1. Festival International 2016 Dates

The Noise for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Speaks Teen Poetry Slam Unified District Poetry Slam Queeriosity MC Olympics De La Boca Under-21 Open Mics. I Want To Live; Brave New Voices. The Festival BNV Network Emerging Artists Fellowship The Bigger Picture Life Is Living Off/Page Project. Soon there will be so much more here. I can’t wait either!

Hello Project Battle Festival ハロープロジェクト! バトルフェスティバル is one of the coolest Fighter Maker 95 games that most have probably never heard of before (and I couldn't fit the whole title), but it's been around for at least a good four years. It uses a mostly simple fighting system that allows for a limited amount of combos and technical moves, more akin to an old-school fighter with a greater degree of character balance. Considering it uses the FM95 engine, it features lots of characters (to this day, it seems the author has yet to implement four characters), twenty stages, and large sprites with nice animations (not unlike Takase's 'Arm Joe'). It seems fairly close to completion and is based on 'Morning Musume'. The thing I like about the characters in this game most is that they are, for the most part, fairly original.

Even the 'Michael Jackson' female has strange attacks you wouldn't expect like turning into a soccer player or carrying you off into space and crashing you down like a meteor. How many games can you honestly fight with a janitor lady who is also semi-attractive, slams a train into you, does a martial arts super counter move, or does a costume combo (solo concert) and strikes you as a magical girl home-run star? There are other cool and quirky characters too, but I didn't use them. There are four attack buttons and some moves have extra extensions including super moves.

Some moves can also only be done with a particular button while others change depending on the button used. This is a video showing some of the game. You can get this game at: (click the English text saying 'HelloProjectBattleFestival', it's pretty big and hard to miss) Enjoy. ^ REGARDING THE LINK ABOVE: It appears the website is unfortunately no longer around.but we still do have the game. You can get it at: - ADDITION - Like Us On Facebook: Follow Us On Twitter: Visit Us At.

. Hello! Member changes and singles history (as of 2017) 1997-1998: Formation and beginnings Japanese producer started the group in 1997 through an audition for a female rock vocalist for his band. The audition was held on the Japanese TV show. The winner was, later to become a soloist under what would eventually become known as. Tsunku decided to form a girl group consisting of five of the runners-up:, and. They were issued a challenge to sell 50,000 copies of their demo single, ', with just five days of promotion events.

They managed the feat in four promotion days (spread out over November 1997) in a very grassroots manner, and Tsunku began his mission to create the most famous all-girl group in Japan. In early 1998, the girls were ready with their first official single, '. The success of this single (hitting number six on the Japanese pop charts) brought them three new members known as the second generation:, and, bringing the total member count to eight. The second single, ', was the first single of the new lineup—a mature pop tune about unsuccessfully attempting to hide one's true feelings. Their third single, ', continued in the same vein musically as Summer Night Town, and managed to hit number one on the charts. Leader Nakazawa also started her solo career. ' was released in July 1998, featuring the singles ', ' and '.

That year, Tsunku also formed, the first subgroup of Morning Musume, with, and. Data logging software. Tanpopo touted slower, more mature songs.

When ' was released, however, Morning Musume's label went under a different name, One Up Music (One Up is a combination of (the label that distributed One Up Music's catalog) and (One Up Music's parent company)). However, in April 1998, one month before the release of ', One Up Music ended its distribution deal with Warner, and was rebranded as Zetima.

Distribution rights would be given to 's sub label for ', ' and all of Zetima's subsequent releases. 1999: Groundbreaking success with 'Love Machine' and the 3rd generation The group released its fourth single ' in early 1999, reaching number two on, second to 's ' which had 1st week sales of 955,780 copies, verse Memory Seishun no Hikari's 195,720).

The song features rap passages by L The Headtoucha and intense vocal harmonization by the group's members. This was 's last single with Morning Musume, making her currently the shortest-lived member at 2 years. Asuka claimed that she was leaving in order to focus on her studies, only to drop out of school soon after.

' was released in May and was a summer tune. It went to number three on the charts, and the sales dropped by half from Memory Seishun no Hikari.

Morning Musume's chart position was visibly lagging at the time: their sixth single, ', only sealed the fact. Natsumi Abe was the only one who sang the melody on 'Furusato'; the other members just harmonized discreetly. This was their fifth single, and the sales once again decreased by half.

Was released in July 1999, and contained the singles 'Daite Hold on Me!' , 'Memory Seishun no Hikari', 'Manatsu no Kōsen', and 'Furusato'. 'Daite Hold on Me!'

And 'Manatsu no Kōsen' were remixed. Eager to add new life to the group, Tsunku held auditions for the third generation of Morning Musume. Two girls were expected to be admitted, but eventually only was added. Goto was 13, the youngest member of Morning Musume at the time.

The group's seventh single, ', sold 1,760,000 copies, making it a major hit; it is still their highest-selling single as of 2012. The song touted an image of Japan as the future 'envy of the world' and cheered the masses during a period of economic recession. It was Maki Goto's first single and Aya Ishiguro's last. Its wild success dramatically increased the popularity of the group. Soon Goto was paired with and to form the subgroup (also known as Pucchi Moni). Petitmoni's first single, ', rivaled the success of 'Love Machine', selling over 1,123,610 copies.

2000: Koi no Dance Site, continued commercial success & the 4th generation 2000 first saw the release of ', which hit number two and sold over a million—400,000 copies away from reaching Love Machine's success. The single had the highest 1st week sales than any other Morning Musume's singles, an enormous amount of 600,860 copies. Even with this large number, the single did not reach number one because 's biggest hit single, which sold total of 2.93 million copies, was released at the same date as Koi no Dance Site. Aya Ishiguro left the group before the single was released in order to marry, drummer of rock band, leaving the group with seven members. The second event of 2000 was the creation of ', in which all members of Tsunku's then 16-member family, were shuffled around to form three one-time groups:, and. The idea was to battle for the highest single sales. This was achieved by Akagumi 4 which boasted as the lead vocals.

In March, their third studio album, was released. Despite having ' and ' on its track list, it did not manage to claim the number one spot, but did sell more than 800,000 copies, making it Morning Musume's highest-selling studio album to date.

This year also brought a new generation search. The fourth generation consisted of, and, lending a completely different feel to the group by adding the 12-year-old duo of Tsuji and Kago. After their debut single, ', (continuing the legacy of number one hits with 1,370,000 copies sold,) Sayaka Ichii left to pursue her own music career. She became the vocalist of Japanese group Cubic Cross and later married fellow member Naoki Yoshizawa (no relation to Hitomi Yoshizawa). With Ishiguro and Ichii gone, both Tanpopo and Petitmoni revised their lineups—Hitomi Yoshizawa joined Petitmoni, and Ai Kago and Rika Ishikawa were added to Tanpopo. Meanwhile, Mari Yaguchi had started performing informally with Ai Kago and Nozomi Tsuji in concerts as, a group tailored towards younger audiences with all the members being less than 150 cm (about 5 ft) tall.

Of was later added into the group and Tsunku made them official. Their debut single, ', was a number one hit on the Oricon. As an idol group, they were extremely successful, drawing comparisons to the popularity of former girl idol group.

' and ' (Yuko Nakazawa's last single) continued the trend of happy pop songs becoming staple hits for the group. Morning Musume also began their tradition of performing in musicals each year, breaking new ground as idols with their musical. 2001: 'The Peace' and the 5th generation In April 2001, group leader Yuko Nakazawa left to focus on her solo career (stating her age as a factor as well—she felt it was limiting her ability to meet the physical demands of the group's activities) making Kaori Iida and Kei Yasuda Morning Musume's co-leaders.

During this time, Rika Ishikawa was 'lent' out to the rather inactive group,. She did not officially join, but participated as a feature singers in number of their singles. By July 2001 the string of number one hits had yet to be broken with the release of the single '. Features a distinctive chants, with Rika Ishikawa as the center focus.

