The Official Momoiro Clover Z & Stardust Planet Thread

[Some]

Spoiler: Mirei (ebichu) for bis

Spoiler: B.O.L.T for BUBKA

and here's A-rin from Larme's latest issue:

PHOTOSHOOT - Momoiro Clover Z's Sasaki Ayaka for Larme Vol.047

hallyuplus.net

 

[Sasori]

So glad Shiori tested negative! The Uta Gassen wouldn't be the same without her.

Arin really was busy this past week. Was she on a different show every day?

The Chainon photos look great! Speaking of that last Chainon photo: Momoclo will make their first televised performance of the song on BS 11's "Anison Days" on the 18th, and that's where it's from! The episode was recorded a while ago so it was the first time they performed it.



They will also perform "Ojamajo Carnival", the opening of Ojamajo Doremi.


I hope she's fine, even if there's nothing indicating that she's contracted the virus so far I think it's for the best that she quarantines herself. It's something I've been thinking about during the last few days. Covid cases have increased in Japan recently, and Momoclo have a few events/concerts in December and January. Most notably Momoiro Uta Gassen which will have a lot of performers. So there has to be a lot of caution involved and special care has to be taken before and after these events so that the risk of anyone being infected among the performers is minimized.


Speaking of those events, today AYAKARNIVAL 2020 was held! It was livestreamed on nicovideo but I was sleeping, so I missed it
I'm sure there will be some YT uploads though, just like last year. And like last year there were collaborations which I'm looking forward to seeing!

Spoiler

I feel like Japanese celebrities/performers have gotten a bit lax with Covid precautions. They were really good with it throughout the summer, but on the tv appearances I've seen lately, they're sitting right next to each other with nothing but a small pieced of plexiglass between them. It should be the responsibility of the staff at these shows to make sure proper guidelines are being followed, but there could be all kinds of politics behind the scenes that I don't know about.

The lineups for Ayakarnival continue to impress me. I hope the festival is a staple in the Idol scene for a long time.

Momoclo members are on the cover of two magazines!

Shiori is the latest Momoclo member to be on the cover of photography magazine CAPA

And Aarin is the cover model for the latest issue of LARME

It looks like those plastic face screens idols/celebrities wear have evolved!


It looks a bit uncomfortable but seems more effective.

The most talked about idol in the Reiwa era seems like a slight exaggeration but I like the spirit and there's some truth to it.



Natsu No Bakasawagi + PLAY? Seems good, I'll check it out tomorrow!

Those new plastic face shields are similar to what I've seen local groups in Sapporo use. The difference is that they attach them to their microphones instead. It looks a little weird, but I'm glad they're taking precautions. You can skip ahead to the 10 min. mark to see them.

​

Momoclo will release a best-of album on the 24th of February! "Masahiro Tanaka" will include all the Tanaka cheer songs as well as some other older tracks, including Hashire! ZZ ver and the overture.



Full tracklist:

Spoiler

01. overture 〜ももいろクローバーZ参上！！〜
02. 走れ！ -ZZ ver.- 作詞：NOBE／モリモトコージ　
03. DNA狂詩曲（ルビ：ラプソディ） -ZZ ver.-
04. My Dear Fellow -ZZ ver.- 作詞：前田たかひろ　
05. 勝手に君に -ZZ ver.- 作詞：ももいろクローバーZ／NAGAE　
06. GET Z, GO!!!! -ZZ ver.- 作詞：ももいろクローバーZ／田中将大／NAGAE　
07. 何時だって挑戦者 -ZZ ver.-
08. 吼えろ 作詞：ファンキー加藤　
09. 背番号
10. On Your Mark／ももいろクローバーZ with ファンキー加藤
BONUS. On Your Mark -MCZ only-

Tokisen's album also drops tomorrow!

And today I found out that Ito Chiyuri (from Syachi) released a solo album "Magic World", this is the lead song's mv

I'm tempted to get the new album just for the Tanaka cheer songs.

I haven't kept up with Chiyuri since she graduated from Syachi. I'm surprised she's released a full album since she left to pursue an acting career. Considering that the comments are turned off for the MV, it's possible some fans feel she was disingenuous about her reasons. I remember a small number of fans felt like Momoka lied when she said she wanted to live the life of a normal girl at her graduation and then restarted her career a year later. That was unfair to her since we know there are all kinds of contractual things entertainers have to abide by, so it's not always possible to reveal all of your plans.

