also, we get to hear Yume and Riai solos here and once again, they sound pretty decent. Not bad from them, but I think something like “KEEP ON Joshou Shikou!!” did a better job.
Tsuzuiteiku STORY (Symphonic Version with Karin) – Considering this was Karin’s last single with the group, they gave her something special, though it’s a sort-of solo track of an album track from the group’s first album, “First Squeeze!”. I do like the repurposed arrangement and Karin’s half of the song is pretty nice and she’s come a long way from her debut. Though about 2 minutes in, the rest of the group joins in with solo lines and come together for the last chorus in a really pretty way. Wasn’t expecting this to be Karin’s farewell song, but it’s decent (definitely remember this more than the original).
Va-Va-Voom – As the other B-side, Va-Va-Voom was also kind of previously performed, but not quite as dragged out like the other B-side was. Va-Va-Voom does carry itself a bit heavier than “Borderline” and feels like a fun song to hear live as it has chants and kind of groovier melody. Funny that Yume was the only one that didn’t get a solo here which is odd, but regardless, I kind of enjoyed this one despite not bringing too much to the table.
MEH SONGS
Pop Music – Oh? We’re covering another KAN song? Well if “Sakura Night Fever” worked why shouldn’t it. Hearing they were covering Pop Music, in which KAN released it earlier in the year made me curious, his version drove me up the walls and unfortunately, Juice=Juice fixed the terrible vocals out of KAN, but the rest of the song is still too repetitive and kind of annoying to me with how much they say ~pop~ in the song. The song could be cute, but I barely noticed the new members and mostly heard Akari, Karin, Tomoko, Sayuki, Ruru, and Manaka. It’s not that great to be honest, but at least it’s more doable versus the original KAN cut.
Predictions from 2019
I wanna say that Riai and Yume’s actual first single (that isn’t a blah re-release) will be pretty strong and will show more of what they’re capable of. I don’t think they’ll add more members, but I do think Kanatomo may be thinking of graduation if not Miyamoto as well (with her surge of solo content she’s been performing).
Actuality: First off, I don’t think the single this year really pushed the two new members in the spotlight, primarily because it was Karin’s last single so the focus had to be on her, which meant I was right on her leaving, and she’s going to do solo work (well that was the plan if she had graduated in her original date and not in December). Though, it seems Reirei will be placed in the group and considering she’s already like a strong vocalist, I think we’ll see a LOT from her next year.
Predictions for 2021: More singles to be honest since they had a pretty small 2020 in releases. Though, I hope Rei’s debut into the group goes smoothly, vocally and with a good single at that. I still can see Tomoko announcing graduation though so we’ll see with that.
Kobushi Factory
Not even a week past the new year and we get the shocking announcement that Kobushi Factory after having a really strong sophomore album were calling it a day at the end of March. It seems that the members all kind of just wanted to do other things (Hamaura, Nomura, and Hirose went elsewhere, Wada retired, and Inoue would remain in H!P).
The group did release their final single, Seishun no Hana / Start Line at the beginning of March and rode it out to the end to a rather sad final live as they couldn’t perform in front of a crowd due to COVID-19.
Post-disbandment mostly revolved around Rei Inoue joining Juice=Juice, but as of the end of the year, haven’t released anything as part of the group quite yet.
OK SONGS
Start Line – As for the other A-side, Start Line definitely had the blood of being one of the many, many H!P songs where it’s rockin’ and fit for live performances to have the crowd get energized. Though this being the last song from them, Start Line has a bit of a similar drive like “Shalala! Yareru Hazu sa”, “TEKI”, and “Dokan to BREAK!” in it. It’s great to see again all 5 members singing and they are sounding incredibly strong here (especially Sakurako, Ayano, and Minami). Still, it’s a rather bittersweet song and was a good way to close things out.
MEH SONGS
Seishun no Hana – Being as this is the group’s last single, I wasn’t surprised that the group would finish their time together off with a song like Seishun no Hana. That said, the song wasn’t put off like a ballad like “Kobushi no Hana” was, but it wasn’t quite as upbeat like “Haru Urara” was. Sadly, that meant the song didn’t do much for me and considering the tune wasn’t a big song nor had big moments made me feel as if the song was just flat-lined. I do appreciate the song having lots of solos for all 5 members though, but the song is one of those ~la la la~ songs too. Just wasn’t a great track for me.
Predictions from 2019
It’s still a mystery what’s really going on in Kobushi Factory, I mean they’re still doing fine as the 5 and no one seems to be truly close to graduation, so anything can really happen for them (3 singles maybe?)
Actuality: Ok, so I was completely wrong with this and nothing I said came to fruition because they simply announced their disbandment, one single and that was that. Sad to see that they did end up having to call it quits since I felt they were getting much better after “Kobushi Dai Ni Maku”. Well at least they left some good releases and Rei is in J=J so it’s not all bad right?
Tsubaki Factory
It’s super strange to say that of the groups in H!P this year, Tsubaki Factory (and Morning Musume, but Tsubaki had more songs out) had the most released with just two singles. It started with their January single, Ishiki Takai Otome no Dilemma / Dakishimerarete Mitai (which marked Kiki’s return after her hiatus) and then their September single, Dansha-ISM / Ima Nanji?
Thought the rest of the year would be safe for the group, but in October, a little after their 2nd single released, H!P announced that Risa Ogata would be going on a hiatus due to some scandals involving her writing about members and etc. on blogs. Though towards the end of the year (Dec. 28th), it was announced that she had made the decision to leave the group and H!P, but stay under Up-Front…damn that sucks.
GREAT SONGS
Hair up Sora e! – I was wondering when Tsubaki was going to release this and was shocked it took them this long to get there (since “Mou Saikou!” released earlier last year. Another song tied to the TROLLS series, Hair up Sora e! is of course a cover song (“Hair in the Air”) sung in Japanese and Tsubaki did a pretty good job here! I mean yeah, it’s a 2 minute song basically, but it’s fun, sounds good and the group while in unison makes it feel lively together.
Ima Nanji? – LOL, it was funny that some of those synths in this A-side kind of gave me vibes to Momusu’s “Wakaindashi!” for whatever reason. I’m kind of surprised the group was going to give us another light affair here like their last single. Though the building of the song is actually a lot more smoother and mixes some beats. Even the vocals sound good here even from the back singers. There were some parts that made me think of “Fuwari, Koi Dokei” but still, this was a rather neat song for them!
Koi no UFO Catcher – As for the other B-side, Koi no UFO Catcher was the one that stuck to me moreso on this single (although after some time, “Ima Nanji?” ended up surpassing it. This track is pretty cute too like “My Darling”, but there’s a little more lean on synthwork and horns and yet the hook is pretty fun to hear and the chorus is just so goood here! Nice surprise to get from Tsubaki!
OK SONGS
Ishiki Takai Otome no Dilemma – I have to be honest and say I had totally forgot the two A-sides that made up the first single for the year. Ishiki Takai Otome no Dilemma was a total blank though, but I was kind of surprised returning to the song because it had some fluttery piano lines that kind of made me think of Momusu’s “Toki wo Koe Sora wo Koe” and “The Vision”. I will say the best parts of the song was the pre-chorus with them surprisingly nice high notes, but that chorus is a little weird turning into a shuffling dance track. I mean it’s a nice track and something Tsubaki hasn’t pulled off yet, so it’s a grower.
Dansha-ISM – Ugh, this song had all the workings for it to work with me and yet somehow it disappointed me. Like, I REALLY LOVE the intro to the song with the robo-voices and EDM groove with a little mix of electric guitar to make a cool sound. Even the verses were quick and gave me a cool vibe that something like “Sankaime no Date Shinwa” did last year. Though like with what happened with ANGERME’s “Kagiri Aru Moment”, the chorus DOES NOT work being as upbeat and cheery as it is and it’s literally the reason it’s not higher. Like I even noticed Kisora and Ami here for once YAY! Still, other than the chorus, the rest of the song worked!
My Darling ~Do you love me?~ – I mean considering it was the last non-OST release of the year, the B-sides were going to either fly by or stick and luckily the two found on their 2nd single were pretty good. My Darling was done by Takui Nakajima and so I was definitely curious to see what he had and the song is pretty cute to say the least. Vocally decent, so pretty memorable lines and the chorus is catchy too. Kind of wondering what style this is, but it’s pleasant and worked well with the group.
MEH SONGS
Dakishimerarete Mitai – As for the other A-side, Dakishimerarete Mitai definitely was giving me a mix of “Teion Yakedo” and “Junjou cm” and a little of “Hatsukoi Sunrise” here. It almost felt like the song was kind of running the typical H!P route here and it’s kind of why I ended up forgetting about it. Coming back, still leaves me with little impression and it’s just not Tsubaki Factory at their best.
Nineteen no Shinkirou – Yeah, I know I took a look at it last year, but this seemed to be added on as a B-side for their first single of the year and all it is is that Kiki is now in the song versus the (“’19 Summer Ver.). Nothing much has changed otherwise about it, so it pretty much remains the same where my opinion lies. It somehow doesn’t sit well with me, especially that ~yurate, yurate, yurate~ hook is kind of annoying and somehow manages to feel like it doesn’t fit the song. I suppose the arrangement is nice, but yeaaah no.
Predictions from 2019
3 singles, especially since they’re the first group to release a single in 2020, so I hope UFP doesn’t get lazy!
Actuality: 2 singles, though it wasn’t for UFP being lazy, it was the pandemic that was at the heart of the problem.
Predicitions for 2021: More releases still, though after this whole Risamaru situation, I’m kind of wondering how the group dynamics will shift since she was a front voice for the group. Maybe some of the back members will get some push?
BEYOOOOONDS
Wow, you would think the newest group would push forward and make a name for themselves, but they DID NOT release anything this year besides an OST mini-album for their Ara-BEYOOOOONDS Nights stageplay in November. Besides that yeah, they did release a PV for a song called “Vitamin ME!”, but no actual release…
Predictions from 2019
With BEYOOOOONDS now passed their first album, I feel like UFP will promote them a lot in 2020 hopefully with no losses and maybe a name for the trio (it’ll be funny what they’ll do with their song should it happen). Not sure if RFRO or CHICA#TETSU will get their own release, but I’d like to see a dual release.
Actuality: Yeah, LITERALLY NONE OF THIS HAPPENED
Predictions for 2021: ANYTHING…why UFP didn’t release a single for BEYOOOOONDS is beyond me and just the lack of presence from them makes me worry into the next year. Just anything would be great! Luckily they did announce a new single in 2021…but still wow.
