The Official H!P Question Thread

[Melon]

Yeah, that's why I couldn't remember the name. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... hahaha.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':hahaha:' />



Oh well, I'll scroll pixiv and if that turns up nothing looks like I'll have to do it myself!

[tsukinobyouin]

Is there a good place to find a list of recent all-H!P and Morning Musume concert DVD/Blu-rays and the track lists? I've discovered a lot of awesome things I've missed lately and I want to know what else I'm missing xD

[al kusanagi]

Try their actual website http://www.helloproject.com/index.html and then click the group you want and "discography." Clicking on the DVD/BR itself will bring up the contents.

[EmEl]

[quote name='Petit Melon' timestamp='1306371432' post='99860']

Yeah, that's why I couldn't remember the name. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... hahaha.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':hahaha:' />

[/quote]

H!P Battle Festival? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeF5VgiI0R8

[Pucchi-Mo]

I only knew of Mugen, which I think uses the same sprites.



Damn, Miki really brought the Boogie Train!!!

They need to remake it and give her a finishing pose over a puddle. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... >/rofl.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[Mukuro]

Alright so I got the limited A version of Kokuhaku no Funsui Hiroba by Berryz, and the DVD part won't work case it says something is wrong with the reigon. Is it like this with all the DVDs?because i was planning on getting the H!P winter 2011 one but I'm not too sure if it's gonna be like that or not..

[momoirosaya]

You need to have a Region 2 DVD player for it to work. All DVD's from Japan are Region 2.



US & Canada are region 1, Japan and Europe are Region 2, South America and Oceania are Region 4....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD_region_code



Although nowadays you can download region free players on your computer. Or your computer might already come region free (my DVD player on my laptop is), or you can switch your computers region, but you can only do it 5 times before it locks you out.

[momoirosaya]

Double post :P



I found a Hong Kong version of S/mileage's Warugaki, for like half the price of the Japanese one on Play Asia.

http://www.play-asia.com/Warugaki_CDDVD/paOS-13-71-9y-49-en-70-430e.html



Are Hong Kong versions different in anyway? The fact that it's so cheap makes me suspicious! I've heard they have worse quality...?

[al kusanagi]

Aren't the HK versions usually bootlegs? But CD quality should still be CD quality.



And if price is the reason, you can just get it on iTunes for 10 dollars, since if you want a "real," physical copy, you'd probably want the original.

[strawberryjam]

Uhm... what? <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... nfused.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



No, it's not bootleg and the quality is the same. The only difference is that some of credits will be in Chinese. I bought Taiwanese versions all the time because I am too cheap. I think the booklet is the same, just there's an insert with the Chinese information. The credits info on the back of the single will have Chinese info. too.



Sorry, I can't be more exact. CDs are hidden in a box far away.

[al kusanagi]

All my experience with HK CDs are from way back in the anime days, and they were all bootlegs back then.

[kira]

[quote name='TnB' timestamp='1306529659' post='99991']

Is there a good place to find a list of recent all-H!P and Morning Musume concert DVD/Blu-rays and the track lists? I've discovered a lot of awesome things I've missed lately and I want to know what else I'm missing xD

[/quote]



I've used Generasia for these things, they have a page of Hello! Project concerts here.

[momoirosaya]

Thanks Berry and Al!



I think I might get it because the Limited edition with the DVD is sold out/out of print elsewhere.

[rob]

I'm with Al on this, AFAIK there are no official chinese releases, they are all bootlegs, at least they used to be.

[Anderei]

I've never seen Hong Kong versions, but YesAsia has Taiwanese versions, so those are an option if you want cheaper singles/cds. The Korean releases are cheaper as well.

[momoirosaya]

^I've heard not to get Taiwanese or Korean releases because the quality is bad.





Hmmm...maybe I'll just wait till I go to Japan later this year and see if I can find myself a copy of the LE (or Regular if they don't have it) at the TSUTAYA near my house.

[Juju]

Play-Asia doesn't sell bootlegs. That Smileage album says Forward Music is the label - so I think they made a mistake and it's Taiwan version, not Hong Kong. Forward Music is the label that Ice Creamusume's album came out on, and all H!P Taiwan versions, so it's legit. I have a Goto Maki concert DVD that was released by them as well. I bought both through YesAsia. The quality is exactly the same as far as I know.



I can't figure out how to navigate their official Chinese site, so I can't find the Smileage album, but here's Ayaya's most recent album on it. The main page has ads for Smileage's recent PV DVD and concert as well.

[Haru]

While we're questioning the legitimacy of H!P items...I bought a couple of MKB's Neko Neko Neko! photosets (A and C, I believe) from HelloStoreUSA...is it common to have the Kodak logo on the back? <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... stling.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':whistling:' /> I have a Buono! set as well and it doesn't have it on there. Don't care either way, but still, it's good to know for the future.

[al kusanagi]

I seem to recall some I've got from the Official HP Shops having them a while back, but I think as time went on they got rid of the imprint. None of the ones I've gotten from the Hello Channel books or from PBs have had them recently.

