As we enter Aichan's last day as Morning Musume's leader, the 10th generation winners were revealed at one of the 29th's concerts:
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Showing posts with label auditions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label auditions. Show all posts
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Thoughts on S/mileage's audition results
Like always, I wanted to wait a day (or at least get a good night's rest) before I make a long essay post like this entry will inevitably become. That way I can let whatever has happened sink in and not make rash spur-of-the-moment posts.
Anyway, by now it's already "old news" that Katsuta Rina, Takeuchi Akari, Kosuga Fuyuka, Tamura Meimi, and Nakanishi Kana are S/mileage's new sub-members.
Anyway, by now it's already "old news" that Katsuta Rina, Takeuchi Akari, Kosuga Fuyuka, Tamura Meimi, and Nakanishi Kana are S/mileage's new sub-members.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
New S/mileage (sub) members outnumber their senpai
Announced at the first of three H!P Summer Concerts today (so much for leaving it for the last one!), the new members are Katsuta Rina,
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
S/mileage auditions round 3 screenshots, download link, & streaming
In total, 12 girls made it to round three:
Thanks to Sohee for the picture.
It's a pretty good group of girls, I think. Out of the nine that I called out as my favorites, four made it - Miyazki, Akari, Karin, and Tamura. I don't mind Yamaga either, but she screams Morning Musume a lot more than she does S/mileage.
I wasn't really surprised by any of the results, except for:
Dayeon - the Korean audition winner! It would be really interesting if she ended up being one of the new S/mileage members. I would say that she fits Morning Musume better, but somehow I doubt they add anymore foreign talent to Morning Musume. That makes Dayeon's options quite limited. If she doesn't make it into S/mileage, then what? She's already been doing who knows what after winning her original audition and it's uncertain if she is even an Egg or not (signs point to yes, but she isn't in the official pictures).
It's a pretty good group of girls, I think. Out of the nine that I called out as my favorites, four made it - Miyazki, Akari, Karin, and Tamura. I don't mind Yamaga either, but she screams Morning Musume a lot more than she does S/mileage.
I wasn't really surprised by any of the results, except for:
Dayeon - the Korean audition winner! It would be really interesting if she ended up being one of the new S/mileage members. I would say that she fits Morning Musume better, but somehow I doubt they add anymore foreign talent to Morning Musume. That makes Dayeon's options quite limited. If she doesn't make it into S/mileage, then what? She's already been doing who knows what after winning her original audition and it's uncertain if she is even an Egg or not (signs point to yes, but she isn't in the official pictures).
Monday, July 25, 2011
S/mileage's 3rd round of auditions live on Niconico 7/27
They will once again be broadcasting the S/mileage auditions live on Niconico - this time the third round.
Monday, July 11, 2011
The origins of Ribbon-chan's confidence
It turns out that the Eggs from the second round of S/mileage's auditions aren't the only ones with prior idol experience.
Ribbon-chan is actually a part of Avex's equivalent to Hello! Project's Egg training program and is in a group called DELUXE COLORS!. No wonder she stood out.
I was going to write a longer post about this, but Hello!SayuNii has a pretty good article about it up, so I recommend reading that if you want more information.
The only thing stopping Ribbon-chan from advancing to the next round is whether or not UFA actually knows if she is from another record label's group or not and if they are okay with it. I wouldn't see why not - if wota could figure it out from nothing but a face, surely UFA could, knowing all of her personal information.
It's too early for me to commit and say that she would be a good fit for S/mileage because we've seen at most ten minutes of her at UFA's headquarters. I want to see how she does during boot camp (assuming she makes it that far and that there is actually a boot camp, of course). She's talented, at least, so I'm hoping she does well.
Ribbon-chan is actually a part of Avex's equivalent to Hello! Project's Egg training program and is in a group called DELUXE COLORS!. No wonder she stood out.
I was going to write a longer post about this, but Hello!SayuNii has a pretty good article about it up, so I recommend reading that if you want more information.
The only thing stopping Ribbon-chan from advancing to the next round is whether or not UFA actually knows if she is from another record label's group or not and if they are okay with it. I wouldn't see why not - if wota could figure it out from nothing but a face, surely UFA could, knowing all of her personal information.
