Buono! is Hello!Project's experiment, allowing a break from the typical yet varied idol songs and just lets the girls rock out. All three girls are great singers, with natural charisma. They even have a fun chemistry (sometimes they are like The Three Stooges, just less stupid.) I really think they are a great group for introducing new fans to idols.
They started out singing theme songs for the anime Shugo Chara in 2007. At first, they were still cutesy and idoly, just with a cooler and less sparkly fashion sense. But single after single, their discography filled more with pop-rock than any other genre. As the girls' voices matured as they reached their late teens and adulthood, their harmonies became more prominent, too. This idol group focuses as much on the quality of music as the charm of the girls (that can be said for H!P in general, but with Buono! this is even more apparent.)
And it's very cool when one can recognize references to other rock songs in their songs. They're just an epic group all around, and I'm glad they were still able to survive after Shugo Chara ended. Like a genie granted freedom.
The Members
* Though they don't play their own instruments (instead they perform with their backing band, Dolce), they do have "image instruments" they are sometimes identified with in photos. And they have even "played" those instruments a couple times!
Personality: Acts impossibly cute, to the point of annoying. Her character always seeks attention and pouts or glares when anyone tries to dent her overconfidence. Talent: She's a high energy performer, and she's actually a powerful singer, when the song or particular performance calls for it. But she has her particular, consistent character, so her unique, nasally voice often sounds high and cutesy. She's like a voice actress playing a character rather than using her natural voice. She's a bit more natural in Buono!, though. Quirk: She holds her pinky out all the time. She says it is an antenna to pick up the love from her fans. When she uses her pinky as a weapon, she calls it her "Pinky Drill".
Personality: Cool, chill, sometimes nicknamed the "ice queen". She can have fun and tease, but never hesitates to roll her eyes at Momo's antics. The most serious of the trio. Talent: One of the most skilled singers in Hello!Project. Quirk: Fashionable and constantly changes her hairstyle through cuts, extensions, and dyes. Has a long face.
Airi Suzuki (Airin) / C-ute / 17 / Green / Guitar
Personality: An easy-going, dorky genius. She's a very lovable person that makes hard work look simple. Talent: One of the best singers in Hello!Project. But she's also a great dancer, actress, and artist. Signs point to her being a good student, too. Airi's the kind of person that if she sets out to do something, 9 times out of 10, she'll be a success. Quirk: Her dad is a professional golfer. Her mom used to be one, too. Airi is actually not that great at golf. This may be the one thing she's not good at. Also, she created a type of being called Suu-san that she illustrates her autographs and messages with.
Music Recommendations
Young, rockin' Buono! and their humor! - "Renai Rider"
Morning Musume was formed in 1997 from the five losing finalists in an audition show. They sold 50,000 copies of their indies single, as part of a challenge, allowing them to become a permanent group.
They regularly add new members through auditions (forming generations) and old members graduate the group to either further their career, go back to a normal life, or make room for new members. This dynamic system can make it fun for fans to follow, giving the group a rich historical narrative that, in theory, could keep going forever. While all the groups of H!P bounce around between different styles, Morning Musume has a special case where their overall style changes to fit the current members. Have a Morning Musume with mostly older members and a couple with standout talent? More mature songs that show off the vocals of the talented girls will be more predominant. Have younger girls that have lots of room for improvement? Expect more energetic songs where everyone works together and uses strength of variety and character to entertain rather than pure vocal ability.
Leave Morning Musume alone for a year and you probably won't come back to the same group. If you think this system sounds neat, Morning Musume may be the idol group for you. If you get attached to your group's chemisty, though, you might want to follow a more stable idol group. But their music is still fun and varied, so even if Morning Musume's history and system and members are not for you, it's still worth it to subscribe to their YouTube channel and follow their music casually!
The Members
Risa Niigaki (Gaki) / Leader / 5th Gen / 23 / Green
Personality: Sarcastic and over-reacts to the stupid things her fellow members do. She's very patient and understanding, though, and talented at firing up a crowd. Talent: Her voice is deep, smooth, and powerful. Quirk: Is obsessed with Disney, particularly Stitch.
Sayumi Michishige (Sayu) / 6th Gen / 22 / Pink
Personality: Narcissistic and very girly. Has a poison tongue. Talent: She's hilariously bad at singing, and her dancing isn't that great either. Her job in the group is looking pretty and being entertaining on television. Quirk: She is a rival of Berryz Koubou's Momoko Tsugunaga because they both think they are the cutest.
Reina Tanaka (Reina) / 6th Gen / 22 / Blue
Personality: Blunt and harsh. The lone wolf with a cool, but somewhat scary, disposition. Talent: Great at singing, though her voice can be a bit shrill. Quirk: Her wonky eye makes her look badass with her angry faces, but derpy when she tries to act cute.
