Category: Idols

  • Juice=Juice’s Instagram Hits 210,000 Followers — 5ch: ‘Nearly Matching Morning Musume’s Numbers’

    On 5ch’s Hello! Project board, a thread took off after Juice=Juice’s official Instagram account passed 210,000 followers. The jump came just over two months after a previous thread reported it hitting 200,000, and it now puts the group almost level with Morning Musume.’26, whose count of 212,000 was posted around the same time. Commenters pointed out that individual members’ personal accounts, like Haruka Kudo’s and Maria Makino’s, actually beat the group’s official account, and someone posted year-by-year data tracking Morning Musume’s official account since its 2018 launch. The discussion ranged over how fast the numbers were climbing and the overall scale of Hello! Project’s social media presence.

    2AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:11
    ※Previous thread
    Juice=Juice's Instagram follower count has hit a whopping 200,000!!!!!!!!!!
    https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1784682728/1

    1 No Name Yet… 2026/07/22 (Wed) 10:12:08.53 0
    https://www.instagram.com/juice_juice_official
    3AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:20
    They're doing just fine
    4AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:20
    The 'not really viral' geezer says: 'not bus-ing' (a jab via typo — バズ 'buzz' swapped for バス 'bus')
    6AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:26
    Every member reposts it to their own Story, so I'm tempted to just mute all of them
    7AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:31
    Still fewer than Haruka Kudo's or Maria Makino's personal accounts, right?
    9AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:33
    Re: #7
    Loses badly to Makino on TV exposure too
    8AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:33
    Morning Musume.'26's Instagram follower count: 212,000
    10AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:34
    Realistically, if it takes over two months to gain 10,000 followers, is that really 'viral'?
    11AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:35
    Still more than 10x behind the top Hello! Project OGs
    12AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:37
    So there's still plenty of room to grow, then
    13AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:39
    Why are =LOVE fans using Makino to flex, and Runo too?
    14AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:39
    Steady, steady follower growth

    Dec 2018 Launch
    Dec 2019 134,000
    Dec 2020 177,000
    Dec 2021 197,000
    Dec 2022 200,000
    Dec 2023 204,000
    Dec 2024 209,000
    Dec 2025 207,000
    Sep 2026 212,000
    15AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:41
    Re: #14
    What an achievement — a whopping 15,000 more followers in five years
    18AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:47
    Re: #14
    Hello! Project's fandom operates on such a low bar it's almost funny — iLiFE!, formed in 2021, has 370,000 followers despite posting almost nothing but promo photos
    And on Twitter they just keep leapfrogging back and forth with 'Furuppa' too
    20AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:49
    Re: #14
    Thought 'there's no way Juice=Juice's growth curve looks like this'… oh wait, that's Morning Musume
    16AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:43
    Ten of them have personal accounts, so the group account's basically a NEET (it exists but doesn't really do anything)
    17AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:45
    Re: #14
    Compare this to Juice=Juice's growth curve, please
    19AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:47
    Musume. 212k
    Angerme 144k
    Tsubaki 84k
    BEYOOOOONDS 113k
    Ocha 57k
    Rosy 31k
    21AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:51
    Yonemura's personal account has 45,000 followers while the group only has 57,000
    The group account won't grow unless people get interested in the unit itself ('hako'), not just individual members
    22AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:53
    Re: #20
    Juice=Juice has gained 100,000 followers since I (old 2ch slang: 'ore/me') started watching
    23AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:55
    If there's a personal account, that's good enough, isn't it
    25AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:59
    Excerpt from a log taken at the end of last September

    Sorted by follower count, Hello! Project members only
    9/1/25 9/30/25 Change Posts
    207,286 206,950 -336 26 Morning Musume.'25
    143,656 143,475 -181 7 Angerme
    128,463 129,398 +935 20 Juice=Juice
    105,848 105,836 -12 12 BEYOOOOONDS
    79,323 79,317 -6 4 Tsubaki Factory
    51,243 51,484 +241 1 OCHA NORMA
    21,522 22,228 +706 36 Rosy Chronicle
    52AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:20
    Re: #25
    So it was already climbing before the 'more' clip? (idol slang: a photo/video where a member looked unusually flattering)
    26AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:00
    Checked Nihei's account — 196,000 followers
    27AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:01
    There are probably exactly about 200,000 people on Earth who care about Hello! Project
    28AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:02
    Angerme really hasn't grown at all, huh…
    29AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:02
    Re: #18
    It's not even your achievement, so bragging about it here just gets a 'huh, okay' from me
    There's always someone above you and someone below you — that's just how the world works
    Thanks to the 'more' clip, Juice=Juice gained roughly 100,000 followers across YouTube and other social platforms, but there's still a long way to go
    30AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:05
    Isn't Morning Musume's growth way too slow? Have they even been posting properly?
    31AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:05
    For Morning Musume and Angerme, just not losing followers counts as lucky — feels like they're doing fine
    32AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:07
    YouTube also gained about 100,000 since the 'more' clip, so it's probably roughly 100,000 new 'at-home' fans (online-only supporters who don't attend events)
    Wonder how many of them will actually go as far as joining the fan club and showing up to events
    33AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:11
    TikTok's grown the most — about 160,000 new followers since the 'more' clip
    59AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:21
    All those new followers are active accounts, so it means something very different from Musume's 210,000
    That shows up in things like their higher like/engagement counts too
    66AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:25
    I wonder if there's any way to actually analyze how many of these are active accounts

    Background and Key Points

    Underlying this thread is an informal tally some 5ch users keep of official social media follower counts for each Hello! Project group. In the log from late last September posted as comment #25, Morning Musume was in the low 200,000s while Juice=Juice was only in the 120,000s — a substantial gap — which suggests that reaching 210,000 now represents a sharp jump in a short span. Commenters repeatedly mention the ‘more’ clip as the trigger for the follower surge, but the thread never explains exactly what event this refers to, and it can’t be pinned down from the material in this article alone. There’s also a split between those who treat the raw follower count as proof of rising popularity and those who argue that how many of those new followers are genuinely ‘active’ accounts is a separate question — a point plain numerical comparisons can’t settle. The fact that personal accounts like Haruka Kudo’s and Maria Makino’s outdo their own group’s official account is likewise a recurring topic within the Hello! Project fandom.

    ※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “Juice=Juice’s Instagram follower count has hit a whopping 210,000!!!!!!!!!!“.

  • ANGERME Disbandment: “Nothing But Upside” — 5ch: “Tamenaga and Shimoinoya Would Just Transfer Elsewhere”

    On the Hello! Project subforum, a thread listing out the “pros and cons” of ANGERME disbanding got lively. Against arguments for the upside — saving on personnel costs, less wasted hall space — came a steady stream of replies naming the downside: other members like Tamenaga and Shimoinoya transferring into different groups. The conversation eventually drifted into comparing 2026 attendance figures, lining up every group from Nogizaka46’s 500,000 down to ANGERME’s 90,000, sparking a side debate over which groups actually sell out their shows. An unconfirmed claim that the group is “apparently disbanding next year” was also dropped into the thread.

