Line #34 YMMV/HelloProject


1	* AmericansHateTingle: Western fans of H!P will sometimes declare that Coconuts Musume was the worst group ever in the history of Hello! Project, whereas everyone else cares just as much about Coconuts as they do any other defunct H!P group.
2	** This is also the reason why Hello! Project scaled back on their worldwide expansion projects. They tried entering the Chinese market in 2007 by first making Junjun and Linlin members of Morning Musume and then creating Ice Creamusume and Frances & Aiko, but because the Chinese audience didn't care for Junjun and Linlin that much (not to mention Ice Creamusume ''flopped so bad'' their career lasted for only three months), the expansion towards China was dropped in 2010. They also tried expanding towards South Korea in 2009, but whether it be because of their failure to break the Chinese market or because KoreanPopMusic had rapidly became a global hit, those plans were immediately forgotten too.
3	* BaseBreakingCharacter: Coconuts Musume is this for many western H!P fans. Mika and Ayaka are usually forgiven (the first being half Japanese and the latter fully Japanese), Danielle specifically gets the most flack despite not actually being the worst at speaking Japanese.
4	** Koharu Kusumi is easily the most divisive member in the history of Morning Musume. She either lived up to the "miracle" hype that Tsunku placed on her or was not deserving of the opportunities given to her. She also had a concurrent solo career despite being the youngest and least experienced member at the time. In 2013, the base was split even more when she, during an interview on a radio show, criticized the idol industry for catering to mostly men (also stating that she wanted to have more female fans) and admitted that her main goal in joining Morning Musume was to get a foot in the door to become a model for ''[=CanCam=]''. On one side, there were fans that interpreted this as Koharu having used Morning Musume as a stepping stone to make herself famous. These same fans also feel that Koharu showed a great deal of disrespect and ingratitude towards Up-Front and Hello! Project for all they had done for her and felt that her criticism of appealing to mostly men meant that she hates her male fans. It also didn't help her case that she said this in front of her MM senior and mentor Sayumi Michishige during the show. On another side, there are fans that contested that joining the idol industry to use as a launching pad for a bigger career in entertainment is a very normal practice. They also believe that it is normal for a teenage girl to feel uncomfortable with having a largely male fanbase [[note]](The ''Manga/KirarinRevolution'' anime she stared in from 2006-2009 was mainly aimed at young girls, and yet most of the people attending the live performances were grown men. It doesn't help that the Internet associated her second solo song, "Balalaika" with a [=NSFW=] meme when she was only 14 years old.)[[/note]]. And then there are other parts of the base that took a more middle ground stance on the matter. Some taking umbrage with not what was said but how it was said. Some seeing the whole thing as a non-issue that was not only blown out of proportion by the fandom but also instigated by the hosts of said radio show. And then there are others that have stated that they have gained a new level of respect for Koharu for being honest and speaking out against Japan's idol industry.
5	* BrokenBase: The official PV's for Morning Musume's "Seishun Kozou ga Naiteiru" and "Yuugure wa Ameagari". Karin Miyamoto filled in for Kanon Suzuki because she had an injured leg, which Karin did as repayment for when she got injured and Ayumi Ishida took her place in the dance shot of a Juice=Juice music video. The PV preview for "Yuugure wa Ameagari" got leaked, and fans became upset when not only did Kanon not get any close-ups, but Karin had more close-ups than any of the Morning Musume members, including the new members.
6	** To add to the controversy over the 58th single PV's, fans thought the official PV for "Seishun Kozou ga Naiteiru" was going to be directed by a contest winner. The [[https://youtu.be/GtboKJ4D8zg resulting PV]], which was all CG animated aside from the girls and some props, received a much more positive reception from fans, and included Kanon. However, management still went ahead and made the [[https://youtu.be/aI3mT0NoXdQ official PV]] one directed in-house.
