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The story
After X (formerly Twitter) user “Tozama-san” posted that Tsubaki Factory’s new song “Ai = Un + En + On” was starting to take off on TikTok, reactions spread across 5ch’s Hello! Project board. In the thread, many commenters compared the numbers to the past achievements of Juice=Juice — a senior group within the same Hello! Project family — and pointed out Tsubaki Factory’s own weak name recognition and lackluster official promotion. Others urged caution about drawing simple comparisons, noting that the buzz is partly driven by underground idols spreading choreography videos, and that TikTok’s counting criteria may have changed since the earlier period. Opinions were split over how to separate the song’s actual quality from the raw growth in numbers.
Tozama-san
@tozamasan
Getting the feeling that Tsubaki Factory’s “Ai = Un + En + On” is starting to pop a little on TikTok
Source: x.com / Original post here
What people said
Music Natalie: "BEYOOOOONDS is on the verge of going viral"
https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1788788957/1
1 Anonymous 2026/09/07 (Mon) 22:49:17.82 0
BEYOOOOONDS drops live video for "Hai to Diamond" (Ash to Diamond), the song that's on the verge of going viral
https://natalie.mu/music/news/688477
That's because Juice=Juice is the kind of group that gets mocked.
(Not saying I wish this song had gone to Juice=Juice, though.)
Only if they could actually pull it off vocally.
It doesn't really fit Juice=Juice's style, so it'd be tough.
Outside of Hello! Project fans, nobody in the fan-cam crowd is using it.
It's just benefiting from a lull period with no other strong song dominating TikTok right now.
Same as the fake "BEYOOOOONDS is about to blow up" hype — people from other fandoms initially jump on the Hello! Project bandwagon assuming every group has Juice=Juice-level momentum, using it to promote their own group's name. But once they realize none of the other groups are actually anybody outside of Juice=Juice, they quietly drift away.
[Juice=Juice] Tracking "More! Mi Amore"'s Winning Streak, by the Numbers
https://kogumamusic22.com/entry/jj_moremifever
What's more, TikTok usage of the track has already reached around 500 uses — on par with past songs — so it does seem to have real momentum.
https://cdn-ak.f.st-hatena.com/images/fotolife/c/camper22koguma/20251130/20251130062436.png
The counting criteria for TikTok sound usage have changed between then and now (it's looser now).
Well, I guess it has to start with small stuff like that building up.
Though that's only "big" by Tsubaki Factory standards…
Tsubaki Factory's weakness is that even when a song gets good buzz and takes on a life of its own, the official side is too weak to capitalize on it.
Juice=Juice's got plenty already.
"Coincidence/Inevitability," "I Want to Keep Smiling Without Forgetting Love" —
those are exactly the lines I want today's Juice=Juice belting out at full volume.
Give Juice=Juice the next Hyadain-composed track, lol
If anything, what would really sting for Tsubaki Factory is people saying, "wait, this was written for Tsubaki Factory but it's basically Juice=Juice's whole philosophy in song form."
lolololol
> "song written for Tsubaki Factory"
Got a source that Hyadain wrote it specifically for Tsubaki Factory?
Also, I never said "philosophy."
The whole point of "Kurakura" is that it's a Hirose-style song being sung by Juice=Juice — that's what gives it meaning. As for the song itself, "decent" is good enough, lol.
If it doesn't blow up on TikTok, X (Twitter) will just chew it up and spit it out as a meme.
One of those songs has garbage numbers compared to the others.
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
Within the Hello! Project fan community, the number of times a song gets used on TikTok has become an established benchmark for whether a track is “taking off,” and the thread discussed the numbers largely by comparing them to Juice=Juice’s past track record. However, as one commenter (post #17) pointed out, TikTok’s own counting criteria have changed over time — an easy detail to overlook when making simple numerical comparisons, meaning the figures aren’t always measured on the same footing. There’s also the fact that underground idols and personal accounts using a song doesn’t necessarily translate into greater name recognition for the group itself; whether the trend actually spreads to the broader “oshi-katsu” (fan-support activity) crowd and general audiences is the next thing to watch. Where the thread split was over how to judge Tsubaki Factory’s underlying strength: some argued the song is good but the group’s numerical foundation is weak, while others countered that the current growth is impressive precisely because of that weak foundation.
*This article is composed of excerpts and a summary from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Tozama-san: “Tsubaki Factory’s ‘Ai=Un+En+On’ Is on the Verge of Going Viral”.”
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