Current Events in H!P World

A.K.A an attempt not to be pidgeonholed into the "oldies but goodies" category.

There has been quite a bit of activity around Hello! Project (and International Wota) over the past couple of weeks.  Generally speaking, it has me excited because most of us believe some "stirring of the pot" is in order to create some new buzz around these groups.

Cinderella: The Musical ~  This has me very excited.  Morning Musume doing Rodgers and Hammerstein feels like the making of something very special.  I'm sure this will be released to DVD.  But I think a movie version would be even better.  I've always felt staying in the "big screen" medium is a great way to keep the exposure going at Hello! Project.  As far as who will play who, I have no idea.  But Koha and Sayu as the wicked stepsisters sound perfect to me.  I could also see Reina and Risa in those roles too.  This is a great move!  I just wonder how it will affect an H!P Summer Tour

Cinderella

Milky Way ~ Raise your hand if, like me, you were slightly let down when they revealed who Milky Way would be.  I'm sort of in the middle on this one.  On the positive side, I am glad to see more H!P Eggs get a chance to expand their roles.  Many have been clamoring for Kikkawa Yuu to get a break after just missing in 8th generation.  She has a very "fresh" look and usually stands out when backdancing at the shows.  On the other hand, another Koha unit?  Tied into Kirarin Revolution?  Koharu seems to be doing quite well on her own, so I'm not sure why they keep experimenting with her and other singers.  So until we see what this really looks like, to me it seems like "Kirarin Revolution, starring Koharu Kusumi, costarring two H!P Eggs".  Lets see a shuffle unit with some new people that haven't been shuffled in a while.  I can think of a couple of Berryz...

KikkawaYuu

Manoeri goes solo ~ For starters, congratulations to Erina-san!  Tsunku and UFA must see something in her that makes them feel she is ready for this step in her career.  And they would know alot better than I would.  That being said, two things concern me...I wonder why it was necessary for her to graduate from the Eggs AND Ongaku Gatas?  Gatas is still a fresh group in the stable, and Manoeri seems to be one of the big reasons for their popularity!  There are many who are Soloists or in Shuffle Units AND also in a Core group.  As Radicalpatriot questioned on his blog, does this mean she is going the way of The Possible and joining the "Nice Girl Project"?  I don't know if I like that idea.  Second, becoming a solo artist in Hello! Project seems to be very hard to make a success of.  How many solo artists have had any longevity of major success and record sales?  With the exception of a privileged few, it's more of a recipe for two concert appearances a year, H!P Winter and H!P Summer.  Or, she could reveal herself as an amazing singer and Tsunku will write her some sensational material.  I hope the latter is true.  This brings me to my next topic...

Niigaki Risa on Uta Doki Pop Classics ~ I have to admit that I have never given this show a proper chance.  There is so much audio/video/print out there to enjoy, I simply skipped it.  But I did watch the recent episode with Gaki-san after reading Metalhead griping about her hairstyle.  What an electric performance!!!  I thought she looked and sounded amazing.  Not only did it make me think of her being the next to graduate Morning Musume and go solo.  I also thought (I hope I don't cause a shutdown of International Wota) she could be a gateway for Hello! Project to a wider western audience.  Watch it yourself and see if you agree...

...kickass!!!  I think an American audience might like that. (hmmm?)

Goodbye Uta Doki, hello Berrikyuu ~ I am very excited about the prospect of a television show for Berryz and C-ute, it will be a great chance for us to see more of their personalities.  But 7 MINUTES???  What kind of a show is that?  How much can you do in 7 minutes?  Lets see, 1-2 two minutes of opening/closing credits, a minute of setup, which leaves us no more than 240 seconds of content?  I could go to the toilet and miss the whole show!  Anyway, I hope it's good.  As far as Uta Doki is concerned, I'm sorry to see any H!P show get cancelled.  But I wouldn't mind seeing Uta Doki become part of Haromoni@.  All we would need is a couple less jugglers/gymnasts/banana-eating-ex-pornstars and it would fit in quite nicely.  And enough MouTube!!!  Lets mix that show up a bit too, and throw in more scavenger hunts, neighborhood visits, restaurant tours.  They can still wear the ears and tails, I don't mind that at all!

The Return of Miki Fujimoto ~ Has anyone else noticed that there hasn't been any buzz about this beyond the first announcement.  That doesn't bode well for Mikitty.  I hope I'm wrong.

The Woes of the Elders ~  I am highly concerned for the girls who made Hello! Project what it is today.  Melon Kinenbi is proverbially drowning, most of the older idols are grossly underused, and where the heck is Ayaya?  Her single was cancelled, she has no tour or album in the works.  I hope she is off filming Yo-Yo Girl Cop 2!!!  I wouldn't be surprised if we see more than one of the Elders part ways with Hello! Project in the next year.  And that would be too bad.  I really hope Nacchi doesn't leave.  First of all, I love her.  Second, I think she and H!P need each other.  She still has a good fanbase, and is the orginal face of the flagship!  She's also had a decent solo career.

I hope all of these changes pan out for our idols, and I also hope we are treated to alot more excitement in the months to come. 

BTW, I am also excited about two things going on at International Wota...

American Wota Roundtable ~ Ray, what a great idea.  And Henkka, Celestia, and Broomhead took on the topic in fine style.  I read all of their points of view.  I enjoyed and for the most part agreed with every one of them.  As for my two cents on the topic...  I agree that it is a matter of semantics as Morning Musume will always be the flagship group.  But at this point Berryz and C-ute have more of a buzz around them.  They have been around for what...six years now?  So they have definitely paid their dues.  So I see Berryz and C-ute and standing along side Momusu in the limelight, rather than a few steps behind.  They have achieved enough to be considered their own flagships, and stand in their own spotlight.  Lets keep 'em in the big venues like the upcoming battle concert at Yokohama Arena.  I personally feel that most of the issues lie in the songwriting and production.  The talent is there, it is up to the people upstairs to utilize it properly.  The PV's need upgrading, and they need to continue to find ways to cross promote the talent.  Cinderella: The Musical is a good start.  BTW, sorry for crashing the party.

Stuck in a Pagoda's Multi-Parter on H!P's US Marketability ~ Let me first state I am not here to contribute to the war.  It is obvious that CJ doesn't like Gerald.  Okay, we get it!  With regards to that, I would like to say that we would all love to see Morning Musume come to our own hometown.  Nothing would excite me more.  But from the standpoint of how likely it is to happen, I just don't see it.  I can't fathom Hello! Project being treated as anything other than a novelty with a niche audience.  And who are they marketed to?  Kids?  20-40 year old men?  From a financial standpoint, and I do work in the financial sector, I don't see it as a profitable venture.  I also wonder if UFA has any interest in this idea at all.  Is this even a goal of theirs?  Who knows?  I'm not an expert in the music industry, and I don't have a finger on the pulse of what sells here in the US as I hate just about everything on the American Billboard chart!  So what do I know?

But after all that is said, I thought Stuck in a Pagoda's first part was an amazing post.  Personally, I want to believe that there is a reason for Hello! Project to try their hand in the US market.  So I am interested in any data or ideas that would make that a reality.  I can't wait for the next part!

CK in California