| Murder She wrote: | |
Perhaps his most daring experiment was the Hello! Project Kids, fifteen grade-school girls selected in 2002 in hopes that they could be trained over the years. |
Yet now people complain that kids are not being "let be kids" at younger and younger ages. Kinda like how they criticize Michael Jackson's dad for making him miss childhood and how that messed him up in adulthood. 
| Murder She wrote: | |
"When we started," says Natsuyaki, "we had no training in singing or dancing—we really didn't know anything. |
In other words, they were just picked for their looks. Kinda like how Morning Musume recently auditioned their latest batch of 8-12 year olds (yes, 8) to soon prance around in short skirts in a few months.
| Murder She wrote: | |
Aside from that, Berryz Kobo's longevity and stability is remarkable in a music scene where idol groups sometimes form and disband within months. The secret, says Shimizu, is that "we always talk things out with each other. We ask about each others' feelings." |
Not really. In Japan, the talent agency controls the group, not them. They can talk to each other all they want, but every time there's a manager's meeting, they'll still be nervous because any one of them can be kicked out by the talent agency.
| Murder She wrote: | |
Yurina Kumai's height defies the "petite and cute" idol mold, and perhaps for that reason, she looks across national borders to find inspiration as a performer, citing Korean group Girls' Generation as her role model. "When I saw their music videos, I was so impressed by their dancing, and by how attractive and talented they are—I want to mimic the way they move." What also impresses Kumai is that, compared to Japan's music scene, their Korean counterparts "don't have the traditional idol attitude, but more the charm of grown-up women." |
That must've been like a culture shock to otaku!
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