British newspaper The Guardian described the promotional video echoed the song's 'strangeness' by placing the group in the middle of what appeared to be a gigantic public bathroom, displaying the girls dancing amongst the urinals and posing for photographs in the stalls; supposedly as a response to hidden camera footage of the members that had recently surfaced, filmed from a toilet in their production offices. At the end of January 2001, the best selling Hello! Project album to date was released:. It sold 2,259,510 copies. It featured 15 tracks, the only original song being 'Say Yeah! -Motto Miracle Night-'.

At the end of 2001, four new members joined the group as the fifth generation through the audition 'Love Audition 21:', and, bringing the roster to 13 girls. Their first single ', (done in the style of ) featured fourth generation member Hitomi Yoshizawa as the central focus and main vocalist of the song. 2002 In February, ', another hit, was released.

It featured many different styles combined into one song, centered on Mari Yaguchi. In July 2002, ' was released. This single finally broke the line of number one hits and came in at number three—a surprising fact to many, considering it was Maki Goto's last single. Morning Musume's fourth studio album, was released in March 2002 after a two-year wait.

It is the first studio album from the group to reach number one on. It featured the singles ', (rerecorded with the current 13-person formation,) ', (in a 'full', longer version,) ', (with added dialog at the beginning,) and 'Sōda!

We're Alive'. Late 2002 was marked by the leaving of Maki Goto and a mass re-shuffle of the sub-units. Tsunku removed Kaori Iida, Mari Yaguchi, and Ai Kago from Tanpopo, adding in Asami Konno, Risa Niigaki, and of to join Rika Ishikawa. Tanpopo only released one single with this lineup before the group was put on an indefinite hiatus status. Makoto Ogawa and of Coconuts Musume joined Hitomi Yoshizawa in Petitmoni to replace Kei Yasuda and Maki Goto, but the group did not even release a single, only performing in concerts. Their song 'Wow Wow Wow' was later released on the Hello!

Project's compilation CD. In Mini Moni, Mari Yaguchi was replaced by Ai Takahashi and the new lineup went on to put out several singles and a second album until member Mika Todd left in May 2004, adding Mini Moni to the list of 'indefinite hiatus' subgroups. In October ' was released, a fast-paced, feel-good song about making the most of life and music's ability to unite the world. It was number one on. 2003: 6th Generation Debut & Sub-Groups The unique childlike tune ' was released in February 2003 as the group's seventeenth single. It is significant because it was a cover song, marking the first time did not write a single's lyrics. April brought the notably successful single ' —a synthesizer-driven song about lost love—which sold 129,893 copies and hit number one in charts, and was the last time a Morning Musume single hit number one until ' (released late 2006).

This single was the last for Kei Yasuda. Before the auditions for the sixth generation were held, the group released the album. It was unique in a few ways. It was the last studio album to feature Kei Yasuda and Natsumi Abe as full members of the group. It was also the first Morning Musume studio album to feature a former member, as Maki Goto guests on 'Megami (Mousse na Yasashisa)' and 'Ganbacchae!'

It only featured two singles: ' and '. In mid-2003, four new girls were added as the sixth generation:, and. Eri Kamei, Sayumi Michishige, and Reina Tanaka successfully passed the traditional auditions; however, Miki Fujimoto was a solo singer in Hello!Project at the time.

After appearing on the New Year's music program 'Kōhaku Uta Gassen' with several Morning Musume members dancing as backup, Tsunku added her as part of the sixth generation. The sixth generation's first single was ', which featured 'break-up' lyrics, a seemingly spontaneous dance routine, and. Mari Yaguchi became Morning Musume's sub-leader after Kei's departure and was also put in charge of training and assisting the trainee group of, eventually forming a group with five of them, known as. Later in 2003, Morning Musume was split into two subgroups so that it could tour more cities (especially smaller cities that could not support a 15-member troupe)., which focused on slower and more traditional love songs, included Natsumi Abe, Mari Yaguchi, Hitomi Yoshizawa, Ai Kago, Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki, Asami Konno and Eri Kamei., which had more upbeat pop songs with a slight rock flavor, featured Kaori Iida, Rika Ishikawa, Nozomi Tsuji, Makoto Ogawa, Miki Fujimoto, Sayumi Michishige, and Reina Tanaka. Sakuragumi released two singles: ' and ', and Otomegumi released two singles as well: ' and '. The last single of Morning Musume in 2003 to feature the entire group was ', which had the members girlishly proclaiming the victory of their love. 2004 In January 2004, Natsumi Abe (known as 'the face of Morning Musume' to the general public) left to pursue a soloist career.

