62 comments on “Do you think H!P members dislike doing work involving swimsuits?

  1. Meh, H!P PB’s are pretty tame as it is, and there’s been enough signs that the girls don’t have to do it if they or their parent’s don’t want to.

    • H!P has about 50 girls right now: with Karin having just released her PB, none of them have a photobook release scheduled. Zero Pb’s on the horizon. Just the occasional (100% non swimsuit) Greeting DVD.

  2. 16: 名無し募集中。。。 2015/05/09(土) 21:43:03.16 0.net
    I think it was Kikkawa or someone saying on Young Town that she doesn’t like doing swimsuit work,

    Well she sure hides her ‘dislike’ extremely well during making-pf footage ;). Not to mention her gravure work is a bit more ‘serious’ than H!P proper.

  3. I don’t like swimsuit pb. I prefer casual/funny/cool/cute shot, something like in Michishige Kamera 1 & 2. That’s why usually I’ll buy magazine instead of photobook, because most of the time that kind of shots only available in magazine.

    Just like the Greeting series, I’d be nice if they release a photobook of it. I’d love to see more shots of Haachin doing ice skating~

  4. When I first became a fan I liked the swimsuit aspect because Maki Goto’s “Prism” turned me into a pervert, I was the same age as her, and I was at that phase when I was just accepting everything as part of being a Japanese idol and was not really thinking critically. But I quickly came to find swimsuit shoots with underage members skeevy as hell and these days PBs are my least favourite part of the entire fandom. They are not creative at all and only cater to different fetishes with the swimsuits, ‘virginal’ white dresses, school uniforms, lying on the floor of a traditional Japanese house lol wtf, playing on a bed or similar surface wearing those pajama tops & hotpants that look like underwear, etc. It’s not only creepy, but also boring as hell. And I’m not surprised if many members don’t like doing the swimsuit shoots. It doesn’t matter how pretty you are, you can still feel super self-conscious about your body especially knowing what purpose the pics are likely for… I don’t think Alo-Hello is as bad as solo PBs because it’s combined with videos of them being active on a beach and I think it’s very different from trying to act sultry in front of a camera by yourself. But it’s still like… do we really need to see Maachan in a swimsuit, is this really necessary for H!P? Is this why people get into H!P? It doesn’t make sense to me. All I can do is vote with my wallet and not buy these products, and then if someone I liked were to release a PB that was actually interesting and didn’t have swimsuit photos, it would be good to get that one. But yeah, ranty rant rant.

    • Thanks for the rant, shirenu!

      PS. Did you know that you and I have actually once met in real life very briefly? HANGRY & ANGRY’s 2010 Tavastia gig, I don’t think I introduced myself, but I said something to you about how I’d read your Vox blogs about the H!P Eggs (you were like “psh, fuck this guy” probably because I was stupidly drunk and looked like a homeless person with my long hair back then.) Good times. I got to ask H&A a question and everything.

      • No, I didn’t know that! But that’s awesome! If you said something about Eggs tho I probably was super happy. I was all about promoting them for a good while. And I got to ask H&A a question, too!

  5. I’m pretty sure it varies from girl to girl. You have girls like Reina and Ai who almost naturally fall into the pose the photographers want them too, but then you have girls like Sugaya who really don’t want to do it. Speaking of Sugaya, I’m pretty sure we haven’t heard anything from her because she’s still scrubbing the dirt away.

    Then again, if this is really something that concerns you, you can always find the girl in question’s porn double to look at. Example: Ai Uehara for Maimi. (http://imgur.com/EAAH0Sd)

  6. I’m sure that some girls like doing it.
    Actually, some of the girl’s parents might like it as well.

    To think that your parent might Fab to your co- worker is quite erotic.
    And those girls might also fab, while looking at Mizuki photobook ass well

  7. One of my favourite PB’s is Sayu’s Sayuminglandoll (The sheer WTF of the title alone is a win). It’s surprisingly creative, though definitely not devoid of swimsuit shots. It definitely feels less lewd than usual, though, since they were aiming for a certain aesthetic and pulled it off pretty creatively.

    And yeah, I’m definitely in the “swimsuit shots do nothing for me” camp. I can’t help but think of the cameraman/crew being middle aged men surrounding the girls (most of whom are minors at this point) and making them pose provocatively and… yeah. There’s nothing titillating about that, just skeevy.

  8. It’s not the same as AVs…but when you think more deeply about it, the girls probably felt as dirty as an adult actress feels after having shoot her first sex scene knowing millions of eyes will be watching her body being violated, all for money. When I think about this, I can’t help but wonder if Mizuki knows that there are thousands of guys like me who fantasizes about having sex with her…and that turns me on.

  9. I am a grown ass man with needs, but I treat these girls like family!

    Maa-chan made it pretty obvious in the last Alo Hello that she doesn’t like wearing swimsuits in front of a camera.

    • Your first sentence doesn’t have your intended meaning if one’s list of fetishes includes incest.

      • Reading it again, I see how it can be interpreted that way, but at least you got what I was trying to say.

        Disclaimer: English isn’t my first language.

  10. H!P Photobooks are extremely tame compared to a lot of Idol Photobooks out there – and unlike the wording that Nanchatte used – I would hardly call the poses ‘provocative’.

    The only reason I am happy to buy H!P Photobooks is the fact that they DON’T have provocative, or overtly sexual posing in them, as they would then be illegal to own in the UK, where I live, if the Idol being photographed is under 18 years of age – and as much as I am a fan of several under aged Idols, I am not prepared to become a sexual offender because of my fandom.

  11. I reckon the biggest reason as to why some idols dislike doing swimsuit shots is that their bodies will be criticised in detail. Too fat, too flat and so on. A lot of girls are shy like that, even without the fear of people fapping to their pictures. Many idols have been fans themselves and own photobooks of other idols, so they know that there are other reasons to like photobooks and swimsuit shots besides lust. Fans just wanna admire their pretty idols from head to toe! ^^ I’m a straight woman and I don’t mind confessing I love swimsuit shots. Especially the cute happy ones at a sunny beach.

  12. I’m with the majority here; I don’t need swimsuit photos. For Alo! Hello it’s okay (at least the group pictures) because it makes sense to wear a bikini while doing water sports etc. Especially with girls like Karin, Haruka or Riho’s first photobooks it was super weird to look at the bikini pictures because they had the frigging body of a child.

    But even in general, I’m with shirenu (some comments above). H!P photobooks always follow the same, super boring, formula. Bikini, some dress, some pyjama-underwear-like thing, school uniform, one sport series.

    It so super boring. No wonder that they don’t sell well either.

  13. Another one for the “why swimsuits” camp. I mean, sure, I get why, but personally I don’t have much use for them.

    >>11
    Hey now…!

  14. Like others have said here, H!P’s PBs are pretty tame compared to other idols.

    Even then, I don’t really look at H!Ps PBs much.

  15. 41. this

    also I am sad that these kids think this of me when they meet me. (I’m 48, male)

    I have NEVER and would never “fap”..(ugh hate that word)…to Idols. I cant fathom anyone that would. They are angels to me. Muses and superheroes.

    Yes they beautiful. But to me, not sexual. It’s deeper than that. Believe me or don’t. i don’t care. I know what they mean to me. I just wish they knew not EVERY middle age guy thinks like “that”…

    • I know a lot of fans who are exactly like you. Also a lot of fans who only find some of the older idols sexy (which, of course, doesn’t mean that they don’t respect them or look up to them). I’m quite sure that idols don’t think badly of you just because you’re a middle-aged man. That’s the majority of the fan base, after all, and I don’t think you could make it as an idol with a negative attitude like that. It would be contradictory of a girl to dream of becoming an idol and at the same time, despise the fan base.

