[11/23] Juice=Juice 16th Single - "Zenbu Kakete GO!! / Eeny Meeny Miny Moe ~Koi no Rival Sengen~"

J=J always has about 50% of members performing well:

5-nin: KNTM, Karin, Sayubee

7-nin (after 2nd gen joined): KNTM, Karin, Sayubee, Ruru

9-nin (after 3rd gen joined): KNTM, Karin, Sayubee, Manakan, Ruru

10-nin (after Reirei and 4th gen joined): KNTM, Manakan, Ruru, Riai, Reirei, Kisaki

Now: Ruru, Riai, Reirei, Kisaki

 

J=J lost a lot of prominent members, but there are prominent members joining as well. The problem is that there was a mass graduation of prominent members, and even new prominent members cannot catch-up with the recovery of J=J fanbase.

 

Furthermore, the group has to evolve. They cannot be stuck in the pass. Even though Eeny Meeny is not my cup of tea, promoting both Ichika and Risachi is a good tactic, because I don't want to see them become Haga Akane 2.0

 

The group right now is fine, in my opinion. However, there must be a serious discussion about the future trend of the group, and there must be more investments.

I think they're trying to relaunch the direction they wanted when they released Vivid Midnight - have that Kpop feel on one of their group's discography

 

But the problem here.... Eeny Meeny is so forgettable but I liked how minimal the instrumentation was. Zenbu Kakete Go felt like something you can hear from a small Kpop company debuting their girl group

 

I really wanted to have my strong J=J songs

Eeny is painfully plain and boring. Zenbu Kakete GO is definitely more enjoyable and more of a J=J song but both are kind of lacking a certain 'oomph'.

Everyone keep in mind that Hello Project groups take 2 years for image/direction change. They do play the long game and Juice=Juice has enough young talent for the investment to pay off. This is the start of J=J image change. The past is the past.

 

Edit:

Ruru, Riai, Reirei, Uemura

Name a group with a better 4-some in H!P right now. I'll wait...

 

Ruru, Reirei, Uemura

Name a group with a better Trio in H!P right now. I'll wait...

 

Ruru, Reirei

Name a group with a better duet in H!P right now. I'll wait....

Edited by Unlimited_DJ, 18 October 2022 - 03:05 AM.

Duet: None. Ruru is S-rank performer, and Reirei is A-rank performer so beat me!

Trio: Easy. (Odasaku, Miki, Fuku-chan), (Kamiko, Layla, Yuki), (Kishimon, Omizu, Runo)

Quart: (Kishimon, Omizu, Runo, Kiki), (Odasaku, Miki, Fuku-chan, Kitario)

 

Well, Aarii is considered a good vocalist within J=J, but she always has poker face when performing, and she cannot sing solo well, so it only makes her top vocalist in karaoke, not top performer. How you implement your emotion and expression into the song is among key factors to decide good performance.

 

Had you considered (Ruru, Reirei, Riai) for Trio and (Ruru, Reirei, Riai, Kisaki) for quart, I might not have answered this

 

However, I still believe that J=J can change in a positive way. It doesn't have to be the same as KNTM - Sayubee - Karin's era. Tsubaki Factory can break through even without Risamaru, so there's no reason to say that J=J cannot evolve into a good group 

Uemuu's Juice is my favorite Juice by far. If you were to ask me few years ago i would tell you that Juicex2 was my least favorite H!P's unit, but since YafuTako they're the group i follow the most. They used to be super talented, sure, but a bit boring in an idol sense (hey, that's a personal opinion!!). Now, with Uemuu and Ruru steering the ship, the skills are less (Yafuzo is the only new member Avenger's level) but for fun and kawaiiness (3Flowers cuteness is beyond logic) they are now unbeatable. And the music is better now!. 

 

 

But i miss Karin and Manakan so much, that's also true. Karin was my oshi but i was never a big fan of Tomoko and Sayubee. Now i like all members a lot.

 

 

Yes, I think this current Juice=Juice incarnation is very compelling. Like-ability of an idol is hard to put your finger on but somehow matters a lot. Besides the nasty way in which Sayubee's tenure ended, I am glad to see a turnover in members. 

 

 

With the Eeny Meeny video make sure you watch it in 1080p - it is visually packed! Like others say, I find it cheerful and uplifting, though the lyrics completely elude me   .  Maybe the acting in the opening-scene "fight" could have been a little better  Oh, interesting trivia, the video is filmed in Yokota Air Base, in Tokyo.

 

 

Duet: None. Ruru is S-rank performer, and Reirei is A-rank performer so beat me!

Trio: Easy. (Odasaku, Miki, Fuku-chan), (Kamiko, Layla, Yuki), (Kishimon, Omizu, Runo)

Quart: (Kishimon, Omizu, Runo, Kiki), (Odasaku, Miki, Fuku-chan, Kitario)

 

Well, Aarii is considered a good vocalist within J=J, but she always has poker face when performing, and she cannot sing solo well, so it only makes her top vocalist in karaoke, not top performer. How you implement your emotion and expression into the song is among key factors to decide good performance.