Her last single was ', Morning Musume's last song to sell more than 100,000 copies until '. 'Ai Araba It's All Right' had uplifting lyrics and a cheery dance sequence. The group soon released another single, '. The song showcased an almost rock flavor and centered its lyrics around offering 'a dance' to a boy.

This was followed by their twenty-third single, ', which is unique in that it was actually about the Morning Musume girls themselves—each member got a verse about their personality. This song would later be remade several times as 'Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari 2' and 'Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari 3', included in their sixth and seventh album respectively. This single also marked the leaving of fourth-generation members Nozomi Tsuji and Ai Kago in August, to focus on ', their new duo group. In April 2004, Rika Ishikawa was caught in a rare scandal, as an audio recording revealed her saying of the groups fans at a show, 'look at them. Grownups screaming like that! I can't believe it.

In mid-2004, Morning Musume's second best-of album, was released and featured 'Yah! Aishitai' as the only new track.

It had a lukewarm reception at best, compared to their first best-of compilation. Auditions for the seventh generation (named 'Lucky 7' to commemorate the seventh generation, the seventh year of Morning Musume, and seven audition sites across Japan) were held in various Japan cities in late 2004, resulting in six finalists. However, on January 9, 2005, Tsunku surprised everyone by announcing that no one in the Lucky 7 audition would be added to Morning Musume, citing that he had set his expectations extra-high this year in hopes of finding an 'ace'. This was the first time an audition had ended with no new members. In November 2004, Morning Musume released ', a ballad that featured Asami Konno, Sayumi Michishige, and Rika Ishikawa. Following this single was released.

It was a 9-CD set containing their first eight singles with a bonus track on each one, as well as a karaoke CD of some of their more popular tunes from the early years. Finally, at the end of 2004, the group's yearly album was released. Their sixth studio album, named, hit stores in December.

It contained three singles: ', ', and '. This was Ai Kago, Nozomi Tsuji, Kaori Iida, Mari Yaguchi, and Rika Ishikawa's last credited studio album. 2005: 7th Generation 'Miracle' Member On January 30, 2005 - then-leader and the last member from the first generation Kaori Iida left to pursue a solo singer/artist career, with Mari Yaguchi taking on leadership role with Hitomi Yoshizawa as subleader. Her last single was ', which sung about the abilities of the human race and was also the theme song. The beginning of 2005 also saw the beginning of, which covered behind-the-scenes material, historical footage, and interviews.

In February 2005, Tsunku started another audition for Morning Musume's seventh generation. He noted that he was still intent on finding an 'ace'. This audition resulted with finally being chosen as the sole 'miracle' member of the new generation.

On April 10, 2005, photos were taken of with (scheduled to be published in a gossip magazine Friday! On the 15th). On April 14, 2005, Yaguchi announced that she would 'retire' from Morning Musume and would continue on with solo activities. In her public statement, Yaguchi said that due to the scandal and its publicity, she could no longer sustain an 'idol' image befitting of Morning Musume. Because of the nature of her departure, Yaguchi did not receive a leaving concert. Sub-leader Hitomi Yoshizawa took over as the leader of Morning Musume, and Miki Fujimoto became sub-leader as of July 15, 2005. Just days after Yaguchi resigned, on April 27, 2005, the group's twenty-sixth single, ' was released.

The final version featured Yaguchi still, presumably because they did not have enough time to rerecord and remix it. The lyrics are in an.

This single was also Rika Ishikawa's last. She left on May 7, 2005, to assume full-time leadership of the Hello! Project trio known as.

