H!P Top Members/Thoughts Mid Year 2017

This probably should've been done already lol. H!P has been crazy this year. Between graduation announcements, crazy shake ups with Country Girls, random KSS being promoted to nothingness. It's actually awesome. I love shake ups. I'm still disappointed that there still hasn't been any new album announcements (no, I don't count Momoko's compilation Country Girls tacked on thing). All of the groups minus Kobushi need a new one. Very happy C-ute got their best collection with B-sides though. That was a plus.

Morning Musume

-"Morning Musume won't have any graduations this year!" People said. People were wrong and I knew they would be. You seriously didn't think that after 6 years in the group 9th/10th wouldn't have at least one girl leave per year til they're gone? That's denial. I was also right about 10th not leaving all as a group. Haruka being the next to go, however, was surprising. I figured she'd be one of the last of the 9th/10th to go. I still think there will be a 14th gen/13.5 gen this year. With the KSS being up in the air and CG members as well, there will definitely be a new member or new added. Please be Musubu. Please be Musubu. I'll take Reina too.

#1: Masaki Sato (-)

#2: Akane Haga (+1)

#3: Miki Nonaka (-1)

#4: Sakura Oda (-)

#5: Reina Yokoyama (+6)

#6: Ayumi Ishida (+1)

#7: Maria Makino (-1)

#8: Haruna Ogata (+1)

#9: Erina Ikuta (-1)

#10: Haruna Iikubo (-1)

#11: Kaede Kaga (+1)

#12: Mizuki Fukumura (-1)

Angerme

Ayaka was made H!P leader! Yes! I'm so so glad that they didn't pass her up just to favor Musume. She really deserves the position. I've also changed my mind about her announcing this year. I do think she will leave next year, but I don't think the announcement will be until next year because of all of the changes in H!P at the moment. I also don't think Maho is coming back. I love her and I wish she would, but she's been gone so long and their newest single really feels like an indication that she's not coming back. She needs to do what's best for her mental health and if that's not coming back, I hope she chooses it instead of hurting herself. Still think a second gen will be leaving this year. I'm going with Rina. I'd like to see Nanami get put here. She doesn't really have the "Angerme look", but I'd think it'd be a challenge for her. Ruru would also be nice in this group.

#1: Ayaka Wada (-)

#2: Mizuki Murota (-)

#3: Maho Aikawa (-)

#4: Rikako Sasaki (-)

#5: Moe Kamikokuryou (-)

#6: Kana Nakanishi (+1)

#7: Rina Katsuta (+1)

#8: Akari Takeuchi (-2)

#9: Momona Kasahara (-)

Juice=Juice

If they add a new girl to Juice, we're definitely seeing a graduation this year and I don't think it'd be either Tomoko or Yuka. I really hope they don't add new members to Juice. They need at least one group to stay static to be like C-ute. The only member out of those up in the air I'd be slightly ok with joining JJ would be Reina. She's close enough in age to the others, but I still wouldn't prefer it. If management adds Ayano because "Haha Karin and Ayano twinsies!" I'm giving up on H!P.

#1: Karin Miyamoto (-)

#2: Sayuki Takagi (-)

#3: Yuka Miyazaki (+1)

#4: Akari Uemura (-1)

#5: Tomoko Kanazawa (-)

Country Girls

I'm slightly disappointed that they're being made a sub group after Momoko leaves. However, I don't think it's because Momoko's leaving. I think that both Risa and Mai started discussing their own graduations with management and that is why they're going part time. Management didn't want to lose two more members (i.e. lose even more money), so they talked them into the part time thing. Once the graduation wave this year slows down, I can see Risa graduating and Mai soon after that. Effectively ending Country Girls. Management also knew that losing three members at once would destroy Country Girls, leaving the other three left no hopes of gaining traction even if they added more, so they decided to just place them in other groups so they wouldn't lose even MORE money. I'd like to see Chisaki in Tsubaki or a new group, Musubu in Musume or Tsubaki, and Nanami in any group but Musume.

#1: Musubu Funaki (-)

#2: Risa Yamaki (-)

#3: Chisaki Morito (-)

#4: Mai Ozeki (+1)

#5: Nanami Yanagawa (-1)

Kobushi Factory

I was wrong about them sticking together for a year or so. I'm not shocked that Rio's leaving, but I'm slightly disappointed they didn't stick it out whole for another year. I think we'll see a second graduation next year and then they'll be static after that like JJ and C-ute. I'd really rather they didn't add anyone new to Kobushi. Can we have more than one static group please? I don't particularly care for Kobushi, but they work well together as a unit and I don't want a new member wrecking that. If they absolutely have to add someone new, Ayano would work well. I'd be so pissed if they added Musubu to Kobushi though. She has an excellent voice but I don't think she fits the group AT ALL. Please don't H!P. Please.

#1: Rei Inoue (-)

#2: Sakurako Wada (+1)

#3: Minami Nomura (-1)

#4: Ayano Hamaura (+1)

#5: Natsumi Taguchi (+1)

#6: Rena Ogawa (+1)

#7: Ayaka Hirose (-3)

Tsubaki Factory

I still think there will be a graduation this year. Either Risa or Ami. I'm glad they did very good with their first single release. I was a little worried for them. I wouldn't mind some of the girls going into Tsubaki. Musubu would be cool, so would Ruru or Reina. I don't think Ayano would fit, Chisaki would be ok but I'd rather see a group built around her, and I just don't really like Nanami so I don't want her here either but wouldn't be upset if she was. Actually, I think it'd be cool to get some other KSS to be a new gen with some of the transfer girls. That'd be exciting.

