Renewal

This is the year I'll finally realise my dream of keeping up with a Hello!Project blog. I've tried for many years because I genuinely want to write about Hello!Project (and a few other idols). I mean, I have so many thoughts about H!P and no one close by to share them with. Even if there's hardly a single reader, just the organising of thoughts sprinkled with pictures and video is therapeutic (and then re-reading later for nostalgia, wondering what it was like at that time, ahh....)

Just life always got in the way.

Or stage fright?

No matter.

My love of idols, most particularly H!P is stronger than ever. I've collected so much of my H!P backlog in CDs this year. I've gotten back to keeping up with all the awesome radio shows and blogs fans translate for us. I'm reminded why I love the music and members so much. I don't dislike a single member anymore. Even Katsuta is entertaining now. Even though one of my favorite groups is going on hiatus, my favorite member in all H!P is staying to lead a new group. So many new members were added and though none of them have stolen my preference for Momo, Duu, Maachan, and Zukki, I'm excited for them nonetheless. Even the Kenshuusei are on my radar now that they have original songs and get more screen time on Up Front's YouTube channels. It's a great time to be an H!P fan. Heck, it's a great time to be an international fan. And now there's a member who speaks English again, woohoo!

So yup, I'm in the mood to blog again. Reviews of new stuff. Reviews of all the CDs I've procured (because my enjoyment just doesn't feel complete without carefully listening and reviewing.) Reviews of all the old J-Pop I've managed to procure (mostly 80's idols.) Introductions and thoughts on groups and members (for friends I've utterly confused or people who randomly stumbled upon H!P and want to learn more.) Fan Art. Thoughts on new events and essays on relevant topics. Ranking, always fun! I want to do them all!

For now I'll end with some general thoughts.

I wish for another new group to be added to Hello!Project in 2015. Nothing big, just three members would be perfect (unless C-ute disbands), and made up of Kenshuusei. Crouton, Murotan, Rikako, and Manakan have debuted now. So unless there's a 13th Gen of Morning Musume around the corner, I would really like to see Funakki in particular debut in a new group!

With the number of new additions to Morning Musume, though, I get the sinking feeling one of the 9th or 10th Gen will announce their graduation by the end of 2015 (or 2016 Winter.)

Angerme is an awful name. First I only saw "germ", then everyone started noticing "anger me" and I just can't unsee. Murotan was mean for S/mileage! Uggh, I hope a compilation album comes out with all the recent A-sides and they don't completely start over as Angerme.

Speaking of albums, can Juice=Juice get an album someday, too? At this rate they'll need a best of album with two discs to include all the A-sides and a new track or two. That's the main downside to all these double and triple A-sides... I love buying albums more than singles because I'm thrifty in that regard, and some of these "A-sides" aren't making it to albums (Even coupling albums. I'm looking at you, Morning Musume '14!)

Thank goodness, Berryz Box!

Am I really going to follow a group called "Country Girls? Why, H!P?

Going to Budokan and getting new members were high points for S/mileage, but between the name change and the music, they didn't really have that great a year, huh?

Well, I'm looking forward to next year's Hello!Project! Angerme can only get better from here (I hope) and all the newness has me pumped up!

Now if only Buono! could stay as well...

Fanart Corner - Those Silly Berryz

After this, the Morning Musume caricatures from 2009, then BRAND NEW ARTWORK! YAAY!!

Momoko Tsugunaga and Maasa Sudo

Maasa wrestling Momo. I said I would draw this after seeing a picture on deviantART (wondering what the Morning Musume girls were staring at, I suggested this scenario.) But I forgot who I had the original conversation with and it took a while to finally start.

Actually, I don't think this picture is canon with their characters. Maasa has looked annoyed at Momo in the past (almost everyone has, but not to the extreme of Chinami, who actually glares, haha.) But I think the two respect and look after each other. The most violent they might get with each other is a good-natured Momo Attack, hee.

Miyabi Natsuyaki, Momoko Tsugunaga, and Risako Sugaya

Miya, Momo, and Risako from Berryz Koubou. I started on this maybe three summers ago (I'm pretty sure it was in August of 2010) for a summer-themed Berryz Koubou contest on deviantART. They were all going to be eating shaved ice of their image color. I'm going to re-draw this.

