I saw a couple people posted their own lists of improvements or how they would run H!P on the blogosphere (I hate that word), and I couldn’t help but wonder myself as to how I would do it. It’s a natural thought and thinking pretty hard on the subject, I found myself in agreement with some points and completely disagreeing with others. However I’m not going to sit here and pick apart someone else’s post in such a manner, and I intend to cover H!P as a whole. Namely, not just limit myself to talking just about the Wonderful Hearts groups, but also branching into the Elders Club. Because they don’t get enough love and with the death of Hello!Morning, they’ve fallen into obscurity. But more about that later. We’ll start with Morning Musume, because that seems the most appropriate.

Morning Musume

• First and foremost, I am in agreement that there should be no graduations for at least a year. And if someone is going to graduate, they better be a) Pregnant, b) Going to school full time, or c) Going into another group or a solo career that will do something beyond concerts or MCing.

• Put Koharu is more than one anime as voice actress. Allow her to do an anime that is older and gears more toward a teenage audience as well. If you want the coveted fangirls that seem to rule the teen group, you’ll need to make Momusu a recognizable face with that area. And don’t let Koha graduate yet.
• If you’re going to put Koha as a lead, give her voice lessons, otherwise, allow her to play a small role in the actual singing. Yes, she is my favorite Momusu, but again I can admit, she’s not a good singer. Also note that the girls who do have the vocal capability should be given a larger role.
• Bring back the sub groups, but let them have a theme. Go back to old school Tanpopo, as in first generation style. Mature songs, mature lyrics, and the mature members. Reina is not included because she has the little turned up nose and I can’t think of her as “mature” as long as she has it. Sorry to say. However girls like Niigaki, Takahashi and Junjun would be a good fix. And don’t call them Tanpopo, call them something new and different. If you want to break away from the old Momusu, don’t go bringing back the old group names as well. I won’t vie for a Mini Moni esque group because that Athena group with Niigaki seems to fit the bill already. A Pucchi Moni like group would nice, but I’m more wanting that mature group.
• Stop doing kiddie songs and start making music geared toward the teenage and young adult market. Try not to play on the “I’m cute!” wota aspect, but since most of the girls are 15-21 in Momusu, let them sing songs that would fit more of the taste of that group. Oh, and include some rapping in there, like you did with “Do It! Now” because that was just mad hot and we all know it.
• Photobooks for Junjun (please?), Linlin, Aika, and another one for Koha please. Junjun is gorgeous and photogenic. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever that she shouldn’t have a photobook already.
• Aika should never be allowed to keep her hair long because she looks SO much better with shorter hair.
• Put the girls in commercials and dramas. Get their faces scene, get them out there and known to the public. The least they could do is use a Momusu song for a drama. Especially a drama based on an extremely popular shoujo manga. A drama people will watch. Then people will associate that song with the drama, etc. “Flavor of Life”, anyone? My main suggestion though would be to cast the girls in a drama, because it allows them to be more than just an idol group. They can do more than just sing and dance on stage or for singles/albums. Half the reason JE’s does so well is because they whore their boys out to dramas left and right.
• One of the girls, preferably more than one, is going to have to accept that they will be made fun of. Hosts, especially comedians (i.e. Utaban, HEYx3) love to tease the artists or girls that are witty. Not robotic dolls. Your girls have personality, how about you yell at them less about staying in line on shows, and let them make asses out of themselves. How much did the hosts Utaban really favor girls like Yasuda, Kaori, or even Nacchi? They could tease them and the girls took it, but the hosts just showed their favoritism to them that way.
• Two concerts a year. At most. And even then, one concert should be a Momusu concert, and then another concert tour with the rest of H!P as a whole. Having more than 3 concerts a year is tiresome, and you could be doing more with them in that free time. Like…dramas…or commercials…

Berryz Koubou

• Saki is the leader. So how about more than five seconds of screen time for her or shoving her waaay in the back. The only person shorter than her is Momoko who already gets tons of leads.
• Get some vocal lessons for Yurina & Risako and while they are doing that, get Momoko some annunciation lessons and give Maasa some screen time and more than one line a song.
• Shoot some personality into Miyabi, because while she’s pretty and can sing, she is utterly boring.
• Never do another cover song for an awesome 70’s disco one. Ever again. No matter how great you make the video, the screeching vocals compared to the original was a pretty big turn off to me for Berryz. Almost as much as their previous single was.
• Let Chinami step up more since she and Momoko apparently are the only ones with a real personality. Granted I am not a fan of Momoko, but the kid doesn’t just sit there with a glazed look over her eyes.
• Before giving Risako yet another PB, how about you give ones to the girls who haven’t gotten one yet. You know, the ones that don’t get to sing the leads. Sure, they aren’t “pretty” and your wota fanbase doesn’t care for them because they aren’t underage and look over eighteen, but maybe they will when the girls are truly given a chance to shine photographically. Just imagine how cracktastic Chinami’s PB would be!

