To get the ball rolling fully on this particular blog, I decided to rerun the old Hello Blog poll, to get images of my favourites in the H!P groups, to give you a rough idea of who I'm fangirling for, and who I really couldn't give two fricks about, in a similar way to my Super Junior one. And, I really need to get this clear in my head, since it's been such a while since I actually did this that half my rankings have changed. I've only done the H!P Kids in this post as I think they need to be distanced from Morning Musume, because the more we compare them, the more they appear on the same level, and I feel like a certain amount of hierarchy must be maintained. Plus I'm just a lazy bitch who got tired after writing fifteen member reviews. Anyways~
Let's start with the Berryz:
1. Miyabi
It just can't be denied; I'm a talent worship sort of a girl when it comes to my girl groups, and Miyabi, to me, is the most vocally talented in the group right about now. She was at the forefront ever since I got into the fandom and watched her in "Munasawagi Scarlet", far and away the most enjoyable to watch for me. Her voice is pretty versatile, she's a lot of fun on stage, and she really seems to have a different image and aura around her than most of the other H!P Kids.
Plus, her chin deserves a fan section all of it's own. Awesome.
2. Maasa
One of the background girls (or back up dancers, whichever you prefer) Maasa is to me, an unappreciated gem. She's unique looking, her voice is sort of odd, she dances kinda weird, she just doesn't fit in visually. In otherwords, Maasa is the oddball of the H!P kids, and for that, I love her. She looks like the kinda girl who could deck you easy, and the fact that she actually lists her strong point as "I'm strong" is just too brilliant. She's come a long way since she debuted, and though she hasn't really been near centre since "Anata Dewa Nashi Ikite Yukanai", I'm still supporting her all the way.
3. Momoko
Maybe I just have a thing for weirdoes, I dunno, but Momoko is, all at once, the most idol-esque of Berryz (or, that is, the most naturally cute) and the genuinely weirdest of them at the same time. She doesn't smile right. She doesn't talk right. She doesn't sing right. She can't even run right. (Although her run is naturally hilarious, no questions about it) She has this blatant weirdness, even stronger than Maasa's, except somehow Momoko weasled her way into becoming a centre girl, and it's just amazing. She's funny, charming, and, when put next to Airi and Miyabi in Buono!, she still, miraculously, comes out on top. Plus, in that old Berryz relationship chart thing, she actually listed that she was "using" some of the other girls. I love when a bitch admits to being a bitch.
4. Saki
I can't quite explain why I like Saki. Maybe it's just that I have a natural affinity for the leaders. Maybe her underappreciated singing. Maybe her kick ass dance skills, that put her way above any other dancer the project has ever had, for the simple reason that she actually did a dance solo. Maybe she just has likeable charisma. Who knows?
5. Risako
This at the point at which my liking of the members dwindles into more of a unmoved area either way. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate Risako. But something about her isn't clicking with me; it could be over exposure. (In a similar way to how that affects my opinions of Airi in C-ute, and Koharu in Morning Musume) I mean, she does already have three photobooks, while some, almost as popular but not quite, Kids, the likes of Saki and Erika, are crying out for such releases since they're, you know, far nearer legal than this 14 year old. I used to have a certain affinity for her, going back again to "Munasawagi Scarlet" and my first exposure to Berryz again, I liked her voice and her "Mm~ Yes my love"'s. But since then, I've found very little that I particularly like about Risako. But this could just be me and my prejudice against most center whores.
6. Yurina
She's...... tall. That's all I know about her. Otherwise she just seems....boring. Her voice sounds half asleep, and on stage she looks half asleep. She's not noticeable. I don't hate her, but I'm barely aware of her existence. Apart from the fact that she's very very tall. And unless you're into tall people, or are tall yourself (which I'm not) and have an affinity to other such giants, I find very little likeability in that.
7. Chinami
She's super genki, and can be interesting to watch, particularly in the "Dschinghis Kahn" mv. But I dunno, I've never liked her, and I don't think I ever will. She doesn't shine particularly in singing or dancing, she's not overly pretty, she's not all that unique, she's not all that cute. What is she contributing? What's her purpose? I know that she has her fans, but i just amn't capable of seeing the appeal.
Non-Starter. Maiha
Uh.......who?
