H!P Top Members/Thoughts Mid Year 2017

This probably should've been done already lol. H!P has been crazy this year. Between graduation announcements, crazy shake ups with Country Girls, random KSS being promoted to nothingness. It's actually awesome. I love shake ups. I'm still disappointed that there still hasn't been any new album announcements (no, I don't count Momoko's compilation Country Girls tacked on thing). All of the groups minus Kobushi need a new one. Very happy C-ute got their best collection with B-sides though. That was a plus.

Morning Musume

-"Morning Musume won't have any graduations this year!" People said. People were wrong and I knew they would be. You seriously didn't think that after 6 years in the group 9th/10th wouldn't have at least one girl leave per year til they're gone? That's denial. I was also right about 10th not leaving all as a group. Haruka being the next to go, however, was surprising. I figured she'd be one of the last of the 9th/10th to go. I still think there will be a 14th gen/13.5 gen this year. With the KSS being up in the air and CG members as well, there will definitely be a new member or new added. Please be Musubu. Please be Musubu. I'll take Reina too.

#1: Masaki Sato (-)

#2: Akane Haga (+1)

#3: Miki Nonaka (-1)

#4: Sakura Oda (-)

#5: Reina Yokoyama (+6)

#6: Ayumi Ishida (+1)

#7: Maria Makino (-1)

#8: Haruna Ogata (+1)

#9: Erina Ikuta (-1)

#10: Haruna Iikubo (-1)

#11: Kaede Kaga (+1)

#12: Mizuki Fukumura (-1)

Angerme

Ayaka was made H!P leader! Yes! I'm so so glad that they didn't pass her up just to favor Musume. She really deserves the position. I've also changed my mind about her announcing this year. I do think she will leave next year, but I don't think the announcement will be until next year because of all of the changes in H!P at the moment. I also don't think Maho is coming back. I love her and I wish she would, but she's been gone so long and their newest single really feels like an indication that she's not coming back. She needs to do what's best for her mental health and if that's not coming back, I hope she chooses it instead of hurting herself. Still think a second gen will be leaving this year. I'm going with Rina. I'd like to see Nanami get put here. She doesn't really have the "Angerme look", but I'd think it'd be a challenge for her. Ruru would also be nice in this group.

#1: Ayaka Wada (-)

#2: Mizuki Murota (-)

#3: Maho Aikawa (-)

#4: Rikako Sasaki (-)

#5: Moe Kamikokuryou (-)

#6: Kana Nakanishi (+1)

#7: Rina Katsuta (+1)

#8: Akari Takeuchi (-2)

#9: Momona Kasahara (-)

Juice=Juice

If they add a new girl to Juice, we're definitely seeing a graduation this year and I don't think it'd be either Tomoko or Yuka. I really hope they don't add new members to Juice. They need at least one group to stay static to be like C-ute. The only member out of those up in the air I'd be slightly ok with joining JJ would be Reina. She's close enough in age to the others, but I still wouldn't prefer it. If management adds Ayano because "Haha Karin and Ayano twinsies!" I'm giving up on H!P.

#1: Karin Miyamoto (-)

#2: Sayuki Takagi (-)

#3: Yuka Miyazaki (+1)

#4: Akari Uemura (-1)

#5: Tomoko Kanazawa (-)

Country Girls

I'm slightly disappointed that they're being made a sub group after Momoko leaves. However, I don't think it's because Momoko's leaving. I think that both Risa and Mai started discussing their own graduations with management and that is why they're going part time. Management didn't want to lose two more members (i.e. lose even more money), so they talked them into the part time thing. Once the graduation wave this year slows down, I can see Risa graduating and Mai soon after that. Effectively ending Country Girls. Management also knew that losing three members at once would destroy Country Girls, leaving the other three left no hopes of gaining traction even if they added more, so they decided to just place them in other groups so they wouldn't lose even MORE money. I'd like to see Chisaki in Tsubaki or a new group, Musubu in Musume or Tsubaki, and Nanami in any group but Musume.

#1: Musubu Funaki (-)

#2: Risa Yamaki (-)

#3: Chisaki Morito (-)

#4: Mai Ozeki (+1)

#5: Nanami Yanagawa (-1)

Kobushi Factory

I was wrong about them sticking together for a year or so. I'm not shocked that Rio's leaving, but I'm slightly disappointed they didn't stick it out whole for another year. I think we'll see a second graduation next year and then they'll be static after that like JJ and C-ute. I'd really rather they didn't add anyone new to Kobushi. Can we have more than one static group please? I don't particularly care for Kobushi, but they work well together as a unit and I don't want a new member wrecking that. If they absolutely have to add someone new, Ayano would work well. I'd be so pissed if they added Musubu to Kobushi though. She has an excellent voice but I don't think she fits the group AT ALL. Please don't H!P. Please.

#1: Rei Inoue (-)

#2: Sakurako Wada (+1)

#3: Minami Nomura (-1)

#4: Ayano Hamaura (+1)

#5: Natsumi Taguchi (+1)

#6: Rena Ogawa (+1)

#7: Ayaka Hirose (-3)

Tsubaki Factory

I still think there will be a graduation this year. Either Risa or Ami. I'm glad they did very good with their first single release. I was a little worried for them. I wouldn't mind some of the girls going into Tsubaki. Musubu would be cool, so would Ruru or Reina. I don't think Ayano would fit, Chisaki would be ok but I'd rather see a group built around her, and I just don't really like Nanami so I don't want her here either but wouldn't be upset if she was. Actually, I think it'd be cool to get some other KSS to be a new gen with some of the transfer girls. That'd be exciting.

#1: Kisora Niinuma (-)

#2: Yumeno Kishimoto (+1)

#3: Mao Akiyama (-1)

#4: Mizuho Ono (-)

#5: Risa Ogata (+1)

#6: Saori Onoda (+1)

#7: Kiki Asakura (-2)

#8: Ami Tanimoto (-)

#9: Riko Yamagishi (-)

??????

This section is for the "yeah you're totally going to debut, we just don't know what to do with you yet!" girls. They're not quite KSS, not quite full members. I'm going to include Momohime & Kurumi in this just because who knows what they heck they're about.

