Maria Makino: Who better to end the (𝒂𝒏𝒚!)year off with!!!!

 

 I don't have an official list of what my favorite photos of a year were as there's so many that are posted each year it'd be impossible to choose my fave 25 or so. But in the back of my tiny mind that first pic above would be in my top five and only a few pics from a pair of photobooks can beat that one out.... WOWOWOWOW!!!! Hmmm, so you could say it's my favorite magazine photo for the year! Final post for 2025 and as I've said a few times the year ended on a positive note, all in all it turned out to be a decent year. The second half of the year my attitude about blogging improved and what the main reason was I've finally realized things are never going to be like they once were but unlike so many other blogs and/or sites I'm still alive and kicking! 

**** It is an honor to have the final post of a year here, this is the first time a Hello Project member has had that honor and Nogi leads all as one of their gals has ended off a year four times.

 You may notice that there's 200+ fewer posts compared to many years ago but in reality there's actually more of everything! Posts done prior to 2021 usually had sixty or so pictures though of course posts for photobooks were often more. But these days regular posts will usually have a hundred or more photos along with much more news, if you think about it I'm just squeezing much more into fewer posts. So did say my attitude did improve as I had moaned often about the lack of posts but some things are out of my hands and that extra free time is a positive as I can kick back and relax more plus not checking up on as many women gives me more time to work on ultra super duper posts such as this one. Started on this last night as I'm hoping I can somehow create one more post for the year as my prediction was 420 posts would be done, need one more for that and did I make it? No and didn't even make an attempt!

 When I began writing this up the post below this was for Haruka, if it no longer is that's who I'm referring to(it is). Many times have pondered if there was someway I could create some sort of list for those who seldom qualify for the yearly faves list, that's because they couldn't hit six posts for a year. Maria did make the list back in 2023 but along with Haruka she should be battling to be my #1 woman every year! So had been thinking of some sort of list for those women who should be such massive favorites of mine but may never end up that way or at least by their appearances on lists. In the end run it may not be possible for such a list though can anyone else think of something that may work? I think the world of Maria,😍 perhaps others here may be a bit more alluring or desirable but to me she has the best figure of anyone I post about and I would give her a perfect score of a ten!!!! Wow, so with that kind of score it's such a shame the posts have been so far and few for Maria 😍 the last 2 1/2 years, they're actually decreasing as she only had three for 2025 before this.

 I stand behind that grade of Maria being a perfect 10/10 😍 and she's the only woman I would rate that high! You viewers also miss Maria as her three prior posts for the year had an average of 805 views, bet it would have been higher had she more posts. Before 2025 Maria had 27 posts and all have over a thousand views so she's such a popular woman with you readers, so isn't her ex-Morning Musume mate Mizuki and those two are among the most popular J-Pop Idols here save for a few ex-Nogi members. So while I did say in the intro my outlook on blogging has improved what will really improve it is to have many more posts for Maria next year! She doesn't have to set a record for posts but if she could have close to ten then that would please me and you readers to no end! Up until mid 2023 not many Idols were appearing in as many magazines nor had as many photobooks as Maria so wonder why there's been such a decrease in her activities?

 Next year may begin off strongly for Maria and will explain why a bit further down. What I would love to see is her making my 'Top Twenty Faves of All Time' list and that countdown will begin in eight months. So while no woman here can top Maria's looks has she done enough to make the list? She gets high grades for her photobooks and gravure videos, also a highish grade for her magazine spreads even though there aren't as many these days. However Maria doesn't appear at many events nor have I seen her do any acting, there used to be many Hello Project dramas but sadly that's a thing of the past and the shows they had were so entertaining. So the next eight months will decide if she makes the list or not, on the previous list there were also a few who hadn't had many posts for a while but still snuck on, have a feeling that will be happening with Maria.

