The Official Momoiro Clover Z & Stardust Planet Thread

[abra]

Tanaka Masahiro is out in Japan but so far it's not available on international streaming services. But On Your Mark is!


Kanako's movie will also release in march, which might be why she's appearing on a lot of tv shows lately. She was also interviewed by Mery:

【インタビュー】百田夏菜子さんの負けず嫌いが発揮される、夢中なことって？｜MERY

映画『すくってごらん』で映画初主演の尾上松也さんとの共演が話題のももいろクローバーZのリーダー・百田夏菜子さん。作品を通じて感じたことや最近初めて挑戦したことなどを語ってもらいました！

mery.jp

Momoclo wore pink for Pink Shirt Day (the 24th in Japan) as a symbol against bullying


The story behind it is quite sad

MCZ wore a pink shirt in opposition to the bullying.

This site is an unofficial fan site of Momoiro clover z. It's run by volunteer fans who want to promote the wonderful side of MCZ to the world.

mcz.fandom.site

On that site I also saw that AKB48's Yukirin apparently wants to get to know Aarin

AYAKA is invited by YUKIRIN (AKB48).

This site is an unofficial fan site of Momoiro clover z. It's run by volunteer fans who want to promote the wonderful side of MCZ to the world.

mcz.fandom.site

 

[abra]

Syachi's Ndatte!! got a lot of attention on Japanese twitter thanks to its lyrics




This made me curious so I asked Lurkette for a translation and she kindly obliged

LYRICS - [Team Syachihoko] んだって!! (Ndatte!!)

チームしゃちほこ - んだって!! / Team Syachihoko - Ndatte!! (I heard!!) Lyrics: 千原ジュニア (Chihara Junior) Composition, Arrangement: 蔦谷好位置 (Tsutaya Koichi) (agehasprings) Requested by @abra Translated by Lurkette @ hallyuplus.net Original Lyrics/Romanization 一円玉ひとつ作るのに二円かかるんだって 塩と砂糖同じだけ混ぜて舐めるとしょっぱいんだって...

hallyuplus.net

 

[Sasori]

I was thinking I might try to collate Stardust Planet performances in some way inspired by the recent Batten performances. At first my idea was to make one for Batten Girls but I might do it for all of Stardust Planet? But it's a lot so we'll see and I'm not currently all that excited about looking for performances from some of the groups so maybe it'd have to be in installments. Maybe separate threads? Or one with separate posts per group and leaving some out for the moment... It would have to be official videos but I'd also filter it because there's just too much even then.

Yeah, there's been allot of live uploads, so I agree with doing them as separate threads. I'm sure I've missed some myself so having a comprehensive list would be helpful. As far as filtering, I'd suggest only including full performances and leave out digests.

Batten Girls' Oisa MV views have skyrocketed in the last month.


It's been used as an add on youtube and maybe also getting into recommended lists and has gained several hundred thousand views in the last few weeks. It's now at 870k. They also did this with videos from their 5th anniversary concert last summer also have a ton of views, with their Yoka Yoka Dance video standing out with 2 million views. Yet another sign of Stardust investing in them after they went independent, it's good to see.

I actually came here to post this, lol. For some reason, Oisa randomly popped up in my recommendations again and I noticed the huge jump in views (Might be because of the recent Momoclo vids I watched related to "Tanaka Masahiro"). I'm happy that another new group besides TokiSen is gaining popularity. This goes to show that when a group is properly promoted, it can have a huge impact.

Four of Momoclo's live performances (of songs from the Tanaka Masahiro album) were made public on Youtube!

DNA Rhapsody



Itsudatte Chousensha



GET Z, GO!!!



Katte ni kimi ni



This time hopefully not for a limited time. I think my favourite performance is Itsudatte Chousensha, they're all good even if the Katte ni Kimi ni performance is a bit shaky.

ukka also released the new song Wings which they'll perform on their upcoming tour with the same name

The perf for Itsudatte Chousensha is my favorite as well. I may have to capture the video in case it gets hidden again.

