The Idoling!!! Discussion Thread

[AEUGNewtype]

As solo singer, I like maipuru. But as one of a member, it's just unbalance.

I kinda understand that she is in a bit of another league from the other members and you feel like it overshadows others sometimes, but I still love having her there and having her get the exposure of being in the group, even if she's not always in front. I'm pretty sure she's quite content not being in front to some degree, she doesn't like any extra amount of attention put on her as is obvious in lots of footage I've seen. When she does transition into solo career, she'll almost surely get less attention and less exposure than she does as a part of the group and TV show, that's just usually how it works once idols from big groups go solo.

[LarcKen]

I have not watched that drama yet, but I remember someone saying that she did not have any dialogue, when she was still doing it. Plus, she is still one of the quieter girls in Idoling. She has the looks, but not the needed skills.

Tonchan wasn't exactly in every episode, that's for sure, but she did have enough lines to get noticed if she had the "it" factor. I think Tonchan is simply mis-casted, or has bad timing in regards to the co-stars. Her yankii role in the other dramas just didn't suit her at all. Granted, Tonchan is not ugly by any means, but within the context of celebrity standard, her looks are a bit plain and not very contemporary. So having to co-star alongside the symbolic contemporary star like Sasaki Nozomi would totally diminish Tonchan's appeal a great deal. In the case of Marumo, it was a relatively unknown actress who played the love-interest of Marumo that got the spotlight, and now she's treated like an A-list actress who is in the drama Tokyo Zenryoku Shoujo now with Takei Emi (possibly the busiest and most sought after actress now in Japan).

This is why I have much higher hopes for Yurikaru instead, because her looks can stack up with the best out there, she absolutely shined in very few episodes she did appear in Forze as she has the looks to keep up with the lead actress Shimizu Fumika. Yurikaru is keep getting more solo work and one of the few members that I feel confident in being successful.

Hmm, Who's this 'relatively unknown artist who played the love interest of Marumo' you're talking about? If you're talking about Manami Higa, she's definitely already a rising actress back then. She's played as main supporting role for prime time drama Hammer session and code blue season 2 back on 2010.  She got her break on Code Blue season 1 back on 2008.  So it's pointless comparing her to Tonchan.
Also, Yurippe and Tonchan are both pretty, so saying Yurippe can stack up with the best, and Tonchan's a bit plain is definitely just your personal opinion, not a generally realized fact.
 

[SuzukiRyo]

I don't mind Maipuru being an ace and always in the front, she deserves that attention, but her vocal quality overkills others in the group. As I always said, I don't really like hearing vibrato inside no-vibrato-needed group. TGS for example, they are good without vibrato. Imagine Arashi with one member Gackt-level vibrato singing together, it's painful. Not because the voice, but because it's unbalance. I'd rather listen them as solo. I want it like in PSD, Maipuru can sing with all her might in a line of solo part, but I want her to suppress it when she is not singing in solo part. Or more, I want her to sing non-idol songs. I want her to sing "Glamorous Sky" with it's original rock arrange.

Of course it's a matter of personal taste.

Ah, I want Maipuru's L'Arc~en~Ciel cover.

[AEUGNewtype]

I definitely understand where you're coming from, though I don't entirely agree, good points, though. Like you said, I think its mostly personal preference, and I have heard a few times where these kinds of vocal styles and music styles have clashed and not had a good outcome, but Idoling's have never actually bothered me.

[idolingkyugo]

As solo singer, I like maipuru. But as one of a member, it's just unbalance.

===

Meanwhile...



Ruka!

WTH is this??? 

[Jenus]

Hmm, Who's this 'relatively unknown artist who played the love interest of Marumo' you're talking about? If you're talking about Manami Higa, she's definitely already a rising actress back then. She's played as main supporting role for prime time drama Hammer session and code blue season 2 back on 2010.  She got her break on Code Blue season 1 back on 2008.  So it's pointless comparing her to Tonchan.
Also, Yurippe and Tonchan are both pretty, so saying Yurippe can stack up with the best, and Tonchan's a bit plain is definitely just your personal opinion, not a generally realized fact.

I can see that it may be unfair to compare Tonchan to Higa Manami as Higa had more prominent supporting roles than Tonchan previously, but Higa is a career supporting actress as well and not a household name like the A-list actresses, so it really doesn't make much difference in terms of recognition to most people who don't follow the current trends in Japanese drama very closely. And it really shouldn't matter that Higa is more recognizable than Tonchan as long as Tonchan is able to shine brighter in Marumo, but it wasn't the case.

