I really don't understand how there is so many people in this board that everytime someone mentions an old H!P act like Puccimoni, Minimoni, Tanpopo even, MKB and maaany others (shuffle units, past concerts, etc) are completely clueless about it and still are into H!P. I don't mean in in a bad way, and maybe this should be a thread alone, but my question is: what exactly attracts people to H!P nowadays?
There's no fun songs, there's no girls running around in the stage with gigantic and honest smiles anymore, there's no silly dances, there's no TV shows that showcase the girls' personality, there's no huuuuge concert in amazing arenas with millions of people dancing and cheering the girls...
I don't know, but for me H!P has become... boring. And it really makes me wonder what makes some people become fans of the current H!P. I personally got into them in 2004, a month before Tsuji/Kago graduated from MM, but what REALLY got me into H!P were all the fantastic acts that existed even before that. Of course we still had haro moni then, and a lot of footage from TV shows, and the concerts and specially the songs were SO awesomely FUN, but now... I just don't see the appeal anymore. In all honesty all the recent singles are pop songs sang by a bunch of girls with not so great voices, back in the day it was all about dancing and smiling and running in the stage and making funny faces and entertaining a complete country that KNEW that they weren't singers in the first place. Now not even C-ute or Berryz or any of the smaller acts are about that (maybe Buono but that's debatable). Their songs are "mature" and their choreographies are so defined that they fail at being technically awesome because let's be honest: they have never been, and they fail at being purely entertaining because the girls don't seem to have fun anymore...
How can anyone be a fan of H!P and not know about MKB? How can anyone be a fan of H!P and not seen MKB performing this is unmei or koibito ni narou? I mean, it's not bad that that happens, it's just that I don't understand what "modern" fans find interesting about H!P anymore.
I thought this deserved its own thread for deep meaningful conversation so it doesn't side track the Melon mourning thread.
And here's my not so awesome version of the same question.
Hello!Project has been around for over ten years. It's been through more changes then Joan Rivers had surgeries. A fan of Hello! Project in the early 2000's isn't the same type of fan that appears today. So what drew you to Hello!Project now, then, today?
What still draws you to Hello!Project and if you're no longer a fan, what drew you away?
Here's my answer as it pertains to me and my thoughts.
For me, it's the Tsunku factor that keeps me tethered to the groups. I think the man is a weird freaky mad genius. He's lost his edge over the years but he still cranks out stuff I want to listen too. Of course I don't like everything he's touched, in fact I wish he wouldn't touch some things, like Buono and ballads. I don't like Tsunku ballads at all.
A few of the girls keep me interested in that I keep tuning in to see if they'll finally get a line because it appears I have this like of the underdog girls like Chisato, Maasa, JunJun, and Aika.
Of course if Tsunku were to restructure everything tomorrow and put all new girls into the groups, I'd still listen because it's Tsunku and he's got an awesome gift. (I'm also a big fan of Nice Girl Project) <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... iggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':dance:' /> Sure I'd be sad but I'd get over myself because to me it's all about the music and the girls come second. That's not true for everyone of course but that's why this thread was made in the first place right? <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... tongue.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':drunk:' />
Here's a little background info on my thinking. I became a fan of Morning Musume overall but I was exposed to the 2002 shuffle groups first back in the day and the songs were okay, I especially loved Happy7's song. But I fell in love with Koko Ni Iruzee when I first heard it and I experimented like some teenager who found the keys to the liquor cabinet, with Aya Matsuura, Minimoni, and Tanpopo and a little Melon Kinebi as a chaser and I was hooked onto the Hello!Project bandwagon and I've been riding it through all its up and downs with the music. Concerts, television stuff, that came second. If there's one thing I hate, it's sitting through a H!P act's Concert DVD. I find them to be very boring to watch. Going to a concert is one thing, watching a concert on a dvd is not fun for me! So that basically shows the type of fan I am. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... iggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':cryalot:' /> Also since I've never had a good computer I've never really go into any of the H!P based shows. I've seen a few Hello Mornings, and I liked the skits the best but it's not what drew me to the groups.
Once the H!P Kids came on board I found I liked their spunk and at first Berryz Koubou made me weep and wonder what the hell Tsunku did! But once my ears developed like your nose to a foul odder, I learned to appreciate the music Tsunku was giving me. Then W came along and I was happy because it had my favorite member Kago in it and then she went and killed the group and I was left with Morning Musume till C-ute came along and I was happy for awhile till the music wasn't so good anymore and the group became all about Airi and Maimi and they lost members and the vocals changed everything but at least the singing was better and I wish to this day that Berryz Songs were given to C-ute and all would be right in the world for me, but that's just my taste. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... iggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':crying:' />
Buono is a big driving force for me today with Morning Musume still coming in second and I love the fact that Tsunku went and shuffled up the girls and brought back the old sub-groups. I miss the shuffles because it was a way for girls to become spotlights when they were normally supports. Because I can't speak the language or even understand it, Japanese music has always been very tonal for me. I see the girls voices as an instrument and all their voices are different so it's always interesting to see how they are used in songs.
For the case of Mano Erina, she can't sing, she never has been able to sing and I doubt she ever will and since Tsunku hasn't been anywhere near her music she never really got on my radar so I ignored her mostly. That is till I saw her perform and she has an infectious smile that reminded me of Maki Goto. But other then that I don't listen to her much.
I'm very interested to see what S/mileage will bring to 2010 because I have high hopes for them. They sing well and have been getting great songs. But they better not turn into C-ute 2.0 because I'll be very unhappy. :<
I don't think I'll be driven away as long and Tsunku continues to deliver with or without help but those Korean girl groups are really starting to overpower me with their music so only time will tell if my love for Tsunku will be replaced with a big giant Korean flag of awesome!