Well, I think it all depends on how you grade success or talent or what matters to the group.
[quote name='The Turtle Moves' post='83123' date='Aug 17 2010, 11:20 AM']3rd Generation - I know I am going to regret saying this but Maki always seemed to me to be out of place as if nobody quite knew what to do with her, just as she started to become part of everything she graduated and in the early days her voice wasn't great.[/quote]
Oddly, I didn't like Maki until she graduated. She was always aloof and out of place with the group, but she stood out in a way that grabbed people's attention. I feel like Maki is also beyond reproach because most people point to her as the factor that brought the group to national stardom.
[quote name='The Turtle Moves' post='83123' date='Aug 17 2010, 11:20 AM']4th Generation - More shit coming my way. Yossie=fantastic. Rika an asset as a character and wota-bait but vocally......
Nozomi, see Rika. Kago, I'm sorry but my least favourite member (yes even worse than Kusumi) and don't even bother to mention "W" to me.[/quote]
"Vocally" means a lot of things. Rika couldn't sing but she had a very cute, distinct anime voice that was supremely popular and utilized often. This is not to say that I ENJOYED her singing, but if you think of her voice as a type of instrument then I think she added an interesting sound to the group. This is not the same as Koharu's screeching because her voice is not interesting on its own.
Rika also added supreme value because she was genuinely scared of chickens. This is hilarity that you cannot make up.
Liking Kago and Tsuji and their cutesy kid routine is a matter of taste. However, to face up to how they altered the group dynamic and image to a goofy family-friendly one, the phenomenal success of Mini-Moni, or the fact that these two gained a degree of character-driven stardom is to realize that they were a very significant presence in MM. Personally, I didn't like the kiddie act and cutesy got annoying fast. However, gauging the impact and importance of each generation ultimately is not just about my personal and subjective taste.
[quote name='The Turtle Moves' post='83123' date='Aug 17 2010, 11:20 AM']Konkon, couldn't sing and an average dancer but an adorable personality and seemed very popular with both the other girls and the wota. Makota, I always thought she was never given credit for a good voice and a good dancer and again she seemed like a lot of fun in Hello! Morning.[/quote]
Makoto was ruined the moment she decided to radically change her "character" and become poor-man's-Hitomi 2.0. She wasn't tragic enough to be the butt of the joke like Kei and she wasn't funny enough to be Hitomi. Her best contribution to MM was being the goofy old fisherman on Hello Morning.
Konno....I have personal hate for. Nevertheless, objectively speaking, I think she really made MM into a joke. She was completely untalented in every single way and yet, Tsunku announced he wanted to add her precisely because she sucked. Since she could not sing well, dance well, or do anything in front of the camera other than talk about how much she liked to eat (wtf?), her best contribution to the group was posing in bikinis like a potential rape victim. The logic of all tihs seems normal to us NOW but I found it contrived and disgusting. I imagine this is why I can't get into AKB48.
As a whole, MM really declined with 5th generation. Their inability to do anything interesting or stand out was really compounded by the still-active TV appearances the group made. And while Takahashi was sort of endearing for her boring akwardness, no one else really did anything. Oh wait, Makoto used to scratch herself in an ugly way with her mouth open on Utaban but she was so desperately trying to make up a character that it was only annoying. No one really caught onto it and the hosts were not moved to tease her.
[quote name='The Turtle Moves' post='83123' date='Aug 17 2010, 11:20 AM']6th Generation - Eri, beyond reproach. Sayumi has improved greatly as she has got older. Reina, just seems to be marking time and not going anywhere. Miki, I just never really got a handle on her, didn't dislike her but didn't miss her when she went.[/quote]
I always forget Miki is officially a 6th gen. She doesn't count. Reina seems underutilized but Sayumi is a TV star and cute so...
[quote name='The Turtle Moves' post='83123' date='Aug 17 2010, 11:20 AM']7th Generation - Kusumi - bloody awful in just about every aspect and I don't car if she made lots of money on the anime stuff she still had a voice (and a personality) like fingernails on a blackboard.[/quote]
She can't sing but was she valuable to MM as a whole? Hm, I'd say she was. Kirarin made her a legitimate "idol" and brought a wave of anime-tie ins that keep H!P alive and in front of little kids' eyes.
[quote name='The Turtle Moves' post='83123' date='Aug 17 2010, 11:20 AM']8th Generation - Both Pandas were a real asset even if criminally marginalised from a performance point of view and MM will be the poorer when they have gone.[/quote]
No comment really. I stopped watching stuff at this point because it was so gimmicky.
[quote name='Duncan' post='83130' date='Aug 17 2010, 12:42 PM']Is this really gonna devolve into another rundown of our feelings of every member? zzzz[/quote]
YES! <img src='
http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='
' /> These things are veerryy impooorrrtaanntt.
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