Category: Idols

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

*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.”

A thread on 5ch’s Hello! Project board titled “Back then, I honestly liked Ami Suzuki more than Ayumi Hamasaki, Hikaru Utada, or Morning Musume” drew responses from the generation who lived through the idol-wars era around 1998. Opinions on her singing were split — “she was cute, but her singing was bad” versus “she got better once she grew up” — and posters also recalled the CD sales of the time and the era’s mood, summed up as “produced by Tetsuya Komuro = the real deal, produced by Tsunku = a novelty act.” Rather than a simple popularity contest, the interesting part this time was how differently people explained WHY they liked her.

*This article was excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Back then, I honestly liked Ami Suzuki more than Ayumi Hamasaki, more than Hikaru Utada, more than Morning Musume lolololololololololol.”

Hello! Project trainee Yuna Aoki referring to herself as “Ao-King” in an official SNS post from the trainee management account has become a hot topic on 5ch’s Hello! Project board. The thread mainly revolved around the backstory of the nickname — some pointed out she’d already been using it since around a June concert, others found it amusing since multiple Hello! Project members already go by “King” nicknames (like Suzu-King), and some claimed the nickname actually originated on a specific message board. Speculation about which group she might eventually be promoted to was also a big part of the buzz.

Hello! Project Trainee Manager@kenshusei_uf

Good morning☀ Good afternoon🌞 Good evening⭐

It’s Ao-King👑, aka Yuna Aoki, yo👍

Source: helloproject.com / Original article here

※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “Hello! Project trainee Yuna Aoki declares herself “Ao-King” LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL“.

Hello! Project’s BEYOOOOONDS-starring stage play “TIME REPEAT” (Theatrical Girls’ Division) has sold out every performance, including the fan-club presale. Perhaps as a backlash to how highly acclaimed the previous production was, reports flooded the Hello! Project board on 5ch that even general-sale tickets vanished within minutes. Opinions in the thread were split over whether the fan-club presale lottery is really fair, and whether stage plays — a medium where reserved seating should in theory make it easier for new or female fans to get in — are in practice just being filled up by the same die-hard fanbase.

Kokumin Kyosai coop Hall / Space Zero Affiliated Performance — Theatrical Girls’ Division “TIME REPEAT”

Source: helloproject.com / Original article here

*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “[BEYOOOOONDS-Starring Stage Play] Theatrical Girls’ Division “TIME REPEAT” Sells Out Every Performance.”

Hello! Project idol group Juice=Juice formed in 2013 and is now in its 13th year, but a 5ch thread split into opposing camps after a new fan posted, “I don’t know the 13-year history, but the current 11 members are definitely the best.” Critics asked how someone could call the current lineup “the best” without knowing the group’s past songs and former members. In response, some pointed to modern circumstances — like YouTube’s search function getting worse, making old footage harder to track down — while others defended the fan, saying “of course you think the moment you discovered them is the best.” Meanwhile, some longtime fans posted comments revealing more complicated feelings.

※This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “New moremi fan: “The 13-year history? Don’t know it, but the current 11-member Juice=Juice is definitely the best! Nobody should ever graduate” ← this.”

NHK General TV’s “Utacon” (airing September 29, 2026) has announced that Morning Musume。’26 will appear in the “Genki Uta” (Feel-Good Songs) segment alongside veteran stars like Itsuki Hiroshi and Ishikawa Sayuri, performing their signature hit “LOVE Machine.” Since the slot features their classic 1999 hit rather than a new single, 5ch’s Hello! Project live-discussion thread saw a mix of sarcasm (“So they only get called up for the oldies specials?”) and defenses (“Just be grateful they got a slot at all”). The thread also buzzed about the group’s chances of appearing at the year-end Kohaku Uta Gassen special, and compared their popularity to fellow Hello! Project group Juice=Juice.