7	** Back when Morning Musume's "Resonant Blue" was released, the fandom was split on the music video, which was only a dance video. [[note]](Typically, Hello! Project music videos are shot with three different types of footage: dance, close-up, and story.)[[/note]] Besides that, there was a clear focus put on Ai Takahashi, Reina Tanaka, and Koharu Kusumi, as all girls had some white in their clothing, while the rest of the girls wore all-black clothing, while they danced against a black backdrop. While some fans don't find this a big deal, other fans feel this was a lazy and biased move, as it was easy for the rest of the girls to be mistaken for backup dancers. In response to this, Hello! Project released an alternate music video for the song.
8	* CantUnHearIt: Sakura Oda's vocals sound a lot like Ai Takahashi.
9	* ContractualPurity: Many H!P members have been fired for such things as underage smoking or being [[FelonyMisdemeanor seen with a boyfriend]]. Nowadays, many fans speculate that Up-Front Agency is careful when vetting potential trainees and will be more likely not to accept girls from troubled backgrounds to avoid scandal.
10	** The most infamous case was Ai Kago's scandal. In 2005, she was caught smoking underage and was put under house arrest for a year. Weeks before W was supposed to prepare for their comeback, Kago was not only photographed smoking underage again, but also going to a hot spring[[note]](These sorts of trips usually imply sexual intercourse, hence the outrage.)[[/note]] with her boyfriend, who was [[MayDecemberRomance 18 years her senior]]. By then, the scandal had gotten so big that Up-Front Agency outright dismissed her from the company.
11	** In 2008, Miyabi Natsuyaki was caught allegedly dating Hey! Say! Jump! member Kei Inoo. A lot of fans defended her, claiming it was lookalike actress Saki Fukuda. Regardless of which side fans took, UP-FRONT or Miyabi never commented on it.
12	** Months after Mai's "scandal", fellow ℃-ute member Chisato Okai and former Berryz Koubou member Maasa Sudo (who is somehow exempt from the rule because she is no longer an idol) were photographed hanging out with two guys from A.B.C-Z. UP-FRONT never commented on it, but after being asked about it at a press event, Chisato made a quick apology and [[http://wotaintranslation.com/2016/12/02/okai-chisato-makes-reporters-laugh-by-joking-about-her-scandal/ then proceeded to joke about it with the reporters]]. Many fans agree that the real scandal was [[DistractedByTheSexy how amazing Chisato looked in the dress]] [[http://i.imgur.com/Qyh2dm7.jpg she was wearing in one of the photographs]].
13	** Natsumi Taguchi was dismissed from Magnolia Factory. Coincidentally, this was also around the time when selfies of her with someone who was allegedly her boyfriend leaked onto the Internet.
14	** Maki Goto abruptly graduated after her brother, Yuki Goto, made headlines for his 2007 arrest.[[note]](Yuki Goto had already been infamous in 2001 and 2002 for well-publicized incidents that destroyed his IdolSinger career, which included physically assaulting his female manager and for being caught drinking underage at a hostess club.)[[/note]] Rumors circulated saying that her graduation had nothing to do with the arrest despite the timing, and that she had wanted to leave due to not being satisfied with the direction of her career, but in 2018, she admitted that Up-Front Agency had asked her to leave, hinting that her brother's arrest did impact her IdolSinger career somewhat.
15	** In 2017, Mari Yaguchi admitted that the reason why she left Morning Musume was in fact because she was dating Shun Oguri at the time, which had been outed on tabloids.
16	* EnsembleDarkhorse: Chisato Okai was a Lesser Star in ℃-ute, but after uploading dance videos on Website/YouTube, her popularity skyrocketed to the point where she's promoted to a main singer behing Maimi and Airi.
17	** During the Morning Musume 10th generation audition, Masaki Sato couldn't remember the lyrics at the beginning of training camp, but showed improvement in the recording booth. However, Ayumi Ishida or Haruka Kudo were already pegged as the aces of their generation when they joined, and Masaki's vocals were shaky for the first year or so. Since then Masaki has developed into one of Morning Musume's lead singers.
