ANGERME, formerly known as S/mileage, was formed in 2009, and had their first release in their rebranded form in 2015. Since then, they’ve excelled and grown as individuals, culminating in their first-time performance within Mexico. We had the distinct pleasure of interviewing them before their concert, which you can enjoy below.
Morning Musume。’18 is a Japanese idol group who leads the conglomeration of groups within Hello! Project. They started up in 1997 and have been going strong since then with their rotating line-up. They’re most recent single which is their 66th, successfully ranked 2nd place on the Oricon charts on their opening week.
After ℃-ute made history by being the first Hello! Project group to perform in Mexico, a tradition had been formed. ℃-ute managed to have a blowout concert in Mexico City again in 2016 followed by Juice=Juice in 2017. Continuing the tradition, on November 10, 2018, Morning Musume。’18 came to Mexico City. Hello! Project’s leading idol group wasn’t content with a mere performance though, so sit down with me and let’s take a look at what the entire experience was like.
As a long-time idol fan, I’ve always been very outspoken about how idols and their fans have a very special two-way connection. Emi Arisaka helps show us the best values of our beloved idols in honor of a fan who has passed away.
2017 is shaping up to be a very iconic year for Hello! Project, for better and worse. Among the many announcements and events that have happened already, the ones that stand out the most are: the recent disbandment of °C-ute, the announcement of Country Girls’ new shuffle style and slowdown, the announcement of Haruka Kudo’s graduation, Momoko Tsugunaga’s upcoming graduation. Now we have another huge set of announcements that were made in today’s Hello! Station (being mentioned in the same order they were made in the video).
June 30th 2002. That’s when Momoko Tsugunaga joined Hello! Project as a Hello! Project Kid. Almost 15 years later, she’s announced that she will graduate from Hello! Project and Country Girls on June 30th 2017. She will be able to go out on her 15th year anniversary being in the business. Momoko has grown into being an integral part of Hello! Project over the years. A couple years after she joined H!P, she was part of the formation of Berryz Kobo. For many years she ended up being a lead vocalist in the group as they moved forward with a lot of amazing music and projects. In 2007 she became a part of Buono!, who had a very special reunion concert this past August. Throughout the years she always gave her all as an idol and never faltered in delivering to her fans or having fun with her character. Unfortunately, though, all good things must come to an end. The main group she was involved in, Berryz Kobo, went on indefinite hiatus in 2015. We thought we would lose Momoko in the world of idols but she surprised us all with an announcement of her being Playing Manager for the reboot of Country Musume。as Country Girls. Her goal was to teach the new girls all she could and get them molded into the best idol group they could be. It was an odd role, especially in the world of H!P, but she pulled it off with flying colors. We knew this wouldn’t last though, since she said from the beginning that she wouldn’t be sticking around for long. She just wanted to help these girls shine for a couple years and then leave and let them spread their wings. That time has finally come, with the announcement of Momoko’s graduation. She’s stated that she is going to leave the entertainment industry altogether. She’s found her calling: as a teacher. She wishes to be an elementary or kindergarten teacher, which is a noble sentiment. With teaching license already in hand, she’s bound to be able to bring all her wonderful experiences in her life into the classroom. Momoko will be the last remnant of the Hello! Project Kids, since °C-ute will be graduating earlier that same month. It’ll be the end of an era, but let’s not forget what she worked so hard to cultivate, and continue to support these groups (namely, Country Girls) into the future. Let’s wish her all the best in her future endeavors, and cheer extra loud for her in these upcoming few months. - Teepu Having had the pleasure of travelling to see various idols perform, I had never gone to the popular ‘Naruchika’ events that Hello! Project started back in 2013. I finally had the opportunity to go during my most recent trip to Japan (specifically to a Morning Musume。‘16 Naruchika concert in Shunan), and I can speak from personal experience on why they are as amazing as fans make them out to be. First thing’s first though: what does ‘Naruchika’ even mean? Naruchika is a shortening of the phrase ‘Narudake Chikakude’, which essentially means ‘being as close as possible’, which is what the concert revolves around. While it is completely normal and expected to be able to go to small venues in small towns and see indie idols perform, it’s not exactly the case when it comes to major idols such as AKB48 or Morning Musume。