Trippendicular Unknown Stories

Tsunku Arrested Over Takahashi Ai's Statement in an Interview

2010-02-19T21:07:00.002+08:00

Kobayashi: Is producer Tsunku a genius?
Takahashi (Ai): Yes.
Kobayashi: What impresses you about him?
Takahashi: He has all these groups, not just Morning Musume, and makes so many songs. The melody is different each time. It thought it was amazing how he got the idea for Kimagure Princess by looking at his daughter's butt.

Full interview translation here

Latest shocking news we received from Japan. Tsunku was arrested this morning by the Japanese Police. The arrest was related to the Takahashi Ai's interview in Nack5 Fanky Friday radio on last Friday. The arrest was made after the Japanese Police had been pressured by outraged parents and NGOs all over Japan.

It seems that the statement of Tsunku's ideas of Kimagure Princess by looking at his daughter's backside caused dissatisfaction from parents. This also made the Association of Anti-Hello! Project (AAHP) filed a petition that lead to the arrest. The association spokesperson said that Tsunku's action of looking at his daughter's backside was "sickening".

"We do not like a child to be exploited like that. We simply does not want more parents to stare at their daughter's butt for ideas for their work. This is a very unhealthy and unproductive state of action shown by a famous person."

A statistic showed an increase of parents looking at their child's backside for ideas. Most of them work as artists, author, politicians or any other work that requires idea-generation. Before the interview, only 25-50 cases of parents watching the backside but after the interview, the number increases to 150-500 cases per day.

Up-Front Agency made a statement in the evening that the company will probably hire new composers and lyricists for the upcoming singles of all of the groups and singers managed by the company. But some said the statement was to calm down fans as words of disbanding the groups such as Morning Musume, Berryz Koubou and C-ute was spread all over the internet.

We will still wait for more news of Tsunku's arrestment. Media journalist were called once again for a news conference at UFA's headquarter. It is said that it is related of sudden retirement of Takashi Ai from Hello! Project.

Hit the jump for amateur pictures of today's incident.

Policemen guarding the entrance to Tsunku's residence.

Japanese Police notice of Tsunku's arrest using Tsunku's Mii character. Also can be seen in the notice is Tsunku's car. The notice was put up just before the arrestment was made.

Tsunku's grandmother's neighbour trying to pass a policeman at the police station where Tsunku is currently held.

A Takahashi Ai fan.

Police checking UFA's headquarter area after receiving a bomb threat.

Tsunku's favorite teddy bear taken to the police station after requested by his wife. She said Tsunku can never sleep without his favorite teddy bear.

Amazing sales of Sakura no Shiori outside Japan.

2010-02-18T23:21:00.000+08:00

AKB48 15th single, Sakura no Shiori recorded an amazing sales of more than 229,000 copies on the first day and exceeded 250,000 (263,822) sales on the second day making it the most successful AKB48 single to date as published by Oricon chart. But the sales was based solely in Japan.

Our correspondents (AKB48 fans actually) from around the world also sent us videos from their major music stores which sells the single. And surprisingly, the sales outside Japan was also too amazing as crowds queued outside music stores as early as 3am in the morning. The videos we received are from the United States, Finland, Germany, India, England, Congo, Canada and Malaysia. Other countries also recorded amazing sales for Japanese single.

The crowds were not only AKB48 fans, but also insomnia and sleeping disorder patients who took the opportunity of the lunar new year holiday to be at the stores, as promoted by their country's health ministry of the effectiveness of Sakura no Shiori to cure the stated problem.

Unfortunately, we did not receive any report on the number of sales from outside Japan.

AKB48 Sakura no Shiori is the Perfect Cure for Insomnia and Sleeping Disorder.

2010-02-01T21:44:00.002+08:00

AKB48 latest single, Sakura no Shiori which will be released later this month has been awarded by the Japanese Government through The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, as "The Song of 2010 That Can Cure Insomnia and Sleeping Disorder for Human and Pets".

In the middle of last month, the ministry signed an agreement with King Records to distribute 50 CDs containing only the song to 50 patients and volunteers of insomnia and sleeping disorder around the world. The number was limited to 50 to prevent piracy or an early leak on the internet. The patients and volunteers are consisted of human and pets that have the stated problems that caused mental and physical health problem to themselves, family members, friends and pet owners.

More details and presentation video after the jump.

Video presentation showing the effectiveness of the song in curing sleeping disorder.

The patients and volunteers, through the ministry of health of their respective countries were given a copy of the CD to help the research of curing the sleeping problems by using the song. The patients were then required to write an essay about their responses to the song whether it was positive or negative and filled 25-page thick survey forms.

90 percents were successfully cure their sleeping disorder the first time they listened the song. while another 10 percents were unsuccessful due to the unavailability of CD player or electricity due to financial condition. Almost half of them send back with the video recordings the patients and volunteers falling asleep taken by their family members or friends. Some of the successful videos from different ages and gender including cat and dogs was selected for a 6 minutes video presentation to the panels from the Japanese ministry before it was recognized as an official cure for human and pets earlier today.

One of the patient said he finally had a good night sleep after 45-years of insomnia while another patient recommends buying the CD single as a cheap method to cure sleeping disorder. It also helps relaxing hyperactive children and pets.

The Ministry however are undergoing a process of banning the song to be played on radio to prevent road accidents caused by the drivers that fell asleep during driving.

Ogawa Mana is bigger than Morning Musume and AKB48 in the US.

2010-01-29T17:13:00.000+08:00

She is not a member of Morning Musume or any pure Hello Project unit. She is not even one of the hundred plus member of AKB48. She is Ogawa Mana. A member of Tsunku's TNX Canaria Club. Not just an ordinary member, this beautiful girl had released a few solo singles and acted in a few dramas.

What's most amazing about Ogawa Mana is that she is very popular in the western world, not only in the United States but also in Europe. She never been to the United States but she is more popular than Morning Musume and AKB48. Why, because there is one song about her appeared on TV, then the whole world made their versions. Including one Persian version probably from the members of the Persian Wota we covered months ago.

