Morning Musume '16 Shinseiki Auditions

[JoshuaJSlone]

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="DonJuan" data-cid="198224" data-time="1466181896">But as they usually announce them during concerts (or stage plays) now and it's rather unlikely for them to do one late November, when are they going to announce them?</blockquote>They have concerts all across the year, though? Looking back, Morning Musume's 2015 fall concert series had 6 November dates. 2014 had 8. 2013, 7.

[DonJuan]

Oops, mixed up Tiki Bun's release date and Sayumi's graduation date. You're right, it's very possible for them to announce them at the end of the fall tour.

[kitaoji]

I feel like they typically don't do announcements at the end of tours. Sure, 10th gen showed up the day before Ai-chan was about to graduate, but the others were generally at the beginning or halfway through the tour runs - management likes to milk the "meet and greet" aspect, as they did for Teddy (11th) and 12th gen.

[momoirosaya]

I'm assuming we can expect 13th gen at the end of September.

[JoshuaJSlone]

Application deadline to announcement being under two months would be pretty fast--though not unprecedented.

[DonJuan]

Maybe they actually found someone already, maybe someone from the Kenshuusei. There's also this rumour about Kawamura Ayano. She just graduated from her group Hachikin to "fulfil a dream she had since she was very young". She's a known H!P wota (and looks like a Karin clone lol). However, she's already 16.
 
I feel like they're looking for someone younger, someone Akane's or Maria's age. They do have enough members around 16.

[Anderei]

Those rumors fly all the time. People thought they offered Rikako a spot in MM too.

[DonJuan]

Of course they don't have to be true, that's why they're rumours. Like that fake list of winners for 12ki lol.

[TicTacAnyone]

Been a while since this thread has come up... As of this past week (the 19th) it seems successful applicants have been sent their pass papers in the mail. So I guess, then, "round 1" will begin shortly.
 
That makes it seem like 13th gen being announced at the end of MM's fall tour (Mid-late November) isn't impossible. That's about 8 weeks from now... But it seems more likely that they would be announced at the opening H!P winter concerts instead.... at least that would be my guess. 
 
This was their list of the type of girl they want to join:
 
They love Morning Musume, and
-Love to sing and dance
-Want to take advantage of their strengths and skills
-Want to believe in themselves and reach their dreams
-Who want to "find a new them."
 
Girls outside of Japan were still eligible to join this time as well.  Audition page.

[JoshuaJSlone]

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="TicTacAnyone" data-cid="199746" data-time="1471827668">This was their list of the type of girl they want to join:
 
They love Morning Musume, and
-Love to sing and dance
-Want to take advantage of their strengths and skills
-Want to believe in themselves and reach their dreams
-Who want to "find a new them."</blockquote>These seem like kind of bare requirements, don't they? Hard to imagine 13th gen introducing themselves like...

"Hi, I'm Hayashi Megumi and I hate singing and dancing!"
"I'm Hashimoto Yuko and I don't need any improvement!"
"I'm Suyama Natsumi and I'll NEVER achieve my dreams!"

[TicTacAnyone]

Haven't been any new updates on the website. 13th gen being announced at the end of their fall tour ~My Vision~ seems unlikely to me, though still still still not impossible. They have one Budokan on 12/12.

[Shoujo Q]

My prediction is at their single release event. It would be perfect because, media, fans, and since release day is on the same day as Hello!Station. Audition footage for the foreign fans. \:D/ Win/Win!
 
 
Or I guess they could wait till the end of the tour.... but I wish they wouldn't. :\ 

[Elpis]

A lot of people think it's going to be announced on 12/12. I hope it gets announced sooner but I don't know. It wouldn't surprise me if this ended up having no finalists again. It'd be a stupid thing to do, but MM management hasn't really been making the best decisions lately with the group.

[DonJuan]

Hmm... if I was a young girl I wouldn't want to audition for a group that ends auditions without any winners, for sure. 
Or maybe I'd be lucky enough to end up like Moe 
 
At this point i wouldn't be surprised if they announced winners at the winter concerts. Or maybe even during the countdown concert. Just give me some new members, damnit 

[Mukuro]

I need either new members or a mass graduation to make MM grab me again. This audition is leaving me very impatient.

[Shoujo Q]

They can announce the audition winners at any time they so choose. If you look at past auditions the time frames are all pretty much the same. Of course, they are going to wait till an event, (release or concert) for maximum impact. That's how Morning Musume rolls. Angerme and Country Girls may be able to get away with surprise additions, but Morning Musume can't. They have too much history at this point. They need to make a production out of it. 
 
