Hey,
This is a good place to stop.
If there is one thing about me that I’m sure readers of the site, both old and new, are aware of, it’s that I am and have always been an admirer of Tsunku♂ and his music.
I first got into Hello! Project in 2007. Now, looking back, I think it’s fair to say that my active fandom of it effectively ended back in late 2014 with the departure of its producer. Ever since then, I’ve felt that I have been running this site mainly as a kind of tribute to his legacy.
Now, five years later, I feel it’s finally time for me to call it a day.
Rest assured, this doesn’t mean I’ve come to hate Hello! Project. Not at all. I genuinely wish only the best to all of you who still love it unequivocally. It’s simply that now, without the Boy, I would describe it as no longer being “my thing.” Because to me this man was not just the songwriter and the producer, but the soul of Hello! Project. But, of course, stuff changes. All Things Must Pass. Right?
There’s nothing more dramatic to it than that, my good readers.
I thank you all very much for the endless support throughout these years. All in all, maintaining this site has truly been a great pleasure. I can’t even begin to count how many hours of my life I must have dedicated to this project. It was a lot. But dammit, did we have some good laughs! Plus, some worthwhile discussions. And hell, maybe even a couple of tears too, every once in a while.
And if one day, despite all this, I end up becoming active on here once more… Please don’t blame me for being an ass who can’t make up his mind. After all, it’s you guys’ fault for Wota in Translation being such a pleasure to post content in. Because you were here to give me your precious time and attention, and it’s no exaggeration to say that the site would never have amounted to anything without you. Truly, it’s great how you seem to love this site. Because I do, too. And I won’t forget it.
Thanks once again.
Or — as Tsunku♂ more eloquently once put it in a song of his — “thank you, dear my friends.“
Cheers,
Henkka
Possibly related posts
Listening to idols like Kikkawa You or Up Front Girls that Tsunku isn’t involved with makes you realize just how great his songs are
Without Tsunku♂, what sets Hello! Project apart from all the other idols?
Would you still be an H!P wota if Tsunku quit as their producer?
Tsunku♂: “My role in Hello! Project has ended.”
At the end of the day, I was a Tsunku♂ wota
I still think fondly on a lot of H!P Metalhead content (thank goodness I can still find them on Wayback!). It strongly influenced the way I experience this fandom. You’ve given us great content for over a decade now. Thank you so much for all of your passion and hard work.
Ha! I’m glad someone still remembers. It was a product of its time, you know? I was 18 fucking years old. It’s a little embarrassing now, 10+ years later, but like I said: I was young. It’s definitely a fond memory for me. And hey, it led to Wota in Translation! So that’s nice.
Anyway, thanks for your kind words. Cheers.
Thank you so much for all of your hard work. I have been spending my holiday break re-reading all of the classic threads. You will be missed.
Thank you so much, as a lurker you have educated me so muxh on idol culture. My Japanese is weak so it would takes hours for me to get through J-forums. This site has given me the single clearest look into idol culture. As a fellow Tsunku wota I respect you and will miss your words. I hope music still plays an important role in your life… Until next time…
Of course! Music is definitely one of the biggest loves in my life — it’s like the one thing about me that I bother mentioning about myself in my Twitter profile. I won’t go so far as to say “no music, no life”… But I would say: “no music, life is boring as shit.”
Wishing you all the best with your musical adventures as well, jigen.
Just a little word to thank you for all your good translating topics who make me happy to be part of H!P fandom.
Cheers !
I fully understand. I have felt the same way. I hope you enjoy your new endeavours.
So long, lads. See you again!
Well, i’ve been on and off since 2016 (as also a fan since 2007) LOL
Your timing is perfect as a Tsunku-penned song made for a graduation plays into my ears. Its lyrics are a tad applicable now:
“There’s no reason for me to cry, I shouldn’t be crying
After all, this is the future I chose for myself
But, I feel so regretful
My tears won’t stop
As I’m embraced in memories”
It’s always sad to see a chapter end. However, it is just as exciting to see what lies ahead. Thank you for all that you’ve done over the years. I wish you all the best in the years to come!
🤗💖
Otsukaresama to you as well, you fucker.
Interesting we both called it quits at the same time. At least you still have Kumomi, I guess.
At some point I’ll drag my ass down to Nagoya and you can explain to me in great detail why Lamp are so good. Until then, have a few drinks on my teetotal ass’s behalf.
Oh yeah. That’s something I should’ve maybe mentioned in my post.
