The Morning Musume Appreciation thread ^_^v

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Morning Musume (ﾆ停?堋ーﾆ男ﾆ停?愴丹窶督ｺﾂ。 Mōningu Musume.?), sometimes referred to as Momusu (ﾆ停?堋ー窶督ｺﾂ。 Mōmusu) is a Japanese girl group, whose act generally revolves around singing and dancing to upbeat melodies. They are the lead group of Hello! Project, which is managed and produced by Tsunku, who composes nearly all the lyrics and melodies of their songs. Currently, they hold the record of having the highest overall single sales (of a female group) on the Oricon charts. They formed in 1997 but are famous for their changing lineup.

Current Members;
Ai Takahashi (2001-)
Risa Niigaki (2001-)
Sayumi Michishige (2003-)
Reina Tanaka (2003-)
Aika Mitsui (2006-)
Mizuki Fukumura (2011–)
Erina Ikuta (2011–)
Riho Sayashi (2011–)
Kanon Suzuki (2011–)

(Ai Takahashi (the blond one) will be graduating later this year, with Risa Niigaki taking her place as leader and Sayumi Michishige moving up to sub-leader. They are also holding more auditions for new members soon )
Morning Musume - Wikipedia
http://j-ongaku.org/wiki/Morning_Musume
Morning Musume - generasia
Share your love of Morning Musume here ^_^v !

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

So far Morning Musume have released 46 singles (all hitting the top 10 on the Oricon), with their latest single "Only You" only being released the other day. The music video came out today ;

[youtube]uPGgHeBcMyg&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

 

[Nieves and Co]

What an amazing group, looking forward to watching and/or listening to their work!

EDIT: Some of them look younger then they are, or are they actually as young as they look? XD

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Well the current members & their ages in order are ;

Takahashi Ai (高橋愛, leader) September 14, 1986 (age 24)
Niigaki Risa (新垣里沙, sub-leader) October 20, 1988 (age 22)
Michishige Sayumi (道重さゆみ) July 13, 1989 (age 21)
Tanaka Reina (田中れいな) November 11, 1989 (age 21)
Mitsui Aika (光井愛佳) January 12, 1993 (age 18)
Fukumura Mizuki (譜久村聖) October 30, 1996 (age 14)
Ikuta Erina (生田衣梨奈) July 7, 1997 (age 13)
Sayashi Riho (鞘師里保) May 28, 1998 (age 12)
Suzuki Kanon (鈴木香音) August 5, 1998 (age 12)

^ The last 4 (Mizuki, Erina, Riho & Kanon) were all added this year only a couple of months ago after 3 of the old members graduated (Junjun, Linlin & Kamei Eri)- girls tend to be added very young to these sorts of groups so that they can have as much time in the group as possible before "graduating" from the group. Youth is big seller in the world of Jpop.
The groups current leader Ai Takahashi (24years old) has been in Morning Musume for 10 years now . Apparently Tsunku (the guy who created Morning Musume) is going to do more auditions for the group later this year and possibly add some more members (this is very unusual decision as it was only a couple of months ago that the last new members were added after over 3 years of a stable non-changing lineup).

I will post some pics of the individual members later ^_^v .

 

[Nieves and Co]

Bloody Hell, that's gotta be some group.
Japan's definitly got the better hand for music tallent. ^.^

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Well here's some pics of the current members ;
Takahashi Ai (ﾂ坂?壺?ｹ'ﾋ?､, leader) September 14, 1986 (age 24)

Niigaki Risa (ﾂ新ﾅ?_窶板｢ﾂ債ｹ, sub-leader) October 20, 1988 (age 22)

Michishige Sayumi (窶慊ｹﾂ重窶堋ｳ窶堙､窶堙? July 13, 1989 (age 21)

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Tanaka Reina (窶彡窶吮??窶堙ｪ窶堋｢窶堙? November 11, 1989 (age 21)

Mitsui Aika (ﾅ津ｵﾋ?､ﾋ?､窶ｰﾃ?) January 12, 1993 (age 18)