Hello Pro Kenshuusei / Kenshuusei Hokkaido / Kenshuusei Unit
Yeah, no surprise that pandemic also affected the Kenshuusei and they really didn’t do too much beyond a couple performances and a delayed Recital Test and still with 5 unreleased songs.
Most of the action was in the form that Hokkaido members, Ririka Hashimoto and Hina Shibuya had decided to end their training in April while in June, Hokkaido member Karin Nishimura went on hiatus for sickness, leaving Ishiguri as the only active Hokkaido member (Kawano is still in hiatus, making it almost 2 years now).
Though surprise that Shion Tamenaga passed the ANGERME auditions and joined them in early November.
and then a couple days later, new Kenshuusei joined; Ichika Arisawa & Sakura Ishiyama
That was pretty much it for Kenshuusei news in the year, the KSS Unit didn’t do a whole lot either, but they still were performing with one another so that’s a good thing.
Other H!P Releases
So there was a little bit released outside of the groups, but not a whole lot in new songs.
Since there wasn’t a PB last year, they kind of released Petit Best 20 2020 in the new year, but it wasn’t like any previous entry in the series, this time it was a member-picked compilation album that was filled with songs throughout the company’s history. It did only come with one new track though, but I did appreciate the 3-disc set!
The other four releases were just digital tracks released in solos. The first is Kiiroi Sen no Uchigawa de Narande Omachi Kudasai, a new track sung by Tomoko Kanazawa (she actually performed this in her solo tour earlier in the year with 6 other unreleased tracks). Curious why she hasn’t released the others, but this’ll do.
The 2nd was the graduation track for Mizuki Murota and sadly it was just a solo take of an ANGERME song, Kimi Dake ja nai sa…friends (Acoustic Ver.). Not really the most interesting graduation song, but this was released and announced on short notice so that’s fine.
Towards the end of the year, we got the other two digital singles, one from Musubu Funaki (a cover of an ANGERME song), Kaeritakunai na. and one from Karin Miyamoto, Mirai no Filament which was used in a show back in April (still ongoing).
OK SONGS
Complex ni Sayonara! – As the lone new song found from “Petit Best 20 2020”, this was an odd one because we’ve known this song for over a year. Curious, it’s sung by a unit named Mini’s.? (Moe Kamikokuryo, Chisaki Morito, Musubu Funaki, and Reina Yokoyama). They were created to promote a book of the same name of the track (which included Yurina Kumai). Now the song doesn’t include Yurina and just from hearing the synthy arrangement and upbeat nature, it gives me slight Minimoni vibes and it kind of makes sense since the group is made of shorter girls (a thing Minimoni was created on). The song is definitely cutesy and boppy, but it’s been a while since we’ve had a song like this so it seems so uncharacteristic to hear some of these members going cute. Still, it’s kind of catchy and sticks out for the year to me.
Kiiroi Sen no Uchigawa de Narande Omachi Kudasai – When I heard Tomoko performed new songs, I was curious to the reason why she had like 7 songs and yet only one of them released digitally. I do always like hearing Kanatomo’s vocals and this song has a light Spanish flair mixed in with those husky vocals. It’s not a very strong song to remember it by, but I did like it enough to say it wasn’t boring either. Decent!
Kaeritakunai na. – It seems to be a trend that ANGERME girls get a solo track for their graduation whether or not it’s a cover. For Funakki’s song it’s actually a cover of an album track from ANGERME’s “Rinnetenshou” album and it’s an odd choice considering that while it does start off like a ballad, it does grow into more of a mid-tempo dance track. I will say comparing to Ayacho who originally opened the song, Musubu sounds a lot better overall and her voice has always impressed me so it just kind of filled the song more than the original. Still not the best song in their discography, but for Funakki, this worked well!
Mirai no Filament – I’m surprised it took them this long to release this track especially since it’s kind of being used as Karin’s graduation song here. The song itself is kind of pleasant and soft of a track featuring lots of acoustic guitar and some synths and other small things. It’s not a bad track, but maybe on the same vein as her last solo track she released last year.
MEH SONGS
Kimi Dake ja nai sa…friends (Acoustic Ver.) – Like I mentioned, this release was very last minute, actually I think it was announced and released right after Murotan’s graduation was said and done for. Hearing this version of Kimi Dake ja nai sa…friends was better than the original IMO since I liked the atmosphere and mood. Though now with Murotan only, she’s literally the only one with lines (although I think the rest of the group do harmonies behind her in the final chorus). Sadly, it isn’t quite as fulfilling like the group take of the song and it kind of bored me.
Gains / Losses
Gains
Rei Inoue (to Juice=Juice)
Rin Kawana
Wakana Matsumoto
Shion Tamenaga (to ANGERME)
Ichika Ariyama
Sakura Ishiyama
Losses
Mizuki Murota
Ayaka Hirose
Minami Nomura
Ayano Hamaura
Sakurako Wada
Ririka Hashimoto
Hina Shibuya
Haruka Oota
Musubu Funaki
Karin Miyamoto
Risa Ogata
My H!P Member Ranking for 2020
BEYOOOOONDS (as all of them didn’t release anything, so they are exempt from this)
49. Haruka Oota (+14)
48. Rin Kawana (NEW)
47. Shion Tamenaga (NEW)
46. Wakana Matsumoto (NEW)
45. Chisaki Morito (-16)
44. Homare Okamura (+21)
43. Mizuki Murota (-34)
42. Rin Hashisako (+19)
41. Erina Ikuta (+12)
40. Kisora Niinuma (0)
39. Ayano Kawamura (+25)
38. Ayumi Ishida (+18)
37. Momona Kasahara (+25)
36. Mei Yamazaki (+13)
35. Saori Onoda (+11)
34. Rikako Sasaki (-11)
33. Reina Yokoyama (+27)
32. Ami Tanimoto (+25)
31. Rio Kitagawa (+24)
30. Akane Haga (+5)
29. Riko Yamagishi (+25)
28. Minami Nomura (-3)
27. Sakurako Wada (-8)
26. Ayano Hamaura (+10)
25. Maria Makino (+26)
24. Mao Akiyama (+4)
23. Ayaka Hirose (-16)
22. Riai Matsunaga (+17)
21. Akari Uemura (-1)
20. Kiki Asakura (+1)
19. Miki Nonaka (+15)
18. Yume Kudo (+20)
17. Rei Inoue (-5)
16. Moe Kamikokuryo (-3)
15. Kaede Kaga (-9)
14. Layla Ise (+38)
13. Manaka Inaba (+19)
12. Karin Miyamoto (+14)
11. Mizuho Ono (+4)
10. Masaki Sato (+6)
9. Risa Ogata (+10)
8. Sayuki Takagi (0)
7. Yumeno Kishimoto (+4)
6. Ruru Dambara (-2)
5. Mizuki Fukumura (0)
4. Tomoko Kanazawa (-1)
3. Akari Takeuchi (-1)
2. Musubu Funaki (+8)
1. Sakura Oda (0)
Kenshuusei
Minori Kawano
Karin Nishimura
Sakura Ishiyama
Ichika Arisawa
Hasumi Uemura
Honoka Hashida
Ruli Hiromoto
Kisaki Ebata
Runo Yofuu
Miku Nishizaki
Ichigo Yamada
Natsume Nakayama
Yulia Matsubara
Ayana Murakoshi
Madoka Saito
Yuki Hirayama
Nanami Kubota
Momo Kitahara
Karin Onoda
Kirara Yonemura
Kanami Ishiguri
AND THERE YOU HAVE IT! Yeah, 2020 was a really empty year for H!P so here’s hoping we get something strong for 2021 at least!
So after all that mess that was 2009, it was time to take a breather and slow down a little bit…right? Well, let’s jump into the year that was 2010!!
Morning Musume
Wow, was Morning Musume busy this year! Coming after Koharu Kusumi’s graduation last year, the group moved forward and started their 2010 in February with the single, Onna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai before following up with a new album the month after, ⑩ MY ME.
Skip to June where Morning Musume went off to perform in France and released a best album there, Morning Musume Best of Singles Japan Expo Limited Edition. Which is basically their previous best album (minus “Pepper Keibu” and “Morning Musume no Hyokkori Hyoutanjima”) and added another disc of singles released after it to current times (and a new song in “Tomo”) on top of a new single in general, released a week later, Seishun Collection.
August comes around and a lot of news dropped like new auditions for new members to the triple whammy graduation that Eri Kamei, Junjun, and Linlin had announced for in December.
Though they would get 3 more releases with the first being a special tie-in to a sushi chain in October, Appare Kaitenzushi! Though the group was going by a different name, Muten Musume (which is Morning Musume so that was interesting). Then was the actual graduation single for the 3, Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game in November and the group’s 2ND STUDIO ALBUM IN THE YEAR, Fantasy! Juuichi, released in December before the 3 ladies graduated. Oh and there was that digital single, Ramen Revolution 2010 Long Type released on the same day as the album.
Then it became just the 5 (Ai-chan, Gaki, Sayu, Reina, and Mittsi) for the remainder of the year, the smallest the group has been not since the group debuted with the 1st Generation.
GREAT SONGS
Moonlight night ~Tsukiyo no Ban da yo~ – As the first song off 10 MY ME, Moonlight night kicks things off with a short intro, before jumping into a pretty cool dance track for the group. Add on the beats, the vocals (especially Ai-chan and Eri’s over-dramatic tones they set in the verses). Of course it’s the main 4 singing (with the final line interestingly going to Sayumi who’s under some filter here…kind of sounded cool). Honestly, like “Genki+” & “SONGS”, this was another great song to open the album with!
Ookii Hitomi – I was wondering when the album would begin splitting the group up into the smaller units and we begin with Ookii Hitomi (the 6th track) with Eri, Sayumi, and Reina together (seems like the album is pairing them off by Generations). Their song is pretty electronic in arrangement and a little bit anison as well. Hell, Sayumi is under some heavy auto-tune in the song (This album was like the birth of Robo-Sayu, it seems). Of course Reina and Eri gave superb performances and Sayu sounded really unique in her computerized vocals. Really good track I’d say.
Appare Kaitenzushi! – When the whole idea of Muten Musume came around, fans were still kind of dealing with the shock of 3 members graduating at the end of the year and were confused with what it was about so when this single came out, I think everyone was a little bit dismissive of it. To me, the song is upbeat and kind of ridiculous in the way that the song is focused on Sushi xD. Vocals are nice too, everyone getting a line and they sound alive and having a good time. Surprisingly good (even better that Riho Sayashi loved this song to perform it, a rarity seen!)
