155 replies to this topic

[rurupedia]

my first thought was that members in both groups are packing their bags, but the more i think about it this appears more like a means of recruiting more kss lol. either way i guess it's exciting to have more debuts, i just hope the lineup changes will settle at some point. but given that we're very likely to see an exodus this year i doubt it'll be anytime soon

[Touki]

Maybe they have a theory that joint auditions with Juice=Juice is more likely to attract uta-himes...

 
I agree, that's how TF got a bunch of new members with good singing skills. Runo is exceptional good, and other three are above the average level of H!P vocally.
 

my first thought was that members in both groups are packing their bags, but the more i think about it this appears more like a means of recruiting more kss lol. either way i guess it's exciting to have more debuts, i just hope the lineup changes will settle at some point. but given that we're very likely to see an exodus this year i doubt it'll be anytime soon

Besides finding Utahime using J=J as bait, the second purpose is to recruit more KSS. The strategy is "one stone kills two birds."

[ajma93632]

While I'm excited about this audition, I can't help feeling mad because this reminds me of the only 3 singles that were released by the 2nd last longing line up ever.

Having said that, definitely I think there will a few graduations in the near future, when I saw that 15ki were, I instantly thought that somebody was going to graduate because UFA likes to keep MM with 13 members. I think it will be the same as in that time, so I guess the numbers of new members will be a sign of how many members are set to graduate.

About J=J I think adding new members is unnecessary, because they just added 3, nothing more to say, and nothing can be done about it.

[sukibeam]

My initial reaction was that this was a vehicle for replenishing the KSS pool, but MM is overdue for a new gen.

 

I don't feel J=J needs any members; most roles are already filled by at least two members. I see, perhaps, a 1-2 person gen (that's if they don't say no one for J=J) if they find some remarkable talent to make up for the loss of Tomoko and any impending grad(s). Keep in mind the audition process takes the better part of a year, which will give the newest members time to settle in more.

Spoiler

TBH, I could see Akari graduating this year, but not Manaka. Manaka - I think - thrives in a group environment and clearly enjoys being with her group-mates. If Akari indeed leaves, we will likely know whether it's in the near-future for Manaka or not depending on if Ruru and she co-lead, or if only one of them is promoted to leader.

 

MoMusu... well, everyone else has already been pointing out how many adults and members with long tenures are hanging around. For 16th gen, my guess is 2.

Spoiler

Outside of 15ki, Haga is the only non-adult and her 20th birthday is 3/7. We're going to have an exodus of members over the next few years as some girls graduate college or start to push that 25 age barrier, which is why I expect more frequent auditions but with smaller gens. My prediction is at least 1 grad per spring and fall. Many of the older members have mentioned thinking about their own graduations and when it will be time. Seeing so many other younger H!P members moving on to do their own things would likely only serve as a further impetus.

[Juandalyn]

I don't like this. Yes, MM is overdue for new members and Juice might want to look for some really good singers, but due to corona and the general lack of releases it doesn't feel like the newest members are established enough. Especially in Juice of course, since 3 members was already a lot of new faces. Like if they really wanted a great singer they should have put Yagi or Yofu in Juice (don't get me wrong, I love them im Tsubaki, but it was a surprising move ).

But I don't feel it for MM either. Even if the 4 senior members graduated tomorrow 12th-14th gen is definitely ready to take over. For 15th gen I fear for Mei and Homare that a new girl might take over their "young sister" stick. For Akane it was time when the new gens came, but Mei and Homare could use a bit more time. In general the group is too big for its own good, and they won't graduate 4 girls in one year, so it's going to be even bigger for some time.

Eh. Looking forward to the new girls, but I don't really like this.

[sukibeam]

^ IIRC, didn't Mei indicate she wanted kouhai of her own recently? I forget the medium... like as a HaroSte host or something on one of the new member reveal episodes?

 

My issue with MM 12th-14th gen being ready to take over is that they're all older too. Like I said in my last post's spoiler, out of 9th-14th gen, only Akane is still under 20, and that's for 2 more months. The group will need younger blood to train up over the next couple years to be ready for when 12th-14th gen members eventually start graduating too. UFP has always been good about going the safe route and covering their own bases, so I can see them thinking way ahead like that. I don't think they'll add too many this audition (and that it's primarily to replenish the trainee pool), but auditions in MM history are typically precursors to a graduation. It's actually my theory a grad was supposed to happen in 2020 or earlier this year after 15ki's addition, but corona and Sato's health threw a wrench into that. I don't think they would add members to an already swelled group if there weren't back-to-back graduations coming down the pipe.

[YellowAccel]

Plus her part in Joshi Kashimashi is literally "I'm gonna switch my personality from the moment someone take my place as the baby" so i think she's fine. Still meh about more MM members though

[Juandalyn]

Then I'm even more mad that 12th gen was in the shadows for so long.

[minaeshi]

Yeah... unfortunately for 12ki, they're already at 7 years in the group and they're only now getting more and more lines as the colourful era members graduate. All three members could definitely be utilized much more than they are right now and I fear by the time management puts them right at the front they'll graduate because they're around the same age as colourful era girls :/ 

[midnightbottle]

Going off tangent here, but MM's 12th gen almost share the same fate as 8th gen. They are likely going to be one of the most over-looked & under-appreciated generations. 13th gen come close too.