#1: Kisora Niinuma (-)

#2: Yumeno Kishimoto (+1)

#3: Mao Akiyama (-1)

#4: Mizuho Ono (-)

#5: Risa Ogata (+1)

#6: Saori Onoda (+1)

#7: Kiki Asakura (-2)

#8: Ami Tanimoto (-)

#9: Riko Yamagishi (-)

??????

This section is for the "yeah you're totally going to debut, we just don't know what to do with you yet!" girls. They're not quite KSS, not quite full members. I'm going to include Momohime & Kurumi in this just because who knows what they heck they're about.

#1: Reina Ichioka

#2: Ruru Danbara

#3: Momohime Kiyono

#4: Kurumi Takase

#5: Ayano Kawamura

Kenshuusei

I'm glad that we got a fairly large generation this year so far, but I hope there's more to come. They need to build up good girls in the KSS again since the program has been pretty gutted in recent years. I was wrong about KSS going to UUG and only slightly disappointed that didn't happen. I don't really follow UUG so meh. Also surprised that no one's really dropped out since MM's auditions. I guess the overwhelming about of debuts recently is keeping girls around.

#1: Hikaru Inoue

#2: Kokoro Maeda

#3: Kizuki Horie

#4: Shiori Nishida

#5: Sakiko Kodama

#6: Reina Doi

#7: Rin Hashisako

#8: Mizuki Kanatsu

#9: Yuhane Yamazaki

#10: Natsume Nakayama

#11: Kotomi Ono

#12: Saya Eguchi

#13: Risa Shimakura

#14: Ichigo Yamada

#15: Kurumi Noguchi

#16: Minami Okamura

#17: Kirara Yonemura

#18: Riai Matsunaga

#19: Marina Hibi

Hokkaido Kenshuusei

Still don't really care about them. Hated Real Little Girl. Can H!P add one to a group so I can form a real opinion on the girls?

#1: Ryo Kitagawa

#2: Minori Kawano

#3: Kanami Ishiguri

#4: Mei Yamazaki

#5: Hikari Sato

#6: Haruka Ota

#7: Yume Kudo

Music Recommendations (Jan. 27, 2017)

I figure while I'm already on here, what the heck lol. I also mainly want to feature one song in particular which is why I end up posting these in the first place.

Urbangarde - Kuchibiru Democracy (2015) (J-Pop/J-Rock)

I looooooove this. Love it so much I actually listened to the entire album. I never do that. Usually albums just go onto my "I'll get to this eventually" list and it takes me a year or so to get to it. The album is equally as good as the song.

CLC - Meow Meow & Liar (2017) (K-Pop)

Their comeback was a cheap rip off of 4Minute. There. I said it. Hobgoblin is a fun song yes, but Hyuna ruined CLC by trying to make them EXACTLY into 4Minute. And does she love the sound of her voice so much to make the one rapper girl sound exactly like her? Gosh that was the most offputting thing I've ever experienced in K-pop. Hyuna needs to stay away from CLC unless she has some fresh ideas for them. These two album tracks on the other hand are great. They're tropical house/K-pop sounding would have worked much better for a retooled CLC. Make them more of a cool "bad girl" group, but with something fresher and less sounding of desperation.

Seohyun - Don't Say No (2017) (K-Pop)

I love this new K-pop trend. Bright colors and house fusions. It's so hilarious to me how obvious the trends show up in K-pop. No. K-pop is nothing like Western music at all *rolls eyes*.

Predianna - Cry Like This (2017) (J-Pop)

Tsubaki Factory - Hatsukoi Sunrise (2017) (J-Pop)

My babies! Mark my words. They are H!P's next big thing.

Dreamcatcher - Chase Me (2017) (K-Pop)

Enjoy!

25 Days Of Christmas Countdown Day #9: Top Country Girls, Kobushi Factory, Tsubaki Factory, & Kenshuusei

It's too bad none of these groups have enough songs to fill an entire countdown yet. Well, Kobushi does (and technically the Kenshuusei do too but they'll always be with other groups unless they come out with a second album), but I haven't heard the songs from Kobushi's album yet so they still get this place. With C-ute leaving next year, there will be an open slot on the countdown for them or Country Girls, depending on if Country Girls releases an album since they have more seniority.