Aisaresugiru Koto wa nai no yo – Oh man, the trio’s last B-side though was something else completely, almost 90’s but kind of its own thing entirely which is amazing. Hell, I was so surprised to see Aika have the first solo in the verses and she sounded SO GOOD with it. Plus I loved hearing Eri, Junjun, and Linlin belt it out in their solos within the choruses. It’s just a powerful dance track and one of my favorite B-sides of all time!
Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game (AL ver.) – Yeah, no surprise, but I REALLY loved how they changed the song a bit for the album, Fantasy! Juuichi. Since it was the first song on the album, the first noticeable change was the extended intro with strings, but even better was the upgrades in the verses where the song pauses, first time was lengthened, but the second time, Ai-chan went for dramatic holds like it was nothing and made the song 100 times stronger for it, definitely the much preferred version.
Fantasy ga Hajimaru – I’m feeling that H!P is starting getting into EDM more and more as we enter the time-field where it was starting to become a huge thing. We see the return of Robo-Sayu here and it’s just clicking for me in such a good way, who knew Sayumi would suit the vocoder/auto-tune/filter so smoothly! I mean there’s a lot of her in the song whereas Ai-chan and Reina are the sub-vocalists. I really do love the EDM arrangement here and is one of the better songs off the album!
Itoshiku Kurushii Kono Yoru ni – As we get closer to the end of the 11th album, I was hoping for another song that’ll catch me by surprise and I would say this track was it, still not as good as “Fantasy ga Hajimaru” though. The song is a lighter track for sure, almost kind of poppish with a light dance sound, though what caught me was Eri’s opening line (she sounded great) and continued to do so. Lil bummed that it’s just the main 4 with solos, but it’s still a pretty solid song regardless.
OK SONGS
Onna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai – As the first single after Koharu’s graduation, I was wondering if the loss will move the group towards something fresh and I kind of get the feeling they did, but the song is a little too busy for me. It’s upbeat and full of vanity, but the arrangement is just busy with that acoustic guitar/sawblade synths mixture on top of the wacky violin solo in the bridge. Of course it’s mostly Ai-chan, Reina, Kame, and Gaki as per usual and they sound great, but yeah I wanted to see more of everyone else too. Messy song, but it’s decent, just not one of the bests out of the group.
Nakidasu Kamo Shirenai yo – As for the B-side from “Onna ga Medatte…”, the song took more of a simplistic route instead going for more of an R&B vibe this time and it suited the vocals in a better light as well. Even better all 8 members do have solos here which is great and seeing more Junjun this time is great! Though I can’t help that the song’s lack of melody and mood was memorable enough and that piano solo in the bridge like the violin from its A-side was awkward here too. I don’t know, but this was OK, but it was at least a bit better than “Onna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai”.
Namidacchi – It’s kind of funny that they put this song so early on the album when it’s kind of a bittersweet song that’s kind of been used in graduations since then. At first with the quiet beginnings and slow start, it would’ve stayed a ballad, but by the time it gets to its choruses, the song just opens up and becomes like a perfect live encore song (not like something like “Dekkai Uchuu ni Ai ga Aru” or “Aozora no Itsumademo…”, kind of just suits the group well or a song. Not bad, it is a little Jekyll/Hyde in styles and transitions, but it’s grown on me.
Ano Hi ni Modoritai – Ai-chan and Gaki are next in line and their song is decent to say the least, but didn’t we just have this kind of song in their last album, “Take off is now!” and “Jounetsu no Kiss wo Hitotsu”? I guess the strings are a nice touch, but it feels like we’e been here before with the same members (without Reina lulz). Not bad, but not exactly memorable either.
Ame no Furanai Hoshi de wa Aisenai Darou? (Chinese Ver.) – Ending the album off, we get a Chinese take of a song that was from Morning Musume’s last album, “Platinum 9 DISC” where there’s more solo lines for both Junjun and Linlin! Though the lyrics are actually a cover of Ice Creamusume’s version (this song’s whole story is bizarre to be quite honest). Though it’s not as youthful sounding as the latter’s version, this one follows more musically behind the Japanese take from Momusu. I don’t even think Momusu is here and it’s just Junjun/Linlin as a duet. It’s fine, more unique since it is the two Chinese members in Momusu tackling the song.
Kurazushi Bikkurapon! – As for the B-side from Muten Musume’s single, I had TOTALLY completely forgot about it and was curious to see how it went returning to listening to it. It does sound a little more ska-like in genre, but there’s something missing here and it’s sung in unison which kind of sucks a little. It’s not bad though, just not as good as the A-side.
Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game – As we are on the final single to include Eri, Junjun, and Linlin, I was wondering what would be done for their graduation and this song was pretty unique I’d say giving us a little bit of a Russian jig almost in style. The song was pretty neat and while Eri got a LOT of voice-time here, Junjun & Linlin did get a solo too. Good song overall, though there is a good reason it’s in this section and not the great…
Ai no Honoo – On the group’s 11th album, we get solo tracks this time, the first coming from Reina. It starts off like your typical ballad, but it does build up to be more of an R&B ballad with some light beats and pretty acoustic guitar to go along with the acoustic guitar and some other small instrumentation here. Does sound pretty and Reina does a good job singing along, but it’s nothing I’ll remember sadly.
I’m Lucky girl – Getting back to more group songs, I’m Lucky girl seems like the pretty typical dance track that pumps up the crowd. I mean it’s nothing like “Bravo!” with the rock elements, but this is more synth based if anything. Little happy to see Sayu and Junjun get solos alongside the 4 mains, but it’s also a little towards the lower end of the OK spectrum as it doesn’t really stand out to me either.
Sungoi My Birthday – Heading into another group track, I was surprised we got to break away from a heavy Ai-chan and Reina center to having a little more focus on Aika, Junjun, and even Linlin here for this song (granted, everyone does get solos in the track). I just wish they were given something less cute (since it has been a staple for them for the last couple albums, “Guruguru JUMP” and “Osaka Umainen”). Though it’s nice to see the rest of the group here, I suppose.
Denwa de ne – As the final new track on the album (“Seishun Collection” actually ends the album”), Denwa de ne is actually another solo track, once again set for Ai-chan. Of course we know she can handle songs on her own. The tune is OK, like “Ai no Honoo” doesn’t stick with me and because it’s a solo track. less so. Though it’s not terrible.
Ramen Revolution 2010 Long Type – I wasn’t sure what the deal was with this digital single, but it seemed it was promoting Ramen of course and to add more strangeness reworked “Renai Revolution 21” for this parody track. It’s funny and I do love they still used the original Momusu composition here with just different lyrics. Sad this “long type” is only 2 minutes long though…
MEH SONGS
Genki Pikappika! – As the song from the album that kind of unofficially got a PV, but it was more of a beach vid for them. Something about the song felt off for me, but I did like the synth used in the no-vocals sections of the song, but I don’t know, it felt kind of generic to me. I mean once again Ai, Reina, Risa, and Eri only get the solos which is starting to bother me more and more. It’s kind of a typical summer-idol song, though it’s funny since I don’t think H!P did many of them, so it’s weird to say it’s generic, but it just doesn’t feel like a H!P song.
Osaka Umainen – Onto 8th Gen’s song together, Osaka Umainen is definitely the strangest track off the album. It sets Aika, Junjun, and Linlin to sing in a totally different way which sounds like humor is being involved here, but it sounded strange and the trio sounds more the awkward to me. The song does feel upbeat and silly, but this song I don’t think was really fitting for the album TBH.
Loving you forever – As the final actual new track on the album (featuring all the members), Loving you forever, like “Genki Pikappika!” is definitely giving me some generic vibes here with the whole mid-tempo acoustic vibe going on. Though it is nice that all members get a decent solo in it, but this one just bores me sadly. Not sure why it’s come off as a sleepy song, but it just did nothing for me.
Tomo – Yeah, it’s a little weird I’m putting Tomo here before “Seishun Collection”, but it did technically release officially first on the French best-of album so damn. Anyways, this track and it’s eventual sister A-sides are both kind of the upbeat, sappy, hopeful song and those kind of tracks bore me to death (exception of course being “Aruiteru”. This was just generic fluff to me, though I did appreciate all 8 members getting a solo during the 2nd verse, but otherwise boring and vanilla.
Seishun Collection – Which bled into the A-side that was released like a week later. Not sure why, but the song is giving me “Genki Pikappika!” vibes without the nice synth lines and instead violin melodies. This was also definitely a track that kind of paralleled “Aruiteru” with the positive feelings and joyous nature of it all. Though I did find it funny they kept going for ~seishun correction~. When it comes to their A-sides, I feel like I always tend to forget about this one.
Bravo! – I feel like we get plenty of these upbeat rock songs that are meant to pump the crowd up, but I think we had that with “Namidacchi”? This one does feel a bit like something for either Berryz or C-ute for that matter too and the song doesn’t quite stand out for me either considering Ai-chan only gets solos in the track so it kind of failed on that respect too. Not really a good album track.
Onna Gokoro to Nanto Yara – Seems like the new tracks on Fantasy! Juuichi are so far disappointing me in some fashion. Onna Gokoro to Nanto Yara tries for more of a cuter side to the group’s sound and boy does it come off kind of slow and boring more of the time. No surprise that the main 4 vocalists are in the front. It’s a little too hokey for me and not much stands out here.
1 Kara 10 Made Aishite Hoshii – I’m not sure what the group was trying to accomplish out of this song in particular because it really felt quite generic compared to majority of the album. It immediately gives a B-side kind of feeling and the synth horns and funk riffs definitely felt familar in other songs. With only Ai, Risa, and Reina with solos, the song just felt vanilla and boring on the album.
Overall: With all that’s been going on with Morning Musume this year, chaotic is probably the best word I would say about the group this year, 2 full albums, 2 singles, a digital single and 3 members who graduated in the year! What a wild shift it has become. While I wouldn’t say that it was a great year (Fantasy! Juuichi is kind of a huge disappointment to me), the rest was solid and now with the group at 5, makes me wonder what’ll happen next!
Berryz Kobo
Berryz in 2010 seem to have kept things pretty leveled through the year with nothing to do with members, but releasing music, 3 singles and an album to be precise! They kicked 2010 off with their March single, Otakebi Boy WAO! / Tomodachi wa Tomodachi Nanda! which was followed up at the end of the same month with their album, 6th Otakebi Album.
The rest of the year was for the other two singles; July’s Maji Bomber!! and November’s Shining Power.
And that was that!
GREAT SONGS
Otakebi Boy WAO! – With Berryz starting to bleed into the Anime scene again, this time with Inazuma Eleven, Otakebi Boy WAO! is kind of a good fighting song and cheer track for the group. It’s a little more aggressive of a song and asks for some of the members (Risako & Momoko) to do vocal growls in some of the lyrics which is pretty rad to see. Even Yurina seemed to fit with her deep vocals here. It’s such a wacky, but rather badass song for the group!