It's too early for me to commit and say that she would be a good fit for S/mileage because we've seen at most ten minutes of her at UFA's headquarters. I want to see how she does during boot camp (assuming she makes it that far and that there is actually a boot camp, of course). She's talented, at least, so I'm hoping she does well.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
S/mileage's 2nd round auditions (7/9/11 on Niconico) screenshots + download link
Finally got the time to record, encode and upload this. Although I'm largely against this audition, it was quite a treat to watch in live to see what the audition process really is like (too bad I fell asleep half-way through it last night. Thankfully I was able to get a second shot at recording it from Niconico earlier today).
It started off with a large group of kids (pictured above) who made it to the second round. They filed in one by one and lined up, waiting for Tsunku to call on them.
It started off with a large group of kids (pictured above) who made it to the second round. They filed in one by one and lined up, waiting for Tsunku to call on them.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
S/mileage auditions round 2 streaming live in 24 hours
On Niconico at 1 PM Japan time on Saturday July 9th here:
That's 12 AM Saturday July 9th (in a little over 24 hours from now) for the US East Coast. I'll probably be recording this (80% chance).
If you don't have a Niconico account, read my instructions on this post.
If you don't have a Niconico account, read my instructions on this post.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Tsunku: Eggs can join S/mileage, up to 6 new members can be added
Barks (an online news magazine) has an article up about the S/mileage auditions (which started today).
The article states that Tsunku is looking for new members to energize S/mileage and H!P as a whole. He then goes on to say that he might add Eggs to the group. He also said that he will add at least one member (so those hoping that this audition would fail, you're out of luck) and will think about adding as many as six new members.
He also said that what exactly he does with the new members depends on how many make it (if six make it, they will be sub-members).
Read more of the translation at Tokyohive.
The article states that Tsunku is looking for new members to energize S/mileage and H!P as a whole. He then goes on to say that he might add Eggs to the group. He also said that he will add at least one member (so those hoping that this audition would fail, you're out of luck) and will think about adding as many as six new members.
He also said that what exactly he does with the new members depends on how many make it (if six make it, they will be sub-members).
Read more of the translation at Tokyohive.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Will the S/mileage auditions go down as one of H!P's biggest mistakes?
It's been half a day since news broke. UFA will be holding auditions for the now 1-year-old group, S/mileage.
In his VTR message, Tsunku firmly stated that "S/mileage is missing something." If that didn't cause fans to be upset, his follow-up statement that a "S/mileage demotion is possible" certainly did. (Tokyograph). Even the girls themselves were visibly upset by the news.
Many fans, wota, and the current S/mileage members all disapprove of this shocking news. So then why would upper management think that this is a good idea?
In his VTR message, Tsunku firmly stated that "S/mileage is missing something." If that didn't cause fans to be upset, his follow-up statement that a "S/mileage demotion is possible" certainly did. (Tokyograph). Even the girls themselves were visibly upset by the news.
Many fans, wota, and the current S/mileage members all disapprove of this shocking news. So then why would upper management think that this is a good idea?
Monday, May 16, 2011
Morning Musume's 10th Generation - too soon? Are they even necessary?
Note: This is an old post, but I had to re-publish it per Blogger's requests. All of the comments from this post are gone, so feel free to re-post them if you wish.
Just going to warn you right now: giant walls 'o text incoming.
So unless you've been living under a rock for the past week, you should already know that UFA has started holding auditions for Morning Musume's 10th Generation. If you are female, between age 10-17, and have a genki spirit, then you meet the qualifications to audition.
Eight months ago the 9th gen auditions were announced and it was seen as a necessary step. After all, Kamei, Junjun, and Linlin would graduate by year's end. Morning Musume really needed a boost. Looking at a 5nin picture only reaffirmed that.
But now it's May 2011. Eight months have passed. Mizuki, Riho, Kanon, and Erina are full fledged Morning Musume members. Fans are just now finding out who they are and what they can do. Morning Musume is back up to 9 members. Is another audition too soon at this point? And is it even needed?
Short answer for the first question: no.
I think us fans were spoiled by the previous 9nin Musume line-up (with Koharu, Eri, Junjun, and Linlin). That line-up lasted for over two years, which is the most stable Morning Musume had ever been. And even when Koharu graduated, new members weren't added until earlier this year. To put things simply: Morning Musume did not have any additions for nearly four years. Now, in a period of a year, two different auditions were announced.