The song is by probably one of the greatest group in the United States which features 3 members, a guy as the lead vocal and 2 girls as the backup. No we will not reveal them here but they are in the video. The title is J'etaime vous, Ogawa Mana! (I Love You, Ogawa Mana!).

Right after the jump, we will feature the music video dedicated to her that took the (internet) world into a new dimension. We even did a karaoke for you to sing along and feel the power of transforming into an Ogawa Mana die hard fan.

Way to go Mana!

Kamei Eri's re-release of Maple Special LE PB.

2009-11-13T09:44:00.007+08:00

In celebrating Kamei Eri 21st birthday next month, UFA will be (re)releasing Kamei Eri's Maple Special Limited Edition Photobook. So you think they are saving money just by releasing an old photobook with some extra unreleased picture?

No and yes. Because the extra picture will be in thermal imaging. During the photoshoot, the photographer used a special camera that gives two picture outputs. One is the normal picture that resulted the normal photobook, and the other one is the thermal image.

Talking about Japanese technology is very complicated but thank god they applied the technology to the idol industry. So who will buy the photobook? Tech enthusiasts, Eri's die hard fans and wotas, and someone with a good taste on art. But the pictures are not fully thermal, just some parts.

And the good thing is, The Trippendicular Unknown Stories received two pages (two pictures) from UFA, just because we are the best idol blog out there. One picture is above and the other "special" one is after the jump.

Hit the jump for the Special image.

Woah! This just proves two important things:

1. Kamei Eri have a small and cute butt.
2. Idols DO fart.

AKB48 Members Regrouped! Fans leaving the fandom!

2009-08-24T10:18:00.005+08:00

Last night, in the usually quiet Trippendicular Unknown Stories secret underground headquarter, our forums monitoring device received an unusual increase in posting counts in the AKB48 forums from all around the world. There are spikes in the usage of words such as"OMG", "OMFG", "WTF", "Akipi is stupid", and "DO NOT WANT".

It was caused by the shocking announcement at the Budokan concert where most of the girls will be regrouped into different teams in AKB48, that's team A, team K and Team B effective on October. The new Teams will have the following members.

Team A
Takahashi Minami (Captain), Katayama Haruka [B], Kuramochi Asuka[K], Kojima Haruna, Sashihara Rino[B], Shinoda Mariko, Zuzuki Mariya [G], Takajyo Aki, Nakagawa Haruka[B], Nakata Chisato, Nakaya Sayaka[B], Maeda Atsuko, Maeda Ami [G], Matsubara Natsumi[K], Iwasa Misaki[G], Ota Aika[B], Oya Shizuka[G]

Team K
Akimoto Sayaka (Captain), Itano Tomomi [A], Uchida Mayumi [G], Umeda Ayaka, Oshima Yuko, Ono Erena, Kikuchi Ayaka [G], Kohara Haruka [B], Tanabe Miku [B], Nakatsuka Tomomi [B], Nito Moeno [B], Nonara Misato [G], Fujie Reina [A], Matsui Sakiko [G], Minegishi Minami [A], Miyazawa Sae, Yonezawa Rumi

Team B
Kashiwagi Yuki (Captain), Ishida Haruka, Oku Manami [K], Kasai Tomomi [K], Kitahara Rie [A], Kobayashi Kana [K], Komori Mika [G], Sato Amina [A], Sato Sumire [G], Sato Natsuki [K], Suzuki Shihori, Chirano Rina, Hirajima Natsumi, Masuda Yuka [K], Miyazaki Miho [A], Watanabe Mayu

Half of our staff are AKB48 fans. That's around 250. Some of them went crazy after hearing the news. We read about how Watanabe Mayu aka Mayu cried like a baby while kneeling and holding to Ohta Aika photo or so we heard.

But the most shocking, saddening and heartbreaking news we had was one of our most prominent staff who decided to quite her job after the news. She was shocked and looks like she has no interest in AKB48 anymore. We really do not want her to quit her job so we posted the video we captured after the announcement hoping that our readers can probably motivates her not to quit. Thinking that she will not going to have a proper job after this, she still hopes that she will have the money to buy A5 DVD.

There must be worst than this out there.

Iiwake Maybe - Teenage Japanese High School Girls Drama (with translation)

2009-08-12T15:11:00.008+08:00

So we have a new PV from AKB48. Iwake Maybe. We have translated the opening scene, just like we did for 10 Nen Zakura. It is a story about typical high school girls relationship and conflict. The main characters in the PV are Maeda Atsuko who had an affair with the boyfriend of Oshima Yuko. Both looks like the popular girls in the school. Maeda, backed by Takahashi Minami who continues the drama into some intense scene featuring other AKB48 members.

Then the teacher interrupted the confrontation and decided to let the girls prove who's the best through a bicycle race.

One of the main attraction of the PV is the appearance of what seems to be the Evil Powerpuff Girls, led by Ohta Aika, who usually gave brilliant evil and sickening suggestions to see other girls suffer. She has two sidekicks with her, the trustworthy, supportive but a bit dumb Watanabe Mayu and the quiet Kashiwagi Yuki with her evil flowery words.

So we hope everyone enjoyed our latest quality post from The Trippendicular Unknown Stories. Thank you!

[ AKB48 Iiwake Maybe 言い訳 Maybe PV sub translation ]

Persian Wota

2009-06-20T21:29:00.002+08:00

From the country that has been making headlines everyday, we present the Persian Wota. Forget about the politics, this video from Iran proves that the wota culture has spread even to the Middle East. Unfortunately, they are quite new and the wotagei video featured here is the tutorial video from one of the few group pioneers, for the new members to learn the wotagei.

The video features a Persian (Iranian) guy, chanting and giving instruction at the same time for the Fujimoto Miki's Romantic Ukare Mode. And what makes them unique and uber-cool from other Gaijin Wota including the over featured Mexican Wota is that they have created their own moves that combines the traditional Iranian male dancing and chantings in Persian language. But the moves are named in Arabic because they wanted to standardized the name for other Middle Eastern countries.

