Makino Maria

"I'd like to catch up to all the members as soon as possible. Tsunku-san gave me these words: Develop your skills even more than you have so far, and please do your best, with all your efforts, without pause. That's my goal."

- Makino Maria, October 2014

Makino Maria (牧野真莉愛) is a Japanese pop singer under Hello! Project as a twelfth generation member of Morning Musume. She first joined Hello! Project as a member of Hello Pro Kenshuusei on November 1, 2012 and was introduced at Hello Pro Kenshuusei Happyoukai 2012 ~12gatsu no Nama Tamago Show!~.

Early Life
Makino Maria was born on February 2, 2001 in Aichi, Japan.

2012
In summer 2012, Makino auditioned the Morning Musume 11ki Member "Suppin Utahime" Audition for an opportunity to join Morning Musume. Makino made it to the finals, but was not chosen to enter the group.

On November 1, Makino joined Hello Pro Kenshuusei. On November 20, it was officially announced that Makino joined Hello Pro Kenshuusei alongside five other girls. She was officially introduced on December 9 at the Hello Pro Kenshuusei Happyoukai 2012 ~12gatsu no Nama Tamago Show!~ alongside Kanazawa Tomoko, Kaga Kaede, Wada Sakurako, Ichioka Reina and Kishimoto Yumeno.

2013
In January, Makino started her Kenshuusei activities by participating as a back-dancer in the Winter 2013 Hello! Project concert tour.

On March 6, a fanclub event was held for Makino and Ichioka Reina at Pacific Heaven venue. Hamaura Ayano, Hamaura Ayano and Yamagishi Riko attended the event as guests.

2014
From April 5 to June 29, Makino participated in ℃-ute's Spring 2014 Concert Tour as the opening act and challenge act alongside Hamaura Ayano, Murota Mizuki, Yamagishi Riko and Fujii Rio.

On September 30, during the Morning Musume '14 concert at Nippon Budokan, it was announced that Makino passed the Morning Musume '14 (Golden) Audition! along with Ogata Haruna, Nonaka Miki and Haga Akane, subsequently leaving Hello Pro Kenshuusei.

Personal Life
Family= She has a younger sister.

When Makino joined Hello Pro Kenshuusei in November 2012, she was a 6th year elementary school student. When Makino joined Morning Musume, she was a second year middle school student.
 * -|Education=

As of April 2014, she is currently attending her second year of middle school.

The following list are notable friendships Makino Maria has acquired:
 * -|Friendships=
 * Takeuchi Akari: Makino gets along well with S/mileage member Takeuchi Akari. They are both a huge fan of baseball.
 * Kishimoto Yumeno: She is good friends with Hello Pro Kenshuusei member Kishimoto Yumeno. Both became friends since the Morning Musume 11th Generation Audition. During her time in Hello Pro Kenshuusei, she considered Yumeno as her rival within the trainee program.
 * Sasaki Rikako: She is good friends with S/mileage member Sasaki Rikako.
 * Fujii Rio: She also gets along well with Hello Pro Kenshuusei member Fujii Rio.

Here is a list of nicknames that have been used to refer to Makino Maria:
 * -|Nicknames=
 * Maria (まりあ): Official nickname, given to her since Hello Pro Kenshuusei.
 * Makki (マッキー): Given to her by Tsunku since joining Morning Musume.
 * Maria-sama: Another nickname for Makino. Used by fans.

Profile
Stats=
 * Name: Makino Maria (牧野真莉愛)
 * Nickname: Maria (まりあ), Makki (マッキー)
 * Birthday:
 * Birthplace: Aichi, Japan
 * Blood type: A
 * Height: 159cm
 * Hello! Project Status:
 * 2012-11-01: Hello Pro Kenshuusei Member
 * 2014-09-30: Morning Musume Member
 * Hello! Project groups:
 * Hello Pro Kenshuusei (2012–2014)
 * Morning Musume (2014-)
 * -|Q&A=
 * Specialty: Ballet, Piano, Penmanship, Painting, Duck Face
 * Hobbies: Professional baseball games, Going to Walt Disney World
 * Motto: "Kokkoshin" (克己心; Spirit of self-denial)
 * Favorite Food: Pizza, Cheese
 * Least favorite food: Squid, spicy food
 * Favorite Subject: English
 * Least Favorite Subject: Physical Education
 * Favorite Color: Pink
 * Favorite Sport: Baseball
 * Favorite flower: rose
 * Favorite season: winter
 * Favorite Morning Musume song: "Ren'ai Revolution 21"
 * Other Favorite Songs: "Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari (2011 Dreamusu. Ver)"
 * Favorite Dance Formation: Ai no Gundan
 * What is "Morning Musume" to you ?: An eternal dream.
 * Looks Up To: Tanaka Reina, Michishige Sayumi

