Shuya Goenji

I've been a H!P fan ever since the release of RR21, which I got to know via an anime magazine. That's a long time ago. That's a long time following H!P. All of a sudden, I see nothing that makes me stand for H!P anymore. The magic is gone, and so is the fanatism. At least for me. That's why I'm asking for your help. Maybe someone can convince me that the current H!P is somehow interesting.

Back in the day there wasn't any single month where you wouldn't have a shocking announcement: graduations, auditions, scandals, new sub-groups, prizes, commercial deals, etcetera. Nowadays the only reason we follow the news is to see new releases scheduled. But there’s nothing that adds spiciness to the day. It’s like H!P is on standby since Koharu joined. The auditions have never been big again. The music lost its magic touch. You could argue the music is good: yes it is, but it hasn’t that special sound from the Gold Era. Not all groups can pull Happy Summer Wedding, but any group could have done Shogunai, for example. So yeah, it’s good music but it has nothing special to it.

And then there’s Berryz and C-ute. At the beginning, their youngness and the fact that they were trying to sneak into a very difficult world was the main appealing point. But now, you tell me: What’s the difference among Morning Musume, Berryz and C-ute? All could do each other song’s and no one would notice. They don’t have a style. They’re almost same age. It’s like following the same group. It doesn’t help either the fact that Up-Front gives up at appealing new fans and makes everything for the wota (Single DVDs, Event V, Events, Lotteries); in other words: they do everything to cash more money until the ship lasts afloat. So, seeing their own management doesn’t even care makes me sad and makes me ask myself why am I following all this. Who remembers PucchiMoni and Tanpopo? You actually listen to a song of theirs and know who you were listening to. But again, nowadays, MM, C-ute and Berryz music is so similar it’s like MM, MM 2 and MM 3. That ain’t funny.

The one-shot units and the shuffles are long lost in time. H!P flagship Aya Matsuura decided to bore Japan and MM’s most recognizable face Natsumi Abe followed. Goto left. They made MKB gettho. But let’s not even take this as an excuse. Let’s not compare current H!P to old H!P. Simply analyzing the lack of news coming from the current H!P, you can see something is missing. No matter how many groups they make, it’s the same over and over. Only Buono! stands out and is sticking to a style that so far has worked well. But besides Buono!, the rest is the same. Aika’s solo in Platinum 9 Disc is no different from Koharu/Kirari singles. Shougunai is not that far from Jiriri Kiteru or Tokaiko Junjou.

I don’t know. It might be that the day is cloudy that I decided to make all this thinking but seriously, I don’t know what to think. If I’m still here, it’s because Buono! and more recently Mano draw my attention. But besides that, the sky looks kind of dark for me.

Guardians 4



The good and the great!

Aika
Tsunku's current favorite



Saki
Raising C-ute star, recently promoted to the front line, and two times #2 most valued C-ute member on U-15 ranks



Yurina
One of the prettiest girls in town and probably the one with most personality in Berryz.



Risako
Berryz most popular member and all-time front girl of the group



Excellent news! I thought the group deserved a thread of its own here, just like Buono!

I just woke up and saw this topic on JPopMusic

Tsunku establishes a new company?

★ つんく♂が新会社を設立（井上公造・芸能）

13:00～
品川プリンスホテル

＞つんく♂が、新会社「ティーエネックス株式会社」を設立することになり、東京・品川プリンスホテルで記者発表会を行う。

今日の芸能界によると、出席者はつんく♂ / 時東ぁみ / ジャ・ジャ

Like when Kitagawa Johnny made up all Johnny's Jimusho agency not to depend on other distributors and labels, this news say Tsunku will establish a new entertainment company and source is Centuryland and Musume Rakuen, no rumour, both reliable sites where information comes through primary sources (which is why they always have things the first). Is this the beginning of the end? Up-Front Works does change principal at the end of the year, from father to daughter, and gossip newspapers reported time ago the existing difference between father and daughter's mind on how to drive the company and Hello!Project.

New SharanQ tour was announced and UFW is no related to it at all. Is it probable that Tsunku would create a new company to manage all his works, including H!P? Nobody knows the exact contract / deal with Tsunku and UFW achieved ten years ago. Might it have come to an end? In my mind comes up Avex time when they changed principal too. Ayu's manager become it when he threatened saying he would leave and take Ayu and others with him into a new company. The news of a new company is a true report, the divorce is only an assumption on some boards. I will be checking 2ch to see how this news develop. Now we can only wait for more news on this event and the future of it all.

Aya Matsuura & Miki Fujimoto in GAM, new H!P unit !!
H!P best-seller soloist Aya Matsuura and Morning Musume’s subleader Miki Fujimoto will sing the theme to the movie Sukeban Deka IV that Aya Matsuura stars as the principal character, Asamiya Saki. It could have been Matsuura to Fujimoto, but no, the name chosen for the unit is GAM.

According to Tsunku, name comes from Great Aya and Miki. He said that this song “shines from the legs, rolls up, and sings in the heart”. Performances dress will show those attractive legs. The single name is T h a n k s ! and will be released in 9/13. Keep tuned for more information!

Source

This group deserves its own topic. Best group since ever! :w00t!: