Kikkawa Yuu Haparapi ~Sunrise~ Full PV!

The full PV for Kikkawa Yuu's 2nd single Hapirapi ~Sunrise~ is now available. Video after the break, enjoy!

Kikkawa Yuu Hapirapi ~Sunrise~ Short PV Released

A 2 minute preview for Kikkawa Yuu's second single, Hapirapi ~Sunrise~ has been released on Universal Music Japan's official Youtube channel. Video after the break, enjoy!

Releases for the J-pop World

Some of the releases that were postponed due to the earthquake now have new release dates:

Morning Musume-Maji Desu ka Ska! (45th Single)

C-ute: Chou WONDERFUL 6 (6th Album)

SDN48- Ai, Chuseyo (2nd Single)

will be released on April 6th, 2011. 

Morning Musume Concert Tour Autumn 2010 ~Rival Survival~ Blu-Ray (Kamei Eri, Junjun. Linlin Graduation) will be released on April 13th, 2011

Hello! Project 2011 Winter ~Kansei Shinsen Matsuri~ A Gana/B ttkuri Live will both be released on April 27th, 2011. 

No word so far on AKB48's album or Kikkawa Yuu's debut single. 

Massive 8.9 Earthquake in Japan

By now I'm sure that everyone has heard about the massive earthquake that Japan had last Friday. The quake was 8.9 in magnitude and was centered in Sendai. Even today there are still huge aftershocks going on there. Even worse is the growing worry at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and the radiation leaks.

Here is footage of the tsunami that the earthquake caused. It is not for the faint of heart so please watch at your own will.

I truly pray for the safety and well-being of all of the citizens in Japan right now and to those who have lost so much due to this quake. And to everyone wishing to do something to help there are countless foundations that are taking donations to help the relief effort in Japan. Any small amount makes a huge difference.

Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund by Global Giving

Salvation Army Donation Site

American Red Cross

Everyone is involved in the relief effort. AKB48 has been very active in the relief effort so far. The have announced that they have opened a bank account to accept donations on behalf of the Japanese Red Cross as well as pledging to donate 500 million yen from themselves and from Akimoto Yassushi as well.

As far as group activities go, it has been announced that various activities and releases have been either pushed back or canceled entirely. The release date for AKB's first original album has been pushed back from its original date of April 6th to an currently unknown date. There five concerts scheduled at Yokohama Arena have also have been canceled due to the quake. The AKB theater has also been closed and there is no word on when it will reopen again.

Hello! Project has also been hit by the quake. Morning Musume's 45th single and C-ute's 6th album have also been pushed back to an unknown release date. The release of Kikkawa Yuu's debut single has also been pushed back. Various fanclub events for Berryz Kobo, C-ute, S/mileage and Kikkawa Yuu have also been canceled with the promise of rescheduling.

Once again I truly wish for the safety of everyone in Japan and I pray for those who have been directly effected by this disaster. I strongly encourage all of you to please consider donating to one of the relief efforts listed above or any others you may find. Anything at all is helpful.

News Roundup 3-6-11

Since I've had alot of work to do this past week, i havent been able to do much blogging. so today I'm posting on recent news in the idol world. 

1. Akimoto Sayaka reinstated as Team K captain

As most of you already know, Sayaka resigned as captain of Team K after it became known that she had an older man, Ouji Hiroi, stay at her house. Since then she has promised that she will do her best as a member of Team K and hopefully regain her position as captain. Well last week, she took place in the Tokyo Marathon, and after seeing how hard she worked in training and completing the marathon Akimoto has reinstated her as captain! Sayaka is one of the most dedicated members of AKB48 and her resignation broke the hearts of many of her fans, but shes captain again and thats all that matters. Congrats Sayaka!!!

2. New AKB48 sub-group : DiVA

Along with the previous announcement, Akimoto announce a new sub-group named DiVA. This unit features Akimoto Sayaka, Miyazawa Sae, Umeda Ayaka, and Masuda Yuka, all under the office48 umbrella. I have been waiting for the day that Sae and Sayaka would be featured in another unit, so this announcement was great to hear. Their debut single will be released under avex trax on April 27th. 

3. Maji Desu ka Ska Previews Released

The full radio preview for Morning Musume's Maji Desu ka Ska was released a few days ago. As most people expected, it has a ska feel to it like Koko ni Iruze! After the radio preview was released, today a short preview for the PV was released. I love the costumes used in the PV, they remind me of the outfits used in Naichau Kamo. The 9th gen seemed to have a decent amount of screen-time as compared to the older members. What I dont understand is why there is a cactus in the middle of the set? Oh well, Morning Musume is full of quirks. Thats what makes them fun! The full PV should be released sometime this week.

4. Sakura no Ki ni Narou Reaches 1 million!

Its official. In it's third week of sales, AKB48's 20th single reaches 1 million copies sold! This isnt there first million, (Beginner reached this number just about 2 months ago) but it is the fastest in only three weeks of sales. I wouldnt be surprised if for their next single they cracked 1 million in the first week. Lets hope!

5. Kikkake wa You PV Preview Released

Kikkawa Yuu's 1st single PV preview was released last week. It is a typical cute idol PV and song, but Kikka pulls off everything just perfectly. Not being selected for Morning Musume was a blessing in disguise, she has a much better presence for a solo artist. I look forward to seeing the full video and all of her future releases. This single will be released on March 30th. 

Thats it for this weeks news! Hopefully I can get back to regular blogging this week.