Hello! Project trainees Saito Yurika and Yamamoto Hana posted a photo on social media of themselves wearing matching Juice=Juice T-shirts, commenting that they’ve “gotten really close lately.” The post sparked a wave of reactions on 5ch — some argued that Juice=Juice, already at a full roster of 11 members, has no room for new additions, while others predicted the pair would instead be assigned to a group with fewer members. The discussion expanded into debates about Angerme’s future lineup and which group trainees should ultimately join, with opinions split.
And the second photo is with my batch-mate Saito Yurika-chan! 🐘💜
We tried taking a photo together wearing Juice=Juice T-shirts! 🍹🧡🤍
We’ve been close for a while, but lately we’ve gotten really, really close!! So happy!
Doesn't seem like fan behavior from someone who's only been into this since 2024 — more likely the agency just handed out leftover T-shirts. There was a stretch where the trainees were all wearing the same Angerme shirts too.
7AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:14
At the very least, we don't need any graduations or new additions for another year.
8AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:14
Just throw everyone into Juice — let's aim for Juice=Juice46!” (riffing on AKB48's mega-roster naming)
9AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:16
Re: #8 That would definitely tank the group lol
10AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:16
Trainees can't join unless Danbara and Inoue leave, but if Danbara and Inoue leave, it's over.
15AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:27
Re: #10 Danbara and Inoue aren't leaving for at least another 2 years.
Re: #12 The 38th-gen middle schoolers are seriously high level.
52AnonymousNov 10, 2026 14:00
Re: #12 One of them looks like Reirei, and Kishida looks kind of like Mipuru. (idol nicknames)
59AnonymousNov 10, 2026 14:05
Re: #12 The one on the far right has gyaru vibes (flashy, trendy-girl style), so send her to Ocha.
13AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:19
Hanamaru & Yurizo, welcome to Juice! 🥤 (fan nicknames for the two trainees)
14AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:25
Let's raise them as Juice touring/support members.
17AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:28
This generation's really tight-knit, huh. There's never been a batch before that all got together and rented a studio to practice on their own.
18AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:28
Sorting Hat: “Angerme~!” (Harry Potter reference)
19AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:36
Among the current trainees, the ones who are especially confident in their singing clearly have just one group they want to join — the gamble factor is huge.
21AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:39
If they're joining either way, Dodgers over Angels, right?
22AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:39
Yeah, they're definitely wearing Juice T-shirts lol
23AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:39
Joining Juice right now comes with the risk of getting scapegoated if things go south.
25AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:43
By hourly-wage math, Morning Musume's worth about ¥3,000, Angerme ¥1,500, and Juice right now would probably run around ¥5,000.
27AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:43
I get the sentiment, but Juice is already a finished product with a full roster, so joining isn't realistic. Trainees basically go wherever there are open slots — i.e., groups that are struggling or stagnant.
28AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:44
If they miss out on Kohaku, wouldn't new members be allowed in then? (Kohaku = NHK's big New Year's Eve song special)
31AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:45
Re: #28 Not happening unless they're suddenly a better singer than Danbara.
29AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:44
Starting next year Juice is doing an arena tour, so the stage will be bigger too — no problem even if the headcount goes up.
30AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:45
These two will probably get promoted somewhere next year, I bet.
33AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:46
They should just disband Angerme and start a Juice little-sister group with Nagano as leader — in that case these two would be strong candidates.
34AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:47
Doesn't matter which group they join — starting next year it's all just going to be Juice=Juice Main, Juice=Juice Musume.27, and Juice=Juice Side Unit anyway.
35AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:47
Angerme's genuinely looking like it's headed for disbandment.
36AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:48
Next year's skill assessment (Hello! Project's internal evaluation test) will be a top battle between Nemoto and Kishida. Angerme's following the same pattern Morning Musume did — of the Nemoto/Kishida audition pair, only one of them actually gets in.
38AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:49
For Ocha, the real question is whether they can bring in new members and still make it work.
39AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:53
I really want Yamamoto and Saito to go to Juice.
42AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:54
Appealing to Juice, which has no open slots, hides which group they actually want to join — a clever bit of info warfare to stop the agency from deliberately doing the opposite.
43AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:55
Ocha Norma's down two members, just give them there.
45AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:57
Watch their TV appearances and you'll see 11 is already almost too many. Shows like Kawalab only fit 7-8 people, and with 12 you'd have to start doing senbatsu (select-member lineups). Plus middle-schoolers come with a lot of restrictions that make them hard to use.
46AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:57
Why hasn't Ocha brought in new members yet? It's about time, isn't it.
56AnonymousNov 10, 2026 14:03
Re: #46 I kind of feel like the gyaru vibe makes it hard to fit in there. But if they are going to add someone, I think it'd be better to do it while Saito — who seems like she'd dote on a kouhai — is still around.
47AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:58
Juice is a group of unique personalities, so as long as you've got some special skill or standout trait, you're good. Blend in with the seniors and your skills will grow faster than trainees in other groups.
49AnonymousNov 10, 2026 13:59
They'll get used to reinforce whatever's weakest, so they're getting sent to Angerme.
51AnonymousNov 10, 2026 14:00
Re: #49 Angerme's got Yoshida for skill and Sakamoto for visuals.
50AnonymousNov 10, 2026 14:00
They're already letting Nina do whatever she wants.
Background and Key Points of This Topic
Juice=Juice currently has 11 members and is one of Hello! Project’s flagship groups, known for concerts at arena scale. For a trainee to join a group, it usually requires either an existing member’s graduation or an expansion of the roster, so this post doesn’t confirm an actual addition — it’s just an “appeal” made on social media. Meanwhile, groups like Morning Musume and Angerme have had relatively small rosters in recent years, which tends to fuel talk of generational turnover and lineup changes. The “Angerme disbandment theory” and predictions about where the trainees will end up, as raised in the thread, are purely fan speculation and not based on any official announcement. One point readers can easily get wrong is that a “we’re close friends” post between trainees doesn’t automatically mean a formal addition to a group — reactions in the thread were split between hope and skepticism.
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