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Entitled "The one Japanese woman living in an icy town," Mari and Natsumi must fly to Iceland and find the only Japanese person living there. But it's not as easy as they think it will be. They're dropped on the other side of the country and must find their way to her through any means necessary, be it by a bus or hitchhiking, and trying to communicate with people. What they find in the small village of Hofn is a very interesting person with a story to tell.
Sorry the screenshots are so crappy :( I have uploaded the special and you can watch it HERE! Subtitles (not done by me) are included.
Miracle*Revolution will star Morning Musume idol Koharu Kusumi, focusing on her (thus far) idol career, in manga magazine Ciao. This follows her run as the voice of Kirari in the anime and manga series Kirarin Revolution, a story about a young girl who strives to be an idol. No furthur information is known.
Pictures taken from Hello! Online:
Ciao scan 1
Ciao scan 2
Former Morning Musume member Mari Yaguchi is starring in two absolutely hilarious Nintendo Wii commercials:
CM 1
CM 2
(コメットさん) 2001
12-year-old Princess Comet has no interest in her royal duties. She'd much rather play with little stars in the Haromonica Star-World system than fulfill anyone's expectations. On the evening of a ball meant to introduce Comet to the prince of Tamborine Star-World, he runs away, and the only way to know him is from the "twinkle" in his eyes. Now it's been decided that Comet will go to Earth to find him and set things right - but can she make the time between having so many fun adventures?
In this episode, Comet and the twins witness a wedding, and Nene becomes obsessed with being a bride - so much so that she begs Comet to make her a wedding dress with star power. But when Comet tries, the outfit comes out more like a wrapped pillow, and the little girl is angry. What went wrong? Meanwhile, Meteo has cast a spell on a classmate from the twin's school, and now he thinks he's a spy for the Castanet Star Galaxy.
Comet learns that wedding dresses have no specialness and meaning if they're something you could wear everyday.
Since this was published in the 1980s and is long out of print, I don't think it will do any harm to include spoilers. If you don't want spoilers (on the off-chance that you'd like to locate scanlations or an actual copy somewhere), don't read the second paragraph on. To note, I own an actual copy ;)
It's a rainy Friday, and high school girl Yayoi can't see very well without her glasses - she's actually trying to get to the store and pick up a new pair. Stumbling and squinting through the streets, she bumps into a young man who helps her find her way, but leaves before she can thank him or even ask his name. Plagued with thoughts of this person, whom she nicknames "Mr. Friday," Yayoi finds herself determined to discover who he is, but that's hard when you don't know what your savior looks like.
If you like shoujo, this will be a treat for you. It's a very sweet story with adorable artwork and twists you really didn't expect.
(きらりん☆レボリューション) 2006
Kirari (voiced by Koharu Kusumi of Morning Musume!) is a middle schooler who LOVES her food. So much so that it's scary! While girls her age swoon over idols, Kirari swoons over her dad's cooking, and couldn't care less about the life of a celebrity. But when she saves the pet turtle of Seiji of pop group SHIPS and falls in love, she decides to become an idol herself so that they can be together (or so she hopes).
Episode 103:
Things have changed a bit for Kirari's surroundings. SHIPS is planning a world tour (well, basically just around Asia), the company building has a new look, and Aoi-san is studying in London. And what's new for Kirari? Well, it's been decided that her company will search for a "second Kirari," a new idol just like her to join their ranks. Kirari has been asked to be a judge for auditions, which she gladly accepts. She's excited to have a girl around to talk to and be friends with - but the audition doesn't go so well. Hundreds of girls came, none were accepted. Where could their next star be?
Episode 104:
It looks like a "second Kirari" has been found after all! It seems the same mysterious girl who saved Kirari from being hit by a car on audition day also saved the director from thugs, so he brought her over to the company building. Her name is Noel, and despite her "unique aura" she doesn't want to be an idol, no matter what anybody says. Kirari is persistent in trying to convince her, but only makes Noel angrier. Later, a strange girl who has a thing for strange objects shows up, having run into Kirari the day before looking for "three stars." Kirari still finds her very out there, but some encouraging words from a free fortune telling, "never give up," gives her new energy.
It looks like they switched to a 3D animation format. It looks... really strange. I feel like I'm watching a video game with that cheap, blocky, awkward and stiff animation. Not only that, SHIPS' voices have been changed. Boo! Boo! I can understand them wanting to switch up the VAs in order to make SHIPS "live" (like Koharu Kusumi as Kirari), and couldn't very well put two 30 year old men on tour who are supposed to be about 14 on the show, but still!
