Okay! Musume Digest #27

D-D-D-DIGEST TIME!!!

Under a month until Christmas, guys, which means that we can now officially break out the Chrimbo tunes... or not. It depends. I actually haven't broken them out yet, weirdly enough, but I assure you all that I will be singing along to Wa~ Merry Pin X'mas the moment I feel the need to. Annoying my family always feels good during this time of the year! Why, WHy, Merry Pin Christmas~

Also in random blog news, this week I started my PV Request Week (which will totally take more than a week) where I take on your requests and review the PV's that you sent me! I will be continuing it and trying my best to do as many songs as possible, so please look out for them, especially if you requested something!

That all said and done, let's get into this D-D-DIGESTO!!!

Video of the Week

This week's star video is The Transient Apple Salesgirl by Gumi.

Here's something completely different for y'all, mostly because it isn't by an Idol but instead by a Vocaloid. Actually, Gumi is one of my favourite vocaloids out of all that I bother to even listen to. This is a pretty new song, and my sister introduced me to it thinking that I would like it for the story aspect. Well, I absolutely love both the song and the video, and the story behind it is quite sad, depicting the tale of a girl born under a fruit tree who has been fated with death in a world where everyone is gifted with eternal life. Shunned by the town, the girl tries to sell her apple pie only to be met by the ignorance of the town folk. Then one day she meets a boy who helps her and  eats one of the pies, stating that it is delicious. It becomes apparent that the boy is now also cursed, but the two come to treasure the now and fall in love.

It's a sweet song, and the story in it is very meaningful, so definitely check it out and enjoy!

So now that I have given you a video to watch and a song to listen to, we need to move on!

Poll Results

This week I asked you guys which Satoyama Unit song was your favourite out of the four, and the results are in! So, who has won this week's poll and who has produced your favourite song?

By a massive storm, DIY♡'s Fore Fore ~Forest for Rest~ has taken over this poll by a massive storm with an amazing 71% of the votes! I am absolutely amazed by this, mostly because I thought that the songs would be evenly liked, but it seems that DIY♡ have truly created a dance in your heart with this song, because it's the one that you guys have chosen as your favourite song of the four units! Congrats to DIY♡ and their winning song, Fore Fore ~Forest for Rest~

How about a listen to the winning song, eh?

Well... shall we take a look at the rest of the results whilst we're at it?

Cabbage Hakusho (Peaberry) - 18%
Boys be ambitious! (GREEN FIELDS) - 17%
Forest Time (Harvest) - 12%

As I said, Fore Fore won by a looooong mile, to the point where it became a hare and the others stayed as turtles, though this time, the tutrle did not pass the lazy hare, because this hare kept on running!

... I'm surprised that GREEN FIELDS surpassed Harvest, to be quite honest, but oh well... xD That's totally my own opinion, there!

That said, thank you all for once again taking part in this poll and letting me know what you like in music! This was a major surprise for me because I don't check the polls until they end, so to find out that DIY♡ won in such a way is an incredible surprise. Arigatou!!!

Moving forward now, let's get into the most important topic of this weekly digest. Yes, it's that time of the week again guys, so get ready to Digest! It's time for the;

NEWS OF THE WEEK

10th Generation Morning Musume members, Iikubo Haruna and Ishida Ayumi, both appeared on the November 20th airing of Zakiroba.

The segment with the girls themselves doesn't seem long, but the show itself is still very fun to watch, and the promotion for the girls is great as well. It's great to see that both Harunan and Ayumin are now securing TV show spots without the aid of either Sayumi or the OG members of Morning Musume. Honestly, it makes me happy and extremely hopeful, especially with Harunan...

Yay >3<

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Team C-ute promote their hoodies through the medium of rap.

... Never rap again girls, especially you, Airi, and you, Maimi. You two are terrible. Nakky, though, is surprisingly good. She's the only one who didn't make me feel like I was watching Miyabi rap in Loving You Too Much all over again. However, catchy idea, and Maimi + pigtails = the best she has ever looked.

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S/mileage have been chosen as the image girls for Akihabara Electric Town Winter!

This isn't a surprise, really, because S/mileage seem to get chosen as image girls quite a bit now. They're a fun group to have, which makes it less surprising for me, and they seem to have a certain air of confidence about them which just makes these girls so much more appealing and accessible to the public.

Hopefully they will continue to become image girls and show off their confidence in performances and whilst representing Akihabara Electric Town Winter.

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Sea☆A have performed their latest song, ENTRY! on Animax Studio Musix!

I know that I am not the only one who just loves Sea☆'s live performances, but honestly, I adore them. These girls are bursting with an amazing amount of energy and happiness with every performance, and honestly, it translates so well for these girls when they are on stage! I sear, they shine so brightly live, and you can just feel the happiness and energy radiating from them. Somehow, they made Entry, their weakest song to date, sound energetic and lively.

Studio version got nuthin' on these girls!

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Mano Erina will release her 4th and final Hello! Project solo album on February 6th. Currently the title has yet to be announced.

... I want a best of. She deserves it...

Well, she deserves a lot of new songs, too.

And now we wait for the PB announcement...

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Mogi Minami has officially withdrawn/graduated from the Hello! Project Kenshuusei.

Well, that didn't last long...

Okay, so in all seriousness, I am a little sad about this news, because Mogi was my favourite 9th gen audition member, however it has been a year since then, and honestly... I don't follow the Kenshuusei girls, so it may sound heartless, but I don't really care much... but it is sad that she has left, because she had a lot of potential.

But that short cut does nothing for her.

(No source, sadly)

UP-FRONT Sapporo are looking to recruit more H!P Trainee's! The audition process will take place on December 15th, 2012, and will be held at the Sapporo School of Music. Girls are required to be ages 9 to 15 years in order to audition.

It's great to see that new Kenshuusei are continuing to be added, and whilst many fans might find this to be a bad thing (because of apparently wasted talent), I find that this is great, as it allows girls to perform and gain fas, and to be a part of a group and team and to sing and dance and learn new things and gain even more experience. I'm pro Kenshuusei, clearly, even when I don't follow them religiously like others do.

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Takahashi Ai will lend her voice and guest star in the Detective Conan anime series. This will also be Ai-butt's first voice over for anime.

This is awesome news for Ai and Anime fans, because it means that you get to hear your Idols voice in what seems to be a popular and great series. So, if you want to hear Ai as a new character, check out the episodes and see if you can spot her voice!

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Five Berryz Kobou members have appeared on the cover of Weekly Wise.

Where's Chinami??? Her legs are being missed greatly!!!

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The short PV to Eien Pressure by AKB48 has been released to give you all a dose of their latest single release from the Janken winners!

...

Paruru, even through a studio MP3, sounds like a pretty weak/poor singer. And the song still sounds far too much like Ue Kara Mariko, Pera Pera Perao and a little bit of Everyday Kachuusha. Genericness, and un-original. Basically nearly every AKB A-side since the dawn of time.

Also, the PV is far too much like Ue Kara Mariko and is uninspired.

... I can't wait to review this XD but I still like the song despite my negativity o-O

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Previews for Yajima aimi's up-coming photobook, Hatachi, have been released.

My Lord she looks constipated. This girl can't smile naturally for toffee, can she?

Insulting Maimi a day keeps her terrible voice away, wheee~

I'm such a bitch xD

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Yajima Maimi and Mano Erina grave the cover of girls! magazine!

-dances- Promotion~ Ah-huh~ Promotion, OH YEAH!!!!

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MAiDiGi TV have uploaded footage from the Yuuki no Tsubasa event which Kaori Iida, Takashi Ai, Niigaki Risa (wait whuuut, I wasn't told about this!) and Morning Musume attended.

It's great to finally see some footage from the event that MoMusu were able to attend, and seeing the live performance of Be Alive was quite surprising, but it's nice to see how the girls perform now when live. It's great to see not just the current MoMusu, but also the OG members, supporting these kind of events.

