The Strong and Weak Points of Each Generation?

[shirenuファクトリー]

What do you think are the strongest and weakest points of each Momusu generation? What qualities do you think either made them important at the moment they were chosen or as time went by (since for some members it takes time to shine)? On the other hand, is there anything they could or could have improved?

For the weakest points, please keep the criticism constructive, I don't want any "they're all untalented ugly hos" replies... That is not why 'weak points' were added to the question!

Also, don't merely use a member's name as a strong or weak point, not only does it really not say anything about the generation at all, but it is also rude.

The Morning Musume generations:
1st - Yuko, Kaori, Nacchi, Aya, Asuka
2nd - Mari, Kei, Sayaka
3rd - Maki
4th - Rika, Yossi, Aibon, Nono
5th - Aichan, Makoto, Konkon, Risa
6th - Miki, Reina, Sayumi, Eri
7th - Koharu
8th - Aika, Junjun, Linlin

OK, have a go at it o/

[ferrar1]

I'll just stick with 1 + and 1 - points of each gen to keep it tidy

1st - Yuko, Kaori, Nacchi, Aya, Asuka

+ All of them are great singers with distinctive voices
- Nacchi gets 90% of the lead, boring

2nd - Mari, Kei, Sayaka

+ Determined group of people, look after other members
- Somehow, they are the generation that gives me the feeling that they don't love MM that much

3rd - Maki

+ Miracle, very strong presence
- Too miracle that she becomes the 2nd Nacchi in the 1st gen era and i hate that in a group. It's not her fault though, but her arrival caused it.

4th - Rika, Yossi, Aibon, Nono

+ The source of laughter for MM
- Everyone has too strong a personality, i get a feeling that when they get angry, these people are scary

5th - Aichan, Makoto, Konkon, Risa

+ Team building posters should be replaced with them. The gen with the best teamwork imo.
- Little to none leadership qualities in them, too dependant on others

6th - Miki, Reina, Sayumi, Eri

+ The most diverse personality you can find in a generation therefore they are very interesting to watch. To me they represent 喜怒哀楽. And they have so much hidden qualities that are brought out bit by bit throughou these years. Of course my most favourite gen
- Personalities are too strong till it may be difficult for them to follow other people way of doing things. Almost all are strong headed.

Won't comment on the other 2 gen because they are still too new imo.

[shirenuファクトリー]

Ah I like a lot of what you said ferrar1, here's what I was typing before reading yours

1st gen
Strong points:
They were really "the daughters of Japan": girls who were very next-door-like, easy to relate to and down to earth. They were all very different from each other both in age and personality. Their voices sounded beautiful together.
Weak points:
I don't think Tsunku was sure at this point yet what to do with MM, because he chose someone like Asuka who wasn't even interested in being a Jpop star (in ASAYAN she auditioned to be a rock vocalist, which is different from prancing around in a bikini). So I guess 1st gen was his training ground.

2nd gen
Strong points: Good vocal choices. Mari and Kei grew to become important on TV show visits in later years, Sayaka led Pucchimoni into selling a gazillion copies.
Weak points:
1st gen didn't really dig these new chicks at all at first, so it took a bit of time until these girls opened up (especially look at Mari).

3rd gen:
Strong points: She's not called an ace for nothing ok? LOL
Weak points: Well nowadays it makes me think that when you make it so big at such a young age it's difficult to 'live up to your name' after that. I don't know if that's really a weak point but

4th gen:
Strong points: Great personalities, man. And they adapted to their "roles" so quickly. AND they continued the kind of rivalry atmosphere in Momusu, which pushed everyone to do their best and nothing less.
Weak points: There will never be another 4th gen. LOL They set a high standard, which could be a positive thing, but compared to them any newer gen will seem like a bunch of n00bs. Also, this is when Tsunku started to choose girls who weren't necessarily vocally strong, which isn't bad if you don't mind it though.

5th gen:
Strong points: Out of all gens these girls seem to me the easiest to approach, very down-to-earth, friendly etc. With time some nice personalities, beauty and talent came out, but...
Weak points: ...it took a very long time (YEARS) for these girls to start opening up and "shining". I also think that when 5th gen joined the sense of rivalry started to disappear and MM turned into a loving family where nobody really strives to be better than the rest.

