AKB48 Unit Matsuri (January 27th)

So, after Request Hour ended there was also held a Unit Matsuri, were several sub-units and solo-singers performed. I think this is a really cool thing, so here is the setlist:

Kage-ana: Owada Nana

M00. Overture
 ———
MC00. BAKARHYTHM, Sashihara Rino, Minegishi Minami
 ———
M01. Smile Kamigakushi (Tentoumu Chu!)
M02. Kimi Dake ni Chu! Chu! Chu! (Owada N, Ota Y, Mukaichi M, Komiyama H, Yabuki N, Tanaka M)
M03. Matsumulove (Matsumura Kaori)
M04. After Rain
 ———
MC01. BAKARHYTHM
 ———
M05. Tomo no Ura Boujou (Iwasa Misaki)
M06. Enkyori Poster (Iwatate S, Okada N, Yabushita S, Takahashi J, Murayama Y, Nishino M, Miyawaki S)
 ———
MC02. Yokoyama Y, Yamamoto S, Furuhata N, Kodama H, Fujie R
 ———
M07. 10 Krone to Pan (Yamamoto S, Yokoyama Y, Furuhata N, Kodama H, Fujie R)
M08. Wagamama na Nagareboshi (Shimazaki H, Kawaei R)
M09. Rappa Renshuuchuu (Watanabe Mayu)
 ———
MC03. Watanabe Miyuki, Suda A, Yamauchi S, Oota A
 ———
M10. Tainin Gougi no Sunset beach (Watanabe Miyuki, Suda A, Oota A, Yamauchi S)
M11. Okami to Pride (Iriyama A, Shiroma M)
M12. Birthday Wedding (Kashiwagi Yuki)
 ———
MC04. Sashihara R, Kizaki Y, Shimazaki H, Yagura F
 ———
M13. Boyhunt no Hohou Oshiemasu (Sashihara R, Shimazaki H, Yagura F, Kizaki Y)
M14. Kirigirisu Jin (No3b)
M15. Romance Privacy (French Kiss)
M16. Stoic na bigaku (Watanabe M, Ichikawa M, Oba M, Yabushita S, Miyawaki S, Yabuki N)
M17. Soredemo Sukidayo (Sashihara Rino)
 ———
MC05. Oshima Y, Minegishi M, Furukawa A, Takajo A, Nagao M
 ———
M18. Ichi no san (Oshima Y, Nagao M, Minegishi M, Furukawa A, Takajo A)
M19. Itsumo soba ni (Kuramochi Asuka)
M20. Watashi Leaf (Matsui J, Iriyama A, Kawaei R, Owada N as Kato Rena's under)
M21. Jane Doe (Takahashi Minami)
M22. Tsugi no Pierce (Not yet)
 ———
MC06. Kojima H, Kashiwagi Y, Matsui R
M23. Shower no ato dakara (Kojima H, Kashiwagi H, Matsui R)
M24. JJ ni karitamono (Takahashi M, Umeda A, Takayanagi A, Yamada N, Kitahara R, Kuramochi A)
M25. Hatsukoi Dash (Watarirouka Hashiritai: Watanabe M, Oota A, Kikuchi A, Nakagawa H, Hirajima N, Iwasa M, Urano K)
M26. Kanpeki Guu~no ne (Watarirouka Hashiritai: Watanabe M, Oota A, Kikuchi A, Nakagawa H, Hirajima N, Iwasa M, Urano K)

 ———
MC07. Oshima Y, Kojima H, Minegishi M, Sashihara R 

 ———
M27. Heart Ereki (senbatsu - Kojima Mako as Jurina's under)
M28. Suzukake Nanchara (Janken senbatsu, sister groups girls not here except Jurina and Nao)
M29. Sayonara Crawl (All)

M30. Koisuru Fortune Cookie (All)
 ———
Announcement: Oshima Yuko's graduation ceremony will be held at the Kokuritsu (Olympic Stadium) (concerts scheduled March 29th-30th). She will attend handshake events after her graduation.
A "Thank you Yuko" festival will be held later in the year.
 ———
Encore
 ———
EN01. Mae Shika Mukanee (Senbatsu)
EN02. Heavy Rotation (All)

NO DiVA!!! :(
They seemed to use this concert to promote the album songs.. Which is great, but still why don't they perform them on real concerts?? And how about a few Chocolove songs?? I love Chocolove and I really want to see some songs be performed again..
Well, something important happened: We were right and Yuko will graduate in the Olympic stadium. This better be amazing, but as far as I know Yuko, it will be.. ;)
I guess the solos sounded awesome and it's nice to see something like Enkyori Poster being performed (Juri *-*) but that's really it!

