Top left: Limited A, Top Right: Limited B
Middle Left: Limited C, Middle Right: Limited D
Bottom: Regular
The covers for Morning Musume’s 45th single titled Maji Desu ka Ska! have been released.
The covers are really, really small so I hope that most fans won’t judge them that fast since it’s somewhat hard to see how each member looks, but despite being very small it gives us a general idea of what each cover will look like and so far I am very impressed with how great each one of them looks.
The Regular cover features all of the members smiling and holding out their hands, and since it is the regular cover it has a somewhat simpler theme than the others, which somewhat confirms that they are going for a “Regular has a simple cover, and the Limited editions have more creative covers” theme which gives buyers of the Limited edition somewhat more of a bonus.
Apart from the simple group picture we get to see Sayu, Reina, Mitsui, Ai, and Risa in the back row with the 9th generation (from left to right: Kanon, Riho, Ikuta, and Mizuki) in front, which is somewhat surprising and a nice sign that they won’t be pushed to the back and will instead be an equal addition to the group.
The Limited A features a grid style with pictures of all of the members smiling (from left to right starting from the top: Reina, Aichan, Risa, Mizuki, Riho, Sayu, Ikuta, Mitsui, and Kanon) and I am impressed with this cover since it has a cute way of showing of all of the members, although it seems to be the simplest of the covers.
The Limited B cover features all of the members in a mixed lineup smiling and posing in their own way with a blue background and what appears to be a “M.” on the top and bottom of the cover, and while it might also seem to be a bit simple (it will most likely be a lot better in better quality) I really like it so far since it has a youthful look that shows of each member perfectly.
The Limited C cover features the same layout as the Regular cover (Sayu, Reina, Mitsui, Ai-chan, and Risa in the back and 9th gen in front) but instead of smiling and holding their hands at the camera we get to see them sitting down and posing cutely while in front of a white background, and this cover seems to be an improved version of the Regular cover but like the Limited A a bit simple.
The Limited D cover features a Berryz Koubou-type collage of pictures with the same layout as the other covers (old members on top, new members on the bottom) but from what I can tell it had a great look and will most likely be my favorite of the bunch since it features each member smiling in an impressive theme.
The song is genki, upbeat, and happy so it was expected that we would see covers with smiling members and colorful bright colors and I’m glad to see that each cover seems to have that feeling along with a unique theme since it gives fans a chance to choose their favorite style to support Morning Musume in the 9th generation’s debut single.
Overall the covers seem to be youthful and a great change from the past covers, but since the images are really really small I can’t tell that much about each cover, but so far Limited D is my favorite cover out of the rest since it has a cute collage style theme along with each member smiling (it also has the Kanon interview, and since she is my favorite 9th generation member I will most likely get this version for sure), but I really loved the way each cover looked since they seem to have a unique theme that will most likely appeal to different fans.
I was surprised to see that they placed the 9th generation in front for each one of the covers (except for Limited A and B where they are mixed) since it is a great sign that UFA has learned from their mistakes and is promoting each member from the 9th generation well for their debut, and since each limited edition features a separate member interview it gives old and new fans a perfect reason to buy more copies to support their favorite members.
Hopefully everyone has already decided which version(s) to get but if not we will most likely get bigger covers in a few days so that everyone can judge them clearly.
The release date is set for 3/23.
Hello!SayuNii 
I was surprised they put Aika in the center spot in almost all of the covers. o: Good sign. *o*
omg i noticed that aika was in the centre for almost all of them too!!
I’m soo excited for aika this year.
Since she’s joined mm, she’s been shafted. I can’t wait to see her shine because from what i hear of the song so far, she’s going to sound amazing in it.
but anyway, from what i can tell, the covers look awesome and are soo full of life. I love how the members are displayed because every1 has an equal appearance. There’s no “I’m in the front and yur in the back so that means yur not going to be noticed” kind of thing. I’m soo happy!!
I can’t wait to see the HD covers :D
This is Aika and Chisato’s year.BELIEVE IT :D
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Omigosh, no one has a clue how happy these made me <3 <3 <3
Not only is no one 100% the focus, but it's so energetic!
For regular, such a pose shows a "welcome!" feeling and reminds us that this is 9th gen's debut. For Limited A, everyone has an equal amount to shine; Mittsi, you're being eaten by all the black! XD
Limited B looks to be Reina-centre but to me it still gives the same feeling of the others grouped together. Top row/the four in the back look too crushed up there in an attempt to fit them in without shortening the others in front and middle, so that's probably why I don't like it.
Limited C is very calm but gives a great view of everyone's attire. Limited C looks like a card collection and gives a childish feel to it (I don't know how that makes me feel that way, but it does).
Can't wait for HQ~ X3
Riho’s in the middle for each one.. Thats not fair!!!
Riho seems to be in the center for some of the images… I wonder…
Mizuki and Erina are awesome, though! I love them!
I guess they’re pushing her and make people like her more after Ai-chan graduates so they could sell well
Riho has the center in Limited A anc B (in LB she/’s standing between Ai and Reina…)
it seems that they are using her popularity and putting her more in the front .
But I really like LB since there seem to be many colored letters forming “morning musume”, and the single will be oretty much 9th gen centered :)
I want to see them HD!!! >.<
they look so funny and cute!:D
As Berryz Koubou’s sound is maturing, Morning Musume’s maturity sound is sinking down to the point of sounding like S/mileage … yuck.
This might be Ai’s last single, and she has to sing these baby, cutesy songs..
I hope the next single isn’t like Maji desu ka ska, I want mature musume back.
Actually Morning Musume sang Genki songs before S/mileage so technically they are just going back to their older sounds ^_^
This won’t be Ai’s last single since she graduates until December, which means that there are at least another 2 (maybe 3) singles to look forward to, so there is still plenty of time for them to choose a sound that fits all members well ^_^