#1: Reina Ichioka

#2: Ruru Danbara

#3: Momohime Kiyono

#4: Kurumi Takase

#5: Ayano Kawamura

Kenshuusei

I'm glad that we got a fairly large generation this year so far, but I hope there's more to come. They need to build up good girls in the KSS again since the program has been pretty gutted in recent years. I was wrong about KSS going to UUG and only slightly disappointed that didn't happen. I don't really follow UUG so meh. Also surprised that no one's really dropped out since MM's auditions. I guess the overwhelming about of debuts recently is keeping girls around.

#1: Hikaru Inoue

#2: Kokoro Maeda

#3: Kizuki Horie

#4: Shiori Nishida

#5: Sakiko Kodama

#6: Reina Doi

#7: Rin Hashisako

#8: Mizuki Kanatsu

#9: Yuhane Yamazaki

#10: Natsume Nakayama

#11: Kotomi Ono

#12: Saya Eguchi

#13: Risa Shimakura

#14: Ichigo Yamada

#15: Kurumi Noguchi

#16: Minami Okamura

#17: Kirara Yonemura

#18: Riai Matsunaga

#19: Marina Hibi

Hokkaido Kenshuusei

Still don't really care about them. Hated Real Little Girl. Can H!P add one to a group so I can form a real opinion on the girls?

#1: Ryo Kitagawa

#2: Minori Kawano

#3: Kanami Ishiguri

#4: Mei Yamazaki

#5: Hikari Sato

#6: Haruka Ota

#7: Yume Kudo

25 Days Of Christmas Countdown Day #22: Top Hello! Project 2016

I am doing my best to keep up with these lol. I really don't know if I'll be able to make it tomorrow but I'm going to try. I'll still make all 25 posts, but life is busy lol. Like yesterday, just jumping straight to the countdown since everything's already been talked about.

#10

Angerme - Itoshima Distance

#9

Morning Musume - Sexy Cat no Ensetsu

#8

Country Girls - Boogie Woogie Love

#7

Kobushi Factory - Sakura Night Fever

#6

Morning Musume - Tokyo to Iu Katatsumi

#5

Juice=Juice - Karada Dake ga Otona ni Nattan ja nai

#4

C-ute - Mugen Climax

#3

Morning Musume - Mukidashi de Mukiatte

#2

Country Girls - Koi wa Magnet

#1

Juice=Juice - Dream Road ~Kokoro ga Odoridashiteru~

25 Days Of Christmas Countdown Day #15: Top Hello! Project Members

You know what I really want in H!P next year? Albums. Albums for everyone! Well, not Kobushi since they just had one, but more albums please! Angerme is so overdue for a third, Country Girls is sitting on a bazillion unreleased tracks, Musume has a bunch of A-sides that need a home, & C-ute should get a farewell album along with a single (and best single/b-side collection hint hint). I don't believe we'll see any new groups formed this year. 2018 with a C-ute replacement group? Yeah, but this year I don't see it. I do see a bunch of Kenshuusei being added to current groups though. As with my other ones, no members (or full groups for that matter) who have announced their graduations are included.

This is the first year I can say with 100% certainty that I have an overall H!P favorite since Reina left. It's weird because I never thought I'd have that one girl that I liked above the rest after Reina's grad but now I do. Musubu! I'm hoping for great things from her. She's so incredibly talented. Maybe a solo song on CG's first album? Please?

Morning Musume

-I feel like there is going to be a lot of graduations next year. Well, a lot for Musume. I'm thinking 3. Six years is an incredibly long time to be in a group & I'm sure some members are thinking of their futures. We'll definitely see the first 10th gen go next year. Anyone who thinks 10th is going to go together is just plain delusional. Not only is there a large age difference/popularity gap between them, there's NO WAY that H!P would allow FOUR members to leave at the same time. It'd be group killing. I'd also be shocked if both Mizuki & Erina stick around. I'm also feeling like one of the newer girls will leave too. It's been awhile since someone left early on in their Musume career and I think that it's going to happen again. I do believe that we're also getting 14th gen next year, probably a surprise addition. Adding two high school aged girls was a little left field for 13th gen, so I'm thinking that they were added for talent/faces for the group & we'll see number boosters next year.

#1: Masaki Sato (+1)

-Look who's back at number one lol. She's so polarizing even for me personally. I dislike her sometimes and then love her others.

#2: Miki Nonaka (-1)

#3: Akane Haga (+1)

#4: Sakura Oda (-1)

#5: Haruka Kudo (-)

#6: Maria Makino (+1)

#7: Ayumi Ishida (-1)

#8: Erina Ikuta (+1)

#9: Haruna Ogata (+2)

#10: Haruna Iikubo (-)

#11: Reina Yokoyama (NEW)

-She's too new to place anywhere else, although I can see her passing a few of the current girls if she really stands out in their first single.

#12: Mizuki Fukumura (-4)

#13: Kaede Kaga (NEW)

Angerme

-Angerme is second in line in seniority now. Wow that's almost unbelievable. If Ayaka doesn't get the H!P leader position, there should be a riot. She objectively has the most seniority & she's also better than Mizuki. As for graduations next year, I think Ayaka will announce at the end of the year & graduate in 2018 with a second gen member leaving in 2017. Hard to believe they've been around as long as MM's 9th & 10th gens.

#1: Ayaka Wada (-)

#2: Mizuki Murota (-)

#3: Maho Aikawa (+1)

#4: Rikako Sasaki (-1)

#5: Moe Kamikokuryou (+3)

#6: Akari Takeuchi (-1)

#7: Kana Nakanishi (-)

#8: Rina Katsuta (-2)

#9: Momona Kasahara (NEW)

Juice=Juice

-I really don't know if Juice will see a graduation next year. I think they're definitely coming up to it, but I don't know if it'll be next year or not. I don't think they'll go all together though. Likely we'll see one girl leave, they'll carry on for a couple of years after that, and then disband as a group. I don't foresee new members at all.

#1: Karin Miyamoto (-)

#2: Sayuki Takagi (+1)

#3: Akari Uemura (-1)

#4: Yuka Miyazaki (-)

#5: Tomoko Kanazawa (-)

Country Girls

-Yay no more Momoko! I don't hate her, in fact I rather like her, but I did not like her in Country Girls. She should've left with the rest of Berryz or stayed in the background. She really didn't fit in with the kids. Manaka's sudden grad was surprising. I feel bad for her that she finally got to live her dream and then health problems got in the way. I guess it's good that she was put into CG instead of someone dance heavy like MM or Anju because her issues probably would've gotten to her sooner. I don't think we'll see any more grads next year (outside of Momoko), but I think we'll get new members. I'm actually wondering if we'll see their reveal at the New Year's Countdown because I imagine that they'll want the successors for Momo to be added while she's still there for guidance.