[Nicky]

[quote name='Saya' timestamp='1306813743' post='100260']

^I've heard not to get Taiwanese or Korean releases because the quality is bad.



[/quote]



I can't speak for the Taiwanese versions. But I have a few Korean versions and the quality is fine. Nothing wrong with it :) The only difference with the japanese versions is that the credits are in Korean instead of japanese.

[aine]

[quote name='Al Kusanagi' timestamp='1306711575' post='100199']

All my experience with HK CDs are from way back in the anime days, and they were all bootlegs back then.

[/quote]

The days of Sonmay are long gone, thankfully. Forward is a legit Taiwanese label, as Juju said, many Japanese artists appear on it. Not sure about mainland China releases, but HK has either subsidiaries of the Japanese labels or imports Forward releases from Taiwan. So you can order without fear, unless you just have to have the original original release from Japan at 3x the price. Like me. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /ph34r.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':ph34r:' />



[quote name='Haru' timestamp='1306820096' post='100273']

While we're questioning the legitimacy of H!P items...I bought a couple of MKB's Neko Neko Neko! photosets (A and C, I believe) from HelloStoreUSA...is it common to have the Kodak logo on the back? <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... stling.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':whistling:' /> I have a Buono! set as well and it doesn't have it on there. Don't care either way, but still, it's good to know for the future.

[/quote]

It's not odd at all, they will often just print short editions of photos via a regular photo lab on stock photo paper because it's more cost-effective. I'm pretty sure I saw some official (as in bundled with calendars) autographed photos like this too.

[tsukinobyouin]

[quote name='aine' timestamp='1306845197' post='100296']

[quote name='Al Kusanagi' timestamp='1306711575' post='100199']

All my experience with HK CDs are from way back in the anime days, and they were all bootlegs back then.

[/quote]

The days of Sonmay are long gone, thankfully. Forward is a legit Taiwanese label, as Saya said, many Japanese artists appear on it. Not sure about mainland China releases, but HK has either subsidiaries of the Japanese labels or imports Forward releases from Taiwan. So you can order without fear, unless you just have to have the original original release from Japan at 3x the price. Like me. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /ph34r.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':ph34r:' />

[/quote]



This. The only difference in the Taiwanese versions is, as Berry said, the booklet will be printed in Chinese instead of Japanese. I believe the same is true for the Korean releases (Korean text instead of Japanese). For H!P the label is Forward, for other artists it's often avex. If you have a physical copy in front of you (buying from a local store or anime convention) you can check the back of the CD. The ones I've seen have a line in English that says something about being an authorized reprint.

[Haru]

Hi me again.

What of "American versions" though? (Like Berryz's seventh album, Momusu's tenth?) Just out of curiosity, is it a case of it's being imported by JapanFiles (since they're butt buddies with H!P), or is it under an actual American label in the way the Taiwanese/Korean versions are?

[al kusanagi]

I actually got Berryz new album a week ago from Amazon, and it seems to be identical to the DVD-less edition other than having "Made in USA" and "Manufactured and Distributed by JapanFiles" on the back. Everything else is in Japanese. No inserts or anything.

[eri]

I just learned that one of the Eggs that I AM familiar with (Maeda Irori, who cosplayed in Shugo Chara) left H!P to join one of the AKB groups. Has any other former Egg left and gone on to non-H!P stardom?

[momoirosaya]

What Irorin joined was AKBN0, Akabane 0. They have nothing to do with AKB48, or any other 48 group for that matter. The name is just similar. They just hopped onto the AKB bandwagon. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... dwagon.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':bandwagon:' />

[eri]

[quote name='Saya' timestamp='1307239741' post='100732']

What Irorin joined was AKBN0, Akabane 0. They have nothing to do with AKB48, or any other 48 group for that matter. The name is just similar. They just hopped onto the AKB bandwagon. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... dwagon.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':bandwagon:' />

[/quote]



OH MY GOD WHY IS THE WORLD SO CONFUSING <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... omgwtf.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':omgwtf:' />

[momoirosaya]

Hahaha <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... >/rofl.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



Oh yeah and I just remembered....Not that I know of any eggs, but Nakayama Nana from SI☆NA left H!P to go join NMB48. The Osaka version of AKB48. (Yes, this group is related to the 48 franchise <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' /> ) She's pretty popular too. She was in undergirls for AKB's last single, which means from a management perspective, she is #3 in NMB48. Only she changed her name to Yamada Nana because she was still under UFA at the time so she couldn't use her real name, or so I've heard.

http://www.nmb48.com/member/yamada_nana/

[freezingkiss]

^ How many times has this happened now, a UFA girl going to AKB? UFA seriously need to do something massive to stop this happening.

[Anderei]

She's technically the only UFA girl. Others have only just auditioned and didn't make it. And I wouldn't say it's something they need to 'stop' from happening. Even the one whose popular in AKB48, Kashiwagi Yuki, wouldn't have made much of a difference in Morning Musume, since idols are pretty replaceable and popularity has a lot to do with luck.