18	* ExecutiveMeddling: In June 2017, UP-FRONT PROMOTION announced they would implement a transfer system with the Country Girls members after Tsugunaga Momoko graduated. Country Girls would be active on school breaks and holidays, but three girls (Morito Chisaki, Yanagawa Nanami, Funaki Musubu) would join other main groups as concurrent members while the other two (Yamaki Risa, Ozeki Mai) focused on school. The members later wrote on their blogs that they did not expect this change at all and they believed they were being told the group couldn't succeed as five members. They also implied the office already made the decision without giving them a choice, and it wasn't until after the office told them about the change being made that Risa and Mai decided to focus on their studies instead of transferring groups.
19	** Hello! Project attempted to expand towards Chinese markets in 2007. Some of the moves included scouting girls from China without anyone else knowing and making Junjun and Linlin full-time members of Morning Musume. However, their venture was a flop, the reasons cited being [[http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2009/03/13/music/morning-musume-not-ready-to-graduate-yet music piracy]] and Junjun and Linlin not being able to catch the interest of Chinese audiences despite the hype built around them. In 2010, the management decided not to promote in China anymore especially after Hello! Project Taiwan bombed so badly; in the same year, both Junjun and Linlin had to leave Morning Musume.
20	* FanNickname: Nearly everyone. They also have fan ASCII faces.
21	* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: Kanon Suzuki is fairly unpopular in Japan, but is adored by many western fans, to the point where in a ''J-MELO'' popularity poll for overseas fans, she came second place by only 2 points behind then-leader Sayumi Michishige.
22	* HarsherInHindsight: Any joke about Iida Kaori about motherhood or childbirth, especially appearances when she was actually pregnant, becomes less funny considering her son died at only 6 months old.
23	* HollywoodPudgy: Suzuki Kanon has gotten ''a lot'' of flack for being slightly larger than the other girls in Morning Musume. Yeah, [[http://hellosayunii.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Suzuki-Kanon-1231.jpg this]] is fat.
24	** Fukuda Kanon and more recently Sudo Maasa have also been made fun of for their weight by fans, despite being very slim.
25	** Back in the day, Kago Ai also got criticized for her weight often, despite looking like [[http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc222/Keiohki/kago10.jpg this]] at the time.
26	** Sayashi Riho also got a lot of rude comments about her weight during the last couple of years of being in Morning Musume. It only worsened when Suzuki Kanon briefly lost weight in 2015, which caused many fans who previously bullied the former, to turn their attention towards Riho for being the new "fattest member". [[https://ishidaayumisingapore.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/sayashi1.png She looked like this at the time.]] What made it worse was that Riho was already very insecure about this issue, and had been trying various crash diets.
27	** Ogata Haruna was criticized for the weight she gained in 2017, when for the past two years she had received a mix of worried or dismissive comments about her being too HollywoodThin.
28	* LesYay: GAM's [[https://youtu.be/vLQ0U2Wj_p4 PV for Melodies]] basically operates on the premise of GirlOnGirlIsHot, obviously also qualifies as ShipTease for Matsuura Aya and Fujimoto Miki.
29	** Apprently former Morning Musume member Junjun ''really likes'' Berryz Koubou captain Shimizu Saki.
30	--> ''' Kamei Eri''': Those two have a bit of a suspicious relationship.
31	** On that note, Erina Ikuta's almost over-the-top adoration of Risa Niigaki seems a little ''too'' suspect...
32	** Michishige Sayumi really liked to kiss the other members, especially Takahashi Ai.
33	* LostInTranslation: The group name "ANGERME", which is meant to be a {{Portmanteau}} of the French words "ange" (angel) and "larme" (tear). The official pronunciation in Japanese--"An-ju-ru-mu" (アンジュルム)--isn't the [[AccentUponTheWrongSyllable correct French pronunciation]], and the official romanized name can be read as "anger me" [[InMyLanguageThatSoundsLike in English]].