#1: Musubu Funaki (-)

#2: Risa Yamaki (-)

#3: Chisaki Morito (-)

#4: Nanami Yanagawa (+1)

#5: Mai Ozeki (-1)

Kobushi Factory

-I'm cautiously optimistic that they won't have any graduations and will carry on for a few years as a full group, but seeing as this is the real world, I wouldn't be shocked if someone left next year. I don't think they'll be adding any members to Kobushi either. I think they're the new non-generational group in H!P like Juice.

#1: Rei Inoue (-)

#2: Minami Nomura (-)

#3: Sakurako Wada (+1)

#4: Ayaka Hirose (-1)

#5: Ayano Hamaura (-)

#6: Natsumi Taguchi (-)

#7: Rena Ogawa (+1)

#8: Rio Fujii (-1)

Tsubaki Factory

-Although they've already received a second gen, I also think that Tsubaki will be non-generational. I think it's pretty clear that second gen was added to bolster the group for their debut because of their lukewarm reception. I think that H!P just made the mistake of making them too soon after Kobushi and if they had been introduced this year instead of last that they would have been better received. I do see someone leaving Tsubaki next year. Likely someone from first gen.

#1: Kisora Niinuma (-)

#2: Mao Akiyama (NEW)

#3: Yumeno Kishimoto (-1)

#4: Mizuho Ono (NEW)

#5: Kiki Asakura (-1)

#6: Risa Ogata (-3)

#7: Saori Onoda (NEW)

#8: Ami Tanimoto (-3)

#9: Riko Yamagishi (-3)

Kenshuusei

-I think we'll see a couple girls leaving due to 13th gen being chosen. I also think that we'll see some of the older ones go into UUG gen 2/that little sister group thing. Or whatever the heck is going on with UUG. I hope we get a HUGE Kenshuusei generation next year. I feel like they need more numbers and girls to stick around for a couple years since they've all but gutted the Kenshuusei with all the group additions. I'm not going to bother posting the position change because the ranking of the Kenshuusei is too unpredictable.

#1: Ruru Danbara

#2: Momohime Kiyono

#3: Reina Ichioka

#4: Kizuki Horie

#5: Hikaru Inoue

#6: Kokoro Maede

#7: Ayano Kawamura

#8: Kurumi Takase

#9: Sakiko Kodama

#10: Shiori Nishida

#11: Mizuki Kanatsu

#12: Rin Hashisako

#13: Kurumi Noguchi

#14: Yuhane Yamazaki

#15: Marie Yoshida

#16: Kotomi Ono

#17: Kirara Yonemura

Kenshuusei Hokkaido

-I have no idea what to think about these girls. They've practically done a grand total of nothing.

#1: Ryo Kitagawa

#2: Mai Yamazaki

#3: Haruka Ota

#4: Hikari Sato

#5: Kanami Ishiguri

#6: Minori Kawano

#7: Yume Kudo

Melon Kinenbi - 1st Anniversary

Well, it hasn't been TOO long since my last post lol. I had been going through my albums on iTunes and came across Melon Kinenbi's first album and realized I had ripped it, but never listened to it. I figured this would be a great album to do a "first impression" post on. Of course I have heard some of the songs on the album before, but I haven't heard all of them. I'm looking forward to doing this because I don't quite care for Melon's singles so I'm interested in hearing the full album.

I'd say Melon Kinenbi is probably pretty well known among Hello! Project fans who have been part of the fandom for a bit, but since they're an older group I'll just give a little background on them. Melon Kinenbi officially debuted in Hello Project in 2000 with four members: Hitomi Saito, Megumi Murata, Masae Ohtani, & Ayumi Shibata. They were one of the early groups of H!P, and they are also one of the longest lasting groups in H!P. I believe they're also the longest lasting H!P group with no member changes. Towards the end of their run, they weren't really idols in the sense that Berryz Kobo were when they ended. They had been kind of off doing their own thing under UFP before their disbandment in 2010.

Track #1: Melon Kinenbi no Theme (OP)

Track #2: Akai Freesia

Although I don't know a whole lot about Melon Kinenbi, I believe that this is their most well known song. It seems like everyone in H!P sings this song at some point. I personally have never really cared too much about the track. It's a pretty generic J-pop track really and doesn't have the "Tsunku feel" like other H!P songs. It's also a not very upbeat, upbeat song. If that makes any sense. Like there's not a whole lot of life in it. 3/5.

Track #3: Kousui

This is such an early 2000s midtempo H!P track. It's got that faux "hip hop" feel that Minimoni & early Berryz were trying to do. It's not a bad song, and they certainly pull it off better than Minimoni, but it's not really my cup of tea. 3/5.

Track #4: Anniversary

Ah the first song that sounds somewhat lively so far. I believe this is an album track as I haven't heard it before. It still has that "yo yo yo" in the background with the fake hip hop sound. But where Kousui fails, I think this song prevails. It's uptempo and doesn't rely on the fake hip hop sound to carry it. 3.5/5.

Track #5: This Is Unmei

I think this is another track that people think of when they think of Kinenbi. I personally don't like it. I do really enjoy the verses and the use of classical music, but the chorus is awful and ruins everything. I just picture those terrible pop rock groups when it starts. 3.5/5.

Track #6: Kokuhaku Kinenbi

I swear I just want to write Kenobi when I try to write Kinenbi. I remember watching the music video for this when I was first trying to dig deeper into H!P's past and wondering why it was so bright and why they were wearing blond wigs. As with most early H!P songs, I don't like this or hate this, but I'd rather not listen to it a lot. The very early 2000s (like 2000-2002) songs in H!P, outside of a few songs, are incredibly dated. More dated than Britney Spears' Baby One More Time & THAT song is dated. What I do like about it is that like other songs from that period, it's not trying to take itself too seriously. It's fun, it's catchy, and it's not trying to be mature fake hip hop. 3.5/5.