Grand Demo Rouka Medatsu Kimi – Another duet track, this time between Yurina & Maasa. I wasn’t prepared that they would end up getting the futuristic anison theme-sounding track on the album. Despite obvious struggling in the track (Maasa and Yurina are def not made for higher notes like the other members are), the song is kind of cute and ridiculously catchy and a surprise match-up for the album. I’m not sure why it stuck to me when I first reviewed this album long ago, but it just was and still is a permanent fixture on my iPod.
Shining Power – As their last A-side released in the year, Shining Power is a bit more brass-centric and in your face, but has a nice fun side to it that caught my attention. Though what’s bigger is that Yurina is the vocal lead here and yeah, she stands out due to her vocals which I can’t tell have gotten better or worse since the last album. Regardless, the rest of the group still sound good and the chorus (while slightly robotic), is nice and it definitely made me tap my toes to it a LOT! Shockingly decent.
OK SONGS
Tomodachi wa Tomodachi Nanda! – As the other A-side off the first single of the year, Tomodachi wa Tomodachi Nanda! is a lighter affair and has much more of cutesy side to it in comparison to “Otakebi Boy WAO!”. Initially, it’s kind of like Momusu’s “1 Kara 10 Made Aishite Hoshii” with the hop-skippy beat and synth horns in it. I do like we get to hear more of all the members here too which kind of makes it the fitting cute song it is. It’s pretty good coming back to this one!
Ai ni wa Ai Desho – For most of the new album tracks, most were split between smaller groupings once again! For the first new track on the album, this is actually a duet between Momoko and Miyabi and the song itself isn’t too far from sounding like a Buono! track (of course without Airi). Has a bit more of synthy groove instead of a pop/rock sound, but there’s just something nice about this but considering most fans were used to the 2 in Buono! this would’ve worked out well regardless.
Yakimochi wo Kudasai! – Last of the new tracks, Yakimochi wo Kudasai! features Risako, Saki, and Chinami together for this kind of pop/rock track that’s a little bit on the cuter side when you count in the synths throughout. Not gonna lie, it’s a weird sound for a weird set of girls to sing together. Risako’s nasal tones, Chinami’s squeakier tone, and Saki’s more nasal tones too, it’s a bit of a farfetched song. Not bad, but I think this could’ve been for Momoko and Miyabi instead.
Maji Bomber!! – After the album, Maji Bomber!! brings Berryz another Inazuma Eleven track and it’s pretty much a Buono! song in arrangement with a head-poundin’ atmosphere about it. I still don’t know what to think about the group yelling the chorus out like that, but I do appreciate the sheer energy this song gives it and it’s still a popular track amongst H!P so it definitely stood the test of time. Not a bad song though for Berryz!
MOON POWER – As the B-side from “Maji Bomber!!”, MOON POWER kind of takes a more space-like route, not like disco pop “Ryuusei Boy”, but kind of a typical H!P sound track with a little more going on. I really did enjoy hearing the back girls sing a lot of it and the chorus while made me think of Momusu’s “Shouganai Yume Oibito”, it’s still a pretty fun track to listen to.
Otakebi Boy WAO! (Spark Ver.) – So “Maji Bomber!!” actually came with an extra track if you got the Regular edition of the single and it’s an alternate version of the song where the arrangement is more punkish and rockin’ than the original. To be honest, it is a little sad that it wasn’t resung to fit the style so it does come off feeling slightly tacky, but I think it works with the A-side’s style. Just doesn’t quite live up to the original.
MEH SONGS
Kimi no Tomodachi – At first, I did kind of like the sound of Kimi no Tomodachi (one of 2 new full-group tracks from the album), I was enjoying the quiet pace and light R&B flavor this tune was giving off, especially since each member gets a solo here. Though, the transition into its chorus was pretty jarring and the shuffling sound kind of gets in the way as well, making it feel awkward at points. Not really a song I enjoyed TBH. Oh yeah, weird spoken dialogue in the bridge…why?
Kibou no Yoru – As the other new group track on the album, somehow Kibou no Yoru disappointed me even further than “Kimi no Tomodachi” did. It’s kind of a mid-tempo ballad for the most part and most of it is sung in unison (with flashes of Risako solos). Dunno why, but it just did nothing for me.
Chotto Samishii na – Did they somehow manage to combine “Tomodachi wa Tomodachi Nanda!” and “Kibou no Yoru” to get this track? Wasn’t expecting a song like this to be a B-side off of “Shining Power”, but it’s literally what it sounds like to me when I first heard it. I think this suits the group as an ENCORE song more than anything else, I do like the solos, but the rest kind of just flies over my head. Not that memorable, I suppose.
Overall: Really not much to say here, Berryz had a pretty decent year of releases and while the album didn’t have many new tracks, I’d say for the most they did well…I think the girls are settled into their grown-up vocals, maybe except Yurina…but still good year!
°C-ute
After the craziness of last year, C-ute marched on forward with their releases, starting with January’s SHOCK! before their aptly titled 5th album, Shocking 5 dropped in February.
Then came the rest of the singles, Campus Life ~Umarete Kite Yokatta~ (April), Dance de Bakoon! (August), a stageplay single for their Akuma no Tsubuyaki play, Akuma de Cute na Seishun Graffiti (October) and Aitai Lonely Christmas (December) and that was that for their 2010.
GREAT SONGS
Shochuu Omimai Moushiagemasu (H22 Remix) – It is pretty sad that the album’s best track is a damn remix of an A-side (which is also a cover, mind you as well). Besides “Bye Bye Bye!” and “SHOCK!” the only other dance-like song is simply a crazy remix. It’s so bizarre because it doesn’t fit anywhere on the album really going for a strong EDM vibe with the verses bringing 8-bit to the mix as well. There are parts that are so weird, but honestly compared to the original C-ute cover, this is pretty damn funny and I loved it!
Tachiagare Otome-tachi – At least the B-side from “Campus Life” had a bit more going for it. I really like the Indian vibes here and the mysterious drive behind. I also love finally we get solos for everyone so the song feels a little more full. It’s not the punchiest song of the bunch, but I feel like at least it’s catchy and the hook was pretty neat too.
Dance de Bakoon! – OMG YAY! An A-side that I actually really liked from C-ute in the year! Actually in a funny way, Dance de Bakoon! kind of gave me the same vibes that “Maji Bomber!!” did for Berryz. What I mean is that both songs are pretty high-energy rock tracks and just demands your attention which is what I felt C-ute REALLY needed with their last couple of releases. Seriously though, all 5 members shined in this one and I actually prefer this to Berryz’ rock track by a wide margin! It’s such an exciting song really gets me pumped up when I hear it live especially hearing that ~ja ja ja…ja ja ja ja ja!!~
OK SONGS
SHOCK! – As the first single of the year from the group, SHOCK! is of course the first single as a 5-nin since Erika and Kanna both left the group the year previous. When I first heard it, I kind of was liking the whole 007 / spy vibe of the track and the song sounds unique and pretty cool for the group. Though came the sad realization that the song is pretty much an Airi solo track and it was just bizarre and unnecessary to see the remaining 4 were just simple pushed way to the back for this one (even Airi in an interview before the group’s disbandment, admitted she wasn’t a huge fan of the decision either). I think it this had been resung to make the line distribution less Airi-heavy, it would’ve left a better impression than it did.
Aa Koi – Man you’d think they chill out with giving Airi solos, especially after “SHOCK!” and “Zansho Omimai Moushiagemasu”, but here we are with ANOTHER solo song for Airi. I will say though, this one does kind of stick out in a good way! Aa Koi was definitely made with Airi in mind with the rockin’ atmosphere, but has some synths and a little anime feel to it. I even loved the sick guitar solo in the bridge as well. Kind of a surprise to an otherwise disappointing album!
Shigatsu Sengen – It is rare to see H!P make an album song into a promotional track (as in it got a PV). I will say that I wasn’t expecting them to promote a ballad though with Shigatsu Sengen. I do like the intro with that kind of bluesy guitar riff and the beat is nice to sway to AND I appreciate all the girls getting solos throughout the song. It’s still a track that kind of flies over my head since it’s so laidback as a ballad and kind of cheesy in a way. Then again compared to the other new tracks on the album, it’s kind of sticking out in a good way XD.
Kore Ijou Kirawaretakunai no – When it came to “Dance de Bakoon!’s” B-side, I was definitely getting anison vibes from the chords and the pretty cool guitar riffs in this one. While it’s definitely a rock song that’s more for live performances to amp the crowd up, this one is pretty nice especially with solos everywhere and just the feel of the track is good even in recording. Decent B-side!
Akuma de Cute na Seishun Graffiti – This was an odd release because we haven’t seen an OST release in quite some time now (I think the last one was Nacchi’s stageplay?). Either way, it was released as a single, the track and its instrumental. Honestly, I knew the sound quality wouldn’t quite be like typical H!P standards so it does sound a little weird, but this is actually nice. Simple yeah, mostly in unison with the pre-chours/bridge having the solos for everyone. Arrangement-wise sounds a little cheap, but it’s poppy and catchy and it definitely was memorable.
Aitai Lonely Christmas – At the tail end of the year, we snuck in another C-ute single and just from the title, it’s a Christmas song, something we haven’t really had from H!P in a while. I wasn’t sure what that intro was with the piano, but it dove immediately into the chorus and it’s kind of catchy. Still, I get some anison vibes here, but it could be from the guitar here. That said, it’s not as boisterous as “Dance de Bakoon!”, but it’s kind of nice to hear here. Though that synthstorm for the bridge mixed with a cool guitar solo was definitely unusual but kind of badass in a way. Good Xmas song I’d say, something I wouldn’t expect, but enjoyed!
MEH SONGS
Ikiyouze! – The B-side from “SHOCK!” however is a little bit of a step down and it definitely felt heavily like a B-side. It’s kind of in an awkward pop/rock sound that has a little more cute to it, but it’s not fully energetic or in your face. I do appreciate Maimi getting solos here, but it’s her and Airi with solos and the rest get the hook of the song. Kind of a forgettable song to be honest.
The Party! – As the 2nd track off their album coming after “EVERYDAY Zekkouchou!!”, The Party! I was hoping was going to be something upbeat and more exciting, but The Party! is kind of more of the same like the aforementioned track, but a little more tame and with less solos (literally the song lacks any solos here). Not sure why H!P made this the 2nd track in the album because it’s just so lackluster and plain to me. Not very party-like now is it?
