Matsuura Aya 21st Single (2009-02-11)

The soon to be axed Elder Club are getting releases thick and fast with the release of Matsuura Aya’s 21st single titled Chocolate Tamashii to be released on 2009-02-11 announced today. This release has been speculated at for a while as the Single V was revealed around a week ago – I didn’t want to post anything though until I had some concrete proof of the single’s existence (Thanks e-hon!). The Single-V will be released two weeks after the single on 2009-02-25.

Ayaya has gotten a few endorsements recently with a few more CMs to help promote her. Promosingly the single has been described as an “upbeat valentine melody.” I’m hoping for another Ki ga Tsukeba Anata type song!

2008 Best Selling Hello! Project / TNX / AKB48 / Related Singles

I’ve compiled a list over the year of the sales of all the Hello! Project / TNX / AKB48 and related singles’ sales (where possible) and now below I present to you in order of lowest to highest sales the top selling singles for this year. Each list will be presented in their own category (Hello! Project etc). Please note that some sales figures may not be completely accurate and indeed some singles are still charting and are likely to sell more in the coming weeks. If you notice any glaring figures that would change rankings please comment!The charts are presented in; position, artist, title, date and sales. Best selling figures are cumulative – the more singles released the higher the sales.

Hello! Project

#28 Mano Erina - Lalala-Sososo (2008-12-23) (600) (Indies)
#27 Melon Kinenbi – Charisma, Kirei (2008-03-19) (2,180)
#26 Berryz Koubou – Dschinghis Khan Tartar Mix (2008-09-17) (3,829)
#25 Athena & Robikerottsu – Seishun! LOVE Lunch (2008-02-14) (6,371)
#24 Abe Natsumi – Screen (2008-12-03) (6,474) (Still Charting)
#23 Matsuura Aya – Kizuna (2008-05-21) (7,623)
#22 Ongaku Gatas – Come Together (2008-09-10) (12,004)
#21 Shugo-Chara Egg! – Minna no Tamago (2008-12-10) (14,347) (Still Charting)
#20 Abe Natsumi & Yajima Maimi – 16sai no Koi Nante (2008-01-16) (14,538)
#19 v-u-den – Nanni mo Iwazu ni I LOVE YOU (2008-04-23) (15,949)
#18 Kusumi Koharu – Papancake (2008-07-16) (20,595)
#17 Fujimoto Miki – Okitegami (2008-04-23) (24,746)
#16 Berryz Koubou – MADAYADE (2008-11-05) (25,469)
#15 MilkyWay – TANTANTAAN! (2008-10-19) (25,794)
#14 Buono! – Rottara Rottara (2008-11-12) (27,104)
#13 C-ute – FOREVER LOVE (2008-11-26) (29,144) (Still Charting)
#12 Buono! – Gachinko de Ikou! (2008-08-20) (31,005)
#11 C-ute - LALALA Shiawase no Uta (2008-02-27) (31,650)
#10 High-King – C/C (Cinderella Complex) (2008-06-11) (31,693)
#09 Berryz Koubou - Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance (2008-07-09) (33,017)
#08 C-ute – Namida no Iro (2008-04-23) (33,422)
#07 Buono! – Renai Rider (2008-02-06) (35,254)
#06 C-ute – Edo no Temari Uta II (2008-07-30) (35,789)
#05 Buono! – Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! (2008-05-14) (36,196)
#04 Berryz Koubou – Dschinghis Khan (2008-03-12) (37,096)
#03 Morning Musume – Pepper Keibu (2008-09-24) (46,067)
#02 MilkyWay – Anataboshi (2008-04-30) (49,492)
#01 Morning Musume – Resonant Blue (2008-04-16) (57,964)

Best Selling Group: C-ute
Best Selling Soloist: Fujimoto Miki
Total Single Sales: 695,412

TNX

#07 Canary Club – Nishiki Kazare (2008-04-09) (2,638)
#06 Canary Club – Hitomi ga Kirakirara (2008-07-16) (4,352)
#05 Canary Club – FAITH! (2008-01-01) (4,632)
#04 Ogawa Mana – Suppin Rock (2008-11-12) (5,331)
#03 THE Possible – Love Message! (2008-02-20) (7,046)
#02 THE Possible – Kazoku e no Tegami (2008-04-30) (9,757)
#01 THE Possible – Ijiwaru Crazy Love (2008-08-06) (12,196)

Best Selling Group: THE Possible
Best Selling Soloist: Ogawa Mana
Total Single Sales: 45,952