Syachi's Ndatte!! got a lot of attention on Japanese twitter thanks to its lyrics




This made me curious so I asked Lurkette for a translation and she kindly obliged

LYRICS - [Team Syachihoko] んだって!! (Ndatte!!)

チームしゃちほこ - んだって!! / Team Syachihoko - Ndatte!! (I heard!!) Lyrics: 千原ジュニア (Chihara Junior) Composition, Arrangement: 蔦谷好位置 (Tsutaya Koichi) (agehasprings) Requested by @abra Translated by Lurkette @ hallyuplus.net Original Lyrics/Romanization 一円玉ひとつ作るのに二円かかるんだって 塩と砂糖同じだけ混ぜて舐めるとしょっぱいんだって...

hallyuplus.net

Nice to see Shachi getting some attention, even if it's for a song from their previous incarnation. I felt like they were starting to gain momentum as Shachi after the Megaman promotion, but like so many things, it came to a halt when the pandemic hit. Thanks for hitting up Lurkette for the translation! Such a bizarre song. I wonder who re-discovered this?

 

[abra]

It's only been a day but it was unusually eventful.

Hitoka's first photobook "First Love" was released today



They also released a live video of Sakura Sansan and an attempt to recreate their Endless MV in the dance room





Iginari Tohoku San also uploaded two digest videos from their Tohoku Inbound tour (the second video is more exciting imo)






There were also a lot of Momoclo stuff today with various TV appearances and a performance but I'll just post this article about them in Real Sound

ももいろクローバーZの歴史を紐解く　第1回：“ライブアイドル”としての下積み時代

　 ニューアルバム『田中将大』をリリースした、ももいろクローバーZ。結成から13年。メジャーアイドルのなかでもトップ人気を誇りながら、その地位に甘んじることなく、新作のタイトルが象徴するように常に人々の好奇心を刺激し、全力でおもしろいことを追求し続けている。そこで今回から6週にわたり、ももクロ…

realsound.jp

Oh right Shiori got an ear piercing

Yeah, there's been allot of live uploads, so I agree with doing them as separate threads. I'm sure I've missed some myself so having a comprehensive list would be helpful. As far as filtering, I'd suggest only including full performances and leave out digests.

I actually came here to post this, lol. For some reason, Oisa randomly popped up in my recommendations again and I noticed the huge jump in views (Might be because of the recent Momoclo vids I watched related to "Tanaka Masahiro"). I'm happy that another new group besides TokiSen is gaining popularity. This goes to show that when a group is properly promoted, it can have a huge impact.

The perf for Itsudatte Chousensha is my favorite as well. I may have to capture the video in case it gets hidden again.

Nice to see Shachi getting some attention, even if it's for a song from their previous incarnation. I felt like they were starting to gain momentum as Shachi after the Megaman promotion, but like so many things, it came to a halt when the pandemic hit. Thanks for hitting up Lurkette for the translation! Such a bizarre song. I wonder who re-discovered this?

I believe it was the tweet I linked!

Ebichu also got some extra attention after their major debut single Karikeiyaku no Cinderella became popular on Tiktok. They released a live video in November which just hit a million views!



Today is also the application deadline for the audition, I wonder if/when we'll find out which candidates are chosen to proceed to the next round.

 

[abra]

Batten Girls' Hoshino Sora will be graduating from the group (and Stardust) after their concert on the 28th of March to focus on her studies

ばってん少女隊 オフィシャルサイト

スターダストプロモーション所属、九州を拠点に活動する6人組アイドルグループ「ばってん少女隊」オフィシャルサイト

but-show.com

Batten held a live stream to discuss it, it starts with Sora's announcement followed by member comments



On the other hand Maimai will return to Taconiji for their performance on the 6th