Fukumura Mizuki (窶｢ﾋ??ｹv窶伉ｺﾂ青ｹ) October 30, 1996 (age 14)

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Ikuta Erina (ﾂ青ｶ窶彡ﾋ?溪?版凪?愿? July 7, 1997 (age 13)

Sayashi Riho (ﾂ湘｢ﾅｽt窶板｢窶｢ﾃ? May 28, 1998 (age 12)

Suzuki Kanon (窶氾ｩ窶禿伉債≫?ｰﾂｹ) August 5, 1998 (age 12)

 

[Nieves and Co]

One of them be the new Anchor for Ohayou Gozaimasu Tokyo.
JK, nice find.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

^ Lol thats harsh

The new generation was only added very recently so there's not that many pics of them or the current lineup together in group shot pics yet, but Hello!Online is a great place for everything Morning Musume/Hello! Project related and more;

NewsFeed

As well as Hello!Sayunii;

Hello!SayuNii

There is also a great forum dedicated to everything Morning Musume & Hello! Project related too;

http://www.musume-central.com/forums/forum.php

 

[Nieves and Co]

Hahaha, every time you click on the third link, in the header, you click it and not only does it reload the page, but it also generates a new group picture. Though in some of them, you can see the obvious cut n' Past rutein.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

There have been many different generations & graduations in MM over its history since it began in 1997. But it has always been a top group with very talented & beautiful girls. Morning Musume singles (with official release dates) list;

0. Ai no Tane ( 愛の種 ) 1997.11.03
1. Morning Coffee ( モーニングコーヒー ) - Offical Debut Single 1998.01.28
2. Summer Night Town ( サマーナイトタウン ) 1998.05.27
3. Daite HOLD ON ME! ( 抱いてHOLD ON ME！ ) 1998.09.09
4. Memory Seishun no Hikari ( Memory青春の光 ) 1999.02.10
5. Manatsu no Kousen ( 真夏の光線 ) 1999.05.12
6. Furusato ( ふるさと ) 1999.07.14
7. LOVE Machine ( LOVEマシーン ) 1999.09.09
8. Koi no Dance Site ( 恋のダンスサイト ) 2000.01.26
9. Happy Summer Wedding ( ハッピーサマーウェディング ) 2000.05.17
10. I WISH 2000.09.06
11. Renai Revolution 21 ( 恋愛レボリューション21 ) 2000.12.13
12. The Peace! ( ザ☆ピ~ス！ ) 2001.07.25
13. Mr. Moonlight ~Ai no Big Band~
( Mr. Moonlight ～愛のビッグバンド～ ) 2001.10.31
14. Souda! We're ALIVE ( そうだ！We're ALIVE ) 2002.02.20
15. Do It! Now 2002.07.24
16. Koko ni Iruzee! ( ここにいるぜぇ！ ) 2002.10.30
17. Morning Musume no Hyokkori Hyoutanjima
( モーニング娘。のひょっこりひょうたん島 ) 2003.02.19
18. AS FOR ONE DAY 2003.04.23
19. Shabondama ( シャボン玉 ) 2003.07.30
20. Go Girl ~Koi no Victory~ ( Go Girl～恋のヴィクトリー～ ) 2003.11.06
21. Ai Araba IT'S ALL RIGHT ( 愛あらばIT'S ALL RIGHT ) 2004.01.21
22. Roman ~MY DEAR BOY~ ( 浪漫～MY DEAR BOY～ ) 2004.05.12
23. Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari ( 女子かしまし物語 ) 2004.07.22
24. Namida ga Tomaranai Houkago ( 涙が止まらない放課後 ) 2004.11.03
25. THE Manpower!!! ( THEマンパワー!!! ) 2005.01.19
26. Osaka Koi no Uta ( 大阪恋の歌 ) 2005.04.27
27. Iroppoi Jirettai ( 色っぽいじれったい ) 2005.07.27
28. Chokkan 2 ~Nogashita Sakana wa Ookiizo!~
( 直感2 ～逃した魚は大きいぞ！～ ) 2005.11.09
29. SEXY BOY ~Soyokaze ni Yorisotte~
( SEXY BOY ～そよ風に寄り添って～ ) 2006.03.15
30. Ambitious! Yashinteki de Ii Jan
( Ambitious！野心的でいいじゃん ) 2006.06.21
31. Aruiteru ( 歩いてる ) 2006.11.08
32. Egao YES Nude ( 笑顔YESヌード ) 2007.02.14
33. Kanashimi Twilight ( 悲しみトワイライト ) 2007.04.25
34. Onna ni Sachi Are ( 女に 幸あれ ) 2007.07.25
35. Mikan ( みかん ) 2007.11.21
36. Resonant Blue ( リゾナント ブルー ) 2008.04.16
37. Pepper Keibu ( ペッパー警部 ) 2008.09.24
38. Naichau Kamo ( 泣いちゃうかも ) 2009.02.18
39. Shouganai Yume Oibito ( しょうがない 夢追い人 ) 2009.05.13
40. Nanchatte Renai ( なんちゃって恋愛 ) 2009.08.12
41. Kimagure Princess ( 気まぐれプリンセス ) 2009.10.28
42. Onna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai ( 女が目立って なぜイケナイ ) 2010.02.10
43. Seishun Collection ( 青春コレクション ) 2010.06.09
44. Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game ( 女と男のララバイゲーム ) 2010.11.17
45. Maji desu ka Ska! ( まじですかスカ！ ) 2011.04.06
46. Only You 2011.06.15

