Kasahara Momona Becomes Candidate on Produce 101 Japan

[DonJuan]

Damn. Congrats Kassa! But damn.

[MejraThea]

This as interesting to follow. I'll only check out their first single, to see how much Kassa dominates, but it was really interesting to watch. This says good things about H!P lol.

[WonderBuono]

I finally watched the finale after somehow avoiding seeing the results other than one comment about Koto not making it.

I’m mostly happy with the results, personally if I could I would swap out Shizuku and Kokona for Rin and Nano, but I kinda expected it to go this way. (Semifinals was when I got really upset, like half my favorites got eliminated and I was pissed.) I guess it can’t all be my ideal picks lol but in any case it’s a solid lineup and I can’t wait for their debut. So proud of our girl for winning first.

Also does anyone know if any of Momona’s former Angerme group mates have posted about her? (Are they even allowed to?)


Edit: forgot to add the Korean P101 has given me trust issues and I can’t get over how Ayane’s 686868 looks like a fake total

[WonderBuono]

Ha ha!

Omg this always drove me crazy especially when she follows with “you know what I’m saying” NO they don’t!
I love the mentors btw they always look like they’re having so much fun together.

[JPope]

Also does anyone know if any of Momona’s former Angerme group mates have posted about her? (Are they even allowed to?)

I know Moe did. Anju had a talking gig somewhere during the finale, and according to guy who was there, they postponed one of the sessions so the girls could watch the final ranking. A lot of H!P OGs congratulated Kassa on various SM platforms, including Takeuchi and Wada. I'll see if I can find them and post them here.

[WonderBuono]

^ Aw that’s actually really sweet that they said “hold on a sec we gotta watch this”

[JPope]

Here's all of the H!P congratulatory posts I liked on Twitter.

[JPope]

Here's a Twitter thread that translates Take-chan's comments on Kassa from her radio show.

[JPope]

ME:I debut single 4/17



A 6-person songwriting team is not a great sign.

[DonJuan]

This being a super-produced artificial release was to be expected.

[Shoujo Q]

Digital release of Click is out.


It’s super typical Kpop style with an ear-worm sound. It’s not offensive to my ears but they just sound over processed (to me) and it’s one thing I don’t really like because there’s just no individuality in the vocals.
I’m sure the MV will be extra high budget.

Aside from all that, I still like it cause I’m a sucker for ear worms. It’ll show up in my playlist but I’m sure I’ll forget about it in a year or two. Kinda like Niziu’s songs.

[JPope]

I gotta admit, I kinda dig this. The total run time is 2:46, which is perfect, because it's short and to the point and then it's done. What's the last Jpop or Kpop single to clock in under three minutes? Whatever it is, it's rare. Yes, the production is heavy-handed and vocally generic, but not much more than most Perfume tracks, and I feel like this is kinda channeling them, anyway. Ultimately, this is way better than I was expecting.

Here's a PV teaser for Click:

[Shoujo Q]

Here is the full MV. Just as I suspected for a MV with a mega budget.

[JPope]

The video is pretty great, and like the song, it does a nice job of presenting ME:I as a Japanese group that's heavily influenced by Kpop. For me, that's a win, and if they can continue to walk that line between the two in this manner, I might be in for the long haul.

[DonJuan]

Absolutely not my kind of music. But yes, I have to admit that they're great at what they're doing and ticking all the boxes for this kind of genre.
The dance part (during the black and white/sepia effect) was pretty damn cool. Obviously at this point they're still trying to show off every girl for her specialities.

[AquaChan]

They even did some promotions in Korea



Man Momona's weight

[DonJuan]

Was completely taken aback by the German train announcement in the first few seconds
But damn. Kassa got really thin huh.

[JPope]

Kassa got really thin huh.

There's been some discussion on Twitter about whether the company made her lose weight or if she has an eating disorder. I'm not gonna speculate on the why, but she is really thin compared to just a few months ago.

[Shoujo Q]

They probably told her to lose a few pounds. Something along the lines of, you’re center and the leader so you should stand out or some such bull crap.

If I can see your rib cage, you need a sandwich.

It’s the one thing I hate about Kpop. Their need to make plastic idols and obsession with beauty and looks.

[AquaChan]

It’s the one thing I hate about Kpop. Their need to make plastic idols and obsession with beauty and looks.

Same. I love their music but their obsession with perfection and to fit in one mold is heavy.
But when they promote, they release so much content compared to H!P

Here is ME:I on MNet's Countdown with a korean version of Click:

[JPope]

"Sugar Bomb"

[JPope]

"Sugar Bomb" is more solidly in the K-pop realm than "Click" was, and doesn't stick with me as much. This is more like what I was expecting from the start, tbh.

[AquaChan]

I was scared they'll be managed poorly like Kepler, but up to now, songs are bangers. Let's just hope it's stays this way.

[Shoujo Q]

Looking at promotion alone, they sunk a LOT of money into this group. So it was never going to flop right out of the gate. The real challenge will be to keep the momentum of the group going.

I'm still not keen on the idea of the Kpop culture taking over the Jpop. Some Kpop fans can be so toxic and cruel due to their age and lack of social understandings. It's one reason I backed away from the scene years ago. The other being how management treated their idols like prized cattle, starved, worked to the brink and then replacing them with a newer younger version of the same exact thing once they take a dip in popularity or start to fight back against the system.

[JPope]

ME:I taking a page out of UF's book and releasing recording footage of the "Click" session. It's not as extensive as we get on Upcoming episodes -- and some of clips only show speaking parts -- but it's raw and untuned so you a better idea of how good these girls are. Honestly they're pretty good, and I'd love to hear an untuned version of this because I think it would be way better.

[MejraThea]

I really enjoyed Ebihara's part in that, seeing how good she is but also seeing her struggle with that note. Definitely was a fun watch!

I recognize the names and faces of Kassa (of course), Ebihara (vocal), Suzu (young), Miu(gorgeous), Kokoro, and Ran(dance). They were the ones I took notice of during the show. But some of these other girls in it I'm not sure about. I know some of the names are Keiko, Kokona, Rinon, to name a few but I can not match them to their faces whatsoever. And some of the faces just don't fit the usual standard to me, either. Anyway, my thoughts so far.