Track #7: Nemuranai Yoru

Now this song really sounds like Minimoni's Crazy About You. It's not as good as it though. I enjoy the slower, more dramatic verses; but the chorus is just too upbeat and screechy sounding. It's also weirdly sandwiched inbetween two completely different sounding songs. 3.5/5.

Track #8: Saa! Koibito ni Narou

Wow is this ever a mix between Koi no Dance Site & Hyoutanjima. With a splash of rock thrown in. It's so weird. It's not one of Tsunku's better weird tracks, but it's interesting enough to hold your attention. 3.5/5.

Track #9: Denwa Matteimasu

I had to look up what date this song was released again because I was surprised that it's a 2001 track. H!P music tends to have very distinct sounds for different years and this reminds me a lot of 2005-ish with Berryz & Osaka Koi no Uta. However, I guess that it's also like Maki Goto's albums during this time. I'd have to say that this is probably my favorite song on the album. It's more the style that I like. A dance track that's more of a mature sound. 4/5.

Track #10: Natsu no Yoru wa Danger!

The opening is another H!P song. I know it is but what is it I can't think of it. I can't bring myself to think of anything to say about this song. It's essentially a completely forgettable song with nothing memorable about it. 3/5.

Track #11: Amai Anata no Aji

Their first single. It's also the best song on the album. Sure it's incredible outdated, but it's one of the few tracks that doesn't sound like a Morning Musume/Minimoni reject. It has a character that is the group itself and not someone else. 4.5/5.

Track #12: Endless Youth

I like the traditional sounding opening and feeling through the verses. One of the biggest downfalls of Kinenbi's music are how the choruses are mainly let downs. Everything starts out so promising and then falls flat in the generic "peppy" verses. Disappointing. 3/5.

Track #13: Melon Kinenbi no Theme (ED)

Includes all songs except for Nemuranai Yoru

This album really represents to me the problem of companies not releasing albums every year or two for their acts. To me, this isn't an album, it's a compilation. The songs styles are all over the place and you can tell very distinctly in most of the tracks what year they were released in. Because of how all over the place this is, it's really difficult to listen to it as one package. It also doesn't help that the songs sound like Kinenbi just got all of the throwaway tracks from each era that weren't good enough for Musume. It's just not a very interesting album to me. It's nice to own for collection purposes, but it's not something I'd actually listen to. 3/5.

Top H!P Members [First Half 2016 Edition]

So I've done two of these in the past, with this being the latest one: December 2015 Ranking. I think that this time it's been the hardest for me to rank members. Because of being busy, I haven't really been paying attention to groups as much as I used to. Also, H!P in general is just so boring right now. Most of the group releases so far this year are very boring to me. The only real highlights in my opinion were Juice=Juice's single and Koi wa Magnet. Everything this else ranges from meh to bad. It also doesn't help that releases in general seem to be really spread out this year so it seems like nothing is going on. Although I think the biggest reason in my apathy towards groups is that I simply haven't been buying the CDs like usual because I haven't had the extra money to pay full price for them and it's getting harder to find them cheap on ebay. On that note, I really need to learn how to use YAJ and forwarding services. But, here's my current H!P members ranking. Remember that no member who has announced her graduation/has graduated is listed.

Morning Musume

-I love them to death, I really do, but gosh they have been so boring this year. One release and not even until May?! And then that release is pretty poor? For as high energy as Utakata seems, it feels like there's really no life to it (unless you watch the music video with it, where they're actually looking interested in an MV for once), I haven't even been able to make it through The Vision because it's so bland, and Tokyo, although a great song, just doesn't pack enough punch to save the single. I think they really need a couple new "ace" material girls in the 13th gen to shake things up a bit. They seem too stagnant right now to me. Also, please PLEASE stop the formation dances they have looked terrible for a long time and keep getting worse. I'd love to see them do an EDM track with an update contemporary hip hop dance kind of thing. It'd be so interesting & the kind of *POP* they need right now. An attention getter really. But anyway, onto the girls.

#1: Miki Nonaka

-This surprises me. It really does. I don't know why I like her I just do.

#2: Masaki Sato

-There is something about her this year that just annoys me. Like last year she was really impressing me to the point where I was seriously considering her my favorite member in MM, but this year everything kind of came crashing down for some reason. The only reason she hasn't fallen further is because no one else has grabbed my interest even a little.

#3: Sakura Oda

#4: Akane Haga

#5: Haruka Kudo

#6: Ayumi Ishida

#7: Maria Makino

#8: Mizuki Fukumura

#9: Erina Ikuta

#10: Haruna Iikubo

#11: Haruna Ogata

C-ute

-At this point with C-ute, I wish that H!P would move them under UpFront to become "mature artists" instead of idols if they still want to continue. I just feel like they've done all they can within the constraints of H!P. Honestly, I'm hoping for a disbandment/hiatus/moving to UpFront out of H!P announcement at the year end H!P thing. Not because I necessarily dislike them, but because I feel like they've hit a wall and can't go up any further. Also, I think they all need a break. Mai's voice is just deteriorating more every time I hear some live performance by them. Even Airi and Chisato don't sound as good as they usually do. Their only single this year was on par with the disappointments from last year. Naze Hito was terrible. Just a bad bad song. Their voices/image doesn't work with the "gospel choir" thing. Summer Wind was ok, and Jinsei wa Step, while the best of the three, is still just meh. I need something exciting from them.

#1: Airi Suzuki

#2: Chisato Okai

#3: Saki Nakajima

#4: Mai Hagiwara

#5: Maimi Yajima

Angerme

-A moment of silence for Meimi's graduation please. I miss her already and she hasn't even left yet. H!P did her SOOO wrong. She deserved solos. She deserved spotlight. She could've been marketed as an idol with real true singing talent. She should've been head of a group like Osaka Shunkashuto. Maybe someday I'll get my wish and she'll come back as a solo singer. As for Angerme themselves, again, meh. Moe seems like she'll be pretty talented, but she's too new to really tell. This "only one release in the first half of a year" thing is really bad for my interest because it seems like nothing is happening. I can't even really comment on the single either because I haven't even taken the time to listen to the other songs besides Tsugitsugi in full because the single came out around finals week and I haven't gotten to it since.

