Denki wrote:^^But 12th gen DID got footage. At least, Ogata and Nonaka did. They just couldn't show the other 7 girls because they didn't joined H!P at that time. (And in this audition it was only those two. They are free of using as much footage as they want.) If anything, the only ones that had a disadvantage were Makino and Haga, since those who don't follow KSS just saw two girls join MM with footage of them singing or dancing. At least things are going well for Ogata, Nonaka and Makino. Haga's the only one struggling, but it's a given since she replaced Duu as permanent back member (and unlike Haga, Duu was actually popular early on.)
Sorry for the delayed response,but the 12th gen got footage AFTER the selection rather than before and I think that it makes a huge psychological difference. Even though I knew both girls were going to get into Miyabi's group, I was still rooting for them and crossing my fingers. That creates a sense of attachment that you only can get when there is a possibility of losing them. When we saw footage of Haruna and Miki we already knew they were in, so there was no anxiety attached. Basically it only served to help us get to know them and their skills better. Completely different thing. And while, yes, that footage made me like Miki and Haruna more than I did without it, it would have been even better to be a part of the audition process beforehand. Who knows, maybe we would all love Tsubaki factory more if we had gotten to know Ami and Kiki better through the audition and had become attached to them.
I think having footage after they make it is a better choice. All we know is that with so many great failures in the final round (Shimamura, Ozeki, Asakura, Kamikokuryo), one or both of them could had been an Aika. I don't want to see any future gens get the same hate as Aika. 
It looks like she's wearing a skirt as a top.