 

[abra]

Posting these because so I can look at them again later after restarting my computer:

Shiori drew a dinosaur/dragon (Shiori drew the body and then Kanako drew a head and they'd pair them together, but I don't have that other tweet rn)

And here's shocked Aarin

So glad Shiori tested negative! The Uta Gassen wouldn't be the same without her.

Arin really was busy this past week. Was she on a different show every day?



I feel like Japanese celebrities/performers have gotten a bit lax with Covid precautions. They were really good with it throughout the summer, but on the tv appearances I've seen lately, they're sitting right next to each other with nothing but a small pieced of plexiglass between them. It should be the responsibility of the staff at these shows to make sure proper guidelines are being followed, but there could be all kinds of politics behind the scenes that I don't know about.

The lineups for Ayakarnival continue to impress me. I hope the festival is a staple in the Idol scene for a long time.

Those new plastic face shields are similar to what I've seen local groups in Sapporo use. The difference is that they attach them to their microphones instead. It looks a little weird, but I'm glad they're taking precautions. You can skip ahead to the 10 min. mark to see them.

I'm tempted to get the new album just for the Tanaka cheer songs.

I haven't kept up with Chiyuri since she graduated from Syachi. I'm surprised she's released a full album since she left to pursue an acting career. Considering that the comments are turned off for the MV, it's possible some fans feel she was disingenuous about her reasons. I remember a small number of fans felt like Momoka lied when she said she wanted to live the life of a normal girl at her graduation and then restarted her career a year later. That was unfair to her since we know there are all kinds of contractual things entertainers have to abide by, so it's not always possible to reveal all of your plans.

The Momoclo chan and travel show appearances were pre-recorded but I'm not sure about Hirunandesu!

I was really surprised too! I also noticed that she'd already released a christmas song last year, which is now part of the album. I don't think her plan is to primarily be a singer but you never know. I wonder if she's still with Stardust? And yes, I agree. I understand that fans feel a bit betrayed or fooled, because they are in a way but I doubt Momoka for instance was lying, she just wasn't saying everything and had good reasons not to do so. Now that Chiyuri is releasing music, that means all Momoka, aiai and her have solo music careers!

 

[Sasori]

Quick update. Stardust is really getting behind Suda Aki. She'll be opening her own YouTube channel on January 17th! Details about what kind of content she'll be doing will be announced soon. I expect it will be fairly typical of other channels. She'll probably cover make-up, food, fashion, etc., but who knows, there could be surprises. Does anyone else in Stardust Planet have their own YouTube channel? I feel like she's not the first to get her own, but definitely the fastest.

 

[abra]

Merry Christmas!
I haven't been able to check on the new stuff such as Tokisen's album or the second line up announcement for Momoiro Uta Gassen, I hope to do so tomorrow! It's good to see that Stardust are taking advantage of the buzz surrounding Aki, I look forward to seeing what will be in her YT channel. As far as I know it's only the second individual YT channel by a Stardust Planet idol (Honoka started an ice cream channel in November).

In less positive news Honoka has tested positive for the coronavirus and Shachi's concert on the 30th has been postponed. A member of brassmin tested positive after which all of Shachi tested themselves and only Honoka's test came out positive. She has no symptoms.

 

[abra]

Tokisen posted a couple new playlists on youtube.

The first is for their new album Tokimeki ga Subete:



The second is for their summer concert @ Zepp Haneda

 

[abra]

Tsukiiro Chainon album trailer



Amefurasshi had some event with BOLT and Aarin attending

I believe it was some sort of awards ceremony; Aarin and the younger BOLT members presented awards.

Amefurasshi also uploaded a dance practice for Michi

 

[Sasori]

I've been meaning to post this and have been incredibly lazy about it. The event already took place, but better late than never. Momoclo collaborated with the women's bowling organization P League. I actually got some recommendations for the P League a while ago when I was doing some deep diving on YouTube for Japanese videos. Because of the kinds of fans that go to these events, there's an Idol type of atmosphere. I was pretty excited about this because I always enjoy Momoclo competing against each other.

The full name is pretty ridiculous: "Momoclo x P League Dream Stage ~ 4 Teams Compete! Tonight, A Super Gachinko Game on the Lanes".

Each member of Momoclo captained a team consisting of the P League bowlers.