Morning Musumes music style has changed a lot over the years. Sometimes they have gone through very mature sound phases, while other times they have focused on more genki pop stuff etc. And some of its very unique in general ^_^v !

(There an official Morning Musume Channel on Youtube too : http://www.youtube.com/user/morningmusumechannel )

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Some random MV's for those just getting into the diverse history of MM- Morning musume's original debut single, "Morning Coffee" (1997) ^_^ ;
[youtube]S1zTityRnO8&feature=channel_video_title[/youtube]
(^Original members here: Ishiguro Aya, Fukuda Asuka, Abe Natsumi, Nakazawa Yuuko & Iida Kaori, )

Daite Hold on Me!- 4th single September 1998, their first no.1 single;
[youtube]0yHDWYYAfJQ&feature=channel_video_title[/youtube]
(Members here: Yuko Nakazawa, Aya Ishiguro, Kaori Iida, Natsumi Abe, Asuka Fukuda, Kei Yasuda, Mari Yaguchi, Sayaka Ichii)

Love Machine- their highest ever selling single (sold a total of 1,646,630 copies);
[youtube]6A7j6eryPV4&feature=relmfu[/youtube]
(Members here: Ishiguro Aya, Abe Natsumi, Nakazawa Yuuko, Iida Kaori, Kei Yasuda, Mari Yaguchi, Sayaka Ichii & Maki Goto)

Ren'ai Revolution 21 (Dec 2001)- the last single to feature original generation member & leader Nakazawa Yuko (she went solo after this);
[youtube]D_xkQAxyf-o&feature=channel_video_title[/youtube]
(Members here: Yuko Nakazawa, Kaori Iida, Natsumi Abe, Kei Yasuda, Mari Yaguchi, Maki Goto, Rika Ishikawa, Hitomi Yoshizawa, Nozomi Tsuji, Ai Kago)

2002 "Do It! Now"- Maki Goto's last single (she went solo after this);
[youtube]l7ej9o3o68M&feature=channel_video_title[/youtube]

By the time Shabondama came out (July 30, 2003) the lineup had changed considerably and the group was a lot larger (15 members!)- this was the first single to feature 6th generation members Fujimoto Miki, Kamei Eri, Michishige Sayumi & Tanaka Reina;
[youtube]ItyC0Ipi51I&feature=related[/youtube]
(Members in this single: Kaori Iida, Natsumi Abe, Mari Yaguchi, Rika Ishikawa, Hitomi Yoshizawa, Nozomi Tsuji, Ai Kago, Ai Takahashi, Asami Konno, Makoto Ogawa, Risa Niigaki, Miki Fujimoto, Eri Kamei, Sayumi Michishige, Reina Tanaka)

