Pictured above is the Limited Edition with bonus DVD.

The answer to that question is dependant on a few things. If you’re a loyal Kikka fan who has faithfully been buying up every version of her three singles she’s released up to now, you’ve already bought this album even if technically it offers the least amount of value for you. This album not only contains all her previous singles but also some of her previously released B-sides like Sweetie or Sayonara Namida. If you held out on buying her singles to save up for the album, you’ll be overjoyed as this album contains almost everything you’ve missed so far plus some very enjoyable new songs. The album has a nice flow to it presenting a nice balance between up-tempo idol pop and slower ballads. I didn’t get into idols for the slow songs so I was pleased to find faster paced songs like Hirahira Hoshi, Hako no Naka no Blue and Make YOU! on the disc. Just the kinds of songs that made me get into Japanese idol music in the first place.

The album also contains her third single "Konna Watashi de Yokattara" which I purchased some time ago.

The real treat however is all the goodies you get if you bought the Limited Edition. Not only do you get alternate versions as well as making-ofs of her previously released music videos, you also get her performance of Sayonara Namida at the 2011 Hello! Project Winter concerts. At the time she was the opening act and just getting ready for her debut. To my knowledge it’s the first live performance of Kikka released in any format. It’s a good performance that gets me excited for her first one-man live called Kikka Fest later this year. I’m also hoping her performances at the 2012 Hello! Project Winter concerts (she has since been upgraded from opening act to official guest performer) will be included on those concert DVD’s when they come out.

A wonderful performance by a promising idol.

I’ve said it before. If you’re a Kikka-fan, you’ve already bought this album. If you’ve been restraining yourself from jumping on the Kikka-bandwagon, now is the time.

The album is available at CDJapan (Regular/Limited). I highly recommend you go check it out and remember to support artists if you enjoy their work

I'm starting out with these but I'm hoping to find brighter ones.

Had to test them out.

Buono! 12th of February. La Machine du Moulin Rouge. It’s gonna be fun.

A very nice photobook indeed.

Yet, there are fans that will spend enormous amounts of money, time and effort collecting these photo’s. Just take a gander at HelloStoreUSA’s Flickr pool. Some want them all, others only want their favorite member or group and in many cases the tried and true collectors mentality is well at work. People hunt for these on Ebay or Yahoo Auctions Japan. While I personally have no interest in them and do not purchase any of them, I somehow have amassed a small collection of them. There’s is just no avoiding them. If you like idols enough to buy their merchandise you will get them at some point.

These are just the recent ones.

The reason for this is because photos come as free bonuses with so many other pieces of idol merchandise, especially with photobooks and T-Shirts. Some times it’s one picture per member, other times it’s a group shot but there will almost always be one. I’ve accumulated so many of them I’ve actually had to go out and buy photo binder pages just to keep them all organised.

They just keep coming!

In the end, it seems it can’t be helped. Idol-photos and the fans who collect them. You can’t avoid them, no matter how hard you try. So you organise them, you put them in a binder and when you find a few minutes of free time, you might be inclined to open that binder, sit back and just enjoy while flipping through the pages.

Because the truth of the matter is that, deep down, every idol fan is a photoset collector on some level. Even if it’s just the complementary ones.