Hello Project Winter 2012 - HaroPro Tengoku ~Funky-chan~ Part 2

And I'm back.  Wow, I actually managed to come back and finish this the next day.  (Report on Smileage handshake and last release event with Yuuka to still come... eventually)

So continuing where I left off...

Koisuru Angel Heart (By Mano, Ayacho, Kanyon, Fuku-chan, Take-chan, Rinapu, Kuduu ）
This was another song that I started spazzing as soon as the opening came on.  I mean, what is not to love about a song that has wota-gei built into it?  I did feel a pang of nostalgia remembering the few times I saw Viyuuden perform this song, but it was good nostalgia.  I only wish Yui-chan hadn't complete left the entertainment industry to become a dental hygienist.  I mean... really, with that body THAT was the career you chose?  Anyways, this was the perfect member set up for the song.  Although originally sung by 3 members, this song has often been used as a group ending song to concerts and works well with large groups.  I was sad to learn after that Kuduu was supposed to part of this, so I look forward to seeing her on the DVD.  Take-chan was probably the one who caught my eye the most during the song. I know, as a Kanyon fan I should have had all eyes for Cinderalla, but something about Take-chan's dancing really caught me.  She is very energetic and gives off a lot of power when performing.  It felt like they didn't really need Mano and Fuku-chan as this would have been fine as just a Smileage member song.

Yaruki! It's easy (By Sayumi, Maimi, Chinami, Yurina, Haruna)
Another song that I never would have expected to hear.  While a very well known song, it is an older song that is not often brought back so it was a welcome surprise.  I love the lyrics to the song, the idea of where there is a will there is a way.  It's a very positive way to start off what is hopefully a less eventful event for Japan than last year.  I know many seem to have low opinions of Haruna, but she is becoming a fitting Musume member.  Her dances still aren't perfect, but as someone with absolutely no experience coming into the business at 17, she is doing quite well.  She seems a bit lost as to what character she should take on, sometimes giving off a childish air and other times acting like your normal 17 year old, but that will settle with time.  Sayumi also did quite well with this song because it is the right style for her voice and I am assuming it is a song that she likes since she has said on radio shows that she puts more effort into her singing when it is a song she likes.  (Not really something you should admit in public Sayu...)

Ai no Sono ~Touch My Heart~ (By Reina, Miyabi, Rihoriho, Daishi)
Ah, the "Touch my heart and touch me please" song.  I have missed you.  I might be wrong, but the last time I recall seeing this song live was at the Elder Club graduation in 2009.  (Wow, it was that long ago that they "graduated") I absolutely LOVE this song because it is always a karaoke favorite.  It's upbeat, has a simple dance for the "Hey, everytime I'm so proud of you" part that the audience can follow along with and for the rest of the song gives the members on stage a chance to show off their dancing skills.  And this was the perfect member combination to do that.  All four are excellent dancers and Daishi will definitely be giving Rihoriho a run for her money.  I was a bit shocked by Miyabi's short hair back at Yomiuri, but it has grown on me and she now looks fierce dancing with it. 

Kikkawa You performing Konna Watashi de Yokattara
 After getting to briefly chat with her at Tsutaya I was really looking forward to her performance.  And a guest is a step up from being an opening act.  It's getting more and more obvious that eventually she will just be added to the Hello!Project umbrella, even if her agency stays as Universal.  Universal obviously has no plans to prevent her from being involved with things of her former agency (assuming she would be under UFA as an Egg) and that makes me happy.  I am happy she became a soloist and with Universal's direction, because after seeing her perform live a few times it's quite obvious that her voice is much stronger than your average idol voice.  She definitely holds her own on stage and her smile lights up the room.  There was one rude wota somewhere behind me that when Kikka announced her song title (which means "If I am OK as I am for you" (It's a hard title to translate so if anyone has any other ideas let me know)) shouted "It's not OK!" GRR I wanted to turn around and slap the boy.  Most wota are awesome people who just have a big obsession, but yeah there are a few bad eggs.  Kikka, I wish you the best of luck and will continue to follow you.

Please Mini-skirt Post Woman - Uchouten Love (By Smileage)
After seeing them live without Yuuka, 6-member Smileage is going to do just fine.  I was hoping to see the new single, but that was apparently only being performed at the Rock-chan concerts.  The formation for Mini-skirt does look a little strange with 6 instead of 7 as it was formed with a center, but to make up for this they seemed to have them dance in a line instead of an arrow (if that makes sense)  All six girls work well together and even Kanana has learned to stop grinning during every point in the song and make different expressions for different lyrics.  Now, why haven't they announced a Smileage spring tour!!! Even a mini one would be nice...

Doki Doki Baby - Glory Days (By Mano Erina)
I have always been in the middle when it comes to Mano, but I don't actually dislike her.  Her voice certainly is of a quality that you either like or dislike, but personality-wise she is an absolute sweetheart and I loved the handshake I did with her a couple of years ago (for her 4th single I think).  I don't know if I would ever go to her solo concerts, but I don't ignore her and half-sleep during her performances at the group concerts like I have seen some people do.  I didn't really like My Days for You but I loved Genkimono de Ikou and these two new songs reminded me of that style.  Both are very upbeat and fun to sing along and chant to.  The dance for Glory Days is quite intense yet both Mano and her 4 eggs (no clue who the new ones are since a few changed due to promotions etc) pulled it off flawlessly.  I look forward to checking out her anime debut.


Kimi ha Jitensha Watashi ha Densha de Kitaku (By C-ute)
I hadn't heard the concert rip preview of this song before going to the concert so was very surprised that it was a ballad.  C-ute went through a lot of changes after the two members left, and they have challenged a lot of new styles, really building up a new image for themselves.  Until this point they were marketing themselves as the dance idol unit of the company so to come out with a ballad... well ballads don't really involve a lot of dancing.  However, it is a very simple yet beautiful song.  All five girls have strong voices that are each featured (with not TOO much line hogging by Airi and Maimi) throughout the song.  The red outfits are also very cute.  A nice relaxing performance.

Be Genki "Naseba Naru!" (By Berryz Koubou)
First off, the superman costumes are brilliant.  I love how they used the group color of blue with bright red capes.  The only odd thing is well... Yurina.  She is over a head taller than most of the other girls in the group, and yet her costume is very obviously cut to the same length.  The skirt is the same, the boots are the same.  So... it ends up that she is showing a lot more of her legs than the other girls just because her legs are that much longer but wearing the same length and size of clothing.  It's quite amusing actually, they definitely should have lengthened her skirt and boots just a little so they wouldn't contrast so much with the rest of the girls' outfits. 

Anyways back to the song.  It's a great upbeat song that reminds me of the old Berryz(before they had their Inazuma collaboration).  I love it and can't wait for the CD to come out.