    1AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:16
    The upside of ANGERME disbanding
    ① All of ANGERME's personnel costs go away entirely
    ② No more wasted hall bookings, so every group can tour at an appropriate number of dates and venue size
    2AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:17
    Motchi could stage a comeback in another group, like Reirei did (member nicknames)
    3AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:19
    The downside
    Tamenaga and Shimoinoya transferring into other groups
    6AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:20
    Re: #3
    The unpopular ones would just retire outright, wouldn't they
    48AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:49
    Re: #3
    Wouldn't everyone except Nagano just retire?
    4AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:19
    Re: #1

    Nogizaka46 2026 attendance → 500,000

    Equal Love 2026 attendance → 360,000

    FRUITS ZIPPER 2026 attendance → 200,000

    CUTIE STREET 2026 attendance → 180,000

    Morning Musume. 2026 attendance → 150,000

    Juice=Juice 2026 attendance → 100,000

    ANGERME 2026 attendance → 90,000 ←←←←←←← RIGHT HERE
    5AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:20
    Re: #4
    Morning Musume. and ANGERME have zero sold-out shows between them, so that number's pretty weak
    17AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:35
    Re: #4
    Hey, come on
    It's obvious you're actually hyping ANGERME up while pretending to knock them down
    They don't even belong on that list
    They're out of their league, you troll — out of that 90,000 capacity, how many tickets did they actually move?
    Probably like 50,000, right?
    9AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:25
    You're forgetting the most important point
    ⑥ It would save Hirayama, Gotou, and Nagano
    14AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:34
    Re: #9
    Might actually work out nicely if they built a new group centered on those three and pitted it against Juice=Juice
    20AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:40
    Juice=Juice got pushed so hard, yet it all went to waste and they never broke through with the general public — why is that?
    Maybe it came down to which group they were slotted into — would it have gone differently if they'd been folded into Momusu instead?
    31AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:42
    Re: #20
    Dumb troll
    Wrong thread, buddy
    24AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:41
    Not trying to badmouth anyone here, but…
    Rather than keep patching things up by working sick members past their limits, wouldn't it be better for everyone to scrap the group once and transfer the healthy members out individually?
    45AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:46
    Re: #24
    So it'd be the healthy ones, Tamenaga and Shimoinoya, transferring in…
    28AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:41
    Juice=Juice is washed up ("owacon" — over/finished as a topic)
    Everyone's completely sick of them
    29AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:41
    Re: #21
    Juice=Juice, who actually sell out, should get some venue capacity carved off from Morning Musume. and ANGERME, who never sell out at all
    39AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:43
    Re: #29
    Juice's in the red anyway
    46AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:47
    Re: #29
    Counting on you, Kagawa's REGZAM Hall (a regional arena — likely a jab about a low-capacity tour stop)
    32AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:42
    Seriously, this
    Juice=Juice and Morning Musume. haven't sold out
    50AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:49
    Would this be the first time a group with a graduation/new-member induction system has ever disbanded?
    51AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:49
    Momusu's autumn tour has

    The fewest shows and smallest total capacity of any autumn tour ever
    The fewest shows and smallest total capacity of any graduation tour ever, too
    And on top of that, it's the new members' first time joining the lineup
    53AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:50
    Re: #51
    LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
    52AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:50
    Re: #36
    If you can't read Japanese, just admit it already
    57AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:51
    Re: #56
    Knew it, you really can't read it
    62AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:54
    Re: #57
    The "Moremi went viral" theory just collapsed completely LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
    https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1790488371/
    64AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:57
    Re: #62
    Guess you didn't go to school much, huh
    Posting off-topic stuff doesn't do any damage to the other person, you know
    58AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:52
    Takeo just can't hide that he's a Momusu hater after all (poster's handle)
    59AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:52
    Before you even get to "trolls are dumb," this one's clearly got a problem with basic Japanese
    60AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:52
    So this thread's also nothing but posts from the same Asahi Net connection, huh lol (implying one person posting repeatedly from a single ISP)
    61AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:52
    This troll keeps chanting "Juice, Juice" and shifting the goalposts every time the thread gets inconvenient for them
    65AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:58
    7 billion views — CUTIE STREET: a second wave of buzz in Korea drove the number way up
    6 billion views — FRUITS ZIPPER: the veteran members keep adding to the total
    5 billion views — CANDY TUNE: the sheer destructive power of their "Baibai Fight" viral hit
    8.7 billion views — Chotokimeki Sendenbu: thanks to having multiple viral songs
    700 million views — Juice=Juice: and this is supposed to get them on Kohaku? LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
    66AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:20
    Heard this from someone connected to the group — apparently ANGERME is disbanding next year
    68AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:28
    Why haven't they disbanded already? Just give it up already, they're in the way

    Background and key points of this discussion

    Comparing groups’ momentum using “attendance figures” is a long-running style of debate among Hello! Project and underground idol fans — worth noting is that these aren’t official numbers from management, but self-reported or estimated figures fans bring to the table themselves. The attendance and “sold out” claims for each group in this thread are 5ch users’ own tallies, not official agency announcements. Likewise, the line claiming the group is “apparently disbanding next year” is just an anonymous post claiming insider knowledge — no official announcement has been confirmed. What makes this thread stand out from typical idol-disbandment coverage isn’t whether the disbandment itself is warranted, but a more personnel-reshuffle-minded question: if it happened, which group would each member move to, and would that transfer be a win or a loss for the group receiving them.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “ANGERME disbanding would apparently be nothing but upside.”

  • ANGERME Fans Vow Boycott Until Agency Stops Overpushing Juice=Juice — 5ch: “I’m Not Showing Up to Shows”

    On a 5ch thread (Japan’s largest anonymous message board, the successor to 2channel) where Hello! Project fans gather, a poster claiming to be an ANGERME fan declared a boycott of the group’s management agency, vowing not to attend any more “genba”* (fan slang for live shows/events) until the company stops its “gori-oshi”* — aggressively over-promoting — of labelmates Juice=Juice. The complaint stems from a perceived imbalance: Juice=Juice has reportedly been favored lately with TV appearances and larger Christmas-event venues, while ANGERME’s own tour has been playing to visibly empty seats. The thread quickly filled with pushback, with several posters pointing out that ANGERME itself went through its own heavily-promoted era in the past — turning the discussion into a broader argument over which Hello! Project group actually gets the star treatment.

    1Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:03:49.95
    41 Anonymous 2026/09/27 (Sun) 12:58:36.11 0
    From an ANGERME wota* (idol-fan slang for "otaku") to the sh*tty agency:
    As long as you keep hard-pushing 'More-mi'* (a mocking nickname for Juice=Juice), I'm not setting foot at a single show — so heads up.
    2Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:04:46.97
    ANGERME had its own era of being relentlessly pushed too, you know.
    Or is it still going on?
    4Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:06:51.90
    Sorry, but was there ever a time ANGERME was actually a big seller?
    6Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:07:30.12
    So what if one single guy stops showing up?
    This just ends with a 'huh, okay' and nothing more.
    7Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:07:39.22
    Hey, sh*tty agency —
    is it really fine that hard-pushing Juice
    is leaving ANGERME's halls empty?
    8Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:07:57.37
    Did the hard-push era for 'Oinaisa'* (an unclear nickname, possibly referring to a past ANGERME member or era) just get memory-holed?
    Convenient how selective that is.
    10Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:08:28.14
    Forget all that, go do something about Musume.* (shorthand for Morning Musume) instead.
    11Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:08:47.31
    You never actually went to shows in the first place — you're a 'zaitaku'* (home-based fan who never attends events) to begin with.
    13Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:09:11.63
    It's not just Juice fans —
    Tsubaki Factory, BEYOOOOONDS, and OCHA NORMA fans all think the same thing:
    it's such a waste that ANGERME plays half-empty halls all over the place.
    14Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:09:20.64
    I wish the agency would just put ANGERME wotas out of their misery already
    — make the brave call.
    15Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:10:54.31
    This right here is exactly why people avoid ANGERME.
    18Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:13:27.53
    Do ANGERME wotas seriously think it never happened that they got handed an oversized hall for the fall tour — a textbook hard-push if there ever was one?
    45Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:42:56.80
    Re: #18
    Because they genuinely believe the empty halls are happening despite NOT being hard-pushed.
    19Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:13:29.95
    Do you have any idea how much red ink ANGERME has cost the agency?
    20Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:13:52.19
    Honestly, isn't this tour basically the agency 'wakarase'-ing* (fan slang for punishing someone into 'understanding their place') the ANGERME members?
    21Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:14:02.82
    So that's why ANGERME's shows are empty.
    What conviction.
    23Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:15:06.34
    They only got on Venue101 as a tie-in booking* ("bater," a package deal riding on another act's contract) with Juice,
    and before that they'd never even appeared on NHK's Shibuya no Oto — so this was their first time in that slot in 12 years.
    No way you can call that 'not being sidelined.'
    66Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:47:02.35
    Re: #23
    They got a collab cafe as a tie-in FOR ANGERME too, lol
    78Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:49:32.80
    Re: #23
    Juice's own stage was dead empty, so what else could they do?
    24Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:15:14.02
    If anything Juice isn't being pushed hard ENOUGH —
    they can't even get booked into the right-sized venues.
    68Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:47:31.68
    Re: #24
    That's because they were unpopular in the past.
    26Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:16:16.52
    Realistically, handing Juice every single one of ANGERME's venues still wouldn't be enough.
    Be grateful you even get to run a half-empty tour at all.
    73Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:48:27.04
    Re: #26
    Juice had fewer hall bookings up to now BECAUSE they were running losses, lol
    28Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:17:22.24
    If OP quits being a fan, ANGERME's down to like 5 wotas total.
    31Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:20:57.95
    'I'm boycotting ANGERME until you stop pushing Juice=Juice'
    — so the 'wolves'* (a nickname for ANGERME's fanbase) have finally come to this.
    32Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:23:44.85
    Just treat everyone equally.