Fanart Corner - Love Them Or Hate Them

Now for the last of that chibi series!

Mai Hagiwara, Erina Mano, and Saki Nakajima Cartoons

Pucchimoni V: Maimai, Manoeri, and Nakky. I really liked their outfits for one of the concerts, and tried to emulate them, but I don't think I can capture this group's aura properly without color. I was more impressed with their performance than their chemistry or characters. Color would add coolness and movement.

Aika Mitsui

Aika Mitsui... with a husky and white tiger. Time to laugh? (Those legs look so uncomfortably drawn.) Or cry? (It has been less than two years since we saw her in a wheelchair.) Either the legs need reworking or the picture needs some cropping magic.

Fanart Corner - Flower Girls

It's time for the occasional AKB48 fan art!

Amina Sato

This is meant to be Amina Sato of AKB48, whose face I find really interesting. Never mind about her feet, I was just working out the structure of her foot. Since I've been uploading sketches, you can see how I've been forming these drawings, which are almost doodling. I'm going to be treatkin my future fanart more carefully, so maybe I'll be more proud of them.

Chisato Okai, Aika Mitsui, Eri Kamei, and Yurina Kumai Cartoons

Tanpopo#: Chisa, Mittsi, Kamei, and Yurina. Cute, cute, cute... TALL. I think I might redo and color this one, because I like it. I think the shorties' poses turned out good, but I always have trouble with Yurina (except for that caricature.) How do I pose her without her looking like Godzilla, ready to accidentally crush the other members?? But Tanpopo is supposed to be a fresh and calming group, so she's fine here, I guess.

Rankings - S/mileage v.2013

Ranking time! I'm not sure if I've ever actually made a "formal" ranking before, like on a forum post or such (I know I definitely haven't on this blog.) I used to have fun with the old Hello!Blog rankers and the ones on International Wota (and now on Idol Minded.) But I remember "ranking posts" being one of the fandom traditions that really intrigued me! It's been a goal of mine ever since to make my own ranking.

So here's my ranking for S/mileage. Rankings for the other Hello!Project groups,  other idols, and a few surprises will follow in the coming months.


#6 Rinapuu.

 I'm guessing her lethargic anti-genki character is supposed to be ironic and endearing (like Aika Mitsui's audition for Morning Musume), but I'm not a fan. She doesn't initiate anything funny or cute, with the exception of that hilarious yet sad Pocket Morning where she said she would use a time machine to see if she was still alive in the future (it's just not a very idol-like answer!) She follows the lead of the other girls as though she enjoys being around idols more than actually being an idol. (To her credit, she does act professionally while performing and can sing pretty good.) She has quirky looks (but I hope her back is okay) and I could be a fan of hers, but first she'll have to come out of the shadows with a quirky personality.

#5 DAWA.

 I love her funny faces and I've thought her cute and pretty ever since her Egg/trainee days. S/mileage is full of cute and funny girls, though, and something about DAWA doesn't "click" with me like with the other girls (whom I rank higher, that is.) She has adorable teeth (i.e. to me, that means slightly crooked and fanged) but a somewhat weak voice, but is otherwise too perfect for me. She's the S/mileage Barbie.

#4 Takechan.

 She could actually be tied with DAWA in this ranking since I sometimes find her uninteresting. But she has her funny moments. And she's not afraid to speak up. I also find her rivalry with H!P's other sporty member, Haruka, pretty cool. (But Haruka at least sounds like a boy... Takechan looks more like a boy but has a pretty, girly voice.)

#3 Kanyon.

 She was my favorite S/mileage member since the group formed, but then some of the noobs stole my heart. No wonder the original S/mileage members didn't seem too keen on new members being added. But at least she appears to have become a good role model for the girls and it's sweet how they have taken to her. I still think she's cute and I like her somewhat evil/mischievous personality. I wish that personality would show more because her Cinderella Revolution catchphrase was so corny (in a bad way) and so overdone (thank Tsunku she stopped... literally! Now if she could stop talking about her diets!)