If you've been watching the anime, basically you should have very little trouble following what's going on in this book. There are a few variations and changes, of course (for one, Kirari's family is not shown).
Kirari is a glutton for food, preferring to devote herself to eating rather than celebrity worship like her classmates. Despite this difference with her peers, she does dream of finding a boyfriend and falling in love. One day while out with two friends, she rescues a turtle caught in a tree, and is then saved from a fall by a mysterious figure. They'd met him only a few moments before this, and thought him quite the weirdo, wearing "gag" glasses and strange clothes. But when he catches Kirari, the disguise falls off - he's actually quite handsome, and Kirari is instantly smitten. In thanks for rescuing his pet, he presents her with a ticket to a SHIPS concert. Eventually, of course, she finds out that this guy is actually a member of SHIPS, and decides to become an idol in the hopes that they can end up together. But for every gentle, calm guy in a shoujo manga, there has to be a tough, rude guy, and Hiroto fits the bill. The other part of SHIPS, he doesn't seem to like Kirari and constantly scolds and belittles her. Just what is his problem?
Basically, what happens in the volume:
-Kirari saves a turtle and in turn ends up meeting pop group SHIPS. She falls in love with Seiji and wants to become an idol so they can be together.
-Kirari comes to an audition not realizing it's supposed to be for boys only. But instead of giving up and leaving, she puts on a disguise. Though Seiji and Hiroto know it's her, they find it amusing and let her continue (well, Seiji does). Eventually the director of their company becomes interested in Kirari's determination and spunk, offering a spot on their talent team.
-Kirari's first possible job is a Nice Cake commercial. But her self-sworn enemy, Erina, wants the job for herself, and sabotages Kirari's work at every opportunity, including making her late.
-As Kirari has now proven herself ready to be an idol, a famous music composer is brought in to create a song especially for her. But her singing is awful, so bad people are in pain! She's got two weeks to improve, or it simply won't be possible to have a debut CD.
-Erina kidnaps Naa-san and leaves a note for Kirari - if she doesn't back out of singing on live TV, she'll never see her beloved cat again.
Released in February of 2009, this features a Easter special along with a few random episodes from the TV series.
The Easter Chipmunk: Upon hearing that his grandfather may have been the original giver of chocolates and colored eggs (aka The Easter Chipmunk) Alvin and his brothers set out to solve the mystery, with Alvin dreaming of inheriting the legacy.
Snow Wrong: The Chipmunks and Chipettes join a play production of Snow White, but the director's bratty daughter, Tara Marie, steals the main role from right under Brittany's nose.
Special Kind of Champion: Alvin doesn't feel like trying anymore now that his gym class has switched to track. So, his teacher assigns him as coach to a Olympic hopeful, but he doesn't turn out to be what Alvin expected. An energetic young boy with cerebral palsy and a positive attitude may just be what Alvin needs.
Thinking Cap Trap: Fed up with his family's inability to be on the same level of intelligence as him, Simon invents a special cap that can give them that gift for a short period of time. He's so confident he signs them all up for an IQ-based game show, but forgets to recharge the cap on the big day, and now they're all as they were before with no time to fix it.
Luck O' The Chipmunks: A new boy at school, Mickey, befriends Theodore, but wants so badly for more people to like him he tells Theodore he has a leprechaun living in his room who'll grant any wish. Word quickly reaches Alvin and once he's convinced the leprechaun is real, sets up a business to bank on this supposed fortune. But Mickey can't keep up with the charade and is worked ragged to please everyone from behind the pot of gold.
Two episodes in this set really bugged me: the Easter one and the leprechaun one. So am I to believe that the Chipmunks live just down the road from the Easter Bunny, along with his factory and even a holiday based library? And where did this grandfather come from? Granted, I haven't seen all the TV episodes, but that was pretty random. As for the Luck O' episode... just, wow. There are a lot of stereotypes in there. Theodore even asks Mickey to come over for potato soup!
From Hello! Online:
Tsunku♂, our Hello!Project's exclusive producer is expanding his horizon internationally with the debut of Rhythm Heaven (as known as DS Rhythm Tengoku Gold in Japan) for the Nintendo DS hand-held system. Released on April 5 of 2009, the game entered the U.S. market shelves and received a highly positive reaction from the gaming population. This music rhythm based game was co-developed by the Nintendo R&D1 team and TXN (the company that Tsunku himself 'owns').
