Wota in Translation

Translating Japanese Hello! Project fans' comments from 2ch

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Could “Oolong-Hi no Onna” be Hoshibe Sho’s best work yet?

Posted by Henkka on October 25, 2019
Posted in: °C-ute, 2ch, Other. Tags: Okai Chisato. 2 comments

1: 名無し募集中。。。 2017/12/10(日) 19:55:49.740
They should keep this approach with the OG songs for a while at least.

30: 名無し募集中。。。 2017/12/11(月) 21:00:40.030
A nice, lighthearted song.

4: 名無し募集中。。。 2017/12/10(日) 20:03:19.590
This really is a good song.
I downloaded it and I’ve been listening to it on repeat.

5: 名無し募集中。。。 2017/12/10(日) 20:03:51.590
From the title I assumed it was going to be just some joke song, but this actually wasn’t too bad.

8: 名無し募集中。。。 2017/12/10(日) 20:22:36.530
The words are by Hoshibe, too.
The guy could write lyrics like this?

Read more…

Morning Musume 20th Anniversary Official Book Interviews: Nakazawa Yuko

Posted by Henkka on October 18, 2019
Posted in: Other. Tags: Nakazawa Yuko. 18 comments

Nakazawa Yuko
June 19, 1973 — Kyoto
1997/09/14 ~ 2001/04/15

Nakazawa: For the “FNS Kayousai” at the end of last year, the five of us original members sang together for the first time in 18 years. It’s strange how even though it’s been such a long time, it felt like we were right back in those days… Everything from the way we sang to how we presented ourselves, it all came back.

Not one of us was thinking, “I’m not the same person as I was back then.” We could once again sing this song that had been written for us 20 years ago, all together, sharing in the same feeling. I was truly happy. Being able to go back to my initial resolve like that; being given the opportunity to do that… Just how lucky am I?

— Morning Musume’s 20-year history all began with those five people. The occasion for your formation was the “ASAYAN” audition show, and more specifically Sharan Q’s “Female Rock Vocalist Audition.”

Nakazawa: The five of us failed the audition. But we were called back on a later date, and that’s when they told us: “if you can sell 50,000 copies of your CD in five days, you’ve got yourself a major debut.” Full of determination, each of us said, “I’ll do it!!!” That’s how it all started.

Had even one of us said “no” that day, we wouldn’t be celebrating the 20th anniversary right now.

Read more…

Morning Musume 20th Anniversary Official Book Interviews: Fukumura Mizuki

Posted by Henkka on October 11, 2019
Posted in: Other. Tags: Fukumura Mizuki. 14 comments

Fukumura Mizuki
October 30, 1996 — Tokyo
2011/01/02 ~

Fukumura: I’ve always felt strongly about not wanting to lose to my generation-mates. But then on the other hand, from the very beginning it felt like I came last out of the four of us. Even at the shoot for “Maji Desu ka Ska!” the other three were in the front row while I was in the back. That was a bit of a shock. “I’m supposed to be a new member too, and this is where they put me…?” In “Only you,” I got to sing only during two parts while Sayashi Riho even received solo lines and she was right in the center.

It was a tough thing for a child to accept, but that was the reality. That was when the sense of rivalry within me was awakened as I decided that I was going to try and push my way closer to the center and receive more and more lines. That’s how it all started.

Reaching Morning Musume At Last

— I’m sure some of that strength of spirit can also be attributed to the circumstances regarding how you got into the group. You joined Morning Musume through H!P Eggs, and that was the first time in Morning Musume’s history for that to happen.

Fukumura: It happened just around a time when I’d experiences some pretty serious setbacks in the Eggs, so I took part in the audition thinking it would be my last chance. I made it as far as the third round of judging before I failed. During the auditions, I saw girls like Suzuki Kanon who just shined so much brighter than me; girls who looked like they weren’t afraid of anything. I remember thinking, “It’s girls like this who will get into Morning Musume. It’s going to be a new era.“

Read more…

Tsunku♂: “My role in Hello! Project has ended.”

Posted by Henkka on October 5, 2019
Posted in: 2ch. Tags: Tsunku♂. 15 comments

4: 名無し募集中。。。 2019/06/30(日) 11:26:26.57 0.net
47: 名無し募集中。。。 2019/06/30(日) 11:47:09.55 0.net
https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20190630-00010000-wordleafv-ent&p=4

Tsunku♂: “Inducting the 9th and 10th generations one after the other was a big thing. It was important having in there the two good dancers, Sayashi and Ishida. There were members with strong personalities, too. Fukumura, Ikuta, Sato, Iikubo, Kudo, and Suzuki… Looking back, it was perfect. And to top it all off, there was 11th generation’s Oda with her singing chops. If I was the coach of the school baseball club team and these were my regular members, I’d be certain that we could’ve won against any and every opponent — even accounting for the cleanup hitter.”

“Led by that Morning Musume, after 10 years of activities it felt like Berryz Koubou and °C-ute suddenly just bloomed, too. Before then, they had been seen as something like the “youngest children” of the Hello! Project family. But now they suddenly turned into the big sisters — it was like they became the “idols’ idols,” all through their own efforts.

I feel like that state of perfection is connected even to the Hello! Project of today. And maybe because of it, in that sense, I believe my role has ended.”

70: 名無し募集中。。。 2019/06/30(日) 11:56:50.74 0.net
Are you for real, Teranya…?

