Koinu Dan no Monogatari

Koinu Dan no Monogatari (仔犬ダンの物語; Puppy Dan's Adventure) is a Hello! Project movie based on the manga series by Marimo Shirasawa, starring Morning Musume, Hello! Project Kids, Goto Maki, and others. The movie was released 2002 and won popularity award from the Awards of the Japanese Academy. The movie was released on 2003-06-21 on DVD and 2003-09-21 on VHS. Months prior to the DVD and VHS release of the movie a making of was released on 2003-01-21 in both DVD and VHS format.

Cast
Hello! Project Kids Morning Musume: Other:
 * Tsugunaga Momoko as Morishita Mao (Main Role)
 * Shimizu Saki as Nomura Chika (Main Role)
 * Umeda Erika as Madoka
 * Yajima Maimi
 * Tokunaga Chinami
 * Natsuyaki Miyabi as Tanaka
 * Kumai Yurina
 * Ishimura Maiha
 * Murakami Megumi
 * Nakajima Saki
 * Okai Chisato as Nomura Mina
 * Iida Kaori as Okubo Saki
 * Abe Natsumi as Furusawa Yayoi
 * Yasuda Kei
 * Ishikawa Rika as Morishita Tomomi
 * Yoshizawa Hitomi
 * Konno Asami as Matsushita Kanae
 * Ogawa Makoto
 * Niigaki Risa
 * Goto Maki as Natsume Honami
 * Harada Mieko as Morishita Wakako
 * Enoki Takaaki
 * Okumura Kouen as Morishita Mitsuzo
 * Oshima Satoko
 * Ohbayashi Takashi

Plot
Mao 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 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.

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.