It is completely understandable to lose interest in Morning Musume.
Okay, let me lay this out for people to read. Before I begin this criticism I want to make it very clear that when I say "Morning Musume" here, I am not talking so much about the 11 girls in front of the camera (I will refer to them as "the members") but rather the people managing, booking, marketing and generally running the actual group.
They don't actually DO anything any more. Sure, they have their traveling show schedule, but...
Their own variety show?
Maybe a travel or tourism show of various locations in Japan?
Stage plays?
Comedic shorts?
Trips to Hawaii or Hong Kong involving doing games and challenges or showing off special sites?
Dramas involving the members?
You know, as much as it may be hard to believe, there was a time when they actually did all those things. When there would be at least an hour of video a week of Morning Musume-- and not sitting at a desk just talking or backstage footage of shows, but actual entertaining programing! There was actually a reason to understand, know and support the individual members.
Making cell phone games that feature actual members? (Okay, they discontinued the one based on the Math school and they have a slightly newer one that uses anime pictures where half the H!P members aren't remotely recognizable)
They have a YouTube channel. Take a look at what all the 48 sister groups do with them and how many shows each of them puts out each week.
There is no excuse. They could easily change all of this in a flash if they had any motivation and decided to put any actual effort in any more. There are people making more money than Morning Musume just playing video games and making obnoxious comments and reactions on YouTube.
How about fan interactions? Making handshake events and selling the tickets in the CDs. How about having fans vote for their favorite members by buying CDs and rewarding them with solo songs?
How about buying a building somewhere off the main road in Harajuku, opening a Hello! Project cafe and stage show where stage costumes can be put on display, CDs and goods can be sold every day and each Hello! Project group does a stage show there a couple times a month.
You don't have to do EVERYTHING the 48 groups do, but considering how much the 48 groups ripped off from what Morning Musume used to do and just stopped doing due to laziness... stealing some ideas from them would only be fair.
Or how about having the members stop acting like total elitist snobs? Does it really appeal to anyone when they pretend to not know any idols outside their own company and have no idea what anyone else is doing because everyone else is below them? Seriously-- the 48 group members mention Hello! Project members in positive light all the time. They cite former members as their heroes-- listed Tsugunaga Momoko, Michishige Sayumi and Suzuki Airi as three of their most favorite idols on THEIR TV show using THEIR TV time.
And how does Hello! Project return the favor? It refuses to show up at the Tokyo Idol shows, claiming to be too busy and saying they are below them. Because they are oh so busy... doing... nothing. Maybe doing a summer show for the same exact dwindling audience they have for the past decade? Their sales figures have been in the garbage for years. I am pretty sure Passpo and babyraids might be outselling them at this point (particularly Hello! Project groups like Angerme and Juice=Juice which have never been famous nor ever put out a real hit song.) There is no justification for the snobbery any more-- if HKT, Idoling, Nogizaka, Sakura Gakuin, etc. invite them to stand on the same stage, they should be happy to accept the offer. Not slap the hand away and spit on them. In fact, at this point if AKB invites Morning Musume to stand in their shadows slightly off-stage, Morning Musume should come crawling on its hands and knees to accept that offer.
The company is so paranoid about members jumping over to the 48 groups and never coming back that they absolutely forbid members from saying things like: "I heard Takahashi Minami is graduating at the end of this year! Seeing how she led her company really makes me want to be a better leader too." or "My favorite member of NMB is Yamamoto Sayaka! I've been trying to learn to play the guitar too! Maybe I'll do that in a future song." or "oh! I heard that Nakamoto Himeka became center in Nogizaka under members. She's been my friend since I was 6 years old! I am happy for her." or "This is my cousin. She is in NMB! We went to an amusement park together. Check out these pictures."
But the reverse? Happens all the time. ALL the time. But, no.
Chances are that if Morning Musume wanted to turn things around, they would be able to do a joint project with HKT pretty easily-- Sashihara is the boss of HKT and loves Hello! Project and has arranged several previous meetings. its the whole reason Yasuda Kei gets to be on Utage. Maybe a joint charity concert or just a TV program where they compete against each other. But... no. Because Morning Musume won't let go of the fact that they are the older group and refuses to give any other company fair due, it can't happen.
Morning Musume's latest video was really cool. Not the ones the Juice=Juice girl was in-- those were as dull as watching a glacial melt like way too much of the shlock Hello! Project has been churning out for years and worse than almost any Morning Musume video for years. But the one with the actual director and effort? That one was really cool.
But it doesn't make up for having done absolutely nothing worthwhile since the math school drama other than the two times they were pranked. It doesn't even make sense to introduce the 4 new members as something special when all the rest of the current members still feel very much undeveloped. They haven't given the audience any chance to know them or see what they can really do. And they have made 0 attempt to reach new audiences.
So... why SHOULD anyone care about Morning Musume any more?
Because they happen to be carrying the name of a group that used to mean something?
Because there are a couple talented members who could have been something were they in a group that actually cared about making them stars?
Are those really good reasons?
Someone counter my argument, please! While I really do feel this harshly, there is part of me that still wants to be wrong.
But keep on listening to their next releases maybe you'll end up to love them again.
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