[2014.01.29] Morning Musume - Egao no Kimi wa Taiyou sa / Kimi no Kawari wa Iyashinai / What is LOVE? (single)

[yuzuriha]

I like the PV but I think the #1 streak is about to end.

[bxstos]

Here are the external bonuses for the different stores: They're posters that also serve as two month calendars.
 

 
Its just a gimmick for the fans to buy one from each store to get a "full" calendar.
(I guess this is why there's no 2014 calendar this year)
 
As for the #1, unless a Johnny's group or a 48 group announces a release on the same day, we just have to beat Namie I think, which is pretty easy since she only sells (cmiiw) ~70k?

[JPope]

[quote="yuzu"]
I like the PV but I think the #1 streak is about to end.
[/quote]
 
Didn't the streak end the moment they foolishly stuck One Four at the end of the group's name?

[Anderei]

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="bxstos" data-cid="168864" data-time="1388080636">
Here are the external bonuses for the different stores: They're posters that also serve as two month calendars.




Its just a gimmick for the fans to buy one from each store to get a "full" calendar.

(I guess this is why there's no 2014 calendar this year)


As for the #1, unless a Johnny's group or a 48 group announces a release on the same day, we just have to beat Namie I think, which is pretty easy since she only sells (cmiiw) ~70k?</blockquote>


Her last single sold 23k the first week, but it looks like her team is promoting this upcoming single more so she'll probably do better. But other than her, it's a very slow week. As long as they do a ton of handshakes (and we all know they will) a number one is pretty much in the bag. If any JE or 48 groups were going to release something we'd have heard about it by now.

[MejraThea]

[quote="bxstos"]
Here are the external bonuses for the different stores: They're posters that also serve as two month calendars.
 

[/quote]
 
Can anyone tell if they are available at CD-Japan?

[Anderei]

I think you'll only get the Nov/Dec calendar from CDJapan.

[emily]

I like the one where they are all smiling. :)

[MejraThea]

Thanks, Anderei!  It may suck, but at least I'm not despairing over no poster anymore.

[showraniy]

Wow, I love everything about Egao no Kimi wa Taiyou sa, and you guys had me anxious. The fast lines fit just fine, and spruce up the song enough that it's not boring. I really feel like, if they'd followed the tempo/rhythm (lol music words) of the instrumental, I feel like it would've been a bore fest.
 
It kind of reminds me of Do It! Now somehow... The mid-tempo song still managing to have some fast rap-y bits reminds me of it.

[Anderei]

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Thea" data-cid="168873" data-time="1388088056">
Thanks, Anderei! It may suck, but at least I'm not despairing over no poster anymore.</blockquote>


I don't like how they've done it. Not only do people have to buy six copies to get a full calendar, but they've made it super inconvenient by requiring people to get them through six different stores. Someone didn't think this through. Should have stuck with the posters and extra b-sides or had a special LE that was more expensive but came with a full calendar.

[bxstos]

[quote="Anderei"]
 
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Thea" data-cid="168873" data-time="1388088056">
Thanks, Anderei! It may suck, but at least I'm not despairing over no poster anymore.
</blockquote>


I don't like how they've done it. Not only do people have to buy six copies to get a full calendar, but they've made it super inconvenient by requiring people to get them through six different stores. Someone didn't think this through. Should have stuck with the posters and extra b-sides or had a special LE that was more expensive but came with a full calendar.
 
[/quote]
 
<div>The idea itself supposedly serves to be a "smarter" way to milk out more sales from the wota that want the full calendar, but I agree that it's very flawed and inconvenient. I would much rather buy a more expensive version that included a calendar, but unfortunately it wouldn't be the most "cost-effective" way to get sales.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Another way to bring more sales through the bonuses more efficiently would to just have the six types of calendars available at all stores and have them given at random, similar to the way they're handling the individual member photocard included with the regular editions, thus forcing the fans to buy at least six, if not more copies to get a full "calendar". </div>

[Anderei]

I was mistaken on the calendar thing. It looks like they won't come from the 'other stores' like CD Japan.

