Ooooh yeasss finally I can babble!!
I knew I forgot one of the S/mileage audition girls. >_< fixed
First, a few things to consider...
As you can see, there are several trainees who have actually auditioned for a H!P group before, and some of them even made the finals. Adding an Egg to Momusu isn't a new thing now, but it would be an opportunity for a redeeming story arc to now add someone who auditioned before and failed. But I'm not sure the agency is interested in something like that. They might also not appreciate the same girls auditioning over and over again, since it makes them "less fresh". At least at this time bitterness won't be an issue; I don't think Kikka could have ever auditioned for MM again because of the Aika-Kikka rivalry created by fans. It would've been an awkward situation whether she failed again, or passed.
Then there's the age restriction. All of the trainees are actually within the 10-17 age limit now. But somehow I still feel that the oldest one, Kanae Yamaga, is at a disadvantage. Also, when it comes to the little kids (girls like Nanami, Hamaura, Taguchi), they may be already older than Haruka was when she joined MM, but... Haruka acts older than her age. She's a bit of a child miracle, like Karin. I feel these 3 might be too awkward to become MM members yet... Although Tagucchi's natural comedic genius is amazing
Indeed, personalitywise I don't know much about these girls, but after seeing their interactions with Dream Momusu members, Taguchi and Kurumin are people I'd love to see debut eventually, whether in MM or otherwise.
I think those are the main groupings I could come up with, so let's go to member-by-member b/abbleage...
Ricchan koto Rie Kaneko - Her voice is adorable and she sings alright. But if they are looking for a main vocalist, her looks might hold her back. I find her extremely endearing, kind of like Konno in her early days, but she's not really a traditional beauty. Her personality also seems a little timid. Since she's been a trainee for a long time, developed her skills and is someone who just makes me smile, I'd love to see her be given a chance in an actual group, but... I feel that the longer she remains unchosen, the fewer chances she has left, and she's already been around for a good while.
Case Karin - Yeah I think she's become the new "Akari Saho" in the sense that fans sort of expect her to debut officially, even are taking it for granted because Hello It's Obvious This Girl Is Talented... But this, at least so far, has been backfiring for her. I was surprised they even showed her auditioning for S/mileage, since they confirmed pretty much that all this time, Karin HAS been attempting to debut officially, yet has not been chosen. At this point, it would indeed be a miracle if Karin was chosen - but I already thought 9ki and 10ki were miracles in their own way, so do they have room for one more? Karin would possibly have the voice, looks and ability to even lead. The question only remains, why isn't she already there? How was Haruka able to pass her? What are we missing here? Are her chances simply over?
Sayuki Takagi - She has quite stable skills from what I remember, when it comes to singing and dancing. I don't think she has the looks of a lead member, but someone must have a soft spot for her because she's one of the more often working trainees. I would find it weird if she first failed a S/mileage audition but was then able to join MM, though.
Nanami Tanabe - Certainly cute, ok voice, has work experience, but is still kind of awkward. Joined the Eggs after winning a Shugo Chara Egg audition. Not sure about her interest in joining MM, since we haven't seen her at the other auditions where she's been eligible.
Kurumi Yoshihashi - No idea about her singing or anything, her personality seems strong though. Apparently she chose to try and become an idol because of Kirari Revolution/Koharu Kusumi. I'd be surprised if she didn't ask to be included in this decision. I doubt she has an amazing singing voice (just a wild guess), but I'd still love to see her and her eyebrows make it, even to be the far-left corner. If this was pre-9ki I'd be worried about her sturdier frame in comparison to the other little ones, but we have Zukki and Mizuki that aren't skin and bones so I doubt it would be a problem
Ayano Hamaura - I basically know nothing about her. Saw a couple H!P concert pics of her and she looked to be an awkward little kid having a fun time. I don't think she'd be ready for MM lol.
