Tanpopo

Tanpopo (タンポポ, dandelion?) was the first official subgroup of Japanese pop girl group Morning Musume formed on November 1998. They specialized in singing slow and mature songs, which morphed to an old-fashioned and upbeat style—a genre somewhat similar to the band it originated from.

[b]HISTORY[\b]
The group was founded in November 1998, consisting of three Morning Musume members: Aya Ishiguro, Kaori Iida, and Mari Yaguchi. After the formation, the group immediately released their first single, "Last Kiss," which was used on the anime Sorcerous Stabber Orphen. The single has a "sexy" vibe that they used on their second single and first album. However, they created a fresh image when they released "Tanpopo". This new image did not become as popular the first image they had created.

After the release of the group's fourth single, Aya Ishiguro graduated from Morning Musume and left the group. The remaining members continued performing their songs in concerts as Generation 1.5 Tanpopo.

On June 2000, Morning Musume 4th Generation members, Rika Ishikawa and Ai Kago, joined Tanpopo, making the two-member group a four-member group. The style of their songs changed also when the four released "Otome Pasta ni Kandō." The style of this song became analogous to the songs Morning Musume had released. They also used this style on their next singles, which became popular and reached the number one spot on Oricon, and their second (and last) album.

On July 31, 2002, it was announced that Tanpopo was going to be completely reformed. Kaori Iida, Mari Yaguchi, and Ai Kago graduated from the group and were replaced by Morning Musume 5th Generation members, Asami Konno and Risa Niigaki, and Ayumi Shibata of Melon Kinenbi. This newly formed group only released one single before they went on indefinite hiatus.

[b]MEMBERS[\b]
First Generation

* Aya Ishiguro (石黒彩, Aya Ishiguro?)
* Kaori Iida (飯田圭織, Kaori Iida?)
* Mari Yaguchi (矢口真里, Mari Yaguchi?)

Second Generation

* Kaori Iida (飯田圭織, Kaori Iida? Leader)
* Mari Yaguchi (矢口真里, Mari Yaguchi?)
* Rika Ishikawa (石川梨華, Rika Ishikawa?)
* Ai Kago (加護亜依, Ai Kago?)

Third Generation

* Rika Ishikawa (石川梨華, Rika Ishikawa? Leader)
* Asami Konno (紺野あさ美, Asami Konno?)
* Risa Niigaki (新垣里沙, Risa Niigaki?)
* Ayumi Shibata (柴田あゆみ, Ayumi Shibata?) · close