Kusumi's first single with Morning Musume was July's ', a flamenco styled song, which was considered to be the biggest hit of the year—selling around 20,000 more copies than anything else. A 3 city handshake event was organized for the promotion of this single. Morning Musume's last single of 2005 was ', which was a remake of a previous album-only song about the importance of using your intuition and not taking good things for granted. 'Koi wa Hassō Do The Hustle!' Was going to be the title track for the single, but due to poor preview results, became the coupling track instead. On December 31, 2005, former Morning Musume members Mari Yaguchi, Kaori Iida, Natsumi Abe, Yuko Nakazawa, Ai Kago, Nozomi Tsuji, Rika Ishikawa, Maki Goto, and Kei Yasuda joined the current lineup of Morning Musume to perform the group's signature hit 'Love Machine' on the 2005/2006 edition of.

The performance was Yaguchi's first since leaving Morning Musume eight and a half months earlier. 2006: Asami Konno & Makoto Ogawa's Graduation On January 16, 2006, it was announced that Morning Musume had won a Kanagawa Image Up Award in recognition of Hello! Project's support of an anti-pollution campaign. Yoshizawa, Fujimoto, and Takahashi represented the group to accept the award. In February, the group released their seventh studio album,. It was the first album for Kusumi and the last for Konno and Ogawa. The album features ', ', ', and ' (in a remixed form).

Kaori Iida, Rika Ishikawa and Mari Yaguchi are not credited anywhere in the liner notes although their vocals appear. Three of the songs on the album are performed by smaller clusters of several group members, and are credited in the liner notes to the featured members involved, rather than to the entire group. In March 2006, ' was released.

It featured an easy-to-learn dance and a style. It was considered to be a relative success. On April 28, 2006, it was announced by Tsunku from his official website that fifth-generation members Asami Konno and Makoto Ogawa would be leaving the group. Konno graduated on July 23, 2006, to attend University and Ogawa left on August 27, 2006, to study English abroad.

Both left Morning Musume, but only Konno left Hello! Project entirely; Ogawa intended to return after completing her studies. However, as of 2007, Konno returned to Hello! Project to join the new group, making it the first time ever that a girl who left Hello! Project actually returned. Ogawa, on the other hand, returned in June 2008 by appearing on an episode of Morning Musume's television show.

Konno and Ogawa's last single was ', which, yet again, featured a type arrangement, with a rock 'n' roll flair. It was the group's 30th single, and a limited-edition CD of all past 30 singles mixed into a thirteen-minute track was included on the first pressing. Unfortunately, sales did not meet the hype, and Ambitious! Clocked in as Morning Musume's lowest-selling single yet.

In mid-2006, the group performed the musical. Ai Takahashi took the main role; the secondary role was played by alternating members. There was also a mini-concert at the end of each performance, which served as Ogawa's real 'leaving concert'—the Wonderful Hearts 2006 concert was initially intended for Konno's departure only, although Ogawa wore a special outfit and read her leaving comments as well. As for Ribbon no Kishi, an album with a selection of songs was released:. In mid-2006, Tsunku announced the audition for the eighth generation, called Morning Musume Happy 8 Audition.

The audition started on August 27, 2006, and ended in Tokyo on October 22, 2006. On December 10, 2006's, it was announced that the only new member was. The show had a piece of audition footage each week leading up to December 10, 2006. The last single release in 2006 was ', which was a huge hit. It was the first single at the number one spot after 3½ years (their last number one hit being '.) The song's lyrics were credited for its success, with lines like ' walking, you're not alone because everyone's here with you, praying for peace'. It was a bit of a turn from the hyperactive singles the group had been releasing.

Tsunku's group, also made a rock cover of this song. Their first mini-album, was released in December. It featured five tracks by solo and/or smaller combinations of group members.

It also featured the single '. 2007: 8th Generation Debut, Hitomi Yoshizawa's Graduation, and Miki Fujimoto's Dismissal In early 2007, a unit consisting of Kaori Iida, Natsumi Abe, Maki Goto, Risa Niigaki, and Koharu Kusumi, was created to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Morning Musume.

They released a commemorative single called '. The members chosen symbolize the beginning of the group; how they had five members ranging in age from 14–24. Additionally, each member was from an odd-numbered generation (Kaori Iida and Natsumi Abe from the first generation, Maki Goto from the third, Risa Niigaki from the fifth, and Koharu Kusumi from the seventh).