[megumibex]

I feel like we've had like 7 years of people saying, "MM needs new blood, the frontgirls aren't going to be around forever!" and yet none of those times have the new members been pushed to front for more than one single (even when there are multiple a-sides so you'd think it would be easy to balance between pushing new talent and leaning back of established girls). And that's if they get any push at all. I don't think management will start given anyone (my guess is Rio) a substantial push until after Sakura and/or Mizuki have already announced they're leaving. They haven't shown much interest in planning for the future for some time now so I imagine they won't start until they suddenly have no choice.

 

That said, I hate being grumpy about H!P stuff so I'd like to end my post by manifesting what I want the results to be. 

For MM it's a really elegant and mature seeming 14-15 year old utahime. She probably has hobbies like calligraphy or classical dance and very long hair that she'll cut short during her third year in the group. She is briefly given a member colour like brown or grey (devastating many fans) but within the year at least 3 of her sempais have announced graduation so she swipes one of their colours once they're gone (or there's a whole group reshuffle).

I'm hoping for a somewhat older girl for Juice=Juice. I'm sure she'll have a decent voice being in J=J and all but her real selling point is she'll be super cool and fashionable. She'll get red as her colour. She'll probably end up being pushed as a ikemen type. Despite having this cool appearance she'll be very dorky and love doting on the other members. For awhile she'll be the tallest member of the group but then she'll get a junior that shoots up to Yurina levels of tall and it will become a running joke in the fandom.

[YellowAccel]

You're not wrong though i'd argue Chisaki was almost there. She got a center for her debut single, then she was one of the few to get 2 lines in are you happy outside of 12th gen and the usual girls, then we got Seishun Night and after that unfortunatly she got her vocal problems. We were so close to have another front girl

 

I don't expect any big push right now, as well. I think they'll give a bit more to 12th gen, especially Miki, with Kaedii and Rio here and here as backups, they'll probably continue to push Rio without making her a front girl (give her few lines here and here and continue to push her as the next visual girl) but yeah, i expect just more Mizuki, Sakura for now Even if/when they'll add a new girl, unless they get a new Sakura, i can see her joining Homare, Erina and Chisaki in the background until more lines are available (unless she quit or they found a new shining toy before she gets her chance like tons of girls, unfortunatly...)

[Lotty]

I think the mistake management is making right now it that the situation is simmlar to the end of the golden area. Relatively stable line up with front girls and some back up girls and Tsunku "doing his stuff with music in his compfort zone".

When 9ki entered it felt new and fresh - they became more experimental with their music and through this they shifted to a more electic music style. But I think that train is becoming kinda stale.

 

There are groups that are a hit for years while having the same line up but these groups are also publicly more promoted in variety shows, advertisements, taking part in anime productions etc.

Morning Musume either needs to promote their members better or they need more frequent graduations/ auditions.

 

I suspect they mainly they keep things the way it is, is that Morning Musumes sales are way better than it has been at the end of the golden area. But that could also be because the last 10 years idols

boomed even more and Morning Musume is well established and a household name that made the right moves to become more modern at the right time like that tokyo girls collection performance

when they released one.two.three, which was a new more modern tune and when suddenly everyone there also not idol fans/ k-pop fands asked themselves who that group is. (I just realised that is has nearly been ten years...wow...)

Im a bit afraid that Masaki left could be a big (negative) impact. - I mean look at her tic toc followers compared to Morning Musumes.

 

When they 'refreshed" the last time, they had Sayumi as a leader during that time and Sayumi was already a face that was constantly in the public eye - I kinda doubt that Morning Musume has such a member that is also very well known for being themselves

despite in the context of being Morning Musume.Maybe Sakura because of her singing skills but not as a charakter - Maria would have had that potential but she is kinda too much of a good child for variety in my opinion. She is doing very well with modelling though so management is using her potential right - but what is with the other members? I feel there are a lot of girl 'just floating around' - like Homare and Akane.

 

All in all I think the group has more potential by now than during the golden area but you also have to use it. I don't doubt Momusu could grow more and become more modern and refresh.

Only thing that I could blame outside of up-front is covid...and tbh i have to give them that - they managed hello project itself well for the circumstances during that time and build up the other groups - but now hopefully they put their efforts into Morning Musume again.

[JennyInTokyo]

I'm excited to see where the auditions go for both groups. But for MM I feel like I still haven't really had a good journey with the 15ki yet, they are all cute girls and they have a lot of potential but because there is such a long space of time between singles, it only feels like they have been here for five minutes when I know it's been longer. I do understand why they would want a new generation added in case (god forbid) some of the seniors decide to graduate. Mizuki and Eripon have been in the group over 10 years now alongside Ayumi, so it's only a matter of time before any of them decide to graduate.

[Touki]

Yes, blame the pandemic and the length between singles. It's been 2.5 years since 15th gen joined, and yet you don't have any opportunities to watch them bloom. Also, if the audition is announced at the beginning of January, the results will likely be announced in Mid-June, which means that it will have been 3 years since 15th gen joined, and the second-longest period without any audition in MM history.

 

This time the manager needs to have a second, or even a third thoughts, regarding who to choose. I don't like the idea of turning a new member into Akane-chin 2.0, or worse, Haa-chin 2.0.

[Jenksy]

Onoda Karin better debut, that's all I care about...

[Nayok-Kihara]

The first screening (application) is complete. Those passing to the second screening (online interview) will be notified.

https://twitter.com/...a1ADKlq2H2jkpYc

[Nayok-Kihara]

Second screening (online interview) complete. Those passing to the third screening will be notified.

https://twitter.com/...oweQGRyAiZHXCbA

[Juandalyn]

Good to hear that they're already at round 3. Maybe we'll have some more news by summer.

[patapataful]

wup wupXD finally we're getting to the end