Lonely girl’s night – So to kind of even the playing field, since Airi had like 3 solo tracks on the album, Maimi actually got one too! However, Lonely girl’s night was kind of lowbrow and not really good at leaving a mark on me. Maimi sounds decent, but a little honky sounding in parts. I think the slight R&B/pop arrangement was not really kind to her very much. Yeah, not the best here.
Kimi no Senpou – You would think the other 3 girls would get solos, but nope they are all smushed together for this track, Kimi no Senpou and I go in between thinking it’s fine to questioning what does it bring to the album. It is kind of poppy enough for the 3 and while Saki and Mai aren’t quite good singing here while Chisato is kind of on her own almost vocally. Feels rather generic (like “Lonely girl’s night” ended up being). Honestly, it just doesn’t quite do much for me.
Yume ga Aru Kara – You would think they’d do more, but I suppose they closed Shocking 5 out with another ballad, but it lacks the flavor that “Shigatsu Sengen” has and we ended up with just a purely generic ballad from the group. No solos, the arrangement while is nice with piano & strings is just too plain for me to stick around for.
Campus Life ~Umarete Kita Yokatta~ – Did we just get this with “Kimi no Senpou” from the album? I swear the two songs sound pretty similar in styles which kind of disappointed me that they chose to go this route for the leading track. Granted Airi, Maimi, and Chisato get lines (Nakky get 3 words and Maimai doesn’t get any at all). I don’t know why, but this song made me yawn completely. I suppose it’s got a better beat, but this song just feels generic too!
Seishun! Mugen Power – To close out the year with the B-side from “Aitai Lonely Christmas”, Seishun! Mugen Power is kind of more of this pop/rock sound that I think I’d get more from Buono! more than anything else, though the horns are unique. That said, wasn’t expecting Mai and Saki to be leading the song together (basically singing together for the verses and chorus). The other 3 members get lines too within the chorus togehter, but they pale in comparison to the two leads. Not sure if I like that since the vocals are pretty pitchy and squeaky and the arrangement isn’t too noteworthy as well.
Overall: I feel like this was a year for C-ute to regroup and find their footing again after losing two members last year, it looked rocky because SHOCK! was WAY TOO focused on Airi and the Shocking 5 album sucked with its new tracks. They do seem to be slowly getting back to something exciting and worthwhile so I can’t wait to return to 2011~
Buono!
Buono! seemed to put some fans in worry this year! I mean things were pretty normal for the first couple months because we did get a new single in Our Songs in February followed a week later by their 3rd album, We are Buono!.
With Shugo Chara actually coming to end, many fans were worried that the trio would disband the group since the other two units, Shugo Chara Egg! and Guardians 4 were actually disbanding and there was a collective best album with the 3 units in March and then Buono! released their own best album, The BEST Buono! that came out in August too which didn’t help matters, but they did say they weren’t going to disband so…yay?
GREAT SONGS
One Way = My Way – As the opening song for their 3rd album, One Way = My Way is quite a way to start things up and better than the other two tracks that previously opened their first two albums by a REAL long shot. I even love the chorus moreso than I did with “MIRACLE HAPPY LOVE SONG”, it’s a pretty punkish track for them and it made me excited what’s in store for their 3rd outing.
Independent Girl ~ Dokuritsu Joshi de Aru Tame ni – Another banger comes in with Independent Girl and it hits a lot harder than “One Way = My Way”, but not quite as ridiculously powerful as “MY BOY” was either. It’s a pretty solid middle of a song and it feels a bit more raw and grungy than I would expect a Buono! song could be which is a nice change of pace. I quite enjoyed hearing the trio owning this song quite a bit! Plus, I REALLY liked Momoko in the song for sure! Awesome song!
Urahara – After 4 powerful songs on the album, Urahara comes in to slightly take things in a lighter route and yet it still keeps its rock sound intact too! The verses are the lighter parts giving us some nice acoustic vibes with a cute touch, but the chorus gets a little more progressive and it does feel a bit anison with the chords, but y’know what, it’s a really nice mix and the guitar solo was awesome too! Yeah, this was pretty damn good too!
Nakimushi Shounen (2010 mix version) – I think I heard the differences a little more with Nakimushi Shounen with the mastering updated to be able to hear more of the quirks in the arrangement. Even the opening is different, taking out the cymbal strikes in the beginning. Vocals are new, and this version just hits harder than the original and I LOVE IT! Really seemed to fit alongside everything else they’ve done especially alongside the 3rd album songs. Awesome update!
OK SONGS
Our Songs – When it comes to Our Songs, I feel like it’s kind of a basic rock song for our trio here for some reason. It feels like we’ve already heard this song before from them and with their last couple of singles, this was a little bit of a downgrade. On the flipside, it’s kind of like a pumped-up “Honto no Jibun” since it just has more guitar layers and the group is a bit more louder too. Not bad, but nothing we’ve hadn’t heard from them.
MIRACLE HAPPY LOVE SONG – Which can be also said for the B-side of the single as well that it’s kind of more or less what we have heard from Buono! thus far. Maybe it’s a little more melodic and has a stronger anison sound than “Our Songs” did. Plus, the chorus does come through slower and I hear a LOT of Airi and Miyabi here. It’s slightly better than the leading track, but it’s just a pretty good rock track from Buono!
Kataomoi. – After those 3 amazing new tracks from the album, I had figured there was going to be one eventually that I wouldn’t be as impressed with and that would be with Kataomoi. I don’t know why, but the energy here just doesn’t feel strong enough and almost felt dialed in if not for the rockin’ arrangement, but even then that’s not quite as vibrant sounding like “Urahara” or “Independent Girl” was. It isn’t terrible, but not quite at the same level.
Blue-Sky-Blue – With the next track on the album, Blue-Sky-Blue felt like it was trying to pull off the “Urahara” card again with the lighter atmosphere, but this time be a little more ethereal with it and with Airi and Miyabi holding those solo lines, it’s not bad at least. Momoko does the pre-chorus and the song ups the mood and then the chorus almost is like a retread. Still not bad, but not quite as good either.
Koucha no Oishii Mise – After all the pop/rock tracks on the album, I wasn’t expecting a full-on cutesy pop track for Koucha no Oishii Mise. Literally, there’s no rock elements to find here, just a sappy love song with mostly a synthpop groove. I think the ethereal call and response is great and it is nice to hear Buono! doing something a little more familiar to both C-ute and Berryz songs, but I think it’s a little weird in and amongst the other songs on the album, still nice though.
Tabidachi no Uta – Though if the trio was going to do a slower song, it would definitely sound like Tabidachi no Uta, the penultimate track off the album. Honestly, the slower tempo and pop/rock maybe Oasis-like sound fits them in a good way. I can definitely see this as a tour closer because it has those goodbye qualities for sure! Not bad!
We are Buono! ~ Buono! no Theme♡ – Ending off the album, we get Buono!’s theme song and it’s just as loud and brash and just a lot of fun to listen to. It’s kind of similar to the same vein of songs from “Buono!2” so it’s no wonder why I kind of dug it on this album! Surprising way to end the album, but a solid one indeed!
Rock no Kamisama (2010 mix version) – So on the best album 3 tracks were revised on it, not quite sure the reasoning behind it, but it’s of 3 songs off their first album. Rock no Kamisama came up first and honestly, I couldn’t really define the differences between the two. If I had to guess, it might have been resung and that’d make sense since all 3 members’ vocals have gotten better. Maybe the mastering was also updated too? Regardless not much was changed in opinion.
Last Forever (2010 mix version) – Seems the same case was made for Last Forever with them taking out the footsteps from the original, updating the arrangement and vocals and such. Like with “Rock no Kamisama” the changes are not that forward, so the song remains the same to me at the end of the day, nice sentimental sounding track from them, almost like “Blue-Sky-Blue” and Tabidachi no Uta”.
Overall: Considering their 3rd album is by far the best they’ve released, it worried me with the anime series coming to a close, but happy it was for naught as they announced they’d stay together to release more music! Best album was nice even if two A-sides were left off for some strange reason (“Gachinko de Ikou!” and “conomichi”). Still, a really good year for them!
Ongaku Gatas
So after a year break and losing Yuri Sawada on top of most of the members leaving H!P (but remaining as Up-Front members), Ongaku Gatas returned in March with a single in READY! KICK OFF!! which was released at the beginning of their tour, but sadly the end of the tour was when they closed down their site and disbanded.
OK SONGS
READY! KICK OFF!! – Kind of surprised after seeing Ongaku Gatas pretty much leave H!P after the Elder Club graduation, but I’m happy they did have one more song up their sleeves before disbandment with this track and it definitely was a cheer song more or less. Still disappointed that like “Come Together” the solos only belonged to Yossie, Rika, Mai, and Konkon leaving Miki, Arisa, and Minami forgotten otherwise. Still the track is fun and energetic and gets the crowd pumping so not all is lost.
Overall: Sad to see Ongaku Gatas disband, but the group was kind of on its last legs since leaving H!P and it started to feel like an afterthought (especially since Korenaga graduated Eggs a while back and Noto as well but both remained in the group. Literally the only reason I’m reviewing the single because A. the group was still together and B. Sengoku was still H!P at the time so I kind of had to. Interesting last single though.
Erina Mano
Pretty much Erina had a straightforward year with releases with nothing too strange or odd in timing. She began her 2010 with her February single, Haru no Arashi and followed that up with May’s Onegai Dakara… and September’s Genkimono de Ikou! ending the year off in November with her sophomore album effort, MORE FRIENDS.
GREAT SONGS
Onegai Dakara… – It’s like they took what went well with “Haru no Arashi” and pushed more with it. It’s a little more danceable and the sound is while a bit more serious in tone, it’s still pretty catchy overall. ManoEri sounds a little bit stronger here too which is probably the most surprising thing about the song is her vocals. Yeah definitely a strong A-side from Erina here!
OK SONGS
Haru no Arashi – After a pretty nice debut album, Erina returned with Haru no Arashi and it feels like she was slowly sliding into what H!P was kind of knee-deep in with the synth/pop sound they were utilizing at that time. Granted ManoEri is singing by herself so it did kind of feel slightly one-note, but the arrangement was helping things out. I will say that the chorus is actually kind of catchy and the ending of it was really nice! Not a bad way to kick off her sophomore era to be honest!
Hanakotoba – Going in to the coupling track from “Onegai Dakara…”, Hanakotoba is more of a slow burner of a track since it is more or less a step away from being a ballad. It feels like a track that could’ve been from “FRIENDS” since it’s slightly basic since it’s got acoustics, piano, percussion, and some light synths playing around as well. It’s a cute song though and has a sentimental feel to it which is appreciated!
