The ANGERME Thread (アンジュルム); ex-S/mileage (スマイレージ)

[CrypticShadow8]

Isn't that main guy the same guy who did Q.E.D with Aichan? I'm pretty sure it is.

[muppet]

Goofy, you DAWG, you!

[MaxMcKay]

 S/mileage got the wrong idea what a maid cafe is

[vista_boy]

Awesome... I love them... Kinda loli

[muppet]

S&M????? Just stands for Silly Maeda!

[daigong]

Here's some deep thoughts From SLACK!!

<Slack> ok, if anyone wants to read a bunch of text on s/mileage and give me their thoughts, here's my lil article http://pastebin.com/eap7PdfJ

Those who haven't followed S/mileage since the beginning might not realize this, but S/mileage has always faced uncertainty.  While you could chalk them up to Tsunku trolling the girls, that tone of uncertainty was something that was set early on and reinforced later.

During the Suki-chan event shown on their "Toe The Line" DVD, Tsunku not only announced that they would be having their major debut in the spring of 2010 but he also announced which members would be part of the group.  The girls themselves had no idea this announcement was coming and they all freaked out onstage with the prospect of being kicked out or broken up.  As it turns out he named all four members, but it proved early on that Tsunku was willing to subject S/mileage to almost cruel levels of uncertainty.

Tsunku's challenge to gather 10,000 smile photos in a month was another example.  If they didn't make it in a month, he said their debut was "uncertain".  The reason he gave for the challenge was that S/mileage gave the impression of being "close friends" but not much more.  Specifically, he spoke of things like "passion", "spirit", "energy", and "aura" as things that they were lacking.  In the end they proved that they could rise to the challenge, but the threat of not having their debut was always hanging over them.

During his video announcement at S/mileage's 1 year anniversary event, Tsunku said that the group was "missing something".  As he posted on his blog, it turns out what he was referring to was "rivalry".  Adding several new girls at once certainly would make the original members not want to lose to them.  At the same time telling the new girls that they might not become full members adds a sense of competition between them.  The second point is especially true given the increase from 4 to 9 members overnight and the lingering question "should S/mileage really be this big?".  Once again, another example of uncertainty being used to spur on S/mileage's growth.

With what the original members have had to go through, I don't think it's unfair to subject the new girls to uncertainty and having to prove themselves worthy.  I see it more as a rite of passage that the original members all had to go through themselves.

However, there is always the possibility that the uncertainty is manufactured and Tsunku (or Yamazaki Naoki depending on who you think makes these decisions) is just saying these things with no intention of following through.  Tsunku might not have ever really thought of breaking up a then-indies S/mileage and only said that to get a reaction on stage.  If they didn't get 10,000 smile photos, he might very well have had them debut anyway.  With the current "submembers" he could intend to keep all of them regardless of what happens.  In any case, all of these announcements serve to spur on the girls' growth, give wotas and the media something to chew on, and create publicity.

In the end whether or not the intention to follow through is there doesn't really matter.  Such challenges become like self-fulfilling prophecies since idols (and their fans) tend to rise to the occasion when they're given enough publicity.  With the amount of coverage Morning Musume had in 1997, there really wasn't much risk that they would fail to sell 50,000 CDs in 5 days -- they did it in 4.  Similarly, S/mileage's risk of not getting 10,000 smiles was much lower than anyone thought as they ended up with around 16,000 photos.

If any of the new submembers isn't eventually made a full member, I can guarantee that it won't be because they couldn't cut it as an idol.  Just calling them "submembers" in the first place is enough to make them work harder as well as gain them fan support.  Unless there's some scandal or some greater plan behind the scenes, I believe that they will all rise to become full S/mileage members.

Those who endure. CONQUER!!

[Slack]

Thanks, dai for posting what I didn't feel like I could.

