[7/04] Morning Musume 50th: One・Two・Three/ The Matenrou Show

[Zunu]

^ That article should be required reading for every member of Hello!Project, and really, all aspring idols. It's no insult to say that Fujimoto was a horrible leader; I'm sure she'd be the first to admit it herself. But since then, through Aichan, Niigaki and now Shige-san, the leaders of Morning Musume have gotten stronger and stronger, less self-centered, more concerned about the place of the group in history. Sayumi, as the culmination of this movement, is a genius, a veritable Sun Tzu of idol philosophy. Some of her mini-manifesto has been reproduced for us:

"It's better to say it and regret it than to not say it at all."
"First of all, I was too quiet today."
"I questioned myself too much, thinking things like, 'I wonder if it's ok to join in here' "
"Always be conscious of projecting your voice."
"Thinking too much and not stammering."
"Explosive power"
"Must not become someone who doesn't stand out"
"Increase your vocabulary!!"
"Make your reactions bigger"
"Complete everything decisively↑ No halfheartedness!!!!"
"Even if the other person pulls back, don't restrain yourself"

Better than any other current member of H!P, she understands why it's not just enough to walk on to the set and look cute - you have to make an impact that will last longer than the fleeting memory of your beauty. I love how she scolded the others for their lack of preparation, for their failure to capitalize on every moment. And at the same time, she shows remarkable humility: in an article where she could be talking just about herself, she makes Reina look good for poking fun at her. Make your subordinates look good, and you will look good. That, my friends, is a true leader.

[Pavlova]

I'm even more impressed than I was before with her. And I love how Yuuko acts towards her despite the fact they were never in the group together. How Sayu says she sends her email and stuff. I mean.. yeah. That article made me cry again.

[Panic Nancy]

She really is the perfect leader. <3 This definitely increases my respect for her. For some reason I liked that she said that she has to prepare stuff in advance because she can't ad lib. It makes me feel better about myself because it always takes me forever to think of funny stuff, unless I'm in the right mood. So I'm just like Sayumi. Unless she meant that can't ad lib because she has to follow a script or something. In which case, nevermind. .__.

[Chibs]

I think back in 06 or something the consensus of Momusu was Shige would be a great leader. Sayu please dont graduate till at least '14.

[wotakubrandon]

It's no insult to say that Fujimoto was a horrible leader

That was a really dark two weeks wasn't it?

[kyuu]

Sayumi I knew it from the start, she would be a brilliant leader. Maybe the best

I really liked thie interview. It was honest but positive all the same. And I really enjoyed to see the flashes of how hard Sayumi works for her career. A true, wonderful professional.

[Amped]

--Michishige-san is saying that Morning Musume's true golden era is starting now, right?

Michishige: Being told things like, "During the golden era~" is extremely frustrating. When the current members are singing old songs, we are seen through that lens. I do understand that that is also amazing, though. But still, from the current members' point of view, we also want people to listen to the current songs. When we appear on TV, there have been times when we're still asked to do "LOVE Machine" even though we want to sing songs that we released recently. Of course, we're left with the feeling, "I wish they'd let us sing our current song also, even if just a tiny bit of it." To reduce that frustration, we have no choice but to aim higher, right? So it was with that sentiment that I said, "The golden era is starting now."


--What does Nakazawa-san think about all the attention that Morning Musume is currently getting?

Nakazawa: I think they're still far from a level that can be considered "getting a lot of attention," though. But I think everything that Shige-chan said is correct. I think it's only natural to want to surpass the golden era. I'm glad that the person who puts that feeling into words became the leader. The people creating the present should come forward. I know the era that's called the "golden era," but that time has passed a long time ago. I have no wish for the current Morning Musume to inherit "LOVE Machine." It's impossible for the current members to reproduce that song perfectly. That's the same as us [OGs] not being able to do current Morning Musume's music. But you know, with the 50-single history, if anyone says, "I don't really like this song, so I can't sing it," I'll beat her up.

ARE YOU LISTENING MUSIC SHOWS and FUJITV?! no more Love Machine! let them sing what they want.

[Bakajo Nono]

Aw Sayu~ reading about Reina's growth was really touching as well.

[TotallyUncool]

That was a good interview -- I'm impressed with Sayu!

[rikkikow]

What the ...? You guys didn't know the awesomeness of Sayumi?
She won the H!PS in 2008. That was four years ago!!!