Makino Maria

"Ten years from now, I hope I'll be the leader of Morning Musume. I'm a big fan of Michishige Sayumi. I want to devote myself to Morning Musume like she did."

- Makino Maria, November 2015

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 Nishio, Aichi, Japan.

In summer 2011, Makino auditioned the Morning Musume 10ki Member "Genki Jirushi" Audition, but failed to enter the group.

2012
In summer 2012, Makino auditioned the Morning Musume 11ki Member "Suppin Utahime" Audition and made it to the finals, but failed 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, Ogawa Rena and Yamagishi Riko also participated the event as guests.

2014
From April 5 to June 29, Makino participated in ℃-ute Concert Tour 2014 Haru ~℃-ute no Honne~ as the Hello Pro Kenshuusei opening act and challenge act alongside Hamaura Ayano, Murota Mizuki, Yamagishi Riko and Fujii Rio.

On September 30, during the Morning Musume '14 concert tour at Nippon Budokan, it was announced that Makino was selected to join Morning Musume as a 12th generation member along with Ogata Haruna, Nonaka Miki and fellow Hello Pro Kenshuusei member Haga Akane, subsequently leaving Hello Pro Kenshuusei.

2015
On January 4, Makino and and her fellow 12th generation members began a radio show on FM FUJI, titled Morning Musume '15 12ki Nikki. They also began a web talk show exclusive to fanclub members on March 5, titled 12ki Relay.

On January 8, she began a weekly column in the Nikkan Sports newspaper (Hokkaido-region only), in which she would discuss her favorite baseball team, the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.

On March 7, she was offered the opportunity to throw the ceremonial first pitch at the Nippon Ham Fighters vs. Seibu Lions game at Tokyo Dome on April 7.

On March 24, Makino released her first solo e-Hello! Blu-ray, Greeting ~Makino Maria~.

On November 14, Makino released her first mini photobook, titled Makino Maria Mini Photobook "Greeting -Photobook-", featuring photographs taken during the filming of her e-Hello! Blu-ray.

2016
On February 2, Makino celebrated her 15th birthday at a special event titled Morning Musume '16 Makino Maria Birthday Event, featuring two performances at IMA Hall in Tokyo.

On March 22, Makino was a guest at a live recording of Suzuki Kanon's radio show ''Morning Musume '16 Suzuki Kanon no Itsudemo! Kannon Smile''. At the recording, Suzuki announced Makino would be her successor starting in June after Suzuki graduates. The title of Makino's radio show was later revealed to be Morning Musume '16 Makino Maria no Marian♥LOVErin Desu♥, with the first episode airing May 31.

On August 6, Makino released her first solo photobook, titled Maria.

On August 20, Makino became a model for the girls' fashion magazine LOVE berry, alongside Kobushi Factory member Inoue Rei. They both made their first appearance in the vol.3 issue published on the same day.

2017
On February 2, Makino celebrated her 16th birthday at a special event titled Morning Musume '17 Makino Maria Birthday Event, featuring one performance at Yamano Hall.

On February 16, the 12th generation's fanclub-exclusive web talk show 12ki Relay ended with a total of 100 episodes. Their radio show Morning Musume '17 12ki Nikki also ended on March 26.

On April 6, the Morning Musume '17 12th generation and 13th generation members began a radio show on FM FUJI, titled Morning Musume '17 no Morning Diary.

On May 30, as the official Cheer Ambassadors for the Nihon Seimei Ce-Pa Koryusen 2017, Morning Musume '17 made an appearance at the opening game between the Chiba Lotte Marines vs. Hanshin Tigers at ZOZO Marine Stadium, where Makino also received the opportunity to throw the ceremonial first pitch. A baseball card of her first pitch was included in the 2017 BBM Baseball Card 2nd Version BOX released in August.

On August 30, Makino released her first major solo photobook, Senkou Hanabi.

On October 20, Makino was a guest commentator in NHK's Hokkaido special documentary program Otani Shohei no Ketsudan about Nippon-Ham Fighters star player Otani Shohei, who was expected to leave Japan and join a MLB team.

On December 22, Makino released the digital song "Zouni de Kenkashiten ja Nee yo" with Miyazaki Yuka and Kawamura Ayano.

2018
On February 2, Makino released her second major solo photobook, titled Maria 17sai. She also celebrated her 17th birthday at a fanclub event, titled Morning Musume '18 Makino Maria Birthday Event, at Differ Ariake.

On February 13, Makino was announced as a model for evelyn's 2018 SS Catalog alongside Miyazaki Yuka.

On March 7, she released her first solo image Blu-ray, titled Blanc.

On March 24, Makino appeared as a MC in Anime "Major 2nd" Mamonaku Play Ball!, a program to promote the premiere of the baseball anime TV series Major 2nd on April 7. It was then announced that Makino would voice the guest character Mari in the third episode on April 21.

