Koinu Dan no Monogatari

Koinu Dan no Monogatari (仔犬ダンの物語; Little Dog Dan's Story) is a Hello! Project movie based on the manga series by Shirasawa Marimo, starring Morning Musume, Hello! Project Kids, Goto Maki, and others.

The movie was released on December 14, 2002 and won popularity award from the Awards of the Japanese Academy.

The movie was released on June 21, 2003 on DVD and September 21, 2003 on VHS. Months prior to the DVD and VHS release of the movie a making of was released on January 21, 2003 in both DVD and VHS format.

Plot
Mao (Tsugunaga Momoko) is a bright young girl living in today's Tokyo and is fed up with how her parents don't seem to care for her. Her father has to work in Toyama and needs to move. Since Mao's mother is a working florist it's impossible for her to move as well and Mao's parents announce that they're getting a divorce. Mao has finally had enough and decides to move in with her Grandpa in Gunma.

She gets in contact with Chika (Shimizu Saki) by catching her stealing milk from a store. Chika shows Mao a blind, stray dog she found and has named Dan.

Chika and Mao, together with a lot of helpers, do their best to find Dan a good home, but Chika soon realises she can't live without him.

Hello! Project Kids

 * Tsugunaga Momoko as Morishita Mao (森下真生; Main Role)
 * Shimizu Saki as Nomura Chika (野村千香; Main Role)
 * Umeda Erika as Nishizawa Madoka (西沢まどか)
 * Yajima Maimi as Tsujimoto Rena (辻本玲那)
 * Tokunaga Chinami as Saito Kana (斉藤佳奈)
 * Natsuyaki Miyabi as Tanaka Ai (中田亜依)
 * Kumai Yurina as Matsuda Hikaru (松田ひかる)
 * Ishimura Maiha as Hara Yukari (原由香里)
 * Murakami Megumi as Ayada Hitomi (綾田瞳)
 * Nakajima Saki as Hoshino Chiyori (星野ちより)
 * Okai Chisato as Nomura Mina (野村美奈)

Morning Musume

 * Iida Kaori as Okubo Saki (大久保佐紀)
 * Abe Natsumi as Furusawa Yayoi (古澤弥生)
 * Yasuda Kei as Nishita Kou (西田香)
 * Ishikawa Rika as Morishita Tomomi (森下知美)
 * Yoshizawa Hitomi as Kudo Risa (工藤理砂)
 * Konno Asami as Matsushita Kanae (松下かなえ)
 * Ogawa Makoto as Miyashita Yuka (宮下由香)
 * Niigaki Risa as Kawaguchi Ako (川口麻子)

Other Cast Members

 * Goto Maki as Natsume Honami (夏目保奈美)
 * Harada Mieko as Morishita Wakako (森下和歌子)
 * Enoki Takaaki as Morishita Yoshitaka (森下祥隆)
 * Okumura Kouen as Morishita Mitsuzo (森下光造)
 * Oshima Satoko as Morishita Yumiko (森下弓子)
 * Ohbayashi Takashi as Muranaka Toyoki (村中豊輝)
 * Tomura Michiko as Muranaka Hatsue (村中初枝)

Trivia

 * One of Goto Maki's lines is "There was a time I refused to go to school..." which is a possible reference to her movie, "Seishun Bakachin Ryojiuku"
 * Morning Musume members Yaguchi Mari, Tsuji Nozomi, Kago Ai, and Takahashi Ai, and Hello! Project Kids members Sudo Maasa, Sugaya Risako, Suzuki Airi, and Hagiwara Mai were not casted in the movie because they were occupied with Minimoni ja Movie Okashi na Daibouken!, which was released around the same time as Koinu Dan no Monogatari. However, they all appear in the ending credits, where the music video for Ganbacchae! is played.