Magazines

 * [2013.xx.xx] Chara Parfait (with Hamaura Ayano & Sasaki Rikako)
 * [2014.01.23] UTB+ (Vol. 18) (with Hamaura Ayano)
 * [2014.04.23] UTB (with Tanabe Nanami, Hamaura Ayano, Ogawa Rena, Sasaki Rikako)
 * [2014.04.30] Cool-up Girls (with Tanabe Nanami, Taguchi Natsumi, Sasaki Rikako)
 * [2014.07.10] JUNON (with Tanabe Nanami, Hamaura Ayano, Sasaki Rikako, Niinuma Kisora, Danbara Ruru, Funaki Musubu)
 * [2014.07.23] UTB+ (Vol. 21) (with Tanabe Nanami, Hamaura Ayano, Ogawa Rena, Sasaki Rikako)
 * [2014.10.23] UTB (with Ogata Haruna, Nonaka Miki, Haga Akane)
 * [2014.11.13] Gravure The Television (with Ogata Haruna, Nonaka Miki, Haga Akane)
 * [2014.11.21] Young Gangan (with Ogata Haruna, Nonaka Miki, Haga Akane)
 * [2014.11.22] UTB (with Kudo Haruka, Hamaura Ayano, Sasaki Rikako)
 * [2014.11.22] Cool-up Girls (Vol. 4)
 * [2014.11.30] Gekkan Entame (with Ogata Haruna, Nonaka Miki, Haga Akane)
 * [2014.12.09] UTB (with Ogata Haruna, Nonaka Miki, Haga Akane)
 * [2014.12.16] Princess Bambina (UTB) (with Kudo Haruka, Hamaura Ayano, Sasaki Rikako)

Trivia

 * She's a fan of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and Tsuyoshi Shinjo.
 * She wanted to become the most popular Hello Pro Kenshuusei member.
 * She believes she won't lose to any other member in her support of professional baseball.
 * Tsunku said that she looks clever, and said that if she joins Morning Musume, she could be at the front in no time.
 * Her dream was to join Morning Musume, and she wants to be an idol like Michishige Sayumi.
 * Michishige Sayumi has said that Maria is her favorite Hello Pro Kenshuusei member.
 * She was ranked 3rd best at MC in Hello Pro Kenshuusei. (Gekkan Entame magazine)
 * She wants to try singing "Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari (2011 Dreamusu. Ver.)" by Dream Morning Musume.
 * For her, the best things about joining Hello Pro Kenshuusei was being able to do things she wouldn't normally be able to do and learning alot, and becoming friends with Sasaki Rikako.
 * For her, the hardest thing about joining Hello Pro Kenshuusei was getting put in the back row on stage and not being able to see the faces of the people in the audience.
 * Her rival in Hello Pro Kenshuusei was Kishimoto Yumeno.
 * She sang The Peace! for the 2013 test event, and Happy Summer Wedding for the 2014 test event.
 * She used to be nervous for lessons. She feels like she has only improved in singing and rhythm by a little bit, but she wants to keep getting better, so she listens to the music to find ways to improve.
 * She and Haga Akane are the first members of Morning Musume to be born in the 21st century.
 * Tsunku's comments: "Please get a better sense of the rhythm and details in dancing. You have a look that you give too often where you seem so serious, so it would be good for you to have something individualistic about your self-introduction, or a gag, or a catch-phrase so as to overcome that wall."
 * She is the second member of Morning Musume to be from Aichi prefecture.
 * According to an interview on JUNON Magazine released in July 2014, Makino hopes on getting a pink member color.