Bikkuri Project

There comes a time in every h!p bloggers life when he or she must reveal their list of favorite members. There also comes a time when they must reveal their list of favorite songs, but I’m just not quite there yet. I’m working on it though, I promise! I do think I’m finally prepared to share my favorite members with you though. Since I’ve already done write ups on all of the current Morning Musume members, where they appear on this list, I’m just going to add links to that entry. Their rank has changed since I did those write-ups, so if your favorite has moved down, please think of it as me coming to like someone else more rather than coming to like that girl less, because that’s really what it is. And yes, most of these are from MM or past MM, but I’m not going to lie about who I like for the sake of being diverse.Okay. Drumroll please! Bdddddddddddddddddddd(this is a drumroll if you can’t tell)dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd

10. Mitsui Aika- Aika has actually climbed a bit on the list due largely to her adorable performance in the Shouri no Big Wave PV and the fact that she seems to radiate pure sunshine wherever she goes. http://celestia-414.livejournal.com/1981.html#cutid1

9.Tsunaga Momoko- She was the first Berryz Kobou member that I noticed. She kind of fascinated me then, and she kind of still does. She’s just so weird but also cute. It’s very confusing. It’s hard to believe that that’s her real voice, but I guess it’d be pretty difficult to fake it for so long. I have a theory that Momoko is actually an anime character who dreamed of being a pop-star, but she had to cross dimensions to make her dream come true for some reason, so her adorable magical pet thing that she disguises as a stuffed animal helped her, and she also moonlights as a sailor uniform-wearing moster-fighter while hiding her real identity from her group-mates and persuing her mysterious crush despite the angst caused by the fact that she can’t ever tell him who she really is. *pauses for a breath* Where was I? Oh yeah. I was expecting her to be terrible at singing when I first heard her talk, but was surprised to find that she is not. Her voice is very high and cute, but she can still carry a tune. She’s a good dancer too. Mostly I like Momoko because she very interesting whereas I find a lot of the other h!p kids to be kind of bland. When Berryz is performing, she’s the one my eyes are drawn to.

8.Takahashi Ai- Would have a higher place on this list if she hadn’t cut her hair. http://celestia-414.livejournal.com/2953.html#cutid1

7. Suzuki Airi- The star of Cute! I fell in love with Airi after watching a performance by Aa! (aka: the group that might have done more stuff if they didn’t have such a stupid name, personal opinion). First of all, she looked amazing, just like a little doll up there in her cute little suspenders and tie. She seemed so tiny, but she was the star of that group with her vocals. I love Reina a lot, but Airi’s falsetto sections made First Kiss. Now Airi is the lead singer of Cute, which happens to be my second favorite H!P group after Morning Musume. Do I wish the other girls got more lines? Sure, for their sakes, but as far as my listening pleasure is concerned, the more Airi the better. She’s also super cute in Buono. As Cute’s sales continue to increase, I think that Airi will end up becoming one of the most popular Hello!Project members eventually.

6.LinLin- She’s climbed in the ranks for being so darn freaking adorable and funny in every video clip I’ve seen of her. What she may lack in language ability she makes up for in facial expressions. Also, evidence continues to mount that she has a lot of singing/dancing/general performing talent. http://celestia-414.livejournal.com/2339.html#cutid1

5.Konno Asami- Konkon is the single sweetest thing to come out of Hello Project. I love her big puppy dog eyes, her chubby cheeks, her cute little pout, and all her general mannerisms. She usually seemed so calm, yet somehow managed to either be super funny or super cute, or both all of the time. I always looked forward to the moments when she was on TV. I also like that she is smart, and is choosing to get an education rather than just riding on her MM fame for the rest of her life. KonKon is also the classic example of what MM is all about: taking an ordinary girl and turning her into something extraordinary. Yeah, she was never the strongest singer in the group, but she worked with what she had, and she won the hearts of almost everyone (myself included) in the process. It’s great to see her back in Gatas, even though she’ll never have as prominent a roll as she once did, I think h!p needs a little KonKon to keep it sane and grounded once in a while.

4. Tanaka Reina- Nothing’s really changed about my opinion on Reina since I wrote this: http://celestia-414.livejournal.com/3789.html#cutid1 except that her photobook did come out, and it did not disappoint.

3.Yaguchi Mari- Mari holds the distinction of being the very first girl in Morning Musume that I noticed and fell in love with. She’s just so tiny!!! Also, I think she is very pretty in a spritely sort of way, she actually looks really good with short blonde hair (unlike some girls *cough*eriandrika*cough* and she has lovely eyes. I love her voice, and her energetic dancing always stands out (see Souda! We’re alive if you don’t know what I’m talking about). Her major “skill” though, is her personality, she’s vibrant, spirited, and could be downright rude to people who pissed her off (which is something that MM is sorely lacking right now). She is another girl who always entertains when she is on camera. She made minimoni the great thing that it was, she provided harmonies for a lot of MM’s songs, and she once announced to the world that she wanted to run around naked on a deserted island, but I think the most amazing thing she has done is have a successful career outside of Hello Project with her various TV jobs. I’m really glad Mari is still around in the h!p world (to some extent) and also using her sparkling personality for other work. If it weren’t for the unfortunate circumstances of her leaving MM she may well be at the top of my list. I still feel a painful twinge when I think about her graduation that never was. I would have really liked to see that. I don’t really forgive easily (note the lack of Tsuji or Kago on this list), but if h!p has forgiven Mari enough to allow her to sing at concerts again, the least I can do is forgive her enough to give her the number 3 spot on this list.

2.Yoshizawa Hitomi- The main reason that I love Yossie is that she’s just so damn funny. All future MM behind the scenes footage is going to be soooo much less interesting without her around. From her silly faces to her hilarious “Ayaka’s surprise English Lessons” to her great Ayaya impressions, Yossie never failed to entertain. I really admire her for other reasons as well. She (much like Ai-chan) had the leadership of Morning Musume suddenly and unexpectedly thrust upon her, and she proceeded to gracefully guide them through the toughest time in the group’s history. If you watch her graduation footage, you can tell just how much the other members all loved Yossie. I believe that she was the glue that held the group together and kept them optimistic for a long time. She seems to be really dedicated to her work as well. She requested to not take a break even after the death of her brother, and again, wanted to resume work as soon as possible after her graduation. I also like that she spoke out and criticized Tsuji when her scandal broke lose, saying something about how disrespectful to her fans that was. It’s good that Yossie actually cares how the fans feel and doesn’t just view them as her means of earning a living. Finally, Yossie is always a girl who looks like she’s having the time of her life whenever she is on stage, and her “sou sa minna san, it’s all right!” is one of my favorite song moments ever. You know that if the performers are having a great time, the audience will be too, which is what makes her such a great performer.

1.Niigaki Risa- Still my favorite <3. I wrote my post about her on her birthday, so you can just ignore the birthday stuff if you read it. http://celestia-414.livejournal.com/6347.html#cutid1.