Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)The current nine-member lineup of Japanese pop group Morning Musume is seen in excellent form in this autumn 2007 concert, which includes all three of the 8th Gen girls signed up earlier that year (Aika Mitsui plus the two Chinese members, JunJun and LinLin). The pace is fast, the dancing is fun, and the girls all look fantastic in a succession of dazzling costume changes. The song selection is superb, with 23 songs featured, most of them either unfamiliar to me or not performed live very often, meaning lots of fresh material. The best Morning Musume concerts fill me with abundant joy and this one is no exception.
Granted, the quirky personalities that made the group so unique have all moved on and the intricate songs that made ample room for solo bits for each of the girls have no place here. The emphasis has shifted to high-energy songs designed to be sung in unison by an ensemble unit, with lots of dancing in them. The track list here includes some of MM's then-recent singles, "Kanashimi Twilight," "Onna ni Sachi are," and "Ambitious," plus a rousing performance of "Mikan," their then-newest single and the second number in the show, as well as the best song they've had since 8th Gen was added. Old favorites from pre-7th Gen are always a tricky proposition with this lineup, so they thankfully keep them to a minimum, sticking to ones they can do well--"Shabondama," "Ikimasshoi," and "Go Girl - Koi no Victory." There's also a nice version of "How Do You Like This Japan?" from MM's Rainbow 7 album.
The sole guest act is the always enjoyable Biyuden, a trio led by former 4th Gen member Rika Ishikawa and including Erika Miyoshi and Yui Okada. (All three appear in the movie, YO YO GIRL COP, also reviewed on this site.) They're featured in six numbers here, so we get to see a lot of them, always a good thing in my book. They perform my favorite song of theirs, "Koisuru Angel Heart," in attractive red-and-black costumes and it's easily the best performance of it I've ever seen.
There are a few unsubtitled MC segments, most of which are short and snappy and easy to watch even without English translation. There's only one slow spot in the 108-minute show and it comes at the one-hour mark--a 7-minute puppet show with the three ladies from Viyuden plus Ai Takahashi and Aika Mitsui manipulating puppet figures of themselves.
Group leader Ai Takahashi (5th Gen) does a solo number and knocks it out of the park. (When will she get her own album?) 7th Gen member Koharu Kusumi does a solo from her animated series, "Kirarin Revolution" and executes a clever costume transformation in the middle of it, but I was annoyed that the song is lip-sync'd. (I'd rather hear her solos live, even if she DOES miss a high note now and then.) All the MM regulars excel in this concert, but Risa Niigaki and Eri Kamei particularly stand out. Plus, the new girls are given enough to do so that no one should feel neglected. This concert and "Resonant Live" from autumn 2008 are the best MM concerts I've seen since 2006.
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