In fact there were so many members by this point that in July 2004 they released Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari ("The Story of Noisy Girls") so people could remember each one of them easier (each of the song's 14 verses is an anecdote about each member of the band, sung by different three-to-five-person combinations of band members);
[youtube]q9zybLvi_Ug&feature=channel_video_title[/youtube]
(^ It also marked the graduation of members Nozomi Tsuji and Ai Kago as they went on to concentrate full-time on their duo W (Double You).)

Iroppoi Jirettai (2005) was the debut single of popular member Koharu Kusumi;
[youtube]RPpN6-_q7Ck&feature=channel_video_title[/youtube]
(Members here: Hitomi Yoshizawa, Ai Takahashi, Asami Konno, Makoto Ogawa, Risa Niigaki, Miki Fujimoto, Eri Kamei, Sayumi Michishige, Reina Tanaka, Koharu Kusumi)

"Naichau Kamo" ("I Might Cry") 2009;
[youtube]YIZPmClKsqM&feature=relmfu[/youtube]
(Members here: Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki, Eri Kamei, Sayumi Michishige, Reina Tanaka, Koharu Kusumi, Aika Mitsui, LinLin, Junjun)

Shōganai Yume Oibito ("Helpless Dream Chaser") May 2009 was their latest no.1 ranking single;
[youtube]dGUiMqYz_ak&feature=relmfu[/youtube]
(Members here: Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki, Eri Kamei, Sayumi Michishige, Reina Tanaka, Koharu Kusumi, Aika Mitsui, LinLin, Junjun)

Nanchatte Ren'ai ("Fake Love"), MM'S 40th single, August 2009;
[youtube]cwT9P0VkHKw&feature=channel_video_title[/youtube]
(Members here: Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki, Eri Kamei, Sayumi Michishige, Reina Tanaka, Koharu Kusumi, Aika Mitsui, LinLin, Junjun)

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

"Memory Seishun no Hikari" ("Memory: The light of youth") was originally released in 1999 as Morning Musume's 5th single (sold 410,850 copies, ranked no.2) and was original member Asuka Fukuda's last single (she left the group so she could "focus on her studies") but it was also covered by later member Reina Tanaka when she first joined the group as a kid- its a pretty deep song;

Memory Seishun no Hikari- Reina Tanaka version (English subbed too!)


Original Morning Musume version of Memory Seishun no Hikari;
[youtube]YLBP_NHK3Mo&feature=related[/youtube]
(Members here: Yuko Nakazawa, Aya Ishiguro, Kaori Iida, Natsumi Abe, Asuka Fukuda (Last single), Kei Yasuda, Mari Yaguchi, Sayaka Ichii)

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

In Japan there have been many great Jpop groups, duo's, units & soloists, but as great as they are, youth sells in Japan, and when Jpop idols naturally become older their sales always typically drop and eventually they stop releasing singles altogether. There have been few Jpop idols to break this trend (a notable one would be Ayumi Hamasaki) and those who have challenged this unfairness (afterall who can cheat time??) have usually not been successful (Hikaru Utada...).

So in 1997 when Japanese producer Tsunku started Morning Musume through an audition for a female rock vocalist for his band Sharan Q (the original members of Morning Musume were actually the runners up in the televised competicion, which he told he would form into Morning Musume if they could sell s50,000 copies of their demo single, "Ai no Tane", with just five days of promotion events, which they did in just 4 days) he decided upon the system of "graduations" & auditions.