34	* MemeticMutation: The infamous Dramatic Chipmunk originated from a ''Hello! Morning'' segment featuring Mini Moni (with the "chipmunk" actually being a prairie dog).
35	** "TWO THOUSAND PEOPLE ON THE DANCE FLOOR" from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=j4xYQ4iqTOY Kimi Sae Ireba Nani mo Iranai]] by Morning Musume.
36	** [[http://www.helloprojectworld.com/2014/04/sayashi-sings-life-goes-with.html "Watsugozara Kamoza Land"]]
37	** "They're angering me" and similar phrases were used a lot in response to S/mileage changing their name to "ANGERME".
38	** [[GratuitousEnglish "I am a pen"]] [[note]]During a performance of Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari, [[https://vine.co/v/eKOtWdjtZKE Ikuta Erina says this after Nonaka Miki performs her verse in English]]. The Tumblr fandom in particular took it and rolled with it.[[/note]]
39	** [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aika.jpg Mitsui Aika dressed as an old man]] from the Maji Desu Ka Ska music video as a reaction image, in the context of either feeling too old or having been waiting too long for something.
40	** Help Help, Dangerous Ass, Help Help, The Ass Cries [[note]]From the song [[https://youtu.be/MOP6lkRlC0Y Help!! ~EcoMoni no Acchi Chikyuu wo Samasunda!~]]. The actual lyrics are supposed to be [[GratuitousEnglish "Dangerous Earth/The Earth Cries"]][[/note]]
41	** Sayashi Riho [[http://oi63.tinypic.com/24zbp07.jpg falling during a Christmas fanclub event]] being used as a reaction image to shocking or upsetting news.
42	** Utahell/Utaloss [[note]]The sudden withdrawal of fan favorite Shimamura Uta from Country Girls brought a lot of shock, tears and EpilepticTrees that reached such comical and over-the-top levels that it had become a topic of parody overnight [[MadeMyselfSad (mostly by the same people who were the most upset by her departure)]] _hell and _loss has since been used to refer to the feeling of sadness whenever a member or group graduates or withdraws (e.g. Zukkiloss, ℃-utehell)[[/note]]
43	** [[OverlyLongGag Do it do it do it do it do it do it do it do it do it do it...]] [[note]]The chorus of Utakata Saturday Night ends with the line "Do it do it dance". At the end of the song "do it" is repeated for approximately 16 seconds.[[/note]]
44	** [[TheCutie The Vocal Training Lady]] From Harosute [[note]]A vocal trainer who occasionally shows up during Hello Project Station (or Harosute for short) has become an EnsembleDarkhorse with the Tumblr fandom ever since she was featured on a Hello! Project Confessions blog.[[/note]]
45	** Kudo Haruka wrote ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' when she was 2. [[note]]A Tumblr post [[http://archejoiyo.tumblr.com/post/149462698925/reivenesque-undercover-witch mistakenly credited a picture of Haruka Kudo as the writer of Fullmetal Alchemist]]. The post got over 22k notes of people who genuinely believed the girl in the photo was Creator/HiromuArakawa, and as of writing, is continuing to fool more. The fact that Haruka was born only 2 years before the series began publication brought a lot of amusement to fans of Morning Musume.[[/note]]
46	** Rich, Young, Girly, Hosoi!
47	** [[https://twitter.com/mornings2juice/status/845466486994980865 Mizuki Murota dancing at Hinafes]]
48	** Comparing Michishige Sayumi to various religious figures, especially when she unexpectedly announced her comeback which made some fans make comparisons to the resurrection of Jesus.