Ike Ike Monkey Dance - Tokkaiko Junjou  - Shock - Heroine ni Narou Ka - Ai no Dangan - Sayonara Geshiki Koi - JUMP - Cho Wonderful (By Berikyuu)
I was a bit apprehensive coming into the concert because a friend just leaving the morning stage said it seemed to be all about Berikyuu and I of course pictured them being over featured  with Musume and Smileage being pushed to the back (in fact it was just Mano who was given less stage time).  Yes, they were featured, but in the most awesome medley of all time!  I mean these are the songs that really keep me interested in Cute and Berryz.  Tokkaiko Junjou is probably one of my favorite C-ute songs and Sayonara one of the best Berryz album songs.  Even the two newer Berryz songs are two of my favorites from the Inazuma to post-Inazuma era.  And wow as it a high-powered medley.  There was no time to rest, it was just jumping and cheering the whole time.  I was completely exhausted by the end of it.  They had a great routine on stage, with the group whose song it was rotating slightly to the front but all members performing the dance to each.  Berikyuu really do work well together.  To the point where they almost might as well form them into one permanent group.

Pyoko Pyoko Ultra - Go Girl! Koi no Victory (By Musume)
I was wondering how they would pull off performing in baby chick costumes when they came out in completely different outfits from the PV.  White capri pants with yellow jackets and hats, though Risa was wearing red feathers in her hair instead of a hat (I suppose to denote her as the rooster?)  Apparently they did perform in the chick costumes for the Rock-chan version, but something simple and fun was chosen for Funky-chan.  Although overly simplified, the girls looked cute and were able to dance easily.  This song was where it was most obvious that Kuduu was missing, because one of the dance moves is meant to have Kuduu on the right side of a formation using her arm as a bridge that one of the girls is trying to go under.  So it ended up being just one girl with her arm outstretched and the other girl trying to break through a one-sided bridge.  It looked strange but they had no time to modify it with Kuduu having performed in the morning concert but unable to perform in the rest of the days' events. 

I fall in love with this song more each time I hear it.  I love the "Pyoko pyoko pyoko Jump" parts as everyone in the audience tries to jump as high as they can.  Also Reina and Sayu play up their lines so well, especially the "Look at me!" "And don't laugh".  I love it and think it was a good way to introduce the new Musume with its overwhelming two generations of younger members.  I do hope for something a bit more mature for Gaki-san's last in May, but would not be disappointed with something upbeat and cheerful along the same lines as this one.  Again though, seriously why couldn't Aika sit on the side to at least perform the Musume songs?

OK Yeah! (By All)

A Musume album song as a near-closing group song, can it work?  Oh, hell yes it can!  This is the perfect upbeat dance number to end a concert with.  In fact, it probably would have been great as the final number.  I laughed the first time I heard it because of the weird frog dance man sound effects, but after hearing it more and seeing at budoukan I was hooked.  Musume was featured as main, but everyone performed 100 percent.  It was amazing to see such a fast-paced song performed by all 29 girls on stage.  Good going girls.  Can't wait to see this when it's out on DVD.

Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Negattarun da yo!
aka the song with the unnecessarily long title.  This, this wasn't the best song to end with.  It was performed well and is a good song to end in most cases, but not when it is following OK Yeah! which would have been the perfect ending.  Still, the song did not disappoint.  The dance works well with large groups so there was no awkwardness of members transitioning from upstage to downstage etc.  They seem to have toned down the head bobbing move as they diva point, which was one of my favorite moves.  A little strange to see this song without Ai but not disappointing.  All of the girls are learning to hold their own in Musume and I am looking forward to the spring tour.
~~~~~~


 Overall, this was an amazing concert.  The set list had so many nostalgic songs for me, and all were good ones.  I would have loved to see Rock-chan too but the winter/summer concerts are simply too pricey to see more than once.  I enjoyed the one I went to even though I was sad to see Aika's jip of an appearance and Kuduu being sick.  My one complaint was the MC's outfits.  They were both (Makoto and Yossy) in gold WTF shiny outfits.  Yossy's looked OK, pants with a long shirt/dress over them.  A bit too flash but somehow OK.  But Makoto... oh poor poor Makoto.  Gold shiny tuxedo is just not an attractive look for the guy.  And it's funny when he is introduced as Sharan Q's drummer - because the opportunity for him to drum comes up almost never. (Tsunku, your band does need you occasionally)

My next event is the Aika FC Event this Thursday, January 12.

Here's a pic of Zukky to leave you with after this essay.

 Cheerleader outfit from the B.L.T. Magazine shoot set.

Hello Project Winter 2012 - HaroPro Tengoku ~Funky-chan~ Part 1

Happy New Year!  A little late, but still worth saying, right?  So on January 3rd the boyfriend and I headed out to Nakano for the second concert of a day filled with 3 concerts.  Strangely enough the pattern was Funky-Funky-Rock.  I really hoped for Rock, but Funky did not disappoint.

After arriving at Nakano, we first headed up to Tsutaya so I could pick up Kikka's CD for the handshake that was to take place there later in the day.  After a quick lunch, we headed over to the venue and since the line was short I headed up to get goods.  From about a year ago I have held back on buying goods, preferring to save the money to do other events both related and non-related to Hello Project.  Plus, I am running out of places to put things x_x  So yeah, the only things I bought were the giant B-1 poster (probably to go in the spot that is currently taken up by the Rival Survival poster of the same size), Zukki's daily photo (so cute, and so mature looking recently), and 4 gatcha tries.  Well, all 4 were the lowest rung, so I got solo pictures.  After trading I ended up with pictures of Momochi, Zukki, Meimei, and Kanyon.  Not bad.  I wanted either Meimei or Kuduu but Kuduu was impossible with what I had (Rinapuu) and Meimei is just too adorable to resist.

With goods bought, it was time to head back to Tsutaya for the handshake with Kikka.  Kikka is such a kind and amazing person.  She really makes eye contact with you and her speaking seems so natural, her laugh is also very cute. She seemed to recognize me and I told her I was looking forward to her performance that day.  I will definitely continue to follow her in the future.

Soon we were headed inside, where I realized they were selling special Xmas chocolate boxes for FC members, so was sucked into buying one of those, in which I got a Reina pic.  It's actually quite a cute pic though so I am thinking of keeping it.  Then it was into the hall and down to the front section where our seats were.  I was surprised that after front row at Budoukan I ended up with even 9th row at Nakano (which is actually about 12th due to a "Row 0" that can be moved into various formations) and the view we had was great.  Though, I think I Have mentioned it before, but Nakano Sunplaza just is a great venue.  No matter where you are on 1st or 2nd floor you can easily enjoy yourself.  At other venues, if you are more than 10 rows back, seeing becomes difficult for those of us that are short.

Well, with my モ　shirt on from a couple of years ago, wristbands galore, and both a green and purple glowstick (which was complete fail as it died 2 songs in) I was ready and raring to go.  So off to the bathroom I went and was given some shocking news over the loudspeaker on the way back: Kuduu would not be performing in the rest of that days concerts due to illness after the first concert.  Later on in the day we were informed she had influenza... and apparently passed it to Maasa who was announced to be not participating in today's (1/8) concerts on the official website.  I really hope this week between concerts cuts off the chain so no one else comes down with the flu. 

Now, for highlights of the concert, intermixed with the set list of the day.  (The set lists are usually taken from Japanese blogs as I do not have a good memory for songs and the order they are sung in.  Today's set list is brought to you by http://luncht.exblog.jp/14358683/  and transliterated by me)

Opening Dance by the 12 (11) New Members
With Kuduu missing it is important to note that some of the dances for songs she was a part of did seem a little strange, as there was very obviously a missing link.  However, the opening dance was formed in a way that even with one member missing the strength of the dance was not lessened at all.  The dance itself actually wasn't all that complicated of one (you can see them practicing it on the Mobekimasu youtube channel here) but it was a good way to show off the new members without putting too much pressure on the performance.  I pictured them opening the concert as it being a song, but this was actually a good way to introduce them without making it seem like the concert was all about them.  Not that that would be a bad thing, all 12 have been great additions so far.

Busu ni Naranai Tetsugaku
Of course they had to do this song first since they have really been pushing the idea of MBCMS this year.  Since 11 of the members had been dancing previously, those members had to rush offstage (as everyone else was rushing on) in order to quickly zip up their stage outfits.  I wasn't paying too much attention to the opening of the song as I was frantically searching for Aika, ya know having it been announced that she would be in the concert though in a light manner.  Well, I am sure I am not the only one who imagined that "light manner" as being just coming out for a couple of MCs.  I mean, really?  She was performing sitting down for two months before finally being told she couldn't perform at all, pretty sure she could sit on the side and sing just fine by now.  Was a little bit disappointing but ah well.  Will see how she does at the FC event I am going to later this week.

With 29 members and several Eggs (or Research Students as they are called now) the stage was packed.  And yet, all the members performed very well.  Hmm, funny how dancing AND singing at the same isn't an impossible thing to do (like a certain other massive group seems to think it is)   And this type of strong performance, regardless of whether the singing is Broadway level or not, is why I love Hello Project. 

Medley: Inspiration ~ Ryuusei Boy ~ Massara Blue Jeans ~ Renai Revolution 21 
A great selection of songs, even RR21.  I agree with many others that the song is overdone, it works with group concerts.  It's a fun song that gets everyone in the audience dancing.  Inspiration is a song that I never thought I would hear at a current group concert so it was a very refreshing surprise.  A classic song that really brings out the youth in all of the current members.  Ryuusei is one of the better Inazuma-tied Berryz songs in my opinion, and really who could hate Massara (another one of those songs the audience knows the whole dance to)

The most interesting thing with this medley was how they rotated each group to the front as it was their song, even though all groups sang each one of the songs, they put the main onto the group it came from.  So I was surprised that S/mileage and Mano didn't have a song in the medley.  Maybe they have more of a role in Rock-chan?



Moshimo... (By Maasa, Maimai, Kanyon, Kanana, and Meimei)

This was the coupling to Busu, right?  As a semi-ballad, it is not the type of song I listen to very often.  However, every time I hear it I do find myself humming along.  The member choice was, well it wasn't what I would expect for a song of this genre (Meimei and Kanana being the ones I would take out) but it actually worked quite well.  If I remember correctly, Meimei wasn't given too many lines, which worked fine because her voice isn't up to ballad standards, and Kanana's voice stood out to me a lot more than I remember it doing so before.  The five made it work and it was a good song to just hum along to and take a little bit of a break after the medley.



Uwaki na Honey Pie (By Captain, Momochi, Risako, Nakky, Okai, Eripon, Masaki)
I practically said Kyaa!  as soon as the opening for this song came on.  I love this song!  And I mean love to the point that no matter how many times my iPod decides it wants to play it I just cannot skip it.  What a surprise to hear such an old song pop up here, though it certainly fits the Funky image.  The girls all did a great job with the dance and energy necessary for the song.

