Tottemo! Suggoi! Mecha! Chou! Subarashii H!P Ranking Battle!
11 February 2008
OK, maybe I overdid it a bit with the title there but I'm just excited to have something to post about. Paul Thomas over at Hello!Blog (a blog that I've read almost religiously since discovering it) has very kindly done another popularity poll. Only this time he's included Berryz Koubou and ºC-ute into the mix. I didn't get to participate in the last one so this is a nice opportunity for me to take part. I filled in all three group rankings but I'm only going to post the Morning Musume one here. I don't really follow Berryz Koubou or ºC-ute closely enough to make an accurate judgement regarding those members.
1. Michishige Sayumi - This was pretty much a foregone conclusion considering how many pictures of her have been featured here lately. She's really captured my attention these last few weeks, especially after that New Year's episode of Haromoni@ that involved the wig. The weird thing is, I never used to like Sayumi very much. I found her narcissistic nature very annoying. But having seen her voice training session in the sixth generation auditions my view of her changed dramatically. There's definitely a lot more to this girl than many people first believe.
2. Tanaka Reina - Reina would have easily been in my number one spot if it wasn't for Sayumi's recent rise in popularity. She's just as good looking as Sayumi and has an interesting personality. Her accent also adds an extra dimension to her character. It's a shame her Yankii persona has mellowed out recently, I think that was one of her best charms. However, there's no doubt that Reina will stay high in my rankings list for a long time to come.
3. Niigaki Risa - Gaki-san! Probably one of the best nicknames in the history of Morning Musume. Gaki-san has always been one of my favourite members. Her extremely 'genki' personality and smile never fails to lift your spirits. I love her current hairstyle, it just suits her so well. She's quite similar to Abe Natsumi, in that they both have a very caring attitude, sort of like a older sister to everyone.
4. Kamei Eri - She just narrowly beat Jun Jun for 4th place thanks to her Eric Kamezou character from Maido Arii. Eri's always been a bit of an odd one for me. Sometimes she really stands out, other times she's not really noticeable. I think her quirkiness is her best feature. That episode of Hello! Morning with her and Fujimoto Miki at a crepe stand has got to be one of the funniest things ever.
5. Jun Jun (Li Chun) - This is quite a surprise. One of the newest additions to the group has made it into mid-table. She reminds me very much of, well, me. Kind of quiet but can come out with some rather absurd comments or reactions. Out of the two Chinese members she probably stands out more. I knew I was right to have faith in them.
6. Lin Lin (Qian Lin) - She seems a lot more reserved than Jun Jun but I think she'll become a lot more confident as time passes. She can be quite funny at times and her 'Bacchiri' phrase is addictive to say. I have high hopes for her in these coming years. Gambare!
7. Takahashi Ai - I feel slightly guilty for putting one of the core members so far down the list. I just feel she's lost a lot of her character by dropping her Fukui accent. I'm not sure she's quite assertive enough to be the leader but she seems to be managing well. Her Doi Takako impression is quite good though!
8. Kusumi Koharu - Hmm...I have trouble getting to like Koharu for some reason. It's not as though I dislike her for any particular reason. I just get the impression she's trying too hard sometimes. If she'd be a little less energetic I think she'd make a better impression.
9. Mitsui Aika - I feel Aika's been a bit hard done by. She's had lots of opposition from western fans during her auditions which I felt was totally unfair. Then her addition to the group was slightly overshadowed by the arrival of Jun Jun and Lin Lin. I do hope she develops a strong persona for herself soon. She's still quite young so there's plenty of time yet.
Well, there we have it. That's my current ranking for the moment. There's not much to say about the other two groups. The members of ºC-ute were a lot more recognisable than Berryz Koubou, thanks to their awesome single Tokkaiko Junjou. Yajima Maimi did a superb job of the speaking lines in that song so she's top of the ºC-ute list. I'm one of those people that can't stand Sugaya Risako so she's firmly at the bottom of the Berryz Koubou. Other than that, it was really a case of who stood out the most in my mind.
Posted byHocchan at 5:36 pm
This is my current favorite Morning Musume members list:
1. Tanaka Reina
2. Koharu Kusumi
3. Niigaki Risa
4. Mitsui Aika
5. Kamei Eri
6. Lin Lin
7. Sayumi Michishige
8. Takahashi Ai
9. Jun Jun
I've been really interested in other people's rankings. Always fascinating to see different views of various members. Thanks for your comment!