49	** Miki Nonaka: "I lived in America for 8 years" and does everything in English
50	*** [[FanNickname Miki Alabama]][[note]]After [[http://www.hello-online.org/img/Nonaka%20Miki-663748.jpg publicity photos]] of her [[https://pp.vk.me/c402722/v402722732/3ec7/IIemA6pmd6w.jpg dressed suspiciously]] like HannahMontana came out.[[/note]]
51	** Excuse me,what did you just say? I don't want to hear that. [[note]]From Angerme's [[https://youtu.be/9PgpgVf6GLQ 'Itoshima Distance']], a screencap with that lyric usually gets used in response to bad news such as graduation announcements.[[/note]]
52	*** Also from Itoshima Distance is Maho Aikawa's [[WhatTheHellCostumingDepartment jester hat]].
53	** Kobushigeddon 2017.[[note]]Kobushi Factory... didn't have the best 2017, to put it simply -- ''three'' of the members left due to scandals, reducing the group to just five. The sheer amount of departures has sparked a lot of conspiracy theories.[[/note]]
54	* {{Narm}}:
55	** The English version of "Summer Night Town" by Coconuts Musume. Hearing it may provide some insight as to why the group was not so popular outside of Japan. It's even better with the [[https://youtu.be/_ZvzvgCmCO4 music video]], which besides just being badly shot/directed in general, has the girls looking completely dead inside.
56	** The BlindIdiotTranslation hard-subtitles on [=YouTube=] [=PVs=] since 2013.
57	* RetroactiveRecognition: Mano Erina has become more well-known as an actress than she did as a soloist under Hello! Project.
58	* TheScrappy: Michishige Sayumi was not well liked when she first joined Morning Musume, as her singing and dancing were decidedly sub-par and many found her narcissistic [[ScrewTheRulesImBeautiful "cutest MM member"]] gimmick obnoxious. History would repeat itself a few years later, with the arrival of Kusumi Koharu. However, as both have grown as performers and eventually endeared themselves to a large portion of the fanbase, they can be said to have been RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap; Sayumi won a lot of people over just by deliberately overplaying her {{Kawaiiko}} and ItsAllAboutMe tendencies to the point of comedy. That said, when discussing the single ''Resonant Blue'', Sayumi {{lampshade\|Hanging}}d her role in the group: [[SelfDeprecation "I always get the 'Ah!' and 'Uh!' lines.]] I want to sing some actual Japanese words for a change!" Sure enough, come the single ''Onna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai'', [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments one of her (few) lines was an "Ah!".]] And once Koharu broke out of her shell and revealed the big personality behind the meek little country girl she debuted as, she became super popular, especially with her portrayal of Kirari Tsukishima in the anime adaptation of Kirarin Revolution.
59	** Most recently, Mitsui Aika. Tsunku likes her though.
60	*** RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: She's starting to become more popular with western fans since she returned from New Zealand to study English and began working with Up-Front Productions to provide English-language reports on Hello! Project-related activities, interviews with the current idols and responding to fan comments on Facebook.
61	** Riho Sayashi caught a lot of this around 2012, as some fans accused her of being the SpotlightStealingSquad -- being the default VocalTagTeam with Reina for three straight singles certainly didn't curry any favors towards her. This mellowed out once Reina graduated and other members like Mizuki, Sakura and Masaki were showcased alongside her, but the stigma still followed her until her sudden graduation (and even then, [[AlasPoorScrappy many fans that disliked her before were stunned and saddened by the decision]].)
62	* StuckInTheirShadow: Tsubaki Factory is often put down by fans for not being as "polished" as their sister group Kobushi Factory. This seems to be fading as they keep gaining experience, though.
63	%%* SpecialEffectFailure: Some [=PVs=]. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample; give specific examples)
64	* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: The verses of Buono!'s "Internet Cupid" samples the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' theme song.
65	** The synth line in Morning Musume's [[https://youtu.be/uy_YtPvaf58&t=18 "Love Machine"]] sounds like the synth line from D-Train's [[https://youtu.be/aXl7f757gqI&t=15 "You're the One for Me"]].
