LADYBABY / YMMV - TV Tropes

Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: Let's leave aside for now the possibility that the group itself counts and focus on some of the weirdness that has happened at live shows.
- During one TIFKALB-era show when Rie and Rei were performing "Nippon Manju", Rei turned, noticed a video camera behind her, gave it one of the most epic double-birds ever, then immediately returned to dancing as if nothing had happened.
- During the final day of Ladybaby's 3-day gig at Japan Expo Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, as Emily introduced "Agé-Agé Money", Rie inexplicably stomped on the stage and jumped in place, her boots impacting loudly. During one of her solos, she even more inexplicably walked off the front of the stage into the audience (there were stairs) and just sort of made a small loop through the crowd while still singing. When she made it back to the stage, she not-at-all-gracefully climbed up in between two speakers instead of using the stairs right next to her – though that could be because Nana was singing. She then rejoined the other girls, none of whom batted an eye.
Broken Base: Inevitable given the multiple lineup changes.
- Ladybeard officially left Ladybaby in mid-2016 but, years later, people who might have only seen "Nippon Manju" still comment "Where's Ladybeard?" on post-Beard music videos, along with claiming he was the only thing that made Ladybaby worth following. There is also a minority of fans who didn't like him and find the group improved by his absence, especially once Emily joined. His cameo in 2018, while well-received, put these two groups in direct conflict.
- Happened again after Rei quit, though not quite to the extent. In that case, several people claimed Rie should not have revived the Ladybaby name (she and Rei pulled a Prince after Beard left), and instead should have launched under a different title, claiming Ladybaby without Beard or Rei isn't Ladybaby at all. ^note
- The 2023 "Fourth Generation" plans to answer the question, "Can it even be called 'Ladybaby' without Rie?" as she had moved on to rekindling her professional and personal relationship with Rei.
Harsher in Hindsight:
- "Pinky! Pinky!" is a song about maintaining friendship, love, and trust no matter how tough the circumstances get. The final lines are even in English: "I love you" and "And trust me!". …It was the last music video Rie and Rei made together – just two months after it posted, Rei left Ladybaby and the two girls evidently had a nasty falling out.
- "Lady Baby Blue" for exactly the same reason. The whole point of it was to show off Rie and Rei's closeness. Despite its popularity with fans, it would not be performed again until near the very end of LB 3.0's run.
Hilarious in Hindsight: When Rie and Rei announced their duo project on New Year's Day 2023, fans quickly pointed out how "Pinky! Pinky!" had become prophetic.
"Never underestimate the power of the pinky-promise!"
It's the Same, Now It Sucks!: Whenever "The Idol(s) Formerly Known As Ladybaby" – i.e. Rie and Rei – put out a song with screaming in it, such as "Easter Bunny" or "Pinky! Pinky!", since to many it seemed like they were trying to emulate their old success without a key part of what made them successful.
- Plenty of old-school fans were angry at Rie for deciding to revive the Ladybaby name after Rei's departure, arguing that "Ladybaby without Ladybeard (or Rei) isn't Ladybaby at all", even though the 2018-era lineup can and did perform Beard-era songs live, which Rie and Rei as a duo could not credibly do. And the revived group's music is much closer in style to the group's roots, including a Beard-assisted sequel to "Agé-Agé Money".
Misblamed: Rie and Rei's decision to keep going after Ladybeard quit angered his fans. But, according to Rick himself, both girls signed contracts while he was still negotiating (and being screwed over by management). Thus, they HAD to keep performing regardless of what Beard did.
They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: Inevitable reaction from some folks since this is a group that had, as of 2018, lost all but one of its original members… and then lost the last original member in 2020.
- Because "Nippon Manju" specifically went so viral (and was the group's very first release), plenty of non-fans or new fans have seen only that and are often unhappy to discover that the group changed so drastically so quickly. ^note
- After Ladybeard left the group and Rie and Rei opted to keep going as a duo, plenty of comments on their TIFKA music videos in no fewer than three languages ask what had happened to Beard and why the girls bothered to keep going. ^{Answer -} In addition to Rie wanting to, they had to. As noted above, they re-upped their contracts while Ladybeard was still negotiating his. When he realized the execs were basically running out the clock on his visa to try to force him to accept a raw deal and decided to walk, that left Rie and Rei with no choice but to go it alone and make the best of it.
  - This still gets asked in comments sections of videos by the four-girl lineup, even though Ladybeard has not been part of Ladybaby since mid-2016.
- Since many of Rie and Rei's post-Beard songs that didn't get music videos – plus a couple that did – are in a very different style than what they had become known for, this cropped up from time to time, although nearly everyone liked "Lady Baby Blue" (by far their poppiest song but also their best in the vocal department).
- Poor, poor Fourth-Generation Ladybaby. As soon as they were announced in November 2023, they were immediately blasted with hate comments from the Western side of the fandom. Several brought up Ladybeard (proving just how few paid attention after "Nippon Manju"), but others who were familiar with the group's history believed continuing without Rie was disrespectful. Never mind that Rie chose not to return, while Emily and Fuka gave the new lineup their full support.
  - The quintet's first new song "Gotcha Nippon" got mixed reactions, with many comments complaining about the lack of screams – the song DOES in fact have screaming, but it's buried in the mix – and considering it weak compared to previous "heavier" songs, some of which have the same composer as this song.
  - A 4.0 version of "Nippon Manju" received even harsher criticism from the minority, with most of the vitriol directed at screamer Sakura Tsubaki. Sakura said publicly she is new to death-vocals and wants to improve quickly… then confirmed that Emily was training her on proper technique whenever time permitted (PassCode spent much of 2023 on tour to mark the group's 10th anniversary).

YMMV / LADYBABY

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