#2 Kanana.

 Kanana's obsession with gorillas, however, never gets old. What new way will she be able to insert gorillas into a conversation next? And Kanana is officially the "oops, I'm kind of awkward and mess things up" character, which earns her lots of "aww" points. But she still maintains a unique personality- adorable, incompetent yet funny, sweet, peace and life-loving, and cool to be around. She's the kind of person I would have wanted to be friends with in high school. And she loves books, so we have something in common!

#1 Meimei.

 She's a professional adorable machine. Fangs, energy, weirding out the other members. She's amazing. Her charisma is magnetic or that could just be vampiric hypnotism. (This is the only reason I have to explain Kanana not being #1. Logic says Kanana, but after looking into Mei's eyes, I can only put Mei as #1.) MEIMEI IS NUMBER ONE.

I know a lot of fans were turned off by S/mileage's roster change in 2011, but it really turned out great for my enjoyment of the group! (I'm sorry if that comes off selfish... but I'm being honest!) Two of my least favorites left, I found favorites among the new members, and I like the group a lot more now. I find them entertaining personality-wise, where before, I mostly followed them for their cute music.

Also, I think the new members added life to the group literally, as three-fourths of the original members were fast approaching adulthood. DAWA and Kanyon are 18! I'm really glad Neo-S/mileage came to keep the group going!





Note: Please excuse the old pictures. I was going to/am still going to use them for a series and they were there. I can be obnoxiously meticulous and controlling, even when I'm having fun, and I just haven't had the time or inclination to scroll through new pictures and edit them to a standard size. The girls are just as cute now as back then if that's any consolation.

Idol Challenge 29 - The Model Leader

30 Day Idol Challenge #29: Who is your favorite idol leader?

Gaki. (I came up with these challenge answers before Gaki graduated. Now I would say Sayu, Morning Musume's evil pervert queen.)

Gaki is able to lead while not remaining in the background. She shares the spotlight very well. And she has an understanding nature that I think makes her a compassionate mentor. Videos of her backstage helping the newer members rehearse show her as someone that takes coaching very seriously. And she acknowledged that newer members now have it harder than she did ten years ago because of the large amount of material to learn to perform. Good leaders note things like that so they can see from the perspective of their charges. Also, Gaki strikes me as the more rational type, so she probably gives pretty sound advice, too.

(Okay, I know "leader" in H!P is a title bestowed by generation and age, not leadership qualities and this question was more "Who is your favorite among the leaders?" It's still Gaki, because her reactions to her silly group mates are hilarious and a lot more interesting than Captain and Maimi put together and even DAWA. But DAWA is closer to her when it come to the leaders I like most.)

Fanart Corner - Groups of Letters

Hello!Project sure loves naming some of their groups with random letters so they are harder to Google, huh?

Ai Kago and Nozomi Tsuji Cartoons

W/Double You~! I had fun drawing their cutesy outfits and their likenesses, but the anatomy is terrible, even for a chibi. Look at those knees! But this was the first of this series that I drew.

Ayaka Wada, Chinami Tokunaga, Momoko Tsugunaga, Risa Niigaki, Maasa Sudo, and Saki Ogawa Cartoons

ZYX alpha: DAWA, Chii, Momo, Gaki, Maasa, and Sakichy. I had fun with poses in this one. Yay for gangsta Momo, Gaki, and Sakichy. And I laugh at how I portrayed Chii. But that's so her, right?

(She's probably sleeping.)

Fanart Corner - The Kids and the Ladies

More cartoons of the revival units! Only a few more posts of old art left!

Akari Takeuchi, LinLin, Karin Miyamoto, Kanon Fukuda Cartoons

Shin Minimoni: Takechan, LinLin, Karin, and Kanyon. So many distinct faces and characters to draw, even thought I'm not as satisfied with how Kanyon turned out. But Karin! I'm so glad she has a group now and I have more reasons to draw her. So cute to draw!

Risako Sugaya, Sayumi Michishige, and JunJun Cartoons

Zoku V-u-den: Risako, Sayu, and JunJun. Leeegs. And Risako's duck face, lol.