I guess I'll go backwards and talk about the Kenshuusei first. This year I don't find myself interested in any of the Kenshuusei that are left. There's girls that I think are talented, but I'm not invested in any of them like I was with Musubu or Kisora. Even the Kenshuusei test this year was pretty bad. I thought almost all of the girls didn't perform well, especially girls who had been in the company for a while. Momohime knocked it out of the park & Hikaru/Ruru were good as usual, but everyone else just sounded blah. As for who I'm rooted for for 13th gen....I don't really know. I don't want Kaede. I don't think her vocals are hot stuff like everyone says they are, she just has a deep voice. I do want Reina though. Her singing is ok, but she's so gorgeous. She and Maria could be co-faces of the group & get lots of photoshoots I believe. As for a good singer, either Hikaru or Ruru would be nice. Momohime I believe would be a good talent to have in MM, but not yet. In my opinion, she doesn't look mature enough yet to meld into the group with the style they're going for these days. In a year or two, maybe, but not yet. Could MM change their style up to fit her? Yes. But at the same time, MM has NEVER been a cutesy group. Sure they have a couple cuter songs, but they've always been a more mature looking funky group and to become Country Girls 20 years into their existence would be a terrible route to pursue. I truly think that Momohime is the next Karin/Ayano. The future face of a future group once she's older to be able to carry it. So yeah, I don't have much of a preference for 13th gen. Even if Kaede or Momohime get in, I won't be upset. I don't personally think they'll fit, but who knows, they might surprise me.

Tsubaki! I don't care what anyone says I love Tsubaki & they're better than Kobushi will ever be (bold statement xD). Yes, objectively Kobushi are much MUCH more talented than the Tsubaki girls. However, I love EDM. Therefore, I vastly prefer Tsubaki over Kobushi and always will unless both groups drastically change their style. I'm extremely excited for their major debut. Just Try sounds like it'll be great in the studio recording. The three new members were a shock this year. Mao was really the one I was hoping to get into MM, but I'm very pleased with her placement in Tsubaki. Saori I was always iffy on (I've always seen her as a Karin-lite), but she seems to be fitting in well. I didn't really know anything about Mizuho, but she's SO pretty and fits in with the group perfectly. I'm upset that they only received one release this year (I don't count the EP cause it was all already released/covers). Hitorijime was.....ok. I typically love Tsunku's songs but it just felt ok. Nothing mind blowing like Manmannaka or Sakihokore.

Kobushi is a group of ups and downs for me. They're so very talented, but so few of their songs appeal to me. I don't really care for funky pop rock music and it's grating hearing young teenagers attempting to do that vocal growl in songs. I didn't really like any of the songs on their third single, and outside of Sakura Night Fever (which grew on me), their second single was meh too. Also, what's with them receiving an album before Country Girls?! That somewhat bothers me but whatever. I am surprised that none of the girls have announced a graduation yet though. H!P groups tend to always have that one that leaves not long after debut. I would be ok with both Kobushi & Tsubaki becoming the new Berryz/Cute and not having generations (barring Tsubaki gen 2 as they were clearly added to balance out the group before major debut) and graduating as a mainly intact team.

Country Girls had such a high point early this year with Boogie Woogie Love & Koi wa Magnet, and then kind of crashed from that with the okay Dou Datte & a song cover. I don't like covers. To me, it's a company being lazy and they didn't want to pay a songwriter to do something original. I really wanted an album from them this year. I'm hoping that the rumor of their new single is true. The rumored song titles sound like a dark vs. light (SWTOR themed? LOL....if anyone gets the bad joke xD) concept with a mature song and a cutey song. I think that'd be cool. I'm SO glad that Momoko is leaving next year. It's a perfect time, right after Cute leaves. I'm also hoping for a Country Girls Gen 3 with Momohime & one of the newer girls. And Musubu leads. And solos. And a Musubu solo career without Country Girls. Yes. That. Speaking of Musubu, was anyone else upset that she got no lines in that cover song? I was upset. It wasn't only a cover song, but it was also a cover song without Musubu getting a solo line. Two dings from me! In all seriousness though, Namida no Request isn't bad at all, I'm just annoyed they had a cover song as an A-side on a single with only two songs. It's not as annoying when there's more songs.

#10

Country Girls - Dou Datte Ii no (2016) (NEW)

#9

Kobushi Factory - Sakura Night Fever (2016) (NEW)

#8

Hello! Pro Kenshuusei - Oheso no Kuni Kara Konnichiwa (2014) (-4)

#7

Kobushi Factory - Survivor (2015) (-4)

#6

Country Girls - Boogie Woogie Love (2016) (NEW)

#5

Hello! Pro Kenshuusei - Koishitai Shinto (2015) (+2)

#4

Hello! Pro Kenshuusei - Onna no Sono (2015) (-2)

#3

Tsubaki Factory - Keidakaku Sakihokore! (2015) (NEW)

#2

Country Girls - Koi wa Magnet (2016) (NEW)

#1

Tsubaki Factory - Seishun Manmannaka! (2015) (-)

Top H!P Members [First Half 2016 Edition]

So I've done two of these in the past, with this being the latest one: December 2015 Ranking. I think that this time it's been the hardest for me to rank members. Because of being busy, I haven't really been paying attention to groups as much as I used to. Also, H!P in general is just so boring right now. Most of the group releases so far this year are very boring to me. The only real highlights in my opinion were Juice=Juice's single and Koi wa Magnet. Everything this else ranges from meh to bad. It also doesn't help that releases in general seem to be really spread out this year so it seems like nothing is going on. Although I think the biggest reason in my apathy towards groups is that I simply haven't been buying the CDs like usual because I haven't had the extra money to pay full price for them and it's getting harder to find them cheap on ebay. On that note, I really need to learn how to use YAJ and forwarding services. But, here's my current H!P members ranking. Remember that no member who has announced her graduation/has graduated is listed.