Genkimono de Ikou! & Genkimono de Ikou~ (Giga Power Mix) – Seems like a lot of the H!P groups needed an upbeat rock song that would amp crowds up this year it seems, but I’m not upset because it seems Tsunku was hitting some gold with the songs. Though I do get some idol vibes here a LOT more than in “Maji Bomber!!” or “Dance de Bakoon!”. It does have solid energy and is fun for Erina and it shows! It did get updated when it came to the album, but the intro is different and there some extra quirks about it, I’m surprised the hook of the tune is actually front and center through the Giga Power Mix. Interesting opening song for the album though!
Dare ni mo Iwanai de – Next up is this tune and moving from a rockabilly song (“Gomen, Hanashitakatta Dake”) to something a bit more jazzy and lounge-like and slower is strange but here we are. Likewise, she still keeps the cutesyness going here and with the more relaxed genre at play, it kind of works here. I mean it could’ve used a little more sound in the arrangement, but I don’t think Erina did all that bad here. Still could’ve used a stronger arrangement, but it’s not bad, even that whispering section was nice to listen to!
Tomorrow – Yeah, this may be a little more oomph of a song, but this ballad from the album like “Do Re Mi Fa Doushite?” once again doesn’t leave anything for me. It’s kind of like a mix of both “Hanakotoba” and “Uchi e Kaerou”. I think there are some parts that are noteworthy so it is better than the previous track, but not by a big margin, ballads are still hard for me to get interested in, but I could enjoy this with more listens I suppose.
Ambitious Girls – (Why does this song kind of remind of S/mileage’s “Tachiagirl”?). Anyways, Ambitious Girls is pretty poppy as things go almost to the fact that it does sound like a few other S/mileage songs off the top of my head. I do like the arrangement though as it’s more alive and the summertime vibes are pretty cute to say the least. The castanets are a nice touch too I feel like. Yeah, a little effort goes a long way.
Arashi no Mae no Candle – So with “Datenshi Ellie” tricking us into believing it was going to be the ballad, it’s actually nice seeing an actual ballad come up next (although we did have “Tomorrow”). Arashi no Mae no Candle though is a little more simplistic in sound, piano and strings and a little synth of course. Something about this one relaxed me down and the low spacey tone is quite working here. Maybe a better voice could’ve tackled this better, but Erina did a fine job otherwise.
Uchi e Kaerou sad ver. – Kind of surprised to see Uchi e Kaerou making an appearance on the album (rare for H!P to put B-sides on albums), but this is interesting because it’s a album version! Compared to the original from “Genkimono de Ikou!” this cut of Uchi e Kaerou strips the song even further down to strings and Erina had resung the track as well, giving it a sadder tone overall which kind of worked. Though coming from listening to “Arashi no Mae no Candle”, it is a little boring, but I could say the same if the two tracks were flipped. That said, it’s a good ballad and better than the original by a decent amount.
MEH SONGS
Hello! Esper! Hello! – So the B-side from “Haru no Arashi” was a bit more surprising to me because it just wasn’t what I was expecting from her. It feels like something that’d fit next to something like C-ute’s “Soku Dakishimete” because they have such similar energies and sound. Wasn’t sure about the urban aspects, the electric guitar, and the cutesy synths merging here. The interesting parts were the verses and the filtered vocals in the pre-chorus, but otherwise…I’m not sure what to think of it.
Uchi e Kaerou – Take “Hanakotoba” and strip it further and slow it down a bit slightly and you pretty much got this B-side from “Genkimono de Ikou!”. The atmosphere once again gives me “FRIENDS” vibes, but with slightly stronger vocals, but the song kind of mostly bores me in a way. Though I was surprised she sang in for pretty much the 2nd half of the song and that was something different and made the song slightly stick out to me, but the song is still slow and kind of meh.
Gomen, Hanashitakatta Dake – The first actual new track from the album, Gomen, Hanashitakatta Dake is once again kind of like another “Happy Birthday Mama” here with the oldies rockabilly song attire. Although it does have cutesy vibes as well which don’t sit too well for me. I don’t know what to quite say about this one, it just didn’t leave much of an impression on me.
Do Re Mi Fa Doushite? – Yeah, I don’t know why, but it feels like so far on the album, the new tracks are kind of feeling like retreads from her first album and they aren’t really sticking out for me. Case in point with Do Re Mi Fa Doushite? because by itself, it’s an OK pop song from Erina however in amongst her discography this couldn’t be anymore generic sounding coming from her and it just flew over my head immediately. I think there were horns in there? XD. Yeah, this was white noise to me.
ICKY SONGS
Datenshi Ellie – For the first time I was left confused and kind of absentminded with a song. At first I was kind of bored with it because it was just ManoEri and piano which is quite boring, but then the mood shifts into this darker pop/rock sound but unfortunately is taken over by spoken dialogue from her and later on a squeaky male voice too. Then for whatever reason it goes back to singing (slightly more upbeat sounding section) and then back to dialogue. Not sure why it was put on the album or what it’s really about (Fallen Angel Eri? sounds cool though), still, I don’t think it really suited the album.
Overall: Maybe not quite as good as the year previous as a lot of it was me not really being into her 2nd album as much as I thought, but I did enjoy all 3 A-sides she released in that respect. Kind of feeling like she’s getting that solo boredom tone though (kind of like how I got with Maki, Aya, and Natsumi).
Shugo Chara Egg! / Guardians 4
NOTE: I’m putting both as one thing because they shared the one single and they both disbanded together as well!
So the two units together was a pretty short one mostly due to the fact that they only had their January single, Going On! (both groups were involved, Shugo Chara Egg! had the B-side and was also the debut for their newest member, Nanami Tanabe). Sadly it was the last release either group would do since the anime was ending, so they (alongside Buono!) released a best album in March together and called it a day after a final concert together.
NOTE: That best album will be reviewed under the “Other H!P Releases” section.
GREAT SONGS
Going On! – Honestly, if there was a song that immediately said yeah this is definitely for some anime about magical girls, then this song would definitely be that track. It’s got the typical sound and sparkly goodness that comes with it, but OMG equal line distribution between Aika, Yurina, Risako, and Saki is just great here! Add on they sound good and the tune itself is just peppy cute. Makes my heart warm when I hear it ^^!
OK SONGS
Arigatou ~Ookiku Kansha!~ – So the B-side from the single was done by Shugo Chara Egg! (kind of surprised this single wasn’t a double A-side like their previous one) but here we are. Adding in Nanami Tanabe to the mix, I was still curious to hear how the 4 members would gel (more on Mizuki and Irori though since they were still kind of new at this point). The tune is cute, but not quite as finessed like “Going On!” was. As for the vocals, like it’s still super green across the board. Fukuchan is surprisingly weak here and yet Tanapyon is sounding decent? It’s weird but they were still pretty young at this point. Irori sounded good and so did Akari though so I suppose it was OK. Not their best, but not their worst either.
Overall: Shame that both units had to disband when the series ended because both groups were kind of at that point where they could’ve been given an album each to fill out their otherwise small catalog. The single they did was OK overall, but I kind of wished I had gotten more, especially out of Shugo Chara Egg! who has JUST added Nanami…
Ice Creamusume
So despite the fact that they were pretty active last year with concerts and their mini-album, a lot of fans were curious to see what they’d bring to the table this year and unfortunately in November, their profile was taking off the site and quietly showed that they disbanded for whatever reason (not quite sure but Guuchan and Peipei were absent in the last of their performances, so…ooph. Not good and kind of sad their careers ended so quickly in H!P.
S/mileage
Well, it looks to me like S/mileage was having a pretty busy year in 2010 eh? Coming after the announcement of the group debuting under a major label and the first long-running unit in a while, S/mileage snuck in one more indies single, Otona ni Narutte Muzukashii!!! in March (and was a B-side to Lilpri’s first single in June too).
Then they finally debuted under a major label with the single, Yumemiru 15sai in May with a remix of the song in the next month which was the same pattern for their next two singles, July’s ○○Ganbaranakutemo Eenende!! & September’s Onaji Jikyuu de Hataraku Tomodachi no Bijin Mama before closing their year with their first album, Warugaki ① in December.
GREAT SONGS
Otona ni Narutte Muzukashii!!! – As the group’s 4th indies single, Otona ni Narutte Muzukashii!!! was definitely pulling the group into more of happier and sillier side to the group which would carry with them for quite a while. It’s seriously a fun song for the quartet and while the vocals are still a little pitchy, it’s getting better slowly. I think this and “aMa no Jaku” were my favorites from the indies singles that’s for sure!
Yumemiru 15sai – Which helped since the major label debut was just as fantastic if not moreso since they weren’t as cutesy and silly here. I mean I get that they were immediately drenched in H!P’s sawtooth synths, but I think the sound change did them well and we got to experience S/mileage in a different light. Plus, it definitely showed me how impressive Saki was as a vocalist for sure! Even better the other 3 were catching up as well. Really awesome debut song for them that’s for sure!
○○Ganbaranakutemo Eenende!! – I remember when I first reviewed this song, I loathed it, but not quite sure why. Nowadays, it’s one of my favorite songs from the original quartet because it was just ridiculously off the wall and yet mixing with that kind of playful pop/rock sound and the random sound effects just worked and the girls just sounded like they were having fun with it. Everyone was just in top form here!
○○Ganbaranakutemo Iin da yo!! – I had wondered what was up with including this song onto the single because it’s simply a dialect switch-up of the song with some different lyrics in its verses. Otherwise, it’s the same song structurally and arrangement-wise. Interesting twist since this is the standard Japanese while the main cut is sung in a Kasai dialect…interesting.
Smile Bijin -When it came to the actual B-side from “Ganbaranakutemo Eenende!!”, Smile Bijin comes off as a song that is like…if you enjoyed “Yumemiru 15sai” then this might suit your tastes because they share the more dance-centric sound and the sawtooth synths as well. It might not be as catchy as the aforementioned song, but it’s upbeat, cool, and has some stellar moments in it!
OK SONGS
Thank You! Crème Brûlée no Yuujou – Finally getting into S/mileage’s first B-side ever! No surprise that they took the cute route for the B-side and it’s definitely something I was expecting after hearing their cuter indies songs. While I did love Sakitty of course, Kanon showed up pretty nicely for this one and I’m still kind of getting used to Yuuka and Ayaka somewhat. Sadly, the song doesn’t go anywhere for me and just slides on by.
Yumemiru 15sai (PAX JAPONICA GROOVE REMIX) – So yes, as I’ve mentioned each of the major singles got a remix about a month after the single release (Onaji’s took a little while longer), but yes all the remixes were digital releases. The first one for Yumemiru 15sai took the song and kind of turned it into a summer mix with sparkly synths and a buzzing beat. Two things bothered me and that was the auto-tune and the fact the vocals were slowed down (yeah, they didn’t resing this sadly). Regardless, it’s a decent remix for sure and gets the job done so yay!