Some of the moves includes;

أكثر من عمل الدلفين النمط الفارسية - OAD Persian Style
ستايل الرومانسية الفارسية - Romansu Persian Style
ڧ.ڧ.ڧ.ح النمط الفارسية - PPPH Persian Style
المواريالنمط الفارسية - Mawari Persian Style
and so on.

We hope to see more of the Persian Wota uniqueness and hope they will grow and increase the sales of H!P products outside Japan in the near future.

Mitsui Aika's Toe Surgery Video Leaked Online

2009-05-21T01:50:00.001+08:00

Some of us may already knew that Mitsui Aika has been diagnosed with detached cartilage on a toe on her left foot.

Aika Mitsui preparing for surgery on toe

Morning Musume member Aika Mitsui (16) has been diagnosed with detached cartilage on a toe on her left foot, it was learned on Friday. As a result, she will be undergoing surgery to remove the cartilage.

An announcement on the official Hello! Project website explained that her condition may affect her performance, so surgery was deemed necessary. She will be absent from a fan club event on May 23-24.

From http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-4812

Last night, we received an email from an unknown individual who claimed he is working with Up-Front Agency. In the email he attached a video entitled 光井愛佳の左足人差し指の手術.avi (Mitsui Aika's left toe surgery video).

From the 30-seconds video, we found out that the video was recorded by Mitsui Aika herself as she introduced herself in the video and she asked the supports from her fans. UFA will probably release this video somewhere BUT after watching the video, we conclude that this video will never be released officially.

Hit the jump for the video.

A we can see, it was more than a detached cartilage.

Video translation:
"This is Mitsui Aika. I'm still not good in singing and dancing, but I will do my best from now on, so everyone, please support meeeeeeee!!!"

We hope that she will recover fast so that she can perform and attend any event with Morning Musume.

Thanks to mc4mass for the translation.

Morning Musume members in a sex photo scandal.

2009-05-12T06:33:00.007+08:00

Kamei Eri and Takahashi Ai.

First, we would like to congratulate Morning Musume on their latest single, Shouganai Yume Oibito. It is a great song with a wonderful PV. We hope the single will get a good sales and further increase Morning Musume popularity.

Unfortunately, we may not be able to see the current Morning Musume shines. The latest breaking news we received from Japan is that two of it's prominent members fell into a sex photo scandal. The members are Takahashi Ai which is the current group leader and one of the 6th generation, Kamei Eri. They both is being accused of sleeping with the same person at the same time.

Since yesterday, Japanese televisions have been showing the picture of the girls, sleeping next to an unknown Japanese man. The man revealed his chest and probably naked during the time the picture was taken. In the picture, he was also seen having his arms wrapped around the two girls. The three of them were smiling happily as they were enjoying themselves. For the two girls, they had their clothes on and still, most people were worried if they wore anything under the blanket.

The identity of the man is still being investigated. Some said he is one of the Hello! Project staff while others identified him as one of the professional gigolo hired from one of the club at Tokyo's Kabukicho area. The picture shocked the nation yesterday and Hello! Project are still holding their comments regarding this matter. As far as we know, this is too serious and probably Morning Musume will be disbanded.

Picture taken from a television show, after the jump.

The picture was shown even in children show. Probably, they tried to bring negative images for Morning Musume to the children.

Trippendicular SUB - 10 Nen Zakura PV karaoke with English Subtitle

2009-02-09T21:57:00.009+08:00

AKB48 - 10 Nen Zakura (10年桜) PV karaoke with English translation
( High-Quality Youtube Video.)

Good day everyone! We have received a lot of requests for us to make a karaoke subtitle for AKB48's 10 Nen Zakura. So since we have a lot of professionals and time, we decided to do it. We are NOT a fansub but more to a translation group. We are very professional in translating.

What makes Trippendicular Sub different from other fansub group:
- We are Trippendicular.
- We don't need fancy typesets because when you sing karaoke, you need total concentration on your singing, so distractions are not available in our releases.
- Also the lyric will be miliseconds earlier so that even anyone that never sing the song will be prepared to sing.
- Professional translation from native language professors from top 10 universities. We have the most accurate translation compared to other fansub group.

For this 10 Nen Zakura, we only did the song part because we already did the drama part in the previous post. ENJOY!

10 Nen Zakura - A Housewives Drama

2009-02-08T21:27:00.007+08:00

After watching the translation of the opening and the ending drama of the latest AKB48 single, 10 Nen Zakura, we found out the director was trying to convince that married idols will be just like normal housewives too. They will face problems in their relationships.

Hit the jump for the ending video and synopsis.

The drama is too short and some may not understand it. The stories revolves around some married women. One character, played by Kojima Haruna had a relationship problem. She had a relationship with a sailor and since her boyfriend have to sails for months and leaving her alone, she decided to dump him. She shared her problem with two happily married women, played by Itano Tomomi who is married to a rich man, and Watanabe Mayu, a young wife, trying hard to keep her family happy.

Then the drama continued to another two women, played by Maeda Atsuko, who had been divorced by her husband for being unable to get pregnant. Atsuko's husband then married to Oshima Yuko's character, but then, her husband left her while pregnant to marry a nightclub stripper. So they both became friends to share the experiences being cheated by the same man.

Unfortunately, we then saw sad looking Takamina, who is the stripper which supposedly married with Atsuko's and Yuuko's husband. The man also left her.

Then the scene continued with Kojima, Watanabe and Itano waving to someone. They are actually waving to the man who left Atsuko, Yuko and Takamina. Without knowing that the man is going to break her heart too, Kojima tried to get his attention.

From Russia with Love

2009-01-25T11:32:00.004+08:00

Hello! It's been awhile. I am quite busy these days. In fact, I just came back from Russia. See, I work with the government. So the government sent a delegate to Russia to sign a memorandum of understanding for something that is not relevant to post here.

So on the day that we had the signing ceremony, we went to one of the Russia's government office. We came there early. The ministers and the Prime Minister of Russia, Mr. Vladimir Putin were busy with their meeting. So we waited outside the room.

While admiring the meeting room, a painting attracted me so much. Without thinking the consequences, and after hundreds times of warning from the guards, I pulled out my handphone and snapped a picture of what's inside the meeting room. So what is the importance of the picture regarding to this blog? Hit the jump for the answer.

