Hello! Project is a massive idol collective made up of more than ten groups, including Morning Musume。, Juice=Juice, Angerme, and Tsubaki Factory. In recent years Juice=Juice has pulled ahead of the pack through music-show appearances and viral buzz on social media, while other groups’ exposure has reportedly stagnated. Discussion kicked off on 5ch’s Hello! Project board with a post claiming the “gap between groups is getting brutal.” Voices blaming the agency’s management clashed with counterarguments that it simply comes down to hit songs and differences in ability, with commenters citing members like Moe Kamikoryo — who hasn’t landed a spot on a major music show despite ten years in the group — as evidence of the disparity.
What are we even supposed to do about this…
https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1788561611/
Maybe some new fans drawn in by flattering promo shots are trickling their way over.
The way things are going now is bound to tank morale for the other groups' members — that's definitely not good.
Before that, shouldn't they focus on actually making a hit song first?
Angerme's just falling off on its own.
These garbage bait threads just keep getting worse lol
They should be building toward it over the next three years or so.
IDOL RUNWAY COLLECTION Supported by TGC
@idolrunwaycolle
《IRC 2026 A/W Supported by TGC》
❤FASHION STAGE Performer Announcement❤
From Juice=Juice (@JuiceJuice_uf)
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Arisawa Ichika
Ishiyama Sakura
Inoue Reon
Irie Risa
◢
Confirmed to appear in the fashion show!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HRR-ESuagAA9hxo.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HRR-ES-bQAAp5CP.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HRR-ESubEAA8sgu.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HRR-ES6aEAAdxkk.jpg
6:00 PM · September 4, 2026
Isn't that just how it's supposed to be? Morning Musume。should be the flagship.
Sounds like a Johnny's fan jealous of EBiDAN, going "let's go back to the era when Johnny's ruled everything."
Everyone else can stick to underground-idol-tier activity.
The rest need to put the work in first.
I think Tsubaki's "Hina-z" (nickname for the group's younger members) need to polish up a bit more before they're TV-ready.
BEYOOOOONDS could probably do it right now.
She was actually on CDTV once — just during the dead-of-night slot of the New Year's Eve live.
She joined knowing full well she might never get those appearances, so it's not really an issue.
What's sad is the future Hello! Project hopefuls who look at JJ right now, get the wrong idea, and aim for the group expecting the same.
For some reason we Hello! Project fans always kind of assumed that if Hello! Project ever hit it big, every group would blow up together lol
Seriously lol. And I never in a million years thought it'd be Juice=Juice of all groups.
I thought only Morning Musume。would ever even get a shot at making it big.
That proved even that graveyard slot could turn into a real opportunity.
They're holding auditions like just anyone can join Juice=Juice.
They'll probably just get shuffled off to the trainee program anyway — kind of rough, honestly.
Guess it's nice that everyone got swallowed up by Juice, huh.
Rosy Chronicle is basically Juice=Juice's dedicated in-house opening act.
With more big venues coming up, they'll get plenty of chances to open.
Feels like that kind of goodwill is what leads to the next booking.
If you don't know, don't post lol
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
Hello! Project is home to more than a dozen groups, and in recent years Juice=Juice has been raising its profile through music-show appearances and viral buzz on social media. Meanwhile, groups like Morning Musume。, Angerme, and Tsubaki Factory reportedly haven’t achieved the same level of exposure, and the thread saw frustration and defense swirl around that gap. The debate splits largely into two camps: one questioning whether the agency is deliberately favoring Juice=Juice, and the other arguing the difference simply comes down to results — hit songs, view counts, and the like. Those in the latter camp point to how a clip from a late-night CDTV New Year’s Eve live went viral as evidence. One thing readers might easily get wrong is that booking on shows like CDTV isn’t decided by the agency alone — the show’s own casting choices play a role too, which is why some in the thread pushed back with “shouldn’t they just make a hit song first?” It’s also worth noting the case of Moe Kamikoryo, who spent ten years in the group without landing a spot on a major music show — a fact often cited as background for this whole gap debate.
※This article excerpts and summarizes the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “[Urgent] Hey, isn’t the gap within Hello! Project getting worse and worse?.”