6th gen:
Strong points: I think these girls got training longer than previous gens before actually debuting, which turned out in Reina being able to lead Shabondama and the girls coming up with some kind of personality trait on camera pretty early on. I also think this gen is full of cuteness. Ah and not to mention Miki, I think I don't need to elaborate on that...
Weak points: Momusu was fricking huge after they joined... Difficult to stand out. In some ways this gen was really slow, too, since for example Eri took her time to develop personality in front of camera (but it was worth it! dayumm).

7th gen:
Strong points: Koharu seems so genuinely enthusiastic about everything, I think personalitywise she fits MM perfectly. Also, Kirarin. I was surprised how soon she was able to pull off solo stuff. In that sense I'm very impressed by her.
Weak points: Vocally she doesn't really bring anything new to the group.

8th gen:
Strong points: Adding 2 Chinese girls is fricking exciting and I can't wait to see them debut. This gen will be something completely fresh. I've been impressed with Aika's ability to quickly find her place in MM, too. This will be another gen full of cuteness.
Weak points: Adding 2 Chinese girls is also kind of risky. But I think it's too early to comment on any real weak points.

[SomethingWild]

7th gen:
Weak points: Vocally she doesn't really bring anything new to the group.

I don't really agree with this. Koha is one of the few I can recognize when I listen to a song, so her voice is definitely different.

other than that, I agree with a lot of what's been said already

[reyfer]

1st gen

2nd gen

3rd gen:

4th gen:

5th gen:

6th gen:

7th gen:

8th gen:

What Shirenu said 

[ggliff]

1st - Yuko, Kaori, Nacchi, Aya, Asuka
Strong leadership (then and in the future), strong line-up, but weakness being inexperience. Looking back they took a while to get the MM style groove we know and love.

2nd - Mari, Kei, Sayaka
This gen helped define MM. Mari with her spirit, Sayaka with her attitude, and kei (eventually) with her humour. Not sure about weak points here, seemed to do exactly what was needed.

3rd - Maki
Well what can you say, 1m+ selling magic period. Hard to think of a weak point, Tsunku couldn't have made a better choice at this time.

4th - Rika, Yossi, Aibon, Nono
Terrible two added so much energy & laughter. The amazing Rika, sooooo kawaii with a great personality, and good in front of the cameras (eventually). And Yossie was also pretty damn cute and a real strong stylish character, going on the make a great leader. Awesome gen.

5th - Aichan, Makoto, Konkon, Risa
The friends generation. Always seemed to be so close. Aichan with such a great voice and dance style. Makoto with her wonderful sense of humour. Gaki was so cute as she tried to work out just what was happening all the time. And Konkon just getting stronger and stronger. Overall, a real solid generation, helped to keep MM going as the older gens graduated. Weak points, well have to agree with shirenu, took so long for them to settle in and start showing their personalities.

6th - Miki, Reina, Sayumi, Eri
Reina!! enough said.
Well maybe not as shirenu told us not to just name names But some strong talent here. Miki the pro, straight in and getting the job done. Such cuteness and attitude with Reina and Sayumi, but in very different ways. And Eri too, but it took sooooo long for her to get over her shyness, and start to show us her fun side. Pretty good bunch to build for the future.

7th - Koharu
Hard to be the only member of a gen I would have thought, a bit lonely, but Koharu seems to pull it off with no problem. Good genki attitude, and has proved she can sell as a solo, with a bit of help from an anime. Good appeal to the younger generation of fans. Voice could be stronger, but plenty of time for lessons.

8th - Aika, Junjun, Linlin
Hard to say, all cute, Aika seems to have settled down well, and shows good spirit. Too soon to tell really.

[misugi]

1st - Yuko, Kaori, Nacchi, Aya, Asuka

Great vocalists, Not great at dancing

2nd - Mari, Kei, Sayaka

Every member has great character of their own, which makes them very interesting.  Average singing, dancing, and cuteness

3rd - Maki

An all-in-one member, who fuels up competition between members, creates a very professional Morning Musume group.

4th - Rika, Yossi, Aibon, Nono

A nice blend of variety and fun adding to the professionalism.  Average singing and dancing, but more cuteness and energy

5th - Aichan, Makoto, Konkon, Risa

A friendly group, who increases the young impression, friendliness, love, and joy in Momusu, but shifting out the professionalism.  Average singing, great dancing, high energy, and high cuteness

6th - Miki, Reina, Sayumi, Eri

Clearly fresh, cute, and innocent members plus one professional characteristic. Average singing, average dancing, low energy, but high cuteness

7th - Koharu

A very attractive individual in terms of personality and the fun of performance.  Poor singing, good dancing, average energy, good cuteness.

