H!P 25th Anniversary New Member Audition

[DonJuan]

Announced with the latest new members back in May, now it's official! With a shiny new layout on the audition website and an application deadline: August 14.

Requirements are as usual, 4th grade elementary school to 2nd grade high school, must be a girl living in Japan.
Should love and be confident in singing and dancing and love Hello! Project (though as we all know, several good additions over the last few years didn't even know about H!P lol).

Sounds like the perfect occasion to pick new members for the new KSS Unit and to fill up on KSS.

[JPope]

I wonder if they'll add to TF if they find a gem in this audition.

[DonJuan]

I also thought of this, considering losing Kiki, Yumeno and Riko in just a few months. But then again maybe their last addition was already supposed to make up for that.

In general, well, nearly every group could get members. Juice has been quiet for some time (just kidding, I don't need new members in Juice.)

[Shoujo Q]

New members definitely for new group and a majority are going to Kenshuusei.

Dark Horse is definitely Beyooooonds. Will they remain a one shot unit or will they embrace a new “group” into the fold and continue the madness? A lot of the girls are getting up their in age and it’s only a matter of time before one or two of them depart.

[DonJuan]

I am always worried above Biyo, especially since the 'rona killed their momentum. Girls like Kurumin (voice acting) and Honoka (piano) could do quite well outside of H!P, maybe not as idols but certainly in another kind of entertainment business. Or Miyo going full dance instructor, or Miimi going to university since she is quite the smart cookie... sigh. Not getting any graduation vibes from them at all, but you never know.

[JPope]

It feels like Biyo should remain a one-shot, but who knows what UF thinks. I think that adding an outsider to Biyo would destroy one of the things that makes them special, particularly if they were any younger than 17. I kinda hope they just let them continue for as long as they can reasonably sustain graduations, then disband them for good when they can't. I mean, they could let some of the remaining members join other groups a la ReiRei if they want to stay in H!P. How does Momohime in Anju sound? Or Miimi in MM?

[JPope]

This feels like a necro-bump, but it's actually just news. The Google translation of the official tweet mentions something about a 5th interview, but I suspect we'll hear results not too far into the new year.

[Shoujo Q]

I’m sure we’ll hear results at the new year show.

[DonJuan]

Oh geez. I always say we only get KSS but with the last few auditions we *actually* got group members. Surely they're looking for members for the new KSS group. But what if they add new members to... uh ... wait all groups have gotten new members somewhat recently except for Biyo and Ocha. Tsubaki's noobs are the "oldest" I think?

[Shoujo Q]

This seems like a big push for Kenshuusei because they theoretically only have 3 and they need to bolster the ranks. I don’t expect any amazing picks nor do I expect any older girls. The groups, Tsubaki/Angerme/Juice could maybe get one or two girls if they feel they are needed.

I do feel like Beyooooonds will get a shake up soon. With the combined age of the girls, Reina’s health, and the fact they’ve been highly negligent the last year. Something will happen, I can feel it in my idol soaked H!P bones.

[JPope]

This is primarily to restock the KSS pond, but UF has shown that they'll debut someone immediately if they see something special, and Tsubaki is definitely next in line.

I also worry about Biyo because of their age, and my desire is to ride it out with this lineup until the end. I can't help but think that one or more will leave this year, though, which will permanently change their vibe, and at that point why not add n00bs? One thing is certain, though, and that is when someone does leave I'm gonna be real salty at how few releases this lineup got. Four singles and two albums in nearly four and a half years is fucking bullshit.

[DonJuan]

On top of having the first 3 members in limbo for like 2 years. Yeah.

[DonJuan]

Announced on today's HaroSute: New members will be announced on February 7. Yay!

[JPope]

Awesome! How many noobs will TF get?

[DonJuan]

I'm betting 2, if not 3. For some reason I always think that someone from 1.2 Tsubaki (Mizuho, Saori, Mao) also announced their grad and honestly, it could happen. So with Kisora gone soon... who knows?

Also at this point I am lowkey expecting new Biyo members, Ichioka announcing her retirement due to health issues and another member announcing their graduation.

[JPope]

What if they added a completely new sub-group to Biyo?

[Shoujo Q]

I want that for Beyooooonds as opposed to throwing them in existing units. That is, if they want to continue the group.

[DonJuan]

What if they added a completely new sub-group to Biyo?

If anything, I think that's the best way to go, honestly. Like they did with SeasoningS.

[Solarblade]

Woo! New member announcement!

Tsubaki Factory gets 3 new members

- Doi Fuuka (13, from Osaka)
- Murata Yuu (13, from Aichi)
- Ishii Mihane (15, from Kanagawa)

Kenshuusei got new members, FINALLY

- Shimakawa Hana (15)
- Asano Yurika (14)
- Miyakoshi Chihiro (13)
- Nishimura Itsuki (13)
- Souma Yume (13)
- Otsubo Mano (12)
- Yoshida Hikari (12)
- Sugihara Meisa (12)
- Hattori Rua (11)

[JPope]

That's a lot of new members, lol. It seems like a really fast turnover for TF to me, but Tofu's gen has been there for 2.5 years already. Fly, time does.

Watch their reactions here.

