by TotallyUncool » Tue Mar 26, 2013 3:55 pm
If Tsunku and UFA want a relatively large group, then some members of the group can (and probably would) be there as part of the ensemble, without necessarily having a large individual fanbase. That doesn't make them dead wood or "useless," either -- being part of an ensemble is a role with value in itself.
If Tsunku isn't just funnin' us, and they really would at least consider letting a few of the 9th and 10th gen go, I think it would be more likely to be because they weren't sufficiently cooperative, or didn't work smoothly within the group (as was supposedly the case with Koharu). And from what I can see, they all seem to be getting along pretty well as members of the group. (That's not just something that would be an issue in Japan, either - cooperation within a group is actually important in a lot of contexts everywhere, even in the most apparently individualistic societies.)
If madness made us strong, we would all be invincible.