たこやきレインボー

スターダストプロモーション「STARDUST PLANET」が大阪から放つなにわの最終兵器『たこやきレインボー』。甲子園での単独ライブを成功させ、甲子園の土を持って帰ることを目標に結成された、関西在住の女の子5人組。

www.tacoyaki-rainbow.jp

Edit: I missed Sora's blog update

ばってん少女隊『笑顔で会おうね☆そらら☆』

いつも応援ありがとうございます。私、星野蒼良は2021年3月末をもってばってん少女隊を卒業、スターダストプロモーションを退所させていただきます。昨年夏頃から高…

ameblo.jp

 

[abra]

Marugoto Reni-chan Tokyo performance has been cancelled

週末ヒロイン ももいろクローバーZ オフィシャルサイト

「まるごとれにちゃん0202スプリングツアー2021」(1)東京公演中止のお知らせ／(2)大阪・名古屋公演の1都3県在住のご来場者向け返金受付のご案内

www.momoclo.net

Speaking of Reni she met up with TV announcer Kawamata Chinami after Momoclo's appearance on Shuichi on NTV recently



Most mononofu will know her better as Yumikawa Runa, one of the original "gen 0" pre-debut members of the group that would become Momoclo! She'd left by the time Momoclo with Shiori and Kanako was announced on May 17 2008.

 

[Sasori]

If I'm not mistaken, Team Shachi's 10th Anniversary is coming up this year or the next. I guess it all depends if they count 2011 when they debuted or 2012 when they released their first single. Considering Momoclo and Ebichu started counting from their debut year, I think it's safe to say Shachi will too. I don't think they've announced anything, but I haven't exactly been keeping up with their PR.

After watching the live video of Shachi's "World is Round" song, I immediately got a bunch of recommendations for their oldest MVs. I've never watched some of these before. Their early songs were really weird. Good, but weird.

​

Because I haven't watched much from their super early days, I wasn't that familiar with Pony Pink Ando Yuzu. I don't know why she left, but her voice was a real asset to the group and was one of their strongest performers.

​

Batten Girls' Hoshino Sora will be graduating from the group (and Stardust) after their concert on the 28th of March to focus on her studies

ばってん少女隊 オフィシャルサイト

スターダストプロモーション所属、九州を拠点に活動する6人組アイドルグループ「ばってん少女隊」オフィシャルサイト

but-show.com

Batten held a live stream to discuss it, it starts with Sora's announcement followed by member comments



On the other hand Maimai will return to Taconiji for their performance on the 6th

たこやきレインボー

スターダストプロモーション「STARDUST PLANET」が大阪から放つなにわの最終兵器『たこやきレインボー』。甲子園での単独ライブを成功させ、甲子園の土を持って帰ることを目標に結成された、関西在住の女の子5人組。

www.tacoyaki-rainbow.jp

Edit: I missed Sora's blog update

ばってん少女隊『笑顔で会おうね☆そらら☆』

いつも応援ありがとうございます。私、星野蒼良は2021年3月末をもってばってん少女隊を卒業、スターダストプロモーションを退所させていただきます。昨年夏頃から高…

ameblo.jp

Batten Girls might need to think about adding more members. With their MV blowing up, an audition would help gain interest in the group.

Glad Maimai is returning. Hopefully she can put her faux pas behind her.

 

[abra]

If I'm not mistaken, Team Shachi's 10th Anniversary is coming up this year or the next. I guess it all depends if they count 2011 when they debuted or 2012 when they released their first single. Considering Momoclo and Ebichu started counting from their debut year, I think it's safe to say Shachi will too. I don't think they've announced anything, but I haven't exactly been keeping up with their PR.

After watching the live video of Shachi's "World is Round" song, I immediately got a bunch of recommendations for their oldest MVs. I've never watched some of these before. Their early songs were really weird. Good, but weird.

​

Because I haven't watched much from their super early days, I wasn't that familiar with Pony Pink Ando Yuzu. I don't know why she left, but her voice was a real asset to the group and was one of their strongest performers.

​

Batten Girls might need to think about adding more members. With their MV blowing up, an audition would help gain interest in the group.

Glad Maimai is returning. Hopefully she can put her faux pas behind her.

I can vaguely remember their PR mentioning the 10th anniversary it but I'm not sure, I might have mixed it up with Ebichu's. But 2016 was their 5th anniversary year so 2021 should be their 10th.

