The Final Update (Part 2)
I also want to dedicate one post for HKT48 which is full of potential: there are lots of great unconventional and young members who should turn into stars if they are given the chance to do so. When HKT48 was formed, Akimoto said that he expected them to be useful in 3 years, but they are already full of potential only after a year and a half. Here are my thoughts on some of the HKT48 members.
Haruppi: It looks like she has gained more support among the fans after she lost the center position. However, I'm not sure if that has actually changed the mind of her antis - I believe it has only made her fans noisier. Nevertheless, she's going through a period of time which should define her fate within the group. If she's not able to recreate her character and find a new role in her "demoted" position she is going to face even more trouble. Her inclear articulation is both a blessing and a curse: on one hand it's an endearing trait for some fans, but on the other hand it makes her less reliable in anything that involves speaking. That also makes me more worried about her future beyond her success as an idol - where will she end up? The honest truth is that apart from performing she hasn't made significant enough progress in her work and that has led some fans mistakenly call her "ponkotsu". Calling her "ponkotsu" is misplaced because she is very motivated and tries hard (which is the opposite of what "ponkotsu" actually means). Just reading her Google+ makes one want to support her with all of one's might.
Sakura: Sakura's progress since the last election has been wonderful to follow. She has turned into a genuine professional and I have even seen fans refers to her as "Miyawaki Pro" now and then. Her ability to react is almost on par with Yukirin already (it's funny how the two Kagoshima members provide 48's best reactions). Sakura seems to be the sort of type who can handle any sort of work that comes her way so as long as there's work for her she should be alright. I'm only slightly worried about her loli image. There's not only more competition this time around (Mio), but it's not something she can stick to for a long time.
Natsu: While it's obvious to say that Sakura is amazingly professional, it's often forgotten that Natsu might be even more so. At first she was promoted as HKT48's #2 right behind Haruppi, but after Sakura's success in the election Natsu was pushed back - yet she has grown up even more after that. She's a real jack of all trades: capable of handling all sorts of work and surprisingly you could call her one of the best variety members in HKT. You can clearly see that she puts the most amount of effort into making variety work by memorizing entire scripts even if it is only to help others when someone screws up. She has also gathered quite a lot of attention thanks to her looks and Sasshi even compared her to Yukirin when they appeared on All Night Nippon R. However, she still remains in the dark - a gem waiting to be truly discovered. I keep wishing her chance comes at some point because it would be a pity to see her hard work go to waste.
Shinamon: Initially Shinamon was one of the main variety members in the group and she is still considered one even now, but she's trying to look for a new sort of character right now. Her ability to react was great from the get-go, but recently Sakura has become more famous for that. She was praised for her work in Fukuoka's local variety, but over time Chori, Anya, Marika and other members have surpassed her in that regard. She isn't as good as Wakaharu and Natsumikan in delivering sharp tsukkomi so she wouldn't succeed if she tried to develop into that direction. While it's a shame that she seems to be getting rid of her variety persona (to some degree) I can see that it would be hard for her to compete with others since she doesn't seem to be as ready to do everything she can for variety's sake. She isn't featured that much on Hyakkaten and I guess that can be blamed only on her for not being able to gain screentime. However, she seems to be quite good as a talker and her G+ radio show with Wakaharu is promising.
Aoitan: Aoitan's crybaby character has been a hit recently and I don't think anyone can deny that she is cute in a rarely innocent way. Her mother-daughter relationship with Sasshi is also quite interesting to follow. It's no wonder she remains one of the most popular HKT members even without special promotion, but I don't see much future in store for her if she stays like this. She can't be the cute little sister character for a long time, but it suffices for now.
Natsumikan: I've been surprised by how much Natsumikan has been under focus recently. She certainly has an eye for variety and TV work. Her "boss" character is funny, but it could be a short-lived one. However, that doesn't concern me much when a 12-year-old girl is capable of working just like a semi-experienced comedian already. She has mentioned that she's sort of sad about graduating from primary school because that way she won't receive as much attention as before, but I think her height and character will do that anyway. If I had to bet which HKT member could turn into the next Sasshi, I would put my money on Natsumikan.