#1: Ayaka Wada

#2: Mizuki Murota

#3: Rikako Sasaki

#4: Maho Aikawa

#5: Akari Takeuchi

#6: Rina Katsuta

#7: Kana Nakanishi

#8: Moe Kamikokuryou

-The only reason Moe is at the bottom is because of how new she is. She will likely surpass at least Rina & Kana.

Juice=Juice

-Ah, the ONLY group with a perfect single this year! Both Karada & Next Is You were so awesome. I'm glad that the release was great because I was pretty disappointed in the stuff they put out last year. I'm cautious about their next single though. I just hope that it comes out soon.

#1: Karin Miyamoto

#2: Akari Uemura

#3: Sayuki Takagi

#4: Yuka Miyazaki

#5: Tomoko Kanazawa

Country Girls

-Can you say 180 turn around? It's honestly shocking to me how good they became this year. I personally thought they would be mediocre forever following Tameranai, but then they release Koi wa Magnet?? What?? Boogie Woogie Love was so catchy too! I was honestly in shock when I heard them. I didn't care for Anata ni Muchuu cause it was way too cutesy for my taste, but 2 out of 3 ain't bad. And Musubu! Her voice in Boogie & Koi! I'm so so thankful she got to debut and although I was really uncertain about it being with Country Girls, I'm glad she did because she added a vocal tone that was needed in the group. Something deeper and strong. I hope that good things are ahead of them

#1: Musubu Funaki

#2: Risa Yamaki

#3: Manaka Inaba

#4: Chisaki Morito

#5: Mai Ozeki

#6: Nanami Yanagawa

#7: Momoko Tsugunaga

-Can she leave this year? Please? I like the idea of a long time member leading a younger group but she looks so out of place with them.

Kobushi Factory

-They actually surprised this year too. I didn't like any of their new single at first, but after I bought it, I fell absolutely in love with Sakura Night Fever. The carefree pop/rock sound is just perfect for them. They need to stop with the growling though. Not only does it sound bad, but I'm worried they're going to hurt their vocal chords because of how young they are.

#1: Rei Inoue

-Her hair is so gorgeous! No, I don't only like her because of her hair, she's arguably the most talented vocally in KF, but HOW does she have such long straight hair like that?! What is your secret? I want to know! - Sincerely, a girl who can't have long hair because it turns into a poofy tangled mess no matter what she does to it. xD

#2: Minami Nomura

#3: Ayaka Hirose

#4: Sakurako Wada

#5: Ayano Hamaura

#6: Natsumi Taguchi

#7: Rio Fujii

#8: Rena Ogawa

Tsubaki Factory

-When are they gonna get a new original song D: I need more EDM awesomeness from them! And a major debut! Please H!P? Please?

#1: Kisora Niinuma

#2: Yumeno Kishimoto

#3: Risa Ogata

#4: Kiki Asakura

#5: Ami Tanimoto

#6: Riko Yamagishi

Kenshuusei

-I have to say I was pretty disappointed in the Kenshuusei test thingy this year. In past years I ended up pleasantly surprised with some girls, but this year almost all of them sounded bad. I don't know if it was poor choice in songs or what, but most did worse than what they're capable of. This time, I'm going to attempt to rank all of the girls, even though some ranks will be practically interchangeable.

#1: Mao Akiyama

-I'd LOVE to see her in 13 gen Musume.

#2: Ruru Danbara

#3: Kizuki Horie

#4: Momohime Kiyono

-So I was very skeptical about her when she came into the program. I tend to find myself disliking girls who get all the initial fawning over because the hype is usually blown so out of proportion it's ridiculous. But, I have to say that I was very surprised with her performance on the Kenshuusei test. This girl is what, 11? And she can sing like THAT?! Honestly, I don't believe she'll be added to Musume at all. I think she's the next Karin/Ayano. A girl who will be in the program for a while & everyone will complain about, but gets to be center in her very own group.

#5: Hikaru Inoue

#6: Reina Ichioka

#7: Kurumi Takase

#8: Kokoro Maeda

#9: Momona Kasahara

#10: Sakiko Kodama

#11: Kaede Kaga

#12: Saori Onoda

#13: Mizuki Kanatsu

#14: Kurumi Noguchi

#15: Mizuho Ono

#16: Kotomi Ono

#17: Nagisa Hashimoto

#18: Momoko Shimano

#19: Rion Nakano

#20: Kirara Yonemura

#21: Yumei Yokogawa

-I really hate saying this because it's totally dream crushing to a young girl, but please don't debut her H!P. She's quite honestly the worst singer I've ever heard in H!P. I know that singing really doesn't matter in idol groups, but she's a whole other level of bad. She could totally be a model though because of how pretty she is.

So that's my bi-yearly ranking. Not many members changed spots. Not sure if that's because of apathy or because I actually have a solidified list.

Do you agree with my rankings/comments? Or do you have a different ranking?

25 Days Of Christmas Countdown Day #22: Top Hello! Project Songs 2015

I'm not entirely certain on my feelings about H!P's music this year. Losing Tsunku as the producer for almost all of the groups was such a huge blow in my opinion. His music was the main reason I fell in love with Hello! Project as much as I did. I'm hoping that as he continues to recover and get more into work again that we'll see at least one song by him per group next year.

Morning Musume probably released the best tracks as a whole this year. From their first single this year, Seishun Kozou and Yuugure were both fantastic. I've gotten a little sick of Seishun, but Yuugure is really a highlight in their discography. Ima Koko Kara was good as well, but I often forget it exists. Their second single was awesome as well, with Oh My Wish being one of my favorite tracks from the colorful era. Sukatto was a nice break from the EDM for those that had been wishing for it. Ima Sugu I don't care for much at all. It's really bland. Their newest single doesn't take up any spots on my list because it's too new, but it continues their sreak of pretty good singles for the year. Endless Sky is ok. I like it more than Ima Sugu at least. Tsumetai is absolutely gorgeous though. If it had been released a little sooner I could have easily placed it among the best of the year. The beat in the song is perfection. One And Only is amazing for the sole fact that it was made for us. The foreign fanbase. I'm grateful that UFP wants to reach out to us like they do. They don't have to, but they do anyway and it is so appreciated. The song itself is typical Musume, but a lot of fun to close out a bittersweet goodbye single for Riho.

Berryz sole musical offering this year remains one of their best ever. I'm glad they ended with a high. I'll still miss them though.

