Kitsuiko

I don't know how many of you have seen this show but it's up currently on netflix and I highly recommend it!

It was made by the same people who did You're Beautiful - personally I think it's even better http://en.wikipedia....Nine-Tailed_Fox

Just curious towards what other people here think. Obviously if you've followed my post I'm a huge fan of Genki Musume and I think that sales (with one exception) are always a bit more depressed for ballad songs. Personally, though I understand disagreement, I think 2008-2010 kind of marked a loss of identity for the group; I didn't feel like any members were really driving the songs. Sure Takahashi was lead but I couldn't really feel like it was HER song. If Eri got all of her lines, awesome. It's not quite like Furusato being about Nacchi - even if people sing it better or worse it's always in comparison to Nacchi. Or Mr. Moonlight just being Yoshizawa. Not even the Peace! being Charmy (and I will admit I compare everyone's lines to hers)

If I'm going to remember Takahashi for any song, strangely, I think it may well be Onna to Otoko no Lullaby game. I had to go back through and re-listen to most of the songs in that time period but when I think of Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game I think to her looking over the crowd with a smile in the silence as they waited for that long note. I really do think of her PERFORMING averse to singing pretty well.

So yeah. Vote or don't! Just curious.

This is more or less a humorous assessment of what I've noticed all throughout the internets about fans. Please do not take it too seriously.

Fans of:

• 1st Generation: Mostly amused at new fans proclamations of end of the world and absently remember there's such a thing as Morning Musume after finishing graduate level dissertations on jpop fandom.
• 2nd Generation: Ha, mostly a joke. Don't exist.
• 3rd Generation: Are too busy defending Maki Goto's Tsunku bash to notice graduations
• 4th Generation: Complain like old people on the porch about the Morning Musume back in their day and how graduations always happen and having to go to concerts uphill in the snow both ways.
• 5th Generation: ZOMG TEH WORLD IT IS TEH ENDING! THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A MORNING MUSUME WITHOUT X MEMBER! EVAR! IT WILL EXPLOOOOODE!
• 6th Generation: Split. Eri fans should see 7th or 8th Generation; Reina and Sayu fans are simply preparing for their oncoming dominance
• 7th Generation: Are dulled to the world since Koharu's graduation and busily testing genki ratings in new idol sources.
• 8th Generation: Stillll raging against losing the Pandas and have just started copypastaing Takahashi's name into previous rants.
• 9th Generation: HOLY CRAP RIHO! HOLY CRAP KANON! HOLY CRAP ERINA! HOLY CRAP MIZUKI! Here, I saw a four second clip where a girl blinked once and this is why I think it means that she's a secret member of the Freemasons!

Okay, every time there's a scandal people immediately yell at the crazy wota who don't want their idols to date anyone and how it isn't fair and how WE don't care as fans if they date so they should be allowed to and there's a purity contract and that's so stupid and...

Stop for a moment and consider another part of the equation:

The parents.

Parents who are allowing their children to be on contract and away from them for the majority of their lives. Parents who have entrusted their children's future and their children's raising to UFA in some large way so the dream of being an idol could be pursued. Think about how Tsunku was always shown talking to the parents of the Musume as they entered and they would ask for their daughters to be treated well.

Maybe, just maybe - and I know this is a wacky idea - but the boyfriend clause is there because parents don't want the company to turn into some teenage brothel while they can't do anything to stop it. THEY don't like the idea of their daughters seeing that as an idol you can go on dates and stay out until 3 am with some guy at the age of 14. THEY don't want their ten year olds to see that you can smoke illegally and get away with only a hand slap. Maybe the company is catering to THEM as the company was entrusted effectively with maintaining a moral and good upbringing by however many parents are involved. You could say "But at 14, I could go on dates!" well, there's two problems with that reasoning:

Not all parents are yours who were comfortable with that; some parents are comfortable with 14 year olds drinking, some aren't.
The parents aren't there to approve or not approve each boy with a family meeting home, a talk, and to touch base all the time.

So what happens? They make a no boyfriends clause with the younger girls as a measure to make the parents feel comfortable that their daughters are going to be half way across the country and they don't have to worry about them doing things they wouldn't want to do. It's strict so parents don't worry. The punishments are high so parents don't worry. Purity is a point for wota, sure, but when the H!P wasn't so young and had a lot of older girls, you'll note that they got away with a LOT more. Nacchi staying out to 3am. Iida falling asleep in that guy's lap. Charmy's kiss. Ayaya's boyfriend. Now that the company is bigger and younger, the rules have gotten more strict.

People forgave Nacchi for cheating. An idol based on her purity, they pretty much forgave her for something like that. Do you really think its the wota that are being catered to with this? My nose and my gut says its the parents.

And they have every right to.

People talk about Morning Musume like getting to have the lead in a song is like being line leader in kindergarten. Each girl should get a turn because it makes them feel good about themselves or blah blah blah.

This is incorrect.

It's a frequent misconception of most Morning Musume fans that they're some sort of singing, dancing, day camp where they hang out and have fun and occasionally do concerts. I've seen this misconception in not so many words play out on this forum time and time and time again.

So for the last time, it's not. Morning Musume isn't about making sure that every girl gets to sing a line; they're a musical group out to sell singles by putting their most popular and strongest singing members forward. Yes, I know you don't like Koharu. Many, many people do - she sells well. Yes, I know Takahashi is as boring as lint - she's quite possibly one of the most talented people in the H!P. Yes, I know Reina's winking makes her look like she has Torrett's - but she's reliable in lives and a consistently good singer. Girls who perform well get leads. Girls who's voices FIT THE SONG (If the song requires belting, it ain't going to have Eri lead. If the song requires a breathy voice, your Gaki-san is out) and girls who can perform the parts well, live. It sucks to not see your favorite girl up front and you can hope a song suiting her comes up -- but I swear if I see this "they should take turns!" bs stated one more time I'm going to explode.

If you want something to do with your time, why not come up with what types songs would suit your favorite member best instead?