  16. The real question is why there’s still no Angerme 2nd gen bikini shot? Rina’s sexy pose must be so excellent

    • Takeuchi is at least trying to do something about that. On a recent MuSata she ranted that she looks at the schedules and can’t help but notice that gen’s 1 & 3 get outside work (like modeling) all the time and gen 2 gets nothing. “It’s like there is a wall between us and them. Give us work. Give us work! GIVE US WORK!”

      As for Rina, I think many Rina fans have already collected their own photo books of bakuwara inadvertently doing something sexy.

      Takechan turns 18 this year. I think there is serious money to be made if her and Mizuhime do an onsen video like the one Honey and Aycho did.

  17. >12 I use bikini shots as thinspo as well so I get this, though I’d prefer if they didn’t have to do bikini PBs at all if they don’t want to and aren’t at least over 18. Still I like PBs for the shoots in nice clothes. MaiMais pictures in the streets of Tokyo and some pictures of Sayuminglandoll are just gorgeous! It’s not like you’ll get the chance of seeing the girls wear lots of pretty clothes under UF for other occasions.

  18. Personally, even though I’m a girl, I love collecting PB of my favorite Idols. I love seeing them in different clothes, admiring them and there beauty & cuteness.
    In my early teens, they also used to be a source of thinspiration though.. not healthy I admit. I own all of Koharus PB (her being my former #1 idol and all) and yeah, compering myself to her (our bodies) really didn’t help me from falling into ED back then.
    Now though, I’m all happy & healthy, and I still love looking at my favorites PB. The swimsuits aren’t really that important for me, but I don’t mind looking at them.. Its not sexual, but more of an idolization <3 Also my favorite idol Mizuki, has a body who I really love and feel I can healthily compare myself to since our bodies are alike (though of course she's' a million times more beautiful! <3)
    I only hope the girls would be able to say "no thank you" to swimsuit shots if they don't wan't to. It's not right to push young girls (or anyone) to do something that they don't feel happy/comfortable/safe doing.

  19. If you compare with the borderline softporn AKB offers to their fans, HP photoshoots are quite innocent. Seriously, how can a guy get turned on by a girl in a fairly average swimsuit? It’s not like they’re wearing heels, latex and lingerie…

    (mmm, actually, perhaps not a bad idea for a PB)

    • For a long time I used to think H!P idols don’t do gravure and don’t pose in swimsuit seeing how H!P fans always look down on AKB saying “AKB is porn, AKB wear swimsuits they’re cheap” etc. but then I see that H!P does gravure just as much, and even underraged H!P members release photobooks? and H!P fans still say “AKB is porn” and look down on AKB? I honestly don’t get it. Even AKB’s stage outfits are less revealing than H!P. Go figure out. Maybe it’s time to stop saying that AKB are this and that when H!P is really not that different and even does things that AKB doesn’t do right now (such as photobook releases for idols under 18).

  20. Honestly, I am also someone who really feels nothing with swimsuit shots. Well I don’t find the girls sexually attractive in any aspect, being an asexual and on top of that one who doesn’t masturbate. I don’t really agree with what they are often used for honestly.

    I think H!P has pretty tame photobooks compared to some in all honesty.

    But really I just don’t see the appeal in them, but that’s just me.

    If I was an idol, I wouldn’t mind modeling. However, I would flip if I had to make a photobook like the swimsuit ones. One of me wearing cute outfits would be alright. I have a feeling a lot of the girls would prefer the latter honestly.

  21. I have to add that this is ONE reason (of many) that Stardust Groups (Momiro CLover Z, Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku, Team Syachihoko, Takoyaki Rainbow) are my favorite and imho the best Idols out there.

    Don’t get me wrong H!P has my heart and always will, but Stardust proves you don’t need fanservice to build incredibly awesome Idol groups and HUGE fanbases. It’s also a reason, I assume they have many more female fans.

      • I’m just saying that I highly doubt Stardust groups are affected by some random foreigner not having interest in them. Not to mention Momoclo alone is already leagues ahead of any H!P group in terms of popularity without having to do gravure work.