    You don't have to push ANGERME, just stop freezing them out.

    How much longer are you gonna keep 'wota-nagashi'-ing* (funneling fans from one group toward another)?

    I only care about ANGERME, there's no way I'm getting funneled anywhere else.

    Sideline ANGERME and I'm gone — canceling my fan club membership too!
    33Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:24:55.12
    The Christmas event hall is the same size as Lord Juice's, lol
    Bigger than Lady Morning Musume's even, lol
    How much more favoritism do you need?! And they don't even sell tickets!
    Meanwhile everyone else keeps selling out because their venues are too small.
    34Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:30:34.04
    Ah, so THAT'S why the ANGERME tour is so empty.
    37Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:34:28.40
    ANGERME wotas really are like their 'keepers'* (self-deprecating idol-fan slang, likening fans to pet owners) — always quick to publicly air their feelings.
    38Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:35:09.48
    Why does ANGERME have so many fans like this?
    41Anonymous2026/09/27 (Sun) 13:38:40.15
    Re: #38
    Because it's ANGERME.

    Background and Key Points

    Hello! Project runs several idol groups in parallel at any given time — currently including Morning Musume., ANGERME, Juice=Juice, Tsubaki Factory, BEYOOOOONDS, and OCHA NORMA — and disputes over which group gets TV slots, cross-group collaborations, or larger tour venues have flared up among fans periodically for years. As several posters in the thread note, ANGERME itself went through a period of being the group accused of receiving preferential “gori-oshi” treatment, leading some to frame this boycott as simply a reversal of roles. It’s worth flagging that claims in the thread about “empty halls” and the agency “running losses” are not official figures — they reflect individual posters’ impressions and secondhand claims on an anonymous board, not disclosed ticket sales or financial data from the talent agency. Likewise, the “boycott” is the stated position of a single anonymous poster; nothing in this thread confirms it reflects an organized fan movement.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “[Sad News] An ANGERME fan declares a boycott until the agency stops overpushing Juice — also hurls abuse at the agency.”

  • Rio Sakurai: “Moon-Viewing Cream Puffs Remind Me of Last Fall’s Rough Patch” — Hello! Project Fans Look Back

    After Morning Musume。’25 member Rio Sakurai remarked that “seeing moon-viewing cream puffs reminds me of the rough patch we went through last fall,” a thread sprang up on the Hello! Project board to look back at what exactly happened during that period. Posters pointed out that at the time, the fall tour overlapped with Rock in Japan and the Shanghai show dates, and on top of that, Rio Kitagawa had her activities restricted over “that incident,” while Rena Yokoyama’s ability to perform stayed up in the air until the last minute due to poor health. The thread was split over which factor was really at the core of the “rough patch.”

    1AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:56
    Speaking of fall…
    Okamura → sweet potatoes
    Sakurai → moon-viewing (cream puffs)
    2AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:57
    Her bar for "rough" is set so low it's almost touching
    5AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:57
    The Beard Papa moon-viewing cream puff she ate during the hard times
    6AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:58
    Re: #5
    Oh wow, that looks tasty
    7AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:58
    The Wendy's burger with mochi tucked inside that Homatan trashed, saying "it tastes better if you eat the parts separately"
    https://wendys-firstkitchen.co.jp/newsimg/6a82711171ead-1.jpg
    10AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:59
    Real talk: the fall tour, Rock in Japan, and Shanghai all overlapped
    11AnonymousSep 27, 2026 12:00
    The Wendy's jasmine latte Homatan raved about
    https://wendys-firstkitchen.co.jp/menuimg/68ff3528a565d-1.png
    https://wendys-firstkitchen.co.jp/menuimg/68ff34ef86480-1.png
    13AnonymousSep 27, 2026 12:00
    The out-of-stock notice for the sweet potato mochi balls Homatan ate five times

    Wendy's First Kitchen
    @FK_PR
    【🙇 Out-of-Stock Notice 🙇】
    Our "#SweetPotatoMochiMochiBalls" have been a huge hit, and orders have far exceeded what we expected, so we're currently out of stock.
    To everyone who made the trip to a store only to find none left… we're truly sorry 😭💦
    We're rushing to prepare more ingredients right now! We'll post another update on this account as soon as they're back.
    http://pbs.twimg.com/media/HR6HXnsbQAAK3di.jpg:orig#.jpg
    6:30 PM · Sep 11, 2026
    14AnonymousSep 27, 2026 12:00
    Because everything kept getting shuffled around depending on whether Kitagawa would show up or not
    15AnonymousSep 27, 2026 12:01
    That mochi burger looks good
    http://pbs.twimg.com/media/HTCkC4masAAPHAo.jpg:orig#.jpg
    20AnonymousSep 27, 2026 12:04
    A burger with mochi stuffed in it — feels like you'd gain a kilo the second you finish eating it
    22AnonymousSep 27, 2026 12:05
    Oda, who's been in the group 14 years, said last September was the toughest it's ever been
    24AnonymousSep 27, 2026 12:06
    I laughed when Football's Gotō pointed it out, but
    the Wendy's logo really is a dead ringer for Ikue Sakakibara (lol)
    26AnonymousSep 27, 2026 12:07
    Kitagawa says whatever she wants these days, so the current members should feel free to speak up too
    27AnonymousSep 27, 2026 12:08
    Re: #26
    That'd end up being aimed at Makino, not Kitagawa
    35AnonymousSep 27, 2026 12:14
    Kitagawa meant to take part and even did rehearsals, but ended up not performing after all
    Yokoyama was in and out due to poor health, with nobody sure if she'd perform until the last minute
    36AnonymousSep 27, 2026 12:14
    Ah, so that was the period when things kept getting decided and then scrapped because of that girl
    37AnonymousSep 27, 2026 12:15
    Yokoyama, who doted on her, left the group
    and Kitagawa, who also doted on her, ended up in that whole mess
    of course she'd end up worn down
    39AnonymousSep 27, 2026 12:17
    Unlike some idol somewhere who's melting down over a recent flame war, Kitagawa herself was fully up for performing
    41AnonymousSep 27, 2026 12:34
    Re: #39
    I wanted to see Riorio brush off the flaming and the insults and shut everyone up with a killer performance
    40AnonymousSep 27, 2026 12:31
    Yeah, she did say Shanghai was rough
    44AnonymousSep 27, 2026 12:37
    And yet Eripon had said she wanted her at the graduation concert
    46AnonymousSep 27, 2026 12:40
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HTAwb_haMAAA9WB.jpg
    47AnonymousSep 27, 2026 12:40
    Because if she performed, she'd shut the haters up
    Maybe that girl's strategy of not even giving her the chance was the right call after all
    50AnonymousSep 27, 2026 12:42
    If the agency had gone so far as reinstating her and getting her to turn down her job offer, she could've become a role-model case study for the 18th gen too, and the group would've grown even more than it has now
    67AnonymousSep 27, 2026 13:26
    Re: #50
    If there'd been plenty of senior members still thriving after graduation, maybe she wouldn't have gone job-hunting at all, but…
    57AnonymousSep 27, 2026 12:56
    Makino boycotted it, didn't she
    59AnonymousSep 27, 2026 13:02
    Re: #57
    It was poor health