Onaji Jikyuu de Hataraku Tomodachi no Bijin Mama – It seems to me that I find their Buono!-esque rocks songs to be their weakpoint (“Suki-chan” was a struggle too). I mean granted the arrangement is great and loud, but I don’t think the cutesy vocals meshed well together. I think I actually disliked Yuukarin’s vocals in this track a LOT as it’s incredibly tight and pinchy and just oi ve. If anything Kanon and Saki save the song because their lines sound so good. Also, shoutout for the MV for giving Nozomi Tsuji a cameo appearance!
Chokotto LOVE – Yeah, you’re seeing that correctly, S/mileage actually covered a Petitmoni song here. I had kind of forgotten that S/mileage did go on a session of covering older H!P songs after this single and to be honest comparing the two is like night and day. Mostly due to the fact that the ages of Petitmoni and S/mileage were vastly different. The track itself had some arrangement change-ups, losing energy for whatever reason. Decent cover, but I still love the original more!
Onna Bakari no Nichiyoubi – Next song off the album, Onna Bakari no Nichiyoubi is a little more less cute like “Odorou yo” was and I kind of enjoyed this one a bit. Yeah, still not quite sure what to call this song because it’s cute but not heavily danceable. It’s also a little rockin’, but with the cute vocals from the 4 members. I even think of Summer with this one, but not quite sure. Decent track and probably my favorite from the album perhaps?
Shooting Star – It’s funny that I’ve forgotten all of the album’s new songs even though I did review the album when it first released. Coming back is like experiencing new songs (except for “Onna Bakari no Nichiyoubi because that’s on my iPod). Anyways, Shooting Star is coming off to me similarly to “Thank You! Crème Brûlée no Yuujou” as it’s also cute and idol-like down to a T. I do like the swing of it and the girls sound fitting, but still kind of rely on the ~yeaaaaaahs~ which seem annoying in places, but still this wasn’t bad.
MEH SONGS
○○Ganbaranakutemo Eenende!! (TopNude Remix Version 01) – Another remix pops up and I thought I was here for it, but it’s really annoying to me. I do appreciate that the remix kept some of the craziness of the original, but they really opted on repeating the repetitive part WAY LONGER than it should have and that immediately drove me insane. Like with the “Yumemiru 15sai” remix, it also slows down vocals too…yikes. Yeah, this one was a failure.
Onaji Jikyuu de Hataraku Tomodachi no Bijin Mama (Remix Type1) – These remixes seem to be incredibly random for some reason. It didn’t seem like a good idea to remix a pop/rock song and since the group is doing a lot of shouting and loud stuff it didn’t fit with the chill sound. Also slowing the song too which seems to be a consistent issue as well. Plus it’s just random midway through, so I just pressed next to not deal with that.
Odorou yo – As the first new song from the album, Odorou yo was surprisingly cute for the 2nd track into the album (came right after “Onaji Jikyuu de Hataraku Tomodachi no Bijin Mama”. Like it’s pretty cute and kind of tame for the quartet. Though this is giving me some old H!P vibes especially with the backup shouts and Tsunku-isms. It’s just a bit too corny for me and I just passed it up lol.
Gakkyuu Iinchou – I was wondering when S/mileage would be thrown a ballad in their way (“aMa no Jaku” was the closest, but still had a dance beat to it so it doesn’t fully count). It’s an interesting sounding ballad as it started with just piano, but synths, percussion and strings get added along the way. Though I can’t say S/mileage’s vocals were really ready for this, they’re still pitchy and more of a situation is that it’s sung in unison so it really didn’t do favors for the song either. Yeah, still the worst song from the album.
Shikkari Shite yo! Mou – As the last new track from the album, Shikkari Shite yo! Mou is kind of the cute route gone wrong for me this time around. Taking the random sounds approach like in “Ganbaranakutemo Eenende!!”, it tries to do it, but the song is slower and it sounds incredibly cutesy. It just lacks a lot, not as yikes like “Gakkyuu Iinchou” but very close.
Overall: Yeah, this year was definitely spotlight S/mileage as they had quite a number of releases! I will say that they did pretty well with their singles for the most part and gave them good ground to stand out to fans, though the remixes were mostly icky and the album’s songs definitely did not do any favors for them. Hopefully the focus will be put back on singles and more effort on the music.
Da Xiao Jie
Da Xiao Jie (Frances & Aiko) had a pretty short year for 2010, primarily focusing on the re-release of their first album in February, Wo Shi Da Xiao Jie Zhi Husheng Feng Henian Ban (basically Da Xiao Jie Year of the Tiger Edition). Otherwise it was pretty quiet from the duo, almost made people question if they had disbanded since Ice Creamusume did. But no.
OK SONGS
Bling Bling Guo Xinnian – Although it hasn’t been a long time, I feel like the duo’s energy and sense of musicality is getting better through this song. Taking a more technopop feel for this one, it’s a lighthearted dance track and has the two sounding less chanting (though they still are) and trying to convey a little more depth. Pu Hsueh-liang also returns as the lower male voice and he does a rap in the track which is fitting. Not bad for the leading track right?
Laoshi Laoshi Zhi Hu Husheng Feng Henian Ban – Yeah, the other new track introduced in the repackaged album is a new version of “Laoshi Laoshi” and comparing the two is quite evident that this one is more danceable and electronic. Also the lyrics are new and the learning segments are different too. Of course the duo ask questions and Hsueh-liang answers back as he’s the “teacher” of the song. I mean the music is more intriguing, but it’s the same song sorta? I don’t know it’s fine though.
Overall: I mean this is akin to the duo releasing a single so it’s kind of surprising they even managed to just rerelease their mini-album with 2 added songs (1 new and 1 sort of new but not really?). I suppose it’s fine though since the songs weren’t terrible or anything right?
Lilpri
As the ONLY new unit created this year, it seemed a new anime unit was formed to promote the anime, Hime-chan! Otogichikku Idol Lilpri consisting of basically S/mileage minus Saki Ogawa (I think she might’ve had the whole Oha Girl thing going on during this so this wasn’t as bizarre). So we were left once again with Wada, Maeda, and Fukuda in the group. They debut with the single, Little♡Princess☆Pri! in June and followed it up with Idolulu in November. Though I later found out that they ACTUALLY debuted earlier in the year with an OST to the series (which wasn’t fronted by Up-Front/H!P but SEGA of all places titled Lilpri Yubipuru Hime-chen! Debut Song Collection.
(Though Idolulu would be the last thing they’d release because the anime would end in March of 2011 and no time for a 3rd single apparantly)
(NOTE: I haven’t found a download for the OST, so three songs are missing, 2 later became the A-side & B-side to their first single and one I actually heard. The other 3, “Usagi no Dance”, “Moonlight Serenade”, and “Hoshi no Curtain Call” seems to be missing…
OK SONGS
prospect – Interestingly enough, going back to find this song again, prospect is a little more unique to the trio as it doesn’t sound overtly sparkly and genki for them. It’s a bit more of a mid-tempo track and those anime chords really find themselves in the front. Rather surprised there’s no solo lines here. This wasn’t a bad track overall and kind of wished it was made an official Lilpri release rather than OST stuff.
Little♡Princess☆Pri! – As the leading and debut track, gosh was this surprisingly not any different than anything the trio did with Akari Saho back in their Shugo Chara Egg! days. I mean there’s a little electric guitar parts, but like this could’ve been a SCE! song to be quite fair. The trio is what I was expecting them to sound like (especially after listening to S/mileage earlier). Maybe not quite as cutesy, but their vocals are also auto-tuned in parts so it’s a little weird. I mean the MV is cheaply made TBH so it feels like not a whole lot of effort was given to the song. It’s OK, but nothing special.
Idolulu – So the group’s 2nd A-side did fix things up for me a little bit. I mean the cuteness isn’t quite all over the place, but the kind of magical kind of feeling I get from it makes the song a bit more tolerable for me. Plus the trio sounds more into it funny enough. Definitely the better A-side for me.
Vira Vira Virou! – The B-side to “Idolulu” is kind of a plain anime song sounding track, but there’s something oddly familiar to it? I really don’t know what to say about this track, it’s non-offensive, but also kind of boring in a way? I don’t know really, at least they sound nice?
MEH SONGS
Happy Go Lucky☆Pri! – Well, I was hoping there’d be something interesting for the B-side of their first single, but it’s more or less worse than it. Same things I applied above, but now the vocals are synthed up even further and there is no solos in this one and I find myself bored from it completely.
Overall: I never was really into Lilpri when they debuted and coming back to them didn’t change my thoughts around about them. It’s mostly, why these 3 again when you have S/mileage (or you could’ve utilized Guardians 4 for these too or even changed SCE!’s name to Lilpri). I don’t know, there’s something off with this unit and the fact they disbanded with 2 unreleased songs “Infinite Wonder Girls” and “Prospect” still left with no physical release is kind of shocking.
SI☆NA
So the last group mentioned is this kind of oddball group, while initially not fully in H!P (belonging more to H!P Kansai), SI☆NA was initially created back in 2008, with Asami Abe, Manami Iwashima, Ai Suma, and Nana Nakayama. Though Nakayama left the group in 2009. What makes it strange is that they were actually performing alongside H!P units during 2010 and managed to debut their song, Frankencense, but didn’t release it…curious…
Hello Pro Egg
The Eggs in 2010 were quite a busy bunch it seems. The earliest situation was in March when 3 joined the program; Runa Kizawa, Wakana Nagasawa, and Haruka Kudo.
Also in March was when S/mileage (Ayaka Wada, Kanon Fukuda, Saki Ogawa, and Yuuka Maeda) was going into a major label so they pretty much were confirmed graduated.
Though I guess the Eggs had their own kind of collapse it seems when from March to the end of the year was filled with girls leaving like; Anri Tanaka (March), Mia Sainen, Momoka Komine (June), Tomomi Hirano, Asuna Okai, Irori Maeda, Runa Kizawa (November) and on the last day of the year, You Kikkawa and Minami Sengoku all left the program with the former becoming a soloist outside the company.
Otherwise it’s been a slow year, but Tsunku did announce that Eggs are allowed to audition for Morning Musume so yay?
Other H!P Releases
Yeah, this set of releases this year are kind of strange it feels like doesn’t it?