17: 名無し募集中。。。 2019/06/30(日) 11:32:02.80 0.net
This is my first time seeing Tsunku♂ himself saying “his role (in H!P) has ended”…
Reading this made me sad.

Read more…

Morning Musume 20th Anniversary Official Book Interviews: Takahashi Ai

Posted by Henkka on September 30, 2019
Posted in: Other. Tags: Takahashi Ai. 10 comments

Takahashi Ai
September 14, 1986 — Fukui
2001/08/26 ~ 2011/09/30

Takahashi: Right around the time when people started calling it the “Idol Warring Period” and we suddenly had more rivals and less exposure, Tsunku♂ said something to us. “It’s because it’s a time like this that you need to raise the level of your performances.” It was such a relief to hear him say that. It seemed like nothing was going well for us, and yet, now it suddenly felt like I could see the road ahead. It felt like I had been shown the direction that we were supposed to take.

— The group’s Golden Era that had begun with “LOVE Machine” was showing no signs of slowing down even in 2001 when the four members of the 5th generation joined. However, there were tough times ahead.

Takahashi: It was so, so difficult. “Platinum Era” is something they started calling it only after I had graduated — we received zero acknowledgement in real time. I just barely got to experience the Golden Era, but when the 5th generation joined, things in Morning Musume began to change. We couldn’t help but always struggle with the thought that it had been our fault; that we had lacked something.

Read more…

Morning Musume 20th Anniversary Official Book Interviews: Fujimoto Miki

Posted by Henkka on September 23, 2019
Posted in: Other. Tags: Fujimoto Miki. 10 comments

Fujimoto Miki
February 26, 1985 — Hokkaido
2003/01/07 ~ 2007/06/01

Fujimoto: The first dream I ever had was to become a singer. Or rather, it was the only dream I ever had. My grandmother used to take enka lessons and when we’d be singing together, the people around me would praise my singing. That’s when the feeling first arose. I decided that I would aim to one day become a singer.

— You then took part in an audition — namely, the one for Morning Musume’s 4th generation.

Fujimoto: As an elementary schooler, I was in shock when I first saw Amuro Namie. Someone like her… she was a miracle. But I lived in the countryside of Hokkaido and there were no auditions anywhere. “ASAYAN” was the biggest audition that was held even in Hokkaido, and that’s why I thought to apply.

— You ultimately failed the 4th generation auditions. Not long after, however, you made your solo debut.

Fujimoto: I made it as far as the third round. But because I had already previously failed in the Komuro-produced audition — also held on “ASAYAN” — I knew from experience how passing wasn’t that simple. I thought that I would just wait and try my best again when my next chance came.

But that’s when I suddenly received an invitation from the company to come and do lessons with them, and so I moved to Tokyo.

Read more…

Do you guys remember the 2006-2009 Morning Musume?

Posted by Henkka on September 21, 2019
Posted in: 2ch, Morning Musume. Tags: Fukumura Mizuki, Kamei Eri. 9 comments

1: 名無し募集中。。。 2018/10/14(日) 22:18:18.67 0.net
I bet most of you don’t.

5: 音速♪ 2018/10/14(日) 22:24:02.83 0.net
On the contrary. It was dead-on my favorite era of them all.

4: 名無し募集中。。。 2018/10/14(日) 22:21:01.54 0.net
Koharu’s Golden Era.

15: 名無し募集中。。。 2018/10/14(日) 22:36:18.92 0.net
Music-wise, it was my favorite era of them all, album songs included.
Although yeah, it did also feel like they were in this bind of hopeless stagnation.

29: 3 2018/10/14(日) 22:55:31.97 0.net
Things were in all-out chaos until the end of 2007, but then with the next year’s Single Daizenshuu it felt like a new Momusu had finally started taking shape.

Read more…

Let’s talk about Morning Musume in the year 2002!

Posted by Henkka on September 19, 2019
Posted in: 2ch, Morning Musume. 10 comments

1: 名無し募集中。。。 2018/10/08(月) 22:42:19.49 0.net
Do you remember what sort of a time it was?

5: 名無し募集中。。。 2018/10/08(月) 22:44:40.62 0.net
They may have been past their peak, but I liked the songs.

9: 名無し募集中。。。 2018/10/08(月) 22:48:56.35 0.net
I really enjoyed this era, including the 4th and 5th albums.

10: 名無し募集中。。。 2018/10/08(月) 22:49:13.45 0.net
Even regular people still know about this era.

13: 名無し募集中。。。 2018/10/08(月) 22:50:33.41 0.net
>>1
It kind of felt like how Kobushi did in the beginning.

169: 名無し募集中。。。 2018/10/09(火) 00:30:43.01 0.net
>>13
Ah, what with all the cheering songs.

Read more…

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  • New H!P releases from CDJapan


    Morning Musume '20
    "KOKORO&KARADA / LOVEpedia /
    Ningen Kankei No way way"



    Ishida Ayumi
    "believe in oneself"



    Inoue Rei
    "You ~You make me~



    Tsubaki Factory
    "Ishiki Takai Otome no Dilemma /
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    Ozeki Mai
    "Mai BEST"



    Yamaki Risa
    "Last Picture"



    Suzuki Airi
    "i"



    Nakanishi Kana
    "Kana"



    Country Girls
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    BEYOOOOONDS
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    ANGERME
    "Watashi wo Tsukuru no wa Watashi /
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    Kasahara Momona
    "Momona"



    Fukumura Mizuki
    "Tasha!"
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