Welcome back and like I said in the previous Year Recap for 2010, this will be the last one because this blog had started up in 2012 and since then I’ve been covering each year. Granted, bittersweet as this series comes to a close, but it was definitely an amazing road to check out every H!P song out there (minus some rarities like the Best Shot series and such). Anyways enough banter, let’s check out what 2011 brought us shall we?
Morning Musume
Kicking off immediately at the beginning of the year, not giving us time to get used to 5-nin (Ai, Risa, Sayumi, Reina, and Aika) we were given 4 winners from the auditions and the winners were Riho Sayashi, Erina Ikuta, Kanon Suzuki and a surprise from the Eggs since they were allowed to audition, former Shugo Chara Egg! member, Mizuki Fukumura.
They were to debut in the single Maji Desu ka Ska! in March but it got pushed back due to the Touhoku Earthquake which was a HUGE deal enough that it did stop the music industry for a bit. The single did end up releasing in April though.
Their next single, Only you released in June. HOWEVER, Aika Mitsui ended up injuring her leg during promotions and would have to sit out for releases and dance-shots but can still promote otherwise, on top of Ai Takahashi announcing her graduation and another audition to stir things up!
That single would be Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Negatterun da yo! released in September and then a new album 12, Smart in October. Though before the album released AND A DAY BEFORE Ai Takahashi’s graduation (September 30th), the winners of the audition were announced and they would be Haruna Iikubo, Masaki Sato, Ayumi Ishida, and Egg member Haruka Kudo however, they would not debut until 2012 (though the 4 did get to promote “Busu ni Naranai Tetsugaku”, but we’ll get there!
GREAT SONGS
- Maji Desu ka Ska! – Coming into a new generation of girls (and it’s been a while since we’ve seen a 4 member addition as well), Maji Desu ka Ska! was going to have to move the group’s sound into a more youthful appearance (choosing Ska since mostly everything Platinum era did was more sexy and serious of songs) so an A-side like this felt fresh and interesting. Of course the focus was pretty much showing off the new members; Riho, Kanon, Erina, and Mizuki and they took up the first half of each verse…I will say the new girls do sound pretty green for debut, but it’s not that bad. The remaining 5 took up the 2nd half of the verses while Ai-chan and Reina took over pre-chorus and choruses. It’s a fun song for the group and a decent way to show off the new girls who have a lot potential after this song.
- Only you – Not to be confused with the Zoku v-u-den song back in 2009, but Momusu’s 2nd A-side of the year was initially a song I didn’t much care for because it was a little messy and kind of difficult. Today, I do appreciate it a bit more fully, but occasionally I do still feel like it’s a little bit messy because a lot of the song is sung in triplets and there’s a LOT of autotune found here. Despite this is definitely running back towards the sullen Platinum era sound, Only you has strong energy and I love the stringwork here as well. I was surprised mostly everyone got solos except Erina, Zukki, and Fukuchan and somehow Riho got pushed, especially in the final chorus. Still this was pretty good overall! Also props to Ai and Reina for their vocals here (I would say Gaki too, but her solos were drenched in auto-tune, so it doesn’t really count).
- Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Negatterun da yo! – Ooph is this title long. Anyways we’re finally onto Ai-chan’s graduating single and this one was definitely focused on Ai as she had a LOT of solos throughout this disco-pop track. I’ve been missing something like this for quite a while, so this was pretty much a treat. I definitely hear a LOT of Ai, Reina, Risa, and Riho in this one, but this was a fun track and the chorus is cute and charming and it’s just a happy song to listen to. Lovely song!
- Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai! – Though like the PV, the above tracks flows into this track which kind of depending on who you ask could be either or an A-side or B-side because of version conflicts. Anyways, the 2nd half of the single, Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai! was another song type I’ve been missing for quite a while and that’s a silly song from Momusu and we have it with this one. Especially since it’s Sayumi and Reina at the front. The song is just insane and ridiculous, but I kind of love it for that! I also love all the members get lines and they just sound like they’re having a great time! Bizarre that it’s connected to “Kono Chikyuu…” and the studio cut didn’t do much to change it (it wouldn’t be until the B-side Coupling album in 2014 where this song had a different opening than the transition from “Kono Chikyuu…”).
- Give me Love – As the opening track for their next album, Give me Love (or Give me Ai) kicks things off with something familar to Platinum era fans with this kind of piano/strings dance track. Interesting choice to open the album with because it feels like something that would’ve been somewhere in the middle of the album. Anyways it’s one of the few songs that includes all members, but just from listening to it, it’s pretty much Ai at the forefront of course with Reina, Risa, Sayu, and Riho as secondaries. I’m not really understanding Riho’s place at the forefront as her younger tone kind of clashes with the mood, but otherwise this was a good song.
- Suki da na Kimi ga – Next up was a duet between Sayumi and Mizuki on Suki da na Kimi ga and I feel like this is where Robo-Sayu really got off the ground here. Or I felt like the sugary cute side that Koharu left was completely in the open for Sayu to take over and it’s really cute and technopop sounding. Though it’s funny because I hear Sayumi completely but barely Fukuchan for some reason. Sugary sweet and quite catchy though. Definitely one I remembered the most from the album.
- Kaiketsu Positive A – I was happy that we did have more full-group songs off the album and Kaiketsu Positive A is another great one for me. It lets the group get a little more rowdy and have a good time like in Ai-chan’s final single. This has a lot of firepower behind it and I’m loving that everyone got solos here. I will say that Fukuchan & Eripon sounded a little off in their solo lines, but otherwise solid song and I even like the pop/rock element of it all. Yeah, fun song!
- OK YEAH! – I am HAPPY that Momusu didn’t fall into the necessity of needing ANOTHER rock song to pump crowds up this year and opted to go for OK YEAH! a kind of hyperactive dance track to really round things out (though it wasn’t the final track on the album, that went to “Maji Desu ka Ska!”). It’s incredibly energetic and the amount of call and response and just fun things that going on is great (minus the transition into the bridge by repeating Sayu’s line like that…ouch). Still, it’s very cool and definitely left a good impression on me!
OK SONGS
- Motto Aishite Hoshii no – The B-side to 9th Generation’s debut single, Motto Aishite Hoshii no kind of stumbles a little bit compared. The song is pretty much signified the sound of H!P at that time with the dance beats and sawtooth synths which didn’t help it stand out for the year here. Doesn’t help that this one is also heavy on Ai-chan and Reina (with a little of Gaki and Sayu moans), really there wasn’t anything for Aika or 9th Gen here which is a little shocking. It’s an OK song, but nothing too memorable.
- Yamete yo! Sindbad – The B-side from “Only you” also kind of falls short here because I had totally forgot this existed until coming back to relisten to it. I am happy that it’s not as synthy as something like “Motto Aishite Hoshii no” was, but it definitely didn’t leave enough of an impression on me. I will say that I’m happy everyone here has solos in it. I guess it sounds better than I remembered and I do prefer it over the previous B-side which is a good thing.
- Jishin Motte Yume wo Motte Tobitatsu Kara – Interestingly, Ai-chan’s grad single also came with another track (only found on Ai’s version of the single) and it was a solo track from Ai-chan herself (another long title) xD. Unlike the other songs from the single, this one was a bit more pop/rock ala Buono!-esque. I mean it does have the kind of anime feel to it and the chords just kind of echoed my thoughts. Of course Ai-chan sounds great as usual though I do feel like this song is slightly phoned in for some reason. Maybe it’s just the song or the fact it’s just Ai, but I dunno, it feels like something is missing here. Still, it’s nice that Ai gets to graduate with a solo track like this, so I’ll let it pass.
- Silver no Udedokei – There wasn’t a LOT of group songs, a lot of them were pretty much smaller groupings for 12, Smart. The first one up was this R&B track between Reina, Risa, Aika, and Riho and even then it’s kind of split up further as Reina and Riho sung their parts while Risa and Aika had the rap verses here. It’s interesting because I do like the toned down chill feel of the song itself and it really helps out Gaki and Mittsi with their lines (which were both impressive, honestly). Reina was of course very good, but I don’t know…Riho felt like the odd one out here and she sounds so young here too which caught me by surprise (mostly because she didn’t sound like this at the end of her tenure). Not bad, pretty sweet tune and one of the better ones.
