Morning Musume '24 - Professionals - 17th (album unboxing)

On the Last day of this Year, I am doing an unboxing of Morning Musume '24's newest album Professionals - 17th which was released on November 26, 2024.

This was a highly anticipated release which was centered around Ishida Ayumi's graduation. I truly love Morning Musume Albums, so I was very excited upon hearing the announcement.

As many others, I was still a little sad that Ayumi didn't get her own Graduation Single, but I believe her getting a center song with Yuukan na Dance + a Music Video is still pretty amazing!

Let's first do the unboxing and talk about the tracklist after.

Although slightly awkward, I think this is a decent Momusu album cover. A highlight is the Ayumi center position and the blue color in both clothing and background. The outfits are looking great btw!

I prefer this picture on the back, it has a little more impact.

Obi with Riley and Ako. 

The inside of the CD

I do want to give credit to the design team, the consistent coloring is lovely. The CD is very simple but I like the Key.

Behind the CD

And again the cover

Lyrics for Yuukan na Dance.

AND OMG WE GOT PICTURES.

This is so amazing!!!

Literally the first time in like 10 (?) Years that we have pictures inside the booklet for a regular album version.

And even better, it is of the units. Which means it starts with the 15 gen picture next to their song lyrics!! This is pretty iconic!!

More lyrics

Akane and Sakura looking stunning together!

A very adorable Yokoyan and Harukasan!!

And the rest of the members in the biggest unit.

Everyone looks great here too.

And the back of the booklet with all the members in order of seniority.

Tracklist

1. Yuukan na Dance
2. Occhokochoi na Fantasia Romance - Kitagawa Rio, Okamura Homare, Yamazaki Mei
3. "Koibito"
4. Mukasuki!
5. Suggoi FEVER!
6. Naisho da yo - Oda Sakura, Haga Akane
7. Nandaka Sentimental na Toki no Uta
8. Aete Yokatta - Yokoyama Reina, Inoue Haruka
9. Neverending Shine - Morning Musume '23 feat. Fukumura Mizuki
10. Shiawase Shisuu Happyou Saretai - Ikuta Erina, Ishida Ayumi, Nonaka Miki, Makino Maria, Sakurai Rio, Yumigeta Ako
11. Wake-up Call ~Mezameru Toki~
12. SaiKIYOU
13. Oozora ni Mukatte

First of all, getting 8 new original songs is pretty great and makes up for not getting a lot of singles recently (a bit at least).

The title track Yuukan na Dance is truly perfect for Ayumi and makes her shine a lot. I love that they made an MV which showcases her dance but also shows all the members very well! It is definitely one of my favourite music videos of 2024.

Other than that, Koibito is my favourite song. It's been a while since Morning Musume got such a great and sentimental song. It especially fits the younger members well and gives me a lot of hope and excitement for the future of the group. They definitely still got it!!

Muka Suki is very cute and I like all the unit songs as well, with Aete Yokatta being my favourite so far. I would say Oozora ni Mukatte is not the strongest of their "slower" songs, but it still works fine as the last songs.

I do like all of the singles, and I am glad they also included Fuku-chan's Neverending Shine *-*

Her graduation still feels very recent, which makes it a little more emotional for me.

All in all, this album does not disappoint.

We have waited a long time, but Morning Musume really is at their best when releasing music. I really wish we had a more consistent release schedule, but this has made me very happy this year.

I already miss Ayumi, and I am happy she is being celebrated like this!

I am very excited about Morning Musume '25 and hope we don't have to wait too long for a new Single.

Thank you Morning Musume '24!! 💙

Beyooooonds - Hai to Diamond / Go City Go / Hooke no Housoku (Regular A) unboxing

Today I will do an unboxing of Beyooooonds 5th Single Hai to Diamond / Go City Go / Hooke no Housoku (Regular A).

This is actually the first Beyooooonds Single I ever bought. (I do own their two albums) 

This is definitely one of their best Singles in a long time, maybe even since their debut Single. This is also Yuhane's last one and the first and only one with 11 members. I am still very shocked about Yuhane's graduation, and I am also very sad that Reina left the group earlier this year.

It's definitely a new beginning for the group, also with the audition announcements.

