Happy Birthday, Aibon!

Kago Ai - 20 years old today

Today is Kago Ai's 20th birthday, and that's the perfect opportunity for me to make a positive post about her past, while feigning complete ignorance as to her sad present. I can never like her again the same way even if she ever returns to the idol business... But all the scandals she got into don't change a thing about the cute and funny stuff she did in the past. And she certainly did a lot.

First, let's take a look at some photos, shall we?

On a H!M comedy skit...

Oh, I remember this episode! I got quite a surprise in this scene when Queen's "Bicycle Race" started playing in the background. It was the first time I recognized a song played there... But now I've learned that Japanese TV shows feature lots of unexpected choices in background music, and I've recognized some Phantom of the Opera and Azumanga Daioh (an anime series) in other H!M scenes too... And "Bicycle Race" is almost a regular track in the program, everytime they show bicycles it appears... It's in the latest HM@ episode too, in one of the boring MouTube videos.

Konkon and Aibon <3

Aibon and friends

In the last rumors I heard about Aibon, she was supposed to be somewhere in New York City... I'd like to believe she is still somehow in contact with the other girls on H!P, and is not celebrating her birthday in some lonely house in NYC.

Anyone knows what program is this?

But I think at least she's still in contact with Nono...

Here are three videos out of my favorite ones with Aibon:

UTB (2002.10.31) - Aibon clip 01 - This is from Morning Musume's appearance on Utaban in 2002.10.31, promoting their single Koko ni Iru ze! Aibon and Konkon shined in this episode, but for today I'll just share my two favorite scenes with Aibon ^_^ This first video shows her answer to the question "What would you like to change to make Morning Musume better?"

UTB (2002.10.31) - Aibon clip 02 - In this other video from the same program, Aibon reveals who she would not want to be paired with in a new unit, and shows some love for Yossie towards the end.

Aibon and Yossie... This is an unexpected coupling, but since the subject is here, let me share some photos of them together:

H!M Judgement Day (2003-12-28) - In this scene from one of the best Hello! Morning episodes ever, Aibon is judged for her crime of breaking into a private residence and saying something very bad.

Comments

[投稿情報: Henkka]

Yay, happy birthday Aibon!

I loved the Yossie/Aibon pics, thanks for sharing. :)

Also, that picture you wanted to know the origin of... I think I might know what it is. *goes to find it* Yes, it is W on a show called Arizona no Mahou, an episode that aired on 2004-05-14. You can download it here: http://www.dj-waffles.com/link.php?id=184

[投稿情報: HarimaKenji]

I downloaded someone's collection of Aibon pics some time ago on H!O, so I have about 1600+ of her here =P I went through 500 or so when choosing pics for this post. Of course in most of the ones where she wasn't alone, she was paired with Nono, but then I was surprised to see how many with Yossie turned up. Well, not a lot, only these 7 I put up here - but that's more than anyone else. It's a different pair, but I like them, especially the first and last ones here, and the one Titanic style.

Thank you for the origin of that picture! I'll download it later today =P It's weird that I already knew DJ-Waffles but never saw this video there. And it's clearly titled with "Wedding Reception"... *goes look for anything else that might have missed*

[投稿情報: Andra]

Happy birthday Aibon! You will always be one of my favouirtes! :) I had also planned to do a post for her birthday but you shared already so many photos of her that I don't need to. :) Maybe I'll just share one or two of my favourite pictures. BTW, good that you told where you got these photos as I have downloaded the same batch and though I don't need to save any of these... I have never bothered to look through all the pictures. That'd be quite impossible. But especially thanks for the Aibon+Yossy photos! :) I'm happy now.

I would be able to like Aibon just as much as before is she came back, but's that's because at the time I got to know H!P she was suspended already (though I didn't know it first) and when she got kicked out, even though I was really shocked, I wasn't that fond of her yet. So when my affection for her was finally there she was already out of business and I had known it before falling in love with her. So I could forgive her anyday. To me she's somehow the same Aibon whatever she does...

But doing a nice entry talking more about her good actions was a great idea. I like it very much.

Do you think I could be able to download that whole Utaban episode somewhere? I would so wanna see all of it...

[投稿情報: HarimaKenji]

I recommend you download it at stage6, from this link. You might have to install a program to be able to see the player at their page, but after that, there will be a big Download button over the video. It'll be downloaded in a .divx format, that can be played almost anywhere and is pretty much the same quality as the one that was originally uploaded there (in this case, it's pretty poor T_T this is one of the worst utaban episodes I have in a video quality sense, which is a pity since it's one of my favorites, and I've never seen a better version). If you still prefer torrent though, there's one with two seeders here. Oh no, now it's down to one.

[投稿情報: MorningBerryz]

I can't believe that she's twenty already!! It may seem odd but I think I may always remember her as being so little. Wow you have so many photos of her!! :O あいぼんに誕生日おめでとうございます！

[投稿情報: HarimaKenji]

I can definitely understand that! It's interesting how some members make me keep looking to the past even as they develop... That's what happens to me with Aibon and Nono. For me Aibon will always be the cute little girl from Love Century, and Nono will always be the crazy troublemaker from Ayaka's Surprise English Lessons... I love those episodes when she gave ayaka some "Surprise Dance Lessons", those were the best :)

[投稿情報: CK]

That was a wonderful birthday/valentine present for Aibon.  Thanks for sharing