- My Way ~Joshikou Hanamichi~ – Another group song, My Way definitely reminded me of “Kaiketsu Positive A” with the pop/rock vibes which are on full blast in this song and kind of carries itself similarly with every member with a solo (though it’s funny that Ai’s solo lines are just the ~joshikou hanamichi~ where everyone else gets full solo lines. It’s an OK song, doesn’t quite get me and Sayu’s ~KIBISHIIIIIII~ line hurts my ears, but otherwise it’s not bad.
- Otome no Timing – Last of the songs to have smaller groupings, we have Aika, Kanon, and Erina together for Otome no Timing and it definitely throws me back to H!P round 2008-09 with the way this sounds as it’s kind of cutesy and anime-ish but not completely so. I am happy that we finally get a song that focuses more on Zukki and Eripon as it feels like they never seem to pop out quite yet. Of course Aika’s chirpy vocals are on display and it’s nice. Zukki sounds good too and her lower tones round the song out. Eripon though probably has the hardest time and she hits these weird high notes that I just can’t get behind, she’s definitely the weak link of the 3 sadly. Altogether, it’s a nice song maybe the weakest if I wasn’t so bored with “Kono Ai wo Kasanete” though.
MEH SONGS
- Kono Ai wo Kasanete – I kind of wasn’t surprised this was going to happen as Ai-chan and Gaki were the remaining 5th Generation left and they were given a song together as it was the last time they’d sing together in an album. Problem is is they’ve done this a couple times in the last couple of albums and for whatever reason they were given a lighthearted pop song for Kono Ai wo Kasanete. Regardless, the two do sound pleasant as they’ve been, but the song is kind of forgettable especially compared to “Ano Hi ni Modoritai”, “Take off is now!” and “Jounetsu no Kiss wo Shite”.
OVERALL: With 2011 Momusu, it was kind of a growth period because we had gained 4 new members (something that REALLY hyped up the fandom) and for the most part the new members were really showing their skills and just being really awesome even if some like Erina weren’t vocally good. Losing Ai-chan was big though and she is definitely going to leave a big hole on top of the fact that another 4 members were added, so we’ll see how that goes into 2012.
Berryz Kobo
Berryz in 2011 was once again pretty straightforward when it came to their releases. They did kick off with a 1, 2, punch in March with their single, Heroine ni Narou ka! before ending the same month with their 7th album, ⑦ Berryz Times.
Then they pretty much rounded the rest of the year with June’s Ai no Dangan & August’s Aa, Yo ga Akeru
Rest of the year was pretty much doing things with C-ute (which will be in the Other H!P Releases)
- (NOTE: The B-sides from “Amazuppai Haru ni Sakura Saku” will be put into their respective groups because that is such a case here)
GREAT SONGS
- Heroine ni Narou ka! – As the first single of the year, Heroine ni Narou ka! was in line with more of the trends that were set during the year. I really love the electronics of the song and the kind of nod to Lady Gaga (circa “Poker Face”) was a nice move as well. While the sound wasn’t too unique out there, I did appreciate a lot of solos in the song and it just has an awesome chorus to it. Even the filtered vocals in the verses were neat! Yeah great way to start their 2011!
- Joshikai The Night – Why does the arrangement of this song sound oddly familar (like something between Aa’s “Yume to Genjitsu” to something S/mileage has done?) It might be the gritty synths and the chords but regardless, definitely similar to something else. It’s pretty standard of a dance track, but it’s catchy and I like everyone’s lines here. Not bad, not bad.
- Magical Future! – Weird that I had already talked about this song last year, but it is definitely different from the OST cut of this song. Magical Future! on the album doesn’t change too much besides removing the extra instrumental section after the first chorus which is a little bit of a bummer, but the song itself still remains pretty awesome. Still danceable and rockin’ at the same time and the members sound really good here too. I still prefer the Inazuma OST version of the song though, but you can’t go wrong here.
- Ai no Dangan – So after the album, they came back to A-sides with Ai no Dangan and they chose to stick with a more rockin’ sound here, but there’s also a LOT of synths involved too mixed in with it sounding a little bit of an anime theme too! I also felt like the song let the members have room to really sing out and I really like the power of members like Miyabi, Risako, Momoko, and Saki for sure! It’s aggressive and just in your face and I really enjoyed it a LOT~
- Omoide – If “Ai no Dangan” was the punch with guitars, then Omoide is kind of the same but with more focus with synths. Its slick production and surprisingly decent set of solos for the members sound great and leads to a stronger chorus here. It’s still kind of anison in a way and the arrangement altogether just works as a counterpart to its A-side. Really strong single overall!
- Aa, Yo ga Akeru – I was expecting Berryz to continue to strike hard with the rock tracks, but for their next A-side, Aa, Yo ga Akeru is more like an 80’s synthpop track that has a very fashionable tone to it, but it could be them synths playing with me head. It was a switch-up for me and I immediately loved the song (though back then, it wasn’t met the same way). Still, the strings sound wonderful, the group is great especially with Risako & Miyabi hitting them high notes at the end of each chorus…just stylish overall and really stayed with me.
OK SONGS
- Hero Arawaru! – As the B-side from “Heroine ni Narou ka!”, Hero Arawaru! changes things up a little bit by making the song more rockin’ and fitting for a live concert (which also meant the song felt like Buono! track for whatever reason). It’s energetic and loud and has places where chants make sense and the arrangement is just fun. Most of the song though is sung in unison though or smaller pairings (with the only solos going to Yurina, Momoko, and Saki). So in that case it didn’t fully work, but it’s decent enough that I would let it play if it came on.
- Icchoume Rock! – As the opening song of their 7th album, Icchoume Rock! kicks the album off with a high energy song (almost as brash and loud as “Hero Arawaru!” oddly enough). Though I do feel like it does a slightly better job as each member has a solo part in the song. The chorus is where I think it slips a little being too percussion heavy for me, but I’d say I like it the same as the aforementioned track above.
- BOMB BOMB JUMP – For whatever reason, this song definitely pulls me back to some of their older stuff where it’s all about fun and being silly in their songs and I kind of enjoyed that out of BOMB BOMB JUMP. It is to be noted that while all 7 members are included in the song, it does focus mostly around Chinami, Maasa, and Yurina as they have the solos and important lines while the other 4 are mostly backups and used for the hooks. It’s a fun song though and the harmonies are pretty pleasant. Nice!
- Girls Times – For a song titled as such, it definitely didn’t sound girly, but more like a late Christmas track because of the way it flowed, the bells as well kind of added to the mood as well. I do like the guitarwork in the song, that was super nice to include (actually with some of the shoo-bi-doo-wa, it gave me a little bit of that 50’s feel too, with the guitars). Even better that all the members got something to do. Definitely surprised me.
- Otona ni wa Naritakunai Hayaku Otona ni Naritai – So it seems they wanted to go harder for the B-side from “Aa, Yo ga Akeru” and this is what we ended up with. I actually liked the synthed-up guitar and appreciate the sound since it’s kind of like “Magical Future!” in a way. It is led by the 4 typical leads of course but everyone gets some time to shine here. Though I will say, I definitely had forgotten about this track since I listened to it when it first came out.
- Tanjun Sugi na no Watashi… – As the Berryz track from the “Amazuppai Haru ni Sakura Saku” single, this track is pretty standard I say for Berryz to have, though I do appreciate all the members getting solos in the song. Does feel like a song that they’ve done in albums previous, but I like the acoustic side of the song and it’s more of a cuter track for them. Lighthearted and flows nicely on and even that organ-esque parts are nice overall! I would call this a better B-side for them!
MEH SONGS
- Masshiroi Ano Kumo – Moving from an upbeat song like “BOMB BOMB JUMP” to a ballad next on the album is pretty jarring to say the least, but I was not ready for much of a blah this one was. It’s not your typical ballad, but I was not here for strings, light percussion and strange synths that came out from the 80’s. It’s funny that Risako, Yurina, Momoko, and Miyabi get the verses while the remainder get the chorus…weird choice and sadly you can here the weaknesses of them vocals here quite a bit (especially Maasa…she sounds offkey to me a LOT here). Otherwise, it’s just kind of boring to me.
