Selected Hello! Project Members Pay Homage to 'LOVE Machine'! 'Up to Boy Vol.362' on Sale Today
In 'Up to Boy Vol.362', 10 selected Hello! Project members form a cover paying homage to 'LOVE Machine'. Featuring an interview with Natsumi Abe after 20 years, exploring the 'tradition' of Hello! Project.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 17:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 08:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 24, 2026 at 04:46 (20h 14m after Collected)
'Up to Boy Vol.362' Cover
A cover featuring a homage to 'LOVE Machine' by selected members of Hello! Project has been realized.
This issue is delivered as a major Hello! Project feature, the 3rd installment of the 40th-anniversary memorial year.
A milestone year approaches for Hello! Project as it nears its 30th year. We think about 'tradition' as something that lasts long together. Gracing the cover and opening pages are 10 selected members from each Hello! Project group. Members carrying the present and future gathered from Morning Musume '26, Angerme, Juice=Juice, Tsubaki Factory, BEYOOOOONDS, OCHA NORMA, and Rosy Chronicle. (Morning Musume '26 / Sakura Oda, Maria Makino, Mei Yamazaki, Angerme / Hana Goto, Juice=Juice / Ruru Dambara, Mifu Kawashima, Tsubaki Factory / Ami Tanimoto, BEYOOOOONDS / Shiori Nishida, OCHA NORMA / Kirara Yonemura, Rosy Chronicle / Reina Kamimura).
Pure Hello! Project members, all originating from Hello Pro Kenshusei. Having experienced the eras on the ground for many years, they pay homage to Hello! Project's biggest hit song 'LOVE Machine'. They express 'what is inherited' and 'what keeps changing'. Also, with the excitement of subscription unbanning, each proposes a playlist they want to listen to this spring. Furthermore, they also selected traditional Hello! Project songs.
*All are magazine cuts from 'Up to Boy Vol.362'
The existence embodying the beginning, Natsumi Abe appears for the first time in about 20 years
In the LEGEND INTERVIEW special edition, Morning Musume's initial member Natsumi Abe appears in this magazine for the first time in about 20 years. As someone who embodied the beginning of Hello! Project, her feelings at the time, things she can talk about only now, and her messages to juniors and current idols are a must-read.
Magazine cut Natsumi Abe
■Sakura Oda Comment
Regarding the question 'What is tradition?', I've thought about it about 10,000 times so far. And I still haven't found an answer. Compared to when I joined Hello! Project, the times have changed significantly, so it's difficult to judge where attachment ends and tradition begins. Thinking that, in the end, it's better for younger people to make rules and traditions, and perhaps it's good for those who have been here longer to watch over them from a step back. Even so, in Hello! Project, I absolutely want to inherit the 'feeling of trying to do it even if you can't'.
■Maria Makino Comment
Members will change, but Hello! Project has many songs. The very fact that songs are sung and passed down is tradition, and I'm grateful to be able to sing the songs that admired seniors cherished. Until graduation, with respect for everything, I want to think about making the most of the goodness of those days and perform.
■Ruru Dambara Comment
Members will change, but Hello! Project has many songs. The very fact that songs are sung and passed down is tradition, and I'm grateful to be able to sing the songs that admired seniors cherished. Until graduation, with respect for everything, I want to think about making the most of the goodness of those days and perform.
■Natsumi Abe Interview Excerpt
——Thank you for your hard work on the photoshoot after a long time.
'I was definitely nervous. Even after doing this for a long time, I don't get used to it. This kind of studio shoot is "extraordinary" for me now. It's like "facing it" again, I felt a bit defensive.'
——Is that 'feeling of facing it' different from when you debuted?
'Completely different. Back then, I stood in front of the camera in a state of "What is a photoshoot?". I didn't clearly understand what the taken photos would become, so I feel like back then it was just the sensation of "standing".'
——When you saw the finished product, what kind of emotions did you have?
'Rather than wanting to make myself look good, I think the feeling of "wanting to deliver" was stronger. With the awareness that there are fans beyond the camera, wanting to deliver energy to everyone, wanting them to be happy, that was the biggest reason to stand "there".'
——By the way, Hello! Project is 30 years, 'Up to Boy' is 40 years. There is a 'tradition' in things that last long respectively.
