Translation: Hello!Pro Trainee "Diagnostic Ability Test" 2022 Spring -- Tsunku♂ Commentary, What I Wanted to Say​

Hello!Pro Trainee "Diagnostic Ability Test" 2022 Spring -- Tsunku♂ Commentary, What I Wanted to Say​
2022.05.18 22:00



The other day, Tsunku♂ wrote commentary on the "Hello!Project Trainee Recital 2022 ~Spring Diagnostic Ability Test~." After speaking with YouTuber and Hello!wota Met, he summarized what he really wanted to say about the event.
Text: Tsunku♂
Editing: Ozawa Aya (Peace Company)
Illustrations: Mizushina Takayuki
Translation: Lurkette



For the May Tsunku♂Entertainment♪Salon livestream, I spoke to self-proclaimed Hello!Project and particularly a Kenshuusai wota, Met.

Naturally, there are times when the way I see an artist and the way wota see an artist are completely different. I think wota are also generally much deeper in the field and stay longer, so our field of view varies to that extent, too.

A little earlier, I wrote 'Hello!Pro Trainee "Diagnostic Ability Test" 2022 Spring--Tsunku♂ Commentary' here on note, and I wrote that I would give my personal Rookie of the Year award to Gotou Hana.

People who read that may have interpreted that to mean that I thought Gotou Hana was the best. That isn't an incorrect way to read that, but when I was writing it, I was thinking that maybe I should call it a "fighting spirit award," but then I decided it was just about her fighting bravely, so I settled for "Rookie of the Year."

Let me explain a little more. She wasn't simply playing things up for the crowd in her performance; the truth is, she gave absolutely 100% of her ability in earnest. No, she did not carry the rhythm of the song the whole way through, to the extent that it was almost backwards, and no, her dancing was not perfectly drilled into her body.

I suspect that my choosing someone like that caused some people to question my decision. It is the Hello!Pro Trainee "Diagnostic Ability Test," so I understand why there are people who put the importance on "Ability."

I became aware at a young age that judgments and outcomes are not objective and impartial. In school, it doesn't matter if you follow the rules and wear the proper uniform, study hard for your tests, or politely raise your hand before speaking. Sometimes, the person who breaks the rules, only crams for a test the night before, and derails classes with their talking over the teacher is the popular one, even sometimes becoming class president... An experience like that makes everything feel indescribably irrational.

A professional is someone who puts in the effort to gain ability and can show it. There were several members I wanted to evaluate to that point, but I don't think that world of entertainment and the arts evaluates people on that axiom alone. When I went to evaluate the trainees, despite not being a judge, I felt that things were more complex than that, so I gave up on that idea.

I got carried away during the livestream and said, "I'm going to talk about all of it next stream!" but you know, after much thought, I've decided not to. Please understand. Sorry, Met!

Gotou is charming, innocent, and feels like the baby of the family, but instead of cutting her down a la Bandou Eiji, "Her rhythm sucks so she's out!" I wanted to be more like Shimada Shinsuke and say, "This is kind of good!" for the parts where she did well.

I can already hear people coming back and saying, "Then what the heck did you want to say already!?" What I wanted to say, what I want both the fans and members to understand, is, "Even though she's still very green at this point in time, you'll hardly recognize her in 6 months if she applies herself."

Everyone joined this training program with the intent of becoming entertainers. I don't want any of them to feel like they should quit because they didn't do well.

I also always put in "clues" in my words that the girls themselves should understand, from easy to understand things like working on rhythm, to more difficult tasks like being more quick-witted with talking and answering questions. They are here to study how to be entertainment professionals, and if that's the case, then I want them to want to be top-class. Please, while you have the time now, spare no effort in doing so.

When I say, "effort," I do mean some sense of things that are hard, things that will be challenging, but I also use it to mean having an inquisitive mind about the things you like and doing them as much as you want. It's the same as someone who wants to be a baseball player: they are going to devote themselves to baseball and baseball alone. Practicing your swing 1000 times isn't difficult, because it's a joy to be able to spend time doing what you love in playing baseball. Immersing yourself in your passion is best, and the only issue is accounting for time.

The Reiwa era is one of balance, so let's be aware of things that we have to do, things that we need to do in our daily lives, like schoolwork and studies, so that we can have the time to think only of our favorite performances.

Do your best! No, more than that, do to your heart's content!