C-ute was one of the worst music-wise in H!P this year. I did quite like The Middle Management, but it wasn't good enough to have a place on my list. Tsugi no Kado eventually grew on me and GamushaLife kind of did, but both are kind of boring if you're not in the mood to listen to them. Their second single was pretty bad though in my opinion. Even though I love hearing Airi & Chisato sing, Arigatou is so boring. It was difficult to get through it once. Arashi would have been good if Maimi wasn't allowed to sing. She kind of ruins it. The previews from their album aren't all that great either. I had high hopes for Digitalic because I was expecting something Perfume-y, but it sounds like a mess. The rest I can't remember at all which isn't a good sign. Hoping next year is better for C-ute. Actually, I think they'd be better off graduating from idol-dom and moving to UFP as full artists. They could do so much more I believe without H!P & the idol tag holding them in place.

Angerme has given me mixed feelings this year. On one hand, they've really come into their own as a group with the addition of the 3ki. The group seemed pretty solid this year. Losing Kanon didn't seem like it would affect them much, and then Meimi announced her graduation. Meimi is really a core vocalist for the group and it's going to be a major blow when she leaves so I hope everyone steps up when she's gone. Music-wise, I don't feel like Angerme was a solid as their group seems. Taiki Bansei & Otome was an amazing way to start the year. The gothic and peppy themes worked perfectly. Their second single didn't come through as much as their first did. Nana Korobi is one of the best things they've done this year, but Gashinshoutan was boring generic idol pop. Mahou Tsukai was cute, but felt out of place for the group. Their final single was their worst this year though. I want to pretend like Desugita doesn't exist and Watashi is okay but annoying to listen to more than a little. Dondengaeshi was pretty good and I certainly hope that if their last single is indication on the direction they're doing to choose, I hope that direction is Dondengaeshi and not Desugita. Of the new songs on their album, only Marionette is a stand out (and one of their best ever). The other Latin flavored one was pretty good, but beyond that I only remember the other ones being boring. I'm just hoping for consistency for them next year.

Juice=Juice was completely a non-event this year. One single and one album, that's it. Next year seems bright for them though because of their drama coming up. Their only single this year was quite a let down from their previous material. Beyond what Country Girls put out, Wonderful World is the most bland song to come out of H!P this year. Ca va was pretty great, but still pales in comparison to their main A-sides in past years. Their album proved to be better than the single, even though I don't remember half of the tracks. That's my own fault though. I haven't given the album a listen since I received it.

Country Girls started off well for a cutesy group, but took a nosedive with their second single. I had absolutely no expectations for them as cutesy groups are a pretty big turn off for me, but their first single was so catchy! Itooshikute & Koi Dorobu are fun tracks despite being cutesy. Because I had been surprised by them with their first single, I was looking forward to their next one. Which was horrible. A poor Itooshikute rip off & the generic mess of Tameranai. Gone was the charm of the first single. I'm hoping that with the addition of the two new members, they can get back on a good path next year. Hopefully. I'd be horribly disappointed if Musubu was exiled to the blandness of Country Girls and they never improved.

Kobushi had a pretty good debut year in my opinion. I'm not a huge fan of the rock style for idol groups, but it suits them so much. I'm actually disappointed that they only had one true single this year. It's actually funny that in the end Nen ni wa Nen, which I thought would be the only song I liked on the single, turned out to be my least played from it. I'm not going to pretend that Ramen Daisuki is actually a good song, but it's so catchy that you can't help but love it in the end. Dosukoi is also really fun. It's too bad nothing topped Survivor this year though. Even though it was just for a stage play, it's their best song yet and I hope to see more of that "darker pop/rock" style in their upcoming single.

Tsubaki was the wild card this year. No one expected a new group formed right after Kobushi. I honestly didn't expect a whole lot out of them. The only member I really sort of cared about in the Kenshuusei was Kisora. Then they released their first song. Yeah they aren't the greatest singers or performers or what have you, but they managed to blow even Morning Musume out of the water with their song. I have heard their newest song and it sounds super catchy like Seishun as well so I have high hopes for it when a better performance comes out. Tsubaki is the group I'm most excited to see in 2016.

#10: Morning Musume - Sukatto My Heart

#9: Juice=Juice - Choice & Chance

#8: Morning Musume - Seishun Kozou ga Naiteiru

#7: Kobushi Factory - Survivor

#6: Morning Musume - Yuugure wa Ameagari

#5: Angerme - Nana Korobi Yaoki

#4: Angerme - Marionette 37C

#3: Berryz Kobo - Love Together!

#2: Morning Musume - Oh My Wish!

#1: Tsubaki Factory - Seishun Manmannaka!

Enjoy! What are your favorite H!P songs of the year?

25 Days Of Christmas Countdown Day #15: Top H!P Members (Year End Edition)

Link From May's Ranking.

As I've stated before, I feel like H!P has been on a bit of a downturn this year, music wise. I guess I'm still not over Tsunku not producing all of the groups' music anymore. Some of the new people brought in have done awesome [Nana Korobi Yaoki, Choice & Chance, Seishun Manmannaka], but some have been downright dreadful [Desugita, Tamerenai]. I'm hoping that in 2016 Tsunku does at least one song for every group & we have less attempts at "metal" or "super duper cutesy".

As before, no members who have announced their graduations are listed.

Morning Musume

-In my opinion, Morning Musume has had the best year in H!P. This year will be a good turning point for them with Riho leaving. Their first single of the year was pretty solid, with a nice attempt at a different type of music video, their second single showed different centers and different styles of music, and their third single (although I find it the weakest release from them this year), represents that change when Riho leaves. 2016 will be interesting for Musume.

#1: Kanon Suzuki

#2: Masaki Sato

-Masaki's getting realllllly close to inching out Kanon for that top spot. She really just blossomed this year into a star.

#3: Sakura Oda

#4: Miki Nonaka

#5: Akane Haga

-I never cared for Akane in the Kenshuusei, but man she has really caught my attention in Musume.

#6: Haruka Kudo

#7: Ayumi Ishida

#8: Mizuki Fukumura

#9: Maria Makino

-Once my favorite Kenshuusei, was really excited to see her in Musume, and now she's really low in rankings. She just hasn't stood out at all in Musume. I wonder if she would've been a better choice for Kobushi or Tsubaki.