But for now let's check out this Single:

Regular A cover is my favourite, I really love everyone in the Hai to Diamond outfits.

All of them look amazingg!!!

The Obi

Discoooo

The CD is pretty simple but fits the vibe.

I wish there was another picture of them but they also had to fit the lyrics of all four songs I guess..

On the right are the lyrics of the B-Side Koisuru Ginga.

And here are the lyrics of the three A-sides.

I got Kurumi as my first ever Byonz trading card!!

I love this hairstyle on her and she is such a vocal powerhouse!!

As a store bonus I got this cute Go City Go postcard. I already put it on my wall hehe.

Let's take a look at the tracklist:

1. Hai to Diamond

2. Go City Go

3. Hooke no Housoku

4. Koisuru Ginga

5. Hai to Diamond (Instrumental)

6. Go City Go (Instrumental)

7. Hooke no Housoku (Instrumental)

8. Koisuru Ginga (Instrumental)

Hai to Diamond is such a funky song, it is really one of the best from H!P so far this year. I have listened to it so many times and it still hypes me up every time.

Go City Go is so cute and I love that it is a tie-up with Tokaido Shinkansen. They even say the names of the cities and it feels like they are taking us on the journey with us. It is also a great tribute to Reina and makes me miss her even more. Only negative is that they used AI in their music video, which is sad.

Hooke no Housoku is the weakest song in my opinion but it is still fun to listen to. I love how the group incorporates dialogues in their songs.

Last but not least we have the B-Side Koisuru Ginga and I am sooo happy that B-Sides are back because this song is amazing! They have performed this song live quite a few times and it is great to have the studio recording now.

All in all this is a very well balanced Single and I feel quite spoiled for a change since we got four songs.

Now I really hope that we don't have to wait yet another year for their next Single. 

Angerme - Bibitaru Ichigeki / Uwasa no Narushii / THANK YOU, HELLO GOOD BYE (Regular A) unboxing

Angerme released a new single and I will do an unboxing of it today. It is called Bibitaru Ichigeki / Uwasa no Narushii / THANK YOU, HELLO GOOD BYE and I bought the Regular A Edition.
This single is Sasaki Rikako's last single. I'm very sad because she is one of my favourite Idols ever, and she is also the last S/mileage/ Original Angerme member. T.T

I will miss her a lot but first let's look at this single.

A very cool cover, showing a very cool Angerme!

Like seriously, how do they all look so kakkoi?

The Obi

Purple is actually one of my favourite colours, so I am happy about this theme.

Hehe the title is also so cool: Beautiful Strike

We see there was a strike in the CD design haha

The cover and close-up's of all the members.

It took me some time to get used to the newer members, but this is a strong line-up.

And the lyrics

And my photocard is Wakana.

Well.. she is adorable but not really my favourite member.

But I am very very happy about the shop bonus of the whole group!

Tracklist:

1. Bibitaru Ichigeki

2. Uwasa no Narushii

3. THANK YOU, HELLO GOOD BYE

4. Bibitaru Ichigeki (Instrumental)

5. Uwasa no Narushii (Instrumental)

6. THANK YOU, HELLO GOOD BYE (Instrumental)

Bibitaru Ichigeki is a very powerful song, it is so far my favourite song of 2024! Like I'm not kidding when I say I listen to it several times a day. Also the music video is a masterpiece. 

Uwasa no Narushii is a more layed back song, but it also fits the members very well and I love to hear the vocals. And okay Yuki, wow she is amazing!!

THANK YOU, HELLO GOOD BYE is Rikako's graduation song (cryingggg) and wow, it is perfect for her. As for graduation songs, this is definitely my favourite from recent ones!

Overall this such a strong single, Rikako definitely deserved the best and she got it.

Juice=Juice - Tokyo Blur / Naimono Love / Oaiko (Regular C) unboxing

Today I am doing an Unboxing of Juice=Juice's 18th single Tokyo Blur / Naimono Love / Oaiko (Regular C).

This single acts as Uemura Akari's last single, as she graduated from the group last week.

As she was the last original member of the group, her graduation has a lot of sentimental value for me. I was really excited for this single.

The only downside is that Mifu still couldn't participate due to her condition. But now she is doing better so I hope we will see her first single release soon!