AKB48 Request Hour Day 4 (January 26th)

The last day of exciting songs for now.. After this the waiting will wait for the top100 songs, that will be performed at Saitama Super Arena on April 6th.
But first let's see the places 125-101!!

Kage-Ana: Okada Nana

~overture~
125. UZA - AKB48 (Shinoda > Iriyama, Itano > Tano)
124. Kono Sekai ga Yuki no Naka ni Umoreru Mae ni - NMB48 Team N
 ———
MC01. Matsui J, Matsui R, Minegeshi, Takahashi M, Yamamoto S,Watanabe Miyuki
 ———
123. Plastic no Kuchibiru - Oshima Yuko
122. Seifuku no Bambi - Sashihara Rino, Kodama Haruka, Miyawaki Sakura
120. Kimi no C/W - Watanabe Mayu, Shimazaki Haruka, Takajo Aki
120. Iiwake Maybe - AKB48
 ———
MC02. Sato Sumire, Kuramochi Asuka, Tano Yuka, Oshima Ryoka
 ———
118. Kizashi - SKE48 Team KII
118. Sayonara Crawl - AKB48
 ———
MC03. Yokoyama Yui, Watanabe Mayu, Ichikawa Miori
 ———
117. Sore wo seishun to yobu hi - SKE48
116. Sasae - Oshima Team K
115. Sunahama de Pistol - NMB48 (Center: Kotani Riho)
114. Nagiichi - NMB48 + Jo Eriko
113. Through the Night - SKE48
112. Hoshi no Mukougawa - Kojima Haruna, Nakata Chisato, Oota Aika, Iwasa Misaki
111. Glory days - Matsui Jurina, Nakanishi Yuuka, Saito Makiko
110. Usotsuki na Dachou - Ishida Anna, Goto Risako, Yamada Reika
108. Teppen Tottande! - NMB48
 ———
Bonus. secret base ~kimi ga kureta mono~ - SONE (Minegishi Minami, Kitahara Rie, Sashihara Rino, Miyazaki Miho) (not ranked)
 ———
108. Suitei Marmalade - Future Girls
107. Mou Hadashi ni Hanarenai - NMB48
106. Mushi no Ballad - Kojima Haruna
 ———
MC04. Kotani Riho, Ogasawara Mayu, Tashima Meru, Tomonaga Mio
 ———
105. Gingham Check - AKB48
 ———
MC05. Kojima Haruna, Oshima Yuko
 ———
104. Kodoku na Runner - Yokoyama Team A
103. Nando mo Nerae! - NMB48 Team N (Ogasawara Mayu, Kinoshita Haruna, Kotani Riho, Hayashi Momoka, Kadowaki Kanako)
102. Kuchi Utsushi no Chocolate - Kashiwagi Yuki, Oota Aika, Katayama Haruka
 ———
MC06. Kashiwagi Yuki, Oota Aika, Katayama Haruka
 ———
101. Gomen ne, SUMMER - SKE48
 ———
ENCORE
 ———
EN01. Kanashiki Kinkyori Renai - Umeda Team B
EN02. Team Zaka - Minegishi Team 4 (5th album)
 ———
MC07. Team 4
 ———
EN03. Maeshika Mukanee (35th single) 

Announcement VTR!
AKB48 Group Gib Sokaku Matsuri
Zepp Diver City Tokyo 24th February 2014