AKB48

#5 Ohori Meshibe - Amai Kokansetsu (2008-10-15) (10,125)
#4 No Sleeves – Relax! (2008-11-26) (11,436)
#3 AKB48 – Romance, Irane! (2008-01-23) (23,209)
#2 AKB48 – Sakura no Hanabiratachi 2008 (2008-02-27) (25,482)
#1 AKB48 - Oogoe Diamond (2008-10-22) (64,141)

Best Selling Group: AKB48
Best Selling Soloist: Ohori Meshibe
Total Single Sales: 134,393

Satoda Mai / Hexagon

#2 Satoda Mai with Gouda Kyoudai – Mou Sugu Christmas (2008-11-12) (28,075)
#1 Aladdin – Hi wa, Mata Noboru (2008-07-30) (267,235)

Total Single Sales: 295,310

SHIPS

#2 Kimi ga Iru (2008-11-26) (790)
#1 TOKYO FRIENDSHIPS (2008-06-25) (1,631)

Total Single Sales: 2,421

Berryz Koubou 19th single (2009-03-11)

Berryz Koubou are to release their 19th single titled 抱きしめて 抱きしめて (Dakishimete Dakishimete: Hold me, hold me) on 2009-03-11. As always the single will be released in two editions, one with a DVD. The Single V will follow on 2009-03-18. This release seems a little distance but I like the title, it sounds like it might not be the jumpy sort of song we’ve been hearing lately!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope everyone gets lots of nice presents and has a great day~! Pictured above is Tsuji and Taiyou from Christmas 2007, aww~!

2009 Hopes / Predictions / Fears

Well it’s very nearly the end of the year again and I quite enjoying doing these lists so hear they are, my hopes, predictions and fears for Hello! Project, TNX and AKB48 in 2009! Like last year I’ll put likelihood in brackets.

Hopes

• Morning Musume release their 9th studio album, a Mandarin duet from JunLin would be lovely! (4)
• Fujimoto Miki releases her 7th single – Okitegami is pretty much done, it was nice but we’ve heard it enough already! (3)
• Mano Erina makes her major debut and manages to sell relatively well, (4)
• The Elder Club don’t stop making releases despite them no longer being members of Hello! Project, (2)
• SHIPS sell better! (Could this really be hard considering the sales of their last single?) (3)
• Ice Creamusume quickly release some original material, (3)
• Kago Ai releases her mini-album which is already supposed to be out! (3)
• Goto Maki finally gets a single from Avex,
• Tsuji Nozomi appears at the final Elder Club concert (this has already been semi-confirmed though not by Up-Front), (3)
• Ohori Meshibe releases a second single, (2)
• No more major graduations from AKB48, (2)
• We see more of SKE48, (4)

Predictions

• Ice Creamusume fails to make an impact in Japan, (3)
• Mano Erina becomes the “new Kusumi Koharu,” only more loveable, (3)
• Morning Musume graduation? (3)
• Berryz Koubou / C-ute graduation? (3)
• New Hello! Project groups, once again temporary, (4)
• Oogoe Diamond will be the high point of AKB48 sales, (3)

Fears

• More auditions, Up-Front needs to concentrate on the artists it has (3)
• Morning Musume graduation, the 9nin lineup is good! (3)
• Hello! Project keeps the Wonderful Hearts / Elder Club scheme and Morning Musume as well as some Eggs comrpise the Elder Club, (Please no!) (2)
• Scandal…(2)

Mano Erina charts in Oricon!

Mano Erina managed to chart in the Oricon daily charts this week at #30 and therefore achieved a weekly position of 138 with sales of 600 copies of her 3rd single lalala-sososo! Although this seems extremely low one has to remember that all of Mano’s singles so far have been released independent of a record label and as far as I remember the singles are only sold at Tower Records and online through the Hello! Project shop (as well as events).

Well done Mano, let’s hope you get a major debut in 2009!

Liang Ai Ge Ming 21 Preview

From Stardust – A radio preview of Ice Creamusume’s Liang Ai Ge Ming 21 (恋爱革命21) has been released on Taiwanese radio! The song is from their upcoming debut mini-album and it’s a cover of the Morning Musume classic, Renai Revolution 21. I expected a new arrangement and was a little disappointed by the lack of one but then I suppose there’s nothing wrong with the original and DANCE*MAN did compose it.

I find it a little odd that they still say chou chou chou ii kanji but I think the song is lovely in Mandarin – such a beautiful language! I think their voices are somewhat…weak? I’m not sure if that’s the right word but they’re certainly not very strong – I’m sort of half hoping that the album is a complete cover album, I’d love to hear some other perhaps more recent songs covered in Mandarin. This is a double edged sword though, while it would be cool and perhaps sell decently in Taiwan it would most likely bomb in Japan.

Anyway, head over to Stardust to listen / download!