Amid ANGERME’s slumping popularity, a thread titled “A thread to seriously consider how ANGERME can make a comeback” appeared on 5ch’s Hello! Project board. Posters pointed to structural problems one after another: uneven vocal ability among members, a seniority-based setlist order, and a lack of direction caused by having no clear leader. Proposals ranged from centering the group around Goto and Hirayama, to pairing up with Juice=Juice to pull in new fans, all the way to extreme ideas like disbanding or replacing the entire lineup. Some posters went further, arguing there was never actually a “good era” to return to in the first place. Others raised concerns about infighting among fan factions, and the discussion never converged on a single answer.
What people said
1AnonymousOct 9, 2026 15:59
[The singing isn't appealing, the unison parts are all over the place]
– Does individual singing ability need to improve?
On average, the skill level isn't actually that low
2AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:00
Start by cleaning out the Juice=Juice fans who spend 365 days a year trash-talking ANGERME
4AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:02
Re: #2
Shouldn't it instead be cleaning out the copy-pasted "Ankasu" posts (a slur combining "ANGERME" + "trash," used by rival fans) that slander Juice=Juice 365 days a year?
3AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:01
Just change the group name again. The current members don't fit ANGERME's concept anyway.
5AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:03
Drop the seniority system and rework the setlist so Goto, Hirayama, and Nagano get more spotlight. That'd bring at least some of the casual fans back (DD = fans who like multiple idols without a single favorite).
6AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:03
Everyone would be happier if they just disbanded.
8AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:05
Nothing's going to change until the agency itself realizes what's actually wrong.
9AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:06
Open for Juice=Juice's shows, ride the extra exposure, and pull in new fans.
10AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:08
For now, go all-in on Yuppyon's homecoming show for the Kurashiki concert, and drop that "Ise 300" idea since it's not even clear it makes sense. (Yuppyon is a member's nickname; the "Ise 300" reference is unclear.)
11AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:08
What they think is funny just isn't.
14AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:09
Start with the obvious: push the popular members and sideline the unpopular ones.
16AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:10
If the leader or ace member is weak, the songs end up weak too.
17AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:10
Announce at PIA Arena that they're going to "crush Juice=Juice" and get picked up by online news.
18AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:11
Let NoBlock TV turn Ise into a mascot character as "the woman who talks in circles."
20AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:12
Once things stagnate, just bring in new members.
21AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:13
Throw in everyone except the promising trainees and make it a selection system where the lineup changes with every new song.
22AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:14
Isn't using the word "comeback" wrong to begin with, since ANGERME has never sold at the level Juice=Juice is at now in its entire history? The real question should be how to make them sell for the first time ever.
24AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:16
25AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:16
Just fix Goto in the center and push her relentlessly. Less wasted movement means less strain on her too — two birds, one stone.
55AnonymousOct 9, 2026 17:06
Re: #25
Why not do it EXILE-style and just fix Goto and Hirayama in place? It'd be easier on their stamina too.
30AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:19
Also, Goto needs to stop taking taxis.
32AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:20
Jokoryo's voice isn't as uniquely suited as people say, but there's definitely a sense she was dropped halfway through. If she's got time, she should come back as leader for a couple more years and take some of the load off Ise. Ise shines more as a supporting player anyway — not really the senior-figure type, more of a little-sister type.
36AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:26
Graduate Danbara and Inoue and throw them into ANGERME.
37AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:26
Well, if the original leader goes around loudly saying her time as an idol was nothing but pain, that's rough — there's not much you can do about that.
38AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:28
After leader candidates kept graduating one after another without any fuss, the group ended up losing its identity.
39AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:28
You can't buy Juice=Juice tickets without buying ANGERME tickets.
41AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:29
Have a former member (OG) make a secret guest appearance every day, rotating.
42AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:32
Once the group lost someone to steer its image — like other groups' leaders do — it's going to keep drifting forever no matter what they try from here.
43AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:34
Bring in a new member with good looks and style who's likely to get popular, and tap the unpopular ones on the shoulder to push them out. Popularity would naturally come back that way.
44AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:34
If Sasaki had become leader… If Momona had become leader…
45AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:35
Full lineup replacement.
46AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:37
Re: #45
Tamenaga stays though — is that still fine with you?
48AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:40
Re: #1
You should be careful writing careless stuff without ever going to a show — worst case, you could get hauled in for obstruction of business by fraudulent means. Watch yourself, hater.
50AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:45
Let's go ahead and archive this thread for now (5ch slang for preserving a thread as evidence).
51AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:49
As for "Vanilla," forget whether the song itself is good — I genuinely don't understand the thinking behind performing a July release back in March and then immediately dropping a full-length dance practice video where you could hear the whole thing.
52AnonymousOct 9, 2026 16:50
There's no "comeback" to speak of — there was never a good era to begin with.
54AnonymousOct 9, 2026 17:03
The problem is the very members you'd rely on, Goto and Hirayama, keep taking breaks. It'd probably be better to disband once, overhaul the lineup, and rebuild around Tamura — there's almost no one else worth keeping.
67AnonymousOct 9, 2026 17:23
Goto Hana, just stay innocent and carefree forever — don't show us your dark side.
76AnonymousOct 9, 2026 17:41
Re: #67
Sada Masashi lol (a folk singer-songwriter famous for long, meandering story-songs — the joke being Ise talks the same way)
Background and Key Points of This Debate
ANGERME is an idol group under Hello! Project, and the Goto, Hirayama, Ise, and Jokoryo named in the thread are all current or former members. The thread split into two camps: those who frame the problem as a matter of “management’s setlist and promotion decisions,” and those who see it as rooted in “the member lineup and the group’s direction itself.” The first camp called for scrapping the seniority-based setlist and building shows around Goto and Hirayama; the second went as far as suggesting disbandment or a full lineup overhaul. Some replies also pointed to overlapping fanbases with labelmate Juice=Juice, suggesting that the broader structure of multiple Hello! Project groups operating simultaneously is part of the backdrop — one that can’t be explained by a single group’s popularity alone.
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