    【Hello! Station】Morning Musume。's dance lesson video! Rio Kitagawa's there! Rena Yokoyama's there! Akane Haga's there! Marii Makino is NOT there! ← this is lmaooooooooo
    https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1766011465

    Background and Talking Points on This Topic

    During this stretch, Morning Musume。 was carrying a double dose of instability: Rio Kitagawa had her activities restricted following a scandal, while whether Rena Yokoyama could perform stayed unclear right up to the last minute due to health concerns. On top of that, the fall tour overlapped with Rock in Japan and the Shanghai show, reportedly making things physically punishing on the ground as well. In the thread, voices pinning all the chaos on Kitagawa’s absence clashed with those writing it off as her being “selfish,” though there’s also word that Kitagawa herself intended to perform but wasn’t able to join rehearsals — meaning it can’t be boiled down to a simple cause and effect. Speculation also surfaced that Marii Makino’s absence was a “boycott,” but other threads have already confirmed it was due to poor health. Sakurai herself only ever said it was a “rough patch” without naming any specific events, so whether the thread’s guesses actually match what she meant remains unclear.

    ※This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “[Mystery] Rio Sakurai: “Seeing moon-viewing cream puffs reminds me of last fall’s rough patch” ← Did something actually happen with Morning Musume。 around then?“

  • Rosy Chronicle’s Kobe Show Draws a Sparse Crowd, Sparks Buzz on 5ch

    The thin turnout at a release event held by Hello! Project’s new group Rosy Chronicle at Kobe Harborland has become a hot topic on 5ch’s Hello! Project board. Photos showing the back of the venue nearly empty were posted one after another in the thread, sparking comparisons with the packed crowd at a same-day event held by senior group Juice=Juice. Some criticized the agency’s decision to rush the group’s debut, while others pointed out that drawing a crowd at a distant venue is inherently difficult, complicating any simple popularity comparison.

    1AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:06
    Going Solo to Rosy Chronicle's 4th Single Free Live Circuit — 'Cause the Future's the Strongest☆☆☆ [09/20–11/07] Part 2
    291 Anonymous Recruiting… 2026/09/27 (Sun) 11:04:01.29 0
    Here's about how many people showed up to yesterday's third Harborland session
    6AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:09
    Tsubaki Factory and Ocha Norma are about the same, honestly
    8AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:10
    Juice=Juice's festival was proportionally like this too —
    everything past the halfway mark was empty
    10AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:12
    Re: #6 Re: #8
    Why are you lying?
    22AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:16
    Makuhari (☂) — spacious and comfortable
    Seibuen (☂) — spacious and comfortable
    Kobe (☂) — spacious and super comfortable

    And next up, Shiodome
    54AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:25
    Re: #22
    Shiodome's gonna be hell, other fandoms' otaku show up there too
    23AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:16
    Juice
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HEjYS2taAAAATJq.jpg
    27AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:16
    Re: #23
    Looks the same to me
    25AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:16
    Isn't photography banned here?
    29AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:17
    Re: #25
    The members haven't come out yet
    28AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:16
    Juice=Juice
    https://stat.ameba.jp/user_images/20260329/20/juicejuice-official/12/91/j/o1080069115765717468.jpg
    https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/2038119911059488768/vid/avc1/1920×1080/0ROAl9P4D8u0AwKt.mp4
    30AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:17
    Re: #28
    Yeah, that's impressive lol
    39AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:19
    Re: #28
    This reminds me of when Wink came to Suma Patio (a local shopping mall)
    121AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:46
    Re: #28
    Took Juice=Juice 13 years to get here. If Rosy keeps at it, they'll surely get there too
    43AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:20
    50AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:23
    Re: #43
    Wow, that's impressive — there's more people here than at Juice=Juice's
    46AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:21
    That's because Harborland itself is a ghost town
    118AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:45
    Re: #46
    Nah come on, there's a ton of people there
    49AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:22
    It's because this place is far away.
    If it'd been in Osaka they'd have drawn twice as many
    85AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:36
    Re: #49
    Since the free 2F area has a better view of the stage than the priority section here at Tenmi, I bet the priority section's turnout looks even more brutal
    51AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:24
    53AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:25
    Don't let this get you down, members — you're working hard.
    This is on the agency for debuting you with no gimmicks or push behind it
    61AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:28
    Re: #53
    They hadn't even hit debut-level quality in the first place, but once they said 'within the year,' they had no choice but to debut them lol
    65AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:31
    I don't think their skills are that far behind the senior groups,
    but building a fanbase from scratch is rough
    71AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:33
    Re: #65
    I think they're quite a bit worse honestly
    66AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:31
    Even so, the otaku fans apparently worked hard to sell out 2,000 copies, three separate times, right?
    69AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:32
    Re: #66
    Maybe like 150 people buying 40 copies each? That's some effort
    67AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:32
    Is there even a point doing this with so few people showing up?
    Both the members and the handful of otaku wear themselves out, and all that's left in the end is emptiness
    74AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:33
    Re: #67
    Apparently if you grind through 220 shows on the road, you get to play the Budokan
    88AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:37
    Re: #67
    If they follow Juice=Juice's example and push through a 220-show death road, the Budokan reward awaits
    75AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:34
    Re: #71
    As a group, they're actually better than ANGERME
    79AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:35
    Re: #75
    Funny joke lol
    89AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:37
    93AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:37
    Re: #89
    Quit posting AI-generated images
    107AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:42
    Even I — a Hyogo resident who always goes whenever Hello! Project, OGs included, comes to Kobe — didn't go this time
    113AnonymousSep 27, 2026 11:44
    Re: #107
    So you don't 'always' go, huh

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    Rosy Chronicle is a new Hello! Project group that just debuted in 2026, and this Kobe Harborland performance was part of a release event tour running from September 20 to November 7. The thread’s comparison point, Juice=Juice, is a group that — as one post put it — “took 13 years to finally get here,” having formed more than a decade ago, so the gap in drawing power partly reflects the gap in how long each group has been active. That said, turnout is also heavily shaped by whether a venue is indoor or outdoor, the weather, and how close the location is to Osaka or Tokyo — posts in the thread pointed to geographic factors like “it’s far from here” and “Harborland itself is a ghost town” as reasons to be cautious about treating turnout as a simple measure of popularity. The remark that “220 shows on the road gets you the Budokan” refers to the long regional tour Juice=Juice ground through before reaching their Budokan performance, and reads as a call for the new group to walk that same path.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “[Sad News] Look at the Turnout for Rosy Chronicle’s Release Event at Kobe Harborlandlolololololololololololololololol.”