Definitely check it out guys!

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The live performance of S/mileage's single, Samui ne, has been uploaded to S/mileage's official channel. This performance allows us to view the dance with wonderful MP3 quality.

I do have to wonder just why the editors felt that the girls weren't going to sound like they were in a live performance, but I can't really complain, because we are finally able to see the dance and less than crappy camera work, too! YAY FOR STILL CAMERA'S!

It's fun to watch, so definitely check it out when you have the time! Words can not really say how nice the performance itself is, so check it out!

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NHK have announced the artist lineup for their 63rd Kohaku Uta Gassen! This year the show will feature 50 artists, with Horikita Maki and Arashi serving as the show's hosts, and AKB48 and Terry Ito have been chosen as the show's official supporters. The show airs on December 31st, at 7:15 JST.

Sad face at the fact that MoMusu aren't there, but happiness because SKE48 and AA will be a part of it!

Check the source for the full list, guys!

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A solo performance from Kasai Tomomi on November 25th has been released. The performance was held during the Japan Cup at Tokyo Keibajo. This performance features Tomomi singing solo versions of Heavy Rotation and Flying Get, and also features her original solo song Masaka. This was the first time that the song was performed. The title of the song, Masaka, means 'Unexpected' as the debut for Tomomi was unexpected. The single will be released on December 26th 2012.

“Until now, I’ve been active as AKB48 while dreaming for a solo debut and I’ve been supported by many fans. This is really a moment when my dream has come true, so I want to work even harder in order to get more people to know about ‘Kasai Tomomi’.” - Kasai Tomomi (Tokyohive)

... Her voice is surprisingly cute, I really did not expect that... and she actually has a decent voice, say whuuut? Again, not expected, but wow she has an adorable aura. I may just like her...

Hell, she even made me enjoy Flying Get, and I really don't care about that song much...

Concerning her debut song, Masaka, it sounds quite cute. I would definitely like to hear a studio version of it, so I am actually really anticipating the PV (if she gets one, which she will, because Aki-P milks everything) and hoping for something cute and Christmassy.

If you have not checked this out... check it out, now! I order you to watch this live from Kasai Tomomi!

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Babyraids have released a short PV to their up-coming single, Baby Revolution. This will be the groups second single, and is set to release on December 19th 2012.

... I may just have to start paying attention to this group now, because this is way better than their debut single! It sounds freakin' AWESOME!!!

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It has been revealed that Perfume's up-coming 2013 single, titled Mirai no Museum, will be used as the theme song for the up-coming Doraemon film, titled Eiga Doraemon: Nobita no Himitsu Dougu Museum. The single is set to release in the Spring.

Great news for Perfume fans Hi Nia! because yes, finally, your lovely Idols are bringing out something new, though honestly speaking, I am a bit worried about the sound, especially since it's for a Doraemon film... will it be childish and less techno-poppy? Or will it be okay? Who knows! We need to wait for the previews, don't we?

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Fukuda Kanon has announced that she will be releasing her first photobook, titled Kanyon 17, which will be released on December 15th.

I'm actually really surprised that this is Kanon's first photobook that she will be releasing, but for all of her fans, this must be some really awesome news! The photobook will most likely be filled with plenty of cute pictures of Kanon, as well as bikini shots and maybe costumed shots, which will be fun to look at and something that all of her fans will enjoy! If you can, definitely grab yourself a copy!

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Tanaka Reina will have a character in Kaizoku Fantasia, Ameba's new card game for smartphones.

Dude... I want this game...

I need a smartphone...

MORE IDOLS NEED TO BE IN THIS GAME!!! Errpon, please?

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Berryz Kobou will be holding individual handshake events for their 30th single, WANT! on December 23rd and January 27th.

It's interesting how this single will be promoted, but it will be great for the fans to go and see their Oshi members. Hopefully all fans within the area can attend a handshake event on this day, so look forward to it!