Wakaharu: Initially Wakaharu was known as the "member who happens to be the daughter of a famous baseball player". Over time her gradual development has become quite fascinating to follow. Even though she doesn't have the ability to do something ridiculously funny like Chori or doesn't have a set character like Natsumikan, she has her own variety skill that is often referred to as "gaya" in Japanese. Gaya refers to people in the back row who are not used to being the center of attention but instead become moodmakers by shouting comments from the sidelines. I remember reading that even Hakata Hyakkaten's director has praised Wakaharu's gaya and mentioned that she has managed to help the program quite often with that. In fact even for me it was Hakata Hyakkaten that made pay more attention to Wakaharu because her ability for fast and sharp comments from the back row were so frequent - especially during the first episodes.
Meru: The new center certainly doesn't have it easy. She has made new records in how fast she managed to gain a strong anti following. However, unlike Jo who crumbled under the pressure of being new Jurina, Meru seems to be mentally strong enough and actually talented enough to pull it off. She has a truly uncanny habit of coping with pretty much anything - she has done a ridiculous amount of work within her first 6 months as an HKT member. Failing Morning Musume auditions before joining HKT48 has certainly instilled professionalism and strong work ethic into her. Her "model student" personality certainly overlaps with Sakura's and comparisons with Mayuyu are unfair for Meru, but her character is certainly close to the two and she needs to find a way to make herself look somehow distinct. She doesn't appeal to the loli crowd like Mio does neither she is exceptionally good in variety, but I think she could be a crowd pleaser for more casual fans and that is most likely something Akimoto set his eyes on from the get-go.
Mio: Mio's popularity is astounding. At this rate she is turning into a pretty unique phenomenon. She outdoes all the other HKT members when it comes to warming people's hearts with loli-ish "cute little sister" antics and in her case it's hard to see any sort of calculation behind her moves. She just happens to do the right things at the right timing. That is good for now since it has won over so many fans for her, but I'm worried of her future (maybe even more so than Meru's). What does she learn about idol work if success comes without putting the self-conscious effort that other members have had to rely on?
Chihiron: It looks like the management made a good choice by appointing Chihiron as the leader. She is exceptionally loved by the members and seems to have a calming effect on others. In addition to that, leaders and team captains are for the most part chosen so that the management can push members other than centers and Chihiron's ponkotsu antics have certainly become endearing over time. I'm also under the impression that she is loved by the local media in Fukuoka because she was even cast as the lead in a drama that was made for a local TV channel. However, if I need to consider Chihiron beyond her position as a leader (and as an idol) I don't really know what will happen to her.
Riinu: Riinu is by far the most talented and accomplished dancer within HKT48. Whenever there's someone missing from the center she's always the one the management relies on - even in bigger venues. It's also obvious one you see her dance why she is relied on because there's a visible gap between her dancing and the others - Riinu is at her best when dancing. She's also famous for her babyface looks - even to the point that the 2nd generation members keep commenting on how much she looks like a baby. Apart from her dancing, Riinu seems to be in the dark and I'm not exactly sure why. Judging from the past 6 months, she isn't that bad on TV either (although obviously far away from the variety forerunners).
Nao: Like a few other 1st generation members, Nao is going through a very crucial period of time when she can either make it or break it. Her lack of solid character (although she is very good in variety whenever she appears alongside comedy duo Lemontea's Abe in local programs) might be the key element that still keeps her away from the spotlight. It's hard to tell where she is going right now and I'm not too optimistic about her future, but I wouldn't mind see her doing better than she does right now.
Madoka: She has recently become one of the most pushed front members and her "princess" image is certainly strong. She seems to be even more praised in the looks department than Natsu - although I think it has more to do with her introverted, silent nature that makes her more feasible for fans who prefer princess-like members (in comparison to the lively and talkative Natsu). She now even has a radio program named after her even though she is by far the most quiet member of the bunch. She even reached the top number of appearances on Aru aru YY even though she did nothing special there either - apart from constantly waving to fans while others talked (which both amused and irritated the MCs).