  • AKB48 and Comedy Duo Evers Team Up for New Show on NTV Next Spring — 5ch Asks: ‘Are There Even Any Fans Left?’

    At their concert at K Arena Yokohama on the 26th, AKB48 announced a new co-hosted show with comedy duo Evers, set to begin airing on Nippon TV next spring. The two are already running a YouTube series called “AKB48 no Zenryoku Entame Gakuen” (AKB48’s All-Out Entertainment School), and the terrestrial TV show is essentially an extension of that project. Reactions on 5ch were mixed: some welcomed the “promotion” of a YouTube-born project to broadcast TV, while others questioned whether AKB48 still has the name recognition or demand to justify it, and opinions were split on how good Evers actually are as hosts.

    On the 26th, AKB48 held “AKB48 THREE CONCEPTS LIVE in K-Arena Yokohama” at K Arena Yokohama.

    Near the end of the show, it was announced that a new program co-starring comedy duo Evers would begin airing on the Nippon TV network next spring.

    The group currently runs a YouTube channel called “AKB no Su wo Dasu Channel” (The Channel Where AKB Shows Its True Colors), where they broadcast “AKB48 no Zenryoku Entame Gakuen” together with Evers. The chemistry between hosts Evers and the AKB48 members has gone over well with fans on both sides. Now the powerhouse pair is stepping up to a new challenge together.

    Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

    2AnonymousSep 27, 2026 08:18
    I don't get what's supposed to be funny about Evers.
    4AnonymousSep 27, 2026 08:21
    Re: #2
    Their manzai (stand-up comedy routine) is genuinely funny, but they're total rookies when it comes to hosting.
    6AnonymousSep 27, 2026 08:23
    Are Bad Boys (the comedy duo) ever making a comeback?
    22AnonymousSep 27, 2026 08:49
    Re: #6
    FYI, they're Fukuoka-based comedians, but they've got zero popularity or name recognition even back home in Fukuoka.
    67AnonymousSep 27, 2026 10:28
    Re: #22
    Even Fukuoka got swallowed up by Gori Para (the "Gori Para Live" comedy show). Wonder what Bad Boys are even doing these days.
    7AnonymousSep 27, 2026 08:24
    Thanks to Itomomo (a member's nickname), AKB just keeps clawing its way back into the spotlight.
    8AnonymousSep 27, 2026 08:24
    Bringing it to network TV means they're seriously going all-in on this push. Enough already with the Akimoto-produced idol groups.
    10AnonymousSep 27, 2026 08:26
    Is there even demand for this? Are there still fans (otaku) left?
    11AnonymousSep 27, 2026 08:28
    Wait, seriously? I got into it through Evers and it was actually fun. Though I haven't watched much since the relaunch.
    12AnonymousSep 27, 2026 08:30
    Machida going full serious mode totally kills the vibe, lol — as Nagano (the comedian) would say.
    14AnonymousSep 27, 2026 08:36
    Wasn't the buzzcut guy the one who said he wants to date an idol?
    15AnonymousSep 27, 2026 08:37
    Can they really compete with Bananaman and Audrey's Sawabe under Sony's talent-agency dominance?
    17AnonymousSep 27, 2026 08:44
    The time has come for AKB to rule the idol world again!!

    Nogizaka is finished.
    18AnonymousSep 27, 2026 08:44
    Don't forget about Woman Rush Hour (the comedy duo)!
    19AnonymousSep 27, 2026 08:47
    AKB48 → official rival ← Nogizaka46 → official rival ← Boku ga Mitakatta Aozora ("The Blue Sky I Wanted to See")

    Wait, what does "official rival" even mean lol
    20AnonymousSep 27, 2026 08:48
    Re: #1
    They're both washed up lol. Honestly surprised AKB is still even a thing.
    27AnonymousSep 27, 2026 08:56
    Evers gives off a bit of a harassment vibe that makes me cringe. Feels like a comedian act from 20 years ago.
    32AnonymousSep 27, 2026 09:00
    Boku Ao ("Boku ga Mitakatta Aozora") has a dark history — once Choco Planet took over as MCs, it got so unpopular the show was cancelled almost immediately.
    57AnonymousSep 27, 2026 10:12
    Re: #32
    Boku Ao was such a disaster, it's honestly kind of sad.
    39AnonymousSep 27, 2026 09:16
    NTV's late-night slot belongs to Kuwabata Rie.
    51AnonymousSep 27, 2026 09:51
    Has AKB been getting pushed hard again ever since their "national-treasure face" center showed up?
    70AnonymousSep 27, 2026 10:32
    Evers' actual comedy material is funny though.
    75AnonymousSep 27, 2026 10:44
    Re: #70
    The funny-man (boke) of the duo just isn't built for unscripted talk segments.

    Background and Key Points of the Discussion

    This new show follows a pattern common in recent Japanese variety programming: grow a concept on YouTube first, then bring it to terrestrial TV once it’s proven itself. The AKB48-Evers pairing looks like a broadcast expansion built on the strong audience response to their existing YouTube series, “AKB48 no Zenryoku Entame Gakuen.” The main point of disagreement in the thread centered on AKB48’s current drawing power — posters who remember the group’s original heyday voiced skepticism, while fans who discovered the show via YouTube reacted more favorably. On Evers, commenters drew a distinction between their skill as a manzai duo and their ability as TV hosts: separate from their popularity as a comedy act, the debate was really about whether they’re seasoned enough to host a terrestrial broadcast. Worth noting that specific details about the show’s content and cast lineup weren’t disclosed as of the original article, so much of the thread’s discussion remains speculative.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[TV] AKB48 x Evers’ New Co-Hosted Show to Begin Airing on Nippon TV Next Spring — Well-Received Duo Takes On Variety.”

  • Tsubaki Factory Divides Fans: Live-Band Guitar Solos and Excessive Fan Calls Spark Debate

    Tsubaki Factory’s live shows sparked two hot debates at once on the 5ch Hello! Project board — the “band problem” and the “call problem.” At shows featuring live band arrangements, some fans cooled on hearing a live guitar solo from “some guy we don’t know,” while others fired back that “it’s sad to have a sensibility that can’t enjoy music,” leading to a debate where neither side really engaged with the other. At the same time, some pointed out that the sheer intensity of the fan calls (kakegoe) might be scaring off new fans, turning the discussion into a broader question of what “getting hyped” at a live show should even look like.

    1AnonymousSep 26, 2026 22:46
    The Topics: The "Band Problem" and the "Call Problem"
    3AnonymousSep 26, 2026 22:48
    >If you actually want Tsubaki to bring in new fans, they seriously need to rein in the calls.
    The otaku are so loud it's grating on the ears.

