A Wasted Potential or a Golden Opportunity?

I don’t suppose you guys would mind lending me your ears after a somewhat lengthy absence, would you? I promise it’ll be a fun read! 😀  How many times can I possibly repeat myself on the effects of nostalgia, or talk about the glory days like a broken record that you just won’t get rid of? Whenever Dream Morning Musume is mentioned, it’s almost a guarantee and it almost always makes me want to jump off a building because I’m just so damn sick of it all. Mind you, I love these women more than words can express, but if I honestly had to listen to that Love Machine/Renai Revolution 21 medley again, I will gladly go deaf.

Recently speaking, these fine ladies were invited to perform at the 2011 FNS Kayousai, along with Morning Musume‘s current line-up. Unfortunately, all the youtube videos of the said performance have been taken down, but I’m sure if ya’ll look hard enough, you can stumble upon it via tudou or some other video site. You didn’t miss much if you failed to catch it the first time, however.  While we were all grunting and grumbling silent curses at the sound of that dreaded YOU-KNEW-IT-WAS-COMING medley, a few more fans decided to be a wee bit more vocal about their discontent with having the current line-up play second fiddle to the entertainment veterans.

And while that argument can go on for ages, hopefully the news of Dream Morning Musume’s first AND last single “Shining Butterfly” can put some of that to rest. You read correctly folks: first AND last. I suppose we could add DMM’s retro-hits compilation album to the graveyard of UFA artist albums that never made it past 1. No one’s probably surprised, however.

But moving on. Today, fans were treated to a triple whammy of surprises from the UFA and the girls, all of which can be summed up in a single video:

So first we have the most obvious treat: a PV/audio preview of DMM’s upcoming single “Shining Butterfly.” I read some comments somewhere (probably from arama) that tickled me pink.  Someone said something along the lines of how DMM was what SDN48 could have been, and as much as I’d love to comment on that, the subject matter is a wee bit hairy and I’d rather not delve into that at this moment. But for the most part, I’m definitely getting those vibes: older, sexier, classier. Triple win, if you ask me.

From what I can hear of the song, it’s definitely something produced by the folks at UFA; it just has that sound. I’m sure long-time fans know what I’m talking about. Nothing sincerely mind-blowing, but it’s not making my ears bleed like the usual medley these women are forced to perform. The setting of the PV seems to be similar, if not exactly the same, as Morning Musume’s “Onna ni Sachi are” PV. Score another one for the folks at UFA. The outfits are…eh. I’m glad they kind of drifted away from blatant idol wear, but these dresses do seem to be random colors of fabric tapered onto plain white dresses. Artistic originality is what they would call it, right? Few off-comments: good to see a not pregnant Miki in the mix!!!!

Second treat: a lot of what’s incorporated into the actual PV seems to be bits and pieces of Ishikawa Rika and Nakazawa Yuko‘s upcoming movie, “Atsuhime Number 1.” This is pure speculation on my part, but the outfits worn in certain clips harken back to similar ones worn by the two members at certain promotional events. If this speculation holds true, it seems as though some of the rest of the members of DMM will be featured in the movie as well, as other hostess ladies. I, for one, would love to see that Rika-Koharu-Kei confrontation/bitch-fight over some sleazy man at the club. And simply judging from the hair, some more off-comments: this had to be filmed a long time ago (Mari’s hair was still long and Rika’s was still short).

Final treat that some might consider bittersweet: Takahashi Ai makes an appearance! SAY WHAT? Ah yes, the recently graduated leader of Morning Musume makes a brief appearance in the PV preview and immediately the net-wota go wild with speculation. “Is she joining DMM or is she not? What is she doing there? Is this a one-time go?” Well, all things considered, what’s the point of adding Ms. Takahashi to the crew if the group is supposedly disbanding after the release of this single? Wasn’t it mentioned once or twice before that DMM would only be a temporary unit? It would be kind of fruitless to add her to the line-up. Besides, I’m sure Ai would love to pass up on the opportunity to perform those damn songs that I’m sure even she’s happy to have graduated from performing.

My guess? Why not just add a current cash-cow like Ai to guarantee some decent sales for the single? She doesn’t have to sing, dance, or talk; just look pretty and walk up and down that cat-walk in a cute little outfit to make her wota fans, that undoubtedly miss her terribly, happy to see her and buy the single as well. Har har har, I see what you did there, UFA.

Alas, this is but a small taste of what’s to come. The single drops 2/15 of next year, and that’s quite a bit of time away from now.  At least that’s still 2 months prior to the release of Rika and Yuko’s movie, so fans will get a nice treat of more movie spoilers (maybe). It’ll be interesting to see how it all works out. With a good bit of their line-up marrying (Nakazawa), taking care of a family (Tsuji Nozomi), or getting ready to welcome a new member into the family (Fujimoto Miki), I could imagine that regardless of the success the group faces with this single (if at all) that this unit would remain a one-time unit.

So should one consider this a wasted potential, or that final silent agreement to let these women move on from the shadows of their glorious past and onto a future outside of that damn Love Machine/RR21 medley? It’s a question we’re all wondering, and I suppose it’ll only be a matter of time until we find out for sure. To be completely honest, I’d rather this whole unit end sooner than later. As much as the girls must enjoy being on stage again, they must be tearing at their hair and eyeballs at the sheer thought of having to perform the same damn songs/medley over and over again. So while I wish the group success, I want them to officially graduate from the positions that first gave them their fame. It’s for the best, I swear.

Here’s another short preview, with different dance angles, a different Ai scene, and a continuation of Rika’s heart-broken scene.