On May 3, Makino threw the ceremonial first pitch at the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles game at the Sapporo Dome. A baseball card of Makino's first pitch is included in the 2018 BBM Baseball Card 2nd Version box set which will be released in August, as a result of the popularity of her card from last year.

On June 4, the 12th generation members held the Morning Musume '18 12ki Member Ogata Haruna・Nonaka Miki・Makino Maria・Haga Akane FC Event at Differ Ariake.

Personal Life
Family= Makino is an only child. Her father is a firefighter.

When Makino joined Hello Pro Kenshuusei in November 2012, she was a 6th year elementary school student. When Makino joined Morning Musume in September 2014, she was a second year middle school student.
 * -|Education=

In elementary school, Makino was a member of her elementary school's basketball club and Invention club. In 2014, during Makino's second year in middle school, she was second place in her school's sports festival 200m run.

As of April 2018, she is currently attending her last year of high school.

Makino is 1-kyu certified in swimming.
 * -|Sports=

Makino most notably gets along with Michishige Sayumi, Takeuchi Akari, Kishimoto Yumeno and Sasaki Rikako.
 * -|Friendships=

Makino's given name, Maria, means "true" (真; ma), "jasmine" (莉; ri), and "love" (愛; a). Her parents chose this name because it would be familiar abroad. At first they tried to make it hiragana or katakana, but it became kanji.
 * -|Name Meaning=

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. Also used by classmates and family members.
 * Marian LOVErin (まりあん LOVEりん, sometimes stylized as まりあん♡LOVEりん): Created by Makino herself when she performed as a solo act in the Hello! Project Hina Fest 2015. As of late December 2015, Makino has adopted it as a persona accompanied by an original "LOVErin" pose.
 * Makki (マッキー): Given to her by Tsunku during Morning Musume '14 Concert Tour Aki GIVE ME MORE LOVE ~Michishige Sayumi Sotsugyou Kinen Special~ show at Nippon Budokan on October 1, 2014.
 * Maria-sama (まりあ様/マリア様): Used by fans.

Profile
Stats=
 * Name: Makino Maria (牧野真莉愛)
 * Nickname: Maria (まりあ)
 * Birthday:
 * Birthplace: Nishio, Aichi, Japan
 * Blood Type: A
 * Height: 165cm
 * Western Zodiac:
 * Hello! Project Status:
 * 2012-11-01: Hello Pro Kenshuusei Member
 * 2014-09-30: Morning Musume Member
 * Years in Morning Musume: 2 Years
 * Morning Musume Member Color: 
 * Audition Song: "Seishun Collection"
 * Hello! Project groups:
 * Hello Pro Kenshuusei (2012–2014)
 * Morning Musume (2014-)


 * -|Q&A=
 * See Also: List:Makino Maria Pocket Morning Weekly Q&A & List:Makino Maria Other Q&As


 * 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, seedless Kyohou Grapes, peaches.
 * Least favorite food: Squid, spicy food
 * Favorite Subject: English, Art, Engineering
 * Least Favorite Subject: Physical Education
 * Dislikes: Goblins
 * Bad at: Eating food quickly
 * Favorite Color: Pink
 * Favorite Sport: Baseball
 * Favorite Flower: Rose
 * Favorite Season: Winter
 * Favorite Anime/Manga: MAJOR, Kirarin Revolution
 * Favorite TV Programs: Baseball matches, Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!!, Honoo no Tai ' ikukai TV
 * Favorite Facial Feature: Her teeth
 * Favorite Body Part: Her beautiful, elongated navel
 * Favorite Morning Musume Songs: "Ren'ai Revolution 21", "The☆Peace!", "Happy Summer Wedding", "ENDLESS SKY", "Wakain da shi!"
 * Other Favorite Songs: "Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari (2011 Dreamusu. Ver)"
 * Recent Morning Musume songs that makes you feel "I want to dance along with them": "Ai no Gundan"
 * What is "Morning Musume" to you?: An eternal dream
 * Looks Up To: Tanaka Reina, Michishige Sayumi, Hagiwara Mai

Discography

 * See Also: List:Makino Maria Discography Featured In

Solo Blu-rays

 * [2015.03.24] Greeting ~Makino Maria~ (Greeting 〜牧野真莉愛〜)
 * [2018.03.07] Blanc

Solo Fanclub DVDs

 * [2016.xx.xx] Morning Musume '16 Makino Maria ~Marian♡LOVErin Sanporin♡~

Solo Songs

 * [2016] Maya no Hi (from Zoku 11nin Iru! Higashi no Chihei, Nishi no Towa)

Publications

 * See Also: List:Makino Maria Publications Featured In

Solo Photobooks

 * Indie Photobooks
 * 1) [2015.11.14] Makino Maria Mini Photobook "Greeting -Photobook-"
 * 2) [2016.08.06] Maria