The teams battled it out in various types of bowling games. Prior to the competition, the members of Momoclo got some training from the P Leaguers and have "leveled up" their skills. At the end of the program, they'll also be doing a "Gachinko" game. It basically means a "serious fight" which is used in Sumo wrestling.

The program aired on Dec. 26th as part of BS Nippon Television's 20th Anniversary special.

🍭 ももクロ、ボウリングでガチンコ対決！ エンタテインメント番組『P☆League』とコラボ - Pop'n'Roll(ポップンロール)

ももいろクローバーZが、12月26日（土）19:00よりBS日テレ開局20年スペシャル番組『ももクロ×P★リーグ ドリームボウリングステージ 〜4チーム対抗！今宵、レーンの上で超ガチンコ勝負』を放送する。

popnroll.tv

You can watch the entire special on bilibili here:

*Bonus:

I think this is the first time I've seen them use the Anime filter. It's just...not right...

Merry Christmas!
I haven't been able to check on the new stuff such as Tokisen's album or the second line up announcement for Momoiro Uta Gassen, I hope to do so tomorrow! It's good to see that Stardust are taking advantage of the buzz surrounding Aki, I look forward to seeing what will be in her YT channel. As far as I know it's only the second individual YT channel by a Stardust Planet idol (Honoka started an ice cream channel in November).

In less positive news Honoka has tested positive for the coronavirus and Shachi's concert on the 30th has been postponed. A member of brassmin tested positive after which all of Shachi tested themselves and only Honoka's test came out positive. She has no symptoms.

Belated Merry Chirstmas! I just got TokiSen's album in the mail, so I'll be listening to it at some point this week. I've heard at least half the songs already, so I know I'll enjoy it.

I watched a video where Momoclo went through the rest of the line up for the Uta Gassen, but I'd have to look at the text document to know who everyone is. Takoyaki's Hori Kurumi was the host. I don't know why, but it seemed to be slumber party themed, lol.

I knew there was someone else who had gotten there own YouTube channel, but I was drawing a blank. Good on remembering it was Honoka. I'm sorry to hear about her and the Brassmin member testing positive. Hopefully they'll be able to come back as quickly as Shiori did.

 

[abra]

Breaking: Ebichu will be holding a new member audition!


never thought it'd still be possible

 

[Lurkette]

Breaking: Ebichu will be holding a new member audition!


never thought it'd still be possible

I guess Kashiwagi changed her mind? As I recall she was the only one opposed to auditions before. It was a bold stance but I felt like there was no reason not to add more when they have in the past.

 

[abra]

I guess Kashiwagi changed her mind? As I recall she was the only one opposed to auditions before. It was a bold stance but I felt like there was no reason not to add more when they have in the past.

I guess so based on this photo (doubt they'd put her there if she was overruled)

I only caught the end of the live stream so idk how her mood was during it but in the end I don't think it matters much.
Apparently they're looking for auditionees between the age of 10 (too young imo) and 22 (in that case, what's the point?).

I hope they pick 2-3 new members to make it easier for the new member(s).

Edit: I thought by now enough time had passed since the latest additions that the group had "settled" into a fixed line-up group by default, but Ebichu are supposedly Stardust's rotational line-up group so if not them then who?

 

[Lurkette]

I guess so based on this photo (doubt they'd put her there if she was overruled)

I only caught the end of the live stream so idk how her mood was during it but in the end I don't think it matters much.
Apparently they're looking for auditionees between the age of 10 (too young imo) and 22 (in that case, what's the point?).

I hope they pick 2-3 new members to make it easier for the new member(s).

Edit: I thought by now enough time had passed since the latest additions that the group had "settled" into a fixed line-up group by default, but Ebichu are supposedly Stardust's rotational line-up group so if not them then who?

To be honest, it did bother me when it seemed like went into a fixed lineup. Not just because it was now a group of adults singing about being middle-schoolers, but it seemed so arbitrary that they'd add new members off and on until they actually needed them. I do think we should perhaps be on alert that someone else might be retiring from the group, as that could certainly trigger the need for new members.

 

[abra]

To be honest, it did bother me when it seemed like went into a fixed lineup. Not just because it was now a group of adults singing about being middle-schoolers, but it seemed so arbitrary that they'd add new members off and on until they actually needed them. I do think we should perhaps be on alert that someone else might be retiring from the group, as that could certainly trigger the need for new members.