8th - Aika, Junjun, Linlin

Another attractive young individual of the group, one super cute member, and a very energetic girl to look forward to.

[Nouciel]

1st gen:
Their voices were unexeperienced at first (even if Ai no Tane and Morning Coffee are good songs, vocally they didn't have any hope). But damn if that's not a superb line-up. All first gen has an stage presence.

2nd gen:
Everyone has a personality in this one. But at first they were TOO hatred, only when 4th gen came, they were more confortable, from my point of view.

3rd gen:
The true ace of MM, and if I recall correctly, because of Maki people started to join MM. But now she depends on how awesome are her songs if she wants people to buy her stuff, not because of her name. Only one more year in MM wouldn't have hurt anyone (every song she's in is great), and now she'd prolly be one of the top Jap. divas.

4th gen
A gen full of charisma. Nobody can argue that. When they started to leave, MM went downhill (I don't know if that's a real bad point).

5th gen
Airin didn't get the attention till Do It! Now, and imo Konno always had it. Mako and Gaki had it too, at first. But, after that, they were overlooked. It took a looong time for Konno, Mako and Gaki to open up to the audience. Airin still is kinda afraid to talk too much, maybe if she has a solo release she'd be more open (The album was so close T_T).

6th gen
A buncha cuties. While Kame was good @ dancing, Reina was good @ singing, and Miki just had "it" , Sayu eventually was cute too. But as shirenu said, when they joined, MM became too big. I couldn't stand it .

7th gen
For being one of the two "single" gen, she didn't get enough attention in the first MM singles she was into. Still, she managed to get solo songs as Kirarin, surpassing most of the recent H!P sales, and you can't say she doesn't put any energy when she performs. Vocally, nothing strong tho.

8th gen
Tsunku did run the risk this time, adding another single girl gen (so the comparisons with Koharu started almost inmediatly) that didn't seem to be anything special; adding two non-jap girls, provocating almost a revolution and revealing the xenophobe side of the fans. BUT! Aika has proven them wrong, she can sing, and she's cute. Junjun has a decent voice, and Linlin can dance.

[winner]

When I look at it, I found that many things that were weaknesses in one generation were actually fixed in the next generation! Tsunku is GOD! 

1st Gen - Vocally great, but personality felt kinda bland. Maybe if they didn't choose Asuka to be one of the main (next to nacchi). Or if Heike Michiyo was also added for some flair. Lotsa ifs... 
(2nd gen fixes this easily with some craziness)

2nd Gen - Beauty is something I think is important in an idol. And this group aren't strong in that department. I thought Sayaka still had a lot to show, but graduated too early.

3rd Gen - Maki was crazy successful. Up to a point where she got more attention than all the other members put together. And being part of Love Machine AND Chokotto Love (what I think of as the 2 biggest and most important successes in MM history and has set the MM standard to this day), all i can say is HOOT!
But maybe to the point where the other members didn't even get their chance to touch the spotlight and grow on fans anymore. Therefore, her strength could've been disruptive to MMs growth. (All this from a guy that's never liked Maki. Scary~)

4th Gen - Maybe too much personality, this bunch maybe made all the mini-groups change a dirrerent flavor (bad ones). OK, this is more the song-style's fault. 4th Gen really does seem like a well-rounded group in every skill, and great additions. 

5th Gen - Another gen without much personality.
Still haven't seen any of them surpassing their predecessors and stand out in the group yet. I've always thought one day I'd see a stronger version of Abe (Ai), Maki (Asami), Mari (Risa), Kei (Makoto) since Do It! Now's PV. OK, so that's impossible. But I really thought they had the potential for it.
Fingers crossed Ai's pure talent will get all member's respect before she becomes leader and Risa's smile and love for MM will make them stronger.