The first of the other releases was a best album in March surrounding the ending of the Shugo Chara series by mixing in themes sung by Buono!, Shugo Chara Egg!, and Guardians 4 titled Shugo Chara! Song♪Best
Next up way up to October, a new unit was created (though they aren’t H!P, they are using the Musume name to themselves) primarily because it was kind of a reunion group named Afternoon Musume (consisted of past Momusu members; Iida, Nakazawa, Abe, Yasuda, Yaguchi, Ogawa, and Fujimoto). They first released Gouhoubi no Afternoon Coffee which was an enka influenced take on the group’s first major single, “Morning Coffee” though two weeks later also released Afternoon Coffee which was a little more modern sounding.
In between those two releases came an interesting single. It was both H!P and not because the single was between Berryz’ own Risako Sugaya (Elegant Girl) and TNX’s Mana Ogawa (Oshare My Dream) which the two companies were connected. (Only reviewing Risako’s track).
Next was another anime-related single, this one being My School March which is a Oha Girl Maple single (to which Saki Ogawa was a part of) but moreso was a collaboration of the other 3 members of S/mileage. Will be talking about both songs here since Sakitty is involved.
Then came a really bizarre idea. Given that Eri Kamei was about to graduate form Morning Musume and H!P they gave her a cover album (albeit a digital release) covering older H!P songs in December simply titled Hello Cover,
Though it broke the wall as they also made it into a series of releases for other H!P members. First was Chisato (and she was the only other member who had multiple covers within the remainder of 2010 (LOVE Namida Iro, Manatsu no Kousen, and Egao ni Namida ~THANK YOU! DEAR MY FRIENDS!~)
It didn’t end there since Airi, Momoko, Risa, Reina, and Maimi also got to cover a song….though they all covered the goddamn same song with Tanpopo’s “Seinaru Kane ga Hibiku Yoru”. Kind of disappointing, but it made sense since it was Winter Time and such. (That said, I will not be reviewing this or Chisato’s…just Eri’s.)
Of course the annual Petit Best 11 happened.
Then there’s this Gekijouban Inazuma Eleven Saikyou Gundan Ogre Shuurai OST that came out, normally I would pass this up, but it did included a new Berryz song so I had to bring this up as well.
GREAT SONGS
Manatsu no Kousen – As the opening track to Kamei’s cover album, I was surprised the first song off of it was of Manatsu no Kousen (not a Morning Musume track I would have chosen, but happily take). The arrangement hasn’t been changed around much, but some of the background vocals have been taken out to focus on Eri! About Eri, her voice is so nice and sounds nice singing along the tune, just definitely held her own here. Great way to kick things off.
Furusato – Interesting she also decided to sing the single that came after “Manatsu no Kousen” too! Of course Furusato is already made to have a feel for soloists so it was tailormade for Eri’s vocals. Not sure if I’d rank it above Natsumi’s or Yuko’s take, but it’s a valiant take on it if you like the original arrangement!
LOVE Namida Iro – Well, I was happy the other Matsuura track chosen to cover was this one because it’s so synthy and just upbeat and cute and Kame definitely owned this track pretty easily. It could be my favorite amongst the cover album to be honest.
Magical Future! (The Ogre END Ver.) – So that Inazuma Eleven OST actually featured a new Berryz Kobo song here with Magical Future! and it definitely fits with the other songs tied to the series so it felt really interesting. Though what struck me is that between this and the later album version of the song is that it has an extended instrumental after the first chorus which is odd? Kind of spooky in a way, but the rest of the song is pretty much what I was expecting, but it sounds really nice.
OK SONGS
Arigatou ~Ookiku Kansha!~ – Yeah, for whatever reason I had to put this up again because it’s kind of different versus the original Shugo Chara Egg! cut. The Shugo Chara best album might not have had any new songs on it, but it did have a new version of this B-side which in this case meant it was the finale song as it includes SCE! but also Guardians 4 and Buono! together too! Even the arrangement got upgraded to include some rock elements (because Buono! is involved) and we have a slightly better version of a B-side!
Gouhoubi no Afternoon Coffee – So I need to preface this with the fact that it’s the only H!P song I have not been able to pin down yet because it seemed it had a short period of time and was quickly replaced by “Afternoon Coffee”. From what I could find, it’s supposed to be an Enka-based version of “Morning Coffee” different lyrics and stuff. From the 15 second CM, the song sounds pretty and Enka-ish and the vocals of course are pleasant since it is returning veterans. Still sad the song hasn’t popped up anywhere.
Elegant Girl – I wasn’t expecting such a strange single to come out such as this, but here we are with Risako getting a solo A-side tied to an anime (so much that the song is credited as a character with Risako voicing her). I will say the song while kind of anison in style and yet a little posh as well is doing good for Risako ironically. Actually its the best I’ve heard her yet since she’s not straining her vocals like she has been in Berryz’ songs.
Afternoon Coffee – Though the replacement after the Enka version takes the song into more of what we are kind of used to. Arrangement-wise it’s not the same it’s a little more modern sounding and yet in a way brighter than “Morning Coffee” was or maybe not? Of course different lyrics are present and the vocal melody is different too. It’s so strange, but I kind of liked the changes here. Plus hearing old Momusu member vocals is so nice!
My School March – As I said above, My School March is more of a Oha Girl Maple release, but I wanted to tackle this because S/mileage is a part of the leading track on top of Saki Ogawa being a part of both groups. Despite that all 6 members are singing in unison, I was more interested in the arrangement because I LOVE marching band scores and this was nice. The song itself is a little lacking in the memorability part and like I said, unison singing isn’t good for me…but it’s OK.
Morning Chime!!! – So the B-side from the Oha Girl Maple single was actually just the three members (Saki, and two members not in H!P; Shiori Inoue and Erika Tanaka). Morning Chime!!! definitely screams H!P giving me a certain Buono! vibe to it. It’s energetic and cute and the trio is nice albeit unison so I couldn’t tell between the 3 (and “My School March” didn’t help either”). Not bad though!
Koi wo Shichaimashita! – Yeah, so Eri then decided to cover a Tanpopo song here (the first of two, ironically). What can I say, Eri did a pretty good job for a song that im here nor there with in the first place. I will say though she didn’t sound as great as she did on other songs on the album, I’ll admit and she sounded a bit one-note but that’s just me.
Seinaru Kane ga Hibiku Yoru – It is interesting that this song opens up like the original (with the original Tanpopo trio doing the speaking and background ooooos). Eri though I will say she did better singing here versus the other Tanpopo cover she did that’s for sure. She emoted and her voice is just pleasant and pretty to listen to. Just find it weird that 5 other H!P members covered this song…so if it’s anything they prolly are the same result just with the specific member’s voice.
Egao ni Namida ~THANK YOU! DEAR MY FRIENDS~ – Of course because I knew Gaki would later do her own cover of it on “Renai Hunter”, seeing Kame do it is pretty cool that’s for sure. The song is upbeat and cute of course and Eri’s vocals are just bright enough to make it even more merry and joyous. Definitely a nice cover choice.
Koi no Hana – I think of all the songs on “Hello Cover”, I feel like Eri covering this Natsumi Abe track was a bit of an odd choice given how it’s more recent than most of the other songs on the tracklist, it was interesting and Eri actually did pretty well for the most part. At points, I thought the backups were overpowering, but like you can still tell Eri is keeping up with things.
Onegai Miwaku no Target – I think this is the most recent track that was covered in this song and seeing Eri cover this rockin’ track from Melon Kinenbi is VERY interesting to say the least. To be honest, it’s not quite as good as the original mostly due to the vocals this time around since Melon’s were more mature sounding when they released it so hearing a younger voice is kind of weird to me. Not bad, just not as edgy as the original.
Kousui – Oh? Another Melon cover eh? Now this one seems to suit Eri a little more as it’s an older track and it fits her lighter and poppy vocals here. It’s stable and I have no complaints about it, but it does close out the album so it ends on a solid note.
Nusunda Heart wa Koko Desu yo? – Used as a theme to an anime/cartoon Kaitou Reinya. It seemed that the original doesn’t use Reina here, but it seemed it did get it’s own version for Petit Best 11. This version does have Reina and Yui Ogura (a member of HAPPY! STYLE, which was kind of a side thing for Up-Front at that time ). It also featured Misawa Sachika (also HAPPY! STYLE) and former Hello Egg member, Arisa Noto). Really an interesting mix of members, but Reina still leads here and we’ve never fully seen her pull off cute to this extent and it’s kind of a weird vibe to me but it still works. The other 3 members sound like they’ve done cute for a while so it’s kind of nice, but Reina was the spotlight here. Interesting song overall and unexpected!
MEH SONGS
○○Ganbaranakutemo Eenende!! (TopNude Remix Version 02) – Because they weren’t satisfied with the “Version 01” take on the song, I guess they tried it again. Sadly, the new remix doesn’t really fix things, if not makes them more apparant and annoying. Like the problems with the first version are still here…Really nothing to gawk at unfortunately.
Gains and Losses
Gains
Runa Kizawa
Wakana Nagasawa
Haruka Kudo
Lilpri
Losses
Shugo Chara Egg!
Guardians 4
Anri Tanaka
Ongaku Gatas
Momoka Komine
Mia Sainen
Tomomi Hirano
Asuna Okai
Irori Maeda
Runa Kizawa
Ice Creamusume
Eri Kamei
Junjun
Linlin
You Kikkawa
Minami Sengoku
My H!P Ranking for ’10
32. Aiko (+15)
31. Frances (+15)
30. Minami Sengoku (-5)
29. Mai Hagiwara (+9)
28. Sayumi Michishige (+17)
27. Nanami Tanabe (NEW)
26. Ayaka Wada (+9)
25. Chinami Tokunaga (+14)
24. Saki Nakajima (-4)
23. Mizuki Fukumura (+8)
22. Irori Maeda (+9)
21. Yuuka Maeda (+6)
20. Junjun (+4)
19. Erina Mano (+10)
18. Maasa Sudo (+8)
17. Saki Shimizu (-6)
16. Aika Mitsui (-11)
15. Momoko Tsugunaga (+2)
14. Yurina Kumai (+20)
13. Kanon Fukuda (+8)
12. Akari Saho (+2)
11. Risa Niigaki (-8)
10. Risako Sugaya (+13)
9. Saki Ogawa (+9)
8. Maimi Yajima (+7)
7. Chisato Okai (+2)
6. Miyabi Natsuyaki (+4)
5. Linlin (-3)
4. Reina Tanaka (+9)
3. Eri Kamei (+5)
2. Airi Suzuki (+2)
1. Ai Takahashi (0)
Yup, that’s 2010 for ya, quite a busy time I’d say…but next time….it’s THE LAST ONE OF THESE…so check it out when I dive into 2011!
Iroppoi Twilight Game 