Kyoka: Despite looking calm and collected, she's actually very airheaded and I bet that is one of the reasons why she is at the bottom in terms of push hierarchy. She is very tall and that could be an advantage if she pursues modeling, but I'm not sure if her looks are enough for success in that field. Otherwise she doesn't seem that bad, but there could be a lack of effort (at least in comparison to other members) that is her Achilles' heel.
Minazou: The sport member who immediately turned into a big sister for the 2nd generation members and still stands out as a more experienced helper/leader in KKS' theater performances. I haven't checked HKT48's theater performance statistics, but I bet Minazou is near the top since she is a first generation KKS and the quality of her performance is always guaranteed.
Maikomu: Being Maikomu is suffering. She seems to be at the very bottom in terms of push hierarchy and fan popularity (among 1st gen members). What little I have seen of her I think she's doing OK, but not particularly memorable in any single aspect. Maikomu only brings to my mind the fact that Aru aru YY's MCs mentioned that she was particularly gentle and was worried for Ittetsu (one of the MCs who was always harshly bullied) while other members didn't pay that much attention to him.
Marika: Marika's rise has been nothing short of amazing. While Meru and Mio occupy the front Marika has made her own progress in the back. She even sold out her handshake tickets faster than other KKS and naturally sold the third most after Meru and Mio. This happened because she has done great work on Aru aru YY and her narcissistic character is more balanced (and useful for TV programs) than Anya's. She might have not left a strong impact on Hyakkaten, AKBingo or Odekake yet, but she deserves to be one of the top variety members within HKT. Since she was close friends with Chori even before HKT, I'm looking forward to seeing what the two can do as a duo.
Anya: Having followed the antics of this crazy Russian since HKT's formation (just remembering her dogeza photo series makes me nostalgic), I have grown quite used to her style. In fact, I already feel like I have seen everything she has got to give and the peak of her popularity has been reached. How come I don't appear to be so enthusiastic about the Russkie? The thing with Anya is that she is forgiven for a lot of things because she's cute. A cute girl doing her best to be funny is entertaining for a while, but she struggles with actually being funny. When Sasshi was exiled to HKT48, many fans were relieved that there was finally someone who could balance Anya's insane behavior and it has certainly had a very positive effect. In the early days she was too noisy and aggressive - to the point where none of the other members could stand up to her. Even now there are times when she is a bit "off" - her bottomless self-confidence and habit of stepping forward are sometimes a burden. Nowadays it is handled so well (thanks to Sasshi) that it is easy to forget that there are any problems. Furthermore, Anya is mentally quite weak and she has a tendency to cry and crumble under pressure. A weakness like that is a problem for someone so variety-oriented - she should get used to being bullied on TV shows because that's the only way her humor works. So far Anya has been most successful on G+ which is also the place where she caught the attention of fans in the first place.
Chori: Chori is the best example of the "unconventional member" I described in my earlier update. First and foremost she is known as one of the funniest members in the 48 family because her gags, imitations and humor in general is of very high quality - just like NMB48's Maachun's. She has become a phenomenon in Fukuoka's local shows and the same is gradually showing up even in AKB's shows although she isn't as flashy as she could be. She is not "just" mentally strong enough to be the butt of all jokes - she is even eager to take on that role. However, her talent is not just limited to doing silly things - she is ready to help other members on TV as well, such as her many collaborations with other members on Hyakkaten. There's also tons of undiscovered footage of Chori on YouTube that I seriously recommend all 48 fans to check out. Here are some of those uploads:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EAOlc4iFiY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aeqsy50zuP0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=406uACh-Hm8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wzcMVeBeS0
PS: I know that there are lots of 2nd generation members that I didn't mention in this post, but I decided not to comment anything about them before they've been around for a longer time and have had a better chance to introduce themselves to all fans.
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