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The story
A comparison image titled “Idol power map — how much it’s changed in 10 years” that circulated on X (formerly Twitter) became a hot topic on 5ch’s Hello! Project board (morningcoffee). It shows how the standing of each group within Hello! Project has shifted between 10 years ago and now, with attention centering on Morning Musume’s fading presence and Juice=Juice’s rise. The thread saw comments pointing out that the whole Hello! Project lineup “doesn’t even add up to one JYP,” along with users sharing that a TV Asahi music special had introduced Juice=Juice as a “powerhouse vocal group” — sparking a split of opinion over whether the power map itself even holds up.
What people said
Nobody outside the fandom even knows Juice=Juice
if Morning Musume is weak, this is just how it ends up.
Hello! Project belongs to Morning Musume, after all
It's not really "ownership," but when you present things in a summary format like Re: #1, the current Hello! Project lineup might just be hard to showcase.
Though public perception has already shifted to "Hello! Project = Juice=Juice"
In that case, wouldn't that apply to literally every group active in 2026?
If we're talking 2016, °C-ute would've been on top, no?
At the very least, if you're going to include ANGERME or Juice=Juice, °C-ute should've been there instead — that's how it was back then
If I made one, I wouldn't even put AKB or Stardust on it.
At the end of the day it's all just whoever made it and their own biases
the problem of these groups' "moment" being way too short
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GobBCKOWoAAdscx.jpg
Their actual turnout hasn't recovered at all — this is pure media-driven spin
Juice=Juice introduced as "a technically skilled, powerhouse-vocal group"
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HLl803HWEAAJIni.jpg:orig#.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HLl82oKWAAAJnxN.jpg:orig#.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HLl84U_WwAAUn2m.jpg:orig#.jpg
The lineage shown: Berryz Koubou → °C-ute → Juice=Juice (Uemura era + current members)
Of course ANGERME wasn't included, but neither was S/mileage
Framing it as "Juice under Uemura as leader" strikes a good balance —
the original-lineup era isn't really worth featuring, and using only the current members alone wouldn't connect back to the group's 2013 formation
Huh? Where's the flagship group?
Berryz still has more name recognition, thanks to Tsugunaga
As of 2016 Berryz Koubou had already gone on hiatus, so it couldn't possibly be on the chart
"Ever since witnessing Juice=Juice's vocal power live at the New Year's Eve show, I thought — I want more people to know about this charm!"
[STAR] Fuji TV announcer Uegaki: "I was completely overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of Juice=Juice's performance — it gave me an indescribable flutter in my heart (lol)"
https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1781769941/
A major-league producer who came to see Hina Fes: "Every member of Juice=Juice can really sing — it has an overwhelmingly major-label feel"
https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1774168093
A Morning magazine editor: "I discovered Juice=Juice by chance a year ago and have been listening to their songs ever since. If you ask me what's so good about them, I'd say 'intensity and resolve'"
https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1782624309/
Dancing Yokohama's Director Murata: "I love 'More! Mi Amore'" ("more" = idol slang for looking your best/glammed up) — Summer Koshien
https://mainichi.jp/articles/20260816/k00/00m/050/142000c
Vice-Minister of Justice Mitani Hidehiro: "That Juice=Juice song, 'More! Mi Amore.' It's my favorite song, it really gets the crowd going"
https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1786947530
their fans, lol
They can't compete on that front, so they just don't talk about it at all
Background and Talking Points
The “power map” image was made by an individual user on X, not data released by 5ch’s administrators or any official source. Hello! Project runs multiple groups (Morning Musume, Juice=Juice, ANGERME, and others), and the thread buzzed over two things: °C-ute — the group that was the mainstay 10 years ago — being left off the chart, and the fact that Juice=Juice, centered on its current members, was introduced as a “powerhouse vocal group” on a TV Asahi music special (aired June 24, 2026). Meanwhile, questions were raised about AKB48’s actual drawing power based on venue seating, though factors like differences in e-ticket issuing methods make a simple comparison hard to judge accurately. Opinions in the thread split over whether to treat this kind of “power map” as just one person’s subjective creation, or as something close to genuine public sentiment — no consensus was reached. A temperature gap between longtime fans and supporters of the current lineups also seems to underlie the debate.
※This article is compiled as an excerpt/summary from the 5ch (Hello! Pro board) thread “The Idol Power Map — How Much It’s Changed in 10 Years.”
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