0. Megumi
Okay, so she's not in C-ute anymore, or even part of the Project anymore, but god damn it, if there was a better H!P kids than Megumi Murakami, I have yet to see her. She pwned everyone in ZYX, really, so lets just state that outright. Megumi's voice was unique, but developing into something strong and feisty, and when placed with Miyabi and Miki in Sexy Otonajyan for the 2005 shuffles, she proved more than capable of handling her voice against two very strong vocal talents, and managed not only to not get upstaged, but to prove that the Kids were fast catching up on the H!P big hitters in terms of talent. She was the best dancer in H!P, bar none; she gave everything into each performance, particularly that one where she does back up for "Daite Yo! Please Go On" for Gomaki, and that performance of "Massara Blue Jeans" at Saitama. She owned basically all of C-ute's indie singles. And can you imagine how good she would have been on something like "Tokaikko Junjou"?If there was one girl who has graduated ever, that I would bring back if I had the chance, it would be Megu. So I'll end the fangirl rant here ><;
1. Chisato
Who would have predicted that one of the girls brought in to be cutie-pies (along with MaiMai and Saki) would actually turn out to have vocal talent? Chisato seems to be trying to model herself vocally on Miki, and really, if there's someone in H!P you should look up to, vocally, there's not that many better than Mikitty. The unfortunate fact is, she's probably fast becoming one of the most talented Kids vocally, but with Airi and Maimi, and to some extent MaiMai and Saki forming the top two/four group (in a similar fashion to the Risako, Miyabi, Momoko and Yurina combo of berryz) she's finding it hard to find a place to sing in the singles. But she more than proves she's capable of being a center girl on "Homerare Nobiko no Theme Kyoku" on C-ute's latest album. time will tell if she'll be allowed to come to the forefront or not.
2. Saki
While Chisa was the girl who developed vocally, Saki seemed to go more down the dance route. Not that there's anything wrong with that; since Megumi's departure, it seems the two Saki's are the ones competing for the best dancer position, and both are doing a good job. She's nothing special vocally, but she's one of the girls who really brings all her energy and charisma on stage, and I love someone who can genuinely bring it live.
3. Erika
Had you asked me a few months ago, which H!P Kid would you push off a cliff, I would have found it really, extremely easy to answer. Erika has always pretty much been the one that I hate, with a passion. She's kind of ugly. Not unique looking, like Momoko or Maasa. Ugly. Like interbred with a camel ugly. Her singing wasn't that special to me, she never danced particularly well to my eyes. She was lacking sparkle, I guess. Then "Do Don Ga Don Ondou" happened, and I saw the light. She really does have talent. She's still nothing great to look at, but her solo has provided me with some kind of understanding of what she brings to the table. She does have some charm, and once you discover it, you can see your way into liking her. I guess that;s what happened to me.
4. MaiMai
So yeah, this is where conscise comments fly out the door. (And I can hear you all crying, what concise comments Nic Well I did try making some u_u -sigh-Forget it. I should stick to spazz ) SHE'S SO CUUUUUUTE~ She looks like a little doll. So she doesn't really sing well, or dance that well. She's basically a midget. She wore sunglasses twice the size of her face in the first few indie mvs for no apparent reason. But I love her!
5. Maimi
She was in ZYX, so points for that. (As you'll notice, none of the ZYX members bear the brunt of any of my hate anymore. I used to dislike Erika, so I just pretended she didn't exist in the two ZYX mv's, but since that hates all over, everyone involved in ZYX gets bonus points 8D Ghetto whore H!P Kids + Mari FTW!) But again, she's a center girl. And her voice is kind of.... okay, very limited. She's pretty. She has a good solo. She's a good dancer. She's an all rounder. But nothing stands out, particularly. Decidedly average.
6. Kanna
She's an egg! AHAHAHA! That will always be all over her, like the stench of dead babies. She makes some awesomely awful bad smell faces a lot of the time. Her voice shows potential, but it isn't really coming out fully. There were a lot of extremely talented, undebuted eggs at the time she was added (-cough-MaedaIroriOgawaSakiFukudaKanonKitaharaSayaka-cough-) and yet she was the one who was plucked from relative obscurity to become C-ute member number eight, the only person to be added to the original H!P kids line up. Why? What is so special about the gremlin faced one?
7. Airi
Oh Airi. I know I could love you. Really I could. Even with you rapidly expanding chin. I didn't let that affect my Miyabi love~ You were simple awesome back in that Aa! days, I admit. Your high notes on "First Kiss" and your wavering vocals on "Masayume" still send quivers down my back. But since then, what have you done, really? Sure, Airi sings lead. She started out as one of the most vocally promising of the Kids, but she's barely progressed, and a lot of the others have caught up on her. It's funny; she went from head talent to mediocre, while Chisato, Miyabi, Erika, hell even Risako, worked up the vocal ladder. I'm tired of watching all the other girls dance around in a circle around Airi. I'm tired of her having to be spammed on every single. I'm tired of Airi being pushed in my face to the point I can't stand it. I know I could like her, if she wasn't so damn over-promoted, at the expense of the likes of Chisato and Erika. But she is. That's life.
So that's that. And to give you and all round picture, here's how I rate the girls when the groups are mixed:
1. Megumi
2. Miyabi
3. Chisato
4. Maasa
5. Momoko
6. Saki Nakajima (C-ute)
7. Erika
8. MaiMai
9. Saki Shimizu (Berryz Koubou)
10. Maimi
11. Risako
12. Yurina
13. Chinami
14. Kanna
15. Maiha
16. Airi