I'm afraid that my take on Tonchan is a lot more lenient than how the industry apparently is rating Tonchan's looks, the reality is that Tonchan is not getting roles that regard looks as a priority, and given that her roles have been rather unflattering in terms of looks as a yankii , a young mother, and a plain OL, it seems to be a discouraging indication that the casting agents are not exactly blown away by Tonchan's looks. In the case for Sasaki Nozomi's drama, Tonchan apparently was used to contrast their looks and make Sasaki Nozomi look a lot better in turn, because they really did a number to make Tonchan look as hideous as possible.

Acting of course isn't all about the looks, so then is Tonchan a good enough actress to overcome the industry's lack of appreciation towards her looks? I really can't say yes to that definitively because Tonchan's acting in my view is just ok, there are simply too many better looking and better actresses out there for Tonchan to stand out.

[LarcKen]

Hmm, Who's this 'relatively unknown artist who played the love interest of Marumo' you're talking about? If you're talking about Manami Higa, she's definitely already a rising actress back then. She's played as main supporting role for prime time drama Hammer session and code blue season 2 back on 2010.  She got her break on Code Blue season 1 back on 2008.  So it's pointless comparing her to Tonchan.
Also, Yurippe and Tonchan are both pretty, so saying Yurippe can stack up with the best, and Tonchan's a bit plain is definitely just your personal opinion, not a generally realized fact.

I can see that it may be unfair to compare Tonchan to Higa Manami as Higa had more prominent supporting roles than Tonchan previously, but Higa is a career supporting actress as well and not a household name like the A-list actresses, so it really doesn't make much difference in terms of recognition to most people who don't follow the current trends in Japanese drama very closely. And it really shouldn't matter that Higa is more recognizable than Tonchan as long as Tonchan is able to shine brighter in Marumo, but it wasn't the case.

LOL are you serious??    Her 'opponent' had 100 times (overreacted maybe, but you get my point) more screentime than Tonchan, How's she suppose to outshine her given the circumstances??? 
If we're talking a rookie actress with hours of screen time versus a veteran with minutes of it than it's not a stretch.  But it's obviously almost the other way around in Tonchan's case. 

[Jenus]

Hmm, Who's this 'relatively unknown artist who played the love interest of Marumo' you're talking about? If you're talking about Manami Higa, she's definitely already a rising actress back then. She's played as main supporting role for prime time drama Hammer session and code blue season 2 back on 2010.  She got her break on Code Blue season 1 back on 2008.  So it's pointless comparing her to Tonchan.
Also, Yurippe and Tonchan are both pretty, so saying Yurippe can stack up with the best, and Tonchan's a bit plain is definitely just your personal opinion, not a generally realized fact.

I can see that it may be unfair to compare Tonchan to Higa Manami as Higa had more prominent supporting roles than Tonchan previously, but Higa is a career supporting actress as well and not a household name like the A-list actresses, so it really doesn't make much difference in terms of recognition to most people who don't follow the current trends in Japanese drama very closely. And it really shouldn't matter that Higa is more recognizable than Tonchan as long as Tonchan is able to shine brighter in Marumo, but it wasn't the case.

LOL are you serious??    Her 'opponent' had 100 times (overreacted maybe, but you get my point) more screentime than Tonchan, How's she suppose to outshine her given the circumstances??? 
If we're talking a rookie actress with hours of screen time versus a veteran with minutes of it than it's not a stretch.  But it's obviously almost the other way around in Tonchan's case. 

I understand that you want to make excuses for Tonchan, but let's just see it for what it is.
Screen time is not everything to leave an impression as an actor, I'm sure you can agree with this. Tonchan doesn't have the looks to leave an impression, and her acting didn't leave an impression. That's the truth as far as Marumo is concerned. Whether Higa got a more visible role or not is not the issue, Tonchan could've shined alongside any actor she was sharing a screen with, and she just didn't deliver.

[LarcKen]

let's just see it for what it is
^LOL, of course 

[Jenus]

let's just see it for what it is
^LOL, of course 

Hmm, I don't why you are acting like you are right, everything in reality support my case in regards to Tonchan's dead-end career in acting. You might want to show some evidence before continuing this discussion, otherwise it's game, set, match.

[kei_86]

So next week I'm planning to go the handshake event and this time around I'm planning to meet girls other than Umeko too since its a once in a year thing for me  Since I don't think I'll be able to talk much anyways I'm going to get them a Xmas card each. So if anyone in the forum would like to include your message to them, I'd stick your message in the card and pass it to the girls. To make it special, I'm thinking that:

1) make it handwritten
2) include your name, country
3) if possible find something significant to your country (flag, mascot)

and take a picture of all those and PM it to me. The card isn't going to be big, so make everything as compact as possible. I'll print them and paste them all on the card. Since I have limited funds, I'm only going to see :

1) Umeko
2) Asahi
3) Miyake
4) Ruka
5) Reia
6) Kurumin
7) Serina

Note though, depending on the schedule, there could be a chance to not to be able to see certain members. So if anyone wants to hop along and wish something, gimme a PM and the last date to do so would be Wednesday 2359 Japanese time. So yeah, I'll do my best to get this done. If you want to send to multiple members, gather all those pics and send them in a single PM please.