To anyone interested: I have another blog: kumomi.org. I post my thoughts on stuff there maybe once every two years, but mostly it’s just translations. Interviews, lyrics, that sort of thing. That’s going to be my main thing from now on — I hope to start translating another book of some sort soon. Not sure what yet. Could be my first translation of fiction maybe. (The idea of which scares me shitless because of how difficult it feels it will be. But that’s okay. I look forward to the pain of doing it.)
Anyway, looking forward to having some whisky with you soon, Krv.
Hope you had a good, sober (eww) start to 2020!
Thanks again, man.
I have not been an H!P fan that long but this site became my favorite thing about this fandom the moment I fell love with it. Take care and cheers Henkka!
Thank you for all the hard work it’s been a fun ride. I wish you the best and have fun in your future projects.
Thank you. H!P and Tsunku may be heading into different directions, but if there is anything we can learn from the guy is that no matter what cards you get dealt, you find ways to do the things you love to do.
I’ve got to be honest: somewhere down inside I do hope that you translate some more threads.
But other than that: I understand what you mean. My interest in H!P has only slowly recovered with Beyooooonds and MM 15th gen. Maybe I’ll jump off again though.
We grow, we get different interests. And if Tsunku was the main reason for you to follow H!P it’s probably best to cut ties – since H!P management is kind of pulling him down.
A always: all the best to you, Henkka.
Hey, if we’re both being honest: I hope to translate more threads one day, too! I’m sure I’ll be back if H!P ever catches my interest in the same way as it did before. That’s a promise.
All the best to you as well!
I haven’t been an active commentator, but I genuinely enjoyed and read a lot of this site.
So many many thanks for all your very dedicated and great work from the bottom of my heart.
If I read correctly a comment above You’re in Nagoya? I’ll be there in April.
Thank you, dear my friend.
You’re a legend.
Thank you for all the time and effort you’ve put into this site. You’ve probably helped more people than you realize feel closer to H!P / Tsunku. We’ll never forget it. I hope we’ll see you again one day. Maybe we’ll catch you elsewhere.
If I’ve helped you feel closer to H!P and Tsunku, that’s more than I could ask for.
Happy New Year!
Thanks for all your hard work in bridging the international and Japanese fandoms! Wish you all the best for the future!
卒業おめでとう＆お疲れ様でした！
Thank you so much for all the translation over the year! Take care of yourself.
Thank you very much indeed for making this site such a brilliant English language resource. Best wishes for the future.
Salamat :)
There it goes my favorite H!P translation. Thank you and good luck!
Thanks for all the fish. Always interesting reading your translations (and the comments).
I fully understand since 2014 was the end for me too. Sayu’s graduation and Tsunku’s departure marked the end of the H!P I loved and cherished through my youth. All the girls I loved were gone, and now Tsunku was leaving too.
After that I just stopped following H!P closely, although I still wish them all the best and really hope someday they become as popular as they were during the 1999-2006 span.
I don’t really dabble in social media and your site is pretty much the only way that I still connect with the H!P world since then, so I’m really sad to hear the news. I guess all things must go on.
Just like Morning Musume will always be the first thing in my mind when I hear the word “Idol”, Wota in Translation will always be the number one H!P site in my heart.
Thank you for all those years and take care.
YOU ARE A GIFT TO THIS COMMUNITY and will be sorely missed, I hope you feel that you can return and that you will when you see fit to.
I was wondering if there is a way to keep in some sort of contact with you? Thru DMs or email? I hope to someday meet you if possible and shake your hand in person. You enriched my fandom so much. Thank you.
-Josh
Hey Josh, and thanks for your kind words!
If you want to keep in contact with me, you can follow my personal Twitter account at https://twitter.com/henkka915.
Happy New Year!
Finally getting on with it and starting that “new” chapter in your life, eh?
It’s been a helluva good time, mate.
Thanks for sticking with it for so long, even after the main man had to bow out.
Do come back around to see us now and again, yeah?
May Odin give you knowledge on your path,
May Thor grant you strength and courage on your way,
And may Loki give you laughter as you go.
Gotta be honest: it does sort of feel like the start of something new. Cheers, man.
(Appreciate all the gifts from the deities. Do I get anything from Satan?)
So long, and thanks for all the fish.
Damn. All the best to you, brother!
It’s always strange when something end. Wish, i had read “Wota in translation” going on hiatsu !
Knowing, that it’s probably over, but with hope that some day. If a subject is really really interesting…
Good luck, and thanks for your hard works.
I’ll probably return once in a while, as i probably missed some post during all those yearts.
My thanks as well for all the insights and translations, and hard work that went into them.
Ah well I can’t seem to say anything else without sounding maudlin, end of the year, end of Country Girls, end of Wotaintranslation.
Goodbye.
Thank you very much for all your translations.
