

Before you get anything accomplished with this song, you need to scream out loud “Damn! This is Suzuki Kanon and Kudo Haruka’s song!”





The lead track from Morning Musume 59th single immediately hits with Zukki on the first scene. This is Suzuki Kanon after her weight loss campaign putting herself out there, and H!P staff seem happy to oblige. Now, I’m not a dieting blog, and I really never minded Zukki playing the chubby character. But, the pathos is real. Naturally, I support any positive health decisions the girls make, this one included. As for her talents, Suzuki Kanon’s voice hung in the corner of the closet for a long time as a well-known secret weapon. Without enough opportunity to receive showcase, her vocals just hung there wasted. I guess her new body convinced the upstairs gentlemen that Morning Musume ’15 won’t get tagged as a “chubby girl idol group”

with Kanon out in the front.





We waited for a long time for Kudo Haruka’s “husky voice” to get its proper showcase. I’m honestly puzzled as to why Duu never got her … due. In practically every single since her debut, I easily picked out Haruka’s distinctive voice from the mix. I suppose someone in the upstairs department did not like the way her voice mixed with Sayashi Riho’s voice.

“Oh My Wish!” shares many characteristics with past Morning Musume singles. The initial synth voice sounds reused from “Ai no Gundan” and the buzz-saw lead synth is shared with “Egao no Kimi wa Taiyou sa”. Your personal assessment of these things may differ, but I found these similarities a bit distracting since the voicings mentioned above are used in similar ways to their predecessors. A strong hook ameliorates most of these problems, and “Oh My Wish” deliver repeated short phrases that worm themselves into your earhole. Personally, I’m a fan of longer melodic phrases. The short jabbing bits of lyric pull my estimation of the song down a bit, but you can probably chalk that up to personal taste.

In a unique maneuver, “Oh My Wish!” splits Morning Musume ’15 into two teams: the vocal team and the dance team. As members of the smaller dance team, Fukumura Mizuki, Ikuta Erina, Sayashi Riho, and Ishida Ayumi don alternate outfits and dance unfettered by microphones. You heard that right, Riho doesn’t even have the tools to sing in this song. I never had a problem with Riho receiving the lion’s share of the lines, so I think this method of allowing these four girls to shine while distributing vocals to other deserving members is genius. The silver sequined skirts skip playfully along the girls’ legs as their dance jumps and spins energetically.

I can’t conclude my write up without mentioning the sets used for this promotional video. Immediately, the concert hall stage from “Wagamama Ki no Mama Ai no Joke” some to mind as the dance team does their business under the strips of stage lighting. But, there are a variety of locations in this same theater. Parquet floors beneath a white balcony host the main dance shot. Morning Musume ’15 utilize that very same balcony for about half of the solo close-ups. The balance of the close-up shots make use of the lovely damask wallcoverings seen peeking through in the dance shots.

















While “Oh My Wish!” is not my favorite song on this new single, the virtues of the promotional video and the unique line distribution make the song worth a listen. I know I gave the melody a hard time above, but it doesn’t mean the song won’t find its way into my playlist.

And, scene



You can buy “Oh My Wish! / Ima Sugu Tobikomu Yuuki / Sukatto My Heart” at CD Japan.

Regular A



Regular B



Regular C



Limited A



Limited B



Limited C