However, I would consider that 9nin line-up to be the exception and not the rule. The anomaly, if you will. To put things in perspective, before Koharu's shocking departure, every single year at least one Morning Musume member graduated and/or left since 1999. And nearly every single year, auditions were held to find new members.
So, the 10th generation auditions are not out of the norm; a huge precedent was set many years ago.
Then, that brings me to the question of: are they needed?
First, here is another fun fact: Morning Musume has been around longer than any other current female idol group and are the longest running Idol group in history. Morning Musume's case is a bit tricky because of the revolving line-up, but most other current groups either have had line-up changes as well (Momoiro Clover, AKB, Idoling) or haven't been around nearly as long (Tokyo Girls Style, Passpo).
It's a sad fact of the business, but Idols don't have a long shelf life. Idols, by nature, are supposed to be a perfect reflection of a fan's ideal person. Because their archetypical girl appears right before their eyes and begins to do all of that cute stuff, they begin to idolize them (hence the name, "Idol"). That is also why dating is forbidden. Why would your perfect girl be dating someone else?
Doing something - anything - for over a decade is hard. Doing something that is borderline inhuman (such as not dating or really having any contact with the opposite sex, not to mention being on your best behavior whenever you in public) for that long is almost impossible. So, Idols move on. Some continue in the entertainment business. Some get married and start a family.
In order to keep the Morning Musume name alive, auditions are necessary. All of the senpai members are adults (age 20 or older, as defined by Japan) and are at the tail end of their Morning Musume career. Even if all of the other senpai members stay as long as Aichan has (10 years by the time her graduation date comes up), Sayu and Reina only have a year and a half, Aika has four years, and Gakisan will already break that record come December.
It should be noted that even though auditions are being held now, 10th gen won't be added until after Aichan's graduation (let's just say January 2012 for simplicities sake), which would be exactly one year after 9th gen - perfectly fitting the trend of Morning Musume's past.
I don't like all of these graduations and changes as much as the next fan, but what this news tells me is that Morning Musume is here to stay for the long run. There may never be another Aichan, but as long as there are girls like Kanon and Erena being added, I will be perfectly happy with Morning Musume's future going forward.
tl;dr: its not too soon since yearly auditions are normal for momusu. they are needed to keep the group going. remember, your favorite momusu member auditioned once, so just give them a chance before you hate them
Just going to warn you right now: giant walls 'o text incoming.
So unless you've been living under a rock for the past week, you should already know that UFA has started holding auditions for Morning Musume's 10th Generation. If you are female, between age 10-17, and have a genki spirit, then you meet the qualifications to audition.
Eight months ago the 9th gen auditions were announced and it was seen as a necessary step. After all, Kamei, Junjun, and Linlin would graduate by year's end. Morning Musume really needed a boost. Looking at a 5nin picture only reaffirmed that.
But now it's May 2011. Eight months have passed. Mizuki, Riho, Kanon, and Erina are full fledged Morning Musume members. Fans are just now finding out who they are and what they can do. Morning Musume is back up to 9 members. Is another audition too soon at this point? And is it even needed?
Short answer for the first question: no.
I think us fans were spoiled by the previous 9nin Musume line-up (with Koharu, Eri, Junjun, and Linlin). That line-up lasted for over two years, which is the most stable Morning Musume had ever been. And even when Koharu graduated, new members weren't added until earlier this year. To put things simply: Morning Musume did not have any additions for nearly four years. Now, in a period of a year, two different auditions were announced.
However, I would consider that 9nin line-up to be the exception and not the rule. The anomaly, if you will. To put things in perspective, before Koharu's shocking departure, every single year at least one Morning Musume member graduated and/or left since 1999. And nearly every single year, auditions were held to find new members.
So, the 10th generation auditions are not out of the norm; a huge precedent was set many years ago.
Then, that brings me to the question of: are they needed?
First, here is another fun fact: Morning Musume has been around longer than any other current female idol group and are the longest running Idol group in history. Morning Musume's case is a bit tricky because of the revolving line-up, but most other current groups either have had line-up changes as well (Momoiro Clover, AKB, Idoling) or haven't been around nearly as long (Tokyo Girls Style, Passpo).
It's a sad fact of the business, but Idols don't have a long shelf life. Idols, by nature, are supposed to be a perfect reflection of a fan's ideal person. Because their archetypical girl appears right before their eyes and begins to do all of that cute stuff, they begin to idolize them (hence the name, "Idol"). That is also why dating is forbidden. Why would your perfect girl be dating someone else?