Idol Challenge 28 - Same Stripes

30 Day Idol Challenge #28: Which idol gives you special memories of something or someone?

Aika. I tried to convert a close friend to idols because Aika reminds me so much of him. Alas, idols just don't appeal to him, somewhat because of the language barrier and probably somewhat because it's something I like and he would rather tease me about it (I don't know, if he likes something first, we can chat and laugh about it, but if I'm big into something, I'm usually not able to get him to take interest. But he's the one that helped get me into Pokemon, my number one fandom! But out of some H!P pictures I showed him, he admitted Momo was cute, so at least that's something?) Anyway, what especially links Aika in my mind to him is their love of animals. Whenever Aika talks about her favorite animals, I think, "He would so get along with Aika!"





Note: Yup, I'm finishing these after about a year hiatus. Has a 30-Day Challenge ever gone on this long? Maybe I'm special.

Fanart Corner - Coolios Idol Cereal

Both of these are extremely dated by now, thanks to one leaving for a group outside Hello!Project and another getting a drastic shortcut...

Aa! Chibi

Aa!: Akari Saho (Up Up Girls/former Egg), Airi, and Miyabi. Similear image to Buono!, just sans the goofy Momo. I personally like the movement I was able to capture in Saho's pose.

Chisato Okai Caricature

Chisato Okai of C-ute caricature. I love love love how she turned out; cute, sporty, with a cool hairstyle. But that soccer ball/football. I should not draw soccer/footballs. (Or rather, I should draw them until they become worthy enough to grace Chisa's presence.)

Looks like I've run out of caricatures to post for now!

Fanart Corner - Gachapin and a Future Model

Soooo... this first one is a doozy considering her recent scandal and all...

Minami Minegishi

Miichan, Minami Minegishi from AKB48. I should have drawn her in a silly or cartoony pose. Then it might have actually looked like her...

Yurina Kumai Caricature

Yurina Kumai from Berryz caricature. This was the one I was really looking forward to drawing, since I thought it would be funny if she could hardly fit in the picture due to her height. I hope I can execute this concept better in the future.

Fanart Corner - Queens of Diva

I'm going to start posting another old series, this time done in "chibi" style. In 2009, I decided to draw all the new shuffle groups, but I didn't finish them until early 2011, so some are way older than others.

High-King Chibi

High-King: Yuuka, Aichan, Reina, Maimi, and Captain. Leaders and aces. Highlights for me are Reina's kitty face and Yuuka's glare. The other girls don't really look like themselves to me.

Sayumi Michishige Caricature

Sayumi Michishige of Morning Musume. This was actually the first of the caricatures I drew, back in,I think, spring of 2009. Some parts of it I like and wish later caricatures were more like it, but I see areas where I improved, too. (Her eyes and one of her hands are weak.)

Fanart Corner - Clique Momo

Finally I have the last of the "cartoony" series that mutated over time. I've never posted the original Morning Musume drawings, the one's I think are the best, but they'll be coming soon.

Momoko Tsugunaga and Risako Sugaya Cartoons

Momo and Risako of Berryz. Probably my favorite of the post-Momusu drawings of this series. Exaggerated, but still somewhat cute (ribbons tied into bows on Risako's sneakers!)

Erina Mano Caricature

Caricature of Erina Mano, H!P's (soon to be, or now?) former soloist. Like a mask, her face has one main expression. This was especially true in her early photocards. And that was kind of creepy. So the concept here is that she's got her face pressed on the glass in that expression, draining your soul.

Fanart Corner - Imperfection and Perfection

Okay, for now, a piece I find both embarrassing and cool...

Maasa Sudou, Saki Shimizu (Captain), and Yurina Kumai Cartoons

This was where I completely forgot the style I had started with this mini-series. It actually became the opposite of the big-head, small-body style I started with. This is (supposed) to be Maasa, Captain, and Yurina of Berryz. The tallest Berryz guarding their tiny Captain. Next time I draw a series in a certain style, I I better draw them quickly, because having months in between a style is hard to jump back into, unless I drew with that style in great volume. Which I obviously didn't here.