Really, I started writing that as a rebuttal to the idea that the way the submembers work was somehow "unfair" or "unforgiving".
After I wrote that, it seemed like I'd gotten beyond that and was just ranting for no reason in particular.
I kind of felt that what I wrote wouldn't really be that interesting to anyone.

Ah well, I guess it's better out there than sitting on my desktop.

[Slack]

Today was the last episode of S/mileage's Ustream show and they had the new members on.

They started with their thoughts on the recent H!P concerts.

Saki starts off with their insect costumes.
She was an ant, as were Nakky and Yasshii.
Ayaka was a butterfly.
Yuuka was a grasshopper/cricket.
Kanon was a bee/wasp.

They mention an incident where one of Ayaka's butterfly antennae was totally straightened out when they're supposed to be curly.
This resulted in much laughter by other members.

Ayaka's topic was a gift Sayumi gave her during one of the concerts on her birthday-a little pink doggie thing.

Yuuka's topic was the final performance of High-King with Aichan.

Kanon's topic was how Kumai Yurina was super cute.
Yuuka follows up with how she gets embarrassed when Aichan looks at her in the cheering seats on stage.
They have a little argument over the merit of Kumai vs. Takahashi.
Saki says her favorite member is Okai Chisato, but she really wants to be like Tanaka Reina.
Her reason is that when Chisato changed her hairstyle, she went from boyish to cute.

They talk a bit about C-ute's new PV being really cute, some stuff they saw on Youtube, and the differences between the Wow Wow and Yeah Yeah concerts.
Some more about how Kanon really likes Yurina, Yuuka really likes Aichan, this week's Haropuro! TIME, and Kanon does an impression of Tsunku's version of Uchoten LOVE.


Then they finally got to the new members and their thoughts and reactions to how the announcement went.


New members start to appear around 7:00.

"Idol Wota Kanyon" has them come out one at a time and gives each of them a survey:
What is your favorite food?
What's your favorite comedy gag? (then act it out)
What's a recent news story that caught your attention?
What's something you'd like to make your specialty?
What do you think about Fukuda Kanon's Cinderella character?
What's your goal and motivation for the group?

Here's some short summaries of what they said:
(comedy gags omitted because they're all kinda obscure)


Nakanishi Kana (intro: hissing cat imitation)
Food: green bell pepper, Kanon really hates green bell pepper.
News story: S/mileage new members
New specialty: imitations of comedians
Cinderella?: The "Cinderella Revolution" thing she did at the press conference was super-cute
goal: Since she's not really good at singing and dancing yet, she'll try 10x harder through her lessons to make them her specialty.


Kosuga Fuyuka (intro: weak karate punch)
Food: hayashi omu-rice
News story: S/mileage new members entered
New specialty: using an abacus
Cinderella?: Though the Cinderella thing seems like it's getting picked on more and more, Kanon-chan is still cute without it.

Kanon then asks her if she'd like to try the "reborn Cinderella" character. Fuyuka says no thanks.
Yuuka asks her if she'd maybe like to be Snow White. Fuyuka declines that as well.
Viewer question asks the same thing, Fuyuka says she'd not go as far as Kanon does with the "reborn" stuff.

Goal: Even though she's not that great at singing and dancing, she wants to become someone who pops out before your eyes and be thought of as "cute".


Tamura Meimi (intro: elephant imitation)
Food: fried rice - you can stick all sorts of things in it
News story: Nadeshiko Japan's win at the Women's World Cup
New specialty: doing two different things with each of her hands (like drawing two separate shapes at the same time)

Kanon shows off how she can do rapid-fire janken where one hand always wins

Cinderella?: Even though it's cute, since Kanon's reason for saying it is that she felt nostalgic when she first saw Cinderella Castle, she wonders if maybe it's because she was a worker there instead of being Cinderella herself.  Kanyon flatly denies this.
Goal: She wants to make doing well during the tour and becoming a full member her goal.