‘16. More than anything it ends up being a logistical issue. There’s much more money to be had in big venues, which is important considering the heightened costs that come with more popular idol groups. It’s an unfortunate but understandable situation. The general idea behind Naruchika is to kind of re-capture that feeling that we get when we go to small indie lives. The closeness you feel by being in a live house or small venue, where it’s easier to interact, be noticed and overall experience everything that is happening. Not only that, but this movement was designed to cater to some of the smaller towns where fans may not necessarily be close enough to larger areas like Tokyo or Kyoto where they may not be able to afford the trip to the bigger cities or may merely not have the time to make that kind of a trek. As a result, these places which have fans who would like to support their groups in the same way as fans in the big cities end up being left out. Thus they get to deliver to the small-town where people don’t have as easy access to the idols they love. This all turns into a multi-faceted situation where more people get to experience the idols they love and everybody is happy. The concept kicked off with a °C-ute and S/mileage crossover concert tour in 2013 that hit smaller locations within areas like Hokkaido, Gifu and Kochi. Unsurprisingly, these were very successful and as a result have continued every year with various groups, the most recent of which being Morning Musume。‘16. So now that I got to experience one, was it all it was cracked up to be? You bet! Having only been to Tokyo in my trips to Japan, I decided to give this a go. I made the long trek south to Yamaguchi Prefecture via the Shinkansen. It was about 6 hours when I finally arrived in the town of Shunan, which is almost at the southern tip of the main island of Japan. With my minimal communication skills, I was able to manage my way around. I got up early the next day and went to the venue to discover a lot of local fans who I tried to chat with, along with fans from all over the country who made the long trip for the idols they love. Interestingly enough, I was the only foreigner that I was able to spot. The concert itself was really cramped, but really charged. The most exciting part of the whole experience was that everyone could clearly see the group and everyone could get noticed by the group. When it comes to idols, oftentimes those are the most important things. It was a very personal experience and I enjoyed it thoroughly (even if I didn’t win any of the raffle). Incidentally, if you’ve gone to any of the overseas Hello! Project performances then you have an idea of how a Naruchika is, since these concerts tend to be modeled in that way.
So if you’re a fan of Hello! Project groups, I can’t recommend enough that you do your best to make it out to a Naruchika concert at some point. With the rare exception like Berryz Kobo going to Bangkok in 2015, Naruchika concerts are held exclusively in Japan. It’s a very endearing experience from a fan’s perspective and also opens opportunities to see areas of Japan you may not go to normally! - Teepu For the first time in my life, I had the pleasure of attending Tokyo Idol Festival this year. While I had a couple of vague tips from friends, I mostly went in blind. Rather than forcing you all to do the same as me, I’m here to give you guys an idea of what to expect and to tell you what the experience is like. First of all, what is Tokyo Idol Festival? If you’ve ever been to an outdoor music festival, you already have an idea of what to expect. Tokyo Idol Festival (or TIF) is an outdoor festival where a ton of different idols perform over a weekend for the satisfaction of us, the fans. They set up stages around a designated area (usually Diver City in Tokyo) where various idols will go up to perform throughout the day. Being set up in Diver City means that there is a nice shopping mall with good food, free water, air conditioning and lots of shops to help relax in. About half of the stages can be accessed without paid entry, but to get the best experience you’re going to want to purchase admission. They sell tickets just for foreigners online and even have a special booth at the festival to pick up your wristband (make sure you have your passport and a printout of your receipt). There is also a goods area where there are booths setup for all the idols selling their goods. Oftentimes handshakes and cheki events are held here at a greeting area with some more potential events. It’s important that you take a good look at the schedule before you go, and come up with a game plan of what you want to see. I was warned that often things don’t run on time, but everything was on schedule when I went. When creating your own plan for every day that you’ll be there, you want to make sure you account for the distance between stages. Walking from one end to the other can take upwards of 10 minutes or even more. Some of the stages (Hot Stage and Sky Stage) will usually have a long line for entry. Speaking of Sky Stage, a beautiful location on the roof of one of the buildings, even without a line, going up the elevator and walking the few flights of stairs can take some time. So be wary of locations and logistics if there are any performances you want to see back to back at different stages. If there is an idol you are particularly a fan of, it’s a good idea to arrive at the stage early so that as other performances are finished and people leave, you can slowly push yourself to the front. Even with all this planning, be prepared for the inevitable truth that you won’t be able to see everything you want. You may get tired, you may get lost or you may just get sidetracked by another event you didn’t know was happening like a handshake or even get caught