A painting of CinDy hanging on the wall in the meeting room. Actually many more CinDy pictures available in many government offices and rooms.

The original picture, taken from the member's profile on AKB48 official site.

From what I know. Mr. Vladimir Putin is an avid fan of AKB48 Team B member, Urano Kazumi or CinDy. He sometimes regrets himself for being the Prime Minister of Russia because of his status, he could not go to the theater to watch AKB48 performs. But he had set up a department for buying all the CinDy pictures and merchandises available at Yahoo Auction. So next time if you want to buy CinDy stuff over there, make sure you are a rich Arab oil merchant.

Hey, am I going to get caught by FSB for revealing this confidential information?

Mother Finally Met Umeda Erika in Japan!

2008-12-30T19:53:00.004+08:00

What a wonderful day!
We heard the news that Mrs. Letchumi, the Indian woman who claimed that Umeda Erika is her long-lost daughter, Rubini went to Japan recently after being sponsored by a rich Arab oil merchant, Mr. Sheikh Kebab Al-Unta who read the entry about Mrs. Letchumi who needed help to get her to Japan.

We at the Trippendicular Unknown Stories are very proud of ourselves for being able to help someone, who is so closed to the idol we respected very much.

Please read the "Indian Woman Claims To Be Umeda Erika's Mother" entry if you have not read it before you continue.

Last night, Mrs. Letchumi was featured again in "Love Finder", the program where she told us about her daughter Umeda Erika or Rubini. This time, She told the viewers about her experience meeting Umeda Erika and C-ute.

We do not have the time to watch the recording of the show. As soon as we got the video from our native Indian translator who recorded, the show, we quickly uploaded it here and wrote this entry so that we would not lose to other Hello! Project blogs out there for this exclusive news.

So we would like the reader here, to experience the wonderful moments of Mrs Letchumi while in Japan.

So enjoy!

Edit: Latest news we received from our translator in India is that Mrs Letchumi is charging the TV company on court for some unknown reason. It is rumored that it is related with the "mysterious sounds" at the end of the show which was from Mrs Letchumi's microphone. They did not turned it off after the show.

Well we hope everyone enjoyed the experience Mrs Letchumi had, meeting with her long lost daughter. Must be a sad experience. Unfortunately, we still cannot stream the video as the result from the internet distruption between Asia and Europe.

Guess Whose Birthday Is Today?

2008-12-23T00:01:00.001+08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAMEI!

How many apples Kamei Eri eat everyday?

2008-12-05T17:11:00.016+08:00

We have been away for awhile to conduct a special research requested by our young reader.

Dear Mr./Mrs. writer of Trippendicular Unknown Stories. My name is Cindy. I am 10 years old girl from Kansas, USA. I am a fan of Morning Musume. My favorite member is Kamei Eri. I'm a Leukemia patient and spends most of my time at the hospital watching Morning Musume DVDs on the portable DVD player.

I would be very grateful to know that if Kamei Eri likes apple. Because it is my favorite fruit. If she likes it, how frequent does she eats it and the amount that she eats everyday?

Could you somehow asks someone you know at Japan?

Well dear Cindy. For you, we have conducted this most difficult task we ever had. We asked Kamei Eri's agent if she eat apples. The agent only said that she did request apples to be sent to her room or fitting room whenever she is on the location.

But don't worry Cindy. We have hired two specialist to answer your last question on "How many apples Kamei Eri eat everyday"

We have hired one espionage specialist, Agent C.M. from the United States who is well known with his ability to get anything that he wants unnoticed and another mathematics specialist, Agent T.C. from the Europe to investigate this mystery.

The dustbin and one of the apple core taken on the second day.

Our hired agents, Agent C.M. and Agent T.C. came out with and idea. They will sneak into Kamei's room in the morning, empty the dustbin in the room and sneak again early in the next morning to count the apple cores left in the dustbin.

The agents managed to find constant amount of apple cores in the dustbin for 3 consecutive days during a latest concert tour, and on the last day, they decided to record their findings as a proof.

Video from our hired specialists Agent C.M. and Agent T.C.

So from the secret video we provide, our agents found 3 apple cores in the dustbin in Kamei's fitting room. So how many apples Kamei Eri eat everyday?

THREE APPLES AH! AH! AH! AH! AH!

Kikuchi Ayaka is Back?

2008-11-17T19:09:00.009+08:00

Kikuchi Ayaka

Kikuchi Ayaka, AKB48 Team B member which has been booted from the group 2 months ago is reportedly passed the 4th generation Research Student audition on November 13. Kikuchi Ayaka or Ayarin, was fired from the group after a print club picture with her boyfriend emerged on the internet. The writing of her boyfriend about the sushi and onigiri was also said to be one of the factor she was fired.

"2008年11月13日4期研究生オーディション最終合格"
Japanese Wikipedia reported that she passed the 4th generation Research Student Audition.

Her fans rejoiced and some of they did know that she went to the audition. Prayers were held at the temples and the night before, hundred of her fans gathered to support her. Mr. Kojimak Komandiwajibu, one her fan hopes that she will stay in the group for a long time and will not repeat her mistake again.

Kikuchi Ayaka's fans gathered near the audition venue the night before.

""I will support her, and I will never remember what had happened before.If she wants to have a boyfriend, she will have to hide it from me and other fans", he said.

Mr. Kojimak added, "It is a great pleasure having her back. I can stop watching her tribute OPV in Youtube, made by a gaijin. I hope she will be featured back in AKB48+10! show, the show that introduced her to me."

Mr. Kojimak Komandiwajibu is a 59 years old retired teacher now sells sugarcane's juice in front of his house.

We also received comments from other AKB48 fans which does not like the news. Some of they regarded her as "dirty idol", some gave new nicknames such as "SpearsAyakawhereisyourbaby?", and others just hope that the news is not true.

Whether the news is true or someone having fun editing wikipedia, we have to wait until official announcement from the management of AKB48.

Risako The Denture Care Spokesperson.

2008-11-03T21:16:00.010+08:00

Risako in Polident Denture Adhesive Cream advertisement.