I've always preferred fixed groups but I've come to appreciate that rotational groups have their merits too. I agree that current Ebichu doesn't exactly fit their concept. What they should've done is graduate all Ebichu members, promote Sakura Ebis to Ebichu, and created the new group ukka for the old Ebichu.

That's something I was thinking too. Specifically maybe the reason Hinata changed her mind is either that she can see herself graduating in the near-to-intermediate future, or some other member is considering it. It's also possible that Ayaka's hiatus/illness has caused her to rethink. I don't think this necessarily means graduations are imminent, but it's a good decision to pre-emptively open auditions ahead of any graduations, from an image and mentality perspective. When members consider graduation, they can now do so freely without worrying about how it will affect the future of the group and the other members.

And I also realized that maybe the reason 10 and 22-year olds are allowed into the audition is that Stardust figured that they might as well look for other talents at the same time.

 

[abra]

Oh and Happy New Year!

I didn't get to watch Momoiro Uta Gassen this year but I look forward to seeing it when it's made available and I can put in on the whole day.

And to end the year, some news stuff and a video.

The Idol Music Awards 2020 were held and once more Ebichu and ukka took first place for major and indies idols respectively (+ "favourite group" which might be related). Batten and Tokisen also showed up in the songs and album rankings.


And here's what I think is Aww!'s first music video



And a special Sukitte Guran video was released. It'll be up for 3 days.

 

[Sasori]

Breaking: Ebichu will be holding a new member audition!


never thought it'd still be possible

YES!!!
​

I guess so based on this photo (doubt they'd put her there if she was overruled)

I only caught the end of the live stream so idk how her mood was during it but in the end I don't think it matters much.
Apparently they're looking for auditionees between the age of 10 (too young imo) and 22 (in that case, what's the point?).

I hope they pick 2-3 new members to make it easier for the new member(s).

Edit: I thought by now enough time had passed since the latest additions that the group had "settled" into a fixed line-up group by default, but Ebichu are supposedly Stardust's rotational line-up group so if not them then who?

Yeah, that 10-21 age range is too extreme, but like you said, it's an opportunity to scout new talent. Since the new recruits will be added to a successful group like Ebichu, this will be the biggest audition Stardust has done in a long time. Tons of girls are going to audition and ones that aren't chosen could be offered spots as trainees for future groups.

It's weird how the original concept for Ebichu was a High School class with each of them having their own number, but then they dropped it almost immediately after their major debut. Kaho and Riko are the only new members they've added since then and that was back in 2014.

To be honest, it did bother me when it seemed like went into a fixed lineup. Not just because it was now a group of adults singing about being middle-schoolers, but it seemed so arbitrary that they'd add new members off and on until they actually needed them. I do think we should perhaps be on alert that someone else might be retiring from the group, as that could certainly trigger the need for new members.

That's a good point. I don't know when they last renewed their contracts, so it's entirely possible someone else could leave the group sometime soon.

I've always preferred fixed groups but I've come to appreciate that rotational groups have their merits too. I agree that current Ebichu doesn't exactly fit their concept. What they should've done is graduate all Ebichu members, promote Sakura Ebis to Ebichu, and created the new group ukka for the old Ebichu.

That's something I was thinking too. Specifically maybe the reason Hinata changed her mind is either that she can see herself graduating in the near-to-intermediate future, or some other member is considering it. It's also possible that Ayaka's hiatus/illness has caused her to rethink. I don't think this necessarily means graduations are imminent, but it's a good decision to pre-emptively open auditions ahead of any graduations, from an image and mentality perspective. When members consider graduation, they can now do so freely without worrying about how it will affect the future of the group and the other members.

And I also realized that maybe the reason 10 and 22-year olds are allowed into the audition is that Stardust figured that they might as well look for other talents at the same time.

When done sparingly, rotational groups can work very well. I think TokiSen's done a good job in that respect.

I agree that Ayaka's condition is what must have finally broke Hinata down. It lines up too perfectly. If they had stayed 7 members, then I could understand not wanting to add more members, but after losing Aiai and of course Ayaka in the foreseeable future, it's now or never. Stardust has to think of the future of their Idol division. Ebichu has so much respect and admiration in the industry that it would be wise to bring in another generation to move the group in the next decade. New members also generate allot of interest and can bring in new fans, so it's a win-win.

 

[Sasori]

Oh and Happy New Year!