6th Gen - OK, 16 members is a little much. Even for us girl-crazy boys.
If they had a weakness, it would be that they've each made such strong/memorable characters up till now, that it might be hard for them to keep it up if the character isn't genuine. Or change it in the future if they wanted. Then maybe get tired, then graduate.... nooooooo~

7th Gen - Just like a bunny rabbit from those battery commercials. Koharu's youth can make a cloudy day sunny~
Koharu's growth in showbusiness seems so fast with Kirarin and the nick "Miracle", can she really handle it? (she's just a kid) And will she feel out of place from the group with this popularity, and as another 1 person generation.
And seeing MMs sexy/mature song-style recently, she might not be very suitable for it.
But the success so far with Maki and Koharu... maybe Tsunku should make all the auditions just 1 member gens! 

8th Gen - Time will tell.

Endnote. So I've actually liked each generation's changes to the group. And I can honestly say that the current gen has a group where I  every member.

[Shoko]

1st - Yuko, Kaori, Nacchi, Aya, Asuka:
Best generation ever. Ever. Seriously. Well, my favorite anyway. They all own. All for them.

Good: Best generation, it was the generation that had Yuko (<333), and it was the original.
Bad: Asuka left too early, it was basically Nacchi feat. Yuko, Kaori, Aya and Asuka.

2nd - Mari, Kei, Sayaka
I don't know. None of them have really stuck out to me, I guess. Kei's pretty neat though.

Good: Mari's kinda responsible for Tanpopo. Um.. yeah.. OH! Mari and Kei make a cute couple :3
Bad: Not much of a fan of any of them, they joined to soon (more 1st gen plz!), and Mari and Kei are being wasted currently :<.

3rd - Maki
Sole generation, boosted sales, hot.

Good: She boosted the sales of Love Machine and she's hot.

Bad: Her nose bugs me.

4th - Rika, Yossi, Aibon, Nono
I don't like 4th gen much, seriously

Good: Uh, Yossie is awesome and Rika helped create Viyuden.

Bad: I don't like W. At all. I dunno why, but 4th gen has to be my least favorite generation. But I don't hate them.

5th - Aichan, Makoto, Konkon, Risa
Konno was the first H!P member I ever liked. Konno <3

Good: Konno is made of win, AiRisa is love, and Makoto is studying in NZ.. so she wins too.

Bad: I'm not too fond of Aichan or Risa. Also Konno and Makoto didn't get much love when they were in MM.

6th - Miki, Reina, Sayumi, Eri
6th gen is pretty bland to me.

Good: I like Miki, Sayumi (yes I like Sayu. Shut up.) and Eri's alright. They have a strong friendship.

Bad: I'm not a fan of Reina much, to be honest. The whole "wonky" thing gets on my nerves. Sorry Reina fans.

7th - Koharu
Miracle. Nuff said.

Good: I love Koharu (though she's nothing compaired to 1st gen :<), but she can be pretty annoying sometimes. Also, Balalaika.

Bad: She kinda needs to learn how to sing a bit better

8th - Aika, Junjun, Linlin
China Two plus Jaws, three awesome MM members.

Good: I love Aika almost as much as I love Koharu, but Junjun and Linlin haven't dome much yet.

Bad: Aika's chin orz. It bugs me And the China Two kinda seem out of place.

My generation ranking~:
1st
--------
7th
8th
6th
5th
3rd
4th
2nd

..Yeahh. It's pretty even, except for 1st gen. 1st gen > all. Period.

[tempethegreat]

Ah I like a lot of what you said ferrar1, here's what I was typing before reading yours



8th gen:
Strong points: Adding 2 Chinese girls is fricking exciting and I can't wait to see them debut. This gen will be something completely fresh. I've been impressed with Aika's ability to quickly find her place in MM, too. This will be another gen full of cuteness.
Weak points: Adding 2 Chinese girls is also kind of risky. But I think it's too early to comment on any real weak points.

i think that the chinese girls have only a weak points.....

[22Tsuji22]

1st - Yuko, Kaori, Nacchi, Aya, Asuka
don't really care to much for this gen. cept Nacchi is great singer and Yuko is funny on H!M

2nd - Mari, Kei, Sayaka
Quiet group except for Mari

3rd - Maki
A "Miracle" member, didn't care too much for her till she realeased glass no pumps

4th - Rika, Yossi, Aibon, Nono
My Fav. Gen!
Rika and Yossi are a duo and Aibon and Nono are a duo, they were all sooo funny!