Basically, depending on contracts, girls which have been in the group for a long time leave the group (a.k.a are graduated) to pursure different careers (solo singing, becoming a member of a new group, becoming a model, TV presenter, Variety Idol etc are all popular paths to take). Auditions are also held to increase new blood & youth to the group, and combined graduations & auditions keep the group externally youthful (as a consequence though there are no members from the original lineup in the group today).
Graduations of members usually involve big concerts held especially for the girls graduating which attract thousands of fans- the last girls to graduated from MM were Junjun, Linlin & Kamei Eri in autumn 2010. The newest members to be added Riho Sayashi, Kanon Suzuki, Erina Ikuta & Mizuki Fukumura in January this year.

This system of graduations & auditions is not entirely new- the formula first harks back to Onyanko Club (おニャン子クラブ Onyanko Kurabu?, lit. "Kitten Club") which was a large all-girl Japanese pop idol group in the 1980s, and later Tokyo Performance Doll a.k.a. TPD (東京パフォーマンスドール) which was a female Jpop idol band that existed from 1990 to 1996.

List of past/graduated/Ex Morning Musume members (plus some random info on them);
Linlin/Qian Lin (2007-2010) born March 11, 1991
Junjun/Li Chun (2007-2010) born February 11, 1988
Eri Kamei (2003-2010) born December 23, 1988 (She left due to a skin condition)
Koharu Kusumi (2005-2009) born July 15, 1992 (She also had a solo career and is currently in the group "Dream Morning Musume" alongside other former-Morning Musume members, she is also a voice actress, kids TV show presenter & model.)
Miki Fujimoto (2003-2007) born February 26, 1985(was also a soloist before joining MM, afterwards got married and is now in Dream Morning Musume)
Hitomi Yoshizawa (2000-2007) born April 12, 1985 (Currently member of Hangry & Angry, Dream Morning Musume and leader of Gatas Brilhantes H.P. & Ongaku Gatas)
Makoto Ogawa (2001-2006) born October 29, 1987 (currently member of Dream Morning Musume)
Asami Konno (2001-2006) born May 7, 1987 (TV reporter of TV Tokyo and member of Ongaku Gatas)
Rika Ishikawa (2000-2005) born January 19, 1985 (She is working as a soloist and a member of the group Ongaku Gatas, the duo Hangry & Angry, and a current member of Dream Morning Musume.)
Mari Yaguchi (1998-2005) born January 20, 1983 (very active Variety Idol, She is currently a member of Dream Morning Musume. She announced the other day her engagement to her boyfriend, actor Masaya Nakamura.)
Kaori Iida (1997-2005) born August 8, 1981 (married, had solo career, currently member of Dream Morning Musume)
Ai Kago (2000-2004) born February 7, 1988 (currently an actress and singer)
Nozomi Tsuji (2000-2004) born June 17, 1987 (married with kids, variety idol, model & singer)
Natsumi Abe (1997-2004) born August 10, 1981 (soloist singer and actress, currently a member of Dream Morning Musume.)
Kei Yasuda born on December 6, 1980 (1998-2003) (singer, musician and actress and current member of Dream Morning Musume)
Maki Goto (1999-2002) born September 23, 1985 (v.active soloist now under Avex- she is also a lyricist and former actress.)
Yuko Nakazawa (1997-2001) born June 19, 1973 (pop & enka singer, actress, variety idol- currently member of Dream Morning Musume)
Sayaka Ichii (1998-2000) born December 31, 1983 (married mother of 2, only made a return to entertainment industry in 2009, actress- will be in a movie titled Ashita ni Kakeru Ai (Eng: Love Over Troubled Water) which will be released next year)
Aya Ishiguro (1997-2000) born May 12, 1978 (mother & homemaker, variety idol & writer)
Asuka Fukuda (1997-1999) born December 17, 1984

(i've only included a few random tidbits about each member as most has been involved in a great deal of things past or present, including being members of other groups ^_^v )

Oldschool Morning Musume Tribute :cracker: ;
[youtube]s08CWHuN3MY&feature=related[/youtube]

 

[Luis]

Sayu as a leader rules!!!
She always be the cuttest in all morning musume generations
When I saw MM with Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari was wonderful!!