I didn't get to watch Momoiro Uta Gassen this year but I look forward to seeing it when it's made available and I can put in on the whole day.

And to end the year, some news stuff and a video.

The Idol Music Awards 2020 were held and once more Ebichu and ukka took first place for major and indies idols respectively (+ "favourite group" which might be related). Batten and Tokisen also showed up in the songs and album rankings.


And here's what I think is Aww!'s first music video



And a special Sukitte Guran video was released. It'll be up for 3 days.

Happy New Year!

The Idol Awards are surprising. There's so many groups that you would expect to make it into the top ten that didn't. I can't remember, is this purely a fan vote? I'm happy for Ukka, but it feels like they haven't been that visible since the name change. I don't exactly have my finger on the pulse of the Indie Idol scene, so maybe they have allot of fan engagement that I'm not aware of.

 

[abra]

​

I agree that Ayaka's condition is what must have finally broke Hinata down. It lines up too perfectly. If they had stayed 7 members, then I could understand not wanting to add more members, but after losing Aiai and of course Ayaka in the foreseeable future, it's now or never. Stardust has to think of the future of their Idol division. Ebichu has so much respect and admiration in the industry that it would be wise to bring in another generation to move the group in the next decade. New members also generate allot of interest and can bring in new fans, so it's a win-win.

Yes, there are several positives and from Stardust's perspective it's very important.

Happy New Year!

The Idol Awards are surprising. There's so many groups that you would expect to make it into the top ten that didn't. I can't remember, is this purely a fan vote? I'm happy for Ukka, but it feels like they haven't been that visible since the name change. I don't exactly have my finger on the pulse of the Indie Idol scene, so maybe they have allot of fan engagement that I'm not aware of.

It's a fan vote, this year there were 1407 people who voted. 87 of them described themselves as Ebichu fans, 63 as sora tob sakana fans, 62 as ukka fans, RYUTist 32, Hinatazaka46 28 etc. Last year ukka/sakura ebis had the most registered fans, so there are much fewer that voted this time.

For songs:
Voters distribute 10 points over 5 songs but can't assign more than 3 points to a song and each song has to be given at least 0.5 points. This year only 1 song can be chosen per group.

For albums:
Voters distribute 6 points over 3 albums with a maximum score of 5 and minimum of 0.5. As with songs, voters can only vote for 1 album/artist.


Voting was open for a week from the 8th to the 15th of December. The awards started as a part of the Hello! Project Music Awards, so pure H!P acts aren't in it but UUG are.

 

[abra]

This was really good: Otodoke! Delivery star


A strong contender for best song from tokisen's album

 

[abra]

Shachi's Yuzuki has also contracted covid-19. She had a headache on the 28th followed by fever on the 31st after which she took a test which was positive. She no longer has a fever and will be treated at home until the 7th.

https://teamshachi.nagoya/news/#news15488

Since she hasn't had any in-person activities since the 26th, none of the other Shachi members are considered close contacts.

Speaking of SHACHI they suddenly dropped the MV for a new song, Jibungoto!


The song and mv are very intense, there's a lot going on. The brass sections are very catchy! But there are some other parts I'm not sure about. The song seems to be about the corona virus.

 

[abra]

Aarin posted 3 updates to her blog

ももいろクローバーZ　佐々木彩夏『☆振り返りです。あーりんです。☆』

続きましてぇ〜ももいろ歌合戦の事前番組のオフショット♡クリスマスパジャマガールズパーティーしたんだぁ🎄みんなかわいいルームウェア着て、プレゼント交換して、ラブ…

ameblo.jp

ももいろクローバーZ　佐々木彩夏『☆振り返り2です。あーりんです。☆』

続きましてはぁ〜AYAKARNIVAL2020のオフショット♥️現地に見にきてくれたみなさん配信で見てくれたみなさん出演してくれたアイドルちゃんファンのみなさ…

ameblo.jp

ももいろクローバーZ　佐々木彩夏『☆振り返り3です。あーりんです。☆』

まだいきます。笑続きまして！ただ今発売中のLARME 047の表紙をさせていただいてます❤️❤️❤️すごいことだよ、、、ほんとに🥺本屋さん見かけると、並んでる…

ameblo.jp

The first blog has some off-shots from the Utagassen pre-show and PLAY, the second is about AYAKARNIVAL and the third is about LARME.