A thread about the 2026 Hello! Project Song of the Year award appeared on 5ch’s Hello! Project board. The thread title baited readers by suggesting the race had narrowed to a two-way showdown between OCHA NORMA’s “Mata Anata ni~” and Morning Musume’s “Yes ka No ka Watashi ka,” but the thread itself saw many more titles thrown into the mix — “Kurakura,” “Dantotsu,” “Misery,” “Lonely,” “Kareinaru Revenger,” and others — with opinions sharply divided. Juice=Juice’s “Kurakura” in particular drew criticism, with some arguing it was being rated more on the group’s popularity than the song’s actual quality, which sparked a side debate, while others worried that the pool of people voting has been shrinking.
What people said
1AnonymousNov 10, 2026 19:05
As the experts say
2AnonymousNov 10, 2026 19:05
True, those two songs are missing from the list, but it's still a close race.
6AnonymousNov 10, 2026 19:09
Honestly the one that sounds like Rosy's 'Pipipi' is the best.
16AnonymousNov 10, 2026 19:41
You guys were complaining nonstop, but there were actually a lot of great songs this year.
18AnonymousNov 10, 2026 19:45
It's gonna be Kurakura or Kareinaru Revenger anyway.
20AnonymousNov 10, 2026 19:50
Dantotsu
Liar
Naji Ai
Misery
Mappira
Fireworks
21AnonymousNov 10, 2026 19:51
Lonely
I said Mappira, didn't I
'Mata Anata ni' is a joke, don't make me laugh
22AnonymousNov 10, 2026 19:51
Newbies who got hooked by flattering MVs/photos ("more-mi") will probably vote Kurakura or Revenger.
25AnonymousNov 10, 2026 19:54
Yes or Soka (a pun on the song title "Yes ka No ka Watashi ka," swapping in "Soka" — a nod to the Soka Gakkai religious group)
42AnonymousNov 10, 2026 20:02
Re: #25
That's a hellish song.
26AnonymousNov 10, 2026 19:54
How many people are even still participating?
Won't even hit 1,000 votes.
27AnonymousNov 10, 2026 19:56
Personally I like "Burabare" (fan shorthand for a Hello Pro song title), but it doesn't get much love.
30AnonymousNov 10, 2026 19:57
Re: #27
If you like it, that's all that matters — I like it too.
Kurakura is trash though.
44AnonymousNov 10, 2026 20:03
Re: #27
It's actually well-regarded.
The crowd cheers the second the intro hits.
28AnonymousNov 10, 2026 19:56
New fans aren't gonna find their way to some underground corner like this.
Plus it's a hassle.
31AnonymousNov 10, 2026 19:58
Anyone who can't appreciate Kurakura is just being contrarian at this point.
41AnonymousNov 10, 2026 20:02
Re: #31
Contrarian? Ha, going along with the crowd is what's trash here.
Listen to more music.
32AnonymousNov 10, 2026 19:58
If it's not a vote happening on social media, new fans aren't gonna bother showing up.
34AnonymousNov 10, 2026 19:59
Kurakura's fun, but I don't think it's especially better than Juice=Juice's other songs.
35AnonymousNov 10, 2026 19:59
It's gonna be one of Juice=Juice's songs anyway.
37AnonymousNov 10, 2026 19:59
To cut to the chase, I like "Choudai" too.
38AnonymousNov 10, 2026 20:00
Still, it's just a popularity contest at the end of the day lol
39AnonymousNov 10, 2026 20:00
If Kurakura wasn't a Juice=Juice song, it'd be getting way more praise.
40AnonymousNov 10, 2026 20:01
When I was talking with a casual Hello! fan about underground idols and Hello! Project, they raved about Kurakura, so I don't think it's a bad song.
43AnonymousNov 10, 2026 20:03
Factoring in the group's image-building and the sympathy votes, I'd say Misery.
47AnonymousNov 10, 2026 20:16
Dantotsu or Misery.
48AnonymousNov 10, 2026 20:17
Re: #47
Liking Dantotsu is embarrassing — better not say that out loud.
53AnonymousNov 10, 2026 20:20
Re: #48
Dantotsu is dantotsu (far and away the best), obviously.
49AnonymousNov 10, 2026 20:18
Both Lonely and Yes ka No ka Watashi ka are incredibly good songs too, though.
50AnonymousNov 10, 2026 20:18
This time, both by personal taste and by overall song quality, it's gotta be Lonely, no question.
51AnonymousNov 10, 2026 20:19
Lonely's great, right?
Also good that they didn't chase cheap virality given the circumstances.
52AnonymousNov 10, 2026 20:20
Well, Tsunku♂, for better or worse, probably doesn't care about going viral.
Feels like he just writes from whatever inspiration strikes him at the time.
A true artist through and through, the type who couldn't care less if it sells.
56AnonymousNov 10, 2026 20:21
Re: #52
Because he's even more of an "Irresponsible Man" than Hitoshi Ueki (the actor famous for playing the carefree, irresponsible everyman in Japan's classic "Irresponsible Man" film series).
54AnonymousNov 10, 2026 20:21
There hasn't really been a clear "this is THE song of the year" pick so far, so it's obvious Kareinaru Revenger is going to swoop in and take it all right at the end.
55AnonymousNov 10, 2026 20:21
That's exactly why they can throw all their manpower behind it at that timing.
57AnonymousNov 10, 2026 20:21
Re: #53
Better not say that, for your own sake.
Even the Ocha-kasu crowd (nickname for OCHA NORMA fans) would laugh at you for it.
60AnonymousNov 10, 2026 20:22
Re: #57
They're just laughing at your taste, that's all.
58AnonymousNov 10, 2026 20:22
Dantotsu's nice and poppy, but it's such a blatant ripoff of "Kicks" that I can't rate it highly.
64AnonymousNov 10, 2026 20:24
Re: #60
Yeah, sure.
This doesn't look like a gathering of people who actually care about Ocha-kasu's music anyway, so go ahead and say it loud and proud without any shame.
67AnonymousNov 10, 2026 20:25
Re: #64
Well, I guess it's fine if you're the one getting laughed at.
Background and Key Points of the Debate
The “Hello! Project Song of the Year” award is an unofficial fan-run popularity poll held every year — it’s not something organized by the groups’ management. Because of that, the number of votes is inherently limited, and the event is small enough that one poster even predicted it “won’t even hit 1,000 votes.” The disagreement in the thread centered on whether a song should be judged on its own merits or on the popularity of the group behind it, and the debate over Juice=Juice’s “Kurakura” was the clearest example of that split. Commenters also praised songwriter Tsunku♂ for writing from his own sensibility rather than chasing trends, though that’s fan speculation rather than anything Tsunku♂ himself has confirmed. Worth noting too: “Yes ka No ka Watashi ka” is a Morning Musume song and “Mata Anata ni~” is an OCHA NORMA song — details easy to miss if you don’t already know which group sings what.
Leave a Reply