    Too many people act like they came to shout the calls, not to watch the live show — it's obnoxious.
    8AnonymousSep 26, 2026 22:50
    Re: #3
    Louder than "Moremi" (fan nickname, exact reference unclear)?
    16AnonymousSep 26, 2026 22:53
    Re: #3
    That's underground-scene energy — the mentality of fans acting like they're the main act.
    6AnonymousSep 26, 2026 22:49
    >I was shocked to see people saying they hate the band-arrangement shows.
    Guess these are people who just like idols and don't actually like music~
    It's honestly sad to have a sensibility that can't enjoy music…
    Don't worry, I'll enjoy it and cry for you instead 😭
    10AnonymousSep 26, 2026 22:51
    Re: #6
    You mean metalheads (lit. "Met" — shorthand for Metallica fans)?
    18AnonymousSep 26, 2026 22:54
    Re: #6
    If that's the case, there are way better music scenes out there than Hello! Project.
    67AnonymousSep 26, 2026 23:46
    Re: #6
    If anything, it's precisely because they listen to music that the sparse, stripped-down band arrangements are hard to take.
    9AnonymousSep 26, 2026 22:51
    >I don't like the band-arrangement shows because they change the original songs.
    I'm paying money to see the idol I like, so watching some random guy's guitar solo just isn't fun for me — that's all.
    And then I get told I "can't enjoy music" or that I'm just a "nonsensical person," lol
    14AnonymousSep 26, 2026 22:53
    I thought the band arrangement of "Pas de Deux" was trash, but the flamenco arrangement of "Teion Yakedo" ("Low-Tone Burn") was amazing — so I guess in the end it really just comes down to the quality of the arrangement.
    15AnonymousSep 26, 2026 22:53
    Re: #8
    Juice=Juice's and Rosy's are way more obnoxious.
    17AnonymousSep 26, 2026 22:54
    Re: #8
    That's just call-and-response filler anyone can join in on.
    19AnonymousSep 26, 2026 22:55
    Tsubaki's calls aren't even that big a deal.
    20AnonymousSep 26, 2026 22:55
    @Tsubaki's calls weren't demanded by overzealous fans — the members themselves came up with the calls at events and even made tutorial videos for them. Through repeated release events, they built the calls together with the fans, which is why they feel so unified. Thanks to the members' effort, the live shows became something that gets hyped across a wide variety of setlists.
    21AnonymousSep 26, 2026 22:56
    Having to enjoy some random middle-aged guy's guitar solo is exhausting.
    22AnonymousSep 26, 2026 22:57
    I can't find any post that's actually blowing up like that at all.
    23AnonymousSep 26, 2026 22:57
    If you don't like the calls, just don't come — simple as that.
    24AnonymousSep 26, 2026 22:57
    I'm so curious about King I can't stand it — gonna go check things out at Budokan myself.
    30AnonymousSep 26, 2026 23:04
    Re: #24
    Heads-up, King doesn't even have a solo part.
    25AnonymousSep 26, 2026 22:57
    Otaku who love the calls just keep piling more on top of the vocals, making it more and more complicated.
    If sheer numbers make something "right," then sure, it's right.
    26AnonymousSep 26, 2026 22:58
    That's fine, it just means new fans are coming in, right?
    34AnonymousSep 26, 2026 23:05
    >Isn't this guitar solo basically the same as the original song?
    I figured we'd get an even longer guitar solo than the original, so I was kind of let down.
    So I guess the real issue is more like "point the camera at the idols, not the player."
    But honestly, the members doing air guitar all look like they're having fun and it's cute — if I were actually there, I'd probably be watching them anyway.
    36AnonymousSep 26, 2026 23:10
    Re: #34
    It's cringe when the band guy starts showing off his own ego.
    35AnonymousSep 26, 2026 23:07
    >Of course they only like the idols — it's an idol group, lol.
    Just like people who like bands listen to bands, people who like idols simply like the music as idol music.
    We're enjoying it with good looks as a bonus, so quit pulling this "chin kishi" (lit. slang for a guy who fake-poses as a pure music lover to seem above it all) move pretending you're purely into the instruments.
    46AnonymousSep 26, 2026 23:18
    Re: #35
    So defending the band guys now makes you a "chin kishi"?
    37AnonymousSep 26, 2026 23:11
    Just going to hear Kasai and Yokaze sing is worth the price of admission alone.
    41AnonymousSep 26, 2026 23:14
    Re: #37
    Well, they still can't beat the top vocalists from other groups on that front.
    43AnonymousSep 26, 2026 23:16
    Kasai and Yokaze are the top vocal duo no matter where they go.
    49AnonymousSep 26, 2026 23:21
    Re: #43
    Sure, in your head-canon maybe.
    47AnonymousSep 26, 2026 23:20
    It's not even that long, so just sit through some random guy's guitar solo already.
    52AnonymousSep 26, 2026 23:23
    Re: #47
    As entertainment though, those 10 seconds just tank the whole vibe.
    70AnonymousSep 26, 2026 23:50
    Just watched "Tsukiyo no Pas de Deux" on YouTube — Akiyama can really sing too lol
    82AnonymousSep 27, 2026 00:02
    Re: #70
    I'm not even an Akiyama fan, but I think she's the best singer in Tsubaki right now.

    Background and Key Points of This Debate

    Band-format idol shows have become fairly common on the Hello! Project scene in recent years, and the live guitar solos and arrangement changes that come with a real band can clash with fans’ expectations of a faithful reproduction of the original song. This clash boils down to a mismatch between the “can’t you enjoy music?” camp and the “I came here to see the idols” camp — it’s less a matter of one side being right and more a difference in live-show culture. As for the other flashpoint, the excessiveness of the calls, it’s easy to overlook — as pointed out in post 20 — that the members themselves originally came up with and cultivated the calls, so it’s not simply a case of “fans running wild.” You could describe it as a structure where a performance choice made by the performers (the band) and a response culture built by the audience (the calls) have each grown bigger at the same time, raising the question of how well the two now fit together.

    ※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Tsubaki Factory’s SNS Is Buzzing Like Never Before lol.”

  • AKB48’s Momoka Hasegawa Rejoins After 5 Years — 5ch: ‘So It Was Real After All?’

    On September 26, 2026, AKB48 unveiled four new 22nd-generation trainees at a concert held at K Arena Yokohama, and among the names was Momoka Hasegawa (19), who had previously served as Team 8’s Fukushima representative before withdrawing from activities in March 2021. Because her departure back then came abruptly — ending just two days after she’d stepped down as center — 5ch lit up with surprised comments like “I was sure that was a fake story.” Meanwhile, other posters in the thread pointed out several past cases of AKB group members leaving and later returning through a different slot, arguing that this rejoining isn’t without precedent.

    coki, 09.26.2026

    On September 26, 2026, AKB48 unveiled four new 22nd-generation trainees at a concert at K Arena Yokohama in Kanagawa.

    Among them was the name Momoka Hasegawa (19), who had served as Team 8’s Fukushima Prefecture representative since 2019 before withdrawing from activities in March 2021.

    Source: coki.jp / Original article here

    9AnonymousSep 26, 2026 18:01
    Thought this might be a publicity stunt, but honestly the gap's way too long for that
    11AnonymousSep 26, 2026 18:04
    Huh, so 'rejoining' is actually a thing that happens
    20AnonymousSep 26, 2026 18:22
    Re: #11
    Ayaka Kikuchi came back once too
    25AnonymousSep 26, 2026 18:23
    Re: #11
    Hitomi Komatani: AKB 1st gen → SDN 3rd gen
    Hana Toshima: AKB 1st gen → SDN 3rd gen
    Ayaka Kikuchi: AKB 3rd gen → AKB 7th gen
    Mika Saeki: AKB 4th gen → "Baito AKB" (part-timer AKB)
    Sara Fujimoto: AKB 4th gen → AKB 9th gen
    Satomi Muranaka: AKB 4th gen → AKB 8th gen
    Shihori Suzuki: AKB 7th gen → AKB 11th gen
    Nanami Nishikawa: AKB 8th gen → Nogizaka46 2nd gen
    Eriko Jo: NMB 2nd gen → NMB 4.5th gen
    Saori Katsumata: "Baito AKB" (missed the following 2nd AKB Draft Conference) → AKB Draft 3rd gen
    Momoka Hasegawa: Team 8 Fukushima 3rd gen → AKB 22nd gen
    13AnonymousSep 26, 2026 18:10
    This is it

