No, the departure of both Maki Goto and DANCE☆MAN is what ended the Golden Era. That was the sound that caught the attention of mainstream Japan. The Fifth Gen had very little to do with it, despite how much people dump on them.
But nope, it was Goto's jailbait image and DANCE☆MAN's disco arrangements that made the Golden Era what it was. The group as a whole did skew younger after the Fifth Gen joined, and some fans did object to that, but it was secondary.
So. Yesterday Eripon's mom came to watch Reborn. Nothing weird. But Erina asked her mom to buy two Gaki photos. Which she did. And then she took a picture with Gaki while holding those pics. Gaki: I'm really happy but... I could just give them.... ;~;