C-ute to disband June 2017

[Kalle]

This is kind of surreal. I'm not particularly upset, though ... I only really enjoyed like a couple songs of theirs and they didn't really grab me the way that the other groups ( barring the Factories + KSS ) did, so I'm just sort of surprised but accepting of this.
 
So wait, does this mean Ayacho will lead H!P now? Unless she suddenly decides to up and leave as well ...

[DonJuan]

If we go by individual seniority it should be Momoko, but since Country Girls is one of the new groups they could skip her. Especially since she announced back then that she'd be in the group for maybe 3 years. Plans can change though, of course.
Dawa would make sense since S/mileage is older than MM 9ki (and Dawa has seniority over all MM members) - but ANGERME isn't, and both Mizuki and Erina have seniority over everyone past S/m 1st gen.
Nobody in MM has seniority over Momoko or Dawa, but the group itself has seniority (considering that all members of °C-ute had seniority over MM after Sayumi graduated and that's probably the reason why they put them above MM in the seniority ranking). In general it should be like...
 
Momoko > Dawa > MM 9ki > S/m 2nd gen > MM 10ki > MM 11ki > J=J > MM 12ki > S/m 3rd gen > Country Girls > ANGERME (as a group) > Kobushi > Tsubaki > CG 2nd gen > Anju 4th gen > Anju 5th gen > Tsubaki 2nd gen
 
(ANGERME can probably be cut out here, just wanted to add them since some people like to see it as a different group than S/mileage.)
 
Going by typical H!P seniority the next H!P leader would be Mizuki, but I hope someone else gets chosen. It's such a weird thought that Mizuki might be leader over Momoko (given that Momoko is still in H!P then).
 

[Solarblade]

Theres also Aika even though I doubt she'd be picked anyways

[freezingkiss]

I'm devastated honestly. I know 'it's probably time' or whatever but I'm so, so sad. 
 
I AM glad I got to see them live so many times and attend a handshake event where Nacky made loveheart hands at me and I told them they should come to Australia. 

[smtmissin]

I thought it was a joke at first :( I thought C-ute could go on until 2018 at least. I'm devastated but at the same time happy for the girls. If they truly have other dreams, now is the prime time to start pursuing it. BTW, I thought Airi can't speak very clearly, how can she become a newscaster then? I look forward to seeing Maimi as an actress. I wish Nakky can be an actress as well. I doubt Airi can be a good actress. In some footage I see from her dramas, she seems to act out a bit too much for my taste. I prefer natural expressions.
 
C-ute is as close to my age as it can get, and now that they decided to graduate, I will only be following kids. None of the current HP groups can be half as sexy as C-ute no matter how they try. And the generation gap. It won't ever be the same.

[TicTacAnyone]

This was written on The Number 244's blog:
 
According to press releases, the five girls met in February 2016 to discuss their options as young women in the younger idol scene. Along with dissolution, the girls were presented with an option to graduate from Hello! Project and remain together as a group operating outside the idol scene. The five girls wanted ℃-ute to remain a group synonymous with Hello! Project. With this choice the girls decided to end the group to keep the legacy of the group within the Hello! Project they loved.

[Anderei]

So, like many guessed, they're too old, especially since the average girl in the company is probably like 16. And leaving H!P won't exactly do wonders for their careers because no 10 year old idol group is going to smoothly make the transition into real artist territory.

[Madara]

[quote="TicTacAnyone"]
This was written on The Number 244's blog:
 
According to press releases, the five girls met in February 2016 to discuss their options as young women in the younger idol scene. Along with dissolution, the girls were presented with an option to graduate from Hello! Project and remain together as a group operating outside the idol scene. The five girls wanted ℃-ute to remain a group synonymous with Hello! Project. With this choice the girls decided to end the group to keep the legacy of the group within the Hello! Project they loved.
[/quote]
 

I respect their decision. It sounds kind of final, like they're not even leaving open the possibility of a reunion concert down the road, just for old times' sake. Is such a thing possible? (And for Berryz, too?)

[WonderBuono]

Anything is possible. I don't think anyone ever imagined Taiyou to Ciscomoon would ever reunite but they have on several occasions.