up buying goods. Speaking of which, be sure to come with plenty of cash, because you will spend money. You will spend lots of money. Don’t forget that this is in early August usually, when summer is at its worst. Be smart. Dress appropriately, carry plenty of water and drink plenty of water. Wear sunscreen and don’t be afraid to go inside the mall to relax and cool off. It’s better you miss a performance or two rather than go to the hospital because of heat stroke or fail to enjoy yourself due to being uncomfortable. Despite all of these things there are three very integral points that should be followed no matter what: be respectful of others, follow the rules and have fun! TIF is an idol fan’s dream come true, and it is every bit as amazing as it sounds. Despite being exhausted (I stayed there from 9am-11pm one day, even with a 1.5 hour commute to my hotel) all the time, sweaty, hot and oftentimes lost, I can confidently say that it was one of the best idol experiences I had ever had. Experiment, hang around for idols you don’t know and discover something new! Every fan of idols should make it a point to try and attend TIF at least once. I felt like a little kid who was going to Disneyland for the first time. Trust me, you won’t regret it, though your wallet may. - Teepu Official Site: http://www.idolfes.com/ Earlier today, Japanese Idol sensation °C-ute announced that they will be disbanding next year in June. Being one of the strongest and also the longest running group with a consistent line-up within Hello! Project, they’ve earned a special place among fans. After 14 years in Hello! Project and 11 years as °C-ute, and with their sister-group Berryz Kobo having gone on hiatus last year, it was time for them to start considering their futures. Upon careful consideration since February of this year, the ladies of °C-ute realized that they only had 3 options to follow: they could go on hiatus in a similar fashion to Berryz Kobo; they could leave Hello! Project and pursue another direction in their lives as a group; they could quit entirely and pursue their own individual goals. According to the announcement, they decided on disbanding that way each of them could continue to pursue their dreams individually. Moving forward, °C-ute has a few big events still coming up. They will continue to perform during the current Hello! Project Summer tour, will have a performance in Nippon Budokan in September, will have their usual °C-ute no Hi, an autumn tour and a new single as well! Their ultimate dream has been to go to Saitama Super Arena, so that’s where they will hold their final performance before disbanding. The members of °C-ute started off in 2002 within Hello! Project Kids, debuted in their own group in 2005 and have been going strong since. They produced many outstanding songs (including songs that were made as a hymn and cheer for the Japan Wrestling Federation), have participated in many activities and have worked hard to be the best that they possibly can. Let’s give them our fullest support as they take this final journey as °C-ute until June 2017 in Saitama Super Arena. From there, they will end one chapter in their lives and start new ones as individual shining stars! If you want to read the full announcements from UP-FRONT PROMOTION and °C-ute, check it out here. Stay tuned for more information as it comes! - Teepu °C-ute is: - Yajima Maimi (矢島舞美) Leader - Nakajima Saki (中島早貴) - Suzuki Airi (鈴木愛理) - Okai Chisato (岡井千聖) - Hagiwara Mai (萩原舞) UP-FRONT LINK: https://www.facebook.com/upfrontlink/ °C-ute: http://www.helloproject.com/c-ute/ Hello! Project: http://www.helloproject.com/ ANGERME has consistently been on fire since they re-launched, and their latest single is no exception to this. They have successfully presented very strong music that is extremely catchy and challenging to turn off. The first song of this release is ‘Tsugitsugi Zokuzoku’ which is arguably one of their most enticing tracks they’ve released thus far. It starts off tantalizing and jumps right in to a really heavy beat and a song that’s going to be stuck in your head for a long time. It does a great job of giving the listener small moments to breathe before jumping back into the immense power in the song. It’s really quite clever how the song flows. As is the current fad of making jazzy songs, ‘Itoshima Distance’ doesn’t fail to disappoint in this regard. Admittedly, it’s a little more different in the way the melody is constructed and the instrumentation isn’t nearly as straightforward as the other Hello! Project jazzy songs that have released recently. This is good, since it give the song its own identity, and makes it that much more interesting. ‘Koi Nara Tokku ni Hajimatteru’ is the final song on this release, and is a fun mix of pure pop with the rock undertone that is one of their defining features. It’s in interesting way the two styles are combined, and the wonderful vocals help to accentuate this dynamic to make everything work seamlessly together. ANGERME has done a fantastic job with their songs, and this release is no exception. In fact, this is their highest selling single thus far, which speaks volumes about how well done it is! Be sure to check it out! Tsugitsugi Zokuzoku / Itoshima Distance / Koi Nara Tokku ni Hajimatteru released on April 27th. You can get your copy from cdjapan.co.jp or your preferred retailer. - Teepu |
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