Who's next to go from Morning Musume?

[aine]

Orders came from the top Up Front management and you are tasked with graduating three Morning Musume members by the end of 2015 to bring the group lineup down to a reasonable number. 12th Gen is exempt from getting the cut. Who gets the boot?


My personal picks:

1. Suzuki Kanon. I went from cheering and supporting her, to being somewhat indifferent, to being tired and put off by her schtick. The final nail to the coffin was when she came out how unprofessional she was about her image. My feelings toward her are nowhere near the pure flaming dislike I have towards Koharu, but I find the amount of love she's getting in the West unfounded and cringeworthy (the US concert documentary was quite painful in that regard).

2. Ikuta Erina. She's... ok? Originally I ranked about the same as Mizuki, but while Mizuki grew both in talent and looks, Erina just kinda remained in place. It's not that she's bad, but she strikes me as having the personality and range of expressions of a bored basset hound. Basset hounds are cool and cuddly, but don't really belong in a quirky energetic idol group.

3. Sato Masaki. This is a tough one. When I originally thought of making this poll a month or two ago I was sure my choice would be Masaki, but I had a change of heart since then. This little bit was a big factor in that. Even originally I wouldn't really want to get rid of her, but since the task was to bring the group down to 10 members, then someone had to go. And I couldn't honestly name anyone else that I could stand to see graduate. I'm sticking to my original choice now, but with those new things that transpired I do feel a little heartbroken about it. Nothing personal Maachan, just business.

[Ap2000]

Sato Masaki, can't stand her face, since she first joined I never liked her.
 
That's all.

[NekoKaiSai]

Are we supposed to discuss the choices of other people as well?
 
My picks:
 
1) Iikubo Haruna - She's the worst singer and dancer in MM, and now that she's not the only girl over 18, there's not much need for her.  She was supposed to bring her modeling skills to the group, but she generally has one of the worst facial expressions out of every photoshoot they do.
 
2) Sayashi Riho - While she's a sweet girl, a great dancer, and a dependable singer, she takes up too much of the limelight despite having very little individual personality (i.e. if she went alone on a talk show it'd be boring as fuck).  I also don't like that this era is making the platinum era seem like a solo-filled, equal-line-distributed utopia.
 
3) Oda Sakura - This one was rather difficult; she's a lot like Riho but with singing and dancing skills reversed.  The main reason I picked her is because everyone else either has the potential to really shine within the group, or is already contributing something to the group.  I also think that if you got rid of the two main singers at once the other girls would have a greater incentive to really try to get lines, and you could get some in-group rivalry again.

[Banana]

1. Ikuta Erina: I don't dislike her offstage, but she annoys me so much during performances. She can't sing to save her life, she is always either dancing like some crazed animal or she's half-assing the moves, and she is constantly staring down into nothingness. 

 

2. Sato Masaki: Her mildly amusing personality and her musical talent can't make up for her nutty fans and her grating voice. She mostly stays in tune (she can be quite pitchy at times, though), but she is always screeching and straining and yelling. That's not singing. The best she's ever sounded is pretty good, and that's it. Not amazing. Not impressive. OKAY. She's one of the better singers in the group, but that's only because they have so many girls who can't sing at all. So why am I complaining about her singing when there are lots of people who are worse? Because for some strange reason, you can hear her very well during group lines. And while she is capable of sounding somewhat decent, she mostly sounds completely horrendous. There's no escaping from it. It's always there. (We need a deranged-looking smiley to express how I feel. With like a twitchy eye or something, lol.) I'm just so tired of seeing crazy, ignorant fans saying she's a really good singer and that she should be an ace. SO TIRED. I know that Masaki has plenty of nice, normal fans and that all the girls have crazy fans. She just seems to have a lot of them. I don't know why.

 

3. Iikubo Haruna: Really nice girl, but she's completely talentless, so it might as well be her. 

 
This is like an "I hate your favorite member" thread, haha. 
 
. 

