A lot of people say the Golden Era of Morning Musume was strict or had bad group dynamics but that usually means they didnât really know the group back then. The strictness people noticed was more of a 1st and 2nd gen thing, and a lot of it was enforced by their manager to stir up drama for TV. By the time âFurusatoâ came out, the group had already been through so much, like nearly being disbanded, that it actually brought them closer together.
Sayaka, who used to be so shy she barely spoke, started opening up more, especially around Yuko. She even started speaking up on TV, which was a big deal considering how much seniority mattered. Mari got so comfortable that she'd call out Kaori backstage when she felt something the latter did annoyed her which is something she never wouldâve done before âFurusatoâ. Theyâd even argue, which just which just showed how much more open communication between them had become.
When Maki joined, the group initially gave her the cold shoulder. Not because they hated her, but because her whole presence, the dyed hair, pierced ears, heavier makeup, went against the image their manager had been enforcing on them. There was definitely some jealousy too. But when âLOVE Machineâ blew up, the success bonded them in a real way. They became so close that junior members would straight-up call out their seniors if they had an issue. That kind of honesty might seem negative, but it was healthier than bottling things up and feeling oppressed because you canât call out bad behavior just because theyâre more senior.
Maki ended up getting closest to Sayaka and Aya, and during the âLOVE Machineâ era, theyâd hang out in private. She later said the only member who initially scared her was Kei but it
was just because of Keiâs rough perm, which had a kind of yanki image back then. They ended up bonding through Pucchimoni, and Maki started calling her Kei-chan.
There was tension between Maki and Nacchi too, but both of them have said they got along even before 4th gen joined. The media played a big role in exaggerating that feud and would publish articles putting one or the other down. Magazines even published leaked purikura of the two hanging out in early 2001, and they used to have sleepovers.
When 4th gen came in, things relaxed even more. The manager had moved on to other ventures, so he wasnât as hands-on to enforce in group drama. Tsuji and Kago were totally unfiltered, they didnât use honorifics with seniors, which is the opposite of how the group works today. They pulled pranks on Mari backstage, made joke songs about Yuko, and even teased Kaori using jokes theyâd seen on Utaban before their debut.
Things only got strict again when 5th gen joined and Kaori was leader. For some reason, no one really knows why, Kaori was pretty cold to them. Maybe she didnât think they were suitable additions, or maybe she was influenced by public opinion of hatred against them. Thereâs even a radio show with just her and 5th gen when they first joined where she doesnât use their names when speaking them, just calls them ânewbiesâ and seemed disinterested. That kind of distance made it hard for them to speak up or feel like they belonged. Thereâs a dance practice video from 2002 floating around YouTube where 5th gen looks visibly anxious and Risa even looks like sheâs been crying. Even Ai, in 2018, talked about how the first few years in the group were so bad they often talked about wanting to ârun awayâ from it all.
But Maki stepped in when she could. She wrote them a handwritten letter when they first joined, offering support and telling them they could come to her with anything. She basically became their link to the seniors. They said that anytime Kaori scolded them, Maki would comfort them afterward. Thereâs also purikura of Maki, Ai, and Asami hanging out privately around that time, which shows how close they were. So when Maki announced her graduation, 5th gen took it hard, they saw her as their protector.
Kaori eventually softened, especially by 2004. And during her graduation concert the following year, you could tell from the messages from 5th and 6th gen members that the atmosphere had completely changed by then.
So overall, the actual Golden Era, around âLOVE Machineâ to âThe Peace!â wasnât strict at all. The periods before and after had way more tension and rigid hierarchy. But during that era, the group was at its most relaxed in terms of hierarchy and rules.