Rhythm Heaven, or DS Rhythm Tengoku Gold is actually a sequel to the game Rhythm Tengoku (released Aug 8th, 2006) for Gameboy Advance which Nintendo SPD with the help of Tsunku as a lead developer. But since Rhythm Tengoku was only released within Japan and never internationally, the sequel, Rhythm Heaven, becomes the first time Tsunku (and this game series) enters the worldwide gaming industry.
This sequel game expands from the GBA button controls to the DS touchscreen gameplay and it contains a very simple concept that requires the player to Tap, Flick, Hold or Slide in correlation to the music and animation of the game. Unfortunately for us as Hello!Project fans, there does not seem to be music in there taken from the H!P song collection (seems like NiceGirlProject fans can get something out of the JPN ver though). However, for the gamers who owns a DS, this game is definitely worth checking-out.
Go to link for more info and interview with Tsunku.
(きらりん☆レボリューション) 2006
Kirari (voiced by Koharu Kusumi of Morning Musume!) is a middle schooler who LOVES her food. So much so that it's scary! While girls her age swoon over idols, Kirari swoons over her dad's cooking, and couldn't care less about the life of a celebrity. But when she saves the pet turtle of Seiji of pop group SHIPS and falls in love, she decides to become an idol herself so that they can be together (or so she hopes).
Episode 101:
Everybody is becoming concerned for Kirari's health, so SHIPS, Hiroto's mom and siblings, the chairman and Kumoi-san pay her a visit bearing food. She is temporarily cheered up and when she attempts to ask for Hiroto's help on the matter, one of Hiroto's brothers injures himself. Watching the little boy being comforted by his mom is too much for Kirari to handle. After receiving a phonecall from Tina (and remembering hearing Lucusberg suggesting either she or Fubuki replace her in the film), she runs off in tears. Then Lucusberg summons her and declares that the sakura tree in the film will be losing it's bloom soon, so Kirari only has one more day to prove herself. The whole project's success rests in her hands. And Luna doesn't appear to care or want to help. How could such a cold woman be her mother?
Episode 102:
Kirari's little family is whole again - but what's this? Luna (real name Urara) wants to take Kirari to Hollywood with her? Everybody except Kirari is thrilled, and the young idol doesn't know if she's ready to take a step into the serious and more "legit" entertainment world. The plans carry on and a farewell concert is organized, but her heart still isn't in it, even with the praise and excitement of so many. Still, this could be huge for her life and where it's headed.
The stakes are high to keep Scissors Project in existence, and to save Kiri's home as well. But the contest doesn't run smoothly at all. Narumi and Ochiai are still fighting over Kiri, adding tension to an already stressful situation. Billy steals the magical scissors, and when Kiri confronts him in the rain, she gets very sick and doesn't make it in time. Narumi's arm still hasn't fully recovered and is aggravated at a crucial time. It just might be an unhappy ending for everyone.
(きらりん☆レボリューション) 2006
Kirari (voiced by Koharu Kusumi of Morning Musume!) is a middle schooler who LOVES her food. So much so that it's scary! While girls her age swoon over idols, Kirari swoons over her dad's cooking, and couldn't care less about the life of a celebrity. But when she saves the pet turtle of Seiji of pop group SHIPS and falls in love, she decides to become an idol herself so that they can be together (or so she hopes).
Episode 99:
Kirari will be known around the world, now that she's acting in a Lucusberg film. But that also means she has to do her absolute best, lest herself and her company be laughed at. Luna shows up at the company building, wanting to be around them to learn for her own role, and ends up as Kirari's manager for the day. Kirari is thrilled, of course. Luna proves herself quite competent at her job (though a tad humorous), and has a certain gentle way of interacting with Kirari, stirring curiosity in Kumoi-san.
Episode 100:
Kirari is confused - is Luna her mom? She sure looks like the woman in the hidden photo she found. Her dad denies it, but she's still determined to find out. After attempting to confront her alleged long lost mom, she is instead rebutted by Luna to focus on nothing but movie related subjects (Kirari didn't even get to ask), which she does her best to achieve. However, with her mind on the unsolved mystery she struggles with the very last scene of the movie, and if she doesn't figure out what to do soon, her job is at stake.
