Director Taisei: Juice=Juice’s Breakout Success Was ‘Just Luck’ — 5ch Calls Him ‘Refreshingly Down-to-Earth’

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The story

Taisei, the director behind Juice=Juice’s music production at Hello! Project, sparked discussion on 5ch’s Hello! Project board after saying of the group’s rise: “I honestly think grabbing this chance was just a coincidence, but I’m glad it’s shone a spotlight on everything Hello! Project has built up over the years.” Some took it as modesty, while others questioned whether it was really luck at all, pointing to the strategy behind the group’s TV appearances and song selection. The thread split over whether Taisei is simply level-headed — or quietly calculating.

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Source: amazon.co.jp / Original article here

What people said

2AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:13
Re: #1
Yeah
It's an offshore company, isn't it
3AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:13
Isn't making people notice them literally your job?
4AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:14
Honestly, I respect him more for recognizing that clearly and just saying it straight
5AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:14
Re: #1
Why's this guy talking like it's none of his business?
He does call himself the director, doesn't he?
15AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:19
Re: #5
What do you even think a director does?
99AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:32
Re: #5
Should he shamelessly claim 'I raised them,' like you would?
Stepping back the way Taisei does, and crediting the members' own effort — and by extension the idols who've steadily built up Hello! Project — over himself, is exactly what separates people who can praise others over themselves. That's the real measure of character
8AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:16
Re: #1
Is he picking a fight with the Juice=Juice members who believe in the power of words (kotodama)?
9AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:16
He's genuinely right, though
so why are the Juice fanboys (汁カス, a derisive nickname for Juice=Juice's fandom) kicking up a fuss?
10AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:17
Organic
Spontaneous
Coincidental
23AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:20
Re: #10
A coincidence and something arising naturally aren't the same thing
Something arising naturally is inevitable, not random
11AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:18
Members are just cogs in the idol-management machine, after all
idols are basically clueless kids with no choice but to obey
24AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:21
Re: #11
It's the Hello! Project fans who are clueless
They know full well idols are stage-managed
13AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:19
Taisei's surprisingly level-headed and sane, huh
14AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:19
The real reason is that Yamazaki Aoi's songs were good
Would you even call that a coincidence?
111AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:33
Re: #14
According to the Juice=Juice fandom, even Yamazaki's songs being good is somehow thanks to Juice=Juice
18AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:20
If you know TV appearances are paid promotion, there's no way any of this is a coincidence
Fooling idiots into thinking they went viral and got flooded with offers is straight-up dishonest
20AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:20
Re: #15
Isn't this guy the one picking the songs?
94AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:32
Re: #20
A director wouldn't have that kind of authority
at most he handles vocal coaching
25AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:21


32AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:22
Coincidence x Coincidence
33AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:22
Ichika-chan, Ichika-chan
39AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:24
I mean, they even made it a B-side
44AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:25
Re: #39
Classic case of hindsight genius
45AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:26
Taisei-chan, Taisei-chan
55AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:27
If it weren't for Hello! Project, someone like Danbara wouldn't have become an idol in the first place
it's a whole stack of coincidences piled on top of each other
66AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:28
Re: #55
Is that a diss?
80AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:30
That's a canned answer, calculated to dodge getting called arrogant by you guys
he's probably praising the members behind the scenes, but I'm not a fan of people who play it that smart
106AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:33
Re: #80
He's probably just giddy from suddenly being in the spotlight — kinda cute
116AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:34
Go thank Yonemura and Kubota
121AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:36
Re: #116
Now it's Juice=Juice's turn to pull Ocha (Ocha Norma) up!
so what exactly have the Juice=Juice members been doing for that, day to day… doing… anything?
132AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:38
Re: #121
Airi did her best, though
152AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:46
Re: #121
Promoting other groups is the staff's job
what are the staff even there for?
why should the insanely busy Juice=Juice members be stuck doing promo work for other groups too?
120AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:35
Re: #111
Misunderstandings are scary, huh
130AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:38
Re: #120
It's just a fact
you're the one who's mistaken
123AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:37
I don't get how 'Moremi' somehow became treated as a good song
143AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:43
Re: #123
It is a good song
in a scene like Hello! Project where songs are almost all built purely for first-week sales and treated as disposable, staying relevant and being listened to for over a year is clearly unusual


Or what, is that your mindset too? lol
151AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:46
Since when did he become Juice=Juice's general producer?
155AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:48
Re: #151
It was written in Nikkei Entertainment
apparently Taisei has been overseeing Juice=Juice's music ever since their 1st album 'First Squeeze!'

Background and Key Points of the Debate

According to the Nikkei Entertainment article quoted in the thread, Taisei is said to have continuously overseen Juice=Juice’s music since their 1st album, “First Squeeze!,” released in 2019. His comment can be read as modesty given that position, but on 5ch some pointed out that “he likely doesn’t have authority over song selection — probably just vocal coaching,” while others were skeptical of calling it a “coincidence” at all, given that TV appearances are themselves a form of promotion. A common point of confusion is that the title “director” doesn’t automatically mean control over the group’s overall direction, and the thread itself showed differing views on just how far his authority actually extends.

*This article is compiled as an excerpt/summary from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “Taisei: ‘I honestly think Juice=Juice grabbing this chance was just a coincidence, but I’m glad it’s put a spotlight on everything Hello! Project has built up, thanks to Juice=Juice’.”

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