Maruwakari Summer 2016: Tsugunaga Momoko

Completely blowing away the age difference!

The representative idol of idols

Q1. Who is your favourite H!P member (including OGs)?

Yasuda Kei-san ♥ The legendary teasable character that continues to be loved by everyone!! Her overpowering perfume is lovely as well ♥ (laughs)

Q2. What H!P song would you like to sing solo?
'Momoiro Sparkling' (℃-ute)
It's a perfect fit for the summer!! It's a perfect fit for Momochi!! ℃-ute, any time now please.

Q3. Among the (current) H!P members, who would you like to go to the sea with, and what would you do?

Juice=Juice's Miyamoto Karin-chan.

I think that the both of us will be more than concerned about getting tanned, so I'd like us to eat yakisoba under a parasol ♥

Q4. Who is the 'summer girl' amongst the (current) H!P members?
Morning Musume。´16's Iikubo Haruna-chan. Her skin tone is always cocoa brown, so she has that summer feel regardless of the season!!

Q5. If you were to come out with a photobook, please tell us where you'd like to go and what you'd like to do.
I want to go to a snow country ♥ A pure-white world goes really nicely with a fair-skinned beauty ♥ It's snow magic ☆

Q6. What is your treasure?

Obviously, it's the fans who constantly support me♥♥

Momochi is here because of you ♥♥
Thank you for the smiles and the energy ♥♥

Q7. Is there anything that you'd like to make a start on?
Muscle training!! Currently, I can't even do a single push up, and I'm no good at sit-ups either, so I'd like do to my best and get my abs into a six pack!!

Q8. Please make a new unit by picking a person from each group.

℃-ute's Hagiwara Mai-chan
Morning Musume。´16's Makino Maria-chan
ANGERME's Aikawa Maho-chan
Juice=Juice's Miyamoto Karin-chan
Kobushi Factory's Nomura Minami-chan
Tsubaki Factory's Tanimoto Ami-chan

A unit made up of people with 'M' in their names ♥
A group of cuties brought together by this coincidence ♥
By the way, for Tsubaki Factory, it's the 'M' from Tanimoto AMi!!

Q9. Please tell us what's the best thing about your own group.
Our cuteness ♥ It's not just that our songs and outfits are cute, but all of us have sweet characters, which is fascinating ♥ Well, that's because they've got a good PM ♥

Finally, please give a message to all the fans

We'll do our best to become a group 

that scores A's 

on our report cards ♥ 

♥Tsugunaga Momoko♥

More from the same book

Maruwakari Summer 2016: Song you'd like to sing

Q2. What H!P song would you like to sing solo?

