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

[al kusanagi]

They've used center to refer to Nacchi since the beginning. It's absolutely nothing new.

[MejraThea]

I've heard Rika and Yossie directly refer to when they were the "center" of a single, namely The Peace! and Mr. Moonlight, respectively. It's somewhere in those videos, for those of you that can understand Japanese.
 
On The Peace! video Rika says so at about 00:12 in, and Mr. Moonlight at about 00:09.

[showraniy]

I really cannot agree that center = face = lead anywhere in MM's history precisely because it changes. A single's lead isn't usually the group's center. I realize this is debatable, but I think of Koharu when I think of Platinum era center, and she had solos but she wasn't a lead. Abe Natsumi is really the closest thing MM had to being the face, lead, and center all at the same time.


Really they're all the same damn thing of whoever gets most media presence, yeah, but saying Riho is center right now isn't the whole story IMO since I think MM's current dynamic emphasizes the group more than a single girl which kinda defeats the purpose of a center.

[andrewmarlin]

PLEASE HURRY AND GET RID OF THE '14. I am watching the Love Machine video that was posted and the '14 doesn't fit at all!!

[MejraThea]

Speaking of Love Machine, I hate the new dance 

[Anderei]

I hate the new dance too. The new one doesn't make me think 'dance group' any more than the old one. They should have just left it alone.
 
More promo:
Handshake Event - Eripon, Riho, Kanon, Sakura in Hashimoto on 1/23
Handshake Event - Mizuki, Haruna, and Haruka in Ikebukuro on 1/24
Handshake Event - Eripon, Ayumi, Masaki in Sapporo on 1/24
Handshake Event - Riho, Kanon, Ayumi, Masaki in Sapporo on 1/25 at the H!P Concert.
 
This brings the total number of handshakes to 34.
 
Eripon, Haruna and Ayumi on J-POP Ranking.
Riho on a local Hiroshima show.
Mizuki and Ayumi on a Nagoya show from last week.
 
Some magazine promo:
Ad on the back cover of Sky Perfect! TV Magazine:

Spoiler: [+]

 
Feb 2014 issue of CD Journal. 24 pages total, but I only have HQ scans of the cover and the solo shots (the rest are just interviews by the looks of it). Also, can I just say that I actually really don't like how Haruka's hair has been styled for this single? I'm just not feeling it:

Spoiler: [+]

 

 
 

[AquaChan]

Wow, love the design on the member's pages. (coming from a graphic designer XD)

[sayu1991]

Oh wow. The girls all look beautiful in their solo shots, especially Ayumi and Eripon. Masaki looks super adorable too. <333

[Pucchi-Mo]

[quote="AquaChan"]
Wow, love the design on the member's pages. (coming from a graphic designer XD)
[/quote]
 
 
Yeah, it's pretty brilliant. They abstracted the kanji of the girls' names to the point that at first glance, it just looks like a random cool graphically striking pattern. 
 
Wait, this is the same style as the CD cover, maybe they actually hired someone competent this time... 
 
GASP
 
Only thing, Haruna's rectangle running all the way down her leg is QUITE unfortunate placement, considering the color. 

[TicTacAnyone]

I actually LOVE the way Haruka's hair is styled... I get a real almost early 2000's/"dark" image, but with her beautiful face. I can't get enough of her picture! She truly is an important visual in the group :3

[JPope]

[quote="TicTacAnyone"]
I actually LOVE the way Haruka's hair is styled... I get a real almost early 2000's/"dark" image, but with her beautiful face. I can't get enough of her picture! She truly is an important visual in the group :3
[/quote]
 
Same here. It's uber-stylish, and her photo is by far the most striking out of all of them.

[zlilzlilzlil]

Anyone knows what are the other releases on 29.1?
Cause from what I found other acts that release a single are May'n & After School (which covered love machine once)
 
Does any big selling act is releasing a single? if not the MM have a pretty easy week to get number 1...

[Shoujo Q]

I dug through H!O to find this. You can thank me later. TvT

 
<div>ClariS</div>
<div>μ's</div>
<div>Amuro Namie</div>
<div>Kamiya Hiroshi</div>
<div>Yunaku from Supernova</div>
<div>765PRO ALLSTARS</div>
<div>AFTERSCHOOL</div>
<div>Baby Raids</div>
<div>ZAQ</div>
<div>May'n</div>
<div>Hilcrhyme</div>
<div> </div>

[Anderei]

MORE HANDSHAKES. Total is up to 39.