EN04. Koisuru Fortune Cookie
EN05. Heavy Rotation

First off, what's UZA doing so low??? o.O Seems like I'm really in the minority of liking this song to death. xP Well, what I'm really happy about is that Tano Yuka is in this line-up. Yosh!! And she even is in Tomochin's position, isn't that great???
Yuko luckily got to sing Plastic no Kuchibiru in Mariko-sama's place. Honestly, Jurina would have also been fine, but I'm happy that Yuko was able to sing this song once in her carreer. Sadly, it dropped almost 100 places.. graduation..
But why is Sasae so low. I almost voted for it but hoped it would rank high. But it seems without Twintower fans (who probably always voted a lot for it) there aren't that many voters.. And they probably feared it wouldn't be performed by the original members.. which sadly happened. But if you think about only five people singing the songs, I think it's better that Oshima Team K got to sing the song, especially since that Team is also awesome.. Then we also find Through the Night here, which is so awesome for Deguchi & co. I still love the song and am happy that so many SKE fans like the song, too! :D (or the members.. or the theme..) There's also Glory Days, such an adorable song, but like I said about Jyuri and Darkness, Jurina's fans are probably just voting for Omoide and Suzukake!!
Sadly, Teppen Totande didn't rank in the top100. Damn, this song is so NMBish and it really marks their approach to the top.. So sad, soo sad..
What a revival of SONE??? WTF?? xxD OMG, that's sooo cool!! Like, really they are made up of the funniest members everrrr!! Myao and Miichan, Kitarie and Sasshi.. This can't get wrong. Just listen to this, it's so freaking funny. xD
But now onto a rather sad thing: Mushi no Ballad dropped 101 places. :o Well, with Sayaka's graduation there wasn't a need to vote for it anymore.. I guess. But still, it's such an amazing song! And I don't know what I should think about Nyan doing it.. I would be happier if Ume-chan or Mocchi did it, but yeah. Haruna is also a good singer, so it's alright.. :)
Lastly, Kodoku na runner ranked and was performed by Team A.. Well, I look forward to see Yuka in this, but why no SDN? :( Still, such an awesome song, and I guess Yuuwaku no Garter will rank in top100. ;)
Also with this it's clear, that the song I voted for is in Top100!! Yeay :D

Oh wait, let's not forget to talk about the announcement!! A shuffle? Like, a real big 48group shuffle?? :o Well, if that means that Sae-chan comes back to AKB48 (she mentioned she feels lonely nowadays and wants to see the members.. and she looks forward to it, so it's possible^^) I'm all for it. 
But I hate the whole ''This is to save Team K'' talking. Damn, if you don't push these amazing girls, how should they become popular?? And some of them are already popular. Yagi and Tomu even went higher in sousenkyou last year. Definetely higher than Kato Rena, who didn't rank at all.. or all the little 14th and 15th generations.. And there are still so many other amazing members like Mocchi, Kitarie, Myao, Abemari etc.. They already have a great bond, so please don't destroy that.. And also please don't tear the sister groups apart, HKT just had their shuffle.. -.-
But except for that I'm open-minded to this shuffle.. How about Yuka and Moe to Team K? And perhaps the three musketeers to the teams A, K and B.. And what about Team 4? :D This is already exciting and I can't wait for it!!!

Your smile is like the sun - Momosu '14

Morning Musume is back with their new single, that will be released on January 29th. this time it isn't only a double A-side. Oh no, this time it is a TRIPLE A-side with the three songs ''Egao no Kimi wa Taiyou sa'', ''Kimi no kawari wa iyashinai'' and ''What's love'' and it's also the first single they release under the new name Morning Musume '14. In this post I will talk about the first one of these songs, the main song ''Egao no Kimi wa Taiyou sa''.

This song still follows the whole electronic style of this Momosu era, but at the same time it is a lot less serious that their last songs. Here we have a pretty fun song, something we didn't have in a very, very long time! Even the title already says Your smile is like the sun, so I think it's clear that this has to contain a positive message and to be a positive song. And it defenitely is, with a happy sounding chorus that somehow shows the child side of Momosu. But there are still some badass elements, like the beginning We will rock you beat and the dance battle break in the middle. Everyone shines a bit in this song, and even though a few members still don't get a solo, there isn't a clear senter either. I'm actually positively surprised at the amount of lines Masaki has nowadays. xD But these autotune lines should be banned and I'm happy that Masaki tries to sing over them at concerts. :D 

This probably isn't their strongest song, but it's fun to listen to and it's different from their other stuff!