66	** Berryz Koubou's [[https://youtu.be/dEnNCcSWZPA&t=14s "Rival"]] sounds like a J-Pop arrangement of [[https://youtu.be/GWuolcwidxg "Tallahassee Morning"]] from ''VideoGame/RailroadTycoon 3'' WithLyrics.
67	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Fans are naturally vocally upset whenever a member joins or leaves, which is very common. However, while the other main groups have a stable line-up, the biggest backlash of this occured with Morning Musume after the 9th generation's inclusion into the group and the subsequent departures of Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki, and Reina Tanaka, which left Sayumi Michishige as the only recognizable member for fans who have kept up with Morning Musume since 2002. [[https://youtu.be/_HvMFEqTlUo&feature=share&list=UUoKXb95K5h3sME3c9OCBaeA&index=21 Up-Front Works has even recognized Morning Musume's waning popularity]] and have made several attempts to market the group's changes as a rebirth, including rebranding the group as "Morning Musume '14."
68	** S/mileage changing their name to ANGERME got a lot of flack especially from English-speaking fans, as even though it was intended to be a portmaneau of the French words "ange" (angel) and "larme" (tear), most of the fanbase read it as the English "anger me" which many felt was not only a silly name, but didn't suit the image that the group aimed to hold (a lot of people saying it was better suited to a metal group than an idol group).
69	** Fans on Girls Channel note that newer Hello! Project members don't have a standout personality and attribute that to Up-Front Works playing it ''too'' safe in selecting which girl to join their company, as they seem to avoid choosing girls from dysfunctional families. While that protects their artists' images from scandals, it actually makes them less relatable and too perfect. Some of the more memorable members were from troubled backgrounds, like Maki Goto and Ai Kago.
70	* WholeCostumeReference: Haruka Kudo's promo outfit for Morning Musume '17's fall tour [[https://78.media.tumblr.com/350ff97b236619d03b122577f5e7c34c/tumblr_ox9zkbZWSE1shwsnro1_1280.jpg looks]] like it was inspired by ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'''s Lightning.
71	* WTHCostumingDepartment: [[http://www.hello-online.org/res/articlemedia/article20090202040948404.jpg Some]] [[http://jpopcdcovers.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/12-the-peace-back.jpg of]] [[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-57pkUiJSZ_k/TbPE4nDOUUI/AAAAAAAAHDY/TTYZzR_SG7E/s1600/%255BPV%255D+Morning+Musume+-+Renai+Revolution+21+%2528DVD-RIP%2529.jpg the]] [[http://img2.lln.crunchyroll.com/i/spire4/957f65985c1e9195f4f7a57e5939ceff1237301656_full.jpg things]] [[http://im.videosearch.rediff.com/thumbImage/videoImages/videoImages1/blinkx/rdhash272/65200461_swf_0.swfdveoh.gif the]] [[http://sayunii.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/tanpopo.jpg girls]] [[http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/832/16730141.jpg/sr=1 have]] [[http://www.japanxtreme.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/w_heart.jpg to]] [[http://www.helloblog.co.uk/images/rainbowpink1.jpg wear.]] [[http://midorigirl.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/foof.png Seriously.]] [[http://images.wikia.com/helloproject/images/2/2a/Fukudaangeldevil2.jpg I]] [[http://s3.amazonaws.com/dotclue.org/trashing-airi.jpg don't]] [[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5rppSVxP3gQ/TOdA6dmfGsI/AAAAAAAADeE/7eve6eTOtoA/s1600/20.png even...]]
72	* TheWoobie: Iida Kaori and Yasuda Kei were pretty much TheChewToy for the hosts of Utaban who actually WouldHitAGirl, especially Iida, although they never really hurt her (physically anyway), and it's always played for laughs.
73	** Yaguchi Mari has a history of being ''mercilessly'' teased on shows like Utaban and [=HeyHeyHey!=]
74	** Occasionally invoked for Kago Ai due to her going through a BreakTheCutie.

Context YMMV / HelloProject