Finally a New Unit for Hello! Project!

Well, while the rest of the idol fandom is reeling over Minegishi Minami's scandal... Hello! Project got a new unit. Yay? Oh well, even though I'm still mad as hell at AKB48's management, at least some good news popped up.

Top Row: Miyazaki Yuka, Kanazawa Tomoko, Takagi Sayuki
Bottom row: Otsuka Aina, Miyamoto Karina, Uemara Akari

To refresh your memory, one of my hopes and dreams for 2013 was that Hello! Project would get a new unit and/or a new soloist preferably Karin but I'm flexible. They haven't had a steady unit since S/mileage and the S/mileage that we all know and love is long gone with Ogawa Saki and Maeda Yuuka. The H!P Kids are getting old and Morning Musume is... well, Morning Musume. I think a new unit has been long overdue and I'm pretty excited that we're finally getting one. Honestly though, I think this announcement has really bad timing because I'd be a whole lot happier about it if I wasn't so pissed off about this entire Miichan fiasco. But still, I am genuinely happy that after years and years of no new units, H!P is finally getting a new one! And even better, it's not just a unit for Satoyama! It's like another S/mileage-type unit, in which the members will start out as Kenshuusei but work their way up to being an actual group! Of course, like S/mileage Tsunku also said that the lineup was not final.

Unlike S/mileage, in which I think everyone was sucker punched into their member changes including myself when the lineup changed, this time around, I think we can all be more prepared for lineup changes! I have to admit though, I hope Tsunku's just saying that to say that because I'd rather there not be new generations or members graduating; I feel like with more stability you can develop a better chemistry and the group will have more lasting fans. Just look at C-ute and Berryz Koubou and Perfume too but they're not related to H!P. Something even more exciting about this announcement is the implication that this isn't the only new unit being formed; there's a possibility that other units made up of H!P Kenshuusei will be popping up in the future! I love that; I think it's great the these Kenshuusei girls will finally get to do something in H!P beyond just training. Besides, with the H!P Kids getting older, their graduation is inevitable so I think it's a good idea to start developing some new units to carry on the torch after they're gone.

As for now, I'm excited with the lineup of this unit. I know we haven't gotten a name or much information about just what they're going to do and what their concept/look is going to be but I'm still really ecstatic. Besides, the lineup looks pretty awesome! Okay... so I only know like half the girls in the unit but still! What I'm most happy about is that Miyamoto Karin is finally getting something to do! Even if she's not a soloist, I am super happy that she gets to be in a unit! I've said before that I think Karin has a great voice and that she's totally capable of being in a group or being a soloist so I'm very much looking forward to her! Someone else I was pleasantly surprised to see in the unit is Up-Front member Miyazaki Yuka! I guess this means she's part of H!P now... but yeah, I saw her in the S/mileage auditions and I liked her a lot but I didn't think she would have been a good fit for S/mileage. Then I saw her pop up again in the Green Fields Satoyama unit but even then I didn't hear much of her voice in that one song they did. I'm looking forward to seeing how she fits in the group since she's the oldest and would technically be leader.

I wonder, will they have a leader of captain? Will they even need someone to be a leader? I don't know but the possibilities seem so endless right now! I can see so many great and awesome things happening to this new unit and I know I'm looking at this with rose-tinted shades but I can't help it! I'm just so excited that H!P is finally getting another new group! So far, the other members look promising even though I haven't really seen much of them and don't know much abut them either. I think it's great the the Kenshuusei are finally getting to do something with H!P though. What I think is funny is that all the girls except Uemara Akari and Konazawa Tomoko participated in the S/mileage auditions too; isn't karma a nice thing? I like the number in this unit too; I always think the best number of girls in an idol group is three to six members. Maybe it's my love for Perfume that makes me love small group but it's just easier to see everyone when a group is smaller. I know the future still isn't clear for this unnamed unit but I'm really looking forward to their future activities!

Oh yeah, and Reina's band's name is a weird spelling of the word Lavender. Great for her but OH MY GOD A NEW UNIT FINALLY!!! Break out the maracas and the streamers and CELEBRATE!