GlaxosmithKline (GSK), a leading healthcare company signed a 2 years contract with Sugaya Risako, to promote their product, Polident Denture Adhesive Cream. Risako was chosen among 20 other top celebrities from around the world.

Sugaya Risako, a popular member of Japanese idol group Berryz Koubou have been wearing dentures for almost 4 years now, after her dentist failed to improve the alignment of her teeth.

"It is a pain wearing dentures . I could not laugh out loud. I could not eat apples. I have to limit my movements during performance and I have to make sure the microphone does not hit the dentures everytime when I performs." Risako commented.

"Other group members love to tease and laugh at me. But now, thanks to Polident, I can laugh back at them with confident. I can even roll on the floor without worrying my dentures will fall out!" she added.

Mr. Smuk Tisse Skål, the Senior Marketing Manager, the person who is responsible for choosing Risako as the spokesperson said that Risako is the best choice for them. They were looking for someone who is very active, young, energetic and wears dentures for their latest breakthrough product, Polident Denture Adhesive Cream Extra Hold 60g (grams) which can withstand shock up to 12-G.

A TSU representative in Europe managed to record an interview of a local bussiness news with Mr. Smuk Tisse Skål. The 30 minutes interview however discussed mostly on the marketing strategies of GSK but there was a question on the personal opinion of Mr. Smuk Tisse Skål of Sugaya Risako.

Below is the video of the only question mentioning Sugaya Risako in the 30-minutes interview between an European business news and Mr. Smuk Tisse Skål.

AKB48 Human Cloning Project?

2008-10-24T17:02:00.008+08:00

Regarding the secret cloning research conducted by Hello! Project, we have just received this image from one of our sources. It looks like AKB48 also have their own cloning facility and research lab which is located somewhere beneath the building where they perform everyday. Our source is currently working to get more information but unfortunately he has to wait until he wins his e-mail lottery.

H!P Mass Graduation Protests. Fans United.

2008-10-20T14:49:00.042+08:00

All members of the Elder Club of Hello! Project will have a massive graduation next March. The announcement shocked almost every hardcore H!P fans around the world. Protests were reported and below are some images of the protests in countries outside Japan.

China

(1) Chinese woman with a photo book.
(2) Crying fans singing Go Girl ~Koi no VICTORY~ - A Morning Musume song.

Tibet

(1) Tibetan monks had their peaceful rally outside their temple

United States

Pictures of 500,000 Hello! Project fans protesting at downtown Los Angeles.

United Kingdom

(1) Nudist fans showing their support for Fujimoto Miki
(2) Fans marching in one of the streets in London
(3) H!P protesters trying to break the police barrier
(4) An elderly Hello! Project fan arrested by the police

Korea

(1) A Korean woman giving salutes to the police in front of the Japanese Embassy .

(2) Mr. Taegukki, a 54-years old Konno Asami's fan showing his dissatisfaction .

(3) A crowd of protesters marching on a street in Seoul.

(4) Protesters with the banner "If H!P die, we will end our lives too!".

Malaysia

(1) Most of the yellow-shirted fans
(2) Fans who were sprayed with chemical-laced water
(3) Police shooting tear gases
(4) A water cannon sprays a Nakazawa Yuko fan

Local newspapers reported no more than 50,000 turned out for the protest in Kuala Lumpur but our reporters reported the numbers reached almost 300,000 people. Police had set up roadblocks a day before so many were not able to join the protest.

11 batallions of Federal Reserve Units were on the scene to handle the protest. Tear gases were shot, chemical-laced water were sprayed to them using water canons for no reason. The fans continued their protest until midnight. KFCs and McDonalds reported increase in their sales octaruple yesterday.

Most of the fans wore yellow shirts, although none of the graduating members have yellow as their member color. It is a color symbol of H!P fans in Malaysia and the unity of fans which came from different races and religion. "Hello! Project unites us! Don't stop. Kami berjanji tak tinggal semayang" the fans shouted.

Al- Jazeera

- gawsh... no wonder it was a massive traffic jam the other day in KL. -mediaposter
- if u were wearing yellow top in Kuala Lumpur on that very day, u will be arrested without question. doesn't matter what u r. -Renaye

Thailand

(1) Protesters dodging the tear gases.
(2) Protesters showing their dissatisfaction.

Indonesia

(1) Indonesian women with their 2 months of fasting protest, starting yesterday.
(2) Youths trying to break into the Japanese Embassy.

In Indonesia, you can't miss every single protest everyday - freedom4651

Afghanistan

(1) Male protesters protesting.
(2) A Yaguchi Mari fan.
(3) More male protesters.

*Note: Although Afghanistan is a warn-torn country, they have internet access equivalent to Japan since a Japanese ISP aids the rebuilding the country by providing free access to the internet in every home. Unfortunately, Afghanistan don't have laws on illegal downloading.

Argentina

(1) An unidentified woman interrupting a photography section of world's ministers conference in Argentina.

We would like to hear the about the protest in your country. Kindly leave the report in the comment.

The Best Moments of 24Hour TV

2008-10-18T18:06:00.012+08:00

Many of us have watched Morning Musume and Hello! Project artiste performance in 24 Hour TV. Morning Musume performed almost every year since 2001 in the show. The 24 Hour Television, Love Saves the Earth (24時間テレビ　愛は地球を救う, Niju-yojikan Terebi Ai wa Chikyuu wo Sukuu) is an annual program started in 1978 to raise funds for various charities.

Here are some of the best and unforgetable moments of Morning Musume in the show.

Year: 2001. Morning Musume performed Dekkai Uchuu ni Ai ga Aru and I Wish/The Peace Medley.
- Crying Gomaki -

At the start of I Wish song, Goto Maki cried, touched by the condition of one of her fan, the boy on the giant screen. Gomaki visited the boy earlier at his treatment center. The professionalism inside Goto Maki should be applauded for continuing the performance until the end. The boy dyed her hair blonde just because he like Gomaki.

