Monday, 19 September 2011

Hello! Pro Time Episode 21 - Part 1: Comments, Sweat and a Few Tears

All opinions are my own~ Your opinions are YOUR own, so if we differ... sorry ;)

I was happy to find that today, a subbed version of Hello! Pro Time's 21st episode had been released by one of my favourite subbing groups, Twilight Paradise, who have subbed a good number of these episodes so that the International English speaking and/or reading Wota who don't speak or know Japanese enough to grasp a good amount of what is being said.

Aka, me.

So, thank you to Twilight Paradise for subbing it! It really helps me a lot, and I am happy to understand what has been said to these girls!

One of the things that I was actually anticipating the most from this episode was the comments that Tsunku gave about the 10 finalists of the 10th Generation Auditions - it gives us an insight to what Tsunku thinks about them, and we realise just why he let that girl go through to the final round.

Surprisingly, though, we also find out that he aims to bring in a new main vocalist to replace Takitty, which isn't all that surprising. I don't think that I could handle a Reina dominant single without a deeper voice to fall back on. I wish Gaki would get a lead, but I'm her fangirl, so of course I would want that. It doesn't mean it won't happen though, right?

We're also surprised with the notion of all 10 of these girls being added! Now, if Tsunku did that, I would be deliriously happy, but I also need to remember that a lot of people won't, either. There are those who are all for it, and those who are against it, and I can kind of understand that. 10 members would be over-whelming enough, and they would definitely trample the Kyuukies. We also need to remember that the AKB fans would start a lovely trolling fight - Oh, of course! Tsunku is totally copying them all! Considering he had Morning Musume, Melon Kinenbi, Coconuts Musume, Country Musume, H!P Kids/Berryz/C-ute and probably some more, making it larger than a 48-nin family at one point before AKB was made, he is totally copying the AKB style...

Oh look, I vented and made zero sense >.>

Okay, venting over - First up is Kudou Haruka for the comments, and Tsunku comments on her 'husky' singing. Tsunku wants her to show that she really wants this, and it will put her in a good position if she shows it strongly. As an Egg, she is already above the rest in both singing and dancing and over all presentation, and is obviously one of the most popular auditionees out of the 10 girls that have made it so far. I have to agree with Tsunku on his comments. Haruka has a dazzling presence about her that is very noticeable, and her cuteness makes you squeee!!!

Okay, just me...

Next up is the girl who became one of my favourites upon seeing her, and that is Iikubo Haruna, the oldest auditionee out of all the girls. From what Tsunku says, she was chosen via her fashion sense and not her voice or how well she dances. Tsunku, you're already contradicting yourself! Didn't you say that you were looking for a voice??? Oh well... whatever. I want Haruna's booty in Morning Musume! Her smile is quite beautiful, and reminds me of the demented Koharu Kusumi (whom I miss dearly), but I want to know what her personality is like overall because her singing and dancing is average right now, and we need personality.

Next up is the girl who I think is quite tomboyish with a girlish flare, and that is the very pretty Sato Masaki. Tsunku chose her for a 'sense of certainty that he can not criticize', and he has an unknown sense of expectation from this 'uncomplete' girl. Well Tsunku, we've found your project for this Gen! Add her - ADD HER NOW, DAMNIT!!!

Next up is Tashima Meru, or as I will now know her 'Project Girl Numero 1!', because that's what she will become if she's put into Morning Musume. Tsunku claims to have put her in for her face, and that is where all of his interest lies. He even says 'I wonder what she can do...' so you can tell he sees her as a 'Project' to work on and make over or whatever, but he also feels that she can grow very fast. Okay Tsunku, I am game, as long as you give her bangs (they might suit her!)

We now have Ohgami Hinako, and though Tsunku says that she lacks sharpness in her rhythm, she has an expressive power in her voice that he thinks he would like in Morning Musume. I already like tis girl - she sings nicely, and as Tsunku said, she has an expressive power about her (she sang Ame no Furanai blah blah!), and she's a H!P fan - what more isn't there to love? She also has some nice legs.

OH, and her Jazz dancing and Karate experience will help with dancing. Yaaay!!!

The 6th girl is Miyagi Ayumi, a really cute looking girl who is (yaaay!) tan! Tsunku values her for her voice, and feels that it could transform. I have to say Tsunku, I agree - her expression is great, there is a lot of power and she sounds confident. I like this girl! Good one, Tsunku!!!! <3

Miwa Satsuki follows closely behind, and Tsunku chose her for spirit or courage, and has a feeling that she will be completed beautifully if she joins. Yeah, if. My only problem with this girl, Tsunku my man, is her overall lack of expression through the training process. However, her already being a finalist in the 9th Gen audition the last time... doesn't that give her a bit of a leg up!? If it does, good for her :o It also proves that she's strong enough to go through the pain of rejection again if she gets rejected...