[DonJuan]

Time didn't exist in the covid era, but I realized that it had passed when I saw Yagi and thought she didn't look awkward anymore.

Babies! Even Mihane is nearly a year younger than Yofu, and the other two are even two years younger. This is going to be interesting, since Yofu aside everybody in Tsubaki is 20 or hitting it (Marine in October this year). Makes me believe that other girls have already planned their graduation as well, but then again they just lost 3 members last year and Kisora will be gone soon.

And finally, fresh blood for the KSS. That should stop the discussions on whether or not they'll dissolve the programme. I do believe a few will go to the KSS Unit, others might other groups this or next year. I thought some of these were actually quite good.

[Shoujo Q]

There were a few good girls in the Kenshuusei bunch but they are really young and it seems UF doesn’t like putting extremely young girls in groups anymore. Or maybe they think it’s easier getting babies into the training program over older girls who might just up and leave if they think there might be a better gig than H!P.

I can’t wait for the next test to see how these girls and sing and dance.

[JPope]

Babies! Even Mihane is nearly a year younger than Yofu, and the other two are even two years younger. This is going to be interesting, since Yofu aside everybody in Tsubaki is 20 or hitting it (Marine in October this year). Makes me believe that other girls have already planned their graduation as well, but then again they just lost 3 members last year and Kisora will be gone soon.

Yeah, I sometimes forget that, other than Runo, TF's 2nd gen were all in their upper teens when they joined. I fully expect Ami to tender her graduation announcement sometime this year, and then it's just a matter of how into continuing in a completely different group the remaining seniors are, and I don't have any read on that. I could see any of them sticking around for multiple years or leaving next year.

It's odd that we didn't get any audition footage from the new TF girls.

There were a few good girls in the Kenshuusei bunch but they are really young and it seems UF doesn’t like putting extremely young girls in groups anymore. Or maybe they think it’s easier getting babies into the training program over older girls who might just up and leave if they think there might be a better gig than H!P.

I can’t wait for the next test to see how these girls and sing and dance.

Based on the short clips, it looks like UF was keen to add trainees that already had a solid base under them. Most sounded quite good singing, although we won't know how that translates to a full performance until the Shinden Test. I could absolutely see a couple of the older ones added to the new unit, though.

I'm glad that H!P has mostly shied away from debuting super young girls. Let them ease into the life slowly rather than dumping all of the expectations of idol life on them all at once. Wakana is a unicorn in the way she was able to thrive as a 12 year old, but most girls aren't wired like her.

Has anyone kept track of the ratio of KSS who've debuted vs washing out?

[Shoujo Q]

Has anyone kept track of the ratio of KSS who've debuted vs washing out?

I can go into my Kenshuusei doc and give you a count tomorrow. I’ve kept track since whenever I made that Kenshuusei thread. It shouldn’t be hard to get a headcount.

[DonJuan]

An ugly first look from the wiki. Damn, that's pretty good actually. 2017 was quite unlucky though, ironically it's the year where the H!P Shin Member auditionees joined (you know, that one audition they actually promoted with OG and stuff).

[Shoujo Q]

I separated all the eggs/kss

A LOT more debuted then I thought. Some in H!P, some in TNX or Up-Front.

[JPope]

Ha ha, I knew Shoujo would have the deets! If my math is correct, there have been a total of 161 former members of KSS, of which 95 have debuted in H!P. That's a 59% hit rate, and if you assume the girls currently in KSS Unit will all make it to debut, it's a 61% hit rate. So girls who join the H!P KSS have about a 6 in 10 shot at debuting in a Hello! Project group, which seems like pretty good odds.

[Shoujo Q]

I figure some of the new stock wont make it to debut it's inevitable with that many girls joining at once. But I know for a fact a few of these girls are being primed for Morning Musume and Juice=Juice for sure. (Of current KSS, Niina is someone I want in Morning Musume.)

This weeks Upcoming as behind the scenes on the new Tsubaki girls.


I guess we can't always have stand outs like the 2nd Gen. That was a special case. They'll be good filler girls for a while as 2nd gen establish themselves as senpai while the older girls graduate out. They didn't need anyone to replace Yumeno. They already have vocal power so I'm not worried. They needed filler girls and they got them.


Next up will be the Kenshuusei Test and we'll get to see if the newest generation can improve with a few months of concentrated H!P training.

I also updated my little doc to show you where girls went once they graduated.

Morning Musume hasn't gotten a kenshuusei since Mei. Where as a majority of them have gone to Juice=Juice and ANGERME. I think Morning Musume is due for an injection of kenshuusei blood.

[JPope]

I figure some of the new stock wont make it to debut it's inevitable with that many girls joining at once. But I know for a fact a few of these girls are being primed for Morning Musume and Juice=Juice for sure. (Of current KSS, Niina is someone I want in Morning Musume.)

Yeah, I think that they selected this KSS class with an eye toward debuting some of them quickly, and MM ought to be the next group in line for significant turnover. Then again these things don't always happen when they appear that they should, lol.

Juice might be set for a while, as they'll be at 10 members after Aarii leaves, and that seems to be their magic number -- but again, surprises do happen.

[Solarblade]

So Tsubaki's new members got colors!

Ishii - White
Murata - Light Pink
Doi - Light Green