Morning Musume

-I love them to death, I really do, but gosh they have been so boring this year. One release and not even until May?! And then that release is pretty poor? For as high energy as Utakata seems, it feels like there's really no life to it (unless you watch the music video with it, where they're actually looking interested in an MV for once), I haven't even been able to make it through The Vision because it's so bland, and Tokyo, although a great song, just doesn't pack enough punch to save the single. I think they really need a couple new "ace" material girls in the 13th gen to shake things up a bit. They seem too stagnant right now to me. Also, please PLEASE stop the formation dances they have looked terrible for a long time and keep getting worse. I'd love to see them do an EDM track with an update contemporary hip hop dance kind of thing. It'd be so interesting & the kind of *POP* they need right now. An attention getter really. But anyway, onto the girls.

#1: Miki Nonaka

-This surprises me. It really does. I don't know why I like her I just do.

#2: Masaki Sato

-There is something about her this year that just annoys me. Like last year she was really impressing me to the point where I was seriously considering her my favorite member in MM, but this year everything kind of came crashing down for some reason. The only reason she hasn't fallen further is because no one else has grabbed my interest even a little.

#3: Sakura Oda

#4: Akane Haga

#5: Haruka Kudo

#6: Ayumi Ishida

#7: Maria Makino

#8: Mizuki Fukumura

#9: Erina Ikuta

#10: Haruna Iikubo

#11: Haruna Ogata

C-ute

-At this point with C-ute, I wish that H!P would move them under UpFront to become "mature artists" instead of idols if they still want to continue. I just feel like they've done all they can within the constraints of H!P. Honestly, I'm hoping for a disbandment/hiatus/moving to UpFront out of H!P announcement at the year end H!P thing. Not because I necessarily dislike them, but because I feel like they've hit a wall and can't go up any further. Also, I think they all need a break. Mai's voice is just deteriorating more every time I hear some live performance by them. Even Airi and Chisato don't sound as good as they usually do. Their only single this year was on par with the disappointments from last year. Naze Hito was terrible. Just a bad bad song. Their voices/image doesn't work with the "gospel choir" thing. Summer Wind was ok, and Jinsei wa Step, while the best of the three, is still just meh. I need something exciting from them.

#1: Airi Suzuki

#2: Chisato Okai

#3: Saki Nakajima

#4: Mai Hagiwara

#5: Maimi Yajima

Angerme

-A moment of silence for Meimi's graduation please. I miss her already and she hasn't even left yet. H!P did her SOOO wrong. She deserved solos. She deserved spotlight. She could've been marketed as an idol with real true singing talent. She should've been head of a group like Osaka Shunkashuto. Maybe someday I'll get my wish and she'll come back as a solo singer. As for Angerme themselves, again, meh. Moe seems like she'll be pretty talented, but she's too new to really tell. This "only one release in the first half of a year" thing is really bad for my interest because it seems like nothing is happening. I can't even really comment on the single either because I haven't even taken the time to listen to the other songs besides Tsugitsugi in full because the single came out around finals week and I haven't gotten to it since.

#1: Ayaka Wada

#2: Mizuki Murota

#3: Rikako Sasaki

#4: Maho Aikawa

#5: Akari Takeuchi

#6: Rina Katsuta

#7: Kana Nakanishi

#8: Moe Kamikokuryou

-The only reason Moe is at the bottom is because of how new she is. She will likely surpass at least Rina & Kana.

Juice=Juice

-Ah, the ONLY group with a perfect single this year! Both Karada & Next Is You were so awesome. I'm glad that the release was great because I was pretty disappointed in the stuff they put out last year. I'm cautious about their next single though. I just hope that it comes out soon.

#1: Karin Miyamoto

#2: Akari Uemura

#3: Sayuki Takagi

#4: Yuka Miyazaki

#5: Tomoko Kanazawa

Country Girls

-Can you say 180 turn around? It's honestly shocking to me how good they became this year. I personally thought they would be mediocre forever following Tameranai, but then they release Koi wa Magnet?? What?? Boogie Woogie Love was so catchy too! I was honestly in shock when I heard them. I didn't care for Anata ni Muchuu cause it was way too cutesy for my taste, but 2 out of 3 ain't bad. And Musubu! Her voice in Boogie & Koi! I'm so so thankful she got to debut and although I was really uncertain about it being with Country Girls, I'm glad she did because she added a vocal tone that was needed in the group. Something deeper and strong. I hope that good things are ahead of them

#1: Musubu Funaki

#2: Risa Yamaki

#3: Manaka Inaba

#4: Chisaki Morito

#5: Mai Ozeki

#6: Nanami Yanagawa

#7: Momoko Tsugunaga

-Can she leave this year? Please? I like the idea of a long time member leading a younger group but she looks so out of place with them.

Kobushi Factory

-They actually surprised this year too. I didn't like any of their new single at first, but after I bought it, I fell absolutely in love with Sakura Night Fever. The carefree pop/rock sound is just perfect for them. They need to stop with the growling though. Not only does it sound bad, but I'm worried they're going to hurt their vocal chords because of how young they are.