Next, we have another one of my automatic favourites, the cute Ishida Ayumi, who has charmed people with her dancing skillz and that predator-like smile. Ttsunku feels that her dancing ability has immediate potential, however it is her personality that he can't see clearly - does this hinder her chances in any way? Probably, because he says that if he can see her personality and how much she wants this through the interview process, there is a chance she could make it into the final group of girls who will be the 10th generation.

Don't fuck this up, Ayumi! I WANT YOOOOU! Beat out Riho with your dancing skillz!

Now it's time for the Yankee Parade cute and sweet looking Tanaka Fuuka. She has a pretty smile, doesn't she? I like it... Anyway! Tsunku claims that she can dance to a certain degree, and that she has high expectations - so, he expects a lot from her? I would, considering she's had 6 years of dance training and has bloody beautiful legs. Even though I'm not all that hyped about her name, cos we don't need two Tanaka's in there, I think that if Fuuka was chosen, she would be a good addition.

Am I the only one who thinks her eyes are too small? ._.

And last, but certainly not least, the popular Murakami Sara, who all the International Wota are loving! (Bala ba ba ba, I'm  Lovin' It~) Her expressive and powerful singing voice have not jsut caught Tsunku's attention, but also the wota's, and Tsunku wants this sort of voice in MoMosu! He states that after Takahashi leaves Morning Musume, it is important what type of singing voice will be used, and thinks that Sara will sing good songs. I think that she will sing good songs too, Tsunku.

Add her.


Pretty please?

She has natural talent. ADD HER!!!

Seriously Tsunku, if you fucking reject her, that AKB van will come flying down the road, you know? They will - they've done it before, and they sure as hell will do it again.

And finally, the training camp starts! At the beginning, most of the girls are happily getting along and talking with each other, making friends and laughing. It's nice to see how comfortable they are with the atmosphere, however it's kind of weird how Sara is the only one who isn't talking or making friends - she's obviously the most serious out of them all at this stage, and just looks on. This is a good thing, and a bad thing.

I like social peoples...

Anyway, everything's all Happy Doodles until...

Shit just got serious!

Yeah, the sensei walks in. A lot of Wotas know Natsu-Sensei, but some of the newer Wota don't (raise your hands with me, people), but she is apparently renowned for creating the dance to Love Machine, Morning Musume's first number 1 hit single. So yeah, she's some serious dancer, so you'd expect a lot from her, and she would expect a lot from you, and as you know, she's there to scare those girls silly, to criticise their techniques and to overall help them to improve themselves in dancing so that they can show how serious they are for Morning Musume, and to ultimately prove how much they can change throughout this final process so that Tsunku can finally pick them and say 'I want that one!'.

We quickly move into the practice - the girls have to all work as a group, so the flow and timing of the dance is important for all of them. Later on, we see how all of the girls fare when dancing together and who obviously stands out and who fails.

You can clearly see the determination on everyone's face, and the look of 'I'm so BOSS' on Haruka's face xD

We're then cut to a short clip of all the girls singing Takahashi Ai's solo song '02 Jishin Motto Yume wo Motte Tobitatsu Kara' together, and they all sound really good as a group. If Tsunku adds all 10 of these girls in, they won't have a problem with blending their voices at all.

I really like this song, and they sound so good together! Tsunku, gimme them all <3

We're then cut to the full dance lesson, where we see the girls skills come out - of course, there are thos who are downright awesome, and those who aren't, and that is where the screen time is - for some of the girls who are in the middle, aka average, there isn't much screen time dancing wise as all the focus on Haruka, Ayumi Ishida and Hinako Ogami, who are quite blatantly the best dancers out of the 10 girls there.

Show them how its done, girls! Rock dem bodies!

And what would a training camp be without footage of the girls who aren't as good as the others? Yeah, it would be boring.
So whilst we know the top three dancers are, we soon find out the tree worst dancers in the form of Meruru, or 'Project Girl' (I like Meruru as a nickname now xD), Miwa and Sato, who have either forgotten the dance routine or have really bad timing and are slower than the rest. Either way, they're all bad at it and you can see their struggle.