Seishun no Custard (By Gaki-san, Airi)
At first, I was practically kicking myself as I ran it over and over in my head, wondering just what this song could be.  I knew it was Gatas, that was for certain.  But was it... oh it was!  It was the Yossy song!  How could I forget even for a moment that Yossy had been involved in such an awesome pair song.  (Though I must admit I secretly hoped that it was also the "Oh Je-e-sus" song just for laughs.  Gaki and Airi are both very powerful singers, and as a pair they matched perfectly.  Girls, you did Yossy proud.


--- As a side here, I would like to note my thoughts about Gaki's graduation.  I was not shocked nor saddened.  I was a little surprised, mainly because I thought it would be in the fall.  But, she has been in the group over 10 years, and in the natural order of things it didn't seem like she would be around long now that the graduation rotation has gone back into pace again.  I think many new fans are shocked (new being the ones who joined after 8th gen came in and before Koharu graduated) because they didn't see this rotation.  Yet before the lapse after Miki's scandal, this was pretty normal.  Once a year is a bit close, yes, but not unheard of.  And the group is supposed to change.  No, it is not the Musume I came to know 10+ years ago, but that is not something that angers or saddens me.  Each formation of Musume is its own group and yet carries the legacy of the past with it.  I am sure the group will do just fine without Gaki and look forward to seeing who is announced as leader during the spring concert.

Yokohama Shinkiro (By Chisato)
Wow can Chisato sing.  It's only really in the past year that I have started noticing Chisato more.  And thanks to a friend who is completely in love with her, I see all the appeal she has.  She has a very powerful voice and has worked hard to bring her dancing up to the level of the other C-ute members.  I love this song, it's a Gocchin classic.  And it requires the edge that Chisato's voice has, not some sweet cutesy voice that many might prefer in an idol.  A very enjoyable performance with quite an intense dance.

Sotto Kuchizukete Gyutto Dakishimete (By Yurina)
I　actually just looked this song up on Youtube because I couldn't remember which of the 4 soloists had sung it.  I had thought it was a Gocchin song, so was surprised to find out it was Mikitty.  I guess the main solo song I associate with her is Romantic Ukare Mode due to the fun wota dance it entails.  The song suited Yurina's voice perfectly, and she held out each note with slight pauses where they needed to be for emphasis.  I think it every time I see her but DAMN is that girl tall.


To be continued in part 2... (cuz I'm sleepy)

Akihabara: Backstage Pass - The place where you raise the idols

Akihabara Backstage Pass

Produced by Tsunku ♂ and Chiyomaru (producer of Afilia Magic School)

 As some may know December 23rd, which is also the current Emperor's birthday, was the opening day of Tsunku and Chiyomaru's joint project in Akihabara: a cafe where you raise the idols by choosing an 押し　and giving her your points.  It is similar in style to the Afilia Magic School (well it is run by the same guy) so you have different levels of point cards and can put your points towards the different girls.  As you spend more money, you get different cards.  All the cards have different levels of "Producer" on them.  The starting level is Assistant Producer.  In the picture below you can see all the levels (thanks for posting that yesterday Chiyomaru) the first level is the red one.

Now, before getting our cards we had to GET into the cafe.  By we, I mean me and my boyfriend who I convinced to come with me (he loves maid cafes so something of a similar nature as a Hello Project wasn't too hard to convince).  The Grand Opening was at 3pm, with a 1hour limit for opening day (and maybe opening weekend,not sure) but there were a lot of people watching Chiyomaru's live stream on Thursday so it was really hard to guess just how many people would be coming.  So we left the house around 11 to get there at noon, checked out the 6th floor.  No people, wandered back downstairs to look around some shops, went back up around 1 and there were 2 people waiting, one of which had seen us going up and down so let us ahead of him, making us 2nd in line.  And then we sat down, with 2 hours to go til opening, on the stairs as we asked and were given permission to do.  I had my tablet with me so used that and drinking bottled iced tea to kill time.  

And as time passed, it was easy to see that coming early was the right thin to do.  The cafe is on the 6th floor of a popular building called Akiba Culture's Zone.  By the time the cafe opened, the line snacked down the stairs to the first floor.  And since it was 1 hour limit on opening day, with Tsunku and Chiyomaru obviously there... yeah you would be waiting an hour if you didn't get in first loop.

10 to three came and we were asked to stand up and a couple of people from the press came and verified that everyone was OK with being on camera (you probably picked the wrong day to come if you weren't OK since there were obviously going to be news outlets as well as filming crew for Tsuntube and Nico Nico Streaming).  Then, one by one we were led inside.  Since we were second I was actually quite nervous and when it was our turn smiled at the camera and was led to the door, greeted by a very cute idol named Azuna (or Azunyan as she likes to be called) and then led down (not kidding here) a corridor of all the girls lined up through the center of the restaurant to the second to front table in front of the giant stage.  They left the first table open for filming and interviews until the cafe was completely full up. 

Wow, the stage was right there, and Tsunku was standing to the wing.  Right away he saw me and nodded.  Pretty sure he recognized me from the couple of other times I have been in the front of events he has been at.  Even if it was just the foreigners well, it was very obvious all the staff were amused at the two foreigners who were practically first in line.  There were cast members everywhere (we were constantly told by the announcers and Tsunku/Chiyomaru to not call them maids) film crew everywhere and a giant stage with Tsunku standing to the wing.  It was amazing and I was grinning the whole time.

We signed up for our producer cards and ordered drinks and talked with Azunya until she went off (for a long while actually x_x) and then looked towards the stage and Tsuntube staff as they were interviewing different cast members.  Then Tsunku and Chiyomaru came out for a bit, did more chatting with different girls before introducing 3 idol groups who had come to support the opening of the cafe.  Two of the groups were minor idols: OSU and Doll Elements (the trainees of Lovely Doll) and the third was a very underused group (hehem Tsunku) The Possible.  Each said hello and then all together they performed (with Possible in front) the Tsuntube created song (Aiyaya Papaiya Aiyaisa ~) that has now become stuck in my head.  

We ordered food, but it must have gotten forgotten about in the busy rushing around, no big deal.  As it hadn't come by the time the hour was up they just took it off the order list and it was amazing how quickly one hour went by.  Along with Azunyan several cast members stopped over at our table to chat with us, all of them being curious how we came to know about the cafe.  One girl even called us the "cool foreign couple" and that made us laugh.  All the girls were rotating around to try and build reputation, since they need to earn points from us in order to advance and be given more opportunities to go out into the media etc.

There are about 100 girls who made it through the auditions (unfortunately not me but they were nice enough to email polite rejections to everyone which is pretty awesome actually) and I am pretty sure all were there rotating in and out yesterday, or at least most.  Here are two who I know talked to me.  Others did talk to me, but I either can't remember their name, or the name on their name tag and introduced to me is not the one on the profile site so I can't figure out who.  And it is hard to figure out by looks as there are tons of them.

 Azuna - 19 years old

Harushan - 15 years old

Azunyan was so nervous, she kept forgetting parts of everything she had to explain to us in the beginning and it was adorable.  I just told her to slow down and relax.

Well the greatest part of the day was actually when we were leaving.  Our hour was up and we were led by Azunyan to the counter to pay.  Tsunku and another male staff member were standing only a couple of feet behind us chatting, waiting for the first group to all leave probably.  So we finished paying and I glanced again at Tsunku, who met my eyes and then walked over to us and first asked in Japanese if we could speak it.  I said yes.  So he stood there right next to me and asked how I found out about this cafe.  I told him I had seen it on his blog, and then Azunyan blurted out how I had told her I knew about it 3 months ago right when it was announced and he seemed amazed.  I said that I was a big Hello Project fan so was always going to events.  He did the obvious thing of thanking me for that and then I told him I was definitely going to be coming back to the cafe more.  He told me he hoped we had a good time, then smiled and said "Thank you for coming" in perfect English before walking off.

