Musume Monogatari: The Story of Musume

These form a semi-fictional manga account of various significant events in the history of Morning Musume. Not all of the chapters have been translated yet, though. I'll put up some very brief descriptions of the chapters that have been translated. It's a series that is really, really interesting and well done.

It also emphasizes the Japanese way of everyone always trying to do their best and cooperating with each other. If the person is willing to work hard enough they will overcome their problems and the group will be even better than before.

Chapter One: Kago Ai's story

Tsunku makes a decision that the next Morning Musume project will be a musical called "Century Land." This relates to the musical I've briefly reviewed here. Four of the girls are dancers in the park. One girl wants to become a classical dancer. The girls are told that the part is going to close down. A sick girl along with her nurse and a friend come to the park. Kago Ai is to play the sick girl.

A year previously Kago Ai tried out for Morning Musume along with 25,000 other girls; 3 will be chosen as winners from a field of 20 finalists. The three chosen end be up being Ishikaw Rika, Kago Ai and Yoshizawa Hitomi. A fourth is chosen, though, and that one is Tsuji Nozomi.

Nakazawa Yuko makes an announcement that she is leaving Morning Musume. Meanwhile, the musical is scheduled to start on May 3, 2001.

Chapter Two: Tsuji Nozomi's story

"Happy Summer Wedding" was recorded April, 2000. The story is largely about Tsuji's feeling sort of left out of things for a while, but eventually she becomes part of a shuffle group, and then becomes part of Mini Moni. It helps show just how much hard work a person has to put in to succeed.

Chapter Three: Ishikawa Rika's story

The premiere concert for one of Country Musume's singles was in Osaka on April 21, with Rika in the group. Another story about dealing with self-doubt and doing the best that you can.

Chapter Four: Yoshizawa Hitomi's story

As with most of the other stories, this one concerns a girl wondering if she really fits into Morning Musume or not, and what is special, if anything, about her. This story, and some others, also show that things do not always go write. People do not always since well in a performance, and they feel bad afterwards. Worse things can happen, such as when a three-person group like Petit Moni is scheduled to perform and one of the members becomes ill. It's a major problem for them to overcome.

Chapter Five: Goto Maki's story

The story starts with Maki Goto's first day in Morning Musume. Her first task is to learn thirteen songs and their dances in only ten days in time for their next concert. She ends up doing better in the concert then in the rehersals. This story, like the others, shows self-doubt and how encouragement from others can help a person overcome that. The situation becomes harder when Goto is told that she is going to do a solo. Again, support from others is shown to make a great difference.

Chapter Six: Yaguchi Mari's story

The story starts off noting that joining Morning Musume does not immediately lead to a person being at ease performing, or that the best parts of them have yet to emerge. Even success takes time. One of the other girls becomes terribly upset about not being put into any of the subgroups, and Yaguchi comes up with the idea to form a unit consisting of only short girls, thus giving birth to Mini Moni. The story notes that in January, 2001 theiy debuted with their single Mini Moni, Jan Ken Pyon. Yaguchi has to deal with her own self-doubts when she ends up having to host a radio program.

Chapter Seven: Yasuda Kei's story

Kei finds out that singing and dancing are not the only things she has to learn; she also has to learn how to handle herself well when just speaking into the microphone. (There's often either one or two speaking portions during a Morning Musume concert). The story of the formation of Petit Moni is then covered.

Chapter Eight: Iida Kaori's story

This starts out with the story about the making of a debut single and having to sell 50,000 copies of it in five days. Iida is offered the position of lead vocalist, but it's taken away from her later when she has trouble performing to the standard expected. Her chance came when she became a member of the Tanpopo subunit. One of the girls graduates from Morning Musumeand Iida becomes the new leader.

Chapters 9 through 11 not translated yet

Chapter 12: Konno Asami's story

This starts off with auditions for the fifth generation of Morning Musume, noting there were 20827 initial applicants which were cut down to 161 after the first round of competition. The second round cut that down further to nine. Asami was 14 years old at the time. Chosen were Ogawa Makoto, Niigaki risa, Takahashi Ai and Konno Asami. which brought Morning Musume to thirteen members.

Apparently during the taping of a tv show she fell and injured her right knee, requiring 12 stitches. She misses the initial concert but is able to join the rest of the girls before too long and does fine.

Chapter 13: Niigaki Risa's story

Another story in which a new member has problems adjusting to all that's required, and another in which the person thinks they are the only one who is having any problems. Inevitably, in these stories, the girl realizes that others are having problems or have had the same kinds of problems. The person is not really alone after all.

Chapter 14 not yet translated

Chapter 15: The story of Morning Town

The concept of the musical is that a shopping district is declining, and some girls get together to open a cake shop, hoping that the families of everyone involved will end up not having to give up on their dreams. Another part deals with a burger shop and a romance. The third part is to consist of a medley of Morning Musume hits with fifty backup singers.

There's lots of difficulty in learning everything and some of the girls have problems. Everyone manages to pull together, though, and the show runs one month with 41 sold-out shows.