[3/13] Berryz Kobo 31st single : Asian Celebration

[321BreakinOut]

Can't say I've heard about a goal like that from Berryz in... like, ever.

I've heard numerous times from Captain though over the span of maybe 3-4 years? That she wants to get a #1 so that's something i guess..

Honestly i want Berryz to do well and i agree that Miyabi and Risako are pretty much the ones capable of that, but ...Miyabi really doesn't stand out (I mean yeah us westerners may think shes hot/gorgeous and has a stellar voice) but the Japanese are just not buying it; And Risako flat out doesn't give a shit. You can tell she's really not the "Idol" kind of girl, let alone a people person ( I remember reading on a Pocket Morning Q&A recently that she said she's afraid of people). I've been saying that for years and i don't think anything's gonna change. Berryz only hope for success pretty much is them releasing a not half-assed single (like They've BEEN doing since Aa yo ga akeru) on a week with Irrelevant competition, sorta like when Shouganai yume oibito was released, Cus lord knows UFP just doesn't want to Promote Berryz at all for whatever the reason is. Which is their biggest problem

J=J is still really new and they haven't even debuted yet though.

And isn't captain basically the same thing as leader? She's kinda treated the same. She just has a different title

I Swear i feel like they're gonna make Yuka "Captain" of Juice=Juice

[Nono]

^Yep, I think Berryz is not getting any good songs lately is basically the problem too.

I think it just has to do with promotion. Promo will always be the most important thing...sure having a good song helps but it isn't really the deciding factor imo. If AKB's shitty bland ballads can still sell 1million+ I don't really see why Kono Machi had to put a bump in c-ute's momentum, especially when a song like Kimi wa Jitensha started it all for them in the first place. Doing covers has also been a very "in" thing to do also thanks to the success of artists like BENI.

Do boxsets really help that much? Kono Machi didn't have one and yeah. I'm surprised Berryz didn't get one for this single.

[Rm88]

When you're not an automatic-seller group like ~48, songs -do- make a difference, I think. We see a particular kind of song being more successful for each group. Basically, put Kono Machi and Crazy Kanzen na Otona side to side, give them exactly the same amount of promo and I'm pretty sure Crazy Kanzen na Otona would still come on top.

[Zunu]

I don't think anybody believes that songs are irrelevant. The problem with blaming the songwriting is that they have been given plenty of really top-notch songs over the years in different styles, and none of them gain any traction with the buying public outside of the wota faithful. That indicates that there is something more fundamental with the group that's problematic. Which as I've stated, is that they can't sing. Or rather, some of them can sing, but not enough to make their songs sound pleasant to the ears of random listeners. And they're not very good idols, either. Not pretty enough, not genki enough, not polished enough nor adorably moe enough. Again, some of them are, but the total effect of the group is that they don't stand out in a way that will draw new fans. And now they can add one problem to the list, which is they're not young enough any more. They're inching into their twenties, which is on the old side for them to be discovered as idols. It's been working for Momoko because she's been shamelessly focused and hardworking about it. And because her stunted growth makes her still give off a loli vibe.

On the plus side, they have been steadily if unspectacularly improving as a group over the years. They have a good number of fans, which is more than most groups can say. Their 30k sales + concert booty has been enough to keep their careers going. I'm thankful for that because, despite their shortcomings, I really like Berryz Kobo.

[Rm88]

The fact that they don't have their own Airi popularity-wise hurts them quite a bit too. Maasa, Chinami, Captain, they are girls that are usually at the bottom of the popularity rankings (so even if they're not very accurate, they're sadly very consistent at least ). So we have Momochi there, but Momochi alone can't carry the weight of the rest of the girls. I think this can be improved with enough exposure, because really, they can be pretty entertaining to watch. Momo and Chinami have a thing going on that can be exploited, I think, and Chinami is loud and goofy enough on her own to be used more. But unlike Momo, Chinami just can't sing to save her life, so there's that

AKB48 and similar groups can get away with not singing not only because of their default popularity, but because "chorus-like" songs can hide that very well and they never sing live anyway.

I'm not sure what I'd to with Berryz Koubou to expand their fanbase beyond their usual fans. Making them the Asian-themed group is a good idea and for what is worth they seem to be popular overseas, but I'd also go back to the Inazuma formula - get a good tie-in for them and give them plenty of strong songs. They may be doomed no never be C-ute, but within what they can achieve I'm sure that'd help noticeably.

[sb]

I could see Berryz being promoted the way they are because Up Front knows that slamming these girls on TV isn't gonna really help. Japan already has their fill of Momochi and if the other girls don't bring much to the table it's pointless. So they had their anime tie ins and do things like cover non Japanese songs as an alternate way of promotion. That way, you get across to other people without really relying on the girls themselves to do the heavy lifting. Sure, they aren't gonna pull in the numbers that the other groups do but I guess if it was that big of a deal, they wouldn't have lasted as long as they have.

[Rm88]

Oh well, thanks for making my edit irrelevant

Pretty much, I agree completely.

[Celedam]

Because…

They have a good number of fans, which is more than most groups can say. Their 30k sales + concert booty has been enough to keep their careers going.

And that's really all there is to it. Some of us wring our hands over the fact that they're not as popular as ***48 or MM or even C-ute, but they're still more popular than 80% of the other idol groups out there.

Remember: tiers!

viewtopic.php?p=28837#p28837

Or just watch TsunTube. It's like a weekly seminar on that 80%.

[Sohee]

I think Miya or Momo would be much better leaders.

Ngl, I'd love to see Momo lead Berryz and see what she'd do with it. I don't know what happens backstage, but Momo is working her ass off not only to promote Momochi but she mentioned Berryz quite a lot, while the rest of the group, at least to me, comes off as awfully passive.
If they're happy with where they are, that's good. But it would be nice to see some more fighting spirit from the girls. Of course it would help if it was Miyabi and/or Risako, but Yurina or Maasa would be very welcome to just... you know. Be a bit more greedy (best word I can think of lol). Would make me more interested in them at least. I love Risako and I enjoy Miyabi and Momo a lot but as a group Berryz really aren't interesting to me.

[Rm88]

For real, Momo needs to take over the group even if she's not "officially" given the title of Captain. In the idol world Momoko exists, she appears on TV with AKB48 idols and coerces them into yurushite-nyan-ing on TV - it's likely that no other girl in Berryz will ever reach this kind of presence. Not that Momoko lacks lines or presence in their singles, but even if only for a couple of singles it'd be interesting to see her taking over in the way Airi "dominates" C-ute, or Riho Morning Musume. Then, of course, pairing this with heavy promotion and GOOD SONGS that are achievable for Berryz. They might not be the strongest dancers, but a simple, recognizable dance like in Ryuusei Boy or Shining Power works great as well and are infectious and easy for the fans to replicate. On top of that - and it's not exploited at all, Momo can sing and dance.