zush: 

…and when I just came back home THAT graduation news hit me like a lightning. 

To be honest I’ve never cared so much about Eri. And Linlin was always there at the bottom of my rankings… but Junjun. This is worse than Koha’s graduation. Koha is still there but Junjun goes away. Guess who’s gonna cry when grad concert DVD and all that stuff comes out? 

Jam: 

I feel so complicated about this. I luff mah Eri, but really I’m happy she’s going since it’s good for her. I won’t exactly miss JunLin but I feel awful for their fans. No idol should be let go that early! 

But then on the other hand. Thinking this the management-kind-of-way, it’s logical. I mean I liked the pandas too, they were like a good spice on a good food, but they weren’t that essential for MM as a product. I hope you know what I mean. All in all, I wish all 3 good luck. 

But what I do NOT understand is how Tsunku thinks that it’s a good idea to add members. At least he better be doing a damn hard work on picking the girls. One more failure on that and MM is down. Since Koharu, there hasn’t been even one addition to whole H!P that made them more succesful. I’m not mocking any members, just thinking it the management’s way. I hope Tsunku picks them darn carefully or else it’s just more useless girls that won’t give Morning Musume anything spicy and new. What they need is shiny personalities, not just another.. Aika. 

zush: 

Heh he, yeah, Aika… what a shiny wonderful star Actually when I’m talkin about the girls of MM I’m talkin about my personal tastes on girls Koha for example was always more or less outsider in MM but something on her got me wild as you know. Konkon then… She either hadn’t a star quality but I like(d) her personality so very much as is the case also with Junjun. Ai-chan is too clean for me and I think you know what I mean. 

We almost forgot what graduation is because MM was so long in that status quo. No shock for me, This is so normal move from Tsunku. But what kind of new girls he is seeking now? 12-15 years olds? Feels quite strange combination if next version of MM has very young and then these over 20 girls. Again… it would be interesting to know what’s going on in Tsunkuboy’s head. And is the solution for getting back the lost popularity in new girls or does it need something else/more? New style of music? New strategy in business? Tsunkuboy, what you’re chasing after?

Jam: 

I know what you mean. I really like most of the members (all the time) and most of all the not-so-shiny ones, but it’s only true that there’s no room for them right now. We need at least one more Sayu, one more Ai and then maybe one Konkon to spice it up. 

I’m not that shaken up either. I haven’t seen that many graduations, TsujiKago was my first one, but I’m used to it. And, it’s business. 

It would be amazing if they started to show the girls personalities on singles too, like on “Souda! We’re Alive” kind of a things. That was one an epic PV. These days I find it pretty much so that all the girls are dressed in similiar ways and styled to look pretty much the same. It’d rock so hard if they gave each one a completely different outfit, hairstyle and lines to bring out their personalities.

zush: 

Now you are getting to the point. Recent MM style/image has really been: Girls from the same “cake mould” and that makes the outcome a bit boring. Hmm, take “bit” out from that sentence. In the past there was much more diversity amongst girls. At least I see it this way. As we look back for example the period when Aibon & Nono were still there the whole group was way much more interesting than today. 

When these three girls who has more edge in their characters… (hah ha, Eri is something else, I’ve never denied it and some goes with Junjun) …are leaving soon, MM really needs new girls which don’t come from that mould. Now when I’ve been thinkig about this age gap thing I’ve changed my mind. I mean maybe it could be refreshing to bring young girls in to MM. Young, not yet so polished girls who still have lot of fresh passion & characteristic roughness. It’s always interesting and fun to watch how girls grow up. The charm of Berryz Kobo for example has always been wathing those girls growing up. 

Jam: 

I really wouldn’t care for three 19 year olds who will just make the group more mature, not that it’s not mature enough already. I want that cute young sillyness again into Morning Musume!

zush: 

Maybe this “cute young sillyness” is also the ultimate reason why I’ve been following S/mileage lately. 

Jam: 

Same here. Four lovely fools Saki’s insane laugh, Kanon’s stupid faces and jokes, Yuuka being slow and Dawa being so cutely awrkward that it hurts. 

zush: 

Yeah. That kind of sillyness is so heartwarming & fun to watch. Risako has it still. Of course Momo and sometimes also Chinami. Airi sure has it. But I’m afraid that Miya is loosing it fast now when she’s soon 18. She is getting herself more and more into that “Cool Lady Style”. And in Morning Musume I think Sayu will keep her sillyness no matter how old she is. But are there any other really positively silly girls in MM today besides Sayu?

