Strange, all the way around.
The only thing that really bothers me is that it sounds like Tsunku etc. were looking for another ace/miracle/whatever. I know it's just idol-industry hype (idols are all about charm and audience appeal,
not talent), but still, there's something embarrassingly silly about it. PLEASE, TSUNKU, NO MOPRE ACES, DEUCES, MIRACLES, OR MACKERELS!
And really, the 9th and 10th gens are very good arguments against all of the ace/miracle hype -- as so many people in this thread have said, they've done very well (and they have a lot of general audience appeal) as an ensemble, without any aces (no matter how much some people may complain about Riho getting all the lines
).
If madness made us strong, we would all be invincible.