Doing something - anything - for over a decade is hard. Doing something that is borderline inhuman (such as not dating or really having any contact with the opposite sex, not to mention being on your best behavior whenever you in public) for that long is almost impossible. So, Idols move on. Some continue in the entertainment business. Some get married and start a family.
In order to keep the Morning Musume name alive, auditions are necessary. All of the senpai members are adults (age 20 or older, as defined by Japan) and are at the tail end of their Morning Musume career. Even if all of the other senpai members stay as long as Aichan has (10 years by the time her graduation date comes up), Sayu and Reina only have a year and a half, Aika has four years, and Gakisan will already break that record come December.
It should be noted that even though auditions are being held now, 10th gen won't be added until after Aichan's graduation (let's just say January 2012 for simplicities sake), which would be exactly one year after 9th gen - perfectly fitting the trend of Morning Musume's past.
I don't like all of these graduations and changes as much as the next fan, but what this news tells me is that Morning Musume is here to stay for the long run. There may never be another Aichan, but as long as there are girls like Kanon and Erena being added, I will be perfectly happy with Morning Musume's future going forward.
tl;dr: its not too soon since yearly auditions are normal for momusu. they are needed to keep the group going. remember, your favorite momusu member auditioned once, so just give them a chance before you hate them
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Morning Musume 10th Gen Audtions
No, it's not a joke.
http://www.helloproject.com/news/1105081630_musume.html
Morning Musume 10th Gen auditions really are happening starting now.
EVEN THOUGH IT WONT HAPPEN, SAHO FOR 10TH GEN!
http://www.helloproject.com/news/1105081630_musume.html
Morning Musume 10th Gen auditions really are happening starting now.
EVEN THOUGH IT WONT HAPPEN, SAHO FOR 10TH GEN!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Bijou Gaku Morning Musume 9th Generation Special Episode (2011-01-07)
Earlier today another Bijou Gaku special aired on Japanese television. This time, the focus moved from the auditions to the audition winners themselves.
The episode begins announcing the winners again.
And then a short preview of the contents of this episode.
The episode begins announcing the winners again.
And then a short preview of the contents of this episode.
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| The audition winners are watching Aichan |
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| with a look of excitement on their faces. |
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| Tsunku shaking Riho's hand. |
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Fukumura Mizuki had no idea
that she would become the fourth member added to Morning Musume's 9th Generation.
Daww, Mizuki almost made me cry too.
You can watch the full video here. Or read my thoughts on the auditions in my other blog post.
Daww, Mizuki almost made me cry too.
You can watch the full video here. Or read my thoughts on the auditions in my other blog post.
Don't forget to tune into Bijou Gaku
There is another Bijou Gaku Morning Musume 9th generation special episode that will air Friday the 7th at the usual 1 AM Japan time (that's 11 AM Thursday the 6th for all of you United States east coasters).
I'm assuming that this will be the last 9th gen special, but I certainly won't be complaining of there are more.
Just in cased you missed it, here is how to watch Bijou Gaku live on your computer: http://airiindeshou.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-to-watch-9th-gen-audtions-live.html
I'm assuming that this will be the last 9th gen special, but I certainly won't be complaining of there are more.
Just in cased you missed it, here is how to watch Bijou Gaku live on your computer: http://airiindeshou.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-to-watch-9th-gen-audtions-live.html
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Morning Musume 9th Generation members finally announced + You?
The long process is finally over. Three of the audition finalists made it and Tsunku threw a bone to one of the Eggs and added her too.
Sayashi Riho, Suzuki Kanon, Ikuta Erina as well as Hello! Project Egg Fukumura Mizuki are officially your new Morning Musume 9th Generation members.
Now before I start the rest of the post, let me go ahead and get the I-told-you-so's out of the way. In my original post about the matter, I wanted 3 Eggs and 1 or 2 audition members to join. That obviously didn't come true, but hey, at least I got the number right.
And then in my Bijou Gaku 9th Gen Auditions Special Episode 2 recap post I said, "With that said, I'm thinking three of them makes it. Riho should make it, no question. Either Aina or Erina should also make it (I'd pick Aina). For the last member, I'd take a chance on either Kanon or Minami. Right now Kanon seems to have the most upside, so I'd go with her. Minami is still very young (11 years old) and along with Erina, they would make great Eggs."