Natsumi Taguchi - This kid is just so weird, but so funny, at least when interacting with Dream Momusu members. I don't know if the fearlessness is because of her youth or if she's a secret genius. I still think she's too childish to join MM at this time, she may be almost 12 but I could confuse her for a 9/10-year-old (but what do I know about kids)... Girl is TINYYY. No idea about any of her performance talents. Yah I wouldn't add her yet, but if MM is looking for a tiny big character then she would deliver.
Aina Ootsuka - I feel that she is getting cuter and cuter. >_< She failed the MM and I believe S/mileage audition as well because while her voice is nice, she's not good at expressing different emotions while singing (happy-sad etc). If she has improved on that, I wouldn't mind seeing this redemption arc for her, but while she's cute I still don't think she's Leader cute.
Minami Mogi - lol I remember watching her S/mileage audition and the only thing she had improved from the MM audition was her expression during singing. Singing and dancing were still quite awful. I would be surprised if she was chosen now. Bless her little heart though.
Rena Ogawa - I like her look, it's quite different from anyone else, but pleasant to look at. I also think she looks older than her age, facially. No idea about her talent. A wild card, I suppose.
Kanae - I already speculated she might be at a disadvantage because of her age. IIRC she has an alright voice, but again, I don't think she has the looks of a leader. She's kind of the Maasa-type with her big eyes and big lips: pretty, but not really the one you'd pick as the lead girl. And she might lack Maasa's personality o-o
Sakura Oda - Mang she really wasn't that great skillwise in the S/mileage audition, but I was still really happy to see her join the Trainees. If she was chosen for MM, she'd be the girl I'd have to defend because people would be complaining how she can't sing or dance very well. But I really like her look, and ~flair~ if you will. She's quite different from the other girls. And besides, her name is SAKURA. ...Ok, I'm not seriously rooting for her to win the audition and I don't think her chances are great at all, but if she did I wouldn't mind. Hello new far-left back corner, etc.
Fuyuka - Mang I already felt she would've been a filler member in S/mileage kind of like Rinapuu is now, it'd be weird as hell if she somehow made it into MM. It's not just that she can't sing very well, but her voice is ridiculously monotone. She's almost FINNISH level monotone, that's bad! lol It's like the only thing I remember about her, too. I think the fact that she's already had health issues makes her unlikely to be chosen as well, knowing that Aika just had to leave and I'd imagine the agency would be more wary now. Maybe what Fuyuka had was just temporary, but... Yeah I dunno. What if her body is weak? MM membership can be hectic.
Akari Uemura - Hum maybe one day I'll see what others see when they mention her looks. Her eyes are beautiful, but otherwise I find her kinda mediocre even among Trainees. Ah now I feel mean. I have no idea about her talents.
Mizuki Murota - She's cute, but I don't really remember her from the S/mileage audition, so I have no idea about her skills, and to me it's a bad sign that I can't remember her. But she might be a wild card. Her face gives me Junjun vibes :3
Rise - I would otherwise have nothing to say, but I actually really like her no-make-up face. So thanks to Karin for providing us with this blog picture lol. I DUNNO, SHE GOT THE SUPPIN PART DOWN.
So... When it comes to the UTAHIME thing, who fills the requirements? ... Karin is possibly the only one, if we assume that Utahime should also be a future lead vocalist, not just supporting (like Kei Yasuda or Makoto Ogawa). And there are several girls here I haven't even heard sing, or girls I last heard singing over a year ago and they may have improved.
When it comes to the SUPPIN thing, who fills the requirements? ...At least 10 out of 16 in my opinion.
I mean, none of these girls is UGLY. It just comes down to how high you are setting the bar.
The more I think about it the more I realize I have no idea who could realistically make it into MM. I'm even thinking that maybe NO trainees get added at this time, since for 9ki and 10ki we got Fukuchan and Haruka; but I would still find it such a shame because these girls are lovely and I'd love to see more from several of them.
FUCK! TL;DR I HAVE NO IDEA BUT I STILL THINK KARIN IS OVERALL BEST AND I HAVE MY QUIRKY BIASES IN KURUMIN AND SAKURA.