I was in shock that we had such a normal back and forth conversation.  I mean I knew he had spotted me and obviously nodded at me a few times while on stage but apparently he was really curious as to how I got there on opening day.  I was so happy leaving the cafe and promised Azunyan that we would come back soon.  Wow... I really should have asked to shake Tsunku's hand but I am just in complete awe that we had a totally normal exchange and I definitely think he'll remember me ^_~

Can't wait to go back again.  Price wise it isn't too expensive so hope to get there at least once or twice a month.

9th Generation Fanclub Tour in Yamanashi 2011, November 5-6

Fall 2011 November 5-6: 9期　Bus Tour in Yamanashi

 

Above you can see my tour pass and the front of the pamphlet we were given at the start of the tour.  In fact we were given a whole pile of materials as you can see.  Among them, slips for voting for the best art project, a questionnaire sheet and a goods order form.

But I am getting ahead of myself.  Before boarding the bus, I took a picture of myself ready to have a fun weekend with the Kyukkies.

I look surprised for some odd reason, not sure exactly why. Well it was before 8 in the morning and I have very little skill with taking pictures of myself so I can use that as an excuse I guess.  By the time I arrived at the meeting area (about 15 minutes before the meet up time) there was already a large wota group ready and raring to go.  I enjoyed chatting with some of my friends from Hawaii and then we parted ways for the moment and got onto our designated buses.

For the duration of the tour, I was on Bus 2.  We had a very cute, very young bus guide who at first glance picked out Riho as her favorite.  As a demonstration of the kindness (not creepiness) of wotas, on Sunday it happened to be that bus guide's birthday, so on our way to events on the second day, the "captain" wota (seems to be known by most, I have never talked to him but have seen him around a lot) led us all in singing Happy Birthday.  It was really sweet and made me feel really connected to everyone around me.

Back to the bus.  Precisely at 8am we started on our way.  Highways were of course crowded because it was a weekend, so traffic was stop and go for a while, but eventually we got moving at a steady pace.  The first rest area we stopped at was too crowded to really get everything we needed done; along with toilet and buying lunch we were also told that 5-shots would be taken as soon as we got to Yamanashi so we needed to get ready for them there.  I opted to put contacts in at the rest stop then grab out makeup pouch from my luggage and do makeup on the bus.  It worked out well, mostly because I don't wear very much make up so "doing makeup" consists of nothing more than putting on concealer and eyeshadow.  For girls who do much more than that, well they wouldn't dare leave the house without make up on so it seemed like all the other girls on the tour were already dolled up when they got to the bus meet up at 7:30.  How they are able to get up and put make up on in the early morning is something I will never understand about most women here.  And I do mean most, I wish I saw more women without make up , since most of them probably look just as beautiful.  But I digress.

Since we had very little relax time at the first rest stop, we did end up stopping about 30 minutes later just after we had entered Yamanashi prefecture.

Saturday, November 5

Only 20 minutes later we were off the highway and headed to the location where the 5-shot was to be done, a nice Japanese style-inn.  Which coincidentally is also the lodging we stayed at.  I was nervous, but nowhere near as nervous as I was in Hawaii.  After the picture in Hawaii, and the 5-shot with Smileage, I was able to approach this picture calmly with a clear idea in my head of the pose I wanted to do.  Outside the room (and after a very cute and ditzy VTR shown on the bus) we were presented with a board showing each girl's suggested pose.  I am really  not sure what Fuku-chan was thinking with her Fuji-san pose, but I am sure some people did choose to use it.

 I decided to go with a pose of my own, which I described to the staff member as (one of the same young guys who was in Hawaii, we both recognized each other) "Holding your hands out as if you are accepting the fans' love"  3 out of 4 of the girls understood what I meant.  Riho looks like she is presenting a product.

They were so cute!  I mean I am a sucker for school uniforms, but I don't think anyone could pull it off better than these four.  Staff member who put up the suggestion for the tour to be like a middle-school field trip, I salute you ^^

After the 5-shot (we were given the picture on the bus ride back to Tokyo the next day) we were shipped off to do grape picking while the bus group from Nagoya took their turn at the 5-shot.  A good way to kill time without leaving us bored, but the girls weren't there at all so it was kinda pointless.  OK, the girls were there in spirit.  They were there in the sense that the artwork they made out of clay as their image of Yamanashi grapes was there.  I didn't get a picture of it myself, but there are pictures floating around.  Three of the pieces actually looked like real grapes, and one looked like a weird character styled grape, we think that one was Kanon.  The voting slips we were given were for voting for what we thought was the best piece.  Of course most people debated who made what and then tried to vote for their oshi, but I actually voted for the one I thought looked the best, though I am pretty sure the weird wtf-is-that character was my beloved Zukki's.  

Conveniently they finally uploaded the voting results, and here they are.

1位　D作品　譜久村 聖　　Mizuki　　　　　　
2位　A作品　鈴木 香音　Kanon
3位　B作品　鞘師 里保　Riho
4位　Ｃ作品　生田 衣梨奈 Erina

As we thought, the weird one was Zukki, it was cute, but I voted for what did turn out to be Mizuki's and the winner, D.  I liked the way she formed her grapes.  Riho's and Erina's kinda just looked like lumps, so I can see why it was between A and D.  

So yeah, the grape picking was really just to have us kill time, and yeah we had the clay artwork to look at, besides for eating slightly sour but yummy grapes (why the Japanese PEEL grapes I will never understand, I just eat them whole).  But yeah, it would have been nice to have been doing something slightly  more related to the girls we were there to see.  

After we finished picking our grapes, we were instructed to go into one of the other areas of the building to do one piece of calligraphy each.  You could do any single character that you liked, and although you might think people would only choose characters from the 9ki members' names, you would be wrong.

 

As for me, I choose a character dear to my heart (and one of the few I can write that doesn't look like it is written by a 5-year old.  Can read kanji just fine, cannot write them to save my life)

A tribute to my Junjun.  I was so happy to see her on the Chinese contest show ^^.

After everyone was finished at the grape-picking farm, we were bussed back to our hotel and allowed to check in.  My room was six girls.  We all started chatting right away, and one of the girls had brought a portable DVD player so we sat down and watched the Single V of the latest Musume single, complete with lots of "Kawaii"s just as you would expect from a bunch of girls.  We had about two hours to kill before dinner, so after watching that we all just kind of relaxed and showed off the items we had brought on the tour.  One girl (who I need to chase down at the Yomiuri Land Event) had even made clothes for a miniature bear to match Reina's concert outfit from Fantasy DX. 

 

Or I think the bear was Reina.  Of the Kyukkies, Eripon is her favorite and I don't remember Eripon having a bow like that.  The bear was so adorable that it was an instant photo favorite.  Another one of my roommates was wearing Zukki's shiny green-trim outfit from the Fantasy DX which her mom had hand-sewn for her.  Makes me seriously want to learn to sew so I can make my own outfits whenever I feel like it.

Finally, at 4:50, we headed down to the dining hall, took our seats and dove into a delicious Japanese-styled feast.  There were so many different dishes, including yummy sashimi and flame-boiled rice with mushrooms, that at the end of the meal we were all full to bursting.  Unfortunately I forgot my camera when we went downstairs, because the meal really was that huge and gourmet, and even included a couple of slices of boar roast.  Yum, boar meat.

After a huge dinner, it was back upstairs to grab what we needed for the Mini-Live and Talk Event and then back on our buses.  Two of my roommates were on the same bus, so we all went together and settled in with our full stomachs to watch another random 9ki VTR for the hour-long bus ride to the venue.  The talk and Mini-Live were at a small concert hall in Yamanashi, and when I say small I mean it.  Even though I had pulled the 12th row (the entire hall maybe had 20) and was in the last row of the tour group, I still had a great view and with my pen-light in hand and my Fantasy DX t-shirt on I was ready to cheer.