Katsuta Rina (intro: recently into making funny faces)
Food: Cheeseburger pizza - she really likes cheese (like Yuuka)
News story: Nadeshiko Japan's win at the Women's World Cup
New specialty: playing with kids and eating a lot
Cinderella?: It's amazing how she's had such a unique character. but instead of a princess character, Rinapuu would like to have an "airheaded" character.

Ayaka notes that recently she's actually been more of a "secret gang leader" for S/mileage. They ask her to do an imitation of Winnie the Pooh.

Goal: While her current goal is to become a full member, if she does she'd like to work hard to make S/mileage "Japan's Idols".


Takeuchi Akari (intro: Cheese, the dog from Anpanman)
Food: omu-rice, but she likes her eggs done firm instead of runny or fluffy
News: The new uniform designs for Nadeshiko Japan
New specialty: Long-jumping

Though Akari wrote that she could jump 2m in 6th grade, Kanon doesn't believe her and asks her to demonstrate.
Kanon thinks of it as "Kumai-san's height + 30cm". They disagree on just how far 2m really is.

Cinderella?: It's funny and really fits Kanon well

Kanon then offers Akari the Snow White character, which she really doesn't want.
Since Kanon's nickname for her is Ponyo, she suggests "Ponyo reborn" instead.

Goal: To make more people know about S/mileage


Finally, they wrap up and the staff informs them that this is in fact the last episode.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo

[Slack]

[Slack]

New profiles and photos from the H!P site!




Wada Ayaka
Q. Hobbies?
Going out to see various paintings
Looking for shooting stars

Q. Special skills?
Talking about Édouard Manet for an hour
Listening to animals and ultrasonic waves

Q. Favorite foods?
Cherries, American cherries, strawberries, raspberries, grapes
(I like these 5 so much I never get tired of eating them.)

Q. Your strong points?
I hate to lose.

Q. Your weak points?
I get easily carried away.
(Everyone tells me that I get carried away easily.)

Q. Your personality in one word?
Clumsy.
(It's cause I always fall over in my house's entrance.)

Q. Strongest school subjects?
P.E.
(I love volleyball. I like when I hit it in and score a point.)

Q. Favorite animals?
Dog, cat
(I have a cat at my house but I don't only like cats.
Dogs' faces are cute and I like it when they scamper around.)

Q. Favorite colors?
Purple, pink, and black.
(I really think those small purple and pink accessories they sell in shops are cute.
I also like black clothing so black is one of my favorites.)



Maeda Yuuka
Q. Hobbies?
Sleeping
Eating
Basking in the sun
Taking walks
Watching the sky
Playing with my dog, Haru

Q. Special skills?
Puns
Piano
Calligraphy
Cleaning the school bathroom
Remembering kanji and English words (←Then forgetting them immediately after the test)

Q. Favorite foods?
Cheese omlette rice, peaches, cheese, salmon, tomato

Q. Your strong points?
Whenever something's bothering me, I can go to sleep and feel a lot better.

Q. Your weak points?
Negativity (I often think negatively)

Q. Your personality in one word?
Dilligent.
(Both good and bad. It's hard to explain in writing.)

Q. Strongest school subjects?
I don't really have a strongest subject, but I like P.E. and music.
(I like to move around)

Q. Favorite animals?
Dogs, hamsters

Q. Favorite colors?
Red (←Since it's a rather mature color.), black, white, (pink)



Fukuda Kanon
Q. Hobbies?
Reading short stories
Idol research
Video games
Music appreciation
Fashion
Blog appreciation
PCs
Collection Bear-chans

Q. Special skills?
Air ___
Saying the S/mileage members' names really fast
Video games (getting 99 lives on level 1-1 of "New Super Mario Bros." for the DS!)
Being economical when buying things
Drawing pictures

Q. Favorite foods?
Strawberries, tuna, octopus, bonito, sea bream, tomato
(Basically if a food is red, I'll eat it)

Q. Your strong points?
I hate to lose.
(If there's something I can't do, I keep trying until I can do it!
Cause just losing is so frustrating)

Q. Your weak points?
Selfishness.
(If I can't buy something I really want, I might cry in a shop then not say anything the rest of the day.)

