On the Hello! Project board, opinions clashed over the direction of Tsubaki Factory’s new single. It started with a post saying: “Tsubaki can just be the group that puts out great songs even if they don’t sell — please stop releasing dumb songs aimed at going viral.” The group has previously put out songs aimed at TikTok virality, like “Mousou Furifuri,” choreographed by Sako Makita, and their new song “Aiueon,” written by Hyadain, was seen as following the same pattern. The thread split between those who said “they don’t need to go viral” and those who argued “chasing virality is part of what makes Hello! Project what it is,” with comparisons drawn to the currently thriving Juice=Juice, and some pointing out jealousy lurking behind the criticism.
What people said
1AnonymousSep 5, 2026 14:33
123 Anonymous [] 2026/09/05 (Sat) 13:36:53.64 0
Tsubaki can just be the group that puts out great songs even without selling well
Please stop releasing dumb songs made just to go viral
2AnonymousSep 5, 2026 14:36
And yet they're a cheesy group that keeps hiring Sako Makita for choreography over and over
4AnonymousSep 5, 2026 14:40
If you hate dumb songs, don't watch Hello! Project
7AnonymousSep 5, 2026 14:40
Did you seriously think they'd sell well doing it "properly"?
8AnonymousSep 5, 2026 14:41
Even after suppressing the wish that they'd joined Juice=Juice, that lingering feeling of still wanting to be as successful as Juice=Juice — it's just plain pitiful to watch.
13AnonymousSep 5, 2026 14:47
You mean "Mousou Furifuri"? The legendary one where they even filmed the MC segment in vertical video and it still didn't become a topic of conversation
15AnonymousSep 5, 2026 14:48
Let's just pretend "Mousou Furifuri" never happened…
19AnonymousSep 5, 2026 14:51
Re: #15
Among Tsubaki otaku, it's not considered a dumb song
17AnonymousSep 5, 2026 14:50
Thank you for having me.
I'll give my all for your company. (job-hunting-style lyric)
24AnonymousSep 5, 2026 14:54
Re: #17
Don't put something like this on the album.
Is there anyone who can actually enjoy listening to that? Most people struggled through job hunting.
26AnonymousSep 5, 2026 14:56
Re: #17
And yet otaku these days are all about their own "end-of-life planning" sensation, not job hunting (a pun on shūkatsu — job hunting vs. end-of-life prep)
20AnonymousSep 5, 2026 14:51
It's not enough to just say "I hope Tsubaki gets rewarded" —
be the kind of person who can genuinely say "good for Tsubaki" when they actually are.
23AnonymousSep 5, 2026 14:53
Aiueon? Don't tell me that's another song made just to chase virality.
Fine, forget going viral then — just get Zakiyama and Kouga to write us a blush-inducing song.
A messy affair number like "Konnyaku" or "The Swede" would work too (likely nods to past Hello! Project song titles).
27AnonymousSep 5, 2026 14:57
Tsubaki's the group with the most messy two-timing songs and vapid, all-vibes-no-substance tracks.
28AnonymousSep 5, 2026 14:58
Tsubaki Factory has the most vapid, substance-free songs written by SHOCK EYE.
29AnonymousSep 5, 2026 14:59
Whether it actually goes viral or not aside, just looking at Hyadain's lyrics and melody for this new song, it doesn't feel all that different from a cheap song made purely to go viral.
31AnonymousSep 5, 2026 14:59
Tsubaki's always gotten great songs.
They've always gotten the most idol-like songs of any group.
32AnonymousSep 5, 2026 15:00
Re: #1
It's over the moment members and fans alike turn cynical and start acting all too-cool-for-it.
That's exactly what's happening with Angerme right now, and it's how the original-lineup Juice=Juice fans used to be too.
Juice=Juice's current success isn't luck at all — it's the fruit of hard work and real ability, and without the attitude to learn from that, you won't sell.