The first half of the event was just the Kyukkies talking about a variety of subjects, including answering how an idol would respond in certain situations.  A comedian acted as the "Heaven's Voice" in order to make sure the girls didn't go too off topic.  It was amusing but a week later not that memorable because everyone was waiting for the live.

And the live did not disappoint.  It was short,　but full of high power songs that highlighted all of the girls strengths.  First was Go Girl, a trying song for even veteran members but all four were able to pull off the dance and song brilliantly.  A great high power number to start off the night.  Next was Mikan, another song that came out way before they joined but captures the spirit of their youth.

After the opening they moved into the solo corner (seems to be a trend that FC tours have solo corners) with Riho picking KoiING (because she didn't get to sing it during the summer), Fuku-chan picked Tokutouseki (a Gomaki song that while at first I couldn't place, by the chorus I was humming along to it.  A great song to highlight Fuku-chan's strong voice), Zukki (Yeah! Meccha Holiday. A perfect choice for Zukki.  Keeps with her fun-loving nature, as well as highlights her deeper-toned voice.  Plus she just exudes the young genki idol vibe) and finally Eripon with Koi no Boogie Train (a great song, though again a fast number which just like Hawaii Eripon had a little trouble keeping up with.  However, this time she didn't lose her breath at all and was able to perform the whole song and dance without missing a beat.  Still, Eripon... you don't need to push yourself, those are hard songs to sing solo).  

After the solos it was again back to high powered group numbers, starting with Ikimasshoi.  As one of my favorite Musume songs it was great to see performed, even if having only four members made it seem slightly lacking.  The girls are all high-energy though so were able to pull it off well.  Tired me out with how much I jumped and flailed with love during the verses.  And next came the song we had all been waiting for (when hearing they were going to perform a song by that legendary 4-person group, well what else do you think came to mind?) Melon Kinenbi's "This is Unmei"  Sure the girls are too young to understand the lyrics (just like Smileage) but still this is a song you cannot lose with.  It is high energy, the girls did the opening head turning completely in sync and the power and energy it unleashed upon the audience was unbelievable.  It.. it really made me miss Melon.  (Poor Sexy Saitou)  Still, I had been secretly hoping this was the song they were referring to and was not disappointed in the least.  If anything, the only strange part was not having the stage go red when they said "Is this hell?" like it does for any performance of this song in an actual fully-staged concert.  And once again I felt that This is Unmei is not a song you can listen to on CD after hearing it live several times.  It just isn't the same without the wota-calls.  And I was shouting just as loud as everyone else there.

Lastly they performed Maji Desu Ka, an expected choice to show off how much they have grown since it was first recorded several months ago.  They left the stage, and we all thought it was over, but then they showed the previews for the Sharehouse movie.  (Which no I didn't go see... it just really didn't seem that interesting, though after seeing a longer preview it does seem like something nice to sit at home on the couch and watch, just not something to pay to see in theaters.  Plus the 9kis only have a small part in it, and it has D-boys x_x)  And suddenly... the girls were back on stage doing a comedy skit with the title of... wait for it... Ramen Ranger!  And yes, three out of four of them were rangers, with Zukki playing the ramen customer who is angry and surprised at the ridiculous-ness she is subjected to.  Finally after a hilarious skit they did one more section where they had the girls do rock-paper-scissors with the audience, I lasted three times before having to sit down.  The last few people (as long as it was under 10) got bags that had the strange hippo drawings printed onto them (hippo drawings that were showcased during one of the many in-bus VTRs.

The Ramenja- segment reminded me that they also did two short comedy routines before the live began, split into pairs.  Both were very funny, with the one highlighting Fuku-chan's sheltered home life and acting as if she is a princess with several servants and it had everyone rolling with laughter.  Course her partner was Zukki, who of course is brilliant at tsukkomi.  Ikuta and Riho did a doctor's appointment setting where Eripon was the ditzy and overreacting doctor.  Very amusing, all four girls have gotten quite good at acting.  Another corner of the night was a gesture game corner, some of the questions were really hard and you felt bad for the girls getting them but ah well was amusing for the audience ^^  Tokyo Sky Tree included Eripon jumping higher and higher to show that it was taller than Tokyo Tower.

At the end of the night we were given out the cap and badges below.  And... I feel so bad.  I thought the lady who handed me the cap looked familiar... it was Inaba Atsuko!!! But... but then I saw on her twitter that she was on the 9ki tour and totally didn't realize it was her and wondered if she was ever going to appear and do anything and she didn't and... and I had my chance to say hi and I didn't.  Granted her appearing was the worst timing ever, coming off of the high of being sent off with a wave and a smile by the 9ki members in pajamas made it very hard to really focus on what was going on as I was handed the cap.  Gomen ne.... and I really liked T&C  Bomber too.  Maybe Atsuko just isn't recognizable without her afro ^^

Sunday, November 6

With breakfast starting at 6:45 and the bus leaving at 7:50, it was an early morning.  Felt even earlier for me because I had some weird stomach problem that made me have cold chills and keep waking up the night before.  Really sucked because the night before I had gone to the public bath in the hotel with two of my roommates and had such a good time chatting with them in the outdoor bath.  I rarely get to use public baths because I have a tattoo on my stomach, and as you might know, apparently everyone who has a tattoo is a Yakuza.  My roommates told me to try coming in anyways and when I looked after we got it, it seemed like the rules for the bath at this hotel didn't mention anything about tattoos, so I felt very lucky and relaxed.  And then my stomach bothered me.  I was probably over tired from a long, eventful day.  Ah well, a new day had begun.

 

 Breakfast was delicious, I really love Japanese-style dishes but they are too much work to make at home.  The only thing I didn't touch was the natto packet, I can eat it but I really don't like it enough to want to eat it.

After returning to our rooms and getting all of our belongings ready, we were back on the bus and headed off to what was called the Morning Event.  Well, it wasn't really an event.  It was more like we were lined up in the order we would be taking the group pictures in, put into a very tiny room, and then the girls were on a platform at the front of the room.  Except it was so crowded that anyone off to the side couldn't see at all, even after asking the staff to make people in the front sit down, and all it really was was morning greetings from the girls.  The school style greetings were nice, but it really wasn't a good event unless you were in the front and center I think.

Afterwards we were led in our lines to another room in the hotel we had been brought to and they proceeded to take the group pictures.  This time, 10 of us were sitting in front of the Kyukkies standing behind us.  And they were dressed in sports tracksuits, wearing different colors for their grade.  A cute idea, but kind of plain and unfitting for an idol to be wandering around in all day.

Photos finished, we headed out to the bus once again, this time for just a short trip to another location where we would be making the traditional miso soup that had been advertised in our pamphlets.  There were two groups, the noodles and the soup.  I was in the noodles group so I headed to the gymnasium and took a seat at my designated place.  This was to be my first time making pasta from scratch

I am wearing the apron and head cloth that were sold as goods the day before.  They actually ended up selling out of them quite quickly I heard.  Apparently the staff didn't take into account the fact that they announced on the website that the apron was a must have item during the tour and that that would mean that almost everyone would want to buy one.  As for the rest of my outfit, don't be fooled by the purple, I am a Zukki fan.  I just happened to have a purple sweater and dress, and my luggage is purple.  So everyone was teasing me about how my mind was telling me I am an Eripon fan, but no I swear Zukki is my oshi.

