C-ute – Shock! PV

C-ute’s 16th single Shock! is out on the 6th of January 2010 and it’s shockingly bad to say the least. It has to be the weakest single they’ve released in a while. The intro had me thinking it was going to be a James Bond song (listen carefully and you’ll instantly recognise the Bond theme tune…..well I did anyway!). The PV is dull as well with Airi being pushed more and more to the front. It seems to me the rest are nothing more than backing singers. I still can’t get used to seeing Maimi with short hair (please grow your hair back!! The short hair doesn’t suit you at all!!).



Japan’s Idols Hit Hard By The Flu

It seems from reports coming out of Japan that a lot of Japan’s music idols have been hit hard by the flu. It’s not swine flu they’ve been infected but just ordinary seasonal flu. The hardest hit of them all is Berryz Koubou. Two thirds of the group is out: Momo came down first followed by Miyabi, Maasa, Risako and Saki. I’m sure the other two will get the flu sooner or later.

AKB48 is another idol group that has a couple of members down namely Mayu Watanabe and Reina Fujie. Expect some more names to have been taken ill over the coming week.

And now C-ute has been targeted too with Saki laid out with the flu.

What are the chances that somebody from Morning Musume will catch the flu this week?

C-ute – EVERYDAY Zekkouchou PV

The PV for C-ute’s 10th single EVERYDAY Zekkouchou is now out and it’ll be Erika Umeda’s last single with the group before she graduates. I thought they might have given her a solo line seeing as she’s leaving but that doesn’t happen. I think it’s a great song for her to bow out.

2nd Bombshell For C-ute – Erika Umeda To Graduate!

Still reeling from the shock announcement that Kanna was leaving the idol group with immediate effect recently, C-ute fans have been hit by yet another bombshell. Erika Umeda will be graduating on October 25th to become a fashion model. I can’t say that I’ve been a fan of Erika, of course she’s an important member of the group but definitely not one of the most popular ones such as Airi and Maimi. Will C-ute carry on as a 5-nin group or will they add another member to the team? I wish Erika the best of luck in her new career and hope she succeeds as a model.

C-ute Bombshell – Kanna Leaves H!P

This piece of news has come as a complete bombshell for me and I really didn’t expect to hear today that Arihara Kanna who was on sickness leave for bunions treatment has quit C-ute and H!P altogether! But is there more to this story that meets the eye? It was way back in February that Kanna disappeared from the scene for treatment which was only supposed to last for 6 – 8 weeks at the max but she never returned and there hasn’t been any progress report on how the treatment was going and when she was scheduled to return. There’s some rumours going around that Kanna might have been snapped by some paparazzi with a member of the opposite sex and we all know that their contract specifically implies that any H!P idol is not allowed to have any boyfriends. The official line from UFA is that she wanted to return to a normal life but that sounds a bit iffy. So was Kanna pushed out of H!P or not? We might never know the truth but I wish Kanna the very best of luck in the future. I shall certainly miss her.

Idol Oricon Chart Battle

It was all set to be a 3-way Oricon chart battle this week between AKB48, C-ute and Kago Ai when all of them were releasing their new singles but a little while back it was announced that C-ute’s new single has been pushed back another week to July 1st so on Wednesday it’s just going to be a straightforward fight between AKB48 and Aibon. It’s a no contest in my mind as no matter how great Kago’s single is (IMO I think it’s a fantastic song), it doesn’t stand a chance of beating the all conquering AKB48. It’ll be interesting to see how well their new single does after breaking 100k with 10nen Sakura. Can it match or even beat that?

CD Cover for the new AKB48 single - Namida Surprise

CD Cover For Kago Ai's new single - No Hesitation

and even though it won’t be released now until July

Limited Edition CD Cover for C-ute's New Single - Shochuu Omimai Moshiagemasu

C-ute – Shochuu Omimai Moshiagemasu Full PV

C-ute, still without Kanna release their 9th major single “Shochuu Omimai Mōshiagemasu” (a cover of a song by 70’s idol group Candies) on July 1st. Enjoy the PV below.

C-ute – Bye Bye Bye PV

C-ute’s PV for their new single Bye Bye Bye has finally been posted up on Dohhh Up and before anybody asks – no it’s not a cover of the N’Sync song. Straight away from watching the PV you’ll notice that Kanna is missing, she’s still recovering from bunions at home.  It looks odd  that there’s only 6 of them but we’re gonna have to get used to this for a while until Kanna’s ready to return. The song is nothing spectacular, I’m not saying it’s bad just it’s not as good as their last 2 singles. The PV is somewhat disappointing. It’s got a 80’s theme to it. The girls look good in their silver outfits and I like the flashing Bye Bye Bye sign in the background.  The single is released on the 15th April. Enjoy the PV.

C-ute Temporarily Down To 6 Members

H!P released a statement today announcing that C-ute’s Arihara Kanna is out indefinitely with bunions (an enlargement of the bone or tissue near the big toe) which has become too painful for her to continue working. She is not expected to be doing any promos with the rest of the group for their upcoming single Bye Bye Bye or be taking part in C-ute’s concert tour. Kanna could be out for a few months as she recovers from the treatment for her condition. Get well soon Kanna!

Huge News – Morning Musume To Perform In The US!

This has come out of the blue but Morning Musume are coming to the US to perform at an anime and manga convention this coming Summer. Yes, you’ve read it right – they’ll be coming over to the Anime Expo event which is being held on July 2 – 5 in Anaheim, California.

This is going to start a ticket frenzy amongst fans who have been hoping and praying that one day H!P’s flagship group would come over to the US and now their dreams have come true. Some fans are going to be disappointed such will be the demand but I wouldn’t worry too much. The event will be such a success there’s no doubt that Morning Musume will come back again to the US and I reckon Berryz and C-ute will soon be following them. Now that they’re heading to the US, isn’t it time they look towards Europe and plan a concert there but maybe that’s on the cards.

Good luck to everyone hoping to grab a ticket!

Morning Musume