#1: Rei Inoue

-Her hair is so gorgeous! No, I don't only like her because of her hair, she's arguably the most talented vocally in KF, but HOW does she have such long straight hair like that?! What is your secret? I want to know! - Sincerely, a girl who can't have long hair because it turns into a poofy tangled mess no matter what she does to it. xD

#2: Minami Nomura

#3: Ayaka Hirose

#4: Sakurako Wada

#5: Ayano Hamaura

#6: Natsumi Taguchi

#7: Rio Fujii

#8: Rena Ogawa

Tsubaki Factory

-When are they gonna get a new original song D: I need more EDM awesomeness from them! And a major debut! Please H!P? Please?

#1: Kisora Niinuma

#2: Yumeno Kishimoto

#3: Risa Ogata

#4: Kiki Asakura

#5: Ami Tanimoto

#6: Riko Yamagishi

Kenshuusei

-I have to say I was pretty disappointed in the Kenshuusei test thingy this year. In past years I ended up pleasantly surprised with some girls, but this year almost all of them sounded bad. I don't know if it was poor choice in songs or what, but most did worse than what they're capable of. This time, I'm going to attempt to rank all of the girls, even though some ranks will be practically interchangeable.

#1: Mao Akiyama

-I'd LOVE to see her in 13 gen Musume.

#2: Ruru Danbara

#3: Kizuki Horie

#4: Momohime Kiyono

-So I was very skeptical about her when she came into the program. I tend to find myself disliking girls who get all the initial fawning over because the hype is usually blown so out of proportion it's ridiculous. But, I have to say that I was very surprised with her performance on the Kenshuusei test. This girl is what, 11? And she can sing like THAT?! Honestly, I don't believe she'll be added to Musume at all. I think she's the next Karin/Ayano. A girl who will be in the program for a while & everyone will complain about, but gets to be center in her very own group.

#5: Hikaru Inoue

#6: Reina Ichioka

#7: Kurumi Takase

#8: Kokoro Maeda

#9: Momona Kasahara

#10: Sakiko Kodama

#11: Kaede Kaga

#12: Saori Onoda

#13: Mizuki Kanatsu

#14: Kurumi Noguchi

#15: Mizuho Ono

#16: Kotomi Ono

#17: Nagisa Hashimoto

#18: Momoko Shimano

#19: Rion Nakano

#20: Kirara Yonemura

#21: Yumei Yokogawa

-I really hate saying this because it's totally dream crushing to a young girl, but please don't debut her H!P. She's quite honestly the worst singer I've ever heard in H!P. I know that singing really doesn't matter in idol groups, but she's a whole other level of bad. She could totally be a model though because of how pretty she is.

So that's my bi-yearly ranking. Not many members changed spots. Not sure if that's because of apathy or because I actually have a solidified list.

Do you agree with my rankings/comments? Or do you have a different ranking?

25 Days Of Christmas Countdown Day #24: J-pop Groups to Watch in 2016

Why is it so dang difficult to find a list of Japanese groups that debuted in 2015?! I KNOW that I know of groups that have actually debuted in 2015 but I just can't remember anything....so I just decided to go with groups that are newer that I discovered in 2015.

Group #1: Tsubaki Factory

I'm just going to keep posting about them dang it lol. Tsubaki Factory is Hello! Project's newest group. They were formed in April with six members from Hello Pro Kenshuusei. They made their debut in August with their first indies single, Seishun Manmannaka. This song is an electropop number reminiscent of songs from Morning Musume during the current colorful era.

In November, they unveiled their second indies track, Kedakaku Sakihokore. It is also an electropop track like Seishun, but this time features a rap section by the members.

With the group still in their infancy, it will be fun to watch them grow over the course of 2016 and hopefully we will see their major debut soon in the next year.

Group #2: Osaka Syunkasyuto

It irks me that they romanize it as Syunkasyuto instead of Shunkashuto. It just looks bad like Syachihoko instead of Shachihoko. I'll probably just keep it as Shunkashuto even though the official romanization is with the ys. Osaka Shunkashuto is a seven member group that debuted in 2014. Member Maina is the lead in their tracks and has an absolutely stellar voice. They've released a few tracks so far and have recently released their first mini album, Early Season. I haven't yet listened to all of the CD as I haven't received it yet, but one of the songs on the EP, C'Mon!, is an uptempo pop-rock track led by their powerhouse vocalist Maina.

Because of how they managed to impress me as they have and with Maina's vocals, they are a group to keep your eye on in the coming year.

Group #3: X21

X21 is currently a thirteen member group put together by Avex who debuted in 2013. I cam across them this year with the release of their first album, Shoujo X, and the title track that was released for promotion. Shoujo X is a strong pop song with a driving beat that you can't help but want to dance to.

Earlier this year, X21 was issued a challenged by their company. If they didn't sell 10k copies or reach the top 10 with their new single, You-Ki no Parade, the group would go on an "indefinite hiatus". The song, a happy idol pop track, managed to reach #5 on the charts, allowing the group to continue.

Their most recent release is Magical Kiss, another idol pop track with a beat that reminds me of some Christmas songs.

As they are a more established group than the other two, and were able to beat their challenge, they are a J-pop group to watch in 2016.

25 Days Of Christmas Countdown Day #22: Top Hello! Project Songs 2015

I'm not entirely certain on my feelings about H!P's music this year. Losing Tsunku as the producer for almost all of the groups was such a huge blow in my opinion. His music was the main reason I fell in love with Hello! Project as much as I did. I'm hoping that as he continues to recover and get more into work again that we'll see at least one song by him per group next year.