Shachi had some weird songs early on*, Capital Relocation Plan is my favourite. Ai no Chikyusai is probably the weirdest but I kinda like it too and the MV is charming. I also like Ii Kurashi



And from a bit later there's a lot ball.

* Maybe there's no need to specify a time period since Jibungoto might be their weirdest single so far

The first thing I noticed when watching old Syachi videos was how intense Yuzu looked with her big eyes, but I haven't watched their old performances much so I never realized that she was a good performer. She's really into it

While writing this post I found out that Yuzu released a solo in 2019. It's actually not that bad.



She seems to go by Hiyori Yuzu now

https://twitter.com/hiyori_yuzu

Yeah maybe Batten should consider adding members but I think they would be fine as four too

 

[abra]

Reni and Shiori went to Hyadain's beer radio show "One more pint!"


Shiori unexpectedly asked Hyadain to make her a solo song! The reports came out of the blue to me since she hasn't shown any indication of wanting to go solo before and she's barely had solo activities at all in the last year except some TV appearances. Hyadain also said he wanted the whole group as guests after the pandemic (by then Aarin will also be old enough to visit).

Now that we're on the topic of Hyadain there's an interesting recent series of articles/blog posts about his work as a producer. It's a good read with lots of stories about songs he's worked on and features several Stardust Planet acts too.

Introducing Hyadain Week: Exploring a Decade of Kenichi Maeyamada a.k.a. Hyadain!

This Side of Japan brings you a special series of features all about Hyadain, one of the most influential J-pop producers of the 2010s

thissidejapan.substack.com

In fact all the entries except the third (dedicated to Dempa) has a featured Stardust Planet song.

 

[abra]

Kanako has been in the media a lot over the past week or so and I thought I'd sum it up in this post!

Abema Times posted a short interview/article about her:

百田夏菜子を“すくった”仲間からの肯定の言葉　悩んだらスマホにメモの自問自答 | エンタメ総合 | ABEMA TIMES | アベマタイムズ

金魚も人生も“すくう”ポップエンターテインメント『すくってごらん』（3月12日公開）に出演する女優の百田夏菜子には、自分を“すくった”忘れられない言葉と忘れられない出会いがある。中学時代から芸能界の扉を開いた百田がこれまでの長いキャリアを振り返ったときに金言として挙げるのは「そのままでいい」という…

times.abema.tv

And she did a longer one with thetv

ももクロ百田夏菜子「100回くらいやさぐれた(笑)」初ヒロイン映画でピアノ猛練習＜Interview＞ | WEBザテレビジョン

尾上松也が映画初主演を務める映画「すくってごらん」が、3月12日(金)から全国で公開。本作で実写映画...

thetv.jp

She also had an episode dedicated to her on a show called A-Studio+ which revealed some more about her childhood/private life.
Two of her kindergarten/elementary school friends (non-celebrities) showed up on video link and Bullet Train's (Chouttokyu's) Kai was in the studio, apparently they were also classmates in high school (alongside Ieiri Leo, Matsuoka Hana etc).

Kanako revealed that she didn't know how to play the piano when she got the role in Sukutte Goran but she kept practicing after doing her activities with Momoclo until she started dreaming of playing the piano and hearing music in her head.


I'm not sure what this is but I think it's for a store opening

 

[abra]

Today is the 10th anniversary of the Great Tohoku Earthquake and Japanese society has been remembering and reflecting on the event.

From Stardust Planet Iginari Tohoku San released a video of them performing the song "3000 Days" which was released 3000 days after the earthquake



There's also an interview with Date Kaya for Idol and Read but it's only in the physical magazine.

