SNSD- Forever 1
8 years after Jessica left, 5 after the rest disbanded, SNSD are back… all 8 of them sans Jessica that is, with Forever 1. This isn’t a review of the album, though I will give a short impression of the album at large, mainly that the 2nd half appeals much more to me, due to my preference for the more laid back, R& B feel of the tracks there. Musically, the group has progressed leaps and bounds over the years and it shows. But don’t take my word for it, go stream it for yourself (yes, they released the whole thing online- go listen to it here https://girlsgeneration.lnk.to/FOREVER1 and decide for yourself). Go educate yourself on why this was THE girl group of 2nd gen.
Highlights for me: Closer, Mood Lamp, Summer Night, Freedom. What a sequence of tracks.
Oh, and as for Jessica, she just won 2nd place on some Chinese Idol show. Which is nice, but man, this album would have been that much better with her in it, good as it is already.
RED VELVET REDMARE IN TORONTO
Wendy came home.
That was the general sentiment on the 18th when Red Velvet had their first show on Canadian soil.
Juice=Juice#2 -¡Una más!-
Juice=Juice has finally released their long awaited second album Juice=Juice#2 -¡Una más!- just a few days ago on August 1st. It comes in a single disc regular edition, and a deluxe limited edition with two CD’s and a blu-ray. The two discs serve primarily as a collection of the groups physical and digital singles over the last two years. Continue past the jump to read my take on all of the songs in the limited edition!
Morning Musume。’18 to perform in Mexico!
Mexican Morning Musume。’18 fans have reason to celebrate as it has been announced that Morning Musume。’18 will be visiting Mexico for the first time on November 10th 2018 to perform a concert! As with previous Hello! Project events in Mexico, the concert will be put on by Ninshi Conciertos, and will include a special fan event on the day after the concert for those with a VIP ticket.
Those lucky enough to attend the fan event will be able to participate in a handshake event and will receive a signed poster!
Juice=Juice Announces World Tour!
Hey world, are you thirsty? Thirsty for some juice? Hopefully you are, because Juice=Juice has just announced a world tour! In a first for Hello! Project, Juice=Juice will visit seven separate countries this Fall. Their destinations will include the United States, Mexico, England, France, Germany, Malaysia, and Thailand. The tour is set to begin in September, and presumably more information will be provided as the events approach.
While many Hello! Project acts have already performed abroad this is the first time that a group has performed a proper world tour. Additionally, this will be the first time that a Hello! Project group has visited many of these countries, like England and Germany.
As your author is quite the Juice=Juice fan, he is really looking forward to seeing them perform in America! So get your glasses ready world, Juice=Juice is coming around!
℃-ute Announces Second Concert in Mexico
It has just been announced that ℃-ute will be making a return to Mexico! Hello Project’s most senior group will be performing a second concert in Mexico City on April 13, 2017 aptly named ℃-ute Cutie Circuit ~¡De vuelta a México!~. The concert will take place at SALA CORONA and tickets can be purchased at the Mexico TicketMaster website.
Those fans lucky enough to secure a VIP ticket can even participate in a fan event on the next day! Details on the fan event will hopefully be released soon.
This performance in Mexico and the ℃-ute Cutie Circuit ~De retour à Paris~ concert only three days later in France may be the last time foreign fans are able to see ℃-ute before their unfortunate disbanding this June. Let’s hope that lots of fans are able to give these great girls a wonderful sendoff in their home countries!
Hello! Project Songs on Wii Karaoke U by Joysound
If you happen to own Wii U or know someone who does, and if you happen to be a Hello! Project fan, it might delight you to know that there are some familiar songs featured on Wii Karaoke U! Other Jpop idol songs are available as well, but since H!P is what I know, this list is focused on them. There are enough songs for a few hours of entertainment, at least, and in places without authentic Japanese karaoke options, Wii Karaoke U is a somewhat decent replacement!
Note that I am listing the songs as they are marked on their website, so there may be weird spellings and typos on their end. By using their spellings, it should be easier to find the songs and artists on their service.
A History of the Top Tier Cutest in Hello! Project
This post is a look back at members who have defined ‘kawaii’ in Hello! Project, and some suggestions for who might take the throne in the future. These are members who have enjoyed popularity and career success not only for their talent, but also almost super-humanly cute looks, and you might say primarily for those looks. The list is biased in the sense that all humans are biased, but these are not my favourite members. These are members who were or are especially known for their cuteness; members whose cuteness would attract the attention of casual passers-by, members who are cute enough to receive compliments from people who are not interested in idols in the least. They are the opposite of ‘acquired taste’, having features that are generally valued in Japan; the small faces with symmetric features, likely big eyes (although as you will see, there are exceptions to that rule), a kitten-like quality that melts the hearts of all but the most dedicated haters.
Tsubaki Factory is finally getting a major debut in January!
At the latest Hello! Project event in September in the “Zepp Tokyo” the major debut trainee in the unit in the performance “Tsubaki Factory” in January 2017 was announced!
Mayu Watanabe 3rd Photobook ASS CRACK
It was announced live on ANN, that Mayu will have her 3rd solo photobook (her first in 5 years) released on 2016/10/25. This was shot in LA, which is why she was there recently (she did a live Showroom broadcast from there a lil while back).
Edit: here’s the confirmation from Mayu herself: https://twitter.com/karaage_mayu/status/768517821105971200
Crack! Previews from FRIDAY(フライデー) 2016/09/16 issue.
With additional reporting by YKT, Jul3 and Masa at JPHiP Forum