This time I got the Cover for Oaiko, which is centered around Aari for her graduation. 

I thought the cover was very lovely and aöö the members look so pretty.

Herr is the Obi

Inside of the CD

The CD!

Aaaand I absolutely love that we get pictures of all the three A-sides here! They look so good in all of them. I love the member colors for Naimono Love and the styling for Tokyo Blur is absolitely amazing.

The lyrics

Zooming in on all of them, here is another view of the cover

Member colors all the way!

Aari is glowing here and look at Ruru!! 

And as a trading card I got Akaringo.
Omg she is so cute and she has definitely been growing on me recently!

The CD Japan bonus with Tokyo Blur set is so pretty. 

I already hung it up my wall haha

1. Tokyo Blur

2. Naimono Love

3. Oaiko

4. Brilliance of memories - Uemura Akari

5. Tokyo Blur (Instrumental)

6. Naimono Love (Instrumental)

7. Oaiko (Instrumental)

8. Brilliance of memories (Instrumental)

Let me talk about all the songs real quick.

Tokyo Blur is my absolute favourite Juice=Juice song in a long while! I love the city pop vibe and the YumeRiai center. Listening to this song makes me feel like the group will be fine. Aldo, Ruru's last bridge is one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard!

Naimono Love is a very decent song as well. I especially love that besides Aari and Rei it is focused on Ichika, Sakura and Akaringo. These three sound amazing and should get more solo lines in the future.

Then we have Oaiko, which despite some rap parts is quite an emotional track. I can feel the love towards Aari in this one and it does make me emotional.

Lastly there is Brilliance of memories, which is Aari's solo graduation song. Oh wow, this definitely made me cry. I am glad that she hot such a beautiful farewell as their leader and last original member.

All in all this is such a great single and I am really happy about it.

あーりーがとう！

Let's talk about former Idols - Suzuki Airi

Welcome back!

The title is very straight forward so let me explain about former Japanese Idols. The one person I really wanted to talk about is:

SUZUKI AIRI

Suzuki Airi is going to release her 4th studio album next week, which includes some of her viral hits like Saikyo no Oshi. It is her first album under Sony, and it seems like the whole album will be on Spotify etc. Compared to Hello Project, that is pretty amazing and I hope many people will be able to listen to her music.

She has probably the best Singing career out of former H!P Idols right now and I am so so happy for her. It is great to still see her on stage with that beautiful voice of hers and making amazing songs.

This is a more recent haul of Airi stuff. Aside from her second album, it includes her very Idol like cover of UTB. And her lipstick, which is actually pretty amazing!!! I am really happy about her releases and it makes me look forward to see what she is going to do in the future and I hope she gets promoted even more.

One goal of mine is to go to a solo concert of hers. Still hoping she might come to Europe one day.

Former Idols

There are so many different paths, and whether it is being a singer, an actress, a model, a Youtuber or leaving the entertainment industry completely, like Mayuyu and Momochi. 

Bein an actress in Dramas or Musicals seems to be one of the most common work choice for former Idols. 

A lot of former Idols find joy in concentrating on family life and raising kids like Sugaya Risako. And Tsuji and Konno having a battle as to who can have the most kids. 

Wada Ayaka is creating art and posting about feminism. 

Sashihara Rino is a famous Idol Producer and is challenging the entertainment industry by being transparent about a lot of issues. Of course she is not perfect, but I believe she is such an important figure in the recent Idol industry.

Or, they try to be an Idol again in a different group!

Every path is okay!

As long as they are happy, I am happy as well. When my favourite Idols graduated I used to feel a little detached from them, but now I can embrace them after as well. I am happy that I still get to cheer them on in a different way, and I am actually a little glad about some more distance.

I am older now, I graduated University and I started a new job recently, so I have learned more about different aspects of life. Idols still give me a lot of support in life, but it is actually the graduated ones that give me the most encouragement now. They make me want to be brave and take on new challenges.

But of course it makes me also appreciate current Idols in a different way. I may never have another Oshi that I like as much as I did a decade ago, but the groups and the music are still drawing me back again and again.

To conclude it all, I am definitely feeling how graduation is a new start!

ゴールは新たなスタートライン！

(KOBUSHI FACTORY)