JA Namie had their own episode on J-melo where they performed 3 songs and talked a bit about their visits to Namie and why the group exists

Namie Joshihatsu Kumiai (Joshihatsu Association Namie) - J-MELO | NHK WORLD-JAPAN On Demand

Join May J. for Japanese music! In the spotlight this week: Namie Joshihatsu Kumiai (an idol group produced by Sasaki Ayaka from Momoiro Clover Z). They're performing 3 songs in the J-MELO studio.

www3.nhk.or.jp

Aarin also reflected on the event for Yahoo Japan

知るは、チカラになる。｜3.11企画 - Yahoo! JAPAN

この10年で、東北はどう変わったか。これから取り組むべきことは何か。東北のいまを見に行こう。

fukko.yahoo.co.jp

Spoiler

あの時中学2年生だった私はもうすぐ25歳になり、同級生たちの中にはもう母親になっている友達もいます。

この10年で私たちが見てきた景色、感じてきた気持ち、みんなで繋いできた思い。

それを忘れないこと。そして次の世代に伝えていく立場なんだと感じています。

私は浪江女子発組合というグループを通して、復興が進みどんどん素敵な街になっていく姿や前向きな地元の皆さんと出会い日本の強さを知ると共に、復興がいかに大変なことかを知りました。

普段の生活の中で常に復興を意識することは難しいかもしれませんが、私たちアイドルも皆さんが復興を意識するきっかけになれるような活動をしていきたいと思っています！

Translation:

I was in the second year of junior high school at the time, and now I am almost 25 years old, and some of my classmates are already mothers.
In the past ten years, we have seen the sights, felt the feelings, and connected with each other.
We must not forget them. And I feel that I am in a position to pass them on to the next generation.
Through the group "Namie Joshi-Hatsu-Kumiai", I was able to see how the reconstruction of the city is progressing and becoming a more and more beautiful city, meet the positive local people, and learn about the strength of Japan and how difficult the reconstruction process is.
It may be difficult to always be aware of the recovery in our daily lives, but we idols would like to do our part to make people more aware of the recovery!

AYAKA commented on 3.11.

This site is an unofficial fan site of Momoiro clover z. It's run by volunteer fans who want to promote the wonderful side of MCZ to the world.

mcz.fandom.site

 

[abra]

Several idols from Tohoku shared their stories of the earthquake with Natalie and Iginari's Tachibana Karen was one of them

10年前の今日、何をしていましたか？ ～ 東日本大震災10年特集 音楽ナタリー編

新井ひとみ（東京女子流）、石田亜佑美（モーニング娘。'21）、菅真良（ARABAKI PROJECT代表）、橘花怜（いぎなり東北産）、本田康祐（OWV）が語る、あの日の記憶 - 2011年3月11日の東日本大震災の発生から、本日で10年を迎えた。国内...

natalie.mu

She was 7 years old at the time and decided she wanted to become an idol after seeing SCK GIRLS perform. SCK GIRLS were a volunteer idol group made out of girls who'd experienced the disaster and that performed at reconstruction events. She joined the group straight away.

She later joined Stardust after seeing Momoclo perform at a reconstruction event and was put into Iginari in 2015.


Several members also posted on the Iginari Tohoku-san blog

いぎなり東北産オフィシャルブログ Powered by Ameba

いぎなり東北産さんのブログです。最近の記事は「律月ひかる」です。

ameblo.jp

 

[abra]

JA Namie were supposed to perform outside in Namie but the live performance in front of an audience had to be cancelled due to heavy rain and thunderstorms so they performed inside and uploaded it on Youtube instead



Chiho seems to still be injured, I'm not sure about Aira

 

[abra]

ukka management announced that Mizuha will be graduating from ukka - effective immediately

ukka オフィシャルサイト

STARDUST PLANET発の6人組。ボーカル＆ダンスグループとしての確かな歌唱力と楽曲性に加え、浅見北斗(Have a Nice Day!)、ONIGAWARA、sasakure.UK、ヤマモトショウなど独自のコラボレーションも展開。

ukka.tokyo

She's not staying to finish the tour. No graduation concert, no send off.
Apparently there were "differences in direction" between her and management. It must've been severe because I've never seen a member leave so suddenly.