- Onna no Pride – Something about these mid-tempo jolly sway vibes always get to me in not such a good way and I don’t know why? It’s a little more upbeat than “Masshiroi Ano Kumo” but it still doesn’t quite get far with me. The song is focused more around Yurina and Saki here (though everyone gets a line), but I’m not too keen on the inclusion of male MC quips…seems too dumb…and this song already reminds me of “Tomodachi wa Tomodachi Nanda!” in a weird way too. Yeah, not really that memorable.
Overall: Berryz had a pretty good year of releases I’d say…a lot of good songs and their A-side line up was amazing this year. Not much else to say though, just a really solid year for them.
°C-ute
C-ute in 2011, like Berryz, had a VERY similar year in the case of their releases to be honest. It began with their February single, Kiss me Aishiteru before they released their 6th album, Chou WONDERFUL!⑥ in April.
Cut to May’s single with Momoiro Sparkling and September’s Sekaiichi HAPPY na Onna no Ko and we pretty much covered it all (besides all the side stuff they did like Mobekimasu and the joint single with Berryz).
GREAT SONGS
- Kiss me Aishiteru – Gosh, I was not ready for the powerhouse that was Kiss me Aishiteru because it’s just such a wickedly fast song for the group and definitely was when I solidified my enjoyment of the group. It’s also when Chisato was starting to be finally pushed as a lead vocal alongside Airi & Maimi in A-sides and I was here for it because it’s just a really good dance track from them. I will say there are times where I can see the song be a little annoying with the ~nee, nee, nee, nee~ and ~please, please, please, please~ hooks in the choruses. Regardless, the song is just a bop for me and an easy favorite during the year.
- Midnight Temptation – I definitely remember when I first reviewed the album when it came out, only one of the album tracks really managed to latch onto my memory and Midnight Temptation was the standout. It’s kind of like what if they darkened up “Kiss me Aishiteru” but also had more of a melody and stronger presence with the beats and vocals. Yeah, it’s back to the usual Airi / Maimi lead, but the other 3 members get solos (more than they normally do) so it really works out. Definitely still my favorite from the album.
- Kirai de Kirai de Kirai – Yeah what a surprise the B-side from the Berikyuu single would be also pretty damn good. I mean the group suffered in putting out great music so this was a nice track to close the year with from C-ute. I’m loving the stringwork in the song and the repetitive nature of the verses before it blows up to its vocally charging chorus. Of course Airi & Maimi lead, but I do love hearing the other 3 members just as much here. Yeah, this was a good surprise from that single and the best track from it to be quite honest!
OK SONGS
- Chou WONDERFUL! – As the opening to their 6th album, the title track opens things up in a fun, rockin’ way and yeah it does sound like a skipped over Buono! track, but I feel it’s been a while since we’ve had a crowd pumpin’ track from C-ute so here we are. There are synths throughout too to make things a bit more interesting. Plus all the members sound really into this and the chanting and call & responses found in this one is just nice for live performances…good start to the album!
- Wakaretakunai… – Oh hey, this is the Chisato-led track for the album and this R&B track with a lot of synthwork is actually more of something I was intrigued into hearing. Of course, Chisato does a pretty awesome job in carrying her lines and the group really stepped it up for it together. I do think it does slog a bit at points, but the arrangement is unique and it’s just a bit more interesting than the last couple of album tracks I ran into.
- 3ban Home 3ryoume – Then we have the last of the album tracks with Maimi’s main track and she sounds really nice and the lowbrow 90’s R&B is cute, but like with “Circle” and “Wakaretakunai…” it’s just too slow and kind of feel like retreading the styles of those songs but instead a different member is leading the songs. Maimi sounds good though and since the other 4 members get shorter solos here, it’s tolerable…but that chorus >.> Could we at least spice it up a little?
- Momoiro Sparkling – Moving onto an A-side, Momoiro Sparkling had to come after the legendary “Kiss me Aishiteru” and I figured I wasn’t going to be too interested in this one as it’s more leaning towards their cutesy side, but I actually came around on this one. I enjoyed the synth melodies throughout and the ladies seem to enjoy themselves hear, probably since the line distribution is pretty nice to see. I still think the chorus feels a little weak especially the first line of it sounds weird to me for some reason, but I’d say this was a good track for them!
- FARAWAY – As the B-side from “Momoiro Sparkling”, I wasn’t expecting them to really take the song into a new genre of Reggae. It’s a bit of a lighter take on the genre, but it’s definitely got the swing and mood. Though I’m not sure if it works with such wanting lyrics which kind of throws me off a bit, but I actually warmed up to this one even if it’s still on the lower end of the spectrum. The vocals are hot n’ cold at times, but I do like Airi, Chisato, and Maimi’s lines and Airi hits some purely high notes during the track. Not bad, though.
- Sekaiichi HAPPY na Onna no Ko – It seems I have trouble remembering this A-side for some reason and I think it’s just because after listening to all of the C-ute A-sides, I tend to feel like this and “Wakkyanai (Z)” really didn’t bring much to the table. This is more of a cute pop/rock sound ala Buono! or even S/mileage and it’s the group being once again cutesy for the song so the mix didn’t lend itself to be really a track to stand out. I mean the group still sounds decent and happy (though what’s with that pre-chorus). I don’t know, this one is kind of more of a forgettable A-side, but it’s not a terrible track.
- Idai na Chikara wo! – As the B-side for “Sekaiichi HAPPY na Onna no Ko”, this track is kind of a more exciting and poppy track for the group that isn’t so much for a cutesy track. I get slight wintry vibes out of this one and the intro with the organ and bells was definitely something I wasn’t expecting from a B-side. I think of the 3 B-sides released in the year, this one was fun and cute to listen to. (Also, why does this remind me of Kobushi Factory’s “Samba! Kobushi Janeiro”?)
MEH SONGS
- Hatachimae no Onna no Ko – Unfortunately, the B-side from “Kiss me Aishiteru” was definitely side material for sure. The song sounds like something that should belong to S/mileage because it’s more of a cuter track for C-ute to handle and while I appreciate the better handled line distribution, it just felt weak and throwaway and hearing more Nakky and Maimai while nice is also kind of meh because their vocals are still pretty weak in the long run. Just wasn’t into this and was pretty disappointing being the coupling to one of the group’s best songs.
- Iza, Susume! Steady go! – When it came to this track on the album, when I first relistened to it, I felt like it was a PUFFY song with the kind of punkish tone it had to it, but it also gave me like superhero vibes especially with the hooks and chorus (which honestly, kind of annoyed me and bored me at the same time). Add on that Nakky is the lead in the song and has the more interesting lines than anyone else and it’s just a rather forgettable song for me.
- Rururururu – I still was intrigued by the title because it was onomatopoeic, but it’s even stranger that it’s a ballad on the album. Back when I reviewed it, I was still uncertain on who was singing what and I immediately thought they sounded singing better in unison versus having solos. Most of it is Airi, but all the other members do have lines as well and yeah I still think Mai & Saki just don’t cut it for ballads during this time period. It’s just like a lot of H!P ballads, just kind of there and lacks emotional feelings…felt like something I’ve heard before too (but the guitar is nice?).
- Circle – As this track is the Mai-centric song, this was a bit of the same problem I had with “Wakaretakunai…” where the arrangement is a bit too slow, but this time taking out the R&B elements and just going for a generic idol-happy track with Mai’s vocals being at the forefront kind of just made me cringe a little bit. I still think it’s my least favorite from the album as it literally brings nothing to the table and everyone is just a bit too loud and annoying for me to care.
Overall: C-ute in 2011 is kind of more or less the same it was it feels like, OK singles (Kiss me Aishiteru being such an epic track though) and a rather disappointing album with just two good group songs and the member-focused ones being really frustrating! Regardless, we still got material and the group still had more stuff like the collaborative efforts seen through the latter half of the year!
Buono!
So Buono! came back after their minor hiatus and came back strong with two singles; February’s Zassou no Uta and July’s Natsu Dakara! before releasing their first mini-album in August’s partenza. Very safe year for the trio that’s for sure!