 * Major Photobooks
 * 1) [2017.08.30] Senkou Hanabi
 * 2) [2018.02.02] Maria 17sai
 * 3) [2018.08.25] Summer Days

Theater

 * [2015] TRIANGLE
 * [2016] Zoku 11nin Iru! Higashi no Chihei, Nishi no Towa
 * [2017] Pharaoh no Haka
 * [2018] Pharaoh no Haka ~Hebi Ou Sneferu~

Movies

 * [2017] JK Ninja Girls (cameo)

TV Programs

 * [2014–] The Girls Live
 * [2017] Hokkaido Special "Otani Shohei no Ketsudan" (北海道スペシャル「大谷翔平の決断」) (documentary)
 * [2018] Anime "Major 2nd" Mamonaku Play Ball! (アニメ「メジャーセカンド」　まもなくプレーボール！) (as a MC)

Anime

 * [2018] Major 2nd (メジャーセカンド) (guest voice as Mari, episode 3)

Internet

 * [2014–] Hello! Project Station (ハロ！ステ)
 * [2015-2017] 12ki Relay (12期リレー) (fanclub exclusive)

Radio

 * [2015–2017] Morning Musume '17 12ki Nikki! (モーニング娘. ’17 12期日記！)
 * [2016–] Morning Musume '17 Makino Maria no Marian♥LOVErin Desu♥ (モーニング娘｡'17牧野真莉愛のまりあん♥LOVEりんですっ♥)
 * [2017–] Morning Musume '17 no Morning Diary (モーニング娘. '17のモーニングダイアリー)

Rankings

 * She ranked third in the "Best at MC in Hello Pro Kenshuusei" category of the March 2014 issue of Gekkan Entame.

Trivia

 * She's a fan of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and Shinjo Tsuyoshi.
 * She believes she won't lose to any other member in her support of professional baseball.
 * Her dream was to join Morning Musume, and become an idol like Michishige Sayumi.
 * Michishige Sayumi has said that Maria was her favorite Hello Pro Kenshuusei member.
 * Unlike other 12th generation members, she comes from a prefecture (Aichi) that already had a member before.
 * Tsunku said that she looks clever, and that if she joins Morning Musume, she could be at the front in no time.
 * When she became a Morning Musume member, the first thing she wanted to do was to throw the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game.
 * The first Morning Musume song she heard was "Seishun Collection".
 * Her Morning Musume 11th generation audition (2012) number was #153
 * If God could grant her one thing, she would wish to become a beautiful lady like Michishige Sayumi.
 * Kanazawa Tomoko has said that Maria is very funny and the most interesting part about her is that she doesn’t put on much of a character; she’s the same person on stage as she is in the dressing room.
 * She wants to try singing "Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari (2011 Dreamusu. Ver.)" by Dream Morning Musume.
 * She thinks the best things about joining Hello Pro Kenshuusei were being able to do things she wouldn't normally be able to do and learning alot, and becoming friends with Sasaki Rikako.
 * She thinks the hardest thing about Hello Pro Kenshuusei was getting put in the back row on stage and not being able to see the audience.
 * 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.
 * In later 2013, Tsunku commented on Makino: "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."
 * According to an interview on JUNON Magazine released in July 2014, Makino hoped on getting a pink member color.
 * She works best under pressure.
 * She has bad eyesight, so she has to wear contacts, and sometimes, glasses.
 * She's good at cooking ohagi rice balls, and doing an impression of Donald Duck.
 * She thinks she's a boke.
 * During a prank show, Yoshizawa Hitomi asked her and the rest of the 12th generation who their favorite senior was and while Maria said Michishige Sayumi, the rest of the 12th generation said Hitomi, and later after Hitomi and Tsuji Nozomi left the room, Maria started to cry feeling the other 12th generation members betrayed her.
 * On her blog she said that she and her family often go to Disney World in Florida.
 * She is the first member to audition three times for Morning Musume and pass on the third attempt.
 * If she could be reborn as someone else, she would be Ishikawa Rika because Makino's favorite song is "The☆Peace!" and she would like to say Ishikawa's monologue in the song.
 * She believes she is the Hello! Project member who can not be beaten in loving baseball. Her favorite team until she was three years old were the local Chunichi Dragons in Nagoya, but she thought Shinjo Tsuyoshi was cool after watching him play and became a Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters fan.
 * If she did not become an idol, she would like to become a wagashi artisan because she loves Japanese wagashi and has been able to experience making it during her work as an idol. When she was little, she wanted to become a Fighters Girl (a Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters cheerleader).
 * Makino wears dresses everyday because she does not like denim and feels uncomfortable when she sits wearing pants. As result she is not very good at pairing tops and bottoms. Iikubo Haruna has deliberately given her a coordinated top and bottom outfit as a birthday present because she thinks a skinny and stylish look suits Makino, but she has not worn it once.