Mizuha updated her sns to say she was sorry that she left so suddenly and that she really wanted to at least finish the tour

ukkaオフィシャルブログ Powered by Ameba

ukkaさんのブログです。最近の記事は「月3のりなごと！　♪結城りな♪（画像あり）」です。

lineblog.me

She also said she'd continue in entertainment and that she didn't want her fans to blame anyone for the situation.

 

[Sasori]

Allot to catch up on. Mizuha leaving like this is quite sudden. Almost everyone gets one last performance. I don't know how popular she is, so hopefully her departure doesn't impact the group negatively.

With the Summer Olympics proceeding in Japan, maybe Momoclo will still get to perform. So many people are looking forward to these games so I hope everything goes smoothly.

I have a modest contribution. New costumes for Team Shachi.

 

[Sasori]

I can vaguely remember their PR mentioning the 10th anniversary it but I'm not sure, I might have mixed it up with Ebichu's. But 2016 was their 5th anniversary year so 2021 should be their 10th.

Shachi had some weird songs early on*, Capital Relocation Plan is my favourite. Ai no Chikyusai is probably the weirdest but I kinda like it too and the MV is charming. I also like Ii Kurashi



And from a bit later there's a lot ball.

* Maybe there's no need to specify a time period since Jibungoto might be their weirdest single so far

The first thing I noticed when watching old Syachi videos was how intense Yuzu looked with her big eyes, but I haven't watched their old performances much so I never realized that she was a good performer. She's really into it

While writing this post I found out that Yuzu released a solo in 2019. It's actually not that bad.



She seems to go by Hiyori Yuzu now

https://twitter.com/hiyori_yuzu

Yeah maybe Batten should consider adding members but I think they would be fine as four too

In that case, Shachi should start hyping up their anniversary soon. They seem quiet on the subject.

That's some good detective work on Yuzu! It's nice to see she still has the passion to perform. I'd love to hear more solo releases. Yeah, I forgot how big her eyes are. They're unreal! I'll have to keep up with Yuzu's activities. She left before I started following Shachi and I'd like to learn a bit more about her.

Trying to decide which of Shachi's songs/MVs is the weirdest would be difficult since they always seem to release something even weirder, lol. Jibungoto has set a new bar!

 

[abra]

Allot to catch up on. Mizuha leaving like this is quite sudden. Almost everyone gets one last performance. I don't know how popular she is, so hopefully her departure doesn't impact the group negatively.

With the Summer Olympics proceeding in Japan, maybe Momoclo will still get to perform. So many people are looking forward to these games so I hope everything goes smoothly.

I have a modest contribution. New costumes for Team Shachi.

Yeah
I also have some more stuff I'll post here but I wanted to get the Mizuha news out asap. Idk how popular she is but she was the leader and she's the second member to leave recently.

I'm not so sure about the Olympics, right now nothing seems certain. I think we would've had indications if Momoclo were to perform. There have been a lot of controversy over the old men heading the Japanese Olympic Committee/Tokyo 2020 organization.
I haven't seen a full translation but it seems like Mikiko (Perfume/Babymetal choreographer) was treated poorly, demoted and left work on the opening ceremony, and the head (Sasaki Hiroshi) got rid of many of the women involved.

References: 1, 2, 3.

It seems like Momoclo will still be torch bearers however.

The new Shachi costumes are Gaga-esque!

In that case, Shachi should start hyping up their anniversary soon. They seem quiet on the subject.

That's some good detective work on Yuzu! It's nice to see she still has the passion to perform. I'd love to hear more solo releases. Yeah, I forgot how big her eyes are. They're unreal! I'll have to keep up with Yuzu's activities. She left before I started following Shachi and I'd like to learn a bit more about her.

Trying to decide which of Shachi's songs/MVs is the weirdest would be difficult since they always seem to release something even weirder, lol. Jibungoto has set a new bar!

Maybe it's because they've really embraced the new group identity. They're calling their upcoming album TEAM SHACHI's first album, their upcoming concert their biggest under the new formation etc.

They kept a string of normalish songs for some years until Jibungoto
I'll link a couple of Shachi, related threads because there's been some personal news for a couple of members!

