1079 replies to this topic

[AngelAndz]

^
There aren't any breaks in April during their spring tour for them to release a single around then though.

They don't need breaks and have never needed breaks to do a release. Go back and look at the single release dates and their tour schedules. They were in the middle of touring whenever they released the last few singles.

Just checked and you're right Although I wouldn't be surprised if they either release the 61st single around that time or at least start promoting it. Apart from Sakura's birthday event which may possibly be the Monday after the first days on the Spring tour, it's possible that the weekend in between the 13th and the 26th is for the Hina Fes and Satoyama events, so maybe they might promote something new when that happens

Edit: Some more concerts for the Morning Musume '16 Spring Tour:



Date - Day - Venue - Open - Start

4/23 (Sat) Saitama City Cultural Center, Main Hall (Saitama) 15:30 16:30
4/24 (Sun) Shizuoka Citizen Cultural Center Hall (Shizuoka) 14:00 15:00
4/24 (Sun) Shizuoka Citizen Cultural Center Hall (Shizuoka) 17:30 18:30
4/29 (Fri) Morioka Civic Cultural Hall (Iwate) 15:00 16:00
4/30 (Sat) Sendai Sun Plaza Hall (Miyagi) 14:00 15:00
4/30 (Sat) Sendai Sun Plaza Hall (Miyagi) 17:30 18:30
5/3 (Tues) Nitori Culture Hall (Hokkaido) 13:00 14:00
5/3 (Tues) Nitori Culture Hall (Hokkaido) 16:30 17:30

[ayumini]

I think the top candidates are Mizuki, Masaki, Duu, Maria, and 13th gen. Sakura will probably be the lead vocal now, though, and get all of the best lines in the songs that would usually go to Riho.

Yep, I feel this. Maria's already been getting the visual push in terms of magazines and such.
But I think that Mizuki and Sakura will probably share the vocals. Maybe Masaki/Sakura.

^
To be honest with you I don't think it's a very wise idea to make someone from the 13ki (someone new) the new ace after Riho.

Not to be rude, but if you've been a member since the first generation, then surely the concept of someone new as "the new ace" shouldn't be foreign to you.
One name: Goto Maki.

I don't think anyone else has the X Factor, but they work well together, so a rotating center and shared lead should work for now.

Also agreed.

[Happy Now?]

I still feel hesitant about Ruru being that kind of member, she seems too "soft", if that makes sense. I don't think she has the intensity you need to be an ace. Unless you mean as just another member which I'd be game for, but I wouldn't expect her to be able to handle the pressure even as long as Riho did.

 

Yeah, I don't think Ruru's ace material, but I really want her in MM. I'd love to see her as a lead singer.

[webzine]

I doubt Maa will become an ace, not as long as they keep her back during tv shows. 

[DD7]

I think i'd prefer a rotating center rather than a new ace. If there is a new ace and its one of the girls we already have I think Sakura or Haruka would probably be the safest choice, but Zukki or Maachan would be the most interesting. Zukki probably has the most name recognition with the general public but the drawback would be that her weight fluctuations might overshadow the group itself. That's kind of what happened with the last single. Lots of news outlets were talking about MM but it was more focused on Zukki's weight rather than the girl's actual performance. With Maachan, while she's really talented and a hard worker she's a wildcard on TV programs and you never know what she might do or say. She could potentially offend people and hurt MM's reputation or it could be the complete opposite. I think if management wants to maintain a similar MM to the one we've have for the past few years they should go with the safe choice (Sakura/Haruka/or even Mizuki) but if they are willing to take a risk to really raise MM's profile Zukki or Maachan would be the way to go. 

[AngelAndz]

^To be honest with you I don't think it's a very wise idea to make someone from the 13ki (someone new) the new ace after Riho.

Not to be rude, but if you've been a member since the first generation, then surely the concept of someone new as "the new ace" shouldn't be foreign to you.One name: Goto Maki.

You make a good point there, and it's my fault for not explaining what I meant properly, which I apologise humbly for. Yes, I am aware that Goto Maki was made the ace as soon as she joined Morning Musume (even though Abe was still in the group and also the ace at the time), but at that time Morning Musume had only been around for 2 years and only just debuted as a group the year before. Before Gocchin joined hardly anyone paid any attention to them, but after she joined and they released Love Machine and gradually worked their way to a Number 1 single they eventually established themselves as a well known Japanese idol group.

Fast forward to 2015 and Morning Musume has been around for over 18 years. They have enough fans that know how the system works. If they make someone completely new the ace it will not go down well. She will either get compared to the other members who've been in the group much longer than she has, or she'll be expected to be the star of the show from the get go and it will be a repeat of both Goto Maki and Sayashi Riho all over again. We can't say why Gocchin left or what Riho's real reason for wanting to graduate (if she has one), but maybe putting all that expectation to be the star of the show and always expected to be perfect on someone new isn't such a good idea because it results in the girl leaving early after 3 or 4 years. I don't think Up-Front will want to repeat that anytime soon.

