Also, if you notice, I haven't said anything about concerts or events and probably will not do so with the exception of the one I will mention later. I felt that although it will make my entries more 'comprehensive' it would require more time on my part and during weekdays, I simply do not have that luxury.
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2005 is for me one of the most defining years of Berryz Kobo and the Idol career of Maasa. No, she did not get more lines than she usually gets, but this is when her group improved musically and become stronger as a group.
There were only four singles released for the group this year as opposed to the blitzkrieg they launched the year before. They were Special Generation (released on March 30, 2005) which became their trademark song, Nanchuu Koi wo Yatteruu YOU KNOW? (released on June 8, 2005), 21ji made no Cinderella (released on August 3, 2005) which was to be Ishimura Maiha's last single with the group, and Gag 100kaibun Aishite Kudasai (released on November 23, 2005) the first single of the new 7-member Berryz Kobo.
Maasa's voice will become deeper this year and for me this was they year she started showing her good MC skills. Quite a feat for someone who had a lisp a little more than a year before. This is also the year in which Kumai Yurina's growth hormone started going Rambo on her. So you can say that this is the year when the two towers of Berryz were truly formed. Until Chinami hit her growth spurt that is.
It is never easy to say goodbye to someone you called a friend. Especially if you know that with the type of work you are all in, it's hard for someone to leave to just come back in. It just doesn't happen.
Maasa earned a reputation among the Berryz as being motherly to the others enough for them to call her Mama. It may have started when she was the tallest and the largest among the group and continues today even if Kumai-chan and Chii were both taller. As a Maiha fan, I wondered if she was the same to Maiha.
The Switch On! concert was for me one of the defining concerts of Berryz Kobo and arguably one of their best. The girls had a tough first year, having low sales when almost everything else that has the H!P label gets higher numbers. Then just when their second year gives them more hope, one of their number has to leave. The group did get better sales from that point onward, but it pains one to think that one member didn't get to taste the fruits of her work even though she went through a hard time like everybody else.
Still, it speaks much of Berryz Kobo and their ability to stick together in situations like these that made them one of the premier idols in the business. And somehow, I feel that Mama had her part in all of that.
To end this very special year, let me show you the memorable Switch On! Tour courtesy of the Photo Book I was lucky enough to find.
The final song Bye Bye Mata Ne also included Maiha's graduation. One of the most emotional concerts I've seen so far.
The 8-nin Berryz Kobo has ended. A new period is about to begin. The following year will see them reach new heights and also new lows as they struggled with school, career, and growing up.
The last pictures of the 8 member group were made. All we will see from this point on are 7-nin Berryz. Bye Bye, Mata Ne.
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