Ugh, I hate to even think about a Berryz grad. Not even because I really really want it or really really don't, I'm just so torn!
Momoko is doing really well, concerning her publicity, and can easily make it as some kind of comedian/idol. Risako and Miyabi (and others, but those two in particular) are decently popular in the group and are talented enough to do solo work (though unlikely in Miya's case since she has Buono!) There is the unity of BeriKyuu that would be broken if Berryz was to fall away while C-ute continued working as H!P's 'mature' group (because for some reason, Berryz STILL gets silly songs.)
Meanwhile, the group itself is at an awkward place that doesn't seem to be able to redeem itself. You have more mature members, but you have Momoko as the main pull to the group in the public eye. The group technically has the most seniority and the girls have aged considerably since the group's conception, but they're still getting some pretty
childish, silly songs (though not always, which makes the silly ones even more awkward.)
They're not the young, clumsy H!P Kids start up group, anymore. That dynamic no longer holds the group together. Seeing them together with their various images, seeing the silly idol types (read: Momoko) against the more mature ones and seeing those more mature ones try to somehow pull off superhero capes and polka dotted red overalls next to the pigtail troll just doesn't work.
C-ute works well because while they've moved onto a more mature image and have garnered a female audience for themselves, certain members can still be cute and silly and have it be their schtick. It doesn't really work the other way around.
If they do graduate, I would hope that Buono! would become more active to preserve Miyabi's career (hopeful but doubtful) and I can definitely see Risako going solo if UFA wanted to go that route. She's become a lot more skilled vocally than she'd ever been in the past, has heaps of idol experience and has been a center for a long time. Also, she's got an in with Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and she's always rocking those hair colours (another reason the group doesn't seem so unified, anymore) so she could definitely be seen as relevant in the eye of the public.
Risako is pretty quiet, but not moreso than Maki is/was. Not comparatively, but Risako has enough performance presence that she may be able to pull off a solo career within H!P. I could even see Risako + KPP collabs working out, but we probably wouldn't be so lucky.
I'd hope that Captain, Chinami, Maasa and Yurina could find other things to do. Perhaps a minigroup of some/all of them? It's for this reason that I really don't want to see Berryz fizzle away completely, but maybe they can shuffle the girls/give them side work that would end up being their primary gig while still keeping Berryz together as a base for this. That way the group will still be active at concerts and the girls with less going on wouldn't lose their positions, because that would be so sad. <img src='
http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... pyeyes.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':puppyeyes:' />
I honestly don't see how they'd get away with a Berryz grad while leaving C-ute intact, though, and since C-ute's not about to go anywhere, I feel that Berryz may be safe.