Mizuki, Riho, Ayumi in Sendai 1/27

Haruna, Haruka, Sakura in Saitama 1/27

Sayumi, Riho, Kanon, Masaki in Tokyo 1/28

Mizuki, Eripon, Haruka in Fukuoka 1/28

Group mini-live and handshake at Club Citta 1/29


Release events were also scheduled for 3/1 and 3/9.

[hopeislove]

/islateforcommentonnewmv

i actually just saw it, and it's only ok. Their make up is a total no though, too much blush and *shudder*. Love their hair, as usual. The whole mv in general is mostly boring and the flag/sky background thing wasn't great. The dance seems actually kinda fun when i watch it again, which is in my favor. I really like the song also, it may be my favorite of the three a-sides if i listen to it more. Though none of them are "addictingly catchy", i'll still listen to them often just because.

[AurA]

I thought the song itself was way too repetitive, same lines and verses constantly.  Also I think HaruNA looked really great, I noticed her in this new MV for whatever reason more than usual. 

[Anderei]

What Is Love performance on Music Japan
 
This has got to be the most inconsistent single they've ever done live. Every single time they do it the vocals sound so different.

[momoirosaya]

[quote="Anderei"]
What Is Love performance on Music Japan
 
This has got to be the most inconsistent single they've ever done live. Every single time they do it the vocals sound so different.
[/quote]
 
I feel like we've just had the opportunity to see this live more than other singles, since they've been preforming back since October?
I think they sound pretty good here though! They sounded better than they did at that concert performance.
Also probably the condition their voices are in when they sing it probably changes.

[Anderei]

[quote="Saya"]
 
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Anderei" data-cid="170477" data-time="1390536316">
<div>
What Is Love performance on Music Japan
 
This has got to be the most inconsistent single they've ever done live. Every single time they do it the vocals sound so different.
[/quote]
 
I feel like we've just had the opportunity to see this live more than other singles, since they've been preforming back since October?
I think they sound pretty good here though! They sounded better than they did at that concert performance.
Also probably the condition their voices are in when they sing it probably changes.
 
</div>
</blockquote>
 
 
Maybe. I think my favorite version vocal-wise is the one from H!S they was shot zoomed out and didn't have any closeups.

 

[Derby]

It sounds good but the only remarkable thing is that Masaki finally says "necessary" instead of "necesally"

[Shoujo Q]

Morning musume are going to be on Music Station next Friday. Huzzah!

[TicTacAnyone]

Those lights matched with the camera technique is horrible! I can't even see their faces, I feel like I'm getting mind-gamed! I just really don't like the editing D':

[pandapanda]

[quote="Shoujo Q"]
Morning musume are going to be on Music Station next Friday. Huzzah!
[/quote]
 
 
Woohoo!

[Anderei]

[quote="Shoujo Q"]
Morning musume are going to be on Music Station next Friday. Huzzah!
[/quote]
 
They're going to be performing Love Machine (Updated) and What Is Love. It's on the MS website.

 

[Shoujo Q]

I added a poll. You people like polls, right? 


I'm not going to lie. I love that they are promo-ing "What Is Love?" more than the other songs. :x

[MejraThea]

I had to null my vote. I want to see what others put, but I can't pick, so.
 
It's between What is LOVE? and Kimi no Kawari. I love the What is LOVE dance/song but Riho's thighs in Kimi no Kawari..... it's an impossible choice.

[Derby]

^ Same :( I'm between What is LOVE? and Kimi no Kawari, but I don't want to vote yet. We've been hearing to WIL? since October or November, right? and Kimi no Kawari came out just 2 weeks ago or so, I wanna see if the Olympics song grow on me better than WIL?

[Anderei]

I picked What is Love because the other two weren't worth listening to more than once or twice.

[TicTacAnyone]

Kimi no Kawari immediately got my vote. While it may seem like I was ragging on it, I actually think it's a great song. I can't personally find many faults within the song, tempo, etc. The dance seems fun and it's one I just kinda automatically end up doing when I'm alone. The girls looks fierce as heck and I generally like the song's meaning. :3

[JPope]

I like all of the songs, but "Kimi no Kawari" is the only one that sounds like a proper A-Side song. It's easily the best of the three by my estimation.