Airi Suzuki Caricature

Airi Suzuki of Buono!/C-ute caricature. H!P's genius all-star. I drew little kappa heads in the background, but I forgot what the design on her trophy is. That is, if it is anything. I wish I had drawn her cuter.

2013 Hopes and Predictions! And Agenda!

The Savior has come!

Almost two months late with this... kind of blows the whole point of such a post, huh? I even missed the Chinese New Year! I'm really really stubborn, though, so I'm still posting these thoughts that have been incubating for the past couple months! Even though current events decided to beat me to it, in one particular case.

Last year, two of my hopes/predictions came true (Morning Musume sold over 100,000 units with their 50th single and they held 11th generation auditions), three sort of came true (there was a ton of overseas activity, but no American versions of CDs released; Hello!Satoyama Life was a new show, but it replaced Hello!Pro Time; and I still found a lot of H!P songs fun and catchy, but the only really strange one besides the chicken suit song was Momo's exercise video), and two have already come true this year instead of last year (new indies group of trainees - with the Savior!! -  and a new webshow.)

I interpret this as not only H!P becoming more predictable - in a good way (predicting stuff and having it come true is somehow more satisfying than predicting nothing is going to happen and nothing happens) - but H!P being nice, too. No matter the ulterior motives (i.e. money) behind their agency's increased efforts at pleasing the fans, to me, it's still impressive and much appreciated.

So what about this year? Well, first of all...

I think we should be singing a dirge for Berryz Koubou, C-ute, and Buono! I think we'll at least get an announcement this year, possibly during the festival the first weekend of March. They will want an early announcement so Up-Front can milk as much as they can from the groups before they begin to de-materialize or disband completely. This is something I've been on Code Yellow for for over a year, and now with a large chunk in their twenties and all but one an adult, the possibility of at least one (but most likely, many more) wishing to move on from the idol phase of their career grows ever greater.

The announcement of new units all but says they are going to be replaced in the coming year or two, and even the name of Berryz' Spring tour makes me wonder if it's a big hint (looking for recruits? Maybe they just mean it as a friendly title for fans. But maybe one of the new trainee units, a tween-aged unit, will be called Berryz Koubou?)

And then there is college. I don't know about Chisa or Risako, but I'd be more surprised if Airi didn't go to university than if she quit the entertainment industry (at least temporarily) to continue her education. I don't think her absent-minded genius character is completely fake, nor do I think her love of school and pride in her academic skill disingenuous. No announcement has been made yet regarding her entering university  but she does graduate high school in a little over a month. What if... she will be studying abroad or going to a university that begins in the Fall? Like a Konkon/Makochan situation, where they graduated in the summer of 2006 to continue their post-secondary studies? And if Airi did study abroad, there would be no way for her to keep up her Hello!Project activities like Momo. Would C-ute and Buono! be able to survive without Airi? Especially with it unlikely that those groups would add new members (except as one-off revival units years later?)

So I think the H!P Kids time in H!P is coming to a close. I'm sure most of them will stay in Up-Front and still  occasionally work with H!P and be part of little groups like Yossie and Charmy's post-H!P groups. It won't be the end of everything (and if Airi does leave, I would not be surprised if she returned to the entertainment industry after getting her degree(s).)

There will be graduation announcements. Besides my reasoning behind the H!P Kids readying for departure (especially Airi), Sayu and S/mileage are the next girls to wait for. Maybe even a surprise 9th or 10th gen departure, but not likely (and it would make me really sad if any of the new girls left.) Sayu probably has until the end of the year at least. S/mileage is just a hunch. S/mileage is the group that makes no sense, so anymore could leave next. Common sense would say Kanyon (does she consume enough calories to take on the challenge of both H!P and university??), but I don't know. Honestly, I'd rather none of them graduate, but a graduation and an audition could get them more attention and maybe win back some old fans that left with Sakichy and Yuukarin.