Aika Mitsui (Mitsii) / 8th Gen / 19 / Purple
Personality: Mischievously cute, like a little sister. Now that there are younger members, though, she seems to be transitioning to a strict character. Talent: She can handle deep, cool lines. But overall, she's a decent member, not stand-out in anything. Quirk: The group's animal lover. She loves white tigers, lions, and huskies.
Mizuki Fukumura (Fukuchan) / 9th Gen / 15 / Dark Pink
Personality: Shy and sensitive, but regal. Talent: She's decent at singing and dancing, but tends to blend in with whomever she is performing with. Quirk: She's the artist of the group. Her doodles are cute and impressive compared to most of the girls and their kindergarten-level drawings.
Erina Ikuta (Eripon) / 9th Gen / 14 / Dark Purple
Personality: She's incredibly awkward, from her smiles to the things she says, earning her the other nickname, "KY", which means she can't read the situation. Talent: She's still not the best at singing and it took her a while to catch on to dancing. But she's very good at modeling. The awkwardness just slips away in "fierce" mode. Quirk: Was a big idol fan before joining the group and still is. She buys goods of her favorite members just like fans do!
Riho Sayashi (Yasshi) / 9th Gen / 13 / Red
Personality: Professional, ambitiously determined, and quiet. Talent: She has excellent, precise dancing from her six years at a school for performing arts. Her singing is decent and has some power live. She's a fast learner. Quirk: She's not very good at expressing her emotions. Some fans call her "Smugleaf" (like the nickname for the Pokemon, Snivy) for her smug smile in some photos, and some of her emotions come out fake or forced.
Kanon Suzuki (Zukki) / 9th Gen / 13 / Dark Green
Personality: A completely random goof-ball who always looks like she's having the time of her life. Her charm and charisma is not that of a popstar, but a class clown. Talent: Her singing has a lot of potential, being deep and powerful. Once she controls it, she'll be one of the top singers in the group. Quirk: She loves to do impressions, particularly of bugs.
Haruna Iikubo (Harunan) / 10th Gen / 17 / Dark Red (almost Brown)
Personality: She's very polite and sweet, "pure", as Producer Tsunku has labeled her. But she's also like a cool big sister and has a great sense of humor in conversations. Talent: Her high-pitched voice gets pretty soft at times. Both her singing and dancing will need work. But she has experience as a teen model, so she could have a role more similar to Sayu. Quirk: She has huge eyes and can play "ping pong" with them by moving them independently from side to side.
Ayumi Ishida (Daa-Ishi "The Rock") / 10th Gen / 15 / Dark Blue
Personality: She's like Riho's doppleganger, just with more emotion. She's a very serious, direct girl. Modest, too. Talent: She was a backdancer in another idol group before joining Morning Musume, so she's another sharp dancer. Singing needs improvement, though. Quirk: Her smile is kind of creepy because it is unnaturally wide with tiny teeth. Chiima from Okay! Musume Time calls her "Baby Predator."
Masaki Sato (Masaki) / 10th Gen / 12 / Teal
Personality: Clumsy and airheaded. She's still shy and messes up on formalities or will look off camera in pictures. Talent: During the auditions, her shyness would get the better of her and she would forget the lines and either mumble or stop singing. But in the studio, she's amazingly clear, with great pitch. Her dancing is not the best, but she can improve. And she's been noted as photogenic, so she may be a future model. Quirk: She has latched on to fellow member Haruka Kudo like a sidekick.
Haruka Kudo (Kuduu) / 10th Gen / 12 / Orange
Personality: Boyish know-it-all perfectionist. She knows how idols work as an industry. She's very blunt and has a dry or teasing humor. Talent: She has a low, husky voice. She's good at both singing and dancing, and with her serious perfectionism, she can only get better. She also has a talent for public speaking. Quirk: She may be the youngest, but she acts like the oldest. Her roughness already has fans making Chuck Norris-style jokes about her.
Music Recommendations
* Most of these songs have few if any of the current line-up.
FUNKY OLD-SCHOOL - "Renai Revolution 21"
FUNTIMES - "Morning Musume no Hyokkori Hyoutanjima"
Or watch/listen to all their singles HERE! Morning Musume has so many styles and songs, the list of various recommendations is huge. And even though I tried to add some cooler songs to the list, my own tastes skew happy and fun. So it's really just best to listen to the playlist and decide for yourself!