That being said though, they probably will eventually do something like this again with whatever generation they add in 2017 or 2018:

Goto Maki - Joined Momusu in 1999. Made the star of the show from day 1. Left in 2002

Kosumi Koharu - Joined Momusu in 2005, six years after Goto Maki joined. Made the star of the show from day 1, although kind of failed a little. Left in 2009

Sayashi Riho - Joined Momusu in 2011, six years after Kosumi Koharu joined. Made the star of the show from day 1. Leaving at the end of next month.

If 13ki get added to the group next year I can see someone from 14ki when they're added in either 2017 or 2018 being made the ace or at least put in the spotlight from the minute they join. This may not make a lot of sense, and I apologise again if it doesn't, but by that time someone who is already in the group will be doing ace duties and can help mentor them in their role as an ace just like Ai-chan and Reina did for Riho At least to me it seemed that way even when Gocchin and Koharu joined. Thinking about it now I probably just don't want someone new to be made the ace or put in a position similar to an ace role in the group without there already being someone in the group in the role of the ace who can help mentor them and help them settle into their role in the group *hopes this makes sense*

Edit: Sorry about the long post and response. I can't seem to explain myself or what I'm trying to say very well in less words that often

[MocchiMooch]

I honestly thought we'd see another Gocchin/Koharu type situation with Sakura... the way they hyped up the audition, it felt exactly as it did when Koharu was announced. I remember the coverage talking about how she was to be the star rising talent in H!P and blah blah blah...and Koha certainly played a decent sized role during her days in Momusu, and she ended up having a wildly successful solo career [which I never would've expected]. Same for Gocchin even though her role in Momusu was MUCH bigger than Koha's. 

 

Koha had the "look at me, I'm the newbie" spotlight for quite some time after her debut. I mean, they had an entire concert tour named after her. And it was quite a good one, I might add. And she instantly got a sort of "character", with Sayumi in Rainbow 7 with the title track.

 

Sakura quickly faded a bit into the middle tier, which shocked me. It helped me learn a bit more of what they mean by ACE.

 

With that said: there's not one currently in the group right now, by my understanding of the term... And not having one makes me think there should be.

 

So if not Ruru, I would definitely LOVE to see a one member 13th gen debuting around the 63rd single. Rotating centers work very well, especially if we end up getting amazing singles like Oh my Wish/Sukatto/Imasugu. But I'd love to see another ace in the mix, because Koha really did inject a new sense of life into the group that they were missing.

[Happy Now?]

^

 

With that said: there's not one currently in the group right now, by my understanding of the term... And not having one makes me think there should be.

 

I agree. I hope they don't force it or rush it too much. The group will be fine for a year or so without one. When Maki left, they went a while without a clear ace. It's one of my favorite eras in MM history. 

[AngelAndz]

I'm not sure I totally agree that Sakura is middle tier. I think that depending on how they want to promote a song Sakura is first to middle tier. There are times when she shows that she's worthy of being first tier, but she's also reliable enough that placing her in the middle tier isn't too much of a big problem

As for Danbara: I'm a bit sceptical about her joining Morning Musume because of the annoying comments I've read about her replacing Sakura. She's a good singer but she needs to work on projecting her vocals without shouting, which I think is a common mistake that any of the girls who can sing well make from time to time, even Sakura. However this is not to say that I'm totally against her joining Morning Musume There are at least four girls (possibly more than that) in Morning Musume who can help her develop her singing abilities a bit more, and having Danbara in the group might give the girls the incentive they need to step up their A game

[candy_boy]

By my own personal observation, I don't think UFP can make an ace. They find them.

Spoiler

For me, being an ace is not really about promotion. You have to have the qualities necessary in the first place before they even begin considering you. Aces make themselves known the first time they show up. The moment you first see them, you kind of know that this kid will be big. I guess that's what they call the "x factor" or "aura." 

 

That has been the case with all their past "aces": Abe, Goto, Matsuura, Sayashi. These kids had superstar quality from the time they auditioned. It was clear from Day 1. I have read many comments (and not from wolf/HP boards, mind you) that they were "shocked" the first time they saw Abe and Goto during ASAYAN. Similarly, Sayashi was popular even during auditions and she quickly rose in HP popularity even among veterans like PE and Berrikyuu. Matsuura needs no explanation.

 

Case in point: Oda. One can't argue that her lack of popularity is because of a lack of exposure. She has almost as much lines as Riho during performances after all. She doesn't lack screentime during MVs either. Additionally, she is often praised for her vocal skills and she is a single person gen so she's a big deal. However, her individual sales has constantly been on the lower end of the spectrum.