Q. Your personality in one word?
Emotional (My feelings really show right away)

Q. Strongest school subjects?
Memorizing kanji (not so great at everything else)

Q. Favorite animals?
The bunny I'm raising, newborn dogs and cats
(Animals are scary)

Q. Favorite colors?
Purple, red, pink
(These three colors always catch my eye)



Nakanishi Kana
Q. Hobbies?
Playing with dogs.
I want to be in bed with a little dog next to me!

Q. Special skills?
Becoming a gorilla.
Funny faces

Q. Favorite foods?
Okonomiyaki and stir-fried green peppers
Mom's cooking is the best.

Q. Your strong points?
No matter what happens I never give up.
During training camp, I was the only one who couldn't do the dance at all so I worked at it until 2 before going to bed. The next day it was perfect.

Q. Your weak points?
and I get nervous around people I don't know.

Q. Your personality in one word?
Noisy.
When I'm with my best friends, we get too loud and get told "be quiet" a lot.

Q. Strongest school subjects?
Science
I really like doing experiments. It's a lot of fun.

Q. Favorite animals?
Dogs! I really love dogs.
When I'm living by myself in the future, I want to have 5 dogs.

Q. Favorite colors?
Light blue
It's a really calm color that gives you a light feeling when you see it.

Q. Thoughts on being selected as a new member?
I couldn't believe it.
On the bullet train back home I told my mom "They probably made a mistake".



Kosuga Fuyuka
Q. Hobbies?
Tea ceremony.
I really like making the tea and eating Japanese sweets!

Q. Special skills?
Tea ceremony, karate kata

Q. Favorite foods?
Mugwort bread☆Green tea sweets

Q. Your strong points?
I don't really get angry at anything.

Q. Your weak points?
I space out easily.

Q. Your personality in one word?
Scatterbrained.
I do things like put on socks then put on sandals afterward.

Q. Strongest school subjects?
Math! It's the easiest for me to understand and solving problems makes me happy!

Q. Favorite animals?
Guinea pig
I like them because they're soft, warm, and affectionate.

Q. Favorite colors?
Pink! Especially light pink!
I think that's the cutest color.

Q. Thoughts on being selected as a new member?
At first I didn't know what was happening and my mind went blank, but now it's slowly sinking in.
As I expected, I was really glad to be chosen, so I'll do my best to slowly improve my dancing and singing.



Takeuchi Akari
Q. Hobbies?
Playing outside (things like tag)
Running!

Q. Special skills?
Sports (I love moving my body)

Q. Favorite foods?
Meat (to get strong and give energy)
Kiwi (I like sweet and sour)

Q. Your strong points?
Hates to lose! Energetic! Works harder than others!

Q. Your weak points?
I speak fast when I talk!

Q. Your personality in one word?
Hates to lose (I'm aware I said this before)

Q. Strongest school subjects?
P.E.! (I get good grades!)

Q. Favorite animals?
Dog, tiger, lion cub, lesser panda
(I love all of them! I'd think I'd like to keep something small)

Q. Favorite colors?
Red, light blue
Red has an energetic image and I like light blue's refreshing feeling.

Q. Thoughts on being selected as a new member?
In order to become a full member, I want to give it all I've got.



Katsuta Rina
Q. Hobbies?
Shopping, eating, talking with friends

Q. Special skills?
Funny faces, imitation, cartwheel, handstand forward roll

Q. Favorite foods?
Cheese-stuffed hamburger steak, pasta, curry

Q. Your strong points?
Cheerful, smiley, energetic

Q. Your weak points?
Laziness

Q. Your personality in one word?
Cheerful

Q. Strongest school subjects?
P.E., Japanese, art

Q. Favorite animals?
Dog, cat, tiger, lesser panda

Q. Favorite colors?
Pink, yellow, orange

Q. Thoughts on being selected as a new member?
At first I couldn't really feel anything but the biggest feeling was "happiness".
Next I want to do my best to become a full member.