[Ap2000]

[quote="NekoKai"]
Are we supposed to discuss the choices of other people as well?
[/quote]
 

FIGHT ME!

[NekoKaiSai]

I actually don't have any disagreements about your pick (other than that it's just one), or your reasoning.  Though if you have any about mine, BRING IT ON!

[aine]

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="aine" data-cid="185018" data-time="1424348934">graduating three Morning Musume members</blockquote><blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Ap2000" data-cid="185019" data-time="1424351053">Sato Masaki, can't stand her face, since she first joined I never liked her.
 
That's all.</blockquote> 
You had one job, Appu.

 
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="NekoKai" data-cid="185022" data-time="1424354007">Are we supposed to discuss the choices of other people as well?</blockquote>
Sure, that should make it more fun.

 
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="NekoKai" data-cid="185022" data-time="1424354007">3) Oda Sakura - (...) I also think that if you got rid of the two main singers at once the other girls would have a greater incentive to really try to get lines, and you could get some in-group rivalry again.</blockquote>
That's some crazy talk right here IMO, MM has always been in a dire need of strong singers and getting rid of one of the best ones is like cutting the branch you're sitting on. I totally agree with the need of spicing things up within the group, but kicking out actual talent is a strange way to go about it.
 
 
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Banana" data-cid="185023" data-time="1424354998">(We need a deranged-looking smiley to express how I feel. With like a twitchy eye or something, lol.)</blockquote>
But we do have one!

 
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Banana" data-cid="185023" data-time="1424354998">This is like an "I hate your favorite member" thread, haha.</blockquote>
This is what we do best.

[yuzuriha]

[quote="Ap2000"]
Sato Masaki, can't stand her face, since she first joined I never liked her.
 
That's all.
[/quote]
 
I can't put this into words any better.

[al kusanagi]

I feel sorry for all you people who haven't accepted Masaki into your life. She's legitimately the most musically talented girl to ever be in the group.
 
1. Haruna- No reason other than that by being the oldest she's probably the next one to actually go.
 
2. Mizuki- Other than her looks, she brings nothing to the group. She has no personality or defining traits other than "I love HP!" and boobs.
 
3. Suzuki- Literally dead weight. She could disappear from every performance tomorrow and I doubt anyone other than her most diehard fans would even notice.
 
If this was back in the day and UF was still big on soloists, they would be thinking of graduation Riho or Sakura, but they've given up the whole idea of soloists years ago.

[eri]

Ishida Ayumi, only because she is...not pretty.

Sato because she is annoying as fck.

Iikubo because she is pretty and ought to do something else in entertainment that doesn't involvr Her flapping around like an awkward giraffe.

[smtmissin]

Mizuki: Just graduate already! She never and won't ever change. Well her voice is easier to listen to than most other girls. She has somewhat pretty face. But she is as boring as a performer can be.
Riho. I'm sick of her.
Haruka: I just don't see her pretty. Nor do I find her voice any good. And overall I'm not much of a fan of boyish girls.
 
Sorry, but Masaki will spend another 7-8 years in the group to annoy the hell out of you and you won't be able to do anything about it. I look forward to her being a leader.
I wouldn't mind if she graduates and becomes a producer for the group though.

[star]

I voted but I'm going to withhold from further commenting to control my temper.

[momoirosaya]

Honestly I totally want MM to have 16 members again wahaha


1. Suzuki Kanon - because she is my least favorite and always has been


2. Iikubo Haruna - like someone else said, simply because she's the oldest (but she's also the worst dancer)


3. Fukumura Mizuki - it was between her and Maachan, and I chose her because she's the older of the 2...

Thinking in terms of who MM could afford to lose


I definitely don't want any graduations until 2017 though.

[MejraThea]

I only voted for two by accident (didn't read the OP close enough), Suzuki and Iikubo, but here's my answer. 
 
1. Iikubo Haruna - She's the same age as me, so she'll be gone soon anyway. She can't dance, she can't sing. She doesn't have the body to be a model, gravure wise, and she doesn't have enough thickness to her legs to keep me interested.
 
