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The story
A post on the Hello!Project board noted that the MV for Morning Musume.’26’s new single “Yes ka No ka Watashi ka” (“Yes or No or Me”) racked up 193,000 views in the 24 hours after release, sparking a flurry of comparisons with the group’s past MV numbers. But the real focus wasn’t the ranking itself — it was the fact that YouTube changed its view-count system on the night of August 27, so that even much shorter watch times now count as a “view.” Opinions split on whether it’s fair to compare numbers from before and after the change, and the thread also lit up with comparisons to Juice=Juice’s new single (released the same day) and complaints about the agency’s promotional strategy.
What people said
364K — Gyuu Saretai Dake na no ni (I Just Want to Be Hugged)
361K — Teenage Solution
I think it only looks like it's doing well because they changed how views are counted.
If anything, it's not even close to their best ever.
Morning Musume MV views @ 24 hours (Oct 2016–)
305K — Wake-up Call ～Mezameru Toki～ 👈 17th gen
296K — Ningen Kankei No Way Way (Human Relations No Way Way) 👈 15th gen
295K — BRAND NEW MORNING 👈 13th gen
196K — Happy Birthday to Me! 👈 16th gen
195K — Dokyuu no Go Sign (Heavy-Duty Green Light) 👈 14th gen
193K — Yes ka No ka Watashi ka 👈 18th gen
When did that change happen, and what exactly changed?
It changed on the night of 8/27. Now even a single second of playback counts as a view.
It reverted to the old system where even 1 second of playback counts. Before that, it needed a certain watch time to register.
Ironic that the #1 MV isn't even a karaoke-style video — it's live footage instead lol
That said, the rule against repeat plays hasn't changed, so you still can't inflate it by mashing F5.
The "Oyaki" chart (a fan-made MV-views comparison chart) needs to be split at 8/27 or the comparison is meaningless.
I wish the agency — or really, Musume's management — would put a bit more thought into their promo strategy.
Kind of makes me want to cry lol.
Momusu just can't catch a good break.
This ranking basically tells you the real number of currently active fans.
Juice=Juice taking #1 is understandable, but #2 Momusu is trailing pretty far behind.
#3 and #4 are probably OCHA NORMA and Angerme, and #5 is Tsubaki Factory.
This one has 190K views but only 8,676 likes and 1,159 comments.
Under the old system that'd probably be more like 130K, right?
Morning Musume songs are being used in commercials!
Morning Musume's songs are featured in commercials for a variety of companies and products.
Please go check them out!
Happy Summer Wedding
■ Kao Corporation
Clear Clean NEXDENT
LOVE Machine
■ AEON Financial Service Co., Ltd.
AEON Pay
■ Kao Corporation
Essential
■ Spotify Japan K.K.
Spotify
Renai Revolution 21 (Love Revolution 21)
■ Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Oronamin C
■ Japan Association for Financial Planners
The☆Peace!
■ AEON Retail Co., Ltd.
"PEACE FIT" series
They're all old songs though, kinda sad.
It's amazing that even 25+ years later they're still getting used in major commercials constantly.
That's what a real, genuine hit song looks like.
They're just doing CM tie-ins because it's the 30th anniversary, that's all.
940K views!
https://youtu.be/CKf0Emppvjs?si=Dsu18EfCcElUnK8N
Slowly but steadily climbing.
That's thanks to the spec change. Good for them, I guess.
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
YouTube’s view-count system had long required a certain minimum watch time before a play would register, but according to multiple posts in the thread, that changed on the night of August 27, 2026, to a system where even a single second of playback counts as a view. If true, this means MVs released after the change can’t be directly compared to those released before it in terms of view count. In the thread, opinions were split between those calling this new figure of 193,000 views the group’s best-ever result, and those arguing it only looks impressive because of the count change — notably, both sides accepted that the spec change itself happened, they just disagreed on how to interpret it. Some also pointed out that likes and comments haven’t grown nearly as much as views, raising questions about the limits of judging popularity by view count alone.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello!Project board) thread “[Breaking] Morning Musume.’26’s New Single “Yes ka No ka Watashi ka” MV Hits 193,000 Views in 24 Hours!.”
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