GREAT SONGS
- Zassou no Uta – After not hearing Buono! for a while, it was refreshing to see them return with such a powerful track such as Zassou no Uta! I really enjoyed that intro for sure and just made me feel pumped up for whatever the group was going to give. I definitely enjoyed myself here and Airi, Miyabi, and Momoko sound really good hear and even moreso in the chorus when they’re in unison. I know the hiatus wasn’t that long, but damn it feels like they’ve gotten better as trio! Great way to kick off 2011!
- JUICY HE@RT – Yeah, I think maybe it was an odd choice to give this a PV considering, like “Runaway Train” this song has no solos in it either, but the difference is that this has some synths to go alongside the rockin’ instrumentation which pulls up for me just a little bit more. Still not quite at the level of the A-side, but I definitely caught myself nodding my head to this one and it’s a fun song and one of the more better B-sides to come out of the trio.
- Ice Mermaid – At least the B-side ironically is the more exciting track off the “Natsu Dakara!” and throwing the surfer rock tones made the song surprisingly interesting for me and the vocals just added this sound of mystery but the energy also seem to really sound soooo goood! I think I needed this change of sound because it added a more unique experience that’s different from most of the songs we’ve heard from Buono! at least not since their 2nd album.
- 1/3 no Junjou na Kanjou – Color me surprised when the mini ends on a high note with an awesome cover of the famous SIAM SHADE song of the same name! It definitely keeps it faithful and the change of genders singing the song makes it seem more badass because it is coming from Buono! I’m really loving the cover still and it’s still one of the best songs Buono! has done as group and just works (wish they had performed it more to be honest). Just funny that another band, FLOW, had also covered the song earlier in the same year…>.>
OK SONGS
- Runaway Train – As one of the two B-sides from “Zassou no Uta”, Runaway Train always to me it felt like it was left behind considering that “JUICY HE@RT” ended up also getting a PV. Though I think I can see why this never really got that much love because despite being your typical Buono! rock track, there’s actually no solo lines to be had here and that in itself kind of made the song a tad bit uneventful of a song for me. It’s still a decent track though and does carry A-side vibes, but there was really nothing much to remember it by in the case of the 3 members besides they can harmonize pretty well (which we’ve seen already through the A-side).
- Natsu Dakara! – So we get back to the summery Buono! song and just like the previous “conomichi” and “Take It Easy!”, this is a much lighter affair than what Buono! is normally known for and the more organic and acoustic setting for the song is a bit of a trip. Of course, all 3 members continue to shine vocally here and the mood of the song is bright and summery and just happy-go-lucky. While I prefer the trio in their punchier rock tones, the switch-up is nice if not showing a pattern. Not bad though!
- partenza ~Let’s Go!!!~ – As the title track that opens up the mini-album, partenza was definitely not was I was expecting out of Buono! at all. From a slightly dubsteppish arrangement to HEAVY amounts of auto-tune slathered on the 3 members, I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into. The song’s chanting section is OK, but it does get annoying after a while, but the I somehow like the more punchier style I get vocally and the auto-tune, while frighteningly overdone is something new for the trio to do so I can’t fall it too much. It’s a bit weird as a Buono! track, but I appreciate the experimentation.
- FrankencenseΨ – Outside of two tracks, the new ones on the mini-album are solo tracks and the first one comes from Miyabi. Though quite oddly enough, this isn’t a new track per say…this actually was the unreleased track that was performed by SI☆NA last year but was left on the floor due to the group actually disbanding during the year so it was given new life as a Miyabi solo. I’ve been thinking about it, but like why give solos when they can do that in their respective groups, it just seems a bit odd to see the 3 get solo tracks. Anywho, the song itself is dancey and poppy and Miyabi sounds decent in the track for sure, but it does feel like it should be sung with more members involved. I don’t know it just doesn’t quite feel like it fits with Buono! and maybe should’ve been a release for SI☆NA overall.
- Kia Ora Gracias Arigatou – Then we get to Momoko’s track and of the three solos on the mini-album, this one feels particularly Buono!-esque to me as it has guitars and heavy percussion in it. Though the big thing is that it’s also kind of a more girly and peppy track too. Back when I reviewed this, I still was warming up to Momoko’s vocals because they’re a bit squirrely and definitely stand out against Airi & Miyabi’s more mature tones. It’s a good track and fits amongst the other rockin’ tracks I’d say/
MEH SONGS
- My alright sky – I guess because there were no solo tracks on C-ute’s album H!P decided to just throw her a bone and give her one here on partenza and of course it was going to be a ballad, or at least a mid-tempo ballad. At first I thought Airi was doing the intro dialogue, but turns out it was the writer of the song that spoke it in English. I mean its a slower song, Airi sounds good as usual, but this just isn’t my type of track. Though I guess it does sounds good, it’s just that Airi’s done better and since then this has slowly regressed because I used to enjoy it, but nowadays it’s kind of vanilla.
Overall: Great seeing that Buono! didn’t take too long of a break and found their stride again for the partenza era. I would say it was pretty good for the most part, maybe slightly forgotten how good this era was in the scheme of 2011 but, I’d say this was a good year for Buono! for sure!
Erina Mano
Surprisingly enough, it seems that ManoEri had a rather short year with only two singles to show off. In January she released Seishun no Serenade and in June with My Days for You. Yeah, literally was active at least in her solo works for the first half of the year.
The remainder she was mostly involved in the H!P Bekimasu & Mobekimasu singles, kind of a shame since she’s had a pretty solid rollout the last two years.
GREAT SONGS
- 21 Seikiteki Renai Jijou – As the B-side from “Seishun no Serenade” it’s more of the same story, but Erina is actually sounding a bit more alive and kind of reminds me of the frantic energy from “Genkimono de Ikou!” especially in the chant-heavy chorus! Though I love the arrangement a LOT as it’s so brass-forward and the hectic energy makes me feel joyous and ridiculous. I didn’t expect a song like this again, but I’m happy this track exists for her!
OK SONGS
- Seishun no Serenade – There’s something a bit 80’s about this A-side and I’m not sure where it’s coming from, but Seishun no Serenade is upbeat and cute and with Erina at the forefront it’s a solid piece of work to be had. I wouldn’t say it’s the best she’s had though as it also has Erina at the forefront and she does feel a tad bit bored in this song…even the ~la, la, las~ don’t seem to have a impact on me like the arrangement does. So that said it’s kind of just in the middle for me.
- My Days for You – Slowing things down a bit for the other A-side ManoEri released, My Days for You is one of the more softer songs collection and it’s kind of like a breezy, sort-of Spring-like tune for her. With that said, at least vocally Erina sounded a bit more comfortable here. Of course the piano is in full swing here and she does a decent job with this trrack IMO as it’s kind of an in-season track that’s soft but pretty for her sound. (Enough that Risa Niigaki would later cover this song on her graduation cover album). Yeah, not bad, not a stand out, but I don’t dislike this one.
- 10 Carat no Kirameki. – As the B-side from “My Days for you”, 10 Carat no Kirameki. is more of an upbeat approach and hearing that acoustic guitars are used are more impressive and the song sounds full like “21 Seikiteki Renai Jijou” and that’s pretty good, but I don’t think ManoEri’s vocals are working for me quite as well in this one as she’s lacking a bit of something behind it. It’s one of the better B-sides for sure, but there’s something missing here maybe a bit more vocal control and talent to handle a song that’s a bit rougher?
Overall: Kind of a bizarre year considering ManoEri was only active in her solo works for half a year basically. Granted she was still doing some musical things, but in her solo stuff, yeah it was a bit small this year…Decent singles though I’d say.
S/mileage
Good lord did S/mileage have a ridiculously bizarre year! Well, it didn’t start that way at first because the quartet did release three singles in Short Cut (February), Koi ni Booing Buu! (April), and Uchouten LOVE (August). During those times, especially on the 1st year anniversary of the group since their major debut, Tsunku announced that he was looking for new members to join so he was going to hold an audition for that.