First Honoka completed her first marathon!

An ice cream a day keeps the competition at bay - TEAM SHACHI's Honoka completes her first marathon

TEAM SHACHI's center Akimoto Honoka participated in her first marathon recently. Joining for the 10th anniversary of the Nagoya Women's Marathon she set a goal time of 5 hours and 30 minutes. The ice cream-loving idol opened the marathon at a steady pace, finishing her first 5 km in 27 minutes...

hallyuplus.net

Shachi were ambassadors for the marathon, with Honoka participating and the other members advertising local attractions on SNS.
They also held a live stream towards the end of Honoka's run and she joined when she finished.


It's not worth watching the whole video imo but the video uses Youtube chapters. In the last chapter (from 59:43) Honoka talks about how she felt the support of the members when running and it's sweet how emotional they get.

A few days later Haruna also graduated from University with a bachelor's degree in marketing

APPRECIATION - TEAM SHACHI's Sakamoto Haruna graduates from Aichi Gakuin University

TEAM SHACHI's Sakamoto Haruna just graduated from Aichi Gakuin University! Four years of studies combined with her idol activities has earned her a bachelor's degree in marketing. In a blog post she thanked everyone who's supported her through her studies, including teachers, friends, fans...

hallyuplus.net

 

[abra]

I thought I'd posted it here already, but Tanaka Masahiro is out internationally now



Momoclo performed Hoero on Utacon


There was a short clip ages (months) ago of Momoclo at a field, it seems like it was part of some rice farming project of MomoIku!
What this really meant however was that we got to see Shiori in a tractor

Spoiler

Reni also held Marugoto Reni-chan, there's a video on yt that's about an hour long

And Aarin covered LARME for the second month in a row! This time alongside =LOVE's Saito Nagisa

PHOTOSHOOT - Aarin and Saitou Nagisa grace the cover of the latest issue of LARME magazine

hallyuplus.net

Now for the Kanako corner of this post:

Kanako performed her song "Akai Genya" from the movie "Sukutte Goran" on tv and there's now a short version of the mv too!



She also appeared on the cover of mina magazine


And had an interview/feature with VoCE

【ももクロ・百田夏菜子】笑っちゃうくらい真面目で不器用な人がタイプ！【VOCE特別インタビュー】｜美容メディアVOCE（ヴォーチェ）

女優として、アイドルとして、輝き続ける百田夏菜子さん。尾上松也さん初主演映画『すくってごらん』では初のヒロイン役に挑戦し、愛され続ける彼女だからこそ表現できる魅力をたっぷり披露しています。そんな百田さんの素顔が垣間見えるVOCEウェブサイト特別トーク＆ショットをご覧ください♡

i-voce.jp

She also finally got her driver's license!


And now it seems like she's going to appear in another drama!


The drama starts in April and she'll be playing a lawyer. The drama will also feature a Kanjani8 member and a Johnny's Jr so we'll see how that turns out.

 

[abra]

New Batten members?!

 

[Sasori]

That live Iginari perf for the anniversary of the earthquake you posted was great! They've improved allot as singers. I really like their new costumes (the stripes remind me of prison uniforms), but I can't find a good group shot. This is the best I could come up with.

Last I checked they're were still taking profile photos, so maybe they haven't released the official group shots yet. I'd love to see them do a prison escape themed MV.

Yeah
I also have some more stuff I'll post here but I wanted to get the Mizuha news out asap. Idk how popular she is but she was the leader and she's the second member to leave recently.

I'm not so sure about the Olympics, right now nothing seems certain. I think we would've had indications if Momoclo were to perform. There have been a lot of controversy over the old men heading the Japanese Olympic Committee/Tokyo 2020 organization.
I haven't seen a full translation but it seems like Mikiko (Perfume/Babymetal choreographer) was treated poorly, demoted and left work on the opening ceremony, and the head (Sasaki Hiroshi) got rid of many of the women involved.

References: 1, 2, 3.

It seems like Momoclo will still be torch bearers however.