After a short wait, in came Zukki and Riho to make noodles with us.  Or rather, altogether we watched the workers from the hotel show us how to make the noodles (or rather everyone tried to look up towards the Year 1 pair instead of watch what was going on) and then Riho and Zukki stayed up on their platform at the front (I was the second row of mats back) and we all set to work on the noodles.  The one girl in our group didn't really help much, but the other four of us worked hard on the noodles, looking up at the girls when we traded off duties.  We figured that we had been told that the quickest ones to finish would be able to go over to where the soup was being made and see the girls more there.  So we put our hearts into finishing our noodles, and after stepping on them and endlessly rolling them out like was required, we were finished.  Usually during FC tours, the girls will come and walk around the room at events like this.  They will make comments and perhaps even directly help you out, yet this time they never left their platform.  It was really disappointing, but was a theme throughout the whole tour, that the staff apparently did not think the four Kyukkies were ready to interact with the fans on their own.  *Sigh*  The cutest point during Riho/Zukki  making noodles was when Zukki held Riho on her back and danced around on the dough, damn is that girl strong.

Noodles finished, we headed over to the cafeteria (or rather a tent set up as a cafeteria outside) and took our places at the designated table (half the group had been noodles, half soup) my table being 3 tables back from where the girls were cooking but at least in the center.  Unfortunately the front two tables kept standing up and getting in the way so it was at times hard to see Eripon and Fuku-chan continue to cut up vegetables.  I wonder if this was their second time, as all the fans had already finished making the soup, so it seems like if they were still working through cutting their first time, then they were really slow.  We learned something, do not let Eripon cook.  She is really not good at it.  After tasting and cooking for a while longer, all of our noodles had finally cooked through and the miso soup had been served up.  As if we were in a school, together we all said "Itadakimasu" and dove in.

 

Very good lunch, yet the girls left us too soon and we finished off on our own.   Afterward, there was a rush to the bathroom.  Before going, I stopped to snap a picture of the board the girls had drawn to announce that days event.

And once again a 30 minute or so bus ride, and one stop at an ice cave for 20 minutes to kill time, we were parked at a shopping center outside of the small hall the last event was to be held out.  The inside of the hall was set up just like a school auditorium, with various posters of rules and class schedules for the "School" we were at posted around the room.  Our pieces of calligraphy, as well as the girls' were also hung up.

The set up, the idea, everything about the posters was nice.  I was sleepy, so I took my seat quickly (third row, right) and struggled throughout the event not to fall asleep.  Why, you may ask.  Because I had almost no sleep the night before as mentioned.  But I was determined not to fall asleep.  It was really hard though, as to be honest, the event was quite disappointing.  Past Fan Meetings I have been to have always involved a lot more interaction (games and questions in Hawaii with Musume, a cooperative relay game with Smileage) and this one had well none.  Oh sure they started off with really cute and hilarious excuses as to why they were late to "school" and that had everyone laughing.  Then they had us do formal greetings, because Fuku-chan was the Class President.  Then the sports leader (eripon) led us in simple morning exercises that were amusing because Eripon didn't seem to be quite sure of what she was doing beforehand so there was a bit of confusing when she tried to get us to do this weird pose representing the 9ki mascot (see the pamphlet below) but she didn't really have a clear image in her mind of what she wanted to do.  That was funny.  Zukki had already fulfilled her role as Lunch Girl and Riho had already been cameraman when we were eating the soup.

After the opening talk though, I was really struggling to keep my eyes open.  So when they did the question box, I eagerly listened for my question to be asked, but it wasn't.  And then after that, to be honest I wonder if I did actually sleep for part of the event, because while I remember them talking a bit more, it seemed like it was suddenly over.  I feel really bad x_x  I didn't want to sleep, and I wouldn't have if I hadn't been sick and unable to sleep the night before.  But I also feel like just having to sit for the hour did me in.  If it had been more interactive, or active like the warmups, then it wouldn't have allowed me to sleep.  I am sad that I missed seeing all I could of my Zukki and hope that they didn't notice me nodding off x_x I would feel really bad if they did.  Apparently I wasn't the only one, as I overheard other guys talking after, saying they had nodded off a bit, but they were tired from staying up drinking all night, I wasn't!  My body just hated me x_x.

Ah well, nothing I could do.  After the meeting was the much awaited handshake.  They started from the back, so i was almost last and was getting more and more nervous by the second.  I knew what I wanted to say to Zukki and that's what counts.  This is how our conversation went,and since she was first in line I was able to say all I wanted to.

Z: Thank you very much.
A: It was a lot of fun!
Z: Thank you so much for coming again!  (could it be, she remembers me from Hawaii)
A: NO problem, the soup was good wasn't it?
Z: Yeah, it was so delicious.
A: Hope to see you again soon.
Z: I'll be waiting

and then I was asked to move on.  To Riho, I mentioned how amusing I had found their skit the night before and wished her good luck.  To Eripon I mentioned how much she had matured and congratulated her on doing so well on OhaStar, wishing her luck.  To Fuku-chan (who still has the grip of death though it has loosened a little) I told her to keep doing her best and that she was always so down to earth.  She seemed really happy to see me again and I once again commented that her singing was great and I hoped she would continue to do her best with the 10th gen.

And then it was over.  It was a relatively slow handshake, not to the level of Hawaii (where you ran out of things to say) but to the point where you could really make contact with the girls, and Zukki's smile is such an amazing thing that it made me forget at once how sleepy I had been only moments before and I left the hall on a high.

Back on the bus, we were all waiting with the windows open, knowing that there would be a sendoff.  However, after driving a minute we were told to close the windows because yes there would be a sendoff like there always was but it was a bit further on and the bus was wasting heat.  A ten minute drive later, we pulled into the parking lot of Fuji Q Highland (I want to ride the new coaster so bad!) and proceeded to do a slow drive past the girls, able to open the window and wave down at them (they were right next to the bus) then to drive past once again with the girls standing on the other side of the bus.  And then we were off, headed on back roads (the highways were backed up) on the road back to Tokyo.

Two days went by so fast.  And while there were a lot of disappointments, the girls themselves did not disappoint in the least.  They have really grown up, all four of them, in the past few months.  It is hard to picture those four standing on the stage nervously at Nakano in January as being the same girls.  They have both matured and filled out into four girls with differing personalities who are able to hold their own in conversation.  I am sure they will continue to grow and change as sempai to the 10th gen members.  And even if she may be a little chubby I want my Zukki to continue to eat her fill and enjoy what she loves.  (It certainly was amusing to see her gobble down more soup when they were told they had to move on to the next area to get ready for the last event.)

I leave you with photos of all the pictures of the hand written tour pamphlet we were given at the start of the tour.

Morning Musume Fall 2011 Ai Believe 9/29 at Budoukan

 On September 29, 2011, at Nippon Budoukan, a new era of Musume history began...
But first I must apologize for how ridiculously late this post is.  Had no time at all (or energy when I did have time) outside of work to work on this.  Luckily tomorrow is a National Holiday (Sports Day) so I have a bit of breathing time.

The picture you see above was the first indication that Musume performing at Budoukan was a big deal.  They haven't performed there in a few years, and since it was my first time to be there EVER I was happy and moved to see such a large banner outside.

I was also surprised at just what Budoukan looked like.  I mean I knew it was a traditional Judo arena often used for concerts now.  And I also knew as I got off the train that it was the next stop after the station which you can get off at to walk to the Imperial Gardens.  But I still was not expecting this...

or this...

 I was stunned by the absolute beauty of it.  As someone who dislikes doing touristy things I have never been to the Imperial Gardens, but now I am thinking I might need to head over there sometime just to relax in such a peaceful atmosphere.

   Today however, Budoukan was far from peaceful.  As soon as I crossed through the gates, I saw this...

... a scarily long goods line. Ah, well that was to be expected what with it being Ai's last two concerts and at Budoukan.  Still, goods had opened up over 2 hours prior to me getting there, you would expect them to die down sometime.