2 out of 3 right, go me. Let's see if the second half of my prediction (the part about Mogichan and Aina becoming Eggs) comes true. I have my fingers crossed for them.
Overall I am extremely happy with this decision. Kikkawa didn't join, but has better things in her future (more on that soon). Saho and Konatsu didn't join, but Saho is still very young and as for Konatsu, well I just hope she's the next Egg to "complete her Egg training".
As stated above, the audition winners are almost exactly how I would have it (I'd just switch Erina with Aina but honestly that was a toss up) so no real complaints there. I can't pretend to know even a tenth of what Tsunku knows about music, but at least he finally picked the no-brainer of the bunch - Riho. It seems like every audition, one member stands out (for all the right reasons), only to be passed on by Tsunku (I would consider Kikkawa to be 8th gen's).
Good for Riho. In my opinion, she absolutely dominated the auditions.
She stood out with her dancing skills (honestly I'm ready to say she's the fourth best dancer in Morning Musume right now) and her singing isn't too far behind. I compared her to a younger Takahashi in that Bijou Gaku recap post I linked to above and I stand by that statement. I was really worried about Morning Musume's vocal future (whenever Aichan and/or Gakisan leaves), but now I'm a little less worried now that Riho has joined.
But even with all of this praise I'm giving her, it won't matter if Riho doesn't grow with Morning Musume over the years. Right now she's good - especially for someone who was basically taken off the street and now is a part of a professional idol group - but I know that she can become great. It will be interesting to see if/when that happens for her. For Takahashi, I think she made the leap around Roman My Dear Boy, which was about three years after she joined.
Sayashi Riho, Suzuki Kanon, Ikuta Erina as well as Hello! Project Egg Fukumura Mizuki are officially your new Morning Musume 9th Generation members.
Now before I start the rest of the post, let me go ahead and get the I-told-you-so's out of the way. In my original post about the matter, I wanted 3 Eggs and 1 or 2 audition members to join. That obviously didn't come true, but hey, at least I got the number right.
And then in my Bijou Gaku 9th Gen Auditions Special Episode 2 recap post I said, "With that said, I'm thinking three of them makes it. Riho should make it, no question. Either Aina or Erina should also make it (I'd pick Aina). For the last member, I'd take a chance on either Kanon or Minami. Right now Kanon seems to have the most upside, so I'd go with her. Minami is still very young (11 years old) and along with Erina, they would make great Eggs."
2 out of 3 right, go me. Let's see if the second half of my prediction (the part about Mogichan and Aina becoming Eggs) comes true. I have my fingers crossed for them.
Overall I am extremely happy with this decision. Kikkawa didn't join, but has better things in her future (more on that soon). Saho and Konatsu didn't join, but Saho is still very young and as for Konatsu, well I just hope she's the next Egg to "complete her Egg training".
As stated above, the audition winners are almost exactly how I would have it (I'd just switch Erina with Aina but honestly that was a toss up) so no real complaints there. I can't pretend to know even a tenth of what Tsunku knows about music, but at least he finally picked the no-brainer of the bunch - Riho. It seems like every audition, one member stands out (for all the right reasons), only to be passed on by Tsunku (I would consider Kikkawa to be 8th gen's).
Good for Riho. In my opinion, she absolutely dominated the auditions.
 |
| Riho singing for Tsunku |
But even with all of this praise I'm giving her, it won't matter if Riho doesn't grow with Morning Musume over the years. Right now she's good - especially for someone who was basically taken off the street and now is a part of a professional idol group - but I know that she can become great. It will be interesting to see if/when that happens for her. For Takahashi, I think she made the leap around Roman My Dear Boy, which was about three years after she joined.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
1 More Morning Musume Auditions Special Episode
It seems like next week's Bijou Gaku episode will be focused on the member(s) that were chosen in the 9th Generation Auditions. It won't air on this week's episode because, well, there is no episode this week. Bijou Gaku is on vacation. So, only 3 days until the concert!
via the Bijou Gaku website: http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/bijyogaku/
via the Bijou Gaku website: http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/bijyogaku/
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Bijou Gaku 9th Generation Auditions Special part two
The second (and final) Bijou Gaku Morning Musume 9th Generation Audition episode aired on TV Tokyo Thursday. Most fans believed that the winners of the auditions would be revealed then, but we all know how that went. Still, this episode was significantly better than the previous "special" (which was four minutes of audition footage max).