5th - Aichan, Makoto, Konkon, Risa
A great gen. they were all funny and all decently good at everything

6th - Miki, Reina, Sayumi, Eri
random group Sayu was the best and still is, Reina kinda bothers me x.X

7th - Koharu
Another "Miracle" member very genki!! Didn't care for her at all in the begining but she has grown a lot since then and truly became a miracle

8th - Aika, Junjun, Linlin
don't know much about this gen. was upset they didn't pick sumire(sp.?) but Aika is a really good singer and way better then Koha was when she joined

[desaiFER]

alo guyz.....

maybe im in the wrong post or maby in the wrong chat site... im still new to J-Pop music and the first group that i know is momusu... those girlz are damm talented... able to change a person mood by their different personality that we all like...

my point here is that... im abit sad to here some of those who so called "momusu" hard core fan have a stand of saying that "momusu stands only on one individuals" im abit shock to here this... to a point that we all love these talented and... not to forget... beautiful girlz... singing and dancing.. making room for us as a channel to release tension... as for me... doing my degree is some how stressful... so i wonder... why do ppl have the tendency to some how discriminate these girlz? i dont mind ppl have their own admired idol.. as for me Ai-chan is my motivation to study and Koharu to keep me smling... maybe other ppl have different idol with their own justification...

i just want to ask you all... is it justified to just discriminate other members and having a stand that "momusu stands only on one person"

thanks of sharing you time....

MOMUSU FOR LIFE!!!!!

"RANGERS LEADS THE WAY"

p/s: any comment do plz Pm me....

[aimaime]

desaiFER. that's a bit off topic..

my opinion:
1st gen: the original ones. without them there would be no MM of today. i loved how their voice sounded deeper and more mature compared to the more high pitched voices of some members today. buy hey, the styles have changed so much over the years and i accept that.

2nd gen: i love how close this gen + the 1st gen were. i don't think that type of closeness exists anymore in the current Momusu.

3rd gen: i'm not a big fan but so many people are. i think she was a very influential addition to the group. sadly her solo career wasn't nearly as bright. i cringe at her current solo "sexy" otona image.

4th gen: the ones who really know how to have fun. they brought the group to a whole new level of energy. but they're also the most unpredictable. sometimes in a good way, sometimes otherwise.

5th gen: the gentle "lovers" of the group. i think they were brought in to counter the energy that the 4th gen brought. i love ai-chan's talents and how risa has grown so much in confidence over the years. but sad at how risa, konkon and makoto is often overlooked. they were too quiet for their own good. ai-chan's lucky because she was pushed to the front so many times whether she liked it or not.

6th gen: i love how their different personalities compliment each other. however the high pitched voices i was talking about earlier mainly come from this batch..

7th gen: from the beginning there was a certain enthusiasm, confidence and calmness from koharu. she still has it but i don't like how she acts over the top and tries to be too cute sometimes. when she gets older and (if?) she could control that part and tone it down a little i think she'll be a great artist.

8th gen: umm... disappointed at the audition result at first and i didn't think mitsui deserved to be the only one chosen. i like the addition of the two chinese girls too. i don't mind changes at all. it's still early days and i'm looking forward to finding out how things turn out for them. and how they'll 'change' in a few years time..

[Masabi]

1st Generation:  A great group.  Their vocals were a little shaky but I still love listening to "Morning Coffee" today.  Also it's interesting to hear how Iida used to sound when she was just 16, she sounded so much less mature.. yet more mature than the 16 year olds in the group later.
Good:  Went well together, had a strong stage presence, tried their hardest and had a mature image
Bad:  Were the "guinea pigs", didn't stick with a set personality which is bad for an idol, a little forgettable, Asuka didn't seem to even like being in MM

2nd Generation: Another good group.. Sayaka seems to have graduated too quickly though, I guess she wanted her life to continue.  Mari took too long to come out of her "shell" and Yasuda arguably had one of the best voices to begin with.
Good:  Really great singers, like I said Yasuda had an awesome voice even from the beginning, good personalities after awhile
Bad:  Took too long to see their true personalities, they aren't really "cute", hated and overshadowed by 1st generation at first

3rd Generation: Yeck, I hate the third generation aka Maki Goto.  Someone forgot to tell Tsunku that Morning Musume is a GROUP, and exploited Maki to the point where it shoved the 2nd generation out of the spotlight.  At least she was cute...
Good:  Cute, could kind of sing, brought MM to new popularity heights
Bad:  Didn't really feel like a "team player", was too much in the spotlight, could never really hit the "feel" of a song for me (closest she came was "I Wish")

