Saturday 28 February 2015

Graduation of Berryz Kobou!!

It was announced a few months ago, but now we are days away from the final performance of Berryz Kobou. This group has been together for 10 years and after a tumultuous career they are now disbanding. When I heard the news about their disbandment I was sad, but it I wasn't crying buckets of tears like a lot of other fans were. The thing with graduations for me is that I don't get truly upset about the news until a few days before the graduation concert. Now I truly feel like I will miss them. Right now H!P is going through such a huge change with two new groups and the 12th generation of Morning Musume '15 adding to the H!P roster. It's a change I am actually nervous about but I am excited for at the same time.


When Berryz Kobou first debuted with Anata Nashi de wa Ikite wa Yukenai they were a group of fresh faced girls with so much energy. It was easy to tell that these girls were excited to be debuting in a new idol group. Of course they were young so they weren't the best singers and dancers in the world but their energy made up for it. I enjoyed watching the girls in the first half of their discography. We watched these seven young girls turn into beautiful young women and that's when there was a change.

From 2011 the energy diminished in the group, they weren't selling as much as the other groups of H!P and it cannot be denied that many fans were discussing their worries for the group. In backstage footage Berryz Kobou were the same girls we fell in love with but in their music videos and on stage performances there was no energy, the passion from their debut had disappeared and it wasn't going unnoticed. Sadly, a few fans of the group wondered if they would all graduate, people were predicting that they would split soon because the girls knew there was something beyond Berryz Kobou. This was when the inevitable happened and the girls announced their "hiatus". They may have announced it as a "hiatus" but we knew it was a permanent split of the group. Fans cried about the news and some were happy that the girls were finally going to do what they wanted to do. They've been idols since they were children and now that they are entering their twenties the life of an idol doesn't appeal to them anymore. There is more of the big wide world for them to explore, from venturing into different parts of the entertainment industry to just simply wanting to live a normal life.




There was a period of time where I didn't listen to Berryz at all when they went through their less energetic phase through 2012-2013. The songs were great but I just couldn't connect with the group. I didn't dislike anything about the girls or their music it was just the chemistry that they had as a group. It turned me off knowing that they didn't enjoy what they were doing anymore. However, it cannot be denied that each member was lovable in their own ways.

Shimizu Saki

Captain was a member that I didn't notice at first, but as soon as she stood out in cha cha SING! She caught my attention. Since then she has been such a strong force in the PVs as the dancing ace of the group. There is this maturity about her which makes her a fantastic leader, and when when the group were diminishing in energy she still drew me in. She was in a trance when she danced, and just like a cobra I danced along to her charm. After the hiatus she has announced that she will stay on as an adviser within H!P, but I personally hope she will become a choreographer.

Yurina Kumai

Here we have the model of the group. Even if you think she had the personality of a tree "no pun intended" it cannot be hard to not notice Kumai as a member. Within the group she had an average voice and sometimes her height didn't put her in favour as a good dancer, but there was a charm about her which made me watch her. She is such a beautiful girl and I wasn't surprised when she announced she would pursue modelling after her studies. She never stood out as a personality, but with her looks she did which is why I think she will make a fantastic model. I will miss her beautiful smile.

Tokunaga Chinami

Chinami was another member of Berryz that I loved even if she couldn't sing or dance. She's one of those members who tries her best despite not really having much talent. Her smile was like a sunshine that could make a bad day good again. I loved her legs too as odd as that sounds. I made a joke to myself that when she graduated she would team up with Sayu to create a sexy leg idol group! Chinami is a little treasure and I will miss her. I am excited to see her work with Captain within H!P when Berryz disband.

Sudou Maasa

I'm going to miss Maasa a lot when Berryz disbands. When I first discovered the group she was my favourite, and even though she did drop in my ranking over time I still loved her. I know she gets noted on about her size, but I think that's what adds to her beauty. It makes girls feel confident in them self and that they don't need to be skinny to be successful. Sadly, I could tell Maasa had lost confidence in the last few years because she didn't smile and enjoy herself as much as she used to. I think this disbandment is a good thing for her, and she can now follow her dreams of performing on the stage. I will be looking forward to her performances.

Momoko Tsugunaga

Momoko was sadly a member I never really got into liking. I tried my best too, but Momoko just never connected with me as a member, and it got worse when she incorporated her Momochi character. She was already lively enough as herself without adding another personality. I think I liked Momoko more in the early years of Berryz, her hyperactive attitude fitted her perfectly but as the other members grew into mature women she was still a child in a woman's body. Sadly, it never attracted me. I am looking forward to what she does in Country Musume though.

Miyabi Natsuyaki

Miyabi was a member that I always loved to hear in singles, she was one of the only good singers within the group apart from Captain and Risako. She owned it in music videos however in her performances on stage she never drew me in. She never had much energy on the stage and it would have been fantastic to see her perform so well and have a good on stage presence to go with it. I am excited to see what she does in terms of potentially going solo but for me I don't think I'll be buying a single unless she really blows me away.

Risako Sugaya

Out of all the members of Berryz I will miss Risako the most. From the start she has always been my #1 member so I know I will mourn her absence in Berryz. She has such a peculiar sounding voice but I loved it, and when she belted on stage it gave me goosebumps. I can admit she wasn't a good dancer, and I could see how self conscious she was about it but I am proud of her for sticking to it. She is a pouting princess and I really wanted her to pursue a singing career after Berryz however she has confirmed she will be returning to a normal life as she thinks of what she wants to do. I either want her to pursue a fashion career or a solo career. If she does go solo I know I will definitely follow her career.

That's all of my thoughts about Berryz and their disbandment which will be taking place in a few days. I am saddened to see the end of an amazing idol career for these girls but at the same time I am happy for them. They are finally being set free from the life of an idol and I am going to be so excited to see what they will be pursuing in the next few years. I will definitely be watching the live stream of their concert, and I will be prepared with tissues!


Thanks for reading.

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