[Anderei]

C-ute had their final H!P concert appearance. Here's a totally not sad picture of Airi after the fact:

[WonderBuono]

Oh my gosh I can't even look at that picture anymore it's so saaaaad. :'(

[TicTacAnyone]

Wtfffff Airi that's why you should've gone solo, lol!
 
I know it's something she decided but it's so obvious the girl loves performing. I would've rather she done it for a couple more years before moving on to anchoring. She's got enough hardcore fans, like how Ayaya did.

[MejraThea]

She could change her mind, I hope she does!
 
Take in the photo with Airi almost made me cry 

[Meikochi]

Airi said she couldn't stop crying and Take hugged her until the end. It's so cute and sad :( .


In the same post, she said Duu gave each C-ute member a letter and Angerme did together a (hand-made) mini album for each member as well. Very nice attention.

[Ap2000]

I'm confused.
It was their last concert, but they won't disband until next year?
Or are the next/final concerts just °C-ute-only?

[DonJuan]

Yes, it was °C-ute's last concert with the rest of H!P.

[Solarblade]

Setlist for part 1 of their C-ute day (the 2nd performance will be on the 10th)
 
 
===Setlist===
 
1. Sekaiichi HAPPY na Onna no Ko
2. Meguru Koi no Kisetsu
3. Shochuu Omimai Moushiagemasu
4. Momoiro Sparkling
5. Edo no Temari Uta II
MC - Wrestling Team from Rio Olympics, make a guest appearance
6. EVERYDAY Zekkouchou!!
7. Campus Life ~Umarete Kite Yokatta~
8. Kokoro no Sakebi wo Uta ni Shitemita
9. LALALA Shiawase no Uta
10. Naze Hito wa Arasoun Darou?
MC
11. Kimi wa Jitensha Watashi wa Densha de Kitaku
12. Kono Machi
13. Aitai Lonely Christmas
14. Tsugi no Kado wo Magare
15. Tokaikko Junjou
16. THE FUTURE
17. Tokai no Hitorigurashi
MC
 
Indies Medley
18. Wakkyanai(Z)
19. Sakura Chirari
20. Soku Dakishimete
21. Ooki na Ai de Motenashite
22. Massara Blue Jeans
 
MC
23. The Power
24. Aitte Motto Zanshin
25. Crazy Kanzen na Otona
26. The Middle Management ~Josei Chuukan Kanrishoku~
27. I miss you
MC
28. Summer Wind
29. Bye Bye Bye!
30. Jinsei wa STEP!
31. SHOCK!
32. Love take it all
33. Namida no Iro
34. Kanashiki Heaven (Single Version)
MC
35. Kanashiki Amefuri
36. FOREVER LOVE
37. Adam to Eve no Dilemma
38. Aitai Aitai Aitai na
39. Arashi wo Okosunda Exciting Fight!
40. Dance de Bakoon!
 
--Encore--
41. GamushaLIFE
42. Arigatou ~Mugen no Yell~
43. Kiss me Aishiteru
 

[MejraThea]

[quote="Ap2000"]
I'm confused.

It was their last concert, but they won't disband until next year?

Or are the next/final concerts just °C-ute-only?
[/quote]
 
They aren't participating in the Winter concerts, for whatever reason. 

[kitaoji]

The girls are prioritizing their (meaning C-ute's) activities over H!P as a whole.  
 
I'm taking this to mean they want to do a good job of the fan club tours, bus tours, more handshake events, and solo lives concerts.  Birthday events are nice but they're not as high level as concerts. (Nah, BD events just don't bring in that much money.)
 
Sayu managed to pull off all of the above while still making it to her last H!P summer tour but maybe they want to do better coordination with C-ute.  Riho's grad events had such short turnaround time that I'm surprised they managed to pull it off at all.

[Anderei]

C-ute are probably going to have their own big tour that leads up to Saitama.

[JoshuaJSlone]

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="kitaoji" data-cid="200084" data-time="1473101567">Sayu managed to pull off all of the above while still making it to her last H!P summer tour but</blockquote>Doing otherwise doesn't really seem an option when you're just one of 10 people in a group. Having an H!P concert without Morning Musume? Having a lot of Morning Musume concerts without their leader so she can do more solo events?