4th Generation:  A generation that abandoned hope for good singers and threw in a few that couldn't sing their way out of a paper bag.  Luckily they developed better voices over time for the most part.  Their personalities kept Morning Musume thriving and young.  I think this is the absolute turning point that Morning Musume finally became "immature".
Good:  MM became interesting, the "dynamic duo" brought something interesting, the other two were cute enough to hold up the group too
Bad:  MM became immature, the average age of the group took a dive, the voices weren't good in this generation

5th Generation:  A group that is "personalityless", to balance off the 4th generation I think?  It has been very hard to distinguish these members of the group, they've mostly been in the background (except for Ai-chan who is so professional that she can be described by no personality-- and don't think I'm being biased because Takahashi is my favorite member..)
Good:  Good voices (aside from Konno), cute, they have good ambitions as well
Bad:  No "leader" types of the group, they lack personality, generally they have been in the background and not very memorable

6th Generation:  Hm.. I don't really know what to say about them, they're kind of a mixed bag.  We have Sayu who is the worst thing since Rika, Reina who has recently abandoned her badass image to something cute, Eri who took a long time to quit being shy, and Miki who seems to be thrown in there.
Good:  Good voices (besides Sayu), very cute, seem to be good at leading, Miki was very professional
Bad:  The group became too big and Eri seemed to drown in all of the members and became forgettable, Miki had an arrogance that still screams "I hate Momusu, why am I here" to me, Sayu can get fairly obnoxious, and Reina is getting the main part lately when other people deserve it

7th Generation:  The second 1 person generation.  She has been called a "miracle" but it feels like tsunku tried too hard to push the "New Maki Goto" thing and it didn't really work out that well.  Her solo stuff did well but she still has a long ways to go.
Good:  Cute, improves and learns quickly, truly loves MM and has even before she was in it, always smiling and happy, not arrogant
Bad:  Voice still needs improvement, doesn't work well with 'sexy' songs (it's just weird), tries to be too cute and sometimes falls awkwardly short of it

8th Generation:  Too early to tell.

[Yuna]

I'll mention just the ones I'm more familiar with: 5th and 6th gen

5th Generation:

The Good: I really like to see them together, when you see them you really feel liking watching a group of friends which gives a nice mood to Morning Musume.
Also Ai being the great singer she is.
The Bad: I think they're much more entertainers than singers (exception to Ai), especially when comparing to the later gens that had less vocal training and are able to sing better.

6th Generation:

The Good: Well, I love Miki and she's great but besides that they have different kind of voices which gives a variety to the songs. Also they're all fun in their own way Miki a little bossy, Sayu being cute, Eri being a bit clumsy and Reina being a little slow (leaning to cuteness).
The Bad: I think that with the exception of Miki they don't dance as well as the other members. Especially if they dancing next to Ishikawa, they look like as if they were lost. Poor Sayu, I like her so much but when it cames to the dancing department it seems she still has a lot to learn. Don't get me wrong, they're not bad dancers, but I feel like they are a few levels below the others girls.

[misugi]

As I saw since the audition and in many concerts as well as Kouhaku, Eri's dancing isn't bad at all.

[redux]

1st gen
Strengths: The main thing being this is where ii all started...all of the girls had at least some singing talent. This isn't just a plus point for this generation but I love watching how much the group has changed over the years, comparing videos like Ai no Tane to Osake Koi no Uta.

Weaknesses: Without the likes of Hello Morning it was harder to get to know the girls personality, not much of a problem for three of the girls, but Fukuda Asuka and Ishiguro Aya are virtually unknown quantities.

2nd gen
Strengths: Again, each girl could at least hold a note and although I'm not the biggest fan of Yasuda each of the members had a great personality even though it did take them a while to really open up. I also think Kei has one of the best voices of any members past or present.

Weaknesses: Ichii leaving before her time was one big mistake, it also got a bit annoying to constantly see Mari and Kei paired together with lines in songs, it would have been nice to have had a bit more variation with that.

3rd gen:
Strengths: Helped make Morning Musume a lot more popular than it already was, had some funny moments with ninetynine.

