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The story
Episode 3 of the video series ‘IDOL BATTLE ALIVE’ featured a segment in which five judges assessed where all nine competing groups currently stand. All five judges rated Rosy Chronicle as being “on another level” and the clear front-runner to win, sparking a mixed reaction on the Hello! Project section of 5channel — some praised Rosy’s obvious talent, while others suspected the predictable storyline was a “fixed match.” Speculation also swirled around other groups, including reigning champion OCHA NORMA and SKE48, with opinions split on who will actually make the finals.
[#03] Nine Groups’ Current Standing, Through the Eyes of Five Judges — Strengths, Challenges, and Hopes for the Finale
Source: youtube.com / original article here
What people said
Carrying all of Hello! Project on their backs — and if they lose and go home they'll get torn apart for it.
That's exactly what makes Ocha cool — carrying all of Hello! Project on their shoulders.
that's Rosy-level stuff.
though I do think Soma is good.
They'll let them reach the finals, but it's blatantly obvious the script is 'another group beats Rosy in the final!'
— it'd be way too obviously rigged.
Rosy wins → people lose interest because Hello! Project is just too strong.
SKE wins → people lose interest because it's exactly as scripted.
So what are they supposed to do here?
If Rosy loses, the only group that makes sense to appear next in the pecking order is Byo.
There's a revenge round coming for Rosy.
That's this time's 'ambiguous position' group's role.
The Class of '27 trainee unit.
They'll probably let some group that hard-sells cuteness like Kawalabo (a name suggesting 'Cute Lab') win, don't you think?
Oh, Pixel Ribbon?
They could actually sing better than expected.
Their situation is different from Ocha's.
What a total fix—!
That wraps things up nicely, right?
Second round: the hard-cute-sell type.
Third round: an Akimoto-produced group (industry veteran behind AKB48 and sister groups).
I can already see how this plays out.
The 48 groups fielded their senbatsu (selected lineup) both last time and this time, so it'd only be fair for Hello! Project to send out their own 'Oda Selfish Senbatsu' too.
Though really, only Ninmin and Minmin can actually sing.
Surely they'll throw SKE into the mix too, right?
Doesn't matter how much they show, they clearly have no intention of letting them win twice in a row, so it's hopeless.
Last year's win is just remembered as 'the group OCHA NORMA won,' and Rosy is likewise just seen as one group among many — the general public isn't thinking in terms of 'take down Hello! Project' at all.
Nice try, Ocha fanboy.
The first-round win just happened because they wanted to establish the impression that 'scoring reflects real skill,' and Hello! Project has that skill-focused image — whichever Hello! Project group had entered, they'd have been made to win regardless.
The idols themselves probably feel that way, but it doesn't seem like the IDOL BATTLE ALIVE production side sees it the same way.
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
‘IDOL BATTLE ALIVE’ is a cross-group competition featuring Hello! Project acts like OCHA NORMA alongside groups such as SKE48, with OCHA NORMA having taken the title in the previous edition. This time, nine groups were scored by a panel of five judges, and Rosy Chronicle received especially high marks. What split the thread was whether that high praise would translate directly into an eventual win — some suspected a scripted outcome designed to spread the spotlight around, while others saw it as a straightforward assessment of talent. It’s worth noting that the judges’ comments represent only a mid-stage evaluation; advancing to the finals and the final rankings depend on other factors as well, so the outcome shouldn’t be assumed from this scoring alone.
※This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5channel (Hello! Project) thread “All Judges Call Rosy Chronicle ‘On Another Level,’ Naming Them Top Favorite to Win IDOL BATTLE ALIVE.”
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