That said, after Uchouten LOVE was released (4 days later) that the group did in fact get new members joining the group, Egg members Rina Katsuta & Akari Takeuchi and brand new members; Meimi Tamura, Kana Nakanishi, and Fuyuka Kosuga were joining the group, but as sub-members which were kind of like trainees to the group but it would be later decided if they’d become full-fledged members or not. The next week we’d get digital-only released remixes of both Short Cut & Uchouten LOVE, but one week later, it was easily shadowed by the shocking announcement that Saki Ogawa would graduate the group 3 days later without a graduation ceremony. Nothing really was confirmed as to why she left, but it could be a mix of returning to a normal life and that new members were joining (to which initially most of the 4 weren’t quite keen about).
Anyways, the 5 new sub-members would end up debuting on Tachiagirl which was released in September but before another shocking and sudden graduation for sub-member, Fuyuka Kosuga as she started to suffer from severe anemia and had to back down from both the single and the Hello Project Mobekimasu single, but she did manage do get in Tachiagirl so at least she would have that (and that she would later return as a Hello Pro Kenshuusei member for a period of time, Kenshuusei is what Hello Pro Egg would rename themselves as in the next year).
In October, the remaining 4 sub-members were happily announced to become full members in S/mileage before a week later another shocking twist happens as Yuuka Maeda announces her graduation at the end of the year due to wanting to go into college and focus on that instead of staying with the group (and prolly some of the bitterness of new members still). Regardless, she had one more single in Please Miniskirt Postwoman! which released 3 days before Yuuka’s graduation.
GREAT SONGS
- Short Cut – If you asked me what an idol song sounded like during this period, I would’ve immediately pointed at this song because it’s cute, upbeat, and still manages to have good vocals and the mood is pretty nice even if all I got was that all the members cut their hair short XD. The song sounds a lot more fresh especially coming off their first album and the group while don’t sound as kiddy like they did, still give off a youthful approach. The synths are a bit more sawtooth-like and up in front, but I don’t know why it just worked for me. A great start to the year if you ask me.
- Otome Pasta ni Kandou – So a thing that S/mileage started doing from their last single, “Onaji Jikyuu de Hataraku Tomodachi no Bijin Mama” was doing covers of older H!P songs and for the “Short Cut” single, they decided to cover a Tanpopo song! Now this was the song that introduced the 2nd Generation of Tanpopo (Rika Ishikawa & Ai Kago) and funny enough, this song really suits S/mileage as it’s cutesy and just sound like a girly song to pull off! Plus Nyon always reminded me of Aibon so it works even better! Even the arrangement was updated and it sounds a bit more modern than the original did so that’s always impressive!
- Hatsukoi no Anata e – Finally something different from S/mileage! For the B-side from “Koi ni Booing Buu!” this song makes up for the lackluster A-side by having more a latin touch to the arrangement with the acoustic guitar and overall feel of the song. Even better, the entire song is solos from all 4 members so it feels really cool hearing them all even if ones like Ayaka & Yuuka still sound a bit shrill at points. Still, a pretty memorable song and one of the better early S/mileage B-sides for me.
- Uchouten LOVE – I definitely was not expecting S/mileage to go into hyper levels for this A-side and really brought out them sawtooth synths in full style for this track (honestly probably why future H!P songs for the next year had a lean towards this sound…) and it’s just so fast and so energetic and really exciting to hear all 4 members just have a grand ole time was exciting! Kind of sucks though it was the final single to include Saki because she actually shined a lot in this song…just unfortunate things after this point got a bit too murky. One of the best songs of the year IMO and there were plenty of good ones from other H!P groups.
- Chu! Natsu Pa~rty – Yup, they finally drifted from the Tanpopo love and covered a different group’s song for “Uchouten LOVE” and it’s this 3-nin Matsuri track. Back then, I thought seeing Ai Kago, Rika Ishikawa, and Aya Matsuura doing the song was humorous and ridiculous to see XD, but seeing now that S/mileage is covering it, it REALLY suits them for some reason even after making the updated arrangement work better for them. It’s more danceable which is nice and gives off a samba-esque vibe, kind of like C-ute’s “Idai na Chikara wo!”. Not a bad cover once again and does a bit better than the original IMO.
- Please Miniskirt Postwoman! – As we get into S/mileage’s last single of the year, if I had done this post back then, I would literally have a short time with it because it was released 3 days before the new year (granted, this song at least had its PV out a few weeks prior, but the rest of the single?…yeah). So yeah, Yuuka’s final single and more importantly, the first single with Rina, Akari, Meimi, and Kana as part of the group! Now the song’s sound isn’t too different from like “Tachiagirl” which would normally be bummer, but I think I was more excited with this one because of the 4 new voices and Akari, Meimi, and Rina get some good lines in and for the most part, interesting and smooths out the squeaky voices from the 3 established members, Kana gets one line and it’s not the best, but she’s got time to shine and they even give Yuukarin the final line of the song since it was her final A-side within the group. It’s cute, girly, and just charming to listen to and the hook of the song sung between Ayaka and Meimi is just cute af. Yeah, this was a good way to end the year off.
- Konnichiwa Konbanwa – As the main B-side from Yuuka’s graduating single, I was hoping we get more of the 2nd Gen and we definitely do in this one. Granted it’s kind of like how it was handled in “Please Miniskirt Postwoman!” where Kanana just gets two lines and they weren’t even that good of lines at that, but the other 3 (plus Yuuka, Kanon, and Ayaka) get some really nice lines. The song is like a more upbeat “Jitensha Chiririn” and I definitely found myself smiling at this one for sure.
OK SONGS
- Panya-san no Arubaito – As the B-side from “Short Cut”, Panya-san no Arubaito is kind of something akin to a slower “Suki-chan” with the rock elements mixed in with their squeaky idol voices. The vocals are still chirpy but it feels like they’ve been getting better at harmonizing with one another. The song otherwise does have B-side written all over it since it’s not quite as interesting as the A-side it came from, but this is a decent track.
- Koi wo Shichaimamashita! – Huh, another 2nd Gen Tanpopo cover? Yup, I guess after how well “Otome Pasta ni Kandou” did, it was going to be another go with another Tanpopo track and likewise, they did a pretty good job handling this one too, but the song in general isn’t so much a favorite of mine. It did feel like originally it was treading on familiar grounds of the aforementioned track. S/mileage fits the song just fine luckily and they give the track new life with an updated arrangement of course as well.
- Jitensha Chiririn – Moving to the B-side from “Uchouten LOVE”, Jitensha Chiririn slows things down to a kind of cute mid-tempo track about a bell on a bicycle and it’s pretty cute! I also see the quartet singing a bit more broader in this one because of the slower tempo involved. Granted the execution can be hit or miss depending on the member like Yuuka’s tone and her lisp kind of makes things a little strange, but most of the time, it’s pleasant to the ears. Not bad for a simpler track from the group.
- Short Cut (Remix Ver.) – After the last 3 remixes that were released digitally last year, I was kind of over it, but this and the “Uchouten LOVE” remix really kind came out of nowhere really and in between two incredibly big happenings (the sub-members joining and Saki Ogawa’s sudden departure). Regardless I think this may be my favorite of the remixes as it really doesn’t do a whole lot to the song. It does take off the synthwork and replaces it with a kind of nice space-like atmosphere and filtered & auto-tuned the members with their vocal lines. Honestly, it sounds pleasant and just wowed me.
- Smile Ondon – Yeah, I was wondering if we were ever going to get another ondo-like song since we haven’t had any since…I think C-ute did theirs from their 4th album? Anyways, like “Tachiagirl”, Smile Ondon doesn’t feature really any of the new members and they’re even more background because I swear they only say the title in the chorus and the rest of the song is sung between Yuuka, Kanon, and Ayaka. The traditional elements are why it’s a bit higher and I did like the vocal twisting the members pull off (as they should). I wish they brought this back in lives, but this was a fun and playful track to hear.
- Boogie Train ’11 – Yup the cover song for the “Tachiagirl” single is in fact a cover of the famous Miki Fujimoto song and boy was I not looking forward to this one. If you’ve heard the original, then hearing S/mileage covering it may be a bit off the wall because these 3 girls (once again, little output from the sub-members) DO NOT HAVE MIKI’S DEEP AND HUSKY VOICE and they really cute it up a bit too much on this one. Still, it is Boogie Train and it’s still a good song whenever it pops up, but the balls S/mileage had to cover this one!