°C-ute

• Chisato is the best singer out of the group. I don’t care if she’s not “pretty” enough to be the lead. She obviously kicks Airi’s ass as well as every other girl in the group, so how about you actually use her. She’s got moments when she’s not forced to be super cute and childish where she is truly beautiful. And when she gets older and more hot in appearance, I suppose that is when UFA will decide to put her up in front. But by then, I’d rather see her on a solo career cuz the kid has a personality.
• Wipe that stupid expression of Airi’s face since it is the same in every single picture. She is a robot. Use whatever personality juice you put into Miyabi and give some to Airi. And stop using her for all the leads. At least until she doesn’t come off so boring. Yes, she’s pretty, but boring.
• Stop making this another Berryz where all the girls who are considered “pretty” by wota standards the leads. Yes, people are far more forgiving of poor vocal talent when they are cute, but those of us who actually listen to the music without depending on a video to make them more tolerable. Maimi, that includes you.
• Girls like Erika who are constantly shafted should get a PB to make up for the fact that they are pretty much playing wallpaper to the other girls. That’s the only way I could ever feel °C-ute is redeeming themselves for always ignoring her or Kanna.
• Pick an age group or a genre that can appeal to all age groups. Stop switching back and forth between cute and mature. Be one or the other because while some people like that, most of us end up disappointed by the following single because it’s not along the same lines as a previous one. If they really want to succeed, then they would pick a genre that would appeal to more than one age group.

Ongaku Gatas

• Keep Yossie the focus because she is the leader and the music suits her vocals surprisingly well. Also remind people Konno is there and continue to give her vocals. Konno is a very good singer when given half the chance and for a girl who wasn’t supposed to make it into Momusu initially she’s really proven herself.
• Keep up the good work. I really have no suggestions because I honestly thing they are doing a fine job. And I even like Ishikawa in this group. I’m not even a fan of hers.

Melon Kinenbi

• Less focus on Shibata Ayumi. She’s always been the focus because I guess she is most “pretty” (I beg to differ) out of the group, but the other girls are a hell of a lot more talented.
• More songs like “Nikutai wa Shoujiki na EROS” and we’re in business. That song was a) mature which suits these 20+ aged girls, b) sexy as hell with a video that caught my attention, and c) a really good song which would have been even better if my first point had been taken to heart for it.
• Release good singles or drop them. There is no point in dragging them any farther if you’re just making fools out of them with this weird or cheap releases for them.
• Here’s a better idea. Move them off H!P and put them onto another UFA label entirely. Then they don’t have to play around with the kids all the time anymore and actually do something you know…mature. Go figure.

Nakazawa Yuko

• Start singing pop and if you’re going to stick with enka, it’s time to move off of H!P. Especially if you want to be taken seriously. Yuko, you’re over 30 and some concerts you are honestly on stage where a lot of the girls are half your age. It’s time to move on to another label. Not to stop singing, but just go somewhere else and into a market where you’ll be better appreciated.
• Try getting married. As much as I love you, without Hello!Morning you’re going into the same shithole that Yasuda is stuck in and that Kaori was in too before she got pregnant. You’re better than that.

Abe Natsumi

• More of the acoustic stuff that she did over her last tour and maybe even picking up an indie style. While Natsumi is used to a pop genre, her deeper vocals would be better used in a folkier indie style of music to be honest. She’s proven herself a powerhouse for ballads as well, so maybe teach her to play guitar. My dream would be for her to duet with Monkey Majik. That would be heaven.
• Have her talk normally. She seems to talk very “cutesy” nowadays and before in her early years I noticed her voice wasn’t so…high when she spoke. Abe, you’re 26. Yes, she is timeless, but it wouldn’t be a bad thing for her to play music toward a different style, or to talk normally.