    AKB48 Team 8's Momoka Hasegawa Announces End of Activities ★A Two-Day Reign
    https://kako.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/akb/1616769859/147
    15AnonymousSep 26, 2026 18:17
    So it was real after all, I was dead sure it was fake
    16AnonymousSep 26, 2026 18:18
    Probably won't sell, and can she even keep up with members younger than her?
    18AnonymousSep 26, 2026 18:21
    Got showered with attention but couldn't find anything else to keep the spotlight on herself, so back she comes
    19AnonymousSep 26, 2026 18:21
    Itomo and Hasemomo — the momo-momo combo (a pun: both members' nicknames end in "momo")
    22AnonymousSep 26, 2026 18:22
    This is rough for the 17th-gen-and-later members — a junior who's suddenly their senior (lol)
    29AnonymousSep 26, 2026 18:27
    Turns out she's an exact same-generation member as that (notorious) Fukudome
    31AnonymousSep 26, 2026 18:29
    Probably just a stopgap gig until she signs with Cent Force (a talent agency)
    32AnonymousSep 26, 2026 18:30
    Still got the photos saved, but posting them would feel like digging up old wounds, so I'll pass
    33AnonymousSep 26, 2026 18:34
    Isn't this the first time in AKB history someone's quit and then come back through a full rejoin?
    36AnonymousSep 26, 2026 18:41
    Re: #25
    Wasn't 8th gen basically all problem children or something?
    44AnonymousSep 26, 2026 18:51
    Re: #36
    Not all of them were problem children, but none of them ever got promoted to full member before quitting
    45AnonymousSep 26, 2026 18:54
    Re: #44
    Nah, none of 8th gen took lessons seriously — Togasaki himself said they were all satisfied just getting to use the AKB name
    65AnonymousSep 26, 2026 19:27
    Re: #45
    Lmao nothing but problem children
    52AnonymousSep 26, 2026 19:06
    Figured she'd use the beauty pageant and AKB as stepping stones to becoming a TV announcer — guess she was way more attached to being an idol than that
    55AnonymousSep 26, 2026 19:11
    Re: #52
    It's just a stopgap until she becomes a TV announcer. If that doesn't pan out, it's Cent Force (talent agency)
    68AnonymousSep 26, 2026 19:32
    She was at that Budokan show last year where all the OGs (former members) got together, right?
    69AnonymousSep 26, 2026 19:34
    Re: #68
    Probably being there made her want to be an idol again
    72AnonymousSep 26, 2026 19:38
    So her penance is done? Guess that's fine by the group's standards
    76AnonymousSep 26, 2026 19:43
    Re: #72
    Well, there wasn't a dating scandal involved, so maybe that's why she's in the clear

    Background and Key Points

    AKB48’s Team 8 launched in 2014 as a project built around one representative from each of Japan’s 47 prefectures, and as commenters in the thread note, it’s known for having many members end their activities without ever being promoted to regular member status. This article doesn’t reveal the specific reason Hasegawa withdrew from activities in 2021, so the thread’s speculation shouldn’t be taken as established fact. It’s also worth noting that most of the “return after leaving” examples listed in the thread involved moving to a different unit or slot entirely — such as SDN48 or the AKB Draft Conference — which is a different situation from Hasegawa’s case, where she fully ended her activities before coming back as a trainee within the same group.

    *This article was compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “AKB48’s Momoka Hasegawa Rejoins After 5 Years — The Full Story from Her Center Withdrawal at 14 to Becoming a Trainee “From Scratch”.”

  • Juice=Juice YouTube View-Count Ranking: 4 of the Top 10 Thumbnails Are Karin-chan

    On 5ch’s Hello!Project board, a thread popped up about which Juice=Juice YouTube videos have racked up the most views. Thanks to the buzz around their recent hit “Moreme” (盛れミ), songs from five or even ten years ago have been getting bumped down the rankings one after another — and since 4 of the top 10 videos have Kirari Miyamoto (“Karin-chan”) as the thumbnail, some commenters declared “Karin-chan’s on top.” Meanwhile, tracks by Sayuki Takagi and Ruru Danbara also keep pulling in solid support, and some praised how members from every era are landing a balanced spread across the rankings.

    3AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:28
    I'm a new fan thanks to "Moreme" (someone even typo'd it as "Leaked-mi"), but Karin-chan's got my attention
    6AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:29
    Re: #3
    No way anyone like that actually exists
    4AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:28
    With the momentum "Moreme" has built up over the past few months, it feels like the 5- and 10-year-old videos are getting steadily crowded out
    5AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:28
    Mifuu Kawashima: "Look at the number-one me~♪"
    7AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:29
    I'm a new fan via "Moreme," but hearing that the copy-paste spam troll is a Karin-chan fanboy has completely trashed my image of Karin-chan
    9AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:29
    This is one of those threads where, for some reason, the guy posting from Asahi Net keeps dodging any mention of Kago Channel's view counts
    12AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:30
    Karin-chan's 7 years got overtaken in an instant
    13AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:30
    Apparently Miyamoto Karin is currently at 100% of 100%, so if she doesn't break out now, she never will
    15AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:31
    Re: #13
    Guess "Moreme" burned that down to ash in an instant…
    14AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:31
    I don't think it counts as a top-tier work until it clears the "Takagi Wall"
    16AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:32
    If Aoi-chan hadn't been in the picture, Takagi's smoking-hot body would've taken 5th place
    19AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:34
    You could put together a whole best-of album just from the songs ranked above Takagi
    20AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:35
    Why new fans have zero interest in Karin-chan
    22AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:37
    Of these, only 4 songs made it into the current tour's setlist: Moreme, Purabura, Kurakura, and Burabare
    with "Bitansan" (微炭酸, "Faint Fizz") rotating in as the extra pick each show
    24AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:38
    Do you know who Miyamoto Karin-chan is?
    41AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:52
    Re: #24
    I've only heard her name mentioned here
    I still don't know what she's actually like
    25AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:40
    The top rankings mostly make sense, but I didn't realize "Suki tte Itte yo" (Say You Love Me) was this popular
    30AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:43
    Re: #25
    "Pop Music" and "Suki tte Itte yo" also got a pandemic-era boost
    26AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:41
    Kurakura's probably going to overtake "Iji," right?
    If so, the only Tsunku song left in the top 10 will be "Romance"
    29AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:42
    Re: #26
    Don't need Tsunku
    28AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:41
    Miyamoto basically got killed by "Moreme"
    32AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:45
    Well, of course —
    she's someone who survived the cutthroat entertainment industry
    and came out on top of it,
    so when she does a solo YouTube stream,
    you can feel the showbiz killer instinct radiating off her,
    and watching it gives me cold sweat more than joy
    33AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:46
    One old song that's suddenly getting views lately is "Potsuri to" — it hadn't moved an inch before, no idea why. Among Morning Musume's (娘.) old tracks, "ONLY YOU" is picking up views too
    67AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:19
    Re: #33
    Because they're doing it on tour
    — I only just found out there was an MV for it myself
    34AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:47
    "Tokyo Blur" is my favorite
    42AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:52
    Re: #34
    Same here for me
    though if "Moreme" hadn't blown up this big, it might've ended up being my favorite instead
    54AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:02
    Re: #42
    Docking points on something just because it went viral? That's just old-guard gatekeeping
    36AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:49
    If you only listen to the audio, Miyamoto sounds like Gomaki (Goto Maki)
    37AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:49
    The impact of Sayuki Takagi's first photobook
    38AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:50
    4 of the top 10 have Karin-chan thumbnails, so Karin-chan's on top
    39AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:51
    Serves them right, all those people who were hyping this group up as "the Avengers"
    49AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:56
    Having a good balance of the Miyazaki era, Kanazawa era, Uemura era, and Danbara era all ranking well is about as ideal a structure as you could ask for in a group meant to keep going
    The saying "Juice=Juice is the best no matter the era" isn't an exaggeration at all
    68AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:21
    Re: #49
    Yeah, that really is a good balance

    1. Danbara
    2. Danbara
    3. Miyazaki
    4. Kanazawa
    5. Miyazaki
    6. Miyazaki
    7. Kanazawa
    8. Uemura
    9. Uemura
    10. Miyazaki
    11. Danbara
    12. Uemura
    13. Danbara
    14. Danbara
    15. Miyazaki
    16. Takagi
    50AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:56
    A few of these are kind of odd choices, so let's just pump out new songs nonstop and make every thumbnail one of the current 11 members!
    51AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:58
    Miyamoto, radiating Thanatos (the death drive)
    Okuhara, radiating Eros (the life/love drive)
    56AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:04
    Re: #51
    Who's Okuhara?