The episode starts with a small recap from last week: Tsunku talks about what kind of girl he wants and we are once again reminded that 9000 girls applied, but now only 5 remain.
Tsunku then comments on Erina, saying something about her having an imouto ("little sister") character, which is a sharp contrast to Aika (whom I would describe as having an oneesan/big sister character).
The episode starts with a small recap from last week: Tsunku talks about what kind of girl he wants and we are once again reminded that 9000 girls applied, but now only 5 remain.
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| The first girl mentioned is named Ikuta Erina, 13 years old. |
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| Erina singing a Lilpri song. |
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| Suzuki Kanon, age 12, with a winning name. |
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| After the girls are introduced, the next clip of them is of them doing some sort of talent. |
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| Kanon decided to do some sort of weird/funny skit. Yay for personality. |
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| Sayashi Riho, age 12, |
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| is one freaking awesome dancer. |
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| Mogi Minami is the youngest, at 11 years old. |
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| She decided to sing as well, but it wasn't great. |
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| Otsuka Aina is another 12 year old, |
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| that chooses to sing. |
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| There once was 9000, but now only 5 remain. Who will be Morning Musume's newest member? |
Friday, December 24, 2010
Kikkawa Yuu and Sengoku Minami are no longer Eggs
Before all you Eggs fans faint, it's probably not what you think. For all intents and purposes, Hello! Project Egg members Kikkawa Yuu and Sengoku Minami have graduated (the official statement has been translated as "completed their HelloPro Egg training"). The question is, what exactly does this mean for their future?
In Yuu's case, she almost definitely seems to be staying with H!P (or at least UFA) in some capability. She will be the opening act of the H!P 2011 Winter Concert Tour (similar to S/mileage opening for the recent Morning Musume graduation concert). Sounds like Tsunku is grooming another soloist for H!P.
I much rather would have her as a Morning Musume 9th Generation member, but being a soloist is the next best thing. Whatever happens with her, she needs to be a permanent part of Hello! Project, stat. She's waaaay too talented to go somewhere else. In my opinion, she would enter Hello! Project and instantly become one of their top 5 best singers. That's the main reason why I'd rather her join Morning Musume (to replace Ai's talent, whenever she decides to leave, especially since Linlin is gone).
Minami's case is a lot more cloudy. She will be in a new play next year, but who knows what will happen past that point. Her and Yuu are about the same age, so maybe a new W-ish group will be formed. One can only dream.
And while we're doing all of this shuffling of the Eggs, how about throwing Furukawa Konatsu a bone? She's been an Egg just as long as Minami (six years) and I feel that currently she is one of the most talented Eggs. With the 9th Generation auditions over, Tsunku has plenty of young guns to resupply the Egg pool. I say continue with the rummaging of the Eggs and start a new group or something. Kitahara Sayaka, Tanaka Anri, Morisaki, and a couple others have been waiting patiently for six years for an opportunity. The start of a new year is the perfect time for action.
In Yuu's case, she almost definitely seems to be staying with H!P (or at least UFA) in some capability. She will be the opening act of the H!P 2011 Winter Concert Tour (similar to S/mileage opening for the recent Morning Musume graduation concert). Sounds like Tsunku is grooming another soloist for H!P.
I much rather would have her as a Morning Musume 9th Generation member, but being a soloist is the next best thing. Whatever happens with her, she needs to be a permanent part of Hello! Project, stat. She's waaaay too talented to go somewhere else. In my opinion, she would enter Hello! Project and instantly become one of their top 5 best singers. That's the main reason why I'd rather her join Morning Musume (to replace Ai's talent, whenever she decides to leave, especially since Linlin is gone).
Minami's case is a lot more cloudy. She will be in a new play next year, but who knows what will happen past that point. Her and Yuu are about the same age, so maybe a new W-ish group will be formed. One can only dream.
And while we're doing all of this shuffling of the Eggs, how about throwing Furukawa Konatsu a bone? She's been an Egg just as long as Minami (six years) and I feel that currently she is one of the most talented Eggs. With the 9th Generation auditions over, Tsunku has plenty of young guns to resupply the Egg pool. I say continue with the rummaging of the Eggs and start a new group or something. Kitahara Sayaka, Tanaka Anri, Morisaki, and a couple others have been waiting patiently for six years for an opportunity. The start of a new year is the perfect time for action.