Cafe Buono! & Thoughts On Hello!Project's Future

Just received my copy of Cafe Buono! in the mail and, after listening to the first 7 songs in the shower, I'm happy to say that it lives up to the hype. I don't really feel the need to do an in-depth review, since it's exactly what everyone has been expecting it to be (and there will be plenty of those done by other members of the community), but I do want to make a quick observation.

It's funny to me that the first group in a long time that the H!P community can rally around as a whole isn't even produced by Tsunku, and I think that says a lot about the mass appeal of Buono!. I don't see this as a point against Tsunku (I think his writing style is unusual enough that it couldn't possibly appeal to an entire fanbase at once), but rather as a compliment to whomever it is that's producing Buono! and writing their songs. I don't know how many people there are who feel this way (or if I'm just crazy to think that there are people who associate Buono! with this), but I think some of the community has become concerned about the future of Hello!Project (and mainly Morning Musume), due in part to Buono!'s sudden popularity, and also in part to falling CD sales (although I'm of the opinion that digital distribution is to blame there), but I think that's a bit of a hasty conclusion to jump to.

Now, I'm not going to say that Morning Musume is doing just as well now as they were in the past (obviously, the Golden Age is long gone), but I think their place in the entertainment world has shifted. Near the beginning, Momusu was a truly mainstream artist, with songs that were enjoyed by all age groups and with great success on a so-called 'normal' level within the entertainment world. At this point Morning Musume was about the music, put together by Sharan Q's front man as a way to try a new and interesting idea he had come up with. Once Hello!Project came about, the focus began to shift. It became about promoting personalities through music, rather than just releasing music. By the time the shift was finished, Hello!Project was an idol agency, and Morning Musume the so-called 'front man' of that agency.

At this point, you're probably wondering what this has to do with my original argument, and what I was getting at through that sidebar was that Hello!Project's success is, in my opinion, no longer based on how good the music is. That's not to say that H!P artists could begin releasing terrible songs and do just fine, but I think that people are placing too much weight on the quality of Tsunku's material as a determining factor of Hello!Project's success.

Personally, I don't have a problem with any of Tsunku's releases. I honestly like every Morning Musume, Berryz Koubou, and C-ute song that has been released so far, with the exception of pre-LOVE Machine Momusu (and that's just an issue of unfamiliarity...I know I'll develop a taste for them in due time). I don't even have a problem with the artists I'm not into right now (Melon Kinenbi, Minimoni, v-u-den, Maki Goto), as it's just an issue of their style not appealing to my current tastes, and not one of me thinking their material is bad.

Obviously, the main factor in determining Hello!Project's success is the fans, and there are two types that I've seen for H!P. The first is the kind of fans that H!P would most likely end up with were it to come stateside, and that's teenage girls. These are the ones that watch Kirarin Revolution and think Koharu is the greatest, or who look up to Tanaka Reina as the queen of cool and want to be just like her when they grow up. I honestly don't think this group plays a very large part in the success of H!P, since most of them probably don't have the resources to make much of a difference in sales. The other kind of fan, and what I believe to be the determining factor for Hello!Project's success right now, is the wotas. These are the ones that blow a good portion of each paycheck buying photobooks, posters, CDs, photos, t-shirts, fans, etc, putting money right into UFA's pockets and keeping H!P alive. The wotas are clearly into H!P for the idol aspect, so that's where Hello!Project's focus at the moment lies.

As for Buono!'s position in all this, even though the group consists of idols, the true focus is on the music, and I think that's what the concerned fans view as a potential threat to Hello!Project. In my opinion, since Buono! is not about the idols (that's what Berryz and C-ute are for) and is only borrowing Momoko, Airi, and Miyabi, I don't really see it as a traditional group within H!P, and I don't think it really poses a threat. If anything, it's a way for the girls to try something new and experience a different style of performing than what they're used to. So...to all those who are worried about Hello!Project's future, whether it be because of Buono! or CD sales or quality of music or whatever, just wait a little while before you really let it bother you. I don't see H!P going away anytime soon.

Boy, was that anything but quick...
- cfb