I’ve felt the same way about Hello!project for the past few years. Still follow up on what’s new occasionally, but definitely not with the same fervor I once did.
Good luck in all your future endeavors.
Thank you so much for all your hard work! I’ll miss seeing new posts from you!
I’ve felt the same way about H!P for about the same length of time. I’ve been a fan since around 2002/2003 and H!P just isn’t the same anymore. I keep hoping to feel that feeling again, but you can’t go home again.
Thanks so much for everything. I hope the new year brings great things to you.
Hopefully a non-SJW will take your place.
Hi Henkka, I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you’ve created here.
I stumbled upon your page almost five years ago, just a few weeks after discovering H!P somewhere on Youtube, and found here a whole new world besides music that was so fun and interesting but also inaccessible to someone not knowing Japanese. I remember coming here daily to read, re-read and immerse myself in it.
It’s in large part thanks to WIL that I had finally decided to pursue learning Japanese – I wanted to understand it all on my own and read everything you left untranslated. I’m still far from being fluent but I’m slowly becoming able to explore on my own the world of which glimpse you have shown me here.
This site has been and will remain one of my favourite places on the Internet, so thanks once again – you made life of one more person happier and more fulfilling.
That’s awesome, man! Fluency is a bit of a tricky thing. I don’t know if I’m “fluent” either. I did pass the JLPT N1 without study and with a hangover, but there are definitely still days when I just moan sounds to my wife like a god damn caveman, gesturing at her to grab something from the kitchen because I don’t know the actual word for it. So it’s an ongoing thing for me, too. (And my wife thinks the JLPT is completely meaningless. I tend to agree.)
Anyway, all the best to you with your language studies. Don’t forget to have have fun while you’re doing it. Don’t let it get boring. Otherwise, what’s the point?
Thanks, Henkka.
Thanks Henkka, this site has been such a blessing for me over the past 6 or 7 years. It became a daily ritual for me to check and see what new post you translated that gave us H!P fans a place to have fun and not be so serious. I remember you saying you were finished a few years ago but you came back to us but if this one is finally the end then here’s a final THANK YOU. You were a legend and will be missed
Thank you for all you’ve done for us, Henkka. Though I’ve had to stop for a while, I never would have picked up translating if not for you. Your contributions will always be invaluable to us.
No more Maro translations. What i gonna do with my life now???
You’re my hero, Henkka. Eternal gratitude for you.
Thank you for everything, Henkka-sama.
It is not the first time you retire. You came back, and I keep hoping you will be back again. If not, thank you again for all you have given us all these years, and best of luck to you.
Happy 2020, and many, many more years.
Thanks for the translations. But, when the next time Maro tweets something Marotesque will you get withdrawal symptoms?
As always whenever Maro tweets something, I will feel a mild tinge of annoyance.
Dammit, she’s great.
「さよなら」なんて苦手だよ
「またね」って言葉だけが好き
I’m no good with farewells,
I much prefer “I’ll see you”
Buono!, “I Need You”
—-
Thank you so much for all your work over the years. I’ll always treasure your translations. And I understand how it feels to lose interest. After C-ute left, H!P hasn’t been quite the same for me. I keep my fandom going with Kobushi Factory and Morning Musume mostly.
I’ll miss reading your translations, but I understand and support your decision.
Best of luck wherever life takes you!
Hey Henkka, thank you for all the contents you’ve been delivered to us in this past years. Just one more question from me, how long do you plan to keep this site alive? Because we need these contents to be archived somewhere.
I intend to keep this site online for as long as I live. So that’s another 50 years or so, I hope.
Aw nuts…. Henkka, it is hard for me to find the words. Your translations have been priceless to my fandom. There is so much history and lore I would have never known without your devoted hard work. I cannot say thank you enough.
Here’s to wishing you all the best. Cheers mate!
Thanks so much for everything you’ve done! I’ve also shifted my interest towards other groups and artist since Sayu and all of my faves left, but still try check in whenever there are new releases. That being said, it’s been so nice to see things I love to read getting translated. I’ll probably come back here often to check the articles I’ve enjoyed. Your legacy, just like Tsunku’s, will live on!
Honestly, the last time you decided to quit I didn’t understand. Through the years and changes since then, though, I understand your reasoning and honestly, the fact that you still took the time to come post here for us made me really happy.
Thank you for everything, Henkka
Thanks for all the time and effort you’ve put into this. I’ve loved reading this site and wish I had found it sooner, it’s given me a lot of laughs and insight as a new HP fan! Take care!
Thank you so much! You’re really my Hero!