Morning Musume probably released the best tracks as a whole this year. From their first single this year, Seishun Kozou and Yuugure were both fantastic. I've gotten a little sick of Seishun, but Yuugure is really a highlight in their discography. Ima Koko Kara was good as well, but I often forget it exists. Their second single was awesome as well, with Oh My Wish being one of my favorite tracks from the colorful era. Sukatto was a nice break from the EDM for those that had been wishing for it. Ima Sugu I don't care for much at all. It's really bland. Their newest single doesn't take up any spots on my list because it's too new, but it continues their sreak of pretty good singles for the year. Endless Sky is ok. I like it more than Ima Sugu at least. Tsumetai is absolutely gorgeous though. If it had been released a little sooner I could have easily placed it among the best of the year. The beat in the song is perfection. One And Only is amazing for the sole fact that it was made for us. The foreign fanbase. I'm grateful that UFP wants to reach out to us like they do. They don't have to, but they do anyway and it is so appreciated. The song itself is typical Musume, but a lot of fun to close out a bittersweet goodbye single for Riho.

Berryz sole musical offering this year remains one of their best ever. I'm glad they ended with a high. I'll still miss them though.

C-ute was one of the worst music-wise in H!P this year. I did quite like The Middle Management, but it wasn't good enough to have a place on my list. Tsugi no Kado eventually grew on me and GamushaLife kind of did, but both are kind of boring if you're not in the mood to listen to them. Their second single was pretty bad though in my opinion. Even though I love hearing Airi & Chisato sing, Arigatou is so boring. It was difficult to get through it once. Arashi would have been good if Maimi wasn't allowed to sing. She kind of ruins it. The previews from their album aren't all that great either. I had high hopes for Digitalic because I was expecting something Perfume-y, but it sounds like a mess. The rest I can't remember at all which isn't a good sign. Hoping next year is better for C-ute. Actually, I think they'd be better off graduating from idol-dom and moving to UFP as full artists. They could do so much more I believe without H!P & the idol tag holding them in place.

Angerme has given me mixed feelings this year. On one hand, they've really come into their own as a group with the addition of the 3ki. The group seemed pretty solid this year. Losing Kanon didn't seem like it would affect them much, and then Meimi announced her graduation. Meimi is really a core vocalist for the group and it's going to be a major blow when she leaves so I hope everyone steps up when she's gone. Music-wise, I don't feel like Angerme was a solid as their group seems. Taiki Bansei & Otome was an amazing way to start the year. The gothic and peppy themes worked perfectly. Their second single didn't come through as much as their first did. Nana Korobi is one of the best things they've done this year, but Gashinshoutan was boring generic idol pop. Mahou Tsukai was cute, but felt out of place for the group. Their final single was their worst this year though. I want to pretend like Desugita doesn't exist and Watashi is okay but annoying to listen to more than a little. Dondengaeshi was pretty good and I certainly hope that if their last single is indication on the direction they're doing to choose, I hope that direction is Dondengaeshi and not Desugita. Of the new songs on their album, only Marionette is a stand out (and one of their best ever). The other Latin flavored one was pretty good, but beyond that I only remember the other ones being boring. I'm just hoping for consistency for them next year.

Juice=Juice was completely a non-event this year. One single and one album, that's it. Next year seems bright for them though because of their drama coming up. Their only single this year was quite a let down from their previous material. Beyond what Country Girls put out, Wonderful World is the most bland song to come out of H!P this year. Ca va was pretty great, but still pales in comparison to their main A-sides in past years. Their album proved to be better than the single, even though I don't remember half of the tracks. That's my own fault though. I haven't given the album a listen since I received it.

Country Girls started off well for a cutesy group, but took a nosedive with their second single. I had absolutely no expectations for them as cutesy groups are a pretty big turn off for me, but their first single was so catchy! Itooshikute & Koi Dorobu are fun tracks despite being cutesy. Because I had been surprised by them with their first single, I was looking forward to their next one. Which was horrible. A poor Itooshikute rip off & the generic mess of Tameranai. Gone was the charm of the first single. I'm hoping that with the addition of the two new members, they can get back on a good path next year. Hopefully. I'd be horribly disappointed if Musubu was exiled to the blandness of Country Girls and they never improved.

Kobushi had a pretty good debut year in my opinion. I'm not a huge fan of the rock style for idol groups, but it suits them so much. I'm actually disappointed that they only had one true single this year. It's actually funny that in the end Nen ni wa Nen, which I thought would be the only song I liked on the single, turned out to be my least played from it. I'm not going to pretend that Ramen Daisuki is actually a good song, but it's so catchy that you can't help but love it in the end. Dosukoi is also really fun. It's too bad nothing topped Survivor this year though. Even though it was just for a stage play, it's their best song yet and I hope to see more of that "darker pop/rock" style in their upcoming single.

Tsubaki was the wild card this year. No one expected a new group formed right after Kobushi. I honestly didn't expect a whole lot out of them. The only member I really sort of cared about in the Kenshuusei was Kisora. Then they released their first song. Yeah they aren't the greatest singers or performers or what have you, but they managed to blow even Morning Musume out of the water with their song. I have heard their newest song and it sounds super catchy like Seishun as well so I have high hopes for it when a better performance comes out. Tsubaki is the group I'm most excited to see in 2016.

