Unpopular Opinions

About Akimoto Manatsu, not sure if is unpopular but I find her presence so special and I think her graduation could have an impact on the group on a same level as ace members' graduations. I think she'll be one of the biggest loss on the group, especially for their variety shows.

Even if she's anything like her, I think Tamura Hono would've been a cute Manattsun's successor. You can feel that vibe. I really wanted her in Nogizaka and it really seems Manattsun and other Nogi girls wanted her too. Manattsun loves her

 

It's actually the opposite, Manattsun loves Hono and her and Maiyan asked to take a photo with her, that surprised Hono too of course.

Manattsun's funny chara is a trademark for Nogi, you could like it or not (I personally love it), but it will never be the same without her and be a huge loss.

 

Hmm still see it as a courtesy not them wanting her in Nogi as such.

100% agree with the latter. She’s so loveable and loves the members tenfold. Really don’t want to imagine a Nogi without her. Her history and presence is tremendous. But I really do think she’ll start propping up grad signs soon. I watched Yuttans last episode on NogiEigo and she was saying the reason for her graduation was her age in the best English she could. Something about Nogis future. Hmmm feel like the oldest of 1st gen i.e. Sayurin & Maiyan including Mana have similar thoughts.

 

Inoue shines more as Under's center than right now. She deserves Senbatsu since long long time ago, but now that she's in she doesn't do much. Marika's pretty smart to leave in her prime. Hope Ranze's momentum to be in Senbatsu is not too overdue later on, like Inoue.

 

She get a lot outside job right now.

 

Yeah, I know and glad for her. In Nogichuu she isn't as exposed as before though so it's getting lonely. The attention is shifted to 3rd gen, now 4th gen, and with few for 2nd gen.

 

senbatsu are pretty much overcrowded.


technically you’ll not going to have decent screentime in mv if you’re not the center. and then wdy going to expect the shines from 3rd row filler ?


ive never been a fans of 21nin senbatsu, but its likely the safest way been taken by most idol group these days. some default center which being surrounded by powerful members . and it tones down the ‘unpleasant’ voice from huge fanbase of popular names.


indeed she’s got a lot of outside job, but i still have believe all the girls who’re not graduating yet at least still want some ‘decent’ role in the group.


tbh , its almost look like more better being an under centers which you got song building around you rather than filling 3rd row senbatsu. but in other side senbatsu are still senbatsu, it still technically you’re on higher tier than unders.


as a fans who followed the groups since long time ago maybe the lack of exposure of some senbatsu members are kinda annoying. but i guess we shall move on and accepting that these days senbatsu aren’t the same way as on the early days.

 

I don't think Sing Out is that good. I didn't like Kaerimichi either.

I don't think a lot of the members are actually that pretty. Most are cute, but not pretty.

 

Good points. Indirectly there are three tiers: fukujin-senbatsu, non-fukujin senbatsu (aka 3rd rows), and unders.

If a girl wants to be have a decent role in the group just like you said, being in senbatsu is not enough. They must aim for fukujin position, however it is almost definitely perma-locked to some members. So unless you're heavily pushed by management (like original frontmen of 3rd gen) or acquiring extremely good fanbase that management can't even ignore (like Umezawa and Yoda), small chance to even try to break through the fukujin walls.

The 3rd rows senbatsu are replaceable aside from the irregular like Shinuchi who has a solid role as the radio announcer of Nogizaka-owned radio programme, and Inoue whom management has finally guaranteed (hopefully) their promise that she should be in senbatsu for her contribution all these while.

Sometimes some 3rd rowers are given a place in fukujin only for a single. Like Inoue. Kiichan will definitely turned back to 3rd row next single (or at worst under. Maybe no). Although I am glad for her, she's being in fukujin is actually weird and a bit non-deserving. Is her photobook that good? Also I don't know what's behind management fascination towards Sato Kaede so much to give her spots in senbatsu consecutively. She could end up to be the irregular guaranteed a spot in 3rd row like Shinuchi.

In summary, if even the 3rd row senbatsu is semi-perma-locked, then only 2-3 seats that the Under girls can vie on. Otherwise hoping the senbatsu seats are getting larger.

Nogizaka is filling up with a lot of interesting girls lately and also since the 3rd gen, management has learned how to foster the girls to have a solid fanbase. Even being an under is not so bad right now if we look at what's Junna, Higuchi, and Rena are capable of doing. Under girls can also fill up huge concerts not inferior to the senbatsu.

What I'm hoping is the removal of semi-perma-locked and perma-locked positions in senbatsu, removal of fukujin system (or reduce it to 5-6 members), and also more chances of senbatsu rotation. This is assuming there are still differences between being senbatsu and under.

In the end, the best solution is that the under girls get the same exposure of opportunity as the senbatsu. The question is if that were to happen, what's the point of the 2nd group to be called "under"?

 

nah tbh, if you looked to either synchronicity or sing out! ( i take this example because these are the single they release in the last 1 years ) even fukujin arent enough to guarantee you a decent mv screentime comparing to natsu no free&easy or inochii wa utsukishii.


who deserves senbatsu ? everyone. imo i dont see any of hncm , ranze , rena are deserving senbatsu more than kaede.


all of them are on the same tier popularity looked on the latest IHS sales ( i might be wrong about rena, but i believe ranze and hncm also have a great sales ).


on the business view ? that’s definitely kaede. hncm are 1st gen , ranze are 2nd gen. they’re already long enough in the group ( and maybe already sick being in the unders ) nobody knows how long they will still remain in the group.


i know most fans maybe little bit biased with senior members rather than the new, i like ranze too. but seeing in different aspect tbh i dont see any justifiable reason that she must be a permanent senbatsu.


then who deserved being axed from senbatsu ? everyone except maiyan , asuka , ikuta and arguably hori for me.