℃-ute
Yajima Maimi	Ame no Furanai Hoshi de ha Aisenai Darou? (Morning Musume。)
Nakajima Saki	Watashi no Miryoku ni Kizukanai Donkan na Hito (Mitsui Aika/Morning Musume。)
Suzuki Airi	Omoi Afurete (Matsuura Aya)
Okai Chisato	Omoi Afurete (Matsuura Aya)
Hagiwara Mai	Akai Freesia (Melon Kinenbi)
Morning Musume。´16
Fukumura Mizuki	Haru Beautiful Everyday (Morning Musume。)
Ikuta Erina	Aishite Aishite Ato Ippun (Morning Musume。)
Iikubo Haruna	Toki wo Koe Sora wo Koe (Morning Musume。´14)
Ishida Ayumi	My Days for you (Mano Erina)
Sato Masaki	Tokai no Neon ga Odoroku Kurai no Utsukushisa ga Hoshii (Okai Chisato/℃-ute)
Kudo Haruka	Chikuteku Watashi no Shun (Juice=Juice)
Oda Sakura	Hareru Ame nochi Suki♥ (Morning Musume。 Sakuragumi)
Ogata Haruna	Date janai yo uchi no Jinsei ha (Juice=Juice)
Nonaka Miki	One and Only (Morning Musume。´15)
Makino Maria	Seventeen's Vow (℃-ute)
Haga Akane	Ame no Furanai Hoshi de ha Aisenai Darou? (Morning Musume。)
ANGERME
Wada Ayaka	Ame no Furanai Hoshi de ha Aisenai Darou? (Morning Musume。)
Nakanishi Kana	Tachiagaaru (S/mileage)
Takeuchi Akari	Tanpopo (Tanpopo)
Katsuta Rina	Tanpopo (Tanpopo)
Murota Mizuki	Daite yo! Please Go On (Goto Maki)
Aikawa Maho	Yuugure Koi no Jikan (S/mileage)
Sasaki Rikako	Ike! Genki-kun (Hagiwara Mai/℃-ute)
Kamikokuryo Moe	Jishin Motte Yume wo Motte Tobidatsu kara (Takahashi Ai / Morning Musume。)
Juice=Juice
Miyazaki Yuka	Tasogare Kousaten (Mano Erina)
Kanazawa Tomoko	Tsugi no Kado wo Magare (℃-ute)
Takagi Sayuki	Only You (Zoku Biyuuden)
Miyamoto Karin	dearest. (Matsuura Aya)
Uemura Akari	Koi-ING (Morning Musume。)
Country Girls
Tsugunaga Momoko	Momoiro Sparkling (℃-ute)
Yamaki Risa	Aishite Aishite Ato Ippun (Morning Musume。)
Morito Chisaki	Samui ne (S/mileage)
Ozeki Mai	Love Namida Iro (Matsuura Aya)
Yanagawa Nanami	Lalala no Pipipi (Michishige Sayumi / Morning Musume。)
Funaki Musubu	First Kiss (Aa!)
Kobushi Factory
Fujii Rio	Smile Ondon (S/mileage)
Hirose Ayaka	Hitorijime shitakatta dake na no ni (℃-ute)
Nomura Minami	Romantic Ukare Mode (Fujimoto Miki)
Ogawa Rena	Sabori (Berryz Kobo)
Hamaura Ayano	Zutto Suki de Ii desuka (Matsuura Aya)
Taguchi Natsumi	Tsuugaku Vector (℃-ute)
Wada Sakurako	Namida no Iro (℃-ute)
Inoue Rei	Elegant Girl (Himuro Ibu (CV Sugaya Risako / Berryz Kobo))
Tsubaki Factory
Yamagishi Riko	Bishoujo Shinri (℃-ute)
Ogata Risa	Hatsukoi no Anata he (S/mileage)
Niinuma Kisora	Ooki Hitomi (Morning Musume。)
Tanimoto Ami	Jitensha Chiririn (S/mileage)
Kishimoto Yumeno	Mushoku Toumei na Mama de (Morning Musume。)
Asakura Kiki	Hoshi no Hitsujitachi (Buono!)

Juice=Juice and Tsubaki Factory's thoughts on ℃-ute's breakup (Top Yell November 2016)

Though interviewed separately, Juice=Juice and Tsubaki Factory were asked about their thoughts on the impending graduation of H!P senpais ℃-ute. Here's what they said in the November 2016 issue of Top Yell magazine.

℃-ute announced the surprising news that they would be disbanding in June next year.

Miyamoto: Just as it was with Berryz Kobo-san, it's sad. It feels like an important piece of Hello! Project will go missing. It'll be up to us, the kouhai, to fill that up and go even beyond them, so we've got to absorb all sorts of things from them. Once ℃-ute-san are no longer around, we'll become the group with the highest average age. So honestly, we're feeling the pressure.

Kanazawa: We're both 5-people units, and the fans have often told us 'Set your sights on ℃-ute and do your best'. I really bear a sense of admiration towards them. In the first place, I entered this world becaused I looked up to Suzuki Airi-san, so you could say that I'm here thanks to ℃-ute-san. Even now, I still can't believe that they won't be in Hello! Project. Their presence was familiar, seemingly absolute.

Tsugunaga Momoko looks back on Country Girls as they enter the tribulating third year

Armed with her 'Momochi' nickname and her charming personality, Tsugunaga Momoko is flourishing on variety programmes. The group that she was attached to, Berryz Kobo, is currently in a hiatus, but she currently acts as Playing Manager for Country Girls. She spearheads the members through friendly competition, despite a nearly 10-year age difference. This time, with the release of their 4th single 'Do Datte Ii no / Namida no Request', we ask her to talk about her activities as part of Country Girls and as Momochi.

