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The story
A post using the music video for Morning Musume’s song “SEXY BOY” racked up more than 140,000 likes on X (formerly Twitter), sparking discussion on Hello! Project-related forums. The MV itself came out roughly 20 years ago, but it has reportedly already racked up 7.92 million views. Many in the thread felt it’s “less the song itself going viral than the surreal choreography and the wording of the post” catching on, and while current members have been trying to recreate it on TikTok and elsewhere, fans have repeatedly pointed out that “they’re not pulling it off.”
What people said
Whether the song itself catches on is anyone's guess though.
Wonder if it'll keep climbing.
Why is 20th-anniversary Momusu hitting this hard?
It's even beating "Moreled Mi" (another trending meme) in the 24-hour rankings.
Because they're a stubborn, out-of-touch old-man agency.
If it'd been a Hello! Project otaku, people would be jealous that a member reacted to their video.
It was already popular as a meme outside the fandom to begin with.
and otaku commenting "wow, what a competent manager" [praising it].
tps://pbs.twimg.com/media/HTtQ-D7aMAAGNou.jpg:orig#.jpg
You can't force a "cute face."
Yamazaki and Ishikawa are still pulling it off though.
Is that the one?
So it's the joke that's catching on, not the song.
And I scroll X's recommendations for like 30 minutes every day.
It's a different kind of viral.
In the middle of "Moreled Mi" and "Ashes and Diamonds" both going viral, suddenly Morning Musume alone blows up with a 20-year-old song, lol.
That's so dumb lol.
The MV's just being turned into a meme.
It's not like the song itself is going viral —
it's the combo of the surreal dance moves and the post's wording that's funny and blowing up.
Just shows how far behind the "wolves" (Morning Musume fans) are!
It's a shame — they don't seem to get what's actually making it blow up.
Yeah, they really aren't pulling it off.
They need more of a deadpan stare with furtive glances.
Background and Key Points
This kind of viral moment isn’t unique to Morning Musume — it’s a recurring phenomenon across Hello! Project songs, where it’s less the popularity of the song itself and more the “surreal” quality of the choreography or footage turning into an internet meme that draws attention. Opinions in the thread were split on how far the agency should go in capitalizing on this kind of accidental virality: some pointed out that “they would have just ignored this in the past,” while others saw the current members’ attempts to recreate it on TikTok and elsewhere as a positive change. Still, many fans noted that the recreations fail to capture the choreography’s particular vibe, raising concerns that the members themselves may not fully grasp what’s actually resonating with people.
*This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “SEXY BOY Hits 140,000 Likes on X in a Massive Viral Moment! Current Members React.”
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