MAYBE yoda, ume , ozono , kubo and zukki also deserved the permanent spot more than the rest too. but still i dont see any of them are bigger than some old guards lika kaz , ringo or reika and in the vice versa too. thats why i dont think all of them should be 100% safe too.


with only 4 permanent senbatsu, then we’ll got 29 girls to being rotated in unders and senbatsu ( im excluding the 4ki ). because i still think 22 senbatsu 10 unders are weird number (+zukki hiatus), with older concept they still can back to 17-16 senbatsu & unders formation ?


will it be great, yes for the group but not for fandoms.


i could tell almost more than 75% of nogi girls have a good fandom. and removing them from good position will only trigger their fans to throw hate into the girls who replacing their oshii.


maybe i spill it too much here, but its obviously being well known nogi yakkai are the most fanatics and harsh among the 4846 idols franchise. so any extreme decision could make some girls being more brutally attacked by antis.


how idol group worked has been changed, it could be seen how these new groups like keyaki and hinata are doing “ everyone is senbatsu “ policies. even stu48 on the latest single are doing the same. for me those things are bullshit and stupid idea,


but thats something we fans couldnt changed and no matter what if we are still fans we need to accept how things had been changed these days.

indeed everyone were at least deserve one times being a senbatsu. but the group were pretty much stacked. you might see this as injustice,

but having either karin or junna instead of mukai tasting senbatsu first will be treated as a huge crime by lot of peoples

thats harsh and saddening, but end of story idol group are likely a popularity contest, you cant demand for everyone could be treated equally.


if you want to know what unders exposure got this days, lets think about which are better ,


being ranze and centering left and right songs at under live or being either kaede , sayu , maichun filling a senbatsu spot on the senbatsu live ?


as a fans , tbh i enjoyed more watching ranze in under live rather than bother to try get the senbatsu live tickets because ive less favorites on this current senbatsu formation ,

 

Junna in senbatsu would not be a crime at all. Sato Kaede in senbatsu however is.

 

your opinion is actually popular among fans, but it is not popular in management officers eyes. kaede is innocent though. i mean if junna was chosen for once, for sure kaede would be chosen anyway as 3rd gen is a priority.

 

Well, I've finally decided to post something in this thread...

But I'm going to raise an issue that will be more 'divisive' or 'controversial' than unpopular. So here's my opinion...

In the dance for Against, the hand gesture part...



...is meant to represent a kanji. Specifically, it's 反 which means "anti-" or "against".

 

I watched that part at 0,25x speed to check it. I don't think it is that Kanji, although I can see where you're coming from. But they make a sudden drop with their hands at a certain moment (Waka's the most visible in that regard), which doesn't fit the kanji.

The gesture always reminded me of falling leaves somehow...

 

Do you mean like sign language for that character? Any references? just asking because if it is then it's amazing

 

I mean in the sense that the hand movements are (similar to) the strokes one would make with a brush in drawing the character.

Although not necessarily in the usual stroke-order and, as Seditious points out, it's not an exact match.

Even if it's a slightly far-fetched idea, I can contribute to forum harmony by unifying everyone in agreement at how wrong I am

 

How is it? Looking at handshakes Kaede is much more popular than Junna, and she's a newer member. I could agree that Junna deserves senbatsu position at least once, but why is Kaede's one a crime? I mean, why her?

Since I've seen lot of "agrees" on that comment I would like to understand what bothers you all about Kaede in senbatsu.

 

Hahaha no worries about that.

A theory also just popped up in my mind today. I watched the recent under live again today and was mesmerised by Nakada's performance (as always). Then I remembered she used to be the front member during Nogi founding.

Ichiki Rena, who is now a news achor, used to be in the front too. And then there's Ikoma. These three, to say roughly, do not fit to the mold of current Nogi elegant image. But there is one thing I can think of that connects these three: they are passionate dancers (or back then had the potential to be). Could it be that the management at first was thinking to create a group with that kind of image at first? Only later on they decided to stick to naturally progressed current elegant, lady-like image? If they were aiming to have a group based on the image of "passionate", then putting Ikoma, Nakada, and Ichiki for very idolish songs like Oide Shampoo and Hashire Bicycle is just a strategy I can't get hold of. If only Nogizaka started with songs like Seifuku no Mannequin with Ikoma, I think people's reactions towards Ikoma won't be as negative as before.

That comes to my second theory, which I said it here before.

My theory is Keyakizaka's concept is based on the spin-off "what if Nogizaka were to continue releasing songs like Seifuku no Mannequin"? And then they got a member like Hirate who brings the concept to a higher level.

And then the concept of "passionate" is passed down to the Nogi Under group. Nakada being there is the place where she can shine brilliantly.

Add:

Third theory, Yoshimoto Ayaka, the original Nogi center, could have been also a passionate dancer like Ikoma. If a parallel world were to exist, I wonder what kind of Nogi would've been by now?

 

Wouldn’t call Kaede popular. Junna is better than her in every aspect. Just management from the start have not given her the spotlight she deserves. And no her stage plays don’t count. Kaede is being put with popular members such as Asuka and Yoda. Imagine those three together. It doesn’t make sense yet it has happened. Honestly if Junna was to be put in senbatsu it would do her a whole lot of good. She’s a generally well liked member amongst the fandom even though her name isn’t as prominent. I’ve seen japanese fans questioning Kaede’s senbatsu spot also.

 

The fact is that Junna has only sold out 6/20 slots and Kaede has sold 28/30 and has sold out all her remaining slots. Handshake sales are the only real objective metric for popularity.