2. Suzuki Kanon - She has strong vocals, but no control so it hurts. No way to get that control, because no opportunity. Plus, her weight. It's awesome to be happy with your weight, but as an idol this is a no go. Especially because all of the moomoos you're put in, girl. Think about it. Dancing is average.

[Ap2000]

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="aine" data-cid="185026" data-time="1424357127"><blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="aine" data-cid="185018" data-time="1424348934">graduating three Morning Musume members</blockquote><blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Ap2000" data-cid="185019" data-time="1424351053">Sato Masaki, can't stand her face, since she first joined I never liked her.
 
That's all.</blockquote> 
You had one job, Appu. </blockquote>
I read that and I said "that's all", because I have nobody else I care enough to throw out.
I like Mizuki, Ayumi and Riho, feel free to pick any two others, since I don't care about them or 12th gen. lol

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="smtmissin" data-cid="185032" data-time="1424359977">Sorry, but Masaki will spend another 7-8 years in the group to annoy the hell out of you and you won't be able to do anything about it. I look forward to her being a leader.</blockquote>
Considering how "lucky" we were with Michishige, unfortunately I can see that happening...
I guess at some point I will just completely deny I ever liked the group.

[Noa]

Masaki fans are terrifying, lord.


1. Masaki

2. Iikubo Haruna

3. Erina



They're all boring an awful and suck. They're the only three in the group I don't love.

[Shoujo Q]

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Banana" data-cid="185023" data-time="1424354998">
1. Ikuta Erina: I don't dislike her offstage, but she annoys me so much during performances. She can't sing to save her life, she is always either dancing like some crazed animal or she's half-assing the moves, and she is constantly staring down into nothingness.


2. Sato Masaki: Her mildly amusing personality and her musical talent can't make up for her nutty fans and her grating voice. She mostly stays in tune (she can be quite pitchy at times, though), but she is always screeching and straining and yelling. That's not singing. The best she's ever sounded is pretty good, and that's it. Not amazing. Not impressive. OKAY. She's one of the better singers in the group, but that's only because they have so many girls who can't sing at all. So why am I complaining about her singing when there are lots of people who are worse? Because for some strange reason, you can hear her very well during group lines. And while she is capable of sounding somewhat decent, she mostly sounds completely horrendous. There's no escaping from it. It's always there. (We need a deranged-looking smiley to express how I feel. With like a twitchy eye or something, lol.) I'm just so tired of seeing crazy, ignorant fans saying she's a really good singer and that she should be an ace. SO TIRED. I know that Masaki has plenty of nice, normal fans and that all the girls have crazy fans. She just seems to have a lot of them. I don't know why.


3. Iikubo Haruna: Really nice girl, but she's completely talentless, so it might as well be her.


This is like an "I hate your favorite member" thread, haha.

. </blockquote>


Also my three picks but not in that order. Job done I can go home early. Peace!

Though I really don't hate Masaki. Like Al I do think she's got great potential and future growth she's going to be an amazing asset to the group. I mean she makes study tapes for the 12th gen and remixes her Musume songs how awesome is she!? That is if she can get her act together. So far off camera she's been doing great but as soon as they throw the camera on her I cringe a little.

[Madara]

This is a Goddamned depressing thread.  I don't want ANY of them to graduate.
 
To me, they're ALL still the NEW girls! I've finally gotten USED to them! If anything I'd wait a year before adding 12th Gen.    
 
P.S. @ Eri: Ayumi is GORGEOUS

[star]

[quote="Madara"]
P.S. @ Eri: Ayumi is GORGEOUS
[/quote]
Yes. 
Now I'm outie.

[momoirosaya]

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Star" data-cid="185044" data-time="1424370439"><blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Madara" data-cid="185043" data-time="1424368320">

P.S. @ Eri: Ayumi is GORGEOUS </blockquote>
Yes.