Jam: 

Partly the reason I love Socko so much is her own special Rii-Sillyness. So sweet. And that’s Airi’s charm also. But as for Miya, really, I don’t even miss her childlike jokes and silly nasal voice and stuff. I feel like she suits this sekushii thing a lot better. She seems to be more comfortable on stage too. And well simply put I just love Miyabi’s personality, how she’s so calm and “boring” at times. I like it a lot indeed. 

zush: 

Boring Miya is as cool as hot ice! When she is bored and looks at other girls she has this “Oh my god how those gals can be so fuckin stupid” facial expression. At those moments she looks so incredulous and almost surprised. Hah, it happens all the time when she is with Momo & Airi. 

I’ve been wondering how much this sillyness could be a conscious behavior. I mean, when I watch for example Sayu being silly, I can’t believe she could be that much “stupid” she is acting. I just can’t imagine sweet Sayu being silly in her private life when she is off from her idol spotlight. There must be some kind of agreement between her and Up-Front Agency about her idol character & image. Kids and younger teens are naturally silly (hah ha, don’t take this too seriously) but when you grow up your behavior changes and you are more self-conscious and start thinking what you are going to say and do.

Jam:

I know what you mean. And (well as I recall it) Kago mentioned somewhere that idols actually do have certain images/roles that they have to stick with. I don’t know if it goes for all of them, but I’d imagine at least the most popular and typical characteric (I mean that they really have a certain image that they are known for) ones do have that in their contracts even. Momoko with her ridiculously cute anime character, Sayumi being narsistic and Mai-the-awfully-exhausting-yet-lovely-brat at least really come to my mind quickly.

You called me silly? Oh I’ll get you, I’ll get you for that one. No wait it’s completely true.

zush: 

I guess the truth is that there is a little silly stupido living in every human being. No, it wasn’t my original phrase at all. Yes, I hate milk! I drink it only in cafe latte. 

Jam: 

Yes, I hate milk too! Only with coffee it’s fine! DOWN MILK, DOWN!

Don’t go back to China. Come instead to Helsinki. You know I’m gonna miss you if you fly away from me this kind of way.

Photo by zush

As the trip is quite short in terms of distance (flight time 3 hours) and lenght (3 nights) I don’t need much stuff to fill my backpack. Only the most necessary things I take with me.

Of course I need to find places so I need Paris region plus metro/train maps and some prints from Google Maps. Just praising again how handy tool Google Maps is when you are going to places you have not been before.

Finnish passport looks quite dull but I need it too.

Then there are printed documents such as press pass accreditation approvals for concert and Japan Expo, e-tickets for flights Helsinki-Paris-Helsinki and hotel reservation for 3 nights near Pigalle. Hah ha, staying in the district of lewd Paris.

Maybe I need also these: Finnish language Paris travel paperback and my old cell phone (without navigation app).

And what are these? Something very important I think.

Camera definitely goes into my backpack. Taking photos for Finnish Japan Pop magazine, for our kakko-ii blog but also for my private photo album. The only corny thing is that Up-Front Agency still has this absurd policy of disallowing photo shooting during Morning Musume’s concert and all other events the group is attending. I mean this is Europe, not Japan. I’ve used to taking press photos in any situations and now I wonder how boring my Morning Musume concert reportage in Japan Pop magazine is going to be without any photos of Morning Musume.

And finally it seems that I soon need my raincoat because the weather forecast promises heavy and light rain showers for Japan Expo weekend.

If it rains in Paris I’m sure there is one (actually 8+1) light that shines almost like sun on Friday 2nd July.

Rika already was in Paris.

You might already know that there is 11th Japan Expo in Paris from 1st to 4th of July. And another “Making history” is happening there as Morning Musume, Japan Expo’s Guests of Honor, for the first time is landing to European soil. This is kind of “once in a life time” chance to witness this special event so I’m also gonna be there as it all happens.

I sure can imagine how excited all those American Morning Musume fans were when the group was Guests of Honor at AX2009 in Los Angeles last year. You don’t need to ask me how excited I am now as it’s only exactly three weeks until my flight to Paris leaves Helsinki airport. There just isn’t scale for this kind of excitements.