[MejraThea]

Oh, well. Back to despairing. Thanks for ruining my one hope, Anderei! (Only joking)

[Anderei]

I've seen foreign fans order from HMV before. You might want to give them a try.

[bxstos]

Here's Tsunku's comments about the single and the members. From what I can tell, he says that Kimi no Kawari is the Olympic song and its a cool, high rhythm/BPM song (I think he also says something about a domino effect in the dance?). If someone can translate more in depth that would be much appreciated.

[MejraThea]

I do like their poster better. Hmm. Well, I already pre-ordered my copies, so I'll just get over it. Thanks, though, Anderei!

[Anderei]

Now I'm seeing people say that the Nov/Dec is the other store calendar.
 
So. You might get a calendar. Who knows.

[yuzuriha]

Does anyone else get a "Take On Me" vibe during the dance break?
 
Also, I can't help but say I am not keen on the dance and they don't look clean at all.  

[momoirosaya]

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="yuzu" data-cid="168898" data-time="1388160866">
Does anyone else get a "Take On Me" vibe during the dance break?</blockquote>
YES. The doo doo doodoo part, you know what I mean.

[star]

I really like the look of this MV, but where did the budget for those fancy effects come from? Either way, I love them.

[momoirosaya]

I would like to commend whoever edited this because they gave everyone a good amount of screen time. I didn't feel overwhelmed by one girl, and I haven't seen any comments like "I only saw _____ for 2 seconds!!! WAH!"
 
[quote="Anderei"]
Now I'm seeing people say that the Nov/Dec is the other store calendar.
 
So. You might get a calendar. Who knows.
[/quote]
CD Japan is one of the "other stores."
 
Let me clear things up here I feel like people are confused...
If you buy a CD from Yamano Gakki, you will get the Jan/Feb poster (and only that store, has only that poster).
If you buy a CD from TSUTAYA, you will get the Mar/Apr poster.
Tower Records has the May/Jun poster.
HMV has the Jul/Aug poster.
Shinseido has the Oct/Nov poster.
And all other retailers, including CD Japan (aka Neowing), will get the Nov/Dec poster.
 
You could easily collect them all if you bought them online, but it'd be a lot harder for foreign fans to get all the posters that way. I would suggest you wait till after the single comes out and all the wota start selling their posters online (if you want the whole calander that is).

[Anderei]

[quote="Star"]
I really like the look of this MV, but where did the budget for those fancy effects come from? Either way, I love them.
[/quote]
 
They probably weren't super expensive. This MV doesn't look high budget, they just probably had some new person do the effects.
 
Edit: bxstos mentioned wanting the Tsunku comments translated if anyone had them, so here it is from jplop:
"Well then, in 2014 Morning Musume will begin with a fresh start as “Morning Musume ‘14”,

and those girls’ first single of 2014 will be a triple A-side single.


「Egao no Kimi wa Taiyou sa」

This song is a message to the current Morning Musume.

But it is necessary to live and survive in this new generation

I want to send a message of “youth”,

And I also wrote with the intention to tell myself, “victory”.

I am turning 45 but I’m not complete either.

I still need to grit my teeth and survive.

Not only that, I wrote with the feeling of having to treasure “smiles”.

In order for the members’ entire smiles to be genuine during the song’s hook, I read the lyrics countless times, and tried to create an image where they could deliver their best smiles while they were singing.

Perhaps you can’t see how very difficult the dance is, but this song has a shuffle rhythm when it comes to the hopping up and down, and it is incredibly hard to perform that.

And so, the chorus’ dance was made simple in order for that jumping effect to be shown well.

Please enjoy this jumping effect while they sing!

In the music video the cloudy sky has the image of rushing about, and the production was done with such a large scale in mind.


「Kimi no Kawari wa Iyashinai」

Well, this song is the official cheer song for the Sochi Olympics representatives from Japan.