Now I'm outie.</blockquote>
Thirding that. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[Derby]

I'm gonna say the same girls I said in the prediction thread
 
Iikubo Haruna - She's old and musically talentless. Nothing much to say she's like the easiest one to tell she's gonna graduate soon.
Suzuki Kanon - Is from the oldest generation (oldest or eldest???)  and also one of the less popular members, she has always been pushed to the back.
Ikuta Erina - Basically the same as Kanon but she's worse at singing, I'd rather want her to graduate before Kanon tbh but this is the order I think it could be.
 
This is what I THINK but I would want Masaki to graduate before Haruna... I have to say that she should not graduate yet because she's still fresh but I like Haruna better and YES I like RoboHaruna sry.
While I sometimes enjoy her presence in the group, I can't with the fact that she could be way better but she isn't. I don't think good singing skills are that important if your voice is not pleasant to hear.
 
Aaaaaaaaand just google Ishida Ayumi if you want to see what's beauty :v :v :v :v :v :v :v

[Banana]

[quote="Shoujo Q"]
Also my three picks but not in that order. Job done I can go home early. Peace!
Though I really don't hate Masaki. Like Al I do think she's got great potential and future growth she's going to be an amazing asset to the group. I mean she makes study tapes for the 12th gen and remixes her Musume songs how awesome is she!? That is if she can get her act together. So far off camera she's been doing great but as soon as they throw the camera on her I cringe a little.[/quote]
 
I don't hate her at all, either. And I do think she is musically talented. But her being musically talented without being significantly vocally talented makes her kind of useless to me. (Not that she has no vocal talent, like Haruna or Eripon.) 
 
I don't get why some of you are so bothered by hearing your favorites being criticized. I like Ayumi quite a bit and I think she's beautiful, but I really couldn't care less if someone else thinks differently. Tbh, I kinda like hearing people say what they think about the girls even when it's negative. Constant bashing is annoying, but I also hate the huggy-bear-everybody-is-perfect attitude that some people have about the girls. The only thing that I would have a problem with would be someone saying something that isn't true, like Ayumi can't dance or something like that. 

[TicTacAnyone]

Alright, here I go.....
 
Suzuki Kanon: Yes, I used to really, really love Kanon. But somewhere along the way it got stale, it got fake. Her singing voice is quite beautiful, but her rhythm and control aren't really great... I thought she would have improved more since joining, however it doesn't seem like it, really. I don't see too much humor in her. She admits she doesn't really have any hobbies. She's just gotten so.... dull. She's got beauty, but it's always hidden anyway, so what's the point? I don't understand why they're keeping her?
 
Ikuta Erina: She's good at what she does... Erina's got somewhat of a switching character between annoyingly cute and the cool ikemen. Her energy during concerts is really nice, but if it comes down to the top three I would graduate, she would have to be one. She puts in a nice spice here and there, but overall she just annoys me so much lol.
 
Sayashi Riho: Okay I guess I'm just saying bye to 9th gen lol. I *know* that if Riho graduated it would bring the sales and fanbase down, so that's why this pick is personal. I think Riho can make it without H!P. She got her own great skills... She's said she wants to travel to America to learn dance, then come back and open her own studio. Imo she should do that while she's still young--like just graduated high school. By the end of 2015, Riho will be 17--A year left in high school. I also think that without her in the group it will stop being a "Riho and peeps" show that we've all come accustomed to. For some reason she also seems one of the more likely ones to fantasize about romance? Lol idk. Either way I don't hate her, it's just coming down to choice.
 
 
 
Also, here's everyone's ages by the end of 2015:
Mizuki- 19
Erina- 18
Riho- 17
Kanon- 17
Haruna- 21
Ayumi- 18
Masaki- 16
Haruka- 16
Sakura- 16
 
So, really Haruna is only 2 years older than Mizuki, 3 for Erina and 4 for Kanon/Riho. It doesn't really seem that far off? And I kind of like having the different ages a bit, lol.