 

TL;DR: I personally see the term "ace" as a trait rather than a title bestowed. I don't think Danbara would be a replacement for Oda. I simply see her as another Oda. A skilled and highly useful member but not an ace. I think if Danbara was an ace, they would have debuted her the moment they caught her.

--------

Sidenote: If Oda levels up her singing to the professional level, I think she can become an "artist" (by Jpop definition) which is her true dream. Idols just have different requirements.

[the rose garden]

Agree. Should Ruru join MM it would be like Riho and Ayumi; two amazing dancers who complement each other, not outshine or replace.

[Happy Now?]

I originally thought their characters were too similar during Ruru's audition, but so were Riho's and Ayumi's. So, I don't think it would be that big of a deal. And Danbara's voice lies a little higher than Sakura's, so she could be really useful in certain songs. 

[Juandalyn]

By my own personal observation, I don't think UFP can make an ace. They find them.

 

Yeah, this. They kind of push them too, of course, but they also react to trends (at least in this point lol). Kaorin was supposed to lead Morning Coffee, they changed it last minute to Nacchi. They pushed Goto more than all of her senpai (including Nacchi which made her say Goto was an "idiot" lol). Riho was pushed because she was super popular in the auditions (and she had the advantage of performance history compared to Erina and Kanon who were newbies).

 

The only case of "ace" (if we event want to call her that) who wasn't made an ace by the audience was Takahashi Ai. When she joined the group they still had Goto and Nacchi in the group. When they left the group they got Miki. They still tried to push Ai in every way possible, acting, Minimoni, many solo lines in songs, and she was center or one of the centers for many singles, but never really an ace - until maybe Platinum Era, but people also argue that it was some kind of double-ace or double-center position with Reina.

 

They might want to push Oda to something like Ai was, but I feel that it's "too late" for that. She's already a lead singer, but she also lacks popularity (not saying she's super unpopular, but she's definitely not at the top of the ranks).

 

That being said, I don't think the group will have an ace between Riho's graduation and a new audition. Possible candidates always have a counter argument:

• Mizuki is too soft
• Ayumi's singing isn't good enough
• Masaki is too hit and miss
• Sakura isn't popular enough

Haruka and Miki could be some surprise candidates. Haruka is a good performer, maybe not on Riho's level but pretty stable and really popular. Miki gets the push and gains more and more fans. It has always baffled me how they held Haruka back (aside from stage plays) when she was an ok dancer and quite a good singer and considering her popularity. I know she was somewhat physically weak but a line every now and then (pretty much... like now) wouldn't have hurt her.

 

...however, aren't we off topic, too?

[AngelAndz]

^
You make a good point about going off topic. I don't think we can ever predict what UpFront will decide to do about choosing a new ace, but I'm sure whoever they pick will be OK

Now to get back to the topic, I'm pretty sure that next there's going to be another stage musical/play starring Morning Musume '16 and possibly another Hello!Project group. Without Riho in the picture I believe that the three girls with the biggest change of getting lead roles are Ayumi and Kudo and Sakura. The big question is what kind of stage musical/play will it be and if they star in it with another Hello!Project group which group would that be?

I'd quite like them to do a comedy and maybe have Juice=Juice and/or Kobushi Factory as their co-stars

What theme and co-stars would you guys choose for the next Morning Musume stage musical/play?

[Pyo-Kiyo]

I was quite bored so I decided to make another single release schedule:

• 2/3 - J=J / NEXT YOU single
• 2/17 - KF single
• 3/9 - CG single

------------------------------------------------------------------------

• 3/30 (or 4/6) - C-ute single
• 4/20 (or 4/27) - ANGERME single
• 5/18 (cca.) - MM16 single

------------------------------------------------------------------------

As for TF maybe a major debut announcement in April (or another KKS single - featuring TF - before that)

[AngelAndz]

Goin by how long the goods for it are available for the promotion for the 60th single ends around about March, so I think Morning Musume's 61st single will be announced some time between March and May. Would prefer it to be sooner rather than later, but considering how busy the girls have been lately I kind of want them to have a chance to take a short rest before promoting another single or even an album.

[Margie GiGi]

Buono! is probably going to get a new/maybe last single b4 August

[RenaiDestiny。]

I think Buono! Will perform new songs at the Budokan, and either release a mini album or a single in November.

[Punkin]

I definitely think we'll see something new from Buono!, most likely a single, in the summer. Maybe a month or two before Budokan. It would be weird if they didn't I think. It's promotion, and it'll get people pumped for the concert.

[☆RisaReinaSayu☆]

If I had to hazzard a guess MM's next single will come out the last week of April or first week of May.