Note: This is the original introduction to Hello!Project I wrote for a friend (the H!P 101 document that inspired me to make this series.) Reading it now, it seems kind of lecture-y. So after the next video link, I'll give my own reasons for my passion for Hello!Project. Tell me which one is better! :)
Before diving into the world of Hello! Project (H!P), one must realize these girls are idols. Most of them can at least hold a tune and some of them have outstanding talent, but the key to appreciating them is not to scrutinize their singing ability but how they play on their audience’s feelings. That’s not to say you can’t expect them to sing better. But they are work-in-progress talents, and fans watch them improve and root them on. Sometimes I liken idols to football teams (complete with their own special colors for fans to identify with) because of how their fans cheer them on and get excited for their group’s success.
One of the appeals of Hello! Project’s idols is that they tend to have pronounced personalities, so watching them interact with each other on television is like watching a sitcom. (I think one of the reasons I fell in love with H!P is because I’m also a big fan of The Monkees and their TV show.) You can pick your favorite “character” in the group, follow her and collect her merchandise. When a member is ready to move on, either through furthering her career or retiring to a normal civilian life, she “graduates” in an elaborate ceremony at the end of a concert tour (with some exceptions, like girls that are fired or resign suddenly.)
And this is how H!P stays so young. Like stars, new groups and members are added and old ones graduate and fade. Morning Musume is now the only group that has stayed in H!P from the beginning, but none of the original members remain in H!P now.
Old-school Legends of H!P.
Why I love Hello!Project:
1. I find the manufactured personalities fascinating. Being the nerd I am, I like finding the personality "type" of each girl. I like the different characters interacting in character-based comedy. It's fun to see what happens when a girl has two "types." And even if I think I won't like a girl because of her "type", sometimes she turns out to be really likable and hilarious. I like those surprises.
2. Said personalities allow me to remain detached from the actual girls. One of the things that makes me uncomfortable with following celebrities and bands is that I feel I'm nosing around too much in their personal life. I prefer to be a fan of what they do than who they are. But idols have personae, so following their life (the one they allow us to see, the one they create) is like watching a television show. Because in most cases, it IS a television show. Reality television tends to make me feel sad or angry after watching it. But the fake reality of idols makes me happy and gives me giggles. It's magical, it's hard to explain.
3. Nerd facts and collecting! Idols have a running narrative, so you're in on the in-jokes if you're a regular watcher (and they can be repetitive so you can get in the know pretty fast after several appearances.) There's lots of trivia to remember. And history! Much like the thrill of being able to name all the Pokemon or know the weather patterns of all the planets in Star Wars, all the information is fun to gobble up. And if there were Barbie dolls of the H!P members, I'd totally collect them. It's a big nerd playground in H!P!
4. Cheering on particular groups and girls has the thrill of cheering on a sports team! It's fun to pick a number one and root on her with all your heart. It's sad if she isn't popular and doesn't get to do much, but every little victory, whether it's a solo line or a photobook will make you so happy and proud of her.
5. The music has variety and is generally very catchy! There are a lot of fun songs. There are a lot of cool songs, cute songs, beautiful songs, and even "just blew up the cat" crazy songs. And if I'm not too keen on one song, I can hope that I'll like a future one. Because H!P changes its underwear regularly and there are plenty of groups to hop between as well as old songs to keep me entertained.
6. It changes. Old girls graduate. New girls enter. Groups disband and new groups are promoted. New material is constantly coming out. When the machine stops and there is only the past to look back on, it's hard to be so constantly interested. But I hope I don't have to worry about that with Hello!Project for the foreseeable future.
But wait? All of these points describe most idol groups and idol collectives. But H!P has an aura, a vibe that feels right to me. And maybe it will suck you in, too. Maybe it won't. Maybe you'll find a different idol group to become a fan of. I'm here to give a starting point to decide whether any of Hello!Project's offerings are right for you. And I'll even include a section for other main idol groups so you can see if you like idols, just not H!P. So let's start with the current main acts in Hello!Project...
Morning Musume - A varied group with a long history, ever-changing members, and different sounds.
Berryz Koubou - Kids that grew into adults (except an insane midget) and their music and videos reflect that. Kind of goofy.
℃-ute - A synchronized, streamlined group known for their dancing.
Erina Mano - The ballady soloist.
S/mileage - Cutesy silly chipmunks.
Buono! - Pop-rock combination of 2 Berryz and 1 ℃-ute. Used to sing theme songs for the anime Shugo Chara.
If you are already a fan and you see something not right about my guide, please speak up! I want this to be something fans can refer their friends to! I'm not perfect, I even forgot Mai's concert color for some time (I still thought it was purple last month), so I'm open to suggestions and corrections!
Also! Check out these other guides to idols if you are interested in seeing what the idol fandom in general has to offer!
