Hello! Project Confessions

Submitted (Positive and Negative) opinions and confessions about Hello! Project. Use the Submit/Ask button for a submission. Read the RULES

[haropro-confessions]

iLiFE! / 会いにKiTE! / 関西コレクション2025 A/W 2025.08.06

KANSAI COLLECTION 2025 A/W2025.08.06iLiFE! / 会いにKiTE!#iLiFE #関西コレクション#関コレ

I recently learned about ilife and watching them perform live reminded me so much of Colorful Era. I used to watch momosu live performance from every era as they were all lively and fun. Their live from recent years just doesn't excite me. I wish they get a more fun song they can just goof and have fun with.

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I know she isn't with Hello!Pro anymore, and is living her best life, but I wish the solo music Riho was putting out was better.

Actually, a lot of the music given to the leads when they go solo are lacking.

I totally understand it's hard to develop a musical identity for an idol who has been part of a group for a while, but it feels like they give these girls super lacking and generic material.

Super Red is a cute song, but ANY idol could perform that song. I wish they paid more attention to WHY these idols were beloved in the first place and focused on that, kind of how they did with Sayu.

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I feel so bad for Anju… they were sandwiched between =LOVE and Fruits Zipper at Lucky Fes but those groups had packed crowds like sardines while Anju’s wasn’t nearly as full and looked so bad in comparison. That probably means a lot of people left or used their set as a bathroom or refreshment break. It always feels like there’s this weird stink around non-Musume H!P groups for idol fans.

[haropro-confessions]

One issue with current Juice=Juice is the members are trying to be performers rather than singers, the best example is to watch a performance of magic of love by the original members, and then compare it to the members now the only member that is consistently singing and not shouting is Ruru. it’s weird because the members know how to sing because whenever they cover any other group songs, they’ll be stable and not shout it’s only with their own songs.

The songs that are picked for Juice’s festival performances are always so shitty, they are a group that’s supposed to be known for their vocals so why give them no songs that actually showed them off. and it’s not like there’s no good singers in the group ReiRuru, YumeRiai and Mifu are right there and now they even have Niina!

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I know it's been literally ten years since the name change, but ANGERME has never grown on me as a group name. It still looks like "ANGER ME", which is to say it looks really stupid and is impossible to take seriously. That was a swing and a miss.

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going off the idea of Ruru being wasted on M-Line club...Karin would be way more famous if she was under a company that bothered to promote her to new audiences. Up Front seems fine and happy with subsisting and it's depressing.

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I’d like a gut wrenching graduation song for Sakura. Something like “Mikaeri Bijin” or “Yume no Kawa” by AKB48. The upbeat songs are nice but an emotional song would be great

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Even 11 years later the chorus to Tiki Bun still gives me chills. Makes me miss that era of HP as a whole

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I think Beyoooonds is almost done... it would be silly to now add members. I'm feeling a year or two left especially since we see time and time again they can't manage a lot of groups at once.

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I really hope when Ruru graduates she leaves upfront and joins avex because unless upfront gives her the Aria treatment and actually pushes her and gives her opportunities being an upfront is just going to waste her talent

[haropro-confessions]

Not a confession, but a question - Murata Yuu in Tsubaki Factory has an amazing personal style for her wardrobe. She wears baggy shorts and has a tomboy style. I was wondering if any viewers know what types of brands she wears (besides the obvious ones like Adidas)? 🙏🏼

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[haropro-confessions]

When I saw Riho in “Super Red” for the first time, I clutched my imaginary pearls and mouthed “They styled her like a real adult.” Riho is getting older and that means that I’m getting older too. 😭

[haropro-confessions]

i could be wrong so excuse me if i am but does morning musume do fun songs anymore? i was watching old lives and thinking about how simple things like mari’s sexy beam or rika’s little monologue in the peace added so much character. i know a lot of people harp on the current gen feeling kind of empty in comparison but i feel like giving the girls a fun song for them to flourish little hints of personality would be nice. like i get they wanna push this “morning musume is a professional group” thing but that doesn’t mean everything has to be so rehearsed to the point of looking sterile 😭

[haropro-confessions]

Has anyone else grown to feel somewhat embarrassed to share who their oshi is? I didn’t realize that one of my oshis is disliked or outright hated by more people than I thought, so now I feel hesitant to post anything about her…

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[haropro-confessions]

Someone mentioned Tanabe Nanami and it got me thinking:

I think she was 100% intended to be the centre of Kobushi Factory. She was a tad too young for Juice=Juice, plus in that group she would have been competing with fellow egg ace Miyamoto Karin. I think her look would fit in very nicely with the other Kobushi members too.

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I was reading a radio report about that NHK music show Mizuki is the MC of and when Sakurazaka came on they were talking to her about being an idol like she had no idea what the job was until she mentioned she was in Morning Musume and they were actually surprised. I'm guessing they probably thought she was some random radio host/NHK announcer. I think the wota who wrote the report was obviously her wota because they were really offended on her behalf and thought it was rude. Mizuki was super popular in the group and even broke records when she graduated but yeah it's a sobering reminder that outside the wota bubble, Morning Musume is a known name among people, but the actual members are basically unknowns even if they're super popular within the group. I'm not sure how long UFA can keep coasting on just the group's name value because if that fades and they're still not pushing the members what's even left..?

[haropro-confessions]

I've been thinking this for years and Morning Musume's last single solidified my opinion on this. So maybe this is a hot take but I don't think double and triple A-sides are a good idea at all. When you place two songs on equal footing neither song is really allowed to cook on its own regardless of the quality of the song. There's no space for one concept to fully develop and grow on the fandom or leave a lasting impact because it's splitting attention with another. It's like forcing two or even three main courses onto one plate and you end up diluting the flavor of both. Here's an exaggerated example of what I mean. So imagine if LOVE Machine and Koi no Dance Site had been released as a double A-side. Would either have had the same legendary status? Probably not. Koi no Dance Site was actually dragged to HELL by 2ch and Yahoo Groups when it first aired on the radio and some fans said Tsunku was just f*cking around at a crucial time in the group’s career. But once the group performed it on TV fully barefoot, people saw Kemeko and Sayaka blowing those whistles and really committing to the concept people's opinions of it changed. If it had shared the spotlight with a juggernaut song like LOVE Machine it might've been written off as the weird "other song" rather than becoming a cultural moment of its own and maybe not even get any TV performances. Does that make sense?? So I think singular A-sides would actually be more successful than the formula they've been doing for 13 years. It lets the groups and the audience live in the world of a song long enough for the concept to leave an impression instead of not getting the treatment it deserves.