Mini Moni Are Tiny

This is a somewhat strange series of very short shows run in 2000 and 2001 featuring Mini Moni. They are very cute shows, very funny and very interesting. A person could also get the impression that these shows aren't totally scripted; I thnk there's a whole lot of ad-libbing going on (which actually makes it even better).

These shows are available from a really excellent Morning Musume site which is located here.

1. Mini Moni Meet Oha Star

The first show introduces Mini Moni to a couple of stars of another TV show. Yaguchi announces she is going to add a member to the group, but it's a girl from Japan that won a medal in Olympic judo.

2. Mini Moni Get a New Member

The group realizes that the Olympic medal-winner is not really going to be in the group and instead Mika gets introduced to the group. They then move on to an English lesson (like in Ayaka's English Lessons) which is really funny. She wants them to say "Can I Have 100 Yen Please?" and their immediate reaction is that the sentence is too long.

3. Mini Moni Show Off Their Impersonations

They are finally given sort of a background set to work with in this third episode. Mika does another English lesson. It's interesting how much trouble three of the girls have with the world "smaller".

4. Mini Moni Eat Crab

They get a package handed to them and open it (and then scream.) Shades of Iron Chef, they put the live crabs into boiling water. Then they play a game naming states of the U.S., with the third person saying "Sydney." The fourth girl can't name any of the states. After that they do another English lesson. The sentence is "Could you tell me where the restroom is?" Mika teaches the lesson and Yaguchi seems to be pretty good at English, but the other two girls have a terrible time trying to speak the sentence.

5. Mika Can't Stand the Cold

Mika pretends to be cold and the girls decide to do an original exercise in order to warm up.

6. Mini Moni Cook and Eat Their Own Takoyaki

(Takoyaki is "octopus balls", boiled octopus pieces covered with a paste of wheat and shaped into a ball.)The girls use a variety of ingredients including the traditional octopus, but also fruit, chocolate and other things.

7. Mini Moni Play with Pets

Mini Moni looks at some various possible (and expensive) pets.

8. Mini Moni Play with Pets Again

Mini Moni looks at some more possible pets.

9. Mini Moni Eat Gyoza

Gyoza (Japanese potstickers) are a dish imported from China and consist of the dough wrapping around any of a wide variety of different contents. They are somewhat fried and somewhat steamed.

10. Mini Moni Eat Gyoza Again

More gyoza gets devoured.

11. Mini Moni Eat Dango

Mitarashi dumplings are sweet dumplings skewered on a bamboo stick and soaked in a sauce. It looks like the dumplings can be made in a variety of ways just like the gyoza was made.

12.Mini Moni Eat Birthday Cake

Mini Moni eats a variety of things under the general heading "birthday cake," even though it includes a fruit tart, layered crepe-like things and a strawberry-covered turnover-like thing that's layered.

13. Kago Competes with Trumpman in a Magic Show

As titled, a magic competition.

Sort of.

14. Kago Competes with Trumpman in a Magic Show Again

More magic tricks.

15.Trumpman Returns for a Rematch

Still more magic tricks.