'I think "tradition" is something that remains as a result, rather than something to protect. Among things that keep changing, the things that still remain. I think that becomes tradition. So, speaking of Morning Musume., honestly, there isn't much of "Please absolutely don't change this!". As long as the name Morning Musume. exists, that...'
A cover featuring a homage to 'LOVE Machine' by selected members of Hello! Project has been realized.
This issue is delivered as a major Hello! Project feature, the 3rd installment of the 40th-anniversary memorial year.
A milestone year approaches for Hello! Project as it nears its 30th year. We think about 'tradition' as something that lasts long together. Gracing the cover and opening pages are 10 selected members from each Hello! Project group. Members carrying the present and future gathered from Morning Musume '26, Angerme, Juice=Juice, Tsubaki Factory, BEYOOOOONDS, OCHA NORMA, and Rosy Chronicle. (Morning Musume '26 / Sakura Oda, Maria Makino, Mei Yamazaki, Angerme / Hana Goto, Juice=Juice / Ruru Dambara, Mifu Kawashima, Tsubaki Factory / Ami Tanimoto, BEYOOOOONDS / Shiori Nishida, OCHA NORMA / Kirara Yonemura, Rosy Chronicle / Reina Kamimura).
Pure Hello! Project members, all originating from Hello Pro Kenshusei. Having experienced the eras on the ground for many years, they pay homage to Hello! Project's biggest hit song 'LOVE Machine'. They express 'what is inherited' and 'what keeps changing'. Also, with the excitement of subscription unbanning, each proposes a playlist they want to listen to this spring. Furthermore, they also selected traditional Hello! Project songs.
*All are magazine cuts from 'Up to Boy Vol.362'
The existence embodying the beginning, Natsumi Abe appears for the first time in about 20 years
In the LEGEND INTERVIEW special edition, Morning Musume's initial member Natsumi Abe appears in this magazine for the first time in about 20 years. As someone who embodied the beginning of Hello! Project, her feelings at the time, things she can talk about only now, and her messages to juniors and current idols are a must-read.
Magazine cut Natsumi Abe
■Sakura Oda Comment
Regarding the question 'What is tradition?', I've thought about it about 10,000 times so far. And I still haven't found an answer. Compared to when I joined Hello! Project, the times have changed significantly, so it's difficult to judge where attachment ends and tradition begins. Thinking that, in the end, it's better for younger people to make rules and traditions, and perhaps it's good for those who have been here longer to watch over them from a step back. Even so, in Hello! Project, I absolutely want to inherit the 'feeling of trying to do it even if you can't'.
■Maria Makino Comment
Members will change, but Hello! Project has many songs. The very fact that songs are sung and passed down is tradition, and I'm grateful to be able to sing the songs that admired seniors cherished. Until graduation, with respect for everything, I want to think about making the most of the goodness of those days and perform.
■Ruru Dambara Comment
Members will change, but Hello! Project has many songs. The very fact that songs are sung and passed down is tradition, and I'm grateful to be able to sing the songs that admired seniors cherished. Until graduation, with respect for everything, I want to think about making the most of the goodness of those days and perform.
■Natsumi Abe Interview Excerpt
——Thank you for your hard work on the photoshoot after a long time.
'I was definitely nervous. Even after doing this for a long time, I don't get used to it. This kind of studio shoot is "extraordinary" for me now. It's like "facing it" again, I felt a bit defensive.'
——Is that 'feeling of facing it' different from when you debuted?
'Completely different. Back then, I stood in front of the camera in a state of "What is a photoshoot?". I didn't clearly understand what the taken photos would become, so I feel like back then it was just the sensation of "standing".'
——When you saw the finished product, what kind of emotions did you have?
'Rather than wanting to make myself look good, I think the feeling of "wanting to deliver" was stronger. With the awareness that there are fans beyond the camera, wanting to deliver energy to everyone, wanting them to be happy, that was the biggest reason to stand "there".'
——By the way, Hello! Project is 30 years, 'Up to Boy' is 40 years. There is a 'tradition' in things that last long respectively.
'I think "tradition" is something that remains as a result, rather than something to protect. Among things that keep changing, the things that still remain. I think that becomes tradition. So, speaking of Morning Musume., honestly, there isn't much of "Please absolutely don't change this!". As long as the name Morning Musume. exists, that...'