The new Shachi costumes are Gaga-esque!


Maybe it's because they've really embraced the new group identity. They're calling their upcoming album TEAM SHACHI's first album, their upcoming concert their biggest under the new formation etc.

They kept a string of normalish songs for some years until Jibungoto
I'll link a couple of Shachi, related threads because there's been some personal news for a couple of members!

First Honoka completed her first marathon!

An ice cream a day keeps the competition at bay - TEAM SHACHI's Honoka completes her first marathon

TEAM SHACHI's center Akimoto Honoka participated in her first marathon recently. Joining for the 10th anniversary of the Nagoya Women's Marathon she set a goal time of 5 hours and 30 minutes. The ice cream-loving idol opened the marathon at a steady pace, finishing her first 5 km in 27 minutes...

hallyuplus.net

Shachi were ambassadors for the marathon, with Honoka participating and the other members advertising local attractions on SNS.
They also held a live stream towards the end of Honoka's run and she joined when she finished.


It's not worth watching the whole video imo but the video uses Youtube chapters. In the last chapter (from 59:43) Honoka talks about how she felt the support of the members when running and it's sweet how emotional they get.

A few days later Haruna also graduated from University with a bachelor's degree in marketing

APPRECIATION - TEAM SHACHI's Sakamoto Haruna graduates from Aichi Gakuin University

TEAM SHACHI's Sakamoto Haruna just graduated from Aichi Gakuin University! Four years of studies combined with her idol activities has earned her a bachelor's degree in marketing. In a blog post she thanked everyone who's supported her through her studies, including teachers, friends, fans...

hallyuplus.net

That's horrible to hear how the women have been treated by the Olympic committee. I didn't know if the games were still going forward until recently so I hadn't looked for any reports. I can't say I'm too surprised, but it's disappointing that this kind of behavior still happens. I guess the Olympics are such a big deal that the men's club felt the need to exclude all the pesky women so they don't ruin it. *Sigh... Keeping my fingers crossed Momoclo are still involved one way or another.

I kept seeing that Shachi video pop up in my recommendations, but I ignored it because I thought they were just chatting. Now I have to go back and check it out.

I thought I'd posted it here already, but Tanaka Masahiro is out internationally now



Momoclo performed Hoero on Utacon


There was a short clip ages (months) ago of Momoclo at a field, it seems like it was part of some rice farming project of MomoIku!
What this really meant however was that we got to see Shiori in a tractor

Spoiler

Reni also held Marugoto Reni-chan, there's a video on yt that's about an hour long

And Aarin covered LARME for the second month in a row! This time alongside =LOVE's Saito Nagisa

PHOTOSHOOT - Aarin and Saitou Nagisa grace the cover of the latest issue of LARME magazine

hallyuplus.net

Now for the Kanako corner of this post:

Kanako performed her song "Akai Genya" from the movie "Sukutte Goran" on tv and there's now a short version of the mv too!



She also appeared on the cover of mina magazine


And had an interview/feature with VoCE

【ももクロ・百田夏菜子】笑っちゃうくらい真面目で不器用な人がタイプ！【VOCE特別インタビュー】｜美容メディアVOCE（ヴォーチェ）

女優として、アイドルとして、輝き続ける百田夏菜子さん。尾上松也さん初主演映画『すくってごらん』では初のヒロイン役に挑戦し、愛され続ける彼女だからこそ表現できる魅力をたっぷり披露しています。そんな百田さんの素顔が垣間見えるVOCEウェブサイト特別トーク＆ショットをご覧ください♡

i-voce.jp

She also finally got her driver's license!


And now it seems like she's going to appear in another drama!


The drama starts in April and she'll be playing a lawyer. The drama will also feature a Kanjani8 member and a Johnny's Jr so we'll see how that turns out.

They've all been very busy lately. Shiori looks very comfortable in the tractor!

If I get to see Kanako wearing a suit on a regular basis then I fully support her role as a lawyer. She looks good in glasses too!

New Batten members?!

They took my advice, lol!