Utacon

Genki Uta! Itsuki, Ishikawa, Iruka, Shimazu, Leon, Cho Tokkyu

Genki Uta! “YOUNG MAN” performed as a collab between Niihama Leon & Cho Tokkyu. Morning Musume。’26 performs “LOVE Machine.” ▽ Miyama Hiroshi sings Sen Masao’s “Yuyake Gumo,” a song that brings back memories of his early days in Tokyo. SHOW-WA covers Tulip’s “Kokoro no Tabi.” Shimazu Aya performs “Funauta,” the famous song by fellow Kumamoto native and senior singer Yashiro Aki! Hosted by Taniyama Shosuke (First broadcast: Tuesday, September 29, 2026)

Source: web.nhk / Original article here

*This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “[Shocking] Morning Musume。’26 to Perform ‘LOVE Machine’ of All Things on Next Week’s “Utacon” (NHK General) wwwwwwwwwwwwwww.”

On 5ch’s Hello! Project board, a discussion broke out over the stark difference in stage set lavishness shown on the Hello! Project TV program “Hello Sta,” comparing tour stages. The original poster asked why Morning Musume’s set — ahead of Oda Sakura’s graduation tour — looked more extravagant than Juice=Juice’s, even though Juice=Juice is said to be the agency’s top earner. The thread expanded from arguments over staircases and lighting design to comparisons of venue capacity for the fall 2026 tours, with points like “Morning Musume mainly plays big halls, Juice=Juice mainly plays small halls” and “Juice=Juice actually has a higher average capacity per show” complicating any simple ranking of which group is doing better.

4AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:41

Don't go pulling a half-empty show (gara-con) with a set this fancy

9AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:46

Re: #4
Whoa, those stairs even have a handrail

30AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:10

The set for top earner Juice=Juice


The set for Hello! Project flagship Morning Musume

34AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:13

Re: #30
Juice doesn't even get a raised platform?
Aren't they supposed to be the best-selling group in Hello! Project?

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Watched today’s Hello Sta and man, why does Morning Musume’s set look fancier than Juice=Juice’s?“

A thread kicked off with the post “I think around 157cm is the best height for a female idol,” and 5ch users dove into a debate over their preferred heights. The discussion soon moved from opinions to hard numbers, with posters naming specific members and even posting average height data for each Hello! Project subgroup. Juice=Juice, at 162.05cm the tallest group on average, was pointed out to also be one of the most popular — a fact that shook the very premise that “shorter is better.” Opinions split between those rooting for a height “you just want to protect” and those who felt that, for a professional performer, such heights are simply too short.

*This article was compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “I think around 157cm is the best height for a female idol.”

Idol group Juice=Juice member Risa Irie posted on her blog on September 25, 2026, writing, “Today we all did our best to get up early.” Her morning activity — coming in the middle of a packed schedule with a live show in Kyoto the day before and one in Fukuoka the next day — became a hot topic on 5ch, sparking a wave of salary speculation such as “She’s probably making seven figures a month (in yen)” and “On top of a base salary, there’s a bonus too.” Rumors even surfaced that bonuses are handed out in cash-stuffed envelopes, and the thread stayed lively with the truth left unconfirmed.

A Fulfilling Day — Risa Irie

2026-09-25 20:07:58

Today we all did our best to get up early 🐢

Source: ameblo.jp / Original post here

※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “[Breaking] Juice=Juice members at it again — working from the morning, all of them wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.”

It was announced on the official X account that BEYOOOOONDS will be the October guest on “Toshihiko Takamizawa’s Delicious Music, Beautiful Meals.” The show is a regular BS Asahi program hosted by THE ALFEE’s Toshihiko Takamizawa, built around pairing music guests with food. On 5ch’s Hello! Project board, there was a brief mix-up over whether the broadcast was terrestrial TV or BS Asahi, along with calls for Angerme and Tsubaki Factory to get similar opportunities, and lively chatter tying the appearance to past collaborations with THE ALFEE’s Kōnosuke Sakazaki and Masaru Sakurai.

“Toshihiko Takamizawa’s Delicious Music, Beautiful Meals”

October guest lineup announced! 🎸

BEYOOOOONDS’

Source: x.com / Original post here

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “BEYOOOOONDS TV Appearance Confirmed ｷﾀ━━━━(ﾟ∀ﾟ)━━━━!! (“It’s here!!”)“.