This feels like one of my favourites is graduating. :(
Thank you for the hard work Henkka!
this is exacly how i feel..omg…
I’m from France, don’t speak Japanese and not really good at english too but I came here very often to read your post but never leave a comment to say just thank you for all the work you’ve done. I feel bad now because it’s too late to participate and cheers you.
But I understand why you want close that chapter. I’ve done a massive blog too about Japanese Magic trick brand (Tenyo-magic.blogspot.com) and finally stopped to updates some years ago beause it was an enormous amount of works at the end. Now after some years i think about update it again. So maybe you’ll come back too someday !
Thank you so much for what you’ve done. It’s just crazy and it give so much pleasures to all HP fans.
Thank you !
Thank you so much for your hard work for the past few years! I’ve always been reading Wota in Translation since I was 15 years old. I was always a H!P fan and always loved how you posted about the old HP members as well as the new ones. Thank you for building this community and allowing us to feel like we are closer to the fandom. Wish you luck, thanks for being part of my childhood!
Thank you for everything.
Wait wait, where can I read about H!P translation stuff now ??
Hi. I just found this site last month when I was rediscovering some old morning musume songs I used to listen to. I’m pretty sure I’ve read nearly every post since then haha, it’s fascinating stuff. I just want to say THANK YOU so much for all of the effort you’ve gone through to translate this stuff for us, particularly the interviews and book translations. I’ve always wondered so much about the inner workings of morning musume, Tsunku, the thoughts of the girls in the group, etc and I had resigned myself to never knowing the story. So I cannot tell you how grateful I was to find this resource that basically satisfies every curiosity I had and then some. Thank you so much for solving the 15 year mystery, it’s been a great read.
Thank you so much for your hard work.
I started knowing about back then MM with Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari and could only catch a glimpse of them from afar (being someone who knows nuts about Japanese). Work and life kept me away until my 2016 when I discovered this site of yours. Suffice to say, this site somehow gave a me a reason to smile again a bit during those lowly horrid times of my life – I am not kidding.
Again, thank you for your hard works and I will regularly visit this site, waiting for your new posts maybe =)
P/s: I am eternally devoted to Gaki =)
Long time lurker here, thank you for sharing so much of your time to make this site and all the content. It was a real eye opener when I knew much less Japanese and next to nothing about Japanese fandoms. And then all the interviews, those were really helpful and insightful.
I too feel a drift coming and I miss Tsunkus input even more than I thought I would.
Sad news but understandable. Thank you very much for your hard work.
Best wishes in the future.
otsukare henkka, thank you for all those great translation and I hope we meet again in the future… may Tsunku boy force be with you…
Oh… I feel like Momochi is graduating again. :(
Anyway, thanks a lot for everything, Henkka!
I have to admit I also feel like H!P has changed since Tsuku left…seems I’m not the only one.
So thank you very much for all these years!
It was a pleasure for us too ^^
I feel sad that I reflexively came here to get 2chan’s take on Maro’s latest deed…
> It’s simply that now, without the Boy, I would describe it as no longer being “my thing.”
I’ve been feeling this too. Sometimes I check in on what’s going on with HP, but my heart isn’t in it anymore. More and more of the faces I knew are disappearing too of course.
Thanks for everything, once more.
F Twitter woke idiots
Those of us with slightly more interaction are friggin annoyed for you
[removed] on Twitter
Ah, well. It’s all good. Can’t please everyone all the time. (I took the privilege of removing the username from your comment — this person probably didn’t want the attention from here.)
PS. Hope everyone who’s reading this is having a nice summer. Cheers!
I was wondering just the other day, “If Henkka caught covid and died we’ll never know. We’ll just keep visiting this blog wondering if he’ll post again until the domain expires.”
But no. Here you are. Glad you’re still alive Henkka. :)
Ha. I’m glad to be alive, too.
I actually have it set up so that CDJapan is connected to my PayPal, and that same PayPal is connected to the hosting service of this site, and the hosting service has automatic renewal enabled. Meaning, I could die tomorrow and the site and domain should, in theory at least, remain online for as long as the affiliate link above remains valid (and people use it).
I haven’t actually tested it, however. I guess we’ll find out how well it works once I die, huh?
It turns out our beloved little turtle Kamei Chan got married last year. Damn that guy is so lucky.
He’d better do his best to keep our little turtle smiling silly!
I don’t know that I was ever aware that Tsunku had stepped back from H!P, even though I was still paying some (smaller) level of attention to the music back then. The end of C-ute was really the end of my interest.
Please, never let this place die.
I’ll try not to. Thanks for the kind sentiment.
Cheers!
Do you guys know any other blogs like this? i’ve been thinking ah it would be nice to know what 2ch thinks of 15ki, 16ki and 17ki, i really miss this kind of content