Michishige Sayumi graduation announcement and other J-idol stuff...

[reppa]

and the obvious aftermath...

[MadCapellan]

saw this on the Facebook machine...apparently this is a real building in Fukuoka...

If Country Girls all lived in the same building like the Beatles in Help! ;D

[MadCapellan]

Have you heard the preview of Sukatto My Heart yet? It's pretty infectiously catchy!

[reppa]

Not yet -- I need to check on it.

this, on the other hand, is kind of tragic (unofficial site and all that...)

Oh, and I've decided that Anjurumu is my favorite Hello! Project group...a curious thing, considering last at this time they were the group I payed the least attention to...

[MadCapellan]

this, on the other hand, is kind of tragic (unofficial site and all that...)

Awww, she actually handled that very well, all considered. Kid's 19 years old and obviously doesn't realize how disruptive he's being.  Momoko's reaction - "Oooooh, yeeeaah, this would be about me, wouldn't it?"

Oh, and I've decided that Anjurumu is my favorite Hello! Project group...a curious thing, considering last at this time they were the group I payed the least attention to...

Rock on! I've always been a pretty big fan of S/mileage, and now Angerme.

[reppa]

Momoko is an amazingly clever young woman. I really like how she's both taken her kouhei in Country Girls under her wing, teaching them what they need to know, and how she has become a sort of unofficial sub-leader in Hello! Project.

[reppa]

something interesting I saw earlier today -- non-Hello! Project or AKS, too -- Tsukino Moa from Alice Project & Kamen Joshi doing a photo shoot -- the bass she's posing with is her own (I'm not sure about the guitars, though)...

[MadCapellan]

Kamen Joshi is way out of my league!  ;D  I just can't get into them and their gimmick. Nice promo for Moa, though.

[reppa]

yeah, they are strange...

H!P goodness -- new Kobushi Factory PV

I'm pleased that the office is continuing the rock-idol theme with the Magnolias...

edited to add -- my girl Rena looks so pretty in seifuku here...

[MadCapellan]

Hey Hey! Morning Musume is No.1 on the Oricon!  Love the B-Side to their new single, Sukatto My Heart!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx24IJTlffc   8)

[MadCapellan]

H!P goodness -- new Kobushi Factory PV

I'm pleased that the office is continuing the rock-idol theme with the Magnolias...

I love the lyrics, but I'm kind of surprised by the Sumo theme right off the bat. I think I preferred Nen ni wa nen.

[reppa]

Kobushi got number 3 on the Oricon charts, so they're doing pretty good, too...

I dig the new MM'15 single, but with me not being a Sato Masaki fan, I have troubles watching some of it (since she has such a big part...)...(yeah, for some reason I just find her really irritating -- i haven't been able to watch the new Hello! Station -- with my girl Rena! -- because Sato's there, and I just...ack! Okay, silly tangent is silly...)

In other news, I don't know if you've seen it, but Tsunku apparently stepped down from his position at H!P last year -- and he's written a book talking about that decision, and his decision to lose his voice in preference to losing his life...

[reppa]

something a bit more happy than the last bit -- another non-H!P idol group...

I've been kind of getting into this group lately -- Screaming Sixties...

there's a whole bunch of industrial strength WTF in this thing...hope ya like..

[reppa]

some rather disturbing news -- Momoko has been hospitalized -- apparently she has some sort of tumor in her throat...

Hello! Project site (in Japanese, though...)

[MadCapellan]

That's terrible news! However, from reading the notice, it sounds like it's more of the type of vocal chord polyp common amongst anime seiyu that develops from continuously overstraining one's voice. Thankfully, that means that she should make a full recovery!

[reppa]

Hoping for the best, as always...

[reppa]

first, some good news -- Momoko is back -- she made a very quick recovery -- there a pictures of her with her juniors in a Halloween type parade -- if I can find them I'll post them later...

and then -- Sayashi Riho has announced that she'll graduate from MoMusu on December 31...

story on the Up Front book of the face thing

this...doesn't actually surprise me -- after Fukuda Maro, Ikuta Erina or Riho were the ones I considered most likely to graduate -- it does make me sad, though, since a big part of why she has decided to leave is depression issues (jackass wota attacking her for being too fat, or other crap...grrrr.....)

anyway, she'll still be part of Hello! Project, so maybe that means she'll start up later as a soloist...

[MadCapellan]

Yeah, Momochi looked like she was having a grand old time!

I never was a big fan of Riho, but it's sad that she's been struggling emotionally! Being a public personality can be rough, and someone's always going to have something nasty to say - I wish her the best of luck!

[reppa]

yes, and yes...

I seem to remember reading Momo planning to retire as an idol at age 60...which might actually be too soon...

[reppa]

new Country Girls members -- Funaki Musubu and Yanagawa Nanami...

according to things I've read these two are a good match for CG...

there's a reaction from the other, non-newbie & non-Momoko girls that's priceless...

[reppa]

the gif I mentioned above...

I just hope this doesn't mean the Momochi will be leaving soon...

[reppa]

and the 4ki member for Anjurumu has been introduced -- Kamikokuryou Moe -- 16 years old, from Kumamoto Prefecture, plays the drums, and apparently continues the Anjurumu tradition of good vocals...

[reppa]

not sure if you've heard about this, and not sure if I should have created a thread just for this, but Sakurai Takamasa, producer & idol otaku extraordinaire, has passed away

[MadCapellan]

Sounds like an absolutely horrible way to die. My deepest condolences to his family & friends....

[reppa]

yes...from what I understand, Wada Ayaka has been hit pretty hard by this, since Sakurai had helped her with several of her personal projects -- like her Maiden's Guide to Paintings...

happier thing, though -- Momochi and her two newest minions (aka the Country Girls 2ki) are the hosts for the new Hello! Station...
Both Nanami & Musubu have introduction interviews in it -- Nanami plays the alto sax...

[HobbesHurlbut]

whoops
https://www.yahoo.com/music/s/k-pop-group-oh-girl-denied-entry-u-002557836.html

[MadCapellan]

whoops
https://www.yahoo.com/music/s/k-pop-group-oh-girl-denied-entry-u-002557836.html

Not J-Pop, but gods that was awful!

[MadCapellan]

happier thing, though -- Momochi and her two newest minions (aka the Country Girls 2ki) are the hosts for the new Hello! Station...
Both Nanami & Musubu have introduction interviews in it -- Nanami plays the alto sax...

Momochi's got the perfect personality for the host!

[reppa]

and another graduation announcement from H!P Tamura Meimi from Anjurumu, this time... (from the Okay! Musume Time blog -- it has a link to the official Up Front Facebook page)...

and again, this doesn't surprise me, since MeiMei has looked so unhappy since the 3ki members were introduced...

oh, and a whole bunch of ***48 members have either left recently, or have announced that they will be leaving soon -- including one of my favorites, Miyazawa Sae...

But then, graduations are a natural cycle in the idol world...

[reppa]

some new, sad, and scary idol news -- Kanazawa Tomoko from Juice=Juice has been diagnosed with endometriosis...

she has missed a few live shows recently, and was hospitalized for a bit...

link to an unofficial translation of the official statement from UFA/H!P (facebook, though...