#10: Haruna Iikubo

#11: Erina Ikuta

#12: Haruna Ogata

-I feel bad for listing one of the newbies in the last spot. I just don't see what she adds to the group. Maybe she'll grow within the next year.

C-ute

-C-ute has been super meh this year with their releases. The Middle Management was cool, but I got tired of it pretty quickly. I eventually warmed up to Tsugi no Kado, but again, not much replay value. Their second single this year was worse though. Arigatou was boring and Arashi could have been pretty great if Maimi hadn't been allowed to sing. I'm hoping their album presents something awesome, but from Jounetsu and Iron Heart, I'm not holding my breath.

#1: Airi Suzuki

#2: Chisato Okai

#3: Mai Hagiwara

#4: Saki Nakajima

#5: Maimi Yajima

-Ah. I should feel bad for saying this but I wish she'd leave (or switch positions with Saki). Arashi could have been a good song if she wouldn't have sung in it. I don't hate her at all and she seems to truly enjoy what she does but I just hate her vocals so much.

Angerme

-Angerme has had an up & down year for me. Their first release was completely awesome & their second was also pretty great (discounting Gashin Shoutan). I still haven't heard all of the new album tracks in full yet so I can't really comment on it, although it did bring us the masterpiece that is Marionette. Their final single though was really a let down. I hope management never allows them to attempt a "metal" song again. None of them (besides maybe Meimi & Mizuki if they had enough coaching) can pull it off & Desugita was a screamy mess. Dondengaeshi is catchy, but it's missing that spark, and Watashi sounds cool, but why did Kanon, a girl that can truly sing, have to use the annoying high pitched cutesy vocals. It's bothersome. I'm just hoping for a little more consistency in their releases next year. I'm hoping they continue in the Otome/Nana Korobi/Dondengaeshi range. I think those kind of songs suit their image best.

#1: Ayaka Wada

#2: Meimi Tamura

#3: Mizuki Murota

#4: Maho Aikawa

-When she was first added to Angerme, I didn't get it. It was so out of left field that she was added, but even though she's still kind of awkward, she has this really cool persona that just draws you to her.

#5: Rikako Sasaki

#6: Akari Takeuchi

#7: Kana Nakanishi

#8: Rina Katsuta

Juice=Juice

-Juice=Juice hasn't really done much this year besides their half great half mediocre single and their album. Their album was just ok to me. I feel like I need to give it a couple more listens because nothing really grabbed me at first besides Choice & Chance. I'm hoping they get more releases next year.

#1: Karin Miyamoto

#2: Akari Uemura

#3: Yuka Miyazaki

#4: Sayuki Takagi

#5: Tomoko Kanazawa

-It bothers me that Tomoko is becoming a second Maimi to me. I really liked her when the group began but the tone of her voice just keeps sounding more and more awful to me.

Country Girls

-Oh Country Girls. I dislike the cutesy idol style, but their first single gave me hope that it would be done right. Both songs, although cutesy, were super catchy and fun. Then came their second single, with a Itooshikute rehash and the God-awful Tameranai. Now that Musubu's in the group, I really hope they step it up with Country Girls musically because I would hate to see Musubu stuck in a boring cutesy song rehash group.

#1: Musubu Funaki

-I wanted her for a new group/Musume so much but I'm just ecstatic that she's debuting!!

#2: Risa Yamaki

#3: Manaka Inaba

#4: Chisaki Morito

#5: Mai Ozeki

#6: Nanami Yanagawa

-I just don't know enough about her to have her in any other position besides the last one, not counting Momoko.

#7: Momoko Tsugunaga

Kobushi Factory

-Honestly I was not expecting to care much more Kobushi. I wasn't interested in hearing that they were going in a "rock" direction, but their single has been kind of a sleeper hit for me. I couldn't stand Ramen at first, but it's so catchy you can't help but love it. Dosukoi is pretty cool too. Although I'm not the biggest rock fan, I think this direction is perfect for their talent.

#1: Minami Nomura

#2: Ayaka Hirose

#3: Rei Inoue

#4: Sakurako Wada

#5: Rio Fujii

#6: Ayano Hamaura

#7: Natsumi Taguchi

#8: Rena Ogawa

Tsubaki Factory

-Tsubaki has really blown me away this year. I'd even argue that Seishun Manmannaka is my favorite release of the year. I know that most people complain about them not being the "best" singers or performers, but honestly, with a style like Seishun, they don't really NEED to be at Kobushi's level. To me it seems like they were designed to be the visual group with catchy electro songs to hide their supposed lack of ability. I also believe that a couple years from now they're going to have an explosion of talent and leave Kobushi in the dust. I view the whole Kobushi/Tsubaki thing very much like Berryz/Cute, and I think that was the point from H!P as well.

-I can finally rank them with some certainty!

#1: Kisora Niinuma

-I swear I will name my first daughter Kisora. I've never heard a name that I fell in love with so much as "Kisora". For Kisora herself, I love her performing. She's adorable and has one of the better vocals in Tsubaki.

#2: Yumeno Kishimoto

#3: Kiki Asakura

#4: Risa Ogata

#5: Ami Tanimoto

#6: Riko Yamagishi

Kenshuusei

#1: Ruru Danbara

-#DebutRuru2016Please.

#2: Kizuki Horie

#3: Kurumi Takase

#4: Kaede Kaga

#5: Reina Ichioka

#6: Mao Akiyama

#7-#18: The rest. I just don't have any kind of opinion on the rest of the girls (except Yumei. She can't sing at all and I feel bad for wanting her to quit because this is her dream, but gosh she's bad even for idol standards.)

That's my list. How would you rank Hello! Project?

Hello! Project Ranking May 2015 [Warning: Long Post]

So I'm currently avoiding doing a paper and I thought this would be fun. I've seen a lot of people do their rankings on their favorite members and they're always so interesting to me so I figured I'll do one too. I'll be doing a 48G one too but that will take FOREVER for me and I don't have the time to do it at the moment. I can't rank the whole project together so I'll rank the groups only. This post will be super long cause H!P has really boomed recently. Just a warning.

Morning Musume

#1. Kanon Suzuki

--I don't really know what I like about Kanon. Something about her caught my eye a few years ago and I've really loved her ever since.

#2. Masaki Sato

--There was a time when Masaki would be among my lower ranked girls, but over the past year she just seems to be getting more and more talented. I've been very impressed.