Since I actually didn't have goods as my main motive for going early, I continued on around  to the front of the venue where I found my friend, Ken.  Ken was one of the friends I made on the Hawaii tour so we had planned to meet up for lunch.  He's a huge Ai-chan fan and has been ever since her debut, so he swears that he will move away from Musume though still follow Ai.  But we all know how difficult it is to graduate from Musume once you have formed a connection.  I thought I could with JJ leaving but it just didn't happen.  We both laughed at the length of the line, looked at the Ladies' Only line and I said I would wait til later (bad idea btw) and headed off to a cafe by the station for lunch.
   Over lunch we talked a lot about the future of Musume, who we thought would get in, what Konkon and Makoto might do at the concert today, as well as just talking in general about what we had been doing since the tour.  I really find it amazing that I made such great friends in Hawaii, and look forward to seeing a couple more of the guys again when we all go on the 9th gen tour.  (Not Ken, the 9th gen haven't pulled him in yet.)
  After lunch, I figured, OK now I need to go wait in line for goods.  The Ladies' Only line should be quickest right?  Yeah... not.  Unfortunately I didn't realize just how slow it was moving (only 4 workers for a ton of girls at a very large venue)  until I had already been in line for 30 minutes and you figure at that point you might as well just wait it out.  And wait I did, for 3 hours...

The funny part is that I wasn't really waiting for myself, as lately I have become the type of wota who would rather go to more events instead of spend money on goods that I have too many of anyways, I had promised a friend to get goods.  Ah well, got out of the line eventually, was able to grab a copy of the Alo! Hello 5 photobook because one of the things my friend wanted was sold out and then headed back over with my friends.  We all just laughed because it was very obvious by that point that waiting in what looked to be the longer General line would have been a LOT shorter.  Ah well, now it was just off to the bathroom for me to throw on concert T-shirt and put in contacts.
   And then we all headed inside.  After looking up my seat online, I figured from the layouts I had found that I was probably second row (since I was 10 and most rows went to 8 on the patterns I found online), but I was wrong.  I was FRONT ROW!!! At　Budoukan!!!  And not only that, I was Off-center Right.  I actually did a little dance when I saw where I was before wandering back to chat with my friends more, with them jokingly asking to trade and me firmly replying no.  We all laughed at my luck, I had been getting pretty bad tickets for the past few events but now my time had come.  \A couple of minutes before start, I said goodbye and headed up to my spot.  One note here is that front row at Budoukan is actually more like 5-6th row at any concert hall distance-wise, except that you have no one in front of you so I could see everything and everyone on stage very clearly.

The Concert
    As anyone who has looked at the setlist (easily google findable) can see this was very much an Ai-centered concert tour.  She talked a lot on radio shows she went on about how much input she had; everything from set list decisions to costume decisions.  And from the first show's recording that I listened to, I was impressed.
   They started off with Mr. Moonlight.  Minus Yossi this song hasn't been done too often, but I figured they would still go with two male characters; perhaps Ai and Risa.  Instead, they chose to have it set up as a ballroom dance with only Ai as the sought after male lead.

Hot, that is really all you can say. I mean sure the all-white dresses are just a bit too frilly (at least when you are front row, they are SUPER frilly) but they look great in motion and all of the girls played up their roles of being in love with Prince Ai to the max. 
   After the opening VTR they came out and performed in the Kare to Issho Ni outfits.  One thing noticed is that they don't seem to perform in the Kono Chikyu outfits very often.  Maybe they are afraid of shiny bangles flying everywhere.  I dunno.  The two Double A songs go together really well so they are a great pair to see.  After that, arriving on stage to the sound of Kono Chikyuu (Tsunku version) in the backround, Tsunku announced the four winners.  I am sure everyone has seen them, but here is a picture of all four.  I love all of them and am sure they will do great.  If I had to pick a favorite I would pick Haruka just because she is so adorable and I love her husky voice.

It was hilarious watching Zukki during the announcement.  Her and the rest of the kyukkies were flipping out and jumping around like idiots when everyone was announced.  Zukki went especially crazy and started jumping around when Haruka was announced.  It was adorable.  Clearly the girls really had been watching Hello Pro Time and cheering on their favorites.  I have no problem with the girls' ages myself because it really does seem like an 11-12 year old now is so much different then ten years ago when I was that age.  My 10 year　old students are probably more mature than most 15-16 year olds when I was in high school.  But the ages did make for funny responses from the four older members on stage.  I mean 2 of the girls were born the year Love Machine came out.  Wow, just really shows Musume's history.
   In the concert they performed several of the new album songs, varying day to day.  The ones I saw were "My Way Joshikou Hanamichi", a great upbeat and powerful song that really gets the crowd going.  I love the rhythm and the girls seem to have a great time performing it.  "Kono ai wo kasanete" a great ballad for two of the strongest singers, though Gaki's voice is actually quite unique and not perfect like people presume, it does match her singing style and fits this moving ballad.  "Give me Love" I like this song because it is somewhere in the middle between being a slow song and an upbeat pop song.  A good filler for concerts though it really needs to be matched to the songs around it to sound best.  "Jounetsu no Kiss wo hitotsu" a great R&B number in my mind.  AixGakixReina may be overused in this concert but they are definitely good at what they do.  Oh wait, checking now it seems this is not a new song but was on Platinum 9 Disco, did sound familiar.  Oh well, love the name and sounded great.
   "OK Yeah!" another great album song that provides a high tension and fun feeling.  And I love the parapara frogger sounding background music.  "Suki da na kimi ga" I never would have thought to pair Sayumi and Mizuki but they actually work really well together."  I don't think "Silver no udedoke" was performed, well actually I do as I remember hearing it but it doesn't seem to be on the set list for the time I went so maybe I am just imagining it x_x  Not sure.  I know I at least heard a radio rip and enjoyed it.
   The other songs performed, such as Songs and Take Off is Now ~ Breakin Out and Bravo, were again numbers that I am sure Ai picked to allow the current Musume a chance to show off how powerful they are.  All the dances looked well, though of course there were times when you noticed one girl being a little off from the others.  But overall there was no time to not enjoy the concert (especially being front row) and it was over almost as soon as it began. 
   Two highlights: the reunion of the 5th gen and the last MC.  Everyone was looking forward to seeing Konkon and Makoto and we weren't disappointed.  Between Ai teasing Konkon for talking "too much like an announcer" and Makoto stumbling over her Japanese just like she always has, it felt as if the four had never been separated.  And though they originally sat down for Suki na Sempai, in the end they stood up and hummed along with Ai and Gaki during the last chorus. 
   As for the last MC, the reason I picked it because it was very obvious they were getting dangerously close to 9pm.  Why is that such a big deal you ask?  Because anyone under 18 MUST be finished working by 9pm, which in an idol's case means they must at least be off stage.  They got away with it last year at JunLinEri grad with Aika (it was almost 10 when they finished) because she was 17 (though Tsunku and staff probably did get a talking to) but with an 11 year old as the youngest member on stage (the 10th gen joined Musume on stage for the last MC and they performed Tomo together) they couldn't let it hit 9.  So instead of the normal paced thanking the audience, commenting on the day, etc.  It was super high speed, must get everything out as quickly as possible last message.  And it was very obvious they were being told to do so in their earpieces because a couple of the new members slowed down a bit but then sped up halfway through.  They ended up finishing Tomo and leaving the stage at about 8:57, so yep they cut it really close. 
   I like how Tsunku does things now, not letting the current members know who or how many winners there are until they come on stage.  That sort of surprise makes for really good reactions, always good for the audience.

In closing, Ai may be gone, but Musume will live on.  Every day they grow and change and I will keep following them until the end.

Although there may be a post beforehand, my next definite report will be on the 9th Gen Bus Tour coming up the first weekend of November.  So, now I leave you with a picture of all of Musume backstage after the show, including the new members.