S/mileage will probably have a third generation audition. Meimi mentioned in her blog that the current line-up may not last long (specifically mentioning third gen), but that could be her owns hopes and speculations rather than inside knowledge. Still, I think auditions would be a good idea. Too bad Fuu-chan won't ever be coming back (unless she was taken out of trainees last year for a surprise debut this year?) Even if S/mileage doesn't hold another audition, setting aside some trainees for S/mileage while other trainees debut in new units wouldn't be a bad idea either.

As for Morning Musume having auditions, it would be nice if they kept up yearly auditions, but the greater the number of new additions, the greater chance of a 9th or 10th gen leaving. Up-Front does not seem to like keeping the group over ten members for any length of time (and there's that oft-quoted Tsunku statement from years ago about the 10-member limit ideal.) And single member generations are best taken in moderation (I remember a lot of fan disappointment at Aika's audition due to her being the only member passing.) I would love more members, but not many graduations at the moment, and the current environment is not conducive for that at this time.

Now that Karin has a spot in Hello!Project, I hope Natsumi Taguchi finds a place soon, too. Much like how I thought "this girl would make a great H!P member" and "this girl looks interesting" when the first Egg pictures of Haruka Kudo were revealed, I saw something interesting in Taguchi's first pictures as a trainee. Both her name and her stature (even her expressions a little bit) remind me of Mari Yaguchi. Not that I expect her to be a Mari-clone (like I didn't expect Kanyon to be an Aibon-clone), but she's cute and has my interest, and now I really want to see where she ends up in Hello!Project history.

As for other trainees, I'm disappointed that Mogi left, but Mizuki Murota looks energetic and interesting, so it would be cool to see her debut in one of the new units. I also think Rie Kaneko should debut soon, too. Not just because she's the most senior trainee, but because I saw a screenshot of her glaring at the new Morning Musume and I think she needs a healthier way to manifest that rivalry. And she has a pretty cool looking nose.

I hope Hello!Project Station will not suck as bad as its first episode. The best things about that episode were Airi's face and Chii's "homerun" answer. Golf is boring enough as it is, but it makes for a terrible first theme! (And there's more than one part for the Golf episode??? Arrrrgh, I don't think I'm going to watch this...) Add some sketches to this variety show!

I'm still going to hope for a comic or series of animation shorts based on the H!P girls.

And finally, I hope Morning Musume is able to keep up their streak of Gold-certified singles. More fame (and money) should open up more opportunities for them, as it did for their predecessors.

So, those were my hopes and predictions!

As for what to look forward to from this blog, I still intend to finish the H!P 101 articles and reviews from last year (thanks to a friend, I've been getting the physical releases of albums I've been dreaming for for a long while!) There are articles planned and plenty of fanart to post. Occasionally I'll still post about non-H!P idols that catchy my eye (I just don't have as much time to experiment anymore, and, fearing burnout, I scaled back on what I follow/watch.)

I like having a blog since I don't really have anyone close to to talk about H!P with (except when I barf out a rambling one-sided conversation about it to friends and family then feel bad about it afterwards, feeling like I wasted their time...) But then I think about what I want to write and end up not writing it down! (I only use the computer once a week.) This day dreaming aspect of myself is something I need to discipline.

So despite this late start, please look forward to many more posts from me this year!

Fanart Corner - Fashion Queens

I'm going to upload the rest of my old Hello!Project art from a year or two ago. I need to bide time for the new art I plan to make (I've been focusing on commissions and my own non-fanart projects lately.) Also, I might as well upload, just in case someone out there is interested. I know I can be my worst critic, so I'll let my fellow idol fans decide what is cool or cute or not.

Mariko-sama

Mariko Shinoda of AKB48. Well, supposed to be. I gave her too long of hair, huh?

Miya

Caricature of Miyabi Natsuyaki of Berryz Koubou/Buono! Her facial structure makes her one of the easiest and most fun to draw girls in H!P ever. I actually liked it when she sometimes wore her hair similar to this. And this is another picture I want to color vividly if I ever get around to it.

Idol Challenge 27 - Peach Passion

Day #27: Idol you have special feelings for.

Yay, more gushing about Momo! First of all, I'll answer by example. I made a Momo collage/shrine for part of an art project in school. That takes special feelings.