[al kusanagi]

Blame UF for Masaki's singing. They're basically trying to turn her into Reina, and Reina's idol-ass voice was horrible. There are a number of times you can hear her sing far better. Hell, she can imitate Sakura's singing voice so well that you can't even tell them apart when you just hear the vocals.
 
I can see people hating her for her rampant ADD antics, but as far as actual talent, she has a ton, she's just being ruined like so many other HP vocalists.

[showraniy]

Ikuta Erina - I want to like her, but she is so uninteresting that I can't. I would probably miss her if she left, but eh.


Suzuki Kanon - I honestly can't understand why so many people like Kanon. She sits in the back and doesn't do much to stand out. I love when she sings, but she's never going to get any worthwhile lines, so she might as well go.


Iikubo Haruna - She's vocally weak, and her dancing isn't good either. I actually think her talking skills are a great asset, but I needed a third person, so she's the next weakest link.

[Pi Mako]

Cool, I totally didn't read what you were supposed to do for the poll.  LOL  I voted Kanon because I thought that's who Tsunku would pick.
 
Well... if I had it my way:
 
1. Sayashi Riho - The usual gets too many lines, too much in your face here I am moments in videos, etc.  I get that she's a good dancer, but since Ayumi was added, it's like w/e.  Nothing really stands out about this girl.  Others are prettier (Mizuki), have better voices (Sakura) and can dance just as well (Ayumi).  Others also have more interesting personalities (Masaki - yep I went there)
 
2. Ikuta Erina - Well. I don't HATE the girl.  But I don't like anything about her, either.  Nothing stands out about her.
 
3. Iikubo Haruna - I don't want to graduate her because of her age.  I like having older girls in the group.  I actually like Haruna LOL She's pretty, but not some great beauty. Voice is blah. Dancing is blah.  Good communication skills I guess? Idk.  I only put her as 3rd since I have to have 3 people to graduate.  Otherwise, it'd just be Riho and Erina.

[Hotaru]

I didn't read the instructions properly so I only voted for one, I'm sorry D:
 
I voted Iikubo Haruna, because as everyone else said, she's the oldest and sings and dances pretty poorly. I can see her working as a TV anchor somewhere though.
 
I can see Suzuki Kanon graduating maybe soon, but I feel like it would be more on the basis of not being able to recover from her ankle injury well.

[Derby]

[quote="Banana"]
I don't get why some of you are so bothered by hearing your favorites being criticized.
 
[/quote]
 
Personally I wasn't bothered I just like to foolishly rebut someone else's opinion as a joke. I find other girls not as pretty as other people say and I should not change my mind xD

[Anderei]

There's only like two girls in H!P where I'd ask you what you're smoking if you told me they were unattractive. I can usually see why people wouldn't really be into a person's looks.

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="NekoKai" data-cid="185022" data-time="1424354007">
2) Sayashi Riho - While she's a sweet girl, a great dancer, and a dependable singer, she takes up too much of the limelight despite having very little individual personality (i.e. if she went alone on a talk show it'd be boring as fuck). I also don't like that this era is making the platinum era seem like a solo-filled, equal-line-distributed utopia.
</blockquote>
I guess you missed her solo appearance on a big show back in 2013 where she talked about her pen collection and it was literally the most interesting thing EVER.


Anyway, it's too hard for me to pick three. A lot of H!O-ers think Eripon will go soon of her own volition. I think it's too easy to just pick the unpopular ones because if anything, I feel like they stick around longer. Plus that would put Sakura on the chopping block too since her fanbase isn't big and we all know she's not going anywhere unless she wants to herself.


The group has gotten so big that there's definitely going to be a few girls gone by the next auditions. UFP doesn't have the desire or resources to give all these girls stuff to do and I expect some of the girls who aren't getting a lot of solo activities to decide to focus on other things.

[Ap2000]

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="TicTacAnyone" data-cid="185053" data-time="1424375596">Mizuki- 19</blockquote>
This surprises me. She still looks like a 16 y'old or something like that.