- Te wo Nigitte Arukitai – Even the last single of the year from S/mileage ended with a cover song, this time the rather odd Maki Goto A-side that I’ve never liked because it felt so uncharacteristic for Gocchin to be singing especially since she was going for more of a mature route at the time. With S/mileage, it feels right and it sounds incredibly fitting to the group. I also appreciated the even line distribution so all 7 members can shine in the song. It’s cute and happy and yeah they did a good job with this as well!
MEH SONGS
- Koi ni Booing Buu! – I think of all the S/mileage A-sides (as in before they changed to ANGERME) this is still my least favorite A-side of theirs. Primarily it feels way too gimmicky and too forward with the BUU! shtick of the song alongside the pig-themed PV (which Berryz did so much better with just monkeys). The song itself is more of the synth mix of pop & rock (like “Panya-san no Arubaito”) so immediately this song didn’t sound unique to me. The chorus is cutesy too which is meh overall…yeah this was just a bad A-side for them to really have.
- Uchouten LOVE ~rocketman mix~ – The other remix that released with “Short Cut” however was a bit of a drop down for me. Instead of the in-your-face electronic elements of the instrumental, they’re replaced with a lesser sound that isn’t as energetic or powerful. Plus the opening has a repetitive section to it that kind of kills me a little bit. I think if you were annoyed from the barrage of synths of the original recording, this might do a little better, but for me…nah I enjoyed the earphone blasting the original has xD.
- Tachiagirl – Yeah like I said about “Uchouten LOVE”, the sawtooth synths really became the H!P thing for a year and a half or so and it definitely carried over to the next A-side, Tachiagirl. This also marked the debut of the 5 new sub-members, but honestly it REALLY doesn’t feel like they’re even in the song half the time because the only things they do is ~WOO WOO’s~ & ~OH YEAH~ on the song. It really is more of a 3-nin track and it’s sad since Saki did leave the group. Unfortunately, it really didn’t capture my eye and without the PV, I only saw the 3 members doing it and it’s still not all that exciting of a song. The chorus I guess can be catchy, but it just feels kind of generic overall to me and doesn’t do much for their discography.
- S/mileage Singles Gekimoe Remix – For whatever reason, starting with this single, S/mileage added on another thing that kept popping up on singles and that’s medley remixes of their A-sides and it all started with this one which featured, “Suki-chan”, “Yumemiru 15sai”, and “Uchouten LOVE”. There’s a lot to the medley and since it’s also a remix a LOT of arrangement changes happen and it’s immediately noticeable in the Suki-chan section where it’s more synthy and the vocals are filtered & auto-tuned. It goes through the 3 songs and then Suki-chan comes back and fuses with Uchouten LOVE which is a unique take and makes the last section of the remix kind of neat…still, why? I mean the first one kind of made sense, but Saki is gone now, why are we doing medley remixes now? XD
- S/mileage Singles Gekiyaba Remix – Yup, here we are again with another medley remix though this time it’s between “Koi ni Booing Buu!”, “Short Cut” and “Tachiagirl” and woo 2/3 of this are songs I just don’t like so I already was wanting to quite this. They slowed down the first song so it sounds like its dragging and the deeper electronics don’t really work, it isn’t until it slides into the chorus of Short Cut where I think things get somewhat better, but not enough for me to really stick to and when it transitions into Tachiagirl is when I was over the remix medley…yeah…this just was meh.
Overall: What a clusterfuck of a year it was for S/mileage to deal with. I mean the first half was fine with just the quartet, but it was when the sub-members were announced when everything kind of just exploded with 5 winners and yet at the end of the year 3 members are gone in general…what a hard 2nd half of the year it was to watch them. Though at the same time, lots of songs came out from them so it was like H!P was REALLY pushing S/mileage this year to their limits.
Da Xiao Jie
Interestingly enough due to their popularity out in Taiwan, Da Xiao Jie would continue on and release their first actual album (I guess “Wo Shi Da Xiao Jie” was a mini-album), Jia Jiayou! Da Xiao Jie in January and would go on promote it through the year, though not coming to Japan still.
(They would though in 2012 end up leaving Hello Pro Taiwan, but continue on as a duo unit for a little while longer, but this is kind of where it ends for them under the H!P umbrella)
GREAT SONGS
- Guaishou Lonely – What is this?!? If I didn’t know better, this song feels like a Hello! Project song given to the duo and it somehow worked for them in a great way. I wasn’t expecting the two to start the song off doing whisper/singing and then turn it into a fun idol-pop track with brass elements and a catchy chorus! I think it might be my favorite off the “album” just for having such a fun atmosphere and decent vocals overall!
- Dulmian de Nanhai Kan Guolai – So I used to think it was an original track, but this is actually a cover of a 2012 Richie Jan song of the same name, but it’s gender-reversed so Frances & Aiko could make do with it. I do like the lighter sound of the track and the acoustics and synths involved to cater to a nice poppy sound. Frances & Aiko though probably to me are vocally at their poorest here as the chorus has them hit some bizarre notes that they can’t fully reach and it just sounds off and whiny it feels like. Still, I do like the fact they covered this and it’s a nice try to reverse the song’s lyrics.
OK SONGS
- Qili Jingli Zuoxia – As the opening track, already I got “Laoshi Laoshi” vibes just from that school bell melody notoriously tied to Asian school culture and then it’s just energy from the get go. The comparison continues when I hear Frances, Aiko, and a man singing along and it’s kind of like deja-vu again. I do notice the duo’s singing capabilities rose which is a godsend because I really couldn’t handle that in their debut. They sound a bit crisper and cleaner and the youthfulness of their vocals are more like early/young H!P member levels. Still, a cute song though.
- Jia Jiayou – As the title track, Jia Jiayou is more of the upbeat sound we heard from the opening song and at least it’s mostly Frances & Aiko participating here. I do like the synthpop elements of the song and there’s a lot of hooks to be had in this one but it feels like this one never lets up for a breather, so you’re just in this postive-mood-making track that makes you wanna dance with it. I do feel like the production covers up the duo’s vocals a bit here though as I feel like I hear the backups more than the two actually singing. Still, decent though…a bit better than “Qili Jingli Zuoxia” at least.
- Laoshi Laoshi Di San Ji – A 3rd version of Laoshi Laoshi? I’m not sure why they’re bringing this back again because it just seems random and while it is about school and stuff, it’s just not fitting to this release as much as it did the previous album. Unlike the previous two versions, this one has more of a chiptune sounding arrangement and of course it wouldn’t be Laoshi Laoshi without Hsueh-liang Pu being the teacher of the song. It’s OK, but I’m kind of getting tired of the song and since I don’t know Chinese, I don’t even know what’s going on really lol.
MEH SONGS
- Jia Jiayou! Da Xiao Jie – The album actually closes out with a bonus track and it’s ultimately a digest of the 5 tracks from the release smushed into this 5 minute track. Not really a remix persay since the transitions are pretty rough and nothing of the songs were changed dramatically enough to really call it such. It’s just short clips of the previous 5 tracks. Kind of a weird thing to include and it doesn’t really do much for the album other than stretching its time length (probably enough to call it an album and not a mini-album).
Overall: It’s good to see that Da Xiao Jie managed to squeeze out a 2nd release (not counting the repackage of the first album as separate releases). For the most part, I was pleasantly surprised at what the duo put out and it shows their vocals are finally coming together and doesn’t sound shrill. I mean they would fit S/mileage at this point. Shame though it’s their last release under H!P though.
Hello Pro Egg
So the Eggs were quite a bit busy this year it seems!
Began with the surprise announcement that Mizuki Fukumura would end up joining Morning Musume at the beginning of the year!
Then another wave of trainees started dropping with Saki Mori and Konatsu Furukawa (January), Sayaka Kitahara, Azusa Sekine, Manami Arai, and Ayano Sato (March), and Akari Saho (April) all completing their training. Though Kitahara would go on to have a solo career…the other 6 members (plus Minami Sengoku) would end up forming a group outside of H!P, Up Up Girls (Kakko Kari) and well…yeah history is made for them!
In February, we did get new members in Kurumi Yoshihashi, Ayano Hamaura, and Natsumi Taguchi and in June got 3 more members in Aina Otsuka, Minami Mogi, and Rena Ogawa (the first two being finalists from Momusu’s 9th Gen auditions).
