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The story
Juice=Juice’s Misaki Ebata wrote on her blog, “Through the end of the year and into 2027, I’ll keep aiming higher, same as always,” sparking a wave of reactions on 5ch’s Hello! Project board. Coming right after the group missed out on NHK’s Kohaku Uta Gassen (Japan’s New Year’s Eve song contest), the thread turned into a mix of encouragement and harsh takes. Some defended her, arguing that “if Juice=Juice hadn’t been a hit, Hello! Project itself might have folded around its 30th anniversary,” while others weighed in on the group’s internal pecking order, hopes for future lineup changes, and praise for her improved singing.
Thank you so much to everyone who comes to see us looking forward to Juice=Juice’s music, who listens to our songs, watches us on TV, or checks out our SNS ☺
I want to keep delivering the best music to everyone going forward.
Through the end of the year and into 2027, I’ll keep aiming higher, same as always.
Source: ameblo.jp / Original post here
What people said
Is the Hello! Project scene really that far down in the dumps?
Apparently they were building a bridge to Hello! Project Island.
I think Up-Front (the agency) and some Hello! Project fans just keep looking down instead of up.
Like they've gotten too used to flying low.
Of course it's down there.
If Juice=Juice hadn't been a hit, Hello! Project would've disbanded at its 30th anniversary.
You should be thanking Juice=Juice every time you go to a show.
Can't wait to see them at Countdown Japan 💓
It's a small island
not a village
They don't really need to address it, right?
It'd be funny if Angerme suddenly put out a statement about getting cut from Kohaku too — it's the same thing.
They're trashing AKB hard
and complaining to NHK too
Juice=Juice's name is being used as a club to bash AKB, going wild, but who knows if the people doing it are actually Juice=Juice fans
You should really keep in mind that if things hadn't gone so well for them (net slang: "moremi"), Hello! Project and Morning Musume might seriously have shut down within the next year or two.
https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1794582776/
Couldn't Juice=Juice just join M-line Project?
No way that's happening
Irie, who's smart and good with languages, was fluent in Korean again at this summer camp
Eba was hopeless at Korean, though
Inoue exaggerating again, huh (lol)
It's not fluent, more like broken phrases — matches the nuance of what was actually said
I think so too
Honestly I might like her singing more than Reirei's now
It's gotten more polished somehow
Her voice is just too quiet, you can barely hear her
Are you the same person as Re: #85?
Feel free to leave, you know
Island life has its own way of doing things
I'm not Re: #85, but that island was actually scheduled to be torn down in a few years
Thanks to Dambara's side fighting hard against the demolition, the teardown got cancelled
You should be grateful
Her tone isn't for everyone, but her technique has definitely improved
She's been popular for her looks since her trainee days, but I think at her core Ebata is someone who works hard
Background and Key Points
Juice=Juice is one of Hello! Project’s core groups, and Misaki Ebata has been popular for her looks ever since her trainee days, now serving as something of the group’s ace. NHK’s Kohaku Uta Gassen only picks a handful of acts each year, and appearances by Hello! Project groups in general are rare, so missing out isn’t unusual in itself. Still, the thread saw opinions as strong as “If Juice=Juice hadn’t scored a once-in-a-generation hit, Hello! Project itself might have been in trouble around its 30th anniversary,” leading to a split in how posters rated the group’s standing. Meanwhile, talk of “scandals,” friction with other members, or suspicions of hidden ties to other groups were all speculation within the thread, with nothing to back it up. Opinions on Ebata’s singing were likewise divided — some said it had become “more polished,” others complained her “voice is too quiet” — with praise for her improved technique coexisting with criticism of remaining weak points. Debate over the group’s lineup and internal pecking order is a recurring topic among Hello! Project fans, and this snub seems to have reignited it.
*This article is compiled from excerpts and summaries of the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Juice=Juice ace Misaki Ebata: “I’ll keep aiming higher, same as always”.”
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