[Discuss] The Next Ace for Team M!

[Rust]

Saw this just the other day, the audition for 2nd gen NMB members, who went on to become Team M. You can find more videos of this show by pasting スター姫さがし太郎 on youtube (all uploaded vids are 2nd gen NMB specific it seems.) While watching the vids, the question of who should be the next ace of Team M surface in my mind. Considering it has been several days since Jo announced her graduation, & the dust have probably settled, I thought it would be a good time for a poll!

So whom do you guys think should take the rein of Team M for now on?
I allowed two votes because some groups/teams have double aces, like SKE/Team S & NMB/Team N, while other groups/teams like AKB/HKT are single ace.

[Rust]

Personal thoughts:

Sadly, I don't know Team M too well, but a few members that I think have realistic chance &/or should be pushed are: Fuko, Keira, Momoka, Airi, & Yuihan.

Fuko & Keira are the only two I follow to any extent in Team M.  But that is not the only reason I list them here. Looking the the audition footage above, Keira really stand out to me; she can sing & dance Really Really well, & was only 11 year old when auditioned. I believe Aki-P referred to Jo as "the next Jurina" or something, & I do recognize that Jo was a very hard working member. But just by raw talent & skill, I think Keira would fit the title "the next Jurina" a lot better. Of course, whether she can handle as much pressure as Jurina is unknown thou.

Fuko on the other hand, didn't have a lot of footage, barely actually, & from what little I seen... she didn't stand out. 
However, she stand out a a lot currently! Personally I think she stand out a lot more then anyone else in Team M with maybe the exception of Jo. Additionally, from what little data I have seen, Fuko is Way above the competition when it comes to handshake event, registering 6/9h, only behind Sayanee, Milky, & Nana within NMB & way above the general flat zero of other members. Not only does Fuko look simply drop-dead gorgeous, her participation as one of the three members (along with Miru & Sayanee, who eventually advanced) for the NMB section of the audition for the Musical Yuka is gonna play, indicate she also have superior singing & dancing skills in comparison to other NMB members. If a comparison have to be made, & Keira is like Jurina, than Fuko is more like Matsui Rena imo.

Considering the above, who I would like to see as Team M's next aces is Fuko & Keira being double ace, with Fuko taking on a greater role. It also interesting to note these two seems to have good relationship. 

Momoka is interesting thou; while her handshake sale was flat, her g+ & mixi rank much higher than her Team M peers! Her g+ registers 46,341 followers, only behind Jo's 51,843, while being much higher than Fuko's 34,778 & Airi's 30,527. (Speaking of g+, does anyone here know why Keira doesn't seems to have the g+ account...?) Also, Momoka's Mixi ranking is higher than not only Fuko's, Airi's, & Keira's, but Jo's as well! All this plus her crazy character make her a black horse candidate for ace of Team M. I don't think Momoka have a realistic chance thou, nor do I think she if fitting as center compare to the above two choice.

Airi is listed because I heard she's one of the more popular member in Team M. She is also one of the few I recognized (along with the aforementioned three) so I guess she's a possibility. Nonetheless, her data doesn't give her any edge against Momoka or Fuko.

If Yuihan is considered, than her popularity definitely crushes her competition. 
Being from Kyoto also gives her legitimacy to take an active role in NMB, as Kyoto falls under the Kansai/Kinki region. Fans of Team M might not be appreciative of her taking center position however, & might prefer a "locally grown" member.

[SomethingWild]

The way I see it:

- Yagura Fuuko is slowly but surely capturing everybody's heart. I think she'll become on the top girls, if she isn't already.
- Hikawa Ayame is doing great too. Especially with her gravure aspirations and yukirin-like exterior.
- Tanigawa Airi is someone I see as a girl like Sae. Among the top, but popular among a more specific group of fans.
- Kinoshita Momoka will have her share of hardcore fans, just like girls like Kaotan have. Not sure if she has any mainstream appeal.
- Yogi Keira can take over Jo's position.
- Yokoyama Yui > all. lol

[Melchizadek]

Speaking of g+, does anyone here know why Keira doesn't seems to have the g+ account...?

The minimum age limit on G+ is 13, and Keira is currently still only 12. She will turn 13 on October 18th.

Now on to the topic:

- Kinoshita Momoka is actually my favorite Team M member. However, I'm pretty sure the main reason she has so many followers on G+ is because people want to see what crazy thing she'll do next. That's great for popularity, but doesn't necessarily make her ace potential. Though she does make a pretty good center here:



- Yagura Fuuko is absolutely gorgeous. She also posts more pics on G+ on a regular basis than any other girl in NMB48 - not just Team M. She seriously knows how to "market" herself. She actually caught my eye way back in the PV to Kesshou:



- Ota Riona is also very beautiful, and she can play the piano. She might be the Matsui Sakiko of NMB48.

- Mita Mao has the exposure from being in the cast of AKB0048 and - of course- NO NAME. I personally think she's awesome (hey, I think they're all awesome), but I don't really think she has the potential to be center.

- Hikawa Ayame, as mentioned by SomthingWild, has the advantage that she could pass as Yukirin's sister.

- I love Yokoyama Yui, but I think they might be saving her for Team BII.

- I'm hoping they promote Koyanagi Arisa to Team M. She's the only remaining 1st Gen member who's still a Kenkyuusei.

I could say something about every Team M member, but I won't.

So, who do I think should be the next Ace of the team? How about the girl who held her own in a performance alongside not only Jo, but Milky as well:


(video plays a 2nd time with no sound, but this is the only one I found)

That's right, the girl who's still 12 years old. (For a little over a month, anyway).