#3. Sakura Oda

--Her voice is stellar and she just gets prettier and prettier each single.

#4. Riho Sayashi

--I remember when I couldn't stand Riho. When I saw the Only You video, I was so angry that she was getting all of these lines and I saw her as a threat to Reina (who I was a HUGE fan of xD). Now, she really stands out and I can see why she's the ace. Her vocals have been improving too.

#5. Ayumi Ishida

--Another girl that has really been standing out to me lately. The H!P version of Seishun really put a nice spotlight on her.

#6. Haruka Kudo

--This girl is truly gorgeous and I don't know why she's not a front girl. Her voice is good too.

#7. Akane Haga

--She was my least favorite 12th gen but then the new single happened. She really shines and I'm looking forward to her future in the group.

#8. Miki Nonoka

--She can speak English! Haha, that's not why I like her though. Her vocals seem pretty good for a newbie.

#9. Maria Makino

--Maria used to be my favorite KSS but she doesn't seem to stand out in MM that much. It'll be interesting to see how she is in future releases.

#10. Haruna Iikubo

--I don't dislike Haruna, I just very indifferent to her. She's improved a lot since debut though.

#11. Mizuki Fukumura

--Much like Haruna, I'm just indifferent to her.

#12. Haruna Ogata

--She's very pretty, but can't sing at all (yet, she could improve). I think she's the least stand out of the 12th gen to me.

#12. Erina Ikuta

--I don't hate her. I don't dislike her. I just can't see anything special about her. She's just there to me.

C-ute

#1. Airi Suzuki

--The best voice in all of H!P. Absolutely a stellar performer. And she joined when she was 8. It's just incredible.

#2. Chisato Okai

--Another incredible talent.

#3. Saki Nakajima

--Indifferent

#4. Mai Hagiwara

--Indifferent

#5. Maimi Yajima

--Probably the only girl in all of H!P I actively dislike. I don't hate her and I'm glad that she's had this opportunity, but I can't stand her voice. It's just absolutely awful in my opinion and I don't understand how she gets praise for it.

Angerme

#1. Meimi Tamura

--The second best voice in all of H!P. In fact, give her a year or so and she'll probably surpass Airi for me.

#2. Mizuki Murota

--Great vocals and she immediately caught my eye when Taiki Bansei was released. Love her.

#3. Ayaka Wada

--I may have mentioned before that I used to dislike her and grew to like her but I can't remember. She really has that spark that people look for in performers.

#4. Kanon Fukuda

--She's got really great vocals

#5. Akari Takeuchi

--Used to be my favorite 2nd gen. Personally, I've felt that her vocals keep getting worse, but I still keep my eye on her.

#6. Rikako Sasaki

--I understand the hype from some people, but I'm still unsure on how I feel about her at the moment.

#7. Kana Nakanishi

Indifferent

#8. Rina Katsuta

Indifferent

#9. Maho Aikawa

--She was so awkward in their new single (more so than MM's newbies...and she was a KSS). I'm interested to see how she grows but I'm not sure if she was ready to debut.

Juice=Juice

#1. Karin Miyamoto

--Used to really dislike her, but over this year she's really stood out to me.

#2. Akari Uemura

--Has really blown me away with her improvement.

#3. Sayuki Takagi

--Used to be my favorite, but like with Akari Takeuchi I feel like instead of improving she's getting worse.

#4. Yuka Miyazaki

--She was so adorably awkward at first, but now she's so confident. I love how she's grown.

#5. Tomoko Kanazawa

--Kind of another Maimi situation. Her vocals just don't do it for me. I recognize that she can actually sing though.

Country Girls

#1. Risa Yamaki

--I liked her in KSS and still really like her here.

#2. Manaka Inaba

--I don't totally understand why she was added to such a cutesy group, but she still stands out.

#3. Uta Shimamura

--She seems to be everyone's favorite. She's adorable, but she hasn't been around long enough for me to have a full opinion.

#4. Mai Ozeki

--Indifferent

#5. Chisaki Morito

--Indifferent

#6. Momoko Tsugunaga

--Didn't like Momoko in Berryz, really don't like her here. She'd be better off doing solo variety stuff.

Kobushi Factory

#1. Minami Nomura

--I was really indifferent to her during her whole time in KSS, but after seeing the Nen ni wa Nen performance on The Girls Live she just outshined everyone else.

#2. Rei Inoue

--Never had a strong opinion since she was very new, but wow her voice. She could be really amazing in the future.

#3. Ayaka Hirose

--Seems to have a really strong voice. Will keep my eye on her.

#4. Rio Fujii

--Indifferent

#5. Natsumi Taguchi

--Indifferent

#6. Sakurako Wada

--Indifferent

#7. Ayano Hamaura

--Indifferent

#8. Rena Ogawa

--Never really liked her in the KSS. I personally think she's the weakest link in Kobushi, but who knows where she'll be in a couple years.

Tsubaki Factory

#1. Kisora Niinuma

--Tsubaki is still SUPER new, so it's difficult to rank them, but I've liked Kisora since KSS and I ADORE her name. Like, I want to name my first daughter 'Kisora' type of adore her name.

#2. Yumeno Kishimoto

--Again, really liked her in KSS. Super excited she gets to debut.

#3. Kiki Asakura

--Girl's got a heck of a stage presence. Really interested to see her growth.

#4-6. Riko Yamagishi, Risa Ogata, Ami Tanimoto

--I don't even have enough of an opinion of these three to rank them in any sort of order. In the future I'll know more.

Kenshuusei

--I won't rank them all, but I'll rank my top 5.

#1. Musubu Funaki

--I know she's still young, but DEBUT HER ALREADY AKLSJADKJHKAJSDHASKDH. I think she might be my favorite H!P member ever. She's got everything.

#2. Ruru Danbara

--Phenomenal voice. Absolutely phenomenal.

#3. Kizuki Horie

--Was indifferent to her, but her Recital test performance blew me away. Excited to see her progress in the future.

#4. Hikaru Inoue

--Everyone else heard her performance from the Recital right? I was stunned.

#5. Kurumi Takase

--Really starting to take a liking to her.

Everyone else

--Either too new or I'm just indifferent to them.

So that's my ranking! Sorry for the ridiculously long post. So who's everyones' favorites? I'd love to know! Post a comment if you'd like :)