Year 2002: Morning Musume performed I Wish, Souda We're Alive and Do It Now.
- Angel Takahashi (Souda We're Alive) -

In the middle of the performance, half a dozen of wheelchair bound women entered the stage to sing the song together. While trying to reach the front from the back of Morning Musume member, one of the woman hit Takahashi Ai's leg. Takahashi Ai saw the difficultiness the woman had to turn her wheel chair so she just leave her position and helped the woman by pushing her to the front.

Later, Takahashi Ai and Yasuda Kei helped 2 of the women performing their chereography.
Twelve thousand five hundred and fourty-four point nine million points for Takahashi Ai alone.

- Ogawa Action On Fellow Rival (I Wish) -

During the start of the I Wish song, Ogawa stepped on Niigaki Risa's shoe and Risa had a hard time looking and putting back her shoe. Poor Risa.

2004: Morning Musume performed Dekkai Uchuu ni Ai ga Aru.
- FMASGM - The Fujimoto Miki's Armpits Sweat Glands Malfunction -

The stage should be equipped with air-conditioning. Michael Jackson's stage-maker should be consulted for this technology. Looked like somebody forgot to turn off the tap.

2005: Morning Musume performed Dekkai Uchuu ni Ai ga Aru
- Yoshizawa Hitomi's Brain Malfunction -

At the end of the song, while others trying to end the song with a cool chereography, Yoshizawa Hitomi spoiled it. She forgot the steps and performed it correctly after looking at the person next to him.

2006: Aya Matsuura, Nakazawa Yuko and Berryz Koubou performed Dekkai Uchuu ni Ai ga Aru.
- Aya Matsuura's Hearing Problem -

The host was passing the slot to the Hello! Project team to perform but unfortunately Ayaya received instruction earlier and her opening speech were overlapped by the host's. Audience can only hear the last part of her speech ("Hanaka-chan, ganbatte ne!") as the host ended his script. Statistics shown at the very time, 70 million home viewers said "Nani???!!!" (What?), trying to understand what Ayaya just said.

2007: 7 of 9 Morning Musume members performed Dekkai Uchuu ni Ai ga Aru.

Niigaki Risa and Koharu Kusumi did not to attend the performance. A first sign of aging for Niigaki Risa.

2008: Morning Musume, Matsuura Aya and Yaguchi Mari performed Dekkai Uchuu ni Ai ga Aru.
- Koharu, the next Gomaki -

Looks like Koharu Kusumi is currently UFA most favorite member of Morning Musume. In the performance, every Morning Musume members wore almost the same type of shoes except for Koharu who had thicker soles. This made her the tallest member in the performance towering JunJun. Koharu's shoe was custom made by Jimmy Choo, and was paid by UFA with unenclosed amount of 8 digits of Japanese Yen. The purpose was only to make her stand out among the other members.

Indian Woman Claims To Be Umeda Erika's Mother

2008-10-03T18:03:00.008+08:00

Picture of Umeda Erika of C-ute in traditional Indian Saree.

About a week ago, a picture of Umeda Erika wearing traditional Indian clothing, the Saree was posted on the internet. The picture caught attention of many foreign fans especially from India. A lady from India, Mrs. Letchumi claims that Umeda Erika is her long lost daughter, Rubini.

Mrs. Letchumi received the picture from a friend and somehow found out that Umeda Erika is her daughter. She went to a local TV station and had her interview and hopes someone will help her to get to Japan so that she can meet her daughter and hopefully finds the person who took her baby away, or at least get some information from Umeda Erika's parent so that the criminal will be brought to justice.

In this interview, Mrs. Letchumi clearly explained how she raise Erika or Rubini before someone took her baby when Erika was only three years old. After spending years without his daughter, she finally found her, thanks to the internet.

Click below to view the 3 minutes interview of Mrs. Letchumi about his daughter from a local TV show called "Love Finder".

Reina's Back

2008-09-28T15:33:00.009+08:00

Reina's therapy session in which she had to ride a bicycle to measure her balancing ability with her new eye condition, recorded by Risa Niigaki, fellow Morning Musume member.

After more than a week in Tokyo Eye Specialist Hospital, Reina finally checked out last night. The operation on her right eye was unsuccessful to correct the position of the eye. In fact the operation made her eye condition worsen as the doctors failed to put the eye correctly in the socket.

The doctors apologized to Reina, her family and fans for the operation and will provide another operation to correct her eye but they will need time so that they will make a correct calculation to put the eye. Five scientists from the Large Hadron Collider Project were summoned to give correct calculation.

Reina was happy to see her family and fellow Morning Musume members after being a stuck for a week in a "boring hell" as she calls the place. She said that she will sue the doctors that operates her for unenclosed amount of Japanese Yen. "Maki Goto can reimplant her breasts 16,500 times with the amount of money" she claims.

Regarding the videos of her accident and her therapy session recorded by Risa Niigaki, she said that an idol is a normal human being and she has no power to prevent accidents.

Reina with Sayumi Michishige at a restaurant.

In the mean time, Reina hopes friends and fans will accept her as she is. Up-Front Agency in the meantime have decided to release a new photobook of Reina early next month with the current Reina's condition. Fans already claim that the photobook is an early experiment of Reina's popularity. If the sales are horrible, then UFA might graduate her from the group and the company itself.

Let us keep an eye on this situation.

Reina's Accident Video, Strabismus Surgery.

2008-09-19T03:34:00.005+08:00

The video of Reina's unfortunate accident, which leads to her eye surgery to correct her strabismus, taken by Risa Niigaki.

Tanaka Reina of Morning Musume haw been admitted to Tokyo Eye Specialist Hospital for a surgery to correct the position of her right eye. Reina decided to undergo the surgery after she had an accident while playing with fellow group member, Niigaki Risa.

In the incident, she was trying to run into the net of the goal post but with her strabismus condition, she hit the goal post instead. Being diagnosed after the the tragedy, there was no damage to the brain. But doctor advised her to go for the surgery to avoid future accidents.

Doctors from the eye specialist hospital were quite impressed with Reina for living for 18 years with the condition and managed to perform on stage without any problem.