Though some members are trying to learn.
33AnonymousSep 5, 2026 15:00
Bombing so spectacularly with "Mousou Furifuri" must really still sting.
Hearing "Aiueon" is bound to bring it right back, whether you want it to or not.
34AnonymousSep 5, 2026 15:01
Which song is even the "dumb song made to go viral" one?
35AnonymousSep 5, 2026 15:01
For "Mousou Furifuri" they had Makita do the choreography and, at every release event, begged the otaku to learn the dance and spread it around — wasn't that literally aimed at going viral?
That song was also the first in Hello! Project to get daily TikTok posts.
36AnonymousSep 5, 2026 15:05
Morning Musume sold well with dumb songs, and that's the reason Hello! Project exists today.
37AnonymousSep 5, 2026 15:08
If you hate viral-bait songs but you're seriously saying "Aiueon" is going to become the next "Moremi" (nickname for a past hit single), that's next-level psychopath behavior.
38AnonymousSep 5, 2026 15:09
Re: #37
This really exposed how quite a few otaku are straight-up seething with jealousy toward Juice=Juice.
39AnonymousSep 5, 2026 15:09
So is "Idol Whatever Ondo" fine then?
41AnonymousSep 5, 2026 15:10
"Danshari" (a term for decluttering/letting go) is a great song
58AnonymousSep 5, 2026 15:48
Re: #41,43
Hideko Yamashita: "That's trademark infringement." (Yamashita is the real-life author who coined the decluttering term "danshari")
43AnonymousSep 5, 2026 15:13
"Danshari" lost its charm as a song-and-dance number once they sealed away the bow-legged high kick…
44AnonymousSep 5, 2026 15:14
Whenever that NHK-kids'-show-sounding intro plays on "Radi-Sui," "Mari-Radi," or "Ukare Radio" (member radio shows), I get embarrassed and rush to skip it.
45AnonymousSep 5, 2026 15:17
I think the cleanest move would be to hand "Aiueon" off to Beyooooonds' new members and get "Utterly Ridiculous" in return, but a digital-only release for just that one track feels kind of thin…
48AnonymousSep 5, 2026 15:24
You have no idea how much we were made to practice the "Mousou Furifuri" dance at release events.
49AnonymousSep 5, 2026 15:27
Are they even putting in enough effort to deserve being rewarded?
51AnonymousSep 5, 2026 15:44
Tsubaki can just be the group that puts out great songs even without selling well
Please stop releasing dumb songs made just to go viral
But if Kawanishi goes on network TV, it'll go viral
52AnonymousSep 5, 2026 15:45
Admittedly, "Aiueo" does seem kind of dumb.
53AnonymousSep 5, 2026 15:45
Both "Mousou Furifuri" and "Job-Change Ondo" get huge reactions live, after all.
54AnonymousSep 5, 2026 15:46
The "well, I guess it's fine…" reactions are actually harsher, aren't they.
57AnonymousSep 5, 2026 15:47
"Aiueo" barely has any solo parts, and the chorus is just an AI-unison vocal — it doesn't feel like Tsubaki at all.
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
Tsubaki Factory has previously released buzz-oriented songs like “Mousou Furifuri,” choreographed by Sako Makita and aimed at spreading on TikTok, but the gimmick never quite caught on. Meanwhile, fellow Hello! Project group Juice=Juice has been standing out with its recent success, and underlying the thread is the temperature gap between these two groups. The debate splits broadly into two points. One is over production philosophy — quality songs versus chasing virality — with some pointing to Morning Musume’s past success built on “dumb songs” as proof that going for virality can’t simply be dismissed outright. The other is the suggestion that the criticism is really jealousy toward Juice=Juice in disguise, making fan psychology itself a subject of debate. What readers might easily misunderstand is that the new song “Aiueon” hasn’t actually been judged yet — the opinions are all speculation based only on the lyrics and melody ahead of its release.
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