I found my list of all H!P singles, I hadn't updated it since 2008. But it wasn't too much work to update the MM numbers up to now. So for everyone that doesn't want to look anywhere else here's the list behind the spoiler.
- Code: Select all
1st week total
00 1997.11.03 Ai no Tane
01 1998.01.28 95,050 200,790 Morning Coffee
02 1998.05.27 86,670 417,330 Summer Night Town
03 1998.09.09 183,500 497,120 Daite HOLD ON ME!
04 1999.02.10 195,720 410,850 Memory Seishun no Hikari
05 1999.05.12 122,610 235,010 Manatsu no Kousen
06 1999.07.14 102,750 170,670 Furusato
07 1999.09.09 241,540 1,646,630 LOVE Machine
08 2000.01.26 600,860 1,229,970 Koi no Dance Site
09 2000.05.17 471,270 990,950 Happy Summer Wedding
10 2000.09.06 407,350 654,640 I WISH
11 2000.12.13 515,490 986,040 Renai Revolution 21
12 2001.07.25 310,810 682,320 The Peace!
13 2001.10.31 308,904 513,340 Mr. Moonlight Ai no Big Band
14 2002.02.20 272,950 443,630 Souda! We're ALIVE
15 2002.07.24 180,490 310,600 Do it! Now
16 2002.10.30 139,070 228,542 Koko ni Iruzee
17 2003.02.19 72,594 151,342 Morning Musume no Hyokkori Hyoutanjima
18 2003.04.23 84,251 129,893 AS FOR ONE DAY
19 2003.07.30 98,028 148,930 Shabondama
20 2003.11.06 73,884 123,315 Go Girl ~Koi no Victory~
21 2004.01.24 78,142 108,368 Ai Araba IT’S ALL RIGHT
22 2004.05.12 67,144 87,255 Roman ~MY DEAR BOY~
23 2004.07.22 58,435 91,789 Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari
24 2004.11.03 50,967 65,873 Namida ga Tomaranai Houkago
25 2005.01.19 51,421 67,860 THE Manpower!!!
26 2005.04.27 46,945 59,287 Osaka koi no Uta
27 2005.07.27 68,009 82,200 Iroppoi Jirettai
28 2005.11.09 43,535 54,428 Chokkan 2 ~Nogashita Sakana wa Ookiizo!~
29 2006.03.15 36,531 48,667 SEXY BOY ~Soyo Kaze ni Yorisoutte~
30 2006.06.21 37,065 47,159 Ambitious! Yashinteki de Ii Jan
31 2006.11.08 40,967 55,694 Aruiteru
32 2007.02.14 40,884 53,047 Egao YES Nude
33 2007.04.25 53,551 61,322 Kanashimi Twilight
34 2007.07.25 43,364 50,812 Onna ni Sachi Are
35 2007.11.21 28,082 38,667 Mikan
36 2008.04.16 48,086 55,949 Resonant Blue
37 2008.09.23 38,596 46,097 Pepper Keibu
38 2009.02.18 44,121 50,313 Naichau Kamo
39 2009.05.13 47,528 53,950 Shoganai Yume Oibito
40 2009.08.12 54,973 70,299 Nanchatte Renai
41 2009.10.28 36,274 45,241 Kimagure Princess
42 2010.02.10 36,169 44,035 Onna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai
43 2010.06.09 34,122 40,865 Seishun Collection
44 2010.11.17 42,405 48,357 Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game
45 2011.04.06 33,698 41,029 Maji Desu ka Ska!
46 2011.06.15 32,869 40,778 Only you
47 2011.09.14 49,576 55,643 Kono Chikyū no Heiwa o Honki de Negatterun da yo! / Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai!
48 2012.01.25 31,094 34,050 Pyocopyoco Ultra
49 2012.04.11 41,036 49,232 Renai Hunter
50 2012.07.04 84,067 84,067 One Two Three / The Matenro Show
As for the reasons behind the success.
My guess is that the events work in 2 ways. Since the last single the number of events have increased significantly. This means that the fans buy more singles, since they can meet the girls more often. But since events are popular with the overall idol fanbase the extra events will also attract new/former fans that might have not been interested in MM because they didn't have as many events as some other major idol groups. Also because the events are nationwide and not just in Tokyo.
Add 2 good songs as singles with mainstream appeal, more promotion, 50th single and you have the current success.
btw, females usually get their own space in the crowd at the front (if you are such an event you will notice that on average Japanese men have become much taller then Japanese females). Therefore you see only females in those Sapporo pictures.