Strabismus is a condition in which the eyes are not properly aligned with each other. It typically involves a lack of coordination between the extraocular muscles that prevents bringing the gaze of each eye to the same point in space and preventing proper binocular vision, which may adversely affect depth perception. Strabismus can be either a disorder of the brain coordinating the eyes or a disorder of one or more muscles, as in any process that causes a dysfunction of the usual direction and power of the muscle or muscles.

Reina Tanaka with her strabismus condition.

Normal Vision. (Red bar as the point of focus).

What Reina sees.

Reina's eyes have attracted thousands of Morning Musume fans and she hopes after the surgery, fans will still like her. "I hope they love me for my heart and talent, not my eyes.", said Reina.

The surgery will be supported by Up-Front Agency (UFA). UFA have been known for supporting some of Hello! Project artiste such as Sugaya Risako for dental surgery, Mitsui Aika's lingual bracers, Sudou Maasa weight loss program and Goto Maki's breast implant.

Man Killed by Ogawa Makotos (sic)

2008-09-17T05:19:00.007+08:00

Ogawa Makoto

A man believed to be in the middle of twenties was found dead by his 80 years old neighbor. He is believed to be dead for 127 hours before being found. The neighbor said she felt something wrong when she smell something bad from the house and heard that her neighbor did not turn off his television for days.

Police spokesman said they have arrested Ogawa Makoto for suspected murder. She pleaded not guilty but the chances that she will be freed from the prosecution is slim. She said that she was not even in Tokyo during the past one week. However the evidences were very clear that Ogawa Makoto killed the man. "It may not be her that killed the man but the connection was very strong", said the spokesman. Ogawa Makoto was a member of Morning Musume before she graduated from the group in 2006.

Fans were outraged by the accusation. They started to camp outside police stations all over Japan. They were not satisfied but they started to leave and some even cried when police released an official crime scene photo. One fan said he was shocked after seeing the picture and said only the gods can save Ogawa.

Click below the official photo

Official crime scene photo released by police.

Morning Musume is a Titanic

2008-09-13T06:08:00.010+08:00

One of the Malaysian opposition leader, Lim Kit Siang made a comment on Morning Musume status at the recent parliament meeting. Kit Siang, was a hardcore fan of Morning Musume until they started to "sink" as he defined. His remark was booed by the government MPs and they made a police report for trying to mess up with the unity of the citizens by making that statement. They demanded that Kit Siang to make a public apology to Up-Front Agency and Hello! Project, Morning Musume in particular.

"It's a Titanic that will sink", the statement that made the government MPs, most of them Morning Musume fans uneasy. One of them asked him to shut up and proceed with more important issues.

When asked about it, Kit Siang said it is an important issue since that is something that he have in common with other MPs. He is quite sad with the current releases from Morning Musume where they have lost their "golden touch". He admitted still listens to their older songs.

"I have stopped buying their singles and stuff since Ogawa graduated but I still collects Koharu and Aika stuff". When asked whether he downloads illegal material from the internet, he responded, "Hey, everyone does that!".

AkiPhileas

2008-09-05T20:26:00.007+08:00

Looks like Akimoto Yasushi, also known as Akipi within AKB48 continues to amaze his group's and his group's rival with his action.

Akimoto Yasushi, the producer of the legendary superidol group, the Onyanko Club and currently the producer of two superidol groups, AKB48 and SKE48. He is also the producer of many Japanese TV shows, author, songwriter, lyricist, better known as the jack of all trades in the Japanese entertainment scene.

After the creation of the first generation SKE48 in August which consisted of 23 members possibly will be called as Team S as AKB48 have Team A, Team K and Team B with 51 members all together and almost 90 members with the two groups combined including the Research Students from AKB48, Mr. Akimoto saw that he needs something very practical and useful for the groups. So he went to The Netherlands and brought back something very nice.

There you go. The Phileas Bus. The bus that can easily transports both groups together. Developed by Samenwerkingsverband Regio Eindhoven (SRE), Dutch for the Cooperation Foundation Eindhoven Region, along with some other companies, is an advanced guided bus. The driver will not have to steer the bus as it is controlled by computers, without the need of railway or overhead lines.

There are only a few of The Phileas were built and there are two versions, the 24 meters and 18 meters in length. By making this purchase, the company had to build another 24 meters model and it will be the first to be used outside The Netherlands. As seen in the video below, the newly built Phileas making its way out of the factory heading to the next stop, Japan.

It Cost-a Rika

2008-09-03T21:40:00.012+08:00

Ishikawa Rika

After Arihara Kanna from C-ute and Natsuyaki Miyabi from Berryz Koubou escaped from Up-Front Agency punishment for having boyfriend and their pictures leaked, another picture of a senior Hello! Project member was posted in the internet.

Picture of ex-Morning Musume 4th Generation member, Ishikawa Rika, smiling and posing on a futon (a type of mattress that makes up Japanese bed), believed was taken in the house of one of his male fan which she is said to have a relationship with. The picture of Ishikawa Rika who potrayed the cute, sexy and charming member of Morning Musume was quite unexpected, releasing mixed reactions from his fans.

A fan, Mr. Sukasuki stated that he is quite upset after seeing Rika having a relationship with a man, although he admitted he do not care if she is having a relationship with someone if it is beyond his knowledge. He was traumatized after seeing the picture but managed to recover after days trying to forget her and choosing another 4th generation member, Yoshizawa Hitomi as his number one favorite.

Mr. Sarraunmoto, another Rika's fan have a different view for the case. A relationship with a fan is something that is unusual for them. It will somehow make the fans to dream to be loved by their idol. He also stated that he is quite jealous, but somehow proud with Rika's boyfriend which was his fellow classmate. He added that he is also quite upset with the picture.

The identity of Rika's boyfriend is still unknown but according to Mr. Sarraunmoto, Rika visited her boyfriend's house frequently before the picture leaked. When asked the boyfriend what they did, he usually said they played Nintendo Wii, watch dvds or just having fun chatting.

The picture however proved that their relationship was something more than that. "Sleeping together in the same futon will always make someone thinks that they did something that make her fans hurt", Mr. Sarraunmoto added.

The leaked picture.

The Wotmobiles

2008-08-30T08:31:00.011+08:00

The Wotmobiles.