On January 2, 2007, an announcement was made during Hello! Project's 2007 Winter concert that the group's leader at the time would leave Morning Musume on May 6, 2007, the last day of Morning Musume's 2007 spring tour. The concert would take place at the in Yoshizawa's hometown.

In February, the first single with the eighth generation member Aika Mitsui was released, '. This was the first PV of Morning Musume to appear on the Dohhh!Up site (a streaming website of Hello! Project media). The single went up against tougher competition than 'Aruiteru' had, only landing them a number four spot, although it sold relatively the same number of copies. The song has a funky, disco feel, and is highly reminiscent of some of the older songs of Morning Musume, most notably. On the March 11, 2007, edition of the weekly TV show, producer revealed he would make an important announcement in the following episode.

Several days later, on March 15, he announced that two other eighth generation members would be joining the group— and, both Chinese nationals, were to join as 'exchange students'. Tsunku stated the two new members would be an important key for their group's planned expansion into Asia and gave them the stage names 'Junjun' and 'Linlin' respectively. The two made their stage debut on May 6,.

They were the first non-Japanese members of the group. On March 21, 2007, the group's eighth studio album, was released. It was the first album for Aika Mitsui and the last album for Hitomi Yoshizawa and Miki Fujimoto.

It featured the singles ', ', ', and '. On April 25, 2007, Morning Musume released their 33rd single, '. The song style was a huge departure from almost anything Morning Musume had released prior to it, displaying a loud, rock arrangement and the angriest lyrics since. This would be the group's last single with members Hitomi Yoshizawa and Miki Fujimoto. With the success of Kanashimi Twilight, on May 1, 2007, Morning Musume became the 'best single selling female group in Japan' with 11,085,000 copies sold—their fifth Oricon record. The achievement surpasses the previous record set by of 11,037,000 copies sold. On May 6, 2007, Hitomi Yoshizawa left.

Miki Fujimoto took her place as leader and Ai Takahashi replaced Fujimoto as sub-leader. As of June 1, 2007, Miki Fujimoto resigned from Morning Musume, due to the tabloid magazine Friday running an article depicting Fujimoto and comedian in a relationship. Ai Takahashi replaced Fujimoto as leader (a position the latter occupied for the briefest period in the group's history—26 days), and Risa Niigaki became subleader.

Morning Musume's 34th single, ', a song with a style was released on July 25, 2007. It features the debut of new eighth generation members from China, and. The single reached number two on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart, with sales of 43,364 copies. On October 26, 2007, Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki, and Koharu Kusumi visited Korea to promote their singles collection album, which was released on October 24, 2007.

Also, Takahashi and Niigaki appeared as special guests in a Korean radio show called Maybee's Turn Up the Volume (메이비의 볼륨을 높여요). Later that same month, on October 29, 2007, all nine members traveled to for three days to promote the album. This was the first time Morning Musume held a non-Fan Club promotional event as a group outside Japan. During their visit, they attended press conferences, appeared for radio and TV show recordings, and held the first-ever public handshaking event outside Japan. November 21, 2007, marked the release of Morning Musume's 35th single, '. Initial sales were poor for the song. It became the group's lowest-selling single (even lower than the initial indies release of ', which sold 50,000 copies), both in terms of first week sales and absolute sales figures.

As a result, unlike all previous singles, Mikan failed to appear on Oricon's Top 5 Chart, breaking the group's previously held record. On December 31, 2007, Morning Musume performed in the with a remixed version of their song ' along with and. Similar to the previous Kōhaku, the red team (females) lost to the white team (males) after attaining votes from the viewers and judges.

2008–2010: Platinum Era & Stable Line-Up , and participated in the musical Ojigi 30 Degrees at the Shinjuku Theater from February 26 to March 2. Morning Musume's 36th music single, ', had been announced for release on March 5, 2008, but was postponed until April 16, 2008, because of the busy schedule in the winter/early spring season.

Multiple promotional videos were released. With the original, another version, a studio dance shot version, a night scene version, and a one-cut dance version, it makes the most PVs ever released for one single. Also notable is the smoky eye make-up used on the members, a daring new look for Morning Musume as they attempt to expand into Asia. The management of Morning Musume revealed in an interview in March that they were going to take a new approach to promoting the group, pushing the individual members so that they could do more personal work and become more well known, as was the case in the first line-up of the group. On April 5, 2008, Morning Musume’s Aika Mitsui complained of a stomach ache after a concert at Hachiōji Citizen Hall.

