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The story
Over the addition of Morning Musume’s 18th generation members, a view has been spreading on 5ch’s Hello! Project thread that fans wanted “ready-to-perform talent who could handle singing and live shows from day one, not rookies who need time to be developed.” Some in the thread pointed out that with graduations and health concerns piling up among existing members during this special 30th-anniversary period, there was a growing sense that the group lacked the people needed to carry it. On the other hand, there was pushback from the traditional view that “idols are something you nurture,” and opinions in the thread were split over how to approach the newcomers.
What people said
Wonder what's gonna happen starting next year.
She's mentally leveled up these days though
Getting Doi as her loyal junior ("jatei," playful gangster-style slang for a devoted underling) made a huge difference
According to a Nishimura fan, her mental state stabilized once her close friend Sugihara got promoted
Support from Ishii, the oldest member from her audition batch, probably helped a lot too
Seriously, that's the whole point
There's no time to sit around waiting for them to grow
Kind of like Ebata
She gets compared to people like Kinoshita Yuki and Watanabe Nagisa, so she's definitely good-looking
This group got burned by Fukumura sneaking in through the back door, after all
It's not "let's raise them ourselves," it's "bring us rookies who are already finished products" — way too selfish
Idols are supposed to be something you raise, but Momusu otaku have forgotten what makes being an idol fan great…
If Oda hadn't graduated, I think this would've been fine as is
But with Oda graduating and even the "indestructible" Panda straining her throat, that's probably why people started wanting ready-made talent
Feels like release day. Inoue Haruka
https://ameblo.jp/morningmusume16ki/entry-12980242471.html
https://stat.ameba.jp/user_images/20260930/20/morningmusume16ki/05/0e/j/o1080144015827154097.jpg
Even though she's currently the least popular of the four?
She joined 95 days early and was the only one of them in every scene of the new MV
She even got a solo part, and she's still the least popular
What's the point of keeping just her? lol
I think Yasuda's actually the least popular
Even at the Hello! Project Shop, her keychains and other goods are still sitting unsold
People always say that, but aside from Suzuki being way out in front, there's not much difference between the rest
Takahashi and Tanaka will be pushing themselves front and center as the main ones
That's the window where you're supposed to let them grow, right?
If you bring in ready-made talent, you lose the "just make good use of Takahashi" excuse lol
The ones pushing to the front are the Takahashi-Ishikawa-Fukumura line
You need to watch for at least 1-2 years
The popularity order from when they joined almost never flips
It's just a question of whether the gap widens a lot or stays small
They've always decided who's joining in advance and forced the awards to match
Just look at the Kasahara/Momohime tied-vote Best Performer and you'll get it
Background and Points of Debate
Morning Musume is in the middle of commemorative projects marking its 30th anniversary since debut, and in the thread, some pointed out that with Oda Sakura’s graduation and throat trouble among existing members piling up at the same time, there was a growing sense that the group lacked the people needed to support it. Because of this, the dominant argument was that the 18th generation needed members who could become effective performers in singing and live shows early on, rather than rookies who’d need time to be developed. On the other hand, there was pushback rooted in the traditional fan-culture view that “idols are something you nurture,” splitting opinion in the thread over this push for ready-made talent. There was also mention of the rule of thumb that popularity rankings rarely change much from the order established when members join, raising the shared fan view that a newcomer’s first impression tends to determine their position going forward.
*This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “We Wanted Ready-to-Perform Talent for Morning Musume’s 18th Gen, Not Kids…“.
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