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NMB48's Fukumoto Aina has completed the Osaka Marathon that was held on November 5th. The 19 year old Idol finished the marathon in 4 hours, 8 minutes and 45 seconds. The marathon was a charity run for Tohaku after last year's earthquake.

It's great to see an Idol supporting their country in such a way, and it's amazing to see that Aina was able to finish this race in the amount of time that she did! This is an amazing achievement, one which Aina will keep with her forever, because it's meaningful not just for her, but for Japan as well and the cause that she ran for. Well done, Aina!

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AKB48's oversea's sister group, JKT48, has announced the graduation of Neneng Rosdiana, also known as Ochi, who graduated on November 25th. Her graduation was announced on November 21st on the group's website, however Ochi herself had announced her own graduation via Twitter, only for the post to be deleted by staff. Due to poor health, Ochi could not attend her graduation event.

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On November 22nd it was revealed that Sexy Zone's youngest member, Marius Yo, will be taking on his first starring role in a midnight Drama series, titled Kodomo Keishi. The series is derived from the series which starred popular child actor Suzuki Fuku, Kodomo Keisatsu. The drama will be broadcasted from April to June of 2013.

I need to contain my happiness, gaaaah! Marius will be a STAR!!!! YES!!! Oh man I am so glad he is getting a chance to shine in drama! YAAY!!!

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Tokyohive have uploaded an exclusive interview with Fudanjuku, so go on and check it out!

When I saw this on Tokyohive's updates, I was extremely surprised but happy! Fudanjuku are a group that I really enjoy, but a group which is pretty hard to find information on sometimes as well, so seeing this interview was wonderful, because it means that Fudanjuku are getting that little bit more coverage that they deserve!

If you're a fan of Fudanjuku, then check out the interview! It's so cute and funny, I absolutely adore it, though Ryouma's a lil' bit shy, but I guess that's just his cute personality!

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Kumai Yurina and Suzuki Airi have been appointed 'Green Tea ambassadors' by the Uji Chamber of Commerce.

It seems that more and more Idols are being promoted as ambassadors in Japan, such as Sasshi of HKT48 being appointed as the ambassador of her hometown. Though Green Tea seems a little random, it's a great way of promoting the girls as well.

... Still, quite random.

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MAiDiGi TV have uploaded footage of Michishige Sayumi promoting yakitori meatball dishes from Yoshinoya.

It seems that H!P are promoting food right now, which is great because hey, everyone likes food... right? So it's great to see that Sayu is promoting something which a lot of people will enjoy and helping more people to know about the greatness of these meatballs.

Nommyful!

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The trailer to Zomvideo, which I swear was made a long long time ago, has been released. This comedy Zombie film stars Yajima Maimi as the heroine, and Nakajima Saki as a cute zombie.

It looks cool, but again... I swear this was made ages ago. Is it just being released? o-O

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The LQ covers to Berryz Kobou's 30th single, WANT! have been released!

UFP seem to like the blocky panelled look right now (Limited A), and Limited B reminds me Otakebi Boy. Is Limited C a box? Da heck? Regular looks cool.

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The Single V cover to Berryz Kobou's 30th single, WANT!, has been released.

... I swear, the covers make this single look like a battlefield full of Halloween clad Idols, but really... it's not as badass as that, I swear.

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UP-FRONT is now a part of Youtube Japan's original channel initiative, which will collaborate with UFP and host a Hello! Project variety show in 2013.

Dude... what. Wait, what? Hi, yeah, hi, WHAT? YES? Variety show say what yes please? YES!!!!

If anyone can give a better translation, please do, because this is happiness!!!

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On the 25th of November, Nakazawa Yuko gave birth to a healthy baby girl!

Oh my goodness this is wonderful, beautiful news! Congratulations to Yuko and her baby bundle of joy!

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And that, my dear readers, is all the news and updates for this week. Hopefully there is enough here to keep your digest going before next week, and until then, please keep it real and happy. Ja ne!

Chiima~

PING!!! Idolminded Recommended Reading: November 27th, 2012