But now onto the video!! Yossh!!

I really like how we see them from above at first..

.. and then slowly the camera comes closer and more to the front.

Hi there, Sayumi!

Sayumi: We will rock you!!

Oh right.. white background everywhere...
Seems like we shall concentrate on the dance ;)

What a surprise.. :o They added some beautiful background videos.. It changes with the music and looks so cool!!!

Haruna has the POWER!!

Oh no.. what will happen to the otehr members? xD

Ayumi: I don't care..

Those are some amazing scenes. I really like the use of green screen here.

Cute Sakura at the front :)

And Ayumin looks so mature here.. and she always has so much confidence when she dances.

Let the close-ups begin.. of course with Riho xD
These scenes aren't as bright as the dance shots.

Sayu looks as awesome as ever..

Masaki: Sayuuuuuu!!!

Oh, Eripon why are you angry?

Riho: You don't wanna know..
Zukki: *shock* What??

Ayumi: You are all crazy..

Haruna

Duuuuuuu.. here she looks so damn cute.. **

Ganbatte kudasai!

Masaki steps up..

Masaki: I am cute, nee~?

Wow, Sakura's smile looks just so awesome here.. She has so much more confidence now..

And Zukki looks beautiful :D

Yeay for the group shots!!
Leaders and the tiniest girl here!!

Um, the best voices??
Kanon looks so freaking happy XD

Sakura with the two boys.. this must feel like heaven! xD
Erina **

What are they wishing for?
Mizupon: I want this single to be succesful!!

Ace looks a bit too concentrated while Daishi just has fun xD
And Masaki is like: What's going on?

Eripon quality!! xD

And the girls are just walking in the chorus. This is actually quite refreshing xD

But the hardcore dance starts again soon xD

Yeay, some spotlight for Haruna.

A big problem for every dancing idol: HAIR!!!
Sakura: I hate it..

Wow, now this looks REALLY cool!!

It's so cool that these two have such a great bound as friends :)

Erina: I want you!!!
What.. me??

These two are just so cute together..
I would ship them anytime xD

Ayumi isn't smiling..
Ayumi: Hello.. Want some candies??

Eripon ** Zukki **
This shot is awesome!

Sayu are you in fighting mode??

So love these shots.. Especially the last one is so beautiful. Sayu mommy and Ayumi! xD

And Momosu is still walking.. About the clothes, I totally love them. I just don't like the shoes of Eripon and Haruna..

Haruna: Whaaat? I love them!

Aww.. Daishi really rocks this video!

And how can Haruka look so young here and so mature in other scenes??

Kanon's smile definetely is like the sun.. so beautiful!

Erina: I can't smile... my heart is broken.

The kid is happy xD

Love this group!! <3

Dance break battle.. For me, Daishi wins xD

Riho: What? I'm better *smirk*
Damn, this shot looks cool xD

What's this? Sayumi please stop yourself xD
And Mizuki likes what she sees.. this is dangerous.. run Ayumi! xD

Erina: Let me kiss you!
Masaki: Bwahahahahahaha..

Sakura: Erina, please kiss me!

Erina: Of course Sakura. We were just fooling around!

Kudo: Masaki belongs to me!!

And of course Riho gets a special shot. But it looks beautiful :)

THE END

Well, this is a pretty interesting video with all the different effects because of the green screen. I really like the white background and the beautiful video sequences in the background and they create an artistic atmosphere. The members all seem to have fun, especially in the group shots. They build a contrast to white coloured dance scenes as they have warmer colours and a more natural vibe. This looks beautiful, but the change is a bit hard for the eye. (It's okay, but yeah..) Also, the dance probably isn't the most interesting, but as this song isn't that fast I can understand it. Also, the whole video concentrates more on the interaction of the members and their beautiful smiles (title^^).

All in all this is an interesting change from this era's usual sound and video. It's enjoyable and fun to listen to the song and to watch the video. I like it and even though they had better songs this one isn't bad at all!!
I hope Momosu keeps up like this, as I still have two songs to review. ;)