[Shoujo Q]

There's an online petition to get C-ute to come to America. You should sign it, even if they already have plans to go abroad this winter, if UF catches wind it can only help.


http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/prove-a-demand-for-c-ute-to-attend-a-usa-venue


It's at 200+ signatures already.

[DonJuan]

I wonder why UF would give in to petitions. I bet organizing everything (flight, visa, hotel, venue) would cost more than what they get from tickets and merch.

[Solarblade]

Setlist for 9/10 C-ute Day (was split into 3 events with 10 songs each
 
​Event #1
 
​1. Jounetsu Ecstacy
2. Bokura no Kagayaki
MC
3. YES! Shiawase
4. Kimi no Senpou - Hagiwara, Nakajima, Okai
5. Time Capsule
MC
6. Yokaze no Message
7. Bishoujo Shinri
8 "Ai wa Itsumo Itsumo"
9. The Treasure Box
MC - Single Announcement, release date 11/2
10. JUMP
 
​Event #2
 
​1. Digitalic 0 (LOVE)
2. Otoko to Onna to Forever
MC
3. Bagel ni Ham & Cheese
4. Big dreams
5. That's the POWER
MC
6. Attakai Ude de Tsutsunde
7. Akogare My Star
8. Midnight Temptation
9. Darling I LOVE YOU
MC
10. SHINES
 
​Event #3
 
​1. Urayanjau
2. Yuuwaku no Kyuujitsu
MC
3. Homerare Nobiko no Theme Kyoku
4. EVERYDAY YEAH! Kataomoi
5. Image Color
MC
6. Namida mo Denai Kanashiku mo Nai Nanni mo Shitakunai
7. As ONE
8. Kore Ijou Kirawaretakunai no
9. Iza Susume! Steady Go!
MC
10. Special Genera~tion
11. Wasuretakunai Natsu

[Noa]

The petition wasn't from UF, a director of a con said that they'd look into it if fans could prove a demand.

[Meikochi]

Really like how they mixed old and new songs. Event 1 is almost a perfect to me.

[DonJuan]

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Molly" data-cid="200187" data-time="1473532996">
The petition wasn't from UF, [...]
</blockquote>
 

I know lol

 
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Molly" data-cid="200187" data-time="1473532996">
[...] a director of a con said that they'd look into it if fans could prove a demand.
</blockquote>
 
So they'd try to invite them. I bet °C-ute has enough to do for their last 12 months by now.
 
Sorry if I sound so negative about petitions, I guess my experience with them was just really bad. I remember that there were fans trying to get a petition through for a fandom ship to become canon (Hetalia, US/UK), and/or fans trying to make the show writers make some main characters gay (Supernatural, Dean/Castiel). Don't get me wrong, petitions are a wonderful thing and it's important to have a way to request something from a big organization and to show that it's not the opinion of a single person, but a lot of these look to me like fans just want something without looking into the matter or actually realizing what their request is about.
 
For the °C-ute petition, I think they're just really late by now. They'd need to show it to the director now, every month later could be too late.

[Meikochi]

[quote="DonJuan"]
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Molly" data-cid="200187" data-time="1473532996">
[...] a director of a con said that they'd look into it if fans could prove a demand.
</blockquote>
 
So they'd try to invite them. I bet °C-ute has enough to do for their last 12 months by now.
 
[...]
 
For the °C-ute petition, I think they're just really late by now. They'd need to show it to the director now, every month later could be too late.
[/quote]
 
Someone asked several conventions about it and only Anime Matsuri's director answered and said that ("prove a demand"). He's already paying attention to the signatures [cf last "highlight" comment ] so it's kind of like they already showed it to him. But Anime Matsuri...

[TicTacAnyone]

C-ute Fes (9/5) digest was on H!S.
 
 

[DonJuan]

The girls have announced their plans for post-grad life on their blog(s).
 
Maimi: M-line Club
Nakky: acting, PR (probably for her home prefecture?)
Airi: solo singer
Chisato: variety
Mai: retirement from showbiz, studying English overseas