So what can I expect from my trip to Paris? Nice weather? Sightseeings around Paris? Climbing up to Eiffel Tower? Going to Louvre to see Mona Lisa? Taking it easy in those pittoresque Parisian cafes and sippin’ Calvados? Naah, I guess I don’t have so much time for that kind of activities because there is a certain Morning Musume concert on 2nd of July plus signing sessions and other events I “must” check out at Japan Expo. If I’m lucky I’ll go and touch The Mighty Tower.

Did she touch The Tower?

As a result of my trip I’m gonna do a reportage to Finnish Japan Pop magazine and of course I’m posting a concert review and other related stuff also here. Yes, I’ve got premium press pass to Anime Expo and even purchased new digital camera for the better photos. Thanks to Soundlicious and Japan Expo staffs for help & approving my press pass.

When in Paris I hope to meet many of you fellow bloggers and H!P fans from all over the world. See you in Paris!

In the summertime when the weather’s high,
you can stretch right up and touch the sky,
when the weather’s fine,
you got Tomochin, you got Tomochin on your mind.
Have a drink, have a drive,
go out and see what you can find.

If her daddy’s rich, take her out for a meal.
If her daddy’s poor, just do as you feel.
Speed along the lane,
Do a ton, or a ton and twenty-five.
When the sun goes down, you can make it,
make it good in a lay-by.

We’re not grey people, we’re not dirty, we’re not mean.
We love everybody, but we do as we think.
When the weather’s fine
we go fishing or go swimming in the sea.
We’re always happy,
life’s for living, yeah, that’s our philosophy.

Sing along with us, dee-dee-dee-dee-dee.
Da-da-da-da-da…Yeah, we’re happy happy,
da-da-da-da-dah.

P.S. Tomochin’s 19th Birthday is on 3rd of July!

Reference: Mungo Jerry – In The Summertime

Click here to view the embedded video.

What is your favorite out of these 14 pictures?

I think these first four pictures are all from the same artist. The stye is just so similar in these pictures. Love the clean manga style.

Then here we have another four drawings set done with the same kind of style.

Next three pictures each are from different S/mileage fans. At least I guess so. First one might have Kanon in it.

Last set of three is once again obviously from the one and only artist. I must say that I love this kind of watercolour style. Sweet and dreamy. Ayaka, Kanon and Yuuka.

First of all I was a bit surprised that there came only roughly 200 Hangry&Angry fans to witness this historical event. This was the very first time when any current or former Hello! Project members were giving a concert in Finland. So we all who were there can proudly tell to our children’s children that “I was there when Hitomi and Rika landed to the soil of Finland”.

Although the crowd in Tavastia Club was small the atmosphere was hot and people went completely bananas when Hitomi and Rika accompanied with Finnish DJ Alicia jumped to the stage. Before the actual concert they showed several videos on big screen. Those funny clips were kind of “History of Hitomi & Rika” (commented with Nono, Ai and Risa) and there we saw even Rival PV from Berryz Kobo.

Eleven songs were on H&A’s set list this evening. All sounding much heavier and rougher than their recorded versions. When I watched and listened H&A’s really too short show, I kept thinking how cool it would be if they could have real rock band with them in concerts. This kind of music almost begs to be played with a real live band. Just like Buono! has done. I think it could also increase H&A’s so-called street- or rock credibility. Don’t get me wrong, Hitomi and Rika are cool there but it could be even cooler with a band.

After the last song, which was furious and almost nerve-wracking version of Morning Musume oldie The Peace, some lucky fans from the sweaty crowd got chance to ask questions from Hitomi and Rika. It was quite funny when Rika said she loves Moomin when the question was what they know or think about Finland (or something like that). Yes, so many Japanese girls indeed love Moomin. Another question was about what kind of songs they would like compose if they ever gonna do such and again Rika was the quick one and said “Rock” making horns with her fingers at the same time. OK Rika, you roxx!

I had my nine years old Sony digital camera with me and now when I watch these snaps I can’t do nothing but admit that it’s about time for me to get a new decent camera before my Paris trip. This Sony is a relic and the quality of these photos really suck. Anyways, I’m posting here some crappy shots, because, as said before, this is history.