This is how I see it. First 13th gen round they were looking for a certain type of girl. But for some reason, they didn't find her in the first audition. Probably they came close, but for whatever reason, and god help me if I knew, they didn't find her. I assume the latest round of kenshuusei are the results of that audition considering they are also in the process of doing kenshuusei auditions at the same time as Morning Musume auditions. Expect a giant influx of girls by the end of the year. D:


And maybe, just maybe, we'll also be getting a new group or two with the departure of C-ute. 2017 should be an interesting year.


(And maybe I'll FINALLY get my god damn H!P group song!!!)

[MejraThea]

I wouldn't hold my breath for audition footage. They haven't done that since Tsunku quit, a la 12ki.

[sayu1991]

Honestly, not releasing audition footage during the course of auditions is a bad idea in my opinion. I don't know about anyone else but watching the auditions proceed and being able to spot girls to root for is what made me actually care for a generation, especially footage from training camp. Being able to see the girls struggle and succeed and being able to see whatever raw talent they had would make me root for certain people (and against others sometimes). Seeing which girls actually made it in after that pretty much solidified my interest in a generation. With the 9th generation especially, I was rooting so hard for Riho, Zukki, and Aina before the generation was ever announced. I didn't get Aina but I was so happy for Riho and Zukki and actually cried for Mizuki because I was so happy for her getting surprised like that. I wanted the 9th gen to do well. I wanted them to succeed.


Now it's just like "here's some new girls," and I don't really care because I'm not at all emotionally invested in them.

[JPope]

Growing attached to talented girls only to see them passed over for poor-to-middling performers is the reason I don't miss the audition footage so much.
 
If this ends up with no finalists again I will probably return to a late-Platinum-era level of disinterest. At least I'll have more than just Buono! to keep my interest this time around if that does happens, though.
 
I want mass graduations and new girls, which means neither will probably happen. I want Iikubo and Ikuta gone at a minimum. If Mizuki or Ayumi join them, I'm cool with that, too, although they'd need to have a capable replacement for Mizuki, who is reliably steady, if unspectacular. Cutting Iikubo and Ikuta loose would be addition-by-subtraction, as far as I'm concerned.
 
With MM losing two of their better performers since December, and the 12th gen being such a dud, the group has never been less talented. I always got the sense that H!P prided itself on having more "musical" idol groups and would work to rectify that talent deficit, but if that were the case they probably never would have let that deficit become so glaring in the first place.

[Elpis]

Ikuta just had a photo book released so I don't think she'll be leaving for at least another year unless something happens. I really wouldn't mind if any of the girls graduated at this point. I really don't care much about any of them anymore.

[DonJuan]

I kind of want to see how far Maria can go and I haven't lost hope for Akane yet, but other than these two, yeah, same.

[Meikochi]

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Mizura" data-cid="201794" data-time="1477862324">
Ikuta just had a photo book released so I don't think she'll be leaving for at least another year unless something happens.</blockquote>On the contrary, now that she released a photobook, she won't receive more and doesn't have anything else to bring to the group, besides her bored look so it's time to graduate. At least that's my wish..


Also, Miki is on her way to improve, while being consistent for now (to add to DonJuan post).

And if Ikuta graduates, Ogata could fill her "visual" place. This was more meant to prove Ikuta should go than showing Ogata's place in the group but actually, Ogata seems to really become an new Haruna, with tiny improvements to be more or less bearable on stage while having kind of other qualities.

[JPope]

Miki and Maria are the only 12th gens I'm even remotely interested in seeing more from. I still have no idea what anyone sees in Akane. 

[DonJuan]

She's a puppy.
 
Ah yeah, Miki. I always forget she's there, but yeah she's ok as a singer. More bearable than Masaki and most of the other girls, at least.

[Solarblade]

Announced at their live in Osaka, 13th Gen will consist of only KSS members and be announced on 12/12 (Budokan) - https://twitter.com/takahashiai/status/801309895601557504

[kitaoji]

Well, that's one wonderful way to neutralize MM as the H!P flagship group (and a great way to cement the KSS as an intern pool). 
 
Apologies for being in a bad mood, but I will get upset if Momohime gets in.  We have the precocious Maria starting as visual center, I don't need another starlet in this group.

[TicTacAnyone]

DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNBBBBBBBBBAARRRRRRRAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNN
 
 
An odd prediction to make AHEAD of the actual announcement. Guess they don't see any draw in outside girls much anymore, a shame.
 
 
My predictions:
Danbara Ruru
Ichioka Reina
Noguchi Kurumi
 
 
Possible, but not as expected:
Kaga Kaede
Kiyono Momohime
Hashisako Rin

[momoirosaya]

Please please please be Ruru.

[JPope]

Thank god.
 
[quote="Saya"]
Please please please be Ruru.
[/quote]
 
Yes. Pretty please.

[JPope]

The only thing that would be better than announcing Ruru as a new member of MM would be following that up by announcing Erina's and Haruna's graduations .