But Momo... ah, Momo. She reinvigorated my love for Hello!Project when it could have fallen away (and then I probably wouldn't be following idols today. Who knows what I would be into now besides Pokemon, comics, Star Wars, and art? Maybe I'd have more time to distribute among those passions?) Nono, my previous favorite, fell out of activity due to her pregnancy. Momo filled that void. And it turned out I liked her even more. She wasn't paired up constantly with certain members (like how Nono was paired with Aibon), so she was able to deliver her comedy all by herself. There's some strength to that. And she has a complex real-life character underneath her idol persona that I really respect. She appears to be a very determined driven woman who knows what she wants. She seems to have her future sorted out. I truly idolize her!

Idol Challenge 26 - Her Momoments

Day #26: Idol with the best personality.

Momo. For me, the best personality in an idol is the personality that makes me laugh. When Momo's not trolling hosts or fellow members with her over-the-top cutesy character, she's the butt of the jokes. Her flawed character is meant to be laughed at with her tongue-in-cheek indignation. And it's so unmistakably Momo. I can't follow any other idol with quite her sense of humor. I also really appreciate the animation she puts into her character. She acts out her persona like a cartoon character come to life. Momo's personality makes her consistently entertaining to me. Girls with natural personalities and wit have their moments, but with Momo, it's always a moment. A momoment.

Fanart Corner - Girlfriends

Chii and Miya

One third of Berryz Koubou in cartoon-style. Chinami Tokunaga trying to hug her "girlfriend", Miyabi Natsuyaki. Chii does not look like Chii (a pattern for the taller girls?) But Miya looks like Miya. Even for these two walking sticks, they are a lot thinner than they should be (if the heads were bigger it would be closer to my original cartoony concept. But their limbs are still too long.) Here, Chii especially looks like a pole. And Miya's pose looks painful. However, I think the outfits are cute though simple.

H!P's future rock star, Reina Tanaka! I think I captured her distinctive likeness pretty well here. I'm looking forward to coloring this with wild color.

Idol Challenge 25 - Double Trouble

Day #25: Past group you miss the most.

Oh gosh, this is so cliche, but I miss W. The W we can never get back. Even if there was a reunion (i.e. a miracle), I would still be missing W. Aibon's revelations of the truth made it so I can never see her in the same light again. I feel sad for how her life has been these past six years, but she destroyed the idol magic when she began making her comeback under a different label several years ago and basically told the fans how messed up her life was and how "Aibon" was all a lie. It's like if the guy in the Barney suit stepped out of his costume and told preschoolers that Barney's not real. The kids probably already had an idea, but the revelation ruins the character, too. I'm not saying idols shouldn't move on or shouldn't speak up about their problems. But once something like Aibon's situation happens, there's no turning back. Fans will always remember.

Also, the W image would be hard to maintain with two mothers now anyway. Here's where the purity aspect of idols comes in. Let's be upfront (yay, pun): a lot of idols, if not almost all, eventually get a photobook or photoshoot or video with bikinis in some quantity or form. Nono released a photobook not long before she announced her pregnancy. After she announced it, I saw some images fans had scanned from the book on forums and fanpages. All of the sudden it felt wrong to look at the pictures. Not in a perverse way, I mean. The pictures were artistic, particularly the shots I remember, and in good taste (one of H!P's hallmarks when it comes to swimwear shots) of Nono in a forest. It was one of those "one with nature" types of shots. But pregnancy does come from something that is usually not considered pure in our culture. Instead of looking at pretty pictures of one of my favorite idols (who isn't much older than me), I was suddenly looking at half-naked pictures of someone's mom. I was embarrassed.

The idol-ness of W is gone forever. They aren't coming back unless I listen to my old CDs or watch old footage from before the scandals. I can only play back fond memories of the first idol group I fell in love with. And so I miss them.

And as for why I love them so much to miss them (besides them being my first idol group)? Their music was so cute and catchy, their voices melded really well together, and the way they played a bunch of dumb hungry troublemakers intrigued me so much. Through music and character, they led me into this hobby and culture of idol fandom.