The rhythm is fairly strong, and the BPM is fast as well.

I did “Kimi no Kawari wa Iyashinai” with the meaning of every individual being unique.

I wrote the lyrics with the belief that our DNA and such shine in our own personal space.

It’s often said that no adversary can surpass our efforts, but I really do believe in that.

Because if you lose to yourself, nothing will begin at all.

I think the girls are also bringing themselves closer and closer to tomorrow’s success with their great efforts as they sing and dance in that incredible rhythm.

The dance is instense, and at times the members have to substitute one another when they fall like dominoes.

Sometimes they also change places with each other on the left and right like they do in the shadow clone technique.

It’s a song where all the members come together and merge as one.

It certainly gives meaning to the song title, “There’s no one who can substitute you”!


「What is LOVE？」

I think recently this is the song that was composed and written in the shortest time, up to the arrangement.

No, even until the vocal recording to the trackdown it can be considered the fastest.

And from there there was trouble with the formation at the beginning of dance rehearsals, and so it was all done in a very compact time.

Please don’t think something like “what’re you talking about, it can be done”.

It’s rare for there to be something like this. Even while doing the arrangement and vocal recording, there was almost no criticism. They followed the image, perfected the dance, and had no doubt but to go forward.

It’s happened. During “LOVE Machine” it was like that too.

Of course there were fine tuning and sudden big changes, but from there things went very smoothly, and the passion of the members and staff piled up and delivered a really good outcome in the end. Things like that happen.

The lyrics were a collaboration project with NHK’s “J-MELO”; coming from a survey with fans from all over the world, I took them and transformed them into the song lyrics.

It is the certain that after the great disaster in Japan, the lingering memories are still continuing.

Under these circumstances, even if we call for world peace it may not have any effect.

Well, it’s that kind of message.

It’s just that in the world the opposite can also be true; having peace and equality (setting these goals) depends on us looking at the things that we ought to do, seeing the problems around us that we need to resolve. This is what I want to make known.

I assembled the shuffle beat with digital rock.

Having created a song with such a vigorous beat like this, when the current Morning Musume performs it they do it in such a beautiful, lovely way. That’s what I think.


Michishige

She’s doing her best as the leader, but as an individual she’s also putting effort into being reliable.

It must be tough to watch over the troubles of the new members, but I myself well understand that in order to guide the juniors, one must keep growing.

Michishige is at that stage now too, isn’t she.


Fukumura

She’s the sub-leader; I feel that day after day she’s giving huge effort.

Although during her Hello! Pro Egg time I didn’t recognize her as the type who’s good at dancing, she’s now able to dance with sharpness.

If she can understand rhythm that alone will influence her singing. Now is her period of growth, isn’t it.


Ikuta

“Ahh~ KY” etc is what’s being said of her, but isn’t it true?

Ahh, that’s certainly the case, but I get the feeling that even as a KY she’s surpassing a certain level and reaching that stage of a pro.

With her positivity, the atmosphere around her is always cheerful.

I want her to cut through without breaking her spirit!


Sayashi

Since she became a member, the image of Morning Musume’s dance and performance has changed

Saying that isn’t an exaggeration, and that’s not all, but I feel that singing-wise the image has also changed.

From the very start it’s been said that her dancing is good, but I think that even after joining she’s been working hard everyday and continuously increasing her skill.


Suzuki

Recently I thought she’s faced a bit of problems,

but now she’s come and opened doors by herself.

From the start she’s been sharp in her dancing and singing,

If she can open a new door for herself now she can keep growing each time.

It’d be good if she can make conversation in her own words with more freedom.


Iikubo

This girl is strong too, huh.

I don’t get part of her true nature. It’s possible that in her heart she’s actually shouting “help me~!” or “what do I do now?!” and so on, but she’s also going “I’m fine!” with that face. That’s splendid.

Even though she was an amateur in dancing and singing, she always accepts the challenge desperately. She’s reliable.