 

[SuzukiRyo]

Result of Voting for IDOL☆J@M Original Calendar. All following names will be on the calendar.

36. Shinozaki Ai (AeLL)
35. Goto Aya (SUPER☆GiRLS)
34. Nagano Serina (Idoling!!!)
33. Takahashi Kurumi (Idoling!!!)
32. Tanaka Mirei (SUPER☆GiRLS)
31. Ishida Karen (Idoling!!!)
30. Kurata Ruka (Idoling!!!)
29. Nomoto Manami (Idoling!!!)
28. Nakae Yuri (Tokyo Girls' Style)
27. Tamagawa Ramu (Idoling!!!)
26. Miyazaki Rina (SUPER☆GiRLS)
25. Katsuta Rino (SUPER☆GiRLS)
24. Watanabe Hikaru (SUPER☆GiRLS)
23. Kikuchi Ami (Idoling!!!)
22. Arai Reira (SUPER☆GiRLS)
21. Ojima Chika (Idoling!!!)

20. Nagai Hina (Cheeky Parade)
19. Shouji Mei (Tokyo Girls' Style)
18. Asahi Nao (Idoling!!!)
17. Yasaka Saori (SUPER☆GiRLS)
16. Shimura Rika (SUPER☆GiRLS)
15. Arai Hitomi (Tokyo Girls' Style)
14. Onishi Ayano (Tokyo Girls' Style)
13. Yamabe Miyu (Tokyo Girls' Style)
12. Okawa Ai (Idoling!!!)
11. Ito Yuna (Idoling!!!)

10. Tachibana Yurika (Idoling!!!)
9. Kanou Kaede (SUPER☆GiRLS)
8. Hashimoto Kaede (Idoling!!!)
7. Maeshima Ami (SUPER☆GiRLS)
6. Miyake Hitomi (Idoling!!!)
5. Mizote Ruka (SUPER☆GiRLS)
4. Yokoyama Rurika (Idoling!!!)
3. Tonooka Erica (Idoling!!!)
2. Goto Kaoru (Idoling!!!)
1. Endo Mai (Idoling!!!)

Idoling!!! members entered: 18/36. Idoling!!! won in majority (50%).
Seven members in the top 10.
Out of ranking: Kawamura Yui, Sakai Hitomi, Kiyoku Reia.

Source: IDOL☆J@M Twitter

[idolingkyugo]

You're so lucky kei that you live in Japan. I hope I could get to watch them live someday haha..
I want to leave a message for Hiichan but I don't know what to say 

Wow Maipuru # 1 on the calendar!

[Patrick_03]

You're so lucky kei that you live in Japan. I hope I could get to watch them live someday haha..
I want to leave a message for Hiichan but I don't know what to say 

try to wish a merry christmas and happy new year to her, and good luck in her career 
i'll try to make a message for Serina, but i need to write in japanese, english or my mother tongue? 

[kei_86]

if you can write in Japanese would be really good, but i think English is fine too. But stick with simple English would be the best I guess.

Naah I don't live in Japan, I'm just visiting and just coincidentally the event is there.

[idolingkyugo]

That's what I was thinking too Patrick_03 
You're lucky Kei, does Umeko know you're a fan of her when she sees you?
No Ruri or Ai-chan on that day?

[Hatix]

The Idoling!!! staff haven't released the schedule or members that will be present for those 2 days yet... (Staff: Please update!!!  )

[idolingkyugo]

The Idoling!!! staff haven't released the schedule or members that will be present for those 2 days yet... (Staff: Please update!!!  )

How many live shows have you been to Hatix?

[Hatix]

Hmm, let's see...
- 9th Live (2x)
- CountDown Live Party 2010-2011
- Shinahachi (2x)
- Jukuhachi (2x)
- Suu-chan's graduation live
- Zepp Tour (2x in Tokyo)
Next week:
- Shibuhachi (2x)
- Nicohachi (2x) (although I've only got tickets to one of the two so far)

and then a few handshake events, and a DVD release event with Yazawa and one with Sakacchi (my two favorites)
and many more lives of other artists I've been to...
and no, I don't live in Japan, but this will be my 10th trip to Japan :-) (hmm,this calls for a celebration ;p)
Just 2 more days at work, and I'm off on Thursday, can't wait! 

But there are a few other people here that have done quite a bit more of Idoling!!! lives & events than me

[kei_86]

Well I hope she still remembers me, its going to be almost exactly one year since I last saw her. I don't really feel like lining up to meet Rurika/Ai and a few other members because their line are usually very long. Waiting hurts