 Have a little bit of many things for today, some newish photos plus some terrific older ones and think there will be at least sixty new pics for this post. In five weeks Maria will be hitting the age of 25 but there's been zero rumors of a graduation, that's a relief as too often when Hello Project gals leave not much is heard from them. In some fabulous news that I just heard about yesterday on her 25th birthday, which is February 2nd, Maria will be releasing her 11th photobook and she's coming close to a record! So I'm expecting her to have a pair of upcoming posts for the book, hope it's promoted better than her tenth book as she only appeared in one magazine. I'm hoping for a few more mag spreads this time around with also a few interviews and an event, that's why I'm hoping for two upcoming posts. Below are the only promo pics for the book so far and the photo shoot took place in Perth, first time Maria has traveled to that country and how about that first photo.... gulp....

 I'm back, it's now the next day so let's finish off this tremendous post and didn't even attempt to work on another!

 Maria's tenth photobook also came out on her birthday which was February 2nd, this year she turned 24. Above said I hope this upcoming book gets much more promoting as this very small spread from the February 8th issue of Flash was the only magazine to feature outtake pics from the book.

 

 The best thing about Hello Project photobooks is that most come with a DVD that's always over fifty minutes in length. In Maria's previous two posts had included some screenshots from book #10, have plenty more for today which go to the 38 minute mark. The DVD was 65 minutes so will at least one more batch of them after today and as good as the photobooks are the videos are five times as better! However they could be ten times better but there aren't enough scenes with a member in lingerie, usually they're clad in swimsuits which are often searing but to see Maria in dressed even more scantly.... well, time for another break to let my imagination run wild!

 Maria rarely comes off as alluring or vampy in those videos but she truly outshines every other woman I post about and who knows, one day she could will become my all time most hottest/alluring/seductive/etc. woman of all time! On to some regular dressed photos and these are recent ones from Maria's IG page, just included her solo pics and not nearly as many as usual.

 Not many Christmas pics above but do have a few from prior years, think I'd have a heart attack if I found Maria giftwrapped under my tree....

 On December 3rd Morning Musume released their 76th single, it hit #1 on the chart and was their 22nd single to do so. The title to the A-side is "Teka Happy no Happy!" and though it topped the charts sales were only 76,200 copies sold which is their lowest in many years. Below are four covers and after them is the song's PV, it's a good song but the group has had many better. The vocals have a techno vibe to them which only works so-so but the music is rather good, all in all the song is decent enough and here's hoping for a 2026 album that features many new songs. Of course not every MM song is a classic but I've heard almost every song they've done and I can't think of any that I would consider less than good. Maria is the sub-captain of the group, these days the unwritten rule of a member leaving at the age of 25 is a thing of the past and I'm so glad of that. Another thing to be glad of is that most Hello Project videos are subbed in English and this new tune is no exception. Have listened to the song twice while writing this post up and as mentioned the music to this tune gets a grade of an A+ from me.

 

 There was an MM graduation two days ago, they're now down to nine which could be their fewest members in about 25 years. Maria will be hitting the age of 25 in five weeks yet there's two members that are older. Maria has done a bit of modeling this year for the Bijin Hyakka magazine/site but this is a big enough post so let me hold on to those photos for a while longer. The goal is to have another post next month and in case I'm in need of some newish pics let me have those in reserve. That first photo of the post may be my top pic from any magazine this year, it's from the July 28th issue of Young Magazine and why not have a encore viewing of it! Maria was the cover girl and think she's had that honor 21 times for this magazine.

 That could have been the top magazine spread for 2025 and Maria is starting off 2026 on a good note as she's the cover girl for the January edition of Gekkan Shonen Champion and hope this is a sign of her being the cover girl many times in 2026. Up until this year Maria would often be the cover girl for six or more magazines, in 2025 that only happened three times.... if I published a 'Nao Magazine' Maria would be my permanent cover girl!!!!

 Like the woman in the previous post will end off with a slew of heart attack inducing photos and wonder why I've never done that before with her. Did say above that to me Maria 😍 gets a grade of a 10/10 from me as she just may be the most perfect gal I post about.... however that grade could be too low as she deserves a 100/10!!!! Usually there are videos from her magazine photo shoots but in a shock there was none for the two above spreads. So after the pics is one from 2021 and Young Magazine, Maria has many videos where's she clad much more scantly but to me how she's dressed in that blue top in the beginning is truly unbeatable and I've viewed the video too many times to count!!!!