And Sensei notices this, so she questions why they can't remember the routine even though they practised it, and criticises the girls for doing so. This is when everyone realises the harshness of the audition finals and the strictness that comes with being a professional singer/dancer/Idol. The girls are put under a lot of pressure just by this, and they have a pretty short amount of time to perfect both their singing and dancing skills and to ultimately improve themselves.

After Sensei has her say, the girls go back to the group dance before Natsu-sensei calls out two of the best dancers in the room to show everyone how it's done.

Ayumi I and Hinako are selected, and show off their sharp and precise dancing skills in their dance. These two really impress me and look absolutely amazing when they dance. Tsunku, please don't pass up the opportunity to add either of these girls - their technique is pretty much flawless, and you'd be a fool to pass up such gifted girls.

And then we cut to all three of the worst dancers in the group of 10 - Miwa, Meruru and Sato, who all quickly forget the dance moves and stop to think about it. If I had to get up and dance in front of everyone, I would probably be overly nervous, just like these girls, but the fact that Meruru started with a smile makes me really like her, but that smile soon faltered when she forgot the dance moves, and it makes me a little sad to see her like that.

Once they've finished the dance, Natsu-sensei asks them if they have anything to say. Only Miwa speaks up and asks to try the dance one more time, but that is pretty much denied when Natsu-sensei asks if their dancing will change if they do it again.

Meru is the one who comes forward and says that she will learn the dance perfectly by herself, showing her determination to improve herself in an area that she isn't very good in, even though she isn't sure of whether or not she will be able to perform it for the judging that happens the next day, but she is confident in the fact that she will do the best to her ability. It's this character that makes me want to root for Meruru, who I am sure puts 100% into everything she does. Even though I initially didn't like this girl when I first saw all the audition finalists, I have really started to see how much she shines as a candidate for Morning Musume, and I am going to safely say that I want her in and that she is now one of my favourites, purely because of how much determination she puts into everything she does, and her smile as she does it.

Sato is obviously very nervous when Sensei asks her if she will practice until she fully knows the dance, and Natsu even calls her own on how nervous she is. I feel bad for poor Sato, but this is the harsh reality of being an Idol, and she needs to overcome it. Meruru has already grown through the training process by showing how willing she is to change and become better just to be considered as one of the final girls, but Sato still seems unsure of herself right now, which can be bad for where her future lies.

As Natsu-sensei says, she is not there to pick out the best dancers. She is there to see how the girls develop and to find who is the most willing to better themselves at the things that they can't do, to see who is the most serious about pursuing the Idol dream. She criticises the girls for wanting to be in Morning Musume, but not putting in the effort to reach for it.

Even though Sensei's words may seem harsh, a lot of us know that her words are actually just encouraging the girls more. Okay, they may be hurt that they're being told to go home and that it is impossible for them to get into Morning Musume at this stage, but it's just making the girls think about how they can better themselves and to get them to work harder in order to show the judges how much they want to be in the group.

And then the girls give a final group dance practice for the day before we cut to...

Crying! Out of the three girls who got the most criticism, Miwa is the only one that cries, but despite finding ti vexing, she wants to try harder than everyone when it comes to the judging process to show her worth as a potential member to Morning Musume.

Meruru, even though she was also heavily criticised for her poor dancing skills, shows her smile and explains that she thinks she was the only one who was completely bad, but that she wants to do it a little better and improve herself and that she will give her all in doing the dance and learning it perfectly.

Meruru, I love you TT^TT

Sato also doesn't cry, but finds that it is a big problem if she doesn't remember the dance. Sadly, she has the shortest dialogue of the three, so that's as much as I can get from her.

The girls then retire to their roosm for the night, where they are sure to practice until the early hours of the morning until they have ingrained the dance moves and the lyrics to the song they are singing in their head. We get glimpses of the girls practising either together in small groups or on their own, showing their hard work and determination for their goal.

Even those who are better dancers than most forget certain moves to the dance.

And as they prepare for the examination, their nerves obviously pile up...

End of Part 1


Source: Airii~n Deshou?



    Hehe, love this comment. So true. I like how positive you are about all of these girls, though I sincerely hope that he doesn't add Satsuki.

  2. @Verilian

    Thank you! I'm glad you quoted, too! XD

    I'm trying my best not to choose favourites through this, but I can seriously see the potential that Tsunku see's in these girls - however, I can also understand why you wouldn't want Satsuki in, she's a bit depressing compared to the rest Dx

  3. Here comes Meru,future center of HKT48 :P