#10: Morning Musume - Sukatto My Heart

#9: Juice=Juice - Choice & Chance

#8: Morning Musume - Seishun Kozou ga Naiteiru

#7: Kobushi Factory - Survivor

#6: Morning Musume - Yuugure wa Ameagari

#5: Angerme - Nana Korobi Yaoki

#4: Angerme - Marionette 37C

#3: Berryz Kobo - Love Together!

#2: Morning Musume - Oh My Wish!

#1: Tsubaki Factory - Seishun Manmannaka!

Enjoy! What are your favorite H!P songs of the year?

25 Days Of Christmas Countdown Day #8: Top Country Girls, Kobushi Factory, Tsubaki Factory, and Hello Pro Kenshuusei Songs

Uploaded a little early because I'll be busy with finals all day tomorrow + finishing a paper that I'll have to turn in a day late lol. I had to lump all of these groups together as they don't have enough material on their own for a top 10. Hopefully next year they'll all get more releases. For those in the US, you will need a proxy to view the majority of these videos.

#10: Country Girls - Koi Dorobou (2015)

#9: Kobushi Factory - Dosukoi! Kenkyo ni Daitan (2015)

#8: Country Girls - Itooshikute Gomen ne (2015)

#7: Hello Pro Kenshuusei - Koishitai Shinto (2015)

#6: Kobushi Factory - Nen ni wa Nen (2015)

#5: Kobushi Factory - Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san no Uta (2015)

#4: Hello Pro Kenshuusei - Oheso no Kuni Kara Konnichiwa (2014)

#3: Kobushi Factory - Survivor (2015)

#2: Hello Pro Kenshuusei - Onna no Sono (2015)

#1: Tsubaki Factory - Seishun Manmannaka! (2015)

Enjoy! What are your thoughts on Hello Project's newest groups?

New Music Thursdays (Sept. 24, 2015)

I think I was right about the past couple weeks being a lull in releases because this week was back to form with lots of new stuff!

Track #1: Demi Lovato - Confident

Unfortunately there's no video of this on YouTube so it's just a Spotify link. Sorry to those of you who don't use Spotify! This is a promo song from Demi's upcoming album of the same name. It is a powerful track with a lot of attitude and very catchy. I personally think it's better than Cool For The Summer. Demi's new album, Confident, releases October 16th.

Track #2: Yuu Kikkawa - Wild Strawberry

When did Kikka get so good? Seriously, the past couple of songs she's put out have been outstanding. This is probably my favorite one yet. It's like the took the good part of Hana and made it into an actual full length song. I hope that the other new songs on her album are as good. Her third album, You the 3rd (Wildflower), releases on October 14th.

Track #3: Tsubaki Factory - Seishun Manmannaka!

This song is finally on YouTube and I'm so happy I could scream. This is Hello! Project's newest group and this is their first indies release, or as I like to call it "the best debut song ever released by anyone in H!P in my completely biased opinion" lol. I do really love this song and it is so sad I can't buy it anywhere. I keep hoping that a copy of the indies single will pop up on ebay or that H!P would be kind and put it on iTunes. I'd even buy it off of E-Lineup & figure out how to use the dang site if they'd put it up, but alas....it hasn't happened yet. I really hope they keep this style. To me it's kind of like an EDM/Nogizaka46 mashup. I love it. Seishun Manmannaka! was released on September 6th in limited venues in Japan.

Enjoy!

Hello! Project Ranking May 2015 [Warning: Long Post]

So I'm currently avoiding doing a paper and I thought this would be fun. I've seen a lot of people do their rankings on their favorite members and they're always so interesting to me so I figured I'll do one too. I'll be doing a 48G one too but that will take FOREVER for me and I don't have the time to do it at the moment. I can't rank the whole project together so I'll rank the groups only. This post will be super long cause H!P has really boomed recently. Just a warning.

Morning Musume

#1. Kanon Suzuki

--I don't really know what I like about Kanon. Something about her caught my eye a few years ago and I've really loved her ever since.

#2. Masaki Sato

--There was a time when Masaki would be among my lower ranked girls, but over the past year she just seems to be getting more and more talented. I've been very impressed.

#3. Sakura Oda

--Her voice is stellar and she just gets prettier and prettier each single.

#4. Riho Sayashi

--I remember when I couldn't stand Riho. When I saw the Only You video, I was so angry that she was getting all of these lines and I saw her as a threat to Reina (who I was a HUGE fan of xD). Now, she really stands out and I can see why she's the ace. Her vocals have been improving too.

#5. Ayumi Ishida

--Another girl that has really been standing out to me lately. The H!P version of Seishun really put a nice spotlight on her.

#6. Haruka Kudo

--This girl is truly gorgeous and I don't know why she's not a front girl. Her voice is good too.

#7. Akane Haga

--She was my least favorite 12th gen but then the new single happened. She really shines and I'm looking forward to her future in the group.

#8. Miki Nonoka

--She can speak English! Haha, that's not why I like her though. Her vocals seem pretty good for a newbie.

#9. Maria Makino

--Maria used to be my favorite KSS but she doesn't seem to stand out in MM that much. It'll be interesting to see how she is in future releases.