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    Within Hello! Project, Juice=Juice members are grouped and referred to by “era” based on when they joined — the Kanazawa era, Miyazaki era, Uemura era, Danbara era, and so on. Karin Miyamoto, whose name came up in the thread, graduated from the group in 2020 and now works as a solo artist — she is not a current member. The skew pointed out in the thread — “4 of the top 10 have Karin-chan thumbnails” — reflects a phenomenon where a viral new song drives viewers back to catch up on older releases on YouTube, and doesn’t necessarily reflect the popularity of the songs themselves. The fact that new and longtime fans gravitate toward different members is also a sign of the group’s ongoing generational turnover.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello!Project board) thread “[Images] Juice=Juice’s YouTube Channel Top-Viewed Videos wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.”

  • Former AKB48 Member Maria Abe (30) Announces Marriage & Pregnancy — 5ch: “She Was Cute When She Joined”

    Former AKB48 member, model, and TV personality Maria Abe (30) announced her marriage and first pregnancy via Instagram on the 26th. She revealed that she is marrying “a non-celebrity partner she has been dating for some time,” along with the news that she is expecting her first child. On the 5ch “Geinou Sports Breaking News+” board, the thread quickly filled with puns riffing on how her name evokes the hymn “Ave Maria,” while users who remembered her from AKB48’s general-election boom years shared nostalgic comments like “She was in the group during the peak election-craze era” and “She was cute when she joined.” Others, however, questioned whether the topic warranted its own thread at all, saying things like “Don’t start a thread over some no-name talent.”

    Sat, Sep 26, 9:37 AM

    Former AKB48 member, model, and TV personality Maria Abe (30) announced her marriage and first pregnancy via Instagram.

    She posted a statement titled “An Announcement.” “This is a personal matter, but I wanted to share that I will be marrying a non-celebrity partner I have been in a relationship with for some time,” she wrote, announcing her marriage. She also revealed her first pregnancy, adding, “I would also like to share that I have been blessed with a new life.”

    Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

    5AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:57
    Yeah, yeah, I see exactly what's going on here
    7AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:57
    Dunno if it's her real name or a stage name, but imagine having a name like that
    10AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:57
    Had no idea who she was, so I looked her up — turns out she's huge and working steadily in Taiwan
    11AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:58
    She was cute when she joined, huh
    https://video.fc2.com/ja/content/20220228U77Wdv4z
    12AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:58
    Well, as far as novelty acts go, that's basically the ideal life lol ("iromono" = a gimmick/oddball entertainer, not a mainstream idol)
    14AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:58
    If she takes her husband's surname, does that mean she's no longer 'Ave Maria'?
    15AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:59
    Re: #2
    At 30, a shotgun marriage (getting married because she's already pregnant) is honestly about the best outcome
    17AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:59
    I know 'Abe Mario' (a pun mashing up former PM Shinzo Abe and Mario), but never heard of this person
    19AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:00
    First time hearing of her, even with such a memorable name for an AKB member
    20AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:00
    Sounds like a manga character's name
    Ave Maria
    22AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:01
    At this point she should just give birth in a manger
    That's what I'd do
    55AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:22
    Re: #22
    And it'd be even funnier if she caught flak from every direction for it
    24AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:01
    What's with this 'her partner is an ordinary person' line


    You're an ordinary person too, buddy
    34AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:05
    Re: #24
    For what it's worth, she's from the AKB general-election boom era — she's an actual working talent
    32AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:04
    That name almost sounds blasphemous to Christianity
    36AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:06
    How do people like this even make a living
    39AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:07
    Don't make a thread over some no-name talent.
    41AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:08
    It's a stage name, right? lol

    Don't tell me it's real?? lol lol
    42AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:09
    Former AKB member
    Apparently there've been like 1,400 of them total

    I was a fan for a while and even I couldn't name 100
    43AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:10
    Wasn't there an old-school actress with a similar name too?
    44AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:12
    For I am the Virgin Emperor (slang for a lifelong virgin), and so
    whenever I encounter news such as this,
    sorrow overtakes me, and tears trace down my cheeks
    47AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:15
    Re: #44
    Is 'Virgin Emperor' basically short for 'Emperor of Virgins'?
    45AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:14
    If you followed AKB during the boom years, you'd know her name — she was that kind of member
    Not like today's obscure underground idols, she's in the same tier as Mayuyu (Mayu Watanabe) or Yuko Oshima
    50AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:19
    If she's got a big build, she doesn't tend to be popular with the otaku crowd
    52AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:20
    So both her and the guy are just ordinary people, right?
    Feels like this didn't even need to be news
    59AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:26
    'Ave Maria' —
    sounds just like the Virgin Mary's name
    63AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:31
    I wonder if her AKB classmate Iriyama is still in Mexico
    66AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:32
    Re: #63
    She was in 'Gavan' (a Mexican reboot of the tokusatsu show 'Space Sheriff Gavan'), right? As one of the main cast
    70AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:36
    She was in AKB during its absolute peak, and even saying she wanted to model, the work just never came
    Well, that says it all
    73AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:39
    Felt like she was around ages ago, but she's still only 30
    76AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:41
    Re: #73
    Members like Ami Maeda joined really young, that's why
    74AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:39
    Aaaaaaaaa-be Maaaaaaaa-riiiiiiiii-aaaaaa (an elongated shout of her name)
    75AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:40
    Who on earth gave her a stage name that sounds like a joke…
    Everyone would think of it, but everyone would also steer clear of it on purpose
    78AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:44
    Wasn't she in the same class as the 'Fresh Lemon' unit or something?
    81AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:49
    Yuki Kashiwagi's basically an old lady in her 40s now
    Maria Abe, from that same era, was still young back when she was in the group
    84AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:57
    Just remembered I shook her hand at the all-member handshake event for 'Sayonara Crawl' (an AKB48 single)
    85AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:58
    Is she gonna insist it's an immaculate conception?
    87AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:04
    Isn't 'Ave Maria' in the hymn just 'Hail Mary,' not like 'Maria Avenue'?

    Background and Talking Points

    Maria Abe was a member of AKB48 during the height of the group’s general-election frenzy, and the thread showed a split between users who instantly recognized her name and those who had no idea who she was — a reflection of just how uneven the “peak AKB48” experience was depending on a fan’s generation and level of devotion. The main draw of the thread was the coincidence that her name, Maria Abe, echoes the hymn “Ave Maria,” which set off a wave of puns and “immaculate conception” jokes; it’s worth noting these were wordplay riffing on the name itself rather than attacks on her looks or character. Meanwhile, comments questioning “why report this if her partner is just an ordinary person” reflect a broader, recurring gripe with how celebrity marriage news habitually describes the non-famous partner as “a civilian” — a phrasing this kind of story draws criticism for again and again.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou Sports Breaking News+) thread “Former AKB48 member Maria Abe (30) announces marriage & pregnancy: ‘I have been blessed with a new life’ — partner is a non-celebrity.”