Ishida

I wrote it before too, but she’s become brighter. Both her heart and atmosphere.

It’s possible that she can be seen as tacky.

Since it’d be a disadvantage to be seen as just tacky on one side, it’s necessary to be conscious about something so that it doesn’t just end up as that. While she has a rivalry with Sayashi over the number 1 spot in dance, she’s able to come up to speed in singing so I’m looking forward to her performance from now onwards as well!

Sato

It’s undeniable she still has the feeling of being the youngest child, but even so it is a fact that her true strength is showing more.

It’s just that it’s a pity that she herself isn’t aware of this.

Even though she has a sense of rhythm, it’s a waste that she doesn’t go beyond that to understand more about the theory behind it.

It’s good that her voice is also starting to build up, so from now on she should be aiming for an A grade in the singing department.

I hope she’ll do her best.


Kudo

She’s really growing taller; along with that, she’s started to become able to make expressions like an adult.

It’s not just her responses, but she’s also becoming firmer in speaking for herself.

If she’s able to give delicate expressions in her dance from her eyelashes to her fingertips she’ll grow more and more.

In Morning Musume she’s the person with the most room for growth.


Oda

Her singing has power like a spring, and she moves all the way to her fingertip. She has a power of expression that can’t be called gooey.

It’s such that you want to be a tsukkomi and ask “are you natto?!”

She can do anything with skill; even if it’s singing or dancing, she can draw her heart and feelings out and instantly improve.

She can copy the demo tape and the dance and do better than them, making herself even stronger in her own way that’s beyond comprehension!"

[Derby]

Mmmm... The effects are perfect, the whole PV is perfect, especially with THIS! But the first time I heard the song was weird, these fast lines were a bit confusing, but now those lines don't bother me that much. (btw can someone tell me if Sakura does have a solo line? I didn't hear her voice ㅠ_ㅠ)
I'm not used to this type of songs, but I'm glad that they're trying new things, slightly changing the style they have since One·Two·Three. I still like What is LOVE? more, and can't wait to hear the Olympics song!
 
Btw, Hi! This is my first post here. I've been reading this forum for a few weeks, even old threads like Pyoko Pyoko's, and I wanted to join this. But I can't post that much because sometimes my english really sucks and I can't say nothing properly, like today 

[yuzuriha]

Btw, this song has started getting stuck in my head. It still doesn't seem to me like a #1 grabbing song, but this is exactly what happened with me with "Help Me!!" I didn't really like it at first, then it started getting stuck in my head, and next thing you know I was buying it.

[MejraThea]

[quote="Derby"]
Mmmm... The effects are perfect, the whole PV is perfect, especially with THIS! But the first time I heard the song was weird, these fast lines were a bit confusing, but now those lines don't bother me that much. (btw can someone tell me if Sakura does have a solo line? I didn't hear her voice ㅠ_ㅠ)
[/quote]
 
She does, at 3:31 of the Haro!Sute video. That last "ga ii."
 
I am now hearing this song in my head. It's safe to say that I like it.

[andrewmarlin]

Here is thevideo on their youtube channel. Yes they even call them Morning Musume'14 on the title of the song ,just no new channel. This '14 better end soon, itcanstart getting confusing for new fans

[bxstos]

The official site is up.
 
HQ Covers: (RE A, RE B, LE A to D)
 






 
I like all of the coversbut the limited editions look too bland to me, mostly because the main colors are black, dark, blue, gray, and white. On the other hand, I really like how colorful the regular editions are.
 

[Derby]

I don't really like that Ayumin, Sato and Erina have pants... I WANNA SEE LEGS!
And I agree, the 2 RE are my favorites, the others look a bit bland.

[al kusanagi]

I like the one where they're all laughing, except that Riho looks like a staged smile while everyone else looks like an off-shot of them actually laughing.

[JPope]

I pretty much like all of the Limited Edition covers, and especially A and C. I like the design of Regular B, but the poses are so forced by damn near everyone in the group that it just looks ridiculous.