- Your 4th single 'Do Datte Ii no' is a nostalgic, rockabilly-style song.

Just the title might make you think that it's a reckless song. But it's a really forward looking song, the lyrics talk about a person who doesn't really care about things beyond what they believe in. The titular 'Do Datte Ii no' phrase appears more than twenty times, so the song really sticks in your head. The melody has a rockabilly taste to it, but ever since our debut single, we've been singing songs that have a hint of nostalgia in them, so this is just an extension of that. 'Cuteness' is the main thing that Country Girls pushes, but this song seems to question whether we can pull off cool, not just cute. So we're giving it a try!

- Did you know what rockabilly was when it was first mentioned?

We touched a bit on rockabilly during our previous single 'Boogie Woogie Love', so I knew what it was.

- Though you say that it's nostalgic, it'll bring up a sense of nostalgia for people who are roughly in their fifties or sixties.

Our outfits have us wearing red pumps, and we incorporate the twist in our MV, so those who watch it can enjoy the nostalgic feel.

- Nakajima Takui-san did both the lyrics and the composition.

Yup, it's a first for Country Girls.

- I had a look at Nakajima-san's liner notes, but he wrote about complicated, music-related things. Little Richard, the Beatles... Are you following me?

Nope, not at all (clearly). That's pretty much 'Dou datte ii no' to me, I don't really care about it.

- (Laughs) Nakajima-san's a natural-born musician, so he's passionate about it.

He himself harmonises in it, and Takui-san himself was also focusing on certain things when he made this song, so I'd like to properly live up to his expectations. More than anything, I'd be happiest if those listening to it think of it as a good song.

- In the past, have you interacted with Nakajima-san?

On the topic of interacting, I just happened to be at the office when Takui-san was doing an Internet broadcast, and was told to sing on it (laughs). And I appeared on the broadcast, somewhat unsure if I should be there. Ever since then, we have friendly chats whenever we meet at the office.

- You work together for 'Satoyama & Satoumi he Ikou' as well, right?

It's an event where everyone in the company talks about the wonders of the mountains and the sea, so we're often together in those. We'll be having a 'Asobu. Fureau. Taiken suru. Satoyama & Satoumi Aki Camp in Isumi' in Chiba Prefecture on the 10th of October, so everyone, please come!

- You'd like fans of Takui-san to listen to the song as well, right?

Please listen to it. The instrumental is packed with Takui-san's voice!

- So Takui-san's fans should buy it just to listen to the instrumental.

Yup, it's even got him whistling!

Messages from Fukumura Mizuki's 20th birthday goods

30 Oct 2016

20 years old

I've finally turned twenty~!!♥

I joined when I was 14... Time flies >_<

I'm already an adult, so I'm aiming to be a proper grown-up,

To bring out my Mizuki-ness,

I'll keep on doing my best

Keep on always supporting me, okay ☺

Mizuki Fukumura

H!P Maruwakari Winter 2016: Senpai

Q3: Who is the Hello! Project senpai you have as your goal, the senpai you respect?

Nakae Yuri: No longer a stand-in, I'll be taking over (LoGiRL)

As part of LoGiRL's 2016 feature on Tokyo Joshiryu, they had solo interviews with each of the girls. The interviews have the girls looking back on their tumultuous 2015 - in which they declared that they were 'artistes', and lost member Konishi Ayano - as well as touching on their thoughts about the future.

Here are some translated excerpts from Nakae Yuri's solo interview.

2015 was a year where Tokyo Joshiryu went through all sorts of incidents. Let's start first with your (5th January) 'Artiste declaration'.

While starting off the year with that announcement on Ustream must have been a huge shock for the fans, it was a huge shock to us members as well. At the very start, I felt like 'What's up with this?'

And what did you mean by 'what's up with this?'

It's not like we'd declared that 'We are idols' before that, so I was questioning if there was any need to expressly make such a declaration. The way we'd been going, there wouldn't have been any problems if we were seen as idols, nor would there have been any problems if we were thought of as artistes. I'd be happy if people thought of us as artistes in the future, but to expressly make such a declaration, it kind of leaves a bad taste in the mouth.