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The story
A thread looking back on the atmosphere in Morning Musume during Uemura Aarie’s time as leader has appeared on 5ch’s Hello! Project board. Some say it was a much-needed period of recovery from the tense mood of the original-member era, while others argue she wasn’t really suited to being leader — opinions are split on what the group’s vibe was really like back then.
What people said
Not really — it's just that the group barely had any activities because it overlapped with the COVID pandemic.
That's not true. Back then they were given tons of freedom to improvise, and sure, some of it fell flat, but that experience is exactly what led to where they are now. Has Hello! Project ever let members run that free before?
Uemura fans are always in 'Ookami' (the Morning Musume fan board on 5ch), no matter what.
Can't really blame her — she didn't even want to be leader in the first place.
Your memory's fading way too fast, lol.
https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1766016490204286976/pu/vid/avc1/1280×720/orYS97ghwTrDvXPD.mp4
No wonder Uemura Hazumi looks like her daughter.
By 'recruit,' you mean she chimes in on other groups like 'well, Uemura would've done it this way'?
Makes you wonder if she wanted to quit even sooner if it weren't for the Takagi thing. Still, props to her for seeing it through as leader even though she hated every second of it.
Coming from an introvert herself, that carries some weight.
Though on the flip side, nobody calls out Manakan even when she keeps blanking on the unison lyrics.
You're the ones bashing the original members here.
Background and Key Points
Uemura Aarie became Morning Musume’s leader in 2022 during a period widely regarded within the fandom as the group’s lowest-tension era after the intensity associated with earlier lineups (the “original-member era” referenced in the thread points back to groups like the Tsunku-produced 2000s incarnations and Berryz Koubou, known for strict hierarchy and public dressing-downs of underperforming members). Her tenure also coincided almost entirely with the COVID-19 pandemic, which sharply curtailed concerts, handshake events, and other activities that would normally stress-test a leader — a constraint the thread only gestures at once (post 44) rather than fully accounting for. Hello! Project groups typically rotate the leader role among senior members rather than electing based on aptitude, which matters context-wise since several posts note Aarie reportedly didn’t want the position and had already privately planned her graduation before taking it on.
The thread’s actual fault line isn’t whether the atmosphere was good — nearly everyone agrees it was — but whether that good atmosphere reflects positively on Aarie’s leadership or was simply a byproduct of reduced activity during COVID and her personal knack for making colleagues comfortable rather than any deliberate leadership skill. A secondary disagreement concerns whether the relaxed, improvisational style she fostered helped or hindered members’ technical growth.
What outside readers likely miss is that “leader” in idol groups like this carries no formal authority over choreography, setlists, or discipline — it’s largely a liaison and morale role, decided by management and seniority rather than election or demonstrated leadership ability. That framing explains why posters credit her for “vibe” rather than concrete decisions, and why her reluctance to hold the position at all isn’t seen as disqualifying.
*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “Still, the vibe was good during Uemura Aarie’s time as leader too”.
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