#10. Haruna Iikubo

--I don't dislike Haruna, I just very indifferent to her. She's improved a lot since debut though.

#11. Mizuki Fukumura

--Much like Haruna, I'm just indifferent to her.

#12. Haruna Ogata

--She's very pretty, but can't sing at all (yet, she could improve). I think she's the least stand out of the 12th gen to me.

#12. Erina Ikuta

--I don't hate her. I don't dislike her. I just can't see anything special about her. She's just there to me.

C-ute

#1. Airi Suzuki

--The best voice in all of H!P. Absolutely a stellar performer. And she joined when she was 8. It's just incredible.

#2. Chisato Okai

--Another incredible talent.

#3. Saki Nakajima

--Indifferent

#4. Mai Hagiwara

--Indifferent

#5. Maimi Yajima

--Probably the only girl in all of H!P I actively dislike. I don't hate her and I'm glad that she's had this opportunity, but I can't stand her voice. It's just absolutely awful in my opinion and I don't understand how she gets praise for it.

Angerme

#1. Meimi Tamura

--The second best voice in all of H!P. In fact, give her a year or so and she'll probably surpass Airi for me.

#2. Mizuki Murota

--Great vocals and she immediately caught my eye when Taiki Bansei was released. Love her.

#3. Ayaka Wada

--I may have mentioned before that I used to dislike her and grew to like her but I can't remember. She really has that spark that people look for in performers.

#4. Kanon Fukuda

--She's got really great vocals

#5. Akari Takeuchi

--Used to be my favorite 2nd gen. Personally, I've felt that her vocals keep getting worse, but I still keep my eye on her.

#6. Rikako Sasaki

--I understand the hype from some people, but I'm still unsure on how I feel about her at the moment.

#7. Kana Nakanishi

Indifferent

#8. Rina Katsuta

Indifferent

#9. Maho Aikawa

--She was so awkward in their new single (more so than MM's newbies...and she was a KSS). I'm interested to see how she grows but I'm not sure if she was ready to debut.

Juice=Juice

#1. Karin Miyamoto

--Used to really dislike her, but over this year she's really stood out to me.

#2. Akari Uemura

--Has really blown me away with her improvement.

#3. Sayuki Takagi

--Used to be my favorite, but like with Akari Takeuchi I feel like instead of improving she's getting worse.

#4. Yuka Miyazaki

--She was so adorably awkward at first, but now she's so confident. I love how she's grown.

#5. Tomoko Kanazawa

--Kind of another Maimi situation. Her vocals just don't do it for me. I recognize that she can actually sing though.

Country Girls

#1. Risa Yamaki

--I liked her in KSS and still really like her here.

#2. Manaka Inaba

--I don't totally understand why she was added to such a cutesy group, but she still stands out.

#3. Uta Shimamura

--She seems to be everyone's favorite. She's adorable, but she hasn't been around long enough for me to have a full opinion.

#4. Mai Ozeki

--Indifferent

#5. Chisaki Morito

--Indifferent

#6. Momoko Tsugunaga

--Didn't like Momoko in Berryz, really don't like her here. She'd be better off doing solo variety stuff.

Kobushi Factory

#1. Minami Nomura

--I was really indifferent to her during her whole time in KSS, but after seeing the Nen ni wa Nen performance on The Girls Live she just outshined everyone else.

#2. Rei Inoue

--Never had a strong opinion since she was very new, but wow her voice. She could be really amazing in the future.

#3. Ayaka Hirose

--Seems to have a really strong voice. Will keep my eye on her.

#4. Rio Fujii

--Indifferent

#5. Natsumi Taguchi

--Indifferent

#6. Sakurako Wada

--Indifferent

#7. Ayano Hamaura

--Indifferent

#8. Rena Ogawa

--Never really liked her in the KSS. I personally think she's the weakest link in Kobushi, but who knows where she'll be in a couple years.

Tsubaki Factory

#1. Kisora Niinuma

--Tsubaki is still SUPER new, so it's difficult to rank them, but I've liked Kisora since KSS and I ADORE her name. Like, I want to name my first daughter 'Kisora' type of adore her name.

#2. Yumeno Kishimoto

--Again, really liked her in KSS. Super excited she gets to debut.

#3. Kiki Asakura

--Girl's got a heck of a stage presence. Really interested to see her growth.

#4-6. Riko Yamagishi, Risa Ogata, Ami Tanimoto

--I don't even have enough of an opinion of these three to rank them in any sort of order. In the future I'll know more.

Kenshuusei

--I won't rank them all, but I'll rank my top 5.

#1. Musubu Funaki

--I know she's still young, but DEBUT HER ALREADY AKLSJADKJHKAJSDHASKDH. I think she might be my favorite H!P member ever. She's got everything.

#2. Ruru Danbara

--Phenomenal voice. Absolutely phenomenal.

#3. Kizuki Horie

--Was indifferent to her, but her Recital test performance blew me away. Excited to see her progress in the future.

#4. Hikaru Inoue

--Everyone else heard her performance from the Recital right? I was stunned.

#5. Kurumi Takase

--Really starting to take a liking to her.

Everyone else

--Either too new or I'm just indifferent to them.

So that's my ranking! Sorry for the ridiculously long post. So who's everyones' favorites? I'd love to know! Post a comment if you'd like :)