She was diagnosed with and was ordered to rest for two weeks. Mitsui subsequently missed the concerts on April 12 and 13. 'Resonant Blue', the 36th single, was released on April 16, 2008, after being delayed due to hectic schedules. The single debuted at number two and finished third in the Oricon Weekly ranking. Overall, the single marked a rebound from poor sales of the previous single, '. In its first week, it sold 48,086 copies, 20,004 copies more than 'Mikan' and around 5,000 more copies than.

The group held a concert at Taipei Nankang Exhibition Hall, Taiwan, on May 24, 2008. The first time ever for Morning Musume to have a concert outside Japan. From August 6 to August 25, 2008, Morning Musume performed with several members of the all-female theater troupe in a version of 's.

Ai Takahashi starred in the main role of Cinderella, with Risa Niigaki as the Prince, and Eri Kamei and Reina Tanaka as the stepsisters. The other members performed in minor roles as fairies and guards. Morning Musume's 37th single, ', was released on September 24, 2008. Unlike past singles (with the exception of ), this song is a cover. It is originally known as 's debut single, released in 1976. In the first week of the release, it sold approximately 10,000 copies less than Resonant Blue and 10,000 copies more than Mikan. And finished their run and were replaced with ( よろセン!)., which began on October 6, 2008.

The show starred Morning Musume, and. 2008 was the first year in which there were no changes in Morning Musume's lineup. Morning Musume released their 38th single on February 18, 2009.

This was their first single of 2009, titled '. The title translates to 'I Might Cry' and was released in two limited versions, A and B, each including a DVD.

On March 18, 2009, they released their ninth studio album, called. Main article:. (1998). (1999).

(2000). (2002). (2003).

(2004). (2006). (2007).

(2009). (2010). (2010). (2011). (2012).

(2014). (2017) Milestones.

( 紅白歌合戦) – 12-year-old (51st Kōhaku) became the youngest participant from December 31, 2000, until December 31, 2007, when of, another group, broke that 7-year record at the age of 11. Two of the ninth generation members, and, became the first members to have been born after the group's formation in 1997. is the youngest person to ever join Morning Musume at the age of 11 years and 11 months. She beat Kago's 11-year record which was set at the age of 12. became the oldest member, having joined the group at the age of 24 and graduated at the age of 27.

is the longest serving member of Morning Musume for 11 years, 10 months, and 7 days while is the shortest serving member of the group for 1 year, 7 months, and 12 days. All of their singles except for the first, ', the 35th, ' and the 44th,' ' have ranked in the Oricon Weekly Singles Top 5. Oricon – Most Top 10 singles by an artist in Japan. Oricon – Most number one singles by a female group in Japan, beating the previous record set. The record was later beaten by in 2012. Oricon – Most consecutive Top 10 singles by a female group in Japan. Oricon – Best single selling female group in Japan—22,103,479 copies sold, their fifth Oricon record.

The record was later beaten by AKB48 in 2012. Subgroups Morning Musume Subgroups are groups founded by active members (with the exception of the 10th Anniversary Group - Tanjō 10nen Kinentai), and should not to be mistaken with shuffles units or other separate groups of Hello!. Splinter groups. See also.

References. Robert Michael Poole (2009-03-13). The Japan Times. Retrieved 2017-08-02.

All discography pages are in Japanese. ^ (in Japanese). February 21, 2012. Retrieved May 19, 2012.

Setsuko Kamiya (2002-09-29). Alisa Freedman; Laura Miller; Christine Yano (2013-04-17). Stanford University Press. Brian Ashcraft (2014-05-14). Tuttle Publishing (1st Edition: Kodansha International Ltd., 2010-07-01, ). (2011-04-25).

Retrieved 2012-05-08. ^ (2012-07-28). (in Japanese). Retrieved 2012-07-29. ^ Robert Michael Poole (2009-03-13). The Japan Times.

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2007-03-02 at the. 2007-03-02 at the.

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