Tamura Meimi
Q. Hobbies?
Playing with my dog

Q. Special skills?
Imitation! Fixing hair
Playing with my hands (My specialty... maybe?)

Q. Favorite foods?
Squid noodles.
Plum kelp.
Scallop frill.
(They're delicious. Sweet and salty.)

Q. Your strong points?
Energetic. (My only redeeming feature.)

Q. Your weak points?
roughness (Whatever I do is rough)

Q. Your personality in one word?
Noisy. (I'm often told "You're noisy.")

Q. Strongest school subjects?
Music, art (I really like them!)

Q. Favorite animals?
Dog, alpaca, cat, squirrel, chick, bunny, penguin, sloth, giraffe, deer, monkey, pig, cow (I love them all!)

Q. Favorite colors?
I like all colors!

Q. Thoughts on being selected as a new member?
Happiness for the most part.

[Aioros]

The submembers' blog

http://ameblo.jp/smileage-submember/

[shirenuファクトリー]

"Dear Diary,

Today Boss Dawa-sama told us a story about dead frogs with great enthusiasm.


It was terrifying.

Kanon-sama wouldn't let us use the elevator with the main members, so we needed to use the stairs all the way up to the 11th floor.


Yuuka-sama only cries.


I'll keep trying my best!

- Meimi"



"Dear Diary,

Today me and Takechan accidentally nearly bumped into Kanon-sama.

She said she'll make an omelette out of us when we least expect it.

I wonder what she meant!

-Rinapuu"

[oaxiac]

^LOL, if only blog entries were that entertaining. 

Dawa's quite an enthusiastic storyteller, you see.

"Dear Diary,

Today Boss Dawa-sama told us a story about dead frogs with great enthusiasm.


It was terrifying.

Kanon-sama wouldn't let us use the elevator with the main members, so we needed to use the stairs all the way up to the 11th floor.


Yuuka-sama only cries.


I'll keep trying my best!

- Meimi"

[Slack]

lol dead frogs

Somehow I get the feeling that DAWA gets along the best with the submembers.

[oaxiac]

[muppet]

I like the new members- you can tell a couple of the girls really are feeling the nervousness of the whole gig- but it looks like Kanon is gonna give them tough love, Yukka likes being worshipped, and Dawa is like a really nice mama bunny, and whatever it is that Dawa smokes, I want some of that......

Not now babies, Mama is trippin'...... 

[Slack]

Awww, Fuu-chan <3

Girl's got leaky tear ducts!

[muppet]

sorry to be natsukashii, but those four always gonna be supesharu

kazehayakohsuke has picked out some of the best pictures of  Mama Dawa and the triplets

[oaxiac]

Announcement re: Smileage’s sub member Kosuga Fuyuka
The Smileage official site has just announced that Kosuga Fuyuka has been in terrible health and had to be hospitalized. Upon inspection, she was diagnosed with “severe anemia”. She will be unable to engage in any strenuous activity and was advised for the next few months to focus purely on recovery. Due to these circumstances, she will be stopping her activity as a Smileage sub member. After her recovery, she will be placed into Hello Project Eggs to restart her career.

In regards to the Smileage fall concert tour “Smileage Concert Tour 2011 Fall Gyakushou no chou mini skirt”, she will not be participating.

http://www.takamaruyo.net/?p=603

http://s-mileage.jp/info/3001
 

poor girl    get well soon fuu-chan...

[Slack]

Fuu-chan, noooooooooo!


Poor girl.  I hope she gets better soon.
Sad that I won't be able to see her during the S/mileage tour now.
She was becoming one of my favorite submembers too!