Skip to September when it was announced that Haruka Kudo would be joining Morning Musume and 2 weeks later, Rina Katsuta and Akari Takeuchi would end up joining S/mileage. Also to note that Wakana Nagasawa had also left the company as well sometime in September.
Then we land in November where we get two more new trainees in Sakura Oda & Kanae Yamaga both were finalists from the S/mileage auditions.
Yeah, that was that…quite a lot of changes I’d say!
Other H!P Releases
So let’s get the big elephant out of the room, the Hello Cover series continued this year with MANY digital releases from Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki, Reina Tanaka, Momoko Tsugunaga, Risako Sugaya, Miyabi Natsuyaki, Maimi Yajima, Airi Suzuki, and Chisato Okai, but it seems that Chisato is the only one that had a limited indies release with Romantic Ukare Mode which is what I’ll cover. The other digital tracks are just too many and of some same songs between them all so I’ll just skip those and let y’all decide just from knowing their vocals if you’ll think you’ll enjoy their covers or not.
Next up was actually a big deal because this was the official first release out of Dream Morning Musume, Dorimusu. ①. While not technically a Hello! Project release, it does feature Morning Musume in the name and the members are all former Momusu members so it just seemed to be fair to include here. Album is interesting because the first disc has 2 new tracks, a 2 new updated versions of old ones and their cuts of various MM songs of the past. The 2nd disc won’t be talked about because it contains songs members chose to be on it and it’s the original recorded versions so passing that up.
Quietly in August, a digital single popped up, Makeru na Wasshoi! which was performed by Hello Project Bekimasu (which was Berryz, C-ute, ManoEri, and S/mileage together).
Then came two stageplay singles for Reborn ~Inochi no Audition~ (August) and Seishun Gekijou (September)
November pops up and we get Amazuppai Haru ni Sakura Saku (which was a collaborative effort between Berryz and C-ute) and then the biggie single, Busu ni Naranai Tetsugaku (which is from Hello! Project Mobekimasu, which is Bekimasu with Morning Musume involved now).
Then of course we end the year off with the annual, Petit Best 12.
GREAT SONGS
- Busu ni Naranai Tetsugaku – When I heard that we’re finally getting an all units single like “ALL FOR ONE & ONE FOR ALL!” I was hella excited for it and then it came out and while I was initially bummed that not every member got a solo line, so something special to do, I was loving the loud, brassy discotheque-esque sound that was coming from it. There are some oddities of the song like S/mileage’s Fuyuka was going to be involved but she ended up pulling out because of the anemia (though she is in some promotional material and the group lip cut of the PV), Aika being injured so she could only do some promoting, S/mileage was still under the whole sub-member thing so they were partially involved (no vocals, but otherwise there), 10th Gen being too late to be involved so they only participared in promotions after the single released). Yeah, this was a weird single to pull at the time. Still it’s exciting and just fun to listen (also ManoEri seem to just be really out of place since she was the only soloist under H!P, so she stood out like a sore thumb, and she didn’t even get solos here!). Still, a great song overall!
OK SONGS
- Romantic Ukare Mode – The Hello Cover series drives me nuts at how all these are digital releases, but I’m happy Chisa got her due and got a single out of it despite both the A-side and B-side ended up also being digitally available. Tackling the Miki Fujimoto classic, she handled it pretty well despite not having the husky tone in her voice like Mikitty does. She sounds great and I liked her cover of it.
- LOVE Namida Iro – Yeah, the B-side to Chisato’s single is an Aya Matsuura cover and this song has been covered SO MUCH in the series that at this point I just couldn’t care too much about it beyond the fact that it is Chisato singing it so there’s that I suppose…I just wish there was variety at hand and not the same songs throughout the members that were involved.
- Atto Odoraku Mirai ga Yattekuru! – As the opening to Dream Morning Musume’s album, Atto Odoraku Mirai ga Yattekuru! is pretty much a standard upbeat pop track from this supergroup and one I would expect to have become an opening as it’s bright and simple of a song. All 10 members get a solo line and it’s just great to hear all the members since it’s been quite a while since we’ve heard some of them (Yuko, Kei, Makoto, Mari, and Miki for example). Good track and a fun way to begin things.
- Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari (2011 Dorimusu. Ver.) – Of course it’s no surprise that we would get a 4th version of this song but it’s showcasing the DMM members and for some it is their first time being involved with this song (Yuko, Natsumi, Kei). The song is stylized similar to actually “Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari 2” where the girls themselves are talking about themselves hence why every member gets a section, they sing solo. The arrangement hasn’t changed though so it’s still the frantic brass-heavy arrangement of the original. It’s still a fun song and to be fair, we haven’t had this in a while so it’s nice to see returning.
- Mikan – Yeah most of the first disc from Dream Momusu is split into smaller groupings starting with this take on Mikan which only included Yuko, Kaori, Rika, Miki, and Koharu (who the last member was the only one involved in the original). I though it was bizarre having these 5 tackle Mikan, but they do sound pretty decent together it sounds like. I think it sounds good overall and hearing some graduated members singing these lines is nice, Rika suits it and of course Koharu does because she has the same lines again so it sounded just as good as the original if not better. I will say Miki, Kaori, and Yuko’s more mature vocals are a bit surprising, but still good cover!
- Roman ~MY DEAR BOY~ – Surprised to see this song being pulled up and this time we have Natsumi, Kei, Mari, Hitomi, and Makoto involved and out of them only Kei and Natsumi missed out on the original recording (bizarre since Nacchi graduated literally the single before this and she sounds great in this). Weird not to see Rika here since this was kind of her leading role I feel like (and Mikitty too). That said seeing more solo lines popping up for Keichan, Yossie, and Makochan is refreshing and they all handled it well (though Yossie is sounding much gruffer here and for whatever reason Marippe is sounding very strange than she did in the original. Still decent cover, I think more members were needed though.
- Morning Coffee (2011 Dorimusu. Ver.) – Yeah this was also a given to show up and surprise, surprise it’s just Yuko, Natsumi, Kaori, Mari, and Kei (I’m sure the last two were to fill in the spots since Aya & Asuka wasn’t involved in the supergroup, plus they’re the 2 2nd Gen members representing so it works out pretty much. Surprised to see the arrangement get updated on this one, still gives off a little of that 90’s vibe, but some new synths get involved. It’s pretty faithful to see the song return and Mari and Kei do a good job as well (Interesting how this one will get forgotten because of the 20th Anniversary version that DID bring back all 5 original members to sing it).
- SEXY BOY ~Soyokaze ni Yorisotte~ – The same members in “Morning Coffee” get chosen again to do this track and it is the only track on the album that none of the members involved were a part of the original recording so this is like a whole new feeling. Considering the more mature vocals here (with the exception to Mari), this has a more sultry feel to it where the original was lacking a bit and I was madly surprised. Once again…shocked that Yossie, Mikitty, and Koha were left off, but this was a pretty solid cover here
- Aozora ga Itsumademo Tsuzuku You na Mirai de Are! – Closing off the album, Dream Morning Musume decided to end it in a happier note with this Morning Musume album track. The song is still fun and brassy and upbeat, kind of surprised though only Natsumi, Miki, Mari, and Rika were the only ones to get solos in the song but just like “Atto Odoraku Mirai ga Yattekuru!” it’s just a postive song and really shows a nice combination between the 10 members. Good way to close the disc out.
- Makeru na Wasshoi! – Onto the Bekimasu song, it’s definitely an interesting one that’s for sure. I mean the track feels pretty B-side-ish to me, but the great thing is that we have 15 members involved and the main vocalists out of each group and ManoEri get a solo line which is cool I think. The thing that kind of makes the song weird AF is the choruses where it feels after each stanza, it has the section where it sounds like it’s skipping and it throws the beat off purposely. I can’t tell if it’s clever or just annoying because it happens twice in each chorus. It’s a weird song and I’m surprised they didn’t edit it when Mobekimasu came around since this was more of a randomly thrown out there song.
