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The story
Hello! Project’s official Q&A corner revived a recurring prompt — “What foreign-style name would you give yourself?” — and members each chipped in their own answers. On 5ch’s Hello! Project board, fans noticed that Saya Eguchi’s answer had changed from “Kimue Gucci,” which she gave five years ago, to “Chan Saya” this time, sparking jokes like “upgraded from Korean to Chinese.” Other posts pointed out that one member’s pick, Sheila, was drawn from Moto Hagio’s manga “The Poe Clan,” and threads comparing current answers to past ones kept the discussion lively with all sorts of small discoveries.
What people said
Q. If you were to give yourself a foreign-style name?
Shiori Nishida Beyooooonce
211126 Hello! Q&A
Q. If you were to give yourself a foreign-style name?
Shiori Nishida Nishiida Fantastic Shiori
Saya Eguchi Kimue Gucci
Kokoro Maeda Sofia
Meaning: knowledge, wisdom, intelligence
Sounds like it'd make me smarter…
Minami Okamura Selena♡
Because the first celebrity I ever fell for was Selena Gomez…♡
Momoko Seino Jasmine
Because out of all the storybook princesses, Jasmine's my favorite.
Mia Hirai Lili
Moeka Kobayashi Little Forest (Kobayashi)… that's honestly all I can come up with! lol
Utano Satoyoshi Going with "Luna," after Luna Lovegood,
my favorite character from the "Harry Potter" series!
Q1: Tell us the story behind your name!
Apparently they originally wanted to work in the character for "princess" (姫).
Peach blossoms are considered a very auspicious flower, and "princess" carries the wish for her to grow up as cute — and as kind-hearted — as an actual princess.
If it hadn't been "Momoko," it would've been "Jasmine"!
Apparently "Lemon Princess" and "Strawberry Princess" were also on the table (lol)
And if she'd been a boy, it sounds like it would've been something like "Fukujumaro" or another "-maro" name.
only 2 updates left, but looks like she's sticking with it to the end
that joke bombed
"In a chapel covered in ivy" (a line from Peggy Hayama's famous song "Gakusei Jidai")
I love Nishida's sense of humor
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Now she's tied to Milk too?
Chan Saya
Chan Saya
Stuff like that is exactly why I wish she'd add a bit more to her one-word answers
So Miyo-chan's trying to eat a young gentleman, huh (a nod to the vampire lore in The Poe Clan)
https://livedoor.blogimg.jp/makorin8823/imgs/a/9/a9c1ac48.jpg
Sounds so sketchy, lol
Sounds like a character who'd show up on Aibou (the long-running detective drama)
Saya Eguchi Kimue Gucci
Upgraded from Korean to Chinese in 5 years
or will Risa-maru's smallness take it?
Ha, you're basically going for half-Japanese TV personality Harry Sugiyama
but while they were still debating which kanji to use, her grandpa went ahead and registered it in katakana as "Risa" without asking anyone
Background and key points of this discussion
“Hello! Q&A” is a daily question segment run on Hello! Project’s official social media, and the same prompts often resurface every few years. This time’s topic, “a foreign-style name,” was also asked back in November 2021, and the main point of discussion in this thread was fans noticing that Saya Eguchi’s answer had changed from “Kimue Gucci” to “Chan Saya.” It’s also a recurring pattern on 5ch that, when asked for something “foreign-style,” members’ answers lean not just Western but also toward Korean- or Chinese-sounding names — taken as harmless wordplay rather than anything with deeper meaning. Some members’ answers also turned out to be drawn from character names in Moto Hagio’s manga “The Poe Clan,” showing they weren’t just off-the-cuff ideas but references to existing works. Comparing current answers against past ones is a familiar pastime in Hello! Project fan threads, and it’s one way fans enjoy tracking how members have grown or changed over time.
※This article was compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Q. “If you were to give yourself a foreign-style name?” — Saya Eguchi says “Chan Saya”.”
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