Weaknesses: As you can see from my Strengths section I was sort of sturggling for anything to say, I don't have anything against Maki, but I think she is by far the most over-rated member of them all. She never quite fit into the group in my opinion and her on screen relationship with other members never worked that well imo. Her voice was pretty average, sometimes could be fantastic and soemtimes awful, too inconsistent.

4th gen:
Strengths: Every member was fantastic, and each brough their own distinct voice and personality to the group. Maybe they couldn't sing...well no they couldn't at all really, but I'd rather them have an interesting voice (which all of them did) than one that's in tune and bland. It's also the generation that I think housed the most potential for evolution in the group.

Weaknesses: If you wanted a group with genuine talent then this probably wasn't going to be your thing. My main gripe with this generation is Yoshizawa, she was fantastic back in the day, but for the past 2 years or so I think she is another vastly over-rated member and she simply can't seem to hit it off with the newer members, everything she does seems awkward and forced.

5th gen:
Strengths: Takahashi Ai and Niigaki Risa, both make me laugh and although some say Ai is bland I think that's what makes her so interesting. The fact that she si so deadpan yet really jsut a bit of a dumbass is what makes ehr so amusing.

Weaknesses: Ogawa Makoto and Konno Asami, Konno could bring the odd smile to my face, especially in the 13nin Xmas special, but other than that I found little to adhere to in these two members. Neither had good voices (though Konkon's was at least interesting). Risa also has the worst voice in the history of the band imo, she can get away with it on the albums but live she really is terrible.

6th gen:
Strengths: A good variation in members and most of them are likeable. Miki's attitude can sometimes be highly amusing but sometimes can grate on you if you're simply not in the mood for it...still hot though. Eri defiantely the highlight in this generation, probably the most absent-minded of all the members; even more so than Aibon and Nono. Reina also deserves an honuorable mention for having a great voice, being cute and having a great personality.

Weaknesses: As you've probably noticed there wa sone member I didn't mention...Sayumi. I don't know quite what to make of her, though again she is an over-rated member. The cute personality suits her down to a tee but it simply isn't done right, it's way too irritating. There are very very rare moments where it's done well (such as HM ep 270 with Erica dn Berryz) otherwise it just doesn't do it with me, way too shallow and predictable.

7th gen:
Strengths: Getting a solo career started for Koharu was a good move if you ask me, I can't get enough of Balalaika. In the past few months she also really started to develop and she's become one of my favourite current members. Initially she really annoyed me as she seemed to be trying to hard but now she seems less artifcial.

Weaknesses: Nothing new in terms of singing talent, not a stand out performer either.

8th gen: (can only comment on Mitsui at the moment and I can only say little about her as well)
Strengths: Really unique voice that we haven'theard much of yet but it was good on Egao YES Nude and simply brilliant on Kanashimi Twilight.

Weaknesses: From what I can tell so far her personality doesn't seem anything special, still too early to really comment fairly though.

[shirenuファクトリー]

HAYYYY!! I think it's not too early to comment on 8th gen now. :3 Any comments?

[adventwriter]

1st Gen:
   + The OG - no one can dispute the effect Nakazawa, Nacchi, and Kaorin had on Momusu and H!P.
   - Nacchi  was pimped too much - the others weren't. Nuff said.

2nd Gen:
   + I agree with some of the previous statements - this generation really set the standard - especially Mari and Kei.
   - Don't know of any real one - they were pushed aside when Maki joined.

3rd Gen:
   + Maki - nuff said.
   - Set a high level that was never met again - too much too soon? (for Maki)

4th Gen:
   + the true Golden Generation. Two Top brought energy, Yossie brought humor, and Rika brought cuteness etc.
   - truly changed the dynamic of Momusu - the younger the better....

5th Gen:
   + Ai and Risa - good vocals. Risa - Reaction queen. Mako - humor. Konkon - etc.
   - Never given much love on some TV shows - specifically Ai-chan.

6th Gen:
   + another strong generation. Vocals and energy.
   - Miki was usually considered to hate Momusu, Reina pimped over the other two.

7th Gen:
   + Koharu brings humor and spazziness that some love.
   - Koharu's vocal strength is lacking.

8th Gen:
   + Finally a generation that broke out of the usual mold. This generation is unique - reminiscent of OG. Linlin's vocal prowess is off the charts. Junjun and Mittsi are good vocals. Each add a unique element.
   - Have been pushed to the side - specifically JunLin - in favor of over pimpage of Ai, Reina, and Koharu.