The Wotmobile is the term given to the privately owned vehicle of the J-idols fans especially the RW (rich wota) as a mean of transportation for attending Hello! Project concerts, handshake events or other fan club activities. The Wotmobiles are usually the typical boxxy-shaped,futuristic Japanese car although modified sportscar and BMWs can also be found depending on the ability of the fan to buy the car that they want.

Typical view inside The Wotmobiles

The Wotmobiles usually have large storage to store the owner merchandises, to be sold or just making crop-circles like patterns from Morning Musume's fans. Micro-MPVs are the popular choice for The Wotmobiles as these MMPVS are cheap, consume less fuel, small and nasty. These vehicles are quick enough to get them to the destinations without a fuss.

The mysterious crop circle-like circle.

Comparing with Batman's Batmobile(s), The Wotmobiles do not have the ability to change to Batpod/Batmissile, no stealth mode, no cauldron-size exhaust that shoots fire (although some have Nitrous Oxide installed), and no other Batman shits. The most important things for the owners are to have cup holders for holding up coffees or energy drinks and the GPS system for the RWs or the map from the convenient store for the lower castes to provide them with all of the available alternative routes for them to get to the concerts, for example if they want to avoid the traffic jams and whatnot.

A Wotmobile equipped with Bird Crap Armor - Ogawa Class.

There are rumors that the fans want to change the term to "ザ・チャンバラ" (The Tumbler).

The Attack of the H!P Clones

2008-08-25T20:54:00.010+08:00

Did you ever know that Hello! Project has its own research department? If you do not know about its existance, don't worry because Tsunku didn't about know it either. My cousin's neighbor's cousin work as one of their researcher. Information was given directly to me. They started to clone animals 2 years ago (ever heard of Mother's Farm) and in the middle of last year, they started cloning their own artists.

My cousin's neighbour's cousin leaked a set of 3 pictures of their cloning result. Latest successful result showed that they managed to clone Michishige Sayumi with 99% similarities.

Another picture with modified Kamei Eri. By removing Eri's hair DNAs and adding other Morning Musume member's hair DNAs will result in Kamei Eri with different hairstyles that matches other members.

And of course, their experiments failed a number of times in the beginning. The last picture given to me is their first human subject, Sudou Maasa of Berryz Koubou, which the cloning was unsuccessful and the clone was quickly terminated.

SHOCKING!!!

The benefits of having clones in an idol group are as below:
- They have replacement for shows in case the original subject got sick.
- They can have a straight 10-hours concert.
- Be able to attend multiple show simultaneously.
- Et Cetera (Anything that you have in mind).

Tony Stark's Contribution To The J-Idols.

2008-08-25T15:55:00.009+08:00

Stark Enterprises' Intelligent Robot fitted with fire extinguisher.

It seems that Stark Enterprises (was Stark Industries) have signed an agreement with AKS - AKB48 management company to provide the AKB48 Theater with the latest hi-tech product from them. They have installed a number of multipurpose robots at strategic location on the stage where the AKB48 girls perform everyday.

According to an inside source, the multipurpose robots mostly are fitted with fire extinguisher. It is a safety measure taken by management in case there's fire on the stage as the performances are getting hotter day by day. The robots can also be fitted with smoke machine, cameras for recording, or simply an applause sign for the audience.

Earlier version of the Intelligent Robot as seen in Iron Man movie.

The robots installed in the theater is the latest model designed by Tony Stark, the owner of Stark Enterprises. Earlier model can be seen in the Iron Man film, a 2008 film depicting the true story of Tony Stark, fitted with fire extinguisher and camera.

"The latest model is smaller, efficient and only react when there's trouble", the inside source added.

A Familiar Face

2008-07-26T22:26:00.012+08:00

Now here's Chocolove from AKB48 doing the Piitan Peetan Exercise. Date for reference 070730.

Please pay attention on the guy on the left. Looks familiar right?

Paired with Akimoto Sayaka, they performed the synchronized exercise.

It's Iida Kaori's father.

Slippery Encounter

2008-07-26T20:34:00.005+08:00

Love Namida Iro performance from the 2001 NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen. With young energetic backup dancer, this was one of her the best performance - well minus her outfit.

The interesting part of the performance is the mysterious white patches on the soles of every dancer's shoes.

Here's more.

In a quick glance, one may think someone stepped on toilet paper while doing his or her bussiness in the toilet. But how can everyone have it? These are the patches to prevent slips on the stage. The surface of the stage versus the shoes. Now that is a good item. Where can i buy these patches? Can I use the foot patch? Or the shoe grip spray?

I found the answer at "find.com". Well, close enough.

Pantsu Problems

2008-07-26T12:59:00.013+08:00

Let's start this blog with Morning Musume performance of Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari in Pop Jam back in 2004 (July 23). It was the last single for Tsuji Nozomi and Kago Ai for they were graduated to concentrate on W.

The fun started off with Michishige. As she started her first line with weird one hand at the back. But the weird looking Sayumi's secret was revealed quickly as we can see she was holding her microphone transmitter device. It came loose from her pants.

The device was dangling and as she got into the back, she struggled to put it back into the places. As the chorus started, she managed to get it back as both hands were free to move.

But not for long as she was holding her hands back again and as clear view of the action can be seen as the camera pans at their back. She was trying to figure out the best place to keep the device.

She did not manage to secure the device until the end of the song.

Next, Tsuji Nozomi. The same problem as Michishige, but started later during Kago's part of the song near the chorus. First she had problem with the mic.

Shouldn't miss these

And later the transmitter device for the microphone. But Tsuji managed to put the thing back.

The microphones provided by Pop Jam definitely not for aggresive dancing. The mic couldn't stay properly as problem had by Tsuji and Reina (if watch her, she keeps holding the mic too). The should consider taping the mic with big tape on their cheeks.

Next was the transmitteror the receiver for the monitor speaker. The pants the girls had were not suitable for the device to clip on. It was to thin for it. The costume designer should consider a pocket or pouch specially made for this device.

In the Berryz Kamen Cutie Ranger Concert, they have their costumes cleverly designed with pockets with the same color as the costume.