 

Had you considered (Ruru, Reirei, Riai) for Trio and (Ruru, Reirei, Riai, Kisaki) for quart, I might not have answered this

 

However, I still believe that J=J can change in a positive way. It doesn't have to be the same as KNTM - Sayubee - Karin's era. Tsubaki Factory can break through even without Risamaru, so there's no reason to say that J=J cannot evolve into a good group 

 

I chose Aarii over Riai because this isn't about solo abilities hence Trio, Quartet and duet. Riai is 100% a future ace but she still cracks and is a bit nasally. The thing that made the Holy Trinity of KNTM - Sayubee - Karin's era work so well is the distinctiveness of each of their voices contrasting and complimenting each other. Riai's voice isn't distinct enough from Ruru and Rei's so that's why I added Akari.

 

We mostly disagree with the Tsubaki Quartet(Kishimon, Mao, Yuume, Runo) This line up is basically the only competition.

 

 

P.S.

My favorite part of the enny meeny video has to be Tako acting like a complete weirdo.

 

P.S.S

Does Kitario even get any lines? I can't say I ever heard her sing.

Edited by Unlimited_DJ, 19 October 2022 - 01:57 AM.

They used to be super talented, sure, but a bit boring in an idol sense (hey, that's a personal opinion!!).  

 

That's what many people observe, but some deny it to defend the point that J=J should have more members like KNTM, Sayubee or Karin. Next time people wonder why MM Platinum Era dipped in popularity despite having tons of excellent performers, I will cite this as one of the reasons.

 

Even before YumeRiai, there were Yuka and Manakan who have idol charisma. However, the manager decided not to promote their personalities, and that's what made the group boring in an idol sense.

 

P/S:

 

 Riai's voice isn't distinct enough from Ruru and Rei's

 

Riai was in a shadow for a while until KNTM graduated, and that's what I hate about J=J (no offense to KNTM, though). I'm glad that J=J didn't have super talented vocalists as new members, because they have to wait until Reirei and Ruru graduate to fully shine.

 

P/S: Kitario isn't featured a lot in MM songs, because of the similar issue Riai faced when KNTM, Karin and Sayubee was around. I remember that there are videos about Kitario's solo during her BD event on Youtube, and you can find out yourself how good her singing is.

 

Anyways, J=J's current line-up has become more idolish, but girls like Ruru, Reirei, or Riai can handle cool and sexy songs. However, I still don't like Zenbu Kakete GO!!, because it neither highlights the idolish side of J=J nor the awesomeness of Ruru/Reirei/Riai's super vocal power.

 

Live performance for the first a-side. I thought Akarin performs really well for a new joiner. She looks like she is experienced and has that aura of a skilled performer. I see lots of potential in her.

 

Live performance for the first a-side. I thought Akarin performs really well for a new joiner. She looks like she is experienced and has that aura of a skilled performer. I see lots of potential in her.

Solo lines

Rei 6 She was given a solo spoken (Alright)

Uemura, Riai, Ruru 5

Ichika 3 She was given the 2nd to the last long yell. (Yeah, Yeaaaaaaaah!!) 

Tako 3 All long lines (redemption for no lines in eeny meeny?)

Everybody else 2. one long one short

Not a very good showing for the new gen but i'm glad Ichika is getting a push
.

 

The MV is out.

 

After listening to it again, I start to love it due to the song's sassiness. I still think it still sounds like ANGERME's Hade ni yacchai na, and frankly, I also start to love that ANGERME song.

Fell in Love with Zenbu, the PV helped me But I have to admit, it hurts seeing J=J (the vocal power group) doesn't have top vocal notch songs at the moment. I guess, they need to polish the new members and start after this again with more difficult songs?

love both songs, i feel there are some k-pop vibe, and it suit J=J style,,

also love the MVs, all members looks great, 

リリース詳細｜ハロー！プロジェクト　オフィシャルサイト (helloproject.com) - Covers are also out, they came out when the PV did.

I think while Eeny Meeny is easy to perform, Zenbu kakete go is another thing that even Karin, KTNM and Sayubee have to spend a lot of times perfecting the performance. It's not easy to express the sassiness of that song.

YouTube views seems very low. I'dont know if it's usual.

https://www.oricon.c...s/d/2022-11-22/
#3 with 33,894 copies sold
I think they have a high chance to get #3 for 1st week.

And Zenbu is my jam!!! so good!

YouTube views seems very low. I'dont know if it's usual.

 

https://www.oricon.c...s/d/2022-11-22/
#3 with 33,894 copies sold

 

That's not a lot, though to be fair the last 2 singles also sound less than 40k on their first day.

 

While I do love the single I fear that Juice is a bit in a slump. Losing some of the most popular members in 1 1/2 years, some of them OG, does of course shake the fanbase.