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The story
In a thread posted on 5ch’s Hello! Project board, one self-described “Ebata fan” (a devoted fan, or “wota”) pushed back against the growing narrative that Juice=Juice’s surging popularity is somehow “Hello! Project’s win as a whole,” arguing that “it’s Juice that got discovered — Hello! Project itself isn’t the one blowing up.” Replies brought out a string of perspectives only hardcore Hello! Project fans would have: some pointed out that Juice=Juice’s breakthrough traces back to their appearance on the variety show “Moreemi,” others noted how rare it is for a single group to break out on its own, and still others vented about how the fan club system is structured. At the same time, plenty of posts took potshots at fans of other groups by name, keeping the thread’s mood combative throughout.
What people said
I absolutely can't stand people who twist Juice=Juice's success into "credit for all of Hello! Project"
It's Juice that got discovered, Hello! Project is
If anything, they say they've been watching since that audition, so that makes them a fairly seasoned old-timer.
not Juice=Juice
Feel free to leave, honestly.
They only got attention for a vulgar leg-raise move, and you've got the nerve to say that?
The ones calling it Hello!'s credit are exactly the ones who were trashing the Moreemi boom in the first place.
Don't dodge with "well Hello! Project is…" every time, Angerme-ota lol
Juice won't keep rising as long as people like this guy don't disappear.
It took 20 years just to get one group after another to hit — Morning Musume, then Juice=Juice.
It's not impossible — Morning Musume at their peak and AKB both managed to sell as a whole "village."
But even with producers like Kawara-Lab or Sashihara running things, some groups still struggle, so in this day and age it seems better for just one group to break out on its own.
Other Hello! Project groups have the same chance to get discovered, so treating Juice like they're somehow special is wrong.
They're getting called out for using an Eba (Ebata) icon while trashing Risachi.
And that's exactly why "Oyaki" starting this thread is already a loss.
They're not a Moreemi newcomer though.
There's no way a newcomer would know what "Rito-Kame" is.
What made you think they're new?
They're a textbook old-school "Juice-scum" fan (derisive slang for Juice=Juice fans) who's been around forever.
always making these needlessly aggressive "feelings" posts.
They say they've had doubts since Irie joined, so they're not a Moreemi newcomer.
An "Oyaki" fan would write "Juice=Juice" in full.
Anyone writing "Juice," "Juusu," "JJ," or "J=J" isn't an Oyaki fan.
And an Oyaki fan definitely wouldn't start a smear thread about Juice=Juice.
Trying so hard lol, and an Oyaki fan at that lol
Well, she's a popular member, so.
Stuff like that is exactly what piles up and tanks Juice's image.
Or at least let the group you register as your favorite actually count for something, even a little.
If you split it up, both sides go down together.
Isn't it better bundled together? That way you can check out any group whenever you get curious.
I can't accept that my money is going to a group I don't even like.
Background and Key Points of the Debate
Hello! Project has traditionally marketed itself as a whole “village” rather than pushing individual groups, and the thread noted that it took 20 years just to grow one group after another — from Morning Musume to Juice=Juice — underscoring the shared assumption that a single group breaking out on its own is rare to begin with. The variety show “Moreemi,” cited as the direct trigger for Juice=Juice’s rising profile, appears to have also given fans of other groups a chance to notice them. The thread split over a single question: should this attention be seen as the result of the group’s own individual effort, or as a boost from the “Hello! Project” brand as a whole? Both positions found some support. There was also repeated griping about the fan club system, which isn’t split by group, meaning membership fees flow even to groups a fan doesn’t like. Note: the thread also contained unverified claims flatly identifying certain posters as “sock puppets” posting under different IDs, but this article does not adopt those claims.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “An “Ebata fan”: “I can’t stand people twisting Juice’s success into credit for Hello! Project. It’s Juice that got discovered — Hello! Project itself isn’t blowing up”.”
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