Yasuda Kei

• Do something beyond cameos at other people’s concerts or the dinner theater. And don’t get dragged into MCing a lot either. With UtaDoki gone, I don’t see Kei lasting much longer as a familiar face among the label. And considering her duet with Nacchi of “Memory Seishun no Hikari” where she sang and played the sax, she’s bursting with talent, yet like so many girls, H!P nor UFA actually utilize it.
• Kei, it’s time to get married or move on to something outside of H!P, it’s dragging you down.

Yaguchi Mari

• Do some more dramas sweetie, you were great in Galcir. UFA, use her in dramas, she’s cute and fun and I can see her being fabulous in other dramas. Or movies. Yes, she isn’t tall like the other people, which I guess is what is holding her back. Everyone wants tall people.
• Mari…maybe it’s time you moved on…it seems to be a general theme with the OG girls, because as you get older and with a label like H!P, it’s hard to take a serious singer seriously. Avex has sub-labels to fit the different genres. Perhaps H!P or UFA should consider this as well.

Inaba Atsuko

• I have never forgiven you for butchering “Nikutai wa Shoujiki na EROS” and I never will. I don’t even know why you’re even on the label considering you’re not doing much. Time to go.

Matsuura Aya

• Drop the ballads and start doing fun songs like “Ki ga Tsukeba Anata” again because it was really a great song and totally suited the whole mature singer. Ayaya has one of the best voices in H!P and being stuck singing ballad after ballad is a travesty.
• Use her in a drama or a movie. Granted her earlier work like “Aijou Ippon” wasn’t exactly awesome, but she was only 18 and extremely unexperienced. After watching the Sukeban movie however, she has improved and deserves another shot.
• GAM is great and all, and I’m sure I’m going to get shot for saying this, but her music outside of GAM was better. GAM was useful for people who liked to write fanfiction about Ayaya and Mikitty. They had some okay songs, but nothing to be terribly impressed with. So Aya, please don’t go back to GAM.

Fujimoto Miki

• Don’t go back to GAM, stick to a solo career because that’s what you wanted anyway.
• Hey UFA, instead of making her sing boring Chason styled songs, because that’s what the new song is (bordering on enka in parts), put her back to doing pop songs or even better, get her to rock out and do something along those lines. Miki would make a great front woman to a band. Okay, maybe I’m the only person that thinks that. :/

Mano Eri

• Your vocals are unimpressive and I think half the reason people give a damn about you is that you’re cute and you have a likeness to Goto. I sure hope whatever solo training you do have to go through, it’ll improve your vocals and make you stand out.
• UFA, please do not advertise her as the new Goto. I’m not saying they will, but the thought has come to mind. I can see her however being used for an anime voice actress and going down the same road as Koharu. In all honesty though, I don’t know what the heck they are going to use her for. She definitely was not the egg with personality. That title went to Nocchi.

Other Words of Advice

• Makoto, come back with your long hair and join Ongaku Gatas. That would be beyond awesome and further improve my opinion of the group as a whole.
• Promote your girls beyond just going on music shows. Put them into various aspects of the media and allow everyone to familiarize themselves with it. Eventually the girls will grow up and they will lose their appeal to the wota. So start gunning them for an audience that would actually bring them sales without having the risk of losing interest because they girls happen to mature.
• More quality with the PVs please and definitely with the singles. It’s like they only strike gold ever so once in awhile.
• Don’t let Momusu fall back into old habits. Do new things and freshen up their image completely. Allow them to be sexy but with a sense of dignity. Make them trendy, give them room to grow and push them to put themselves out there.
• Drop the whole “idols can’t date” rule for the girls and let them have a life. It’ll make them less ‘attainable’ to the wota, but it’ll make them more real to the public. But also teach them to be quiet about their private lives to an extent and how to avoid the paparazzi. There is a certain level of privacy allowed and if the ‘no dating’ rule is gone, I’m sure the paparazzi will be far less scrutinizing of the girls since they are given that freedom.
• Bring the shuffle groups back and use the entire label. While I want Momusu to move on or do certain things from the past that would help them move on, the shuffle groups were fun and it was interesting to see the girls all mixed up.
• Do something with the OG girls or move them somewhere else. You’re wasting their time by not giving them a lot to do.