- Reborn ~Inochi no Audition~ – This was so weird to see stageplay singles making a return and I feel like it was the start of the Engeki Joshi-bu craze that was about to happen next year. Anyways Reborn Eleven was a stageplay unit that consisted of (Momusu’s newest 9th Gen members (Riho, Erina, Mizuki, and Kanon), Reina Tanaka, and Risa Niigaki, former Egg members Saki Mori and Minami Sengoku, current Egg members, Karin Miyamoto and Haruka Kudo (If I remember right this production was happening when Kudo became a 10th Gen member), and former v-u-den member Erika Miyoshi. The song is supposed to sound cheap, but something about the disco-funk groove and slap bass inclusion kind of stood out to me in a good way. Though the only solo lines did end up going to Gaki & Reina so it wasn’t too interesting to me, it was just these 11 members together that was so exciting to me.
- Moshimo… – As the first B-side from the Mobekimasu single, Moshimo… only features 5 members; Fukumura, Tsugunaga, Nakajima, Wada, and Mano and with this line-up, it was pretty obvious that the song was going to be more of a cutesy track and a rough one at that because Momoko, Saki, and Ayaka weren’t the greatest of vocalists and Erina was kind of struggling too and Mizuki still was sounding pretty green at this point too. I do like the song and how it sounds, but these 5 didn’t really do much of a good job handling it (I’m sure if these 5 performed it today, it would sound SO much better.
- Kacchoii Uta (Morning Musume, Berryz Kobo, C-ute) – So the “Busu ni Naranai Tetsugaku” single came with another B-side, but it’s split between the groups/acts so there’s 5 different versions of the same song. I’m madly disappointed because there was no all-in version of the song and it had to be fanmade which is definitely the BEST way to hear the song. Now the MM, Berryz, and C-ute versions are fine they all sound like it’d be a decent B-side on its own and each of the members get solos within it. I do like that MM’s had Sayumi have an auto-tuned line and that stuck out. The song itself is pretty cool and rockin’ and definitely suitable for live performances, but yeah these 3 had the least amount of issues.
MEH SONGS
- Koibito no You na Kao wo Shite… – Of course seeing that this unit is still Morning Musume at heart, I guess Tsunku wanted to give DMM a platinum-era sounding song for their other new track and it shows heavily with the longing lyrics and string-infused mid-tempo but also kind of a danceable track. Though I think this one eludes me because I don’t remember it much and the fact there’s no solo lines to be found kind of make it forgettable.
- Ame no Furanai Hoshi de wa Aisenai Darou? – The other 5 members (Rika, Hitomi, Makoto, Miki, and Koharu) get this ballad from 3 albums ago and yeah Koharu was the only one that was involved in the original so it’s not surprising she has the most solo lines (it’s still just 2 lines but yeah). Not the most engaging ballad, especially since they took out the Chinese lyrics (that were done by Junjun & Linlin) and without them the song is kind of more boring and generic sounding to me. Not bad, but nothing too interesting here.
- Seishun Gekijou – For as alarming as that cover art for the digital single was, I was mildly disappointed that the song ended up being a full-on ballad. I will admit, the acoustic guitar intro and keyboard inclusion was pretty nice sounding and something different than I expected out of H!P, but once the singing begins, I’m just kind of bored by it since the entire song is done in unison (with a male as well, who might’ve been a part of the stageplay, Sengoku Jieitai. Though I will give it props for having a sax solo in the bridge, but other than that, yeah this was pretty blah.
- Amazuppai Haru ni Sakura Saku – Took them long enough to bring Berryz and C-ute together for a release, prolly not since “Ganbacchae!” was a thing right? Anyways, everytime I come to this song I somehow remember that this was a theme song for a horror film…yeah this sparkly cute springtime graduation song was for such a thing and I just could not connect with this one. There’s no solos just duo lines between members and I don’t know it just didn’t feel like it was A-side material to me.
- Kacchoii Uta (S/mileage) – I think the problem with this version is that it’s not all of them involved, it’s just Ayaka, Kanon, and Yuuka where the sub-members (they were still during recording, but weren’t when the single dropped) were just backgrounds. Plus, the song in general doesn’t sound like it works for their vocals, they’re too shrill and pitchy throughout so it kind of ruins it for me (which is funny how the “unofficial” Mobekimasu version doesn’t bother me).
ICKY SONGS
- Kacchoii Uta (Erina Mano) – So I place this one here in the trash area because Erina just got the short hand of the stick and it sounds like a complete mess when it’s just one person doing it. Poor Erina because she’s not used to arrangements like this and her vocals do NOT lend much support throughout. I’m not sure who’s doing the back-ups but it sounds quite bothersome. I guess after “Genkimono de Ikou!” I guess this would work, but it’s just kind of a wrong thing to do, honestly they should’ve placed her with C-ute.
- Asaasamba – Yeah, Petit Best 12 actually managed to squeak in one bonus track and god forbid it had to be another Koharu song (wait, she’s not H!P…why is this song on there?!?) I guess it’s tie-in to Oha Suta may be the reason it’s placed on the album? Regardless, with her stint in Dream Morning Musume, I thought she’d leave the cutesy side behind, but nah, this samba-inspired track CONTINUES to have Koharu sounding like she did when she was doing the Kirarin Revolution stuff and I’m kind of just over it immediately.
Gains and Losses
Gains
- Riho Sayashi
- Erina Ikuta
- Kanon Suzuki
- Mizuki Fukumura (to Morning Musume)
- Kurumi Yoshihashi
- Ayano Hamaura
- Natsumi Taguchi
- Aina Otsuka
- Minami Mogi
- Rena Ogawa
- Meimi Tamura
- Kana Nakanishi
- Fuyuka Kosuga
- Rina Katsuta (to S/mileage)
- Akari Takeuchi (to S/mileage)
- Masaki Sato
- Haruna Iikubo
- Ayumi Ishida
- Haruka Kudo (to Morning Musume)
- Sakura Oda
- Kanae Yamaga
Losses
- Saki Mori
- Konatsu Furukawa
- Sayaka Kitahara
- Azusa Sekine
- Manami Arai
- Ayano Sato
- Akari Saho
- Saki Ogawa
- Ai Takahashi
- Wakana Nagasawa
- Fuyuka Kosuga (hiatus)
- Yuuka Maeda
My H!P Ranking for ’11
- 37. Haruna Iikubo
- 36. Masaki Sato
- 35. Ayumi Ishida
(These 3 will not count as they didn’t really do much for the year and would debut for next year)
- 34. Fuyuka Kosuga (NEW)
- 33. Haruka Kudo (NEW)
- 32. Mai Hagiwara (-3)
- 31. Ayaka Wada (-5)
- 30. Erina Ikuta (NEW)
- 29. Kana Nakanishi (NEW)
- 28. Frances (+3)
- 27. Sayumi Michishige (+1)
- 26. Saki Nakajima (-2)
- 25. Chinami Tokunaga (0)
- 24. Aiko (+8)
- 23. Yuuka Maeda (-2)
- 22. Meimi Tamura (NEW)
- 21. Erina Mano (-2)
- 20. Rina Katsuta (NEW)
- 19. Aika Mitsui (-3)
- 18. Akari Takeuchi (+7; from 2009)
- 17. Mizuki Fukumura (+14; from 2009)
- 16. Kanon Suzuki (NEW)
- 15. Maasa Sudo (+3)
- 14. Saki Ogawa (-5)
- 13. Yurina Kumai (+1)
- 12. Riho Sayashi (NEW)
- 11. Kanon Fukuda (+2)
- 10. Momoko Tsugunaga (+5)
- 9. Reina Tanaka (-5)
- 8. Saki Shimizu (+9)
- 7. Maimi Yajima (+1)
- 6. Risako Sugaya (+4)
- 5. Miyabi Natsuyaki (+1)
- 4. Chisato Okai (+3)
- 3. Risa Niigaki (+8)
- 2. Airi Suzuki (0)
- 1. Ai Takahashi (0)
So WOW, this is the last of the series as I’ve finally caught up and reviewed EVERY H!P SONG OUT THERE!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH….it’s been great to really discover this company and follow all these members throughout the years and you know the next post…we’re gonna warp a decade forward to current day and deal with 2021’s releases!!!!!!
Iroppoi Twilight Game 