  22. 144:
    “I once saw a gravure idol on TV talking about how a solo photoshoot feels like you’re having sex with the cameraman. Like you’re literally being taken by that thick camera lens.”

    That’s it, no more “making of” videos for me.

    • Hello Pro is pretty tame.. If you look at other gravure photoshot.. Yeah.. Literally crotch shot.. some aren’t even wearing any pantsu..

  23. 12:

    “I’m a girl, but I’m always watching idols in swimsuits! It makes for good dieting inspiration. I’m sure some girls don’t like it, but I really think a majority of the members don’t mind doing it.”

    This is totally believable to me. If the idols don’t like it, I’ll bet it’s because they lack confidence that they look good. We’ve all heard of super-models who obsess over a few “flaws.”

  24. It’s always mind boggling when I’ve seen people defend Riho and Duu’s first photobooks by saying that it’s normal in Japanese culture. As you can clearly see here, the wota know it’s not completely right, and yet…

    And, correct me if I’m wrong, but out of the current ’15 lineup, only Ishida’s first photobook and Fuku-chan have had sales of more than 200 copies? I don’t get the point of pushing the photobooks when they don’t really sell. Just my $0.02!

    • 200 is not possible given the amount of fans that show up at release events alone.

      Here’s solo DVD sales from Oricon (couldn’t find PB ones just yet):

      1,674 13/05/22(水) 譜久村聖「MIZUKI in Guam」
      1,167 12/06/06(水) 真野恵里菜「UP TO DATE」
      1,102 12/02/15(水) 前田憂佳「See You-karin~Special Making Edition~」
      1,074 12/07/25(水) 鈴木愛理「ここが好き」
      1,057 12/09/26(水) 鞘師里保「ひゃっっほ~い♪( ´θ`)ノ」
      *,954 13/09/25(水)鈴木愛理「keyを知ってますか」  ←ここ
      *,935 12/11/07(水) 工藤遥「HARUKA」
      *,908 12/04/25(水) 嗣永桃子「はたち ももち」
      *,874 13/01/23(水) 福田花音「Dress up kanon」
      *,819 13/02/27(水) 中島早貴「Saki Style」
      *,761 12/12/19(水) 矢島舞美「chelsie」
      *,761 13/08/14(水) 石田亜佑美「AYUMI in Guam」(1st)
      *,760 12/03/07(水) 和田彩花「和田彩花/Aya」

      • Those are DVDs, though… they’ve only started counting photobooks in the more recent years so it’s a little harder to track. Here’s 2012 onward. (オリコン圏外) means they didn’t even chart. As you can see…the majority of H!P photobooks don’t. If you take out Sayumi, only Airi, Fuku-chan and Ayumi have had photobooks sell even enough to crack into the Oricon sales ranking.

        ハロプロ ソロ写真集オリコン売り上げ部数
        オリコン圏外 ← 2012/08/27 鞘師里保2nd写真集「アンドゥトゥア」
        オリコン圏外 ← 2012/10/12 徳永千奈美2nd写真集「metamorphose」
        オリコン圏外 ← 2012/10/27 工藤遥1st写真集「Do」
        オリコン圏外 ← 2012/11/27 矢島舞美6th写真集「ハタチ」
        オリコン圏外 ← 2012/12/15 福田花音1st写真集「かにょん17」
        累計1,299冊 ← 2013/01/27 道重さゆみ9th写真集「美ルフィーユ」
        オリコン圏外 ← 2013/02/20 中島早貴3rd写真集「なかさん」
        累計1,739冊 ← 2013/03/31 鈴木愛理9th写真集「全集2010-2013『卒業』」
        累計1,215冊 ← 2013/05/15 譜久村聖1st写真集「MIZUKI」
        累計823冊 ← 2013/07/15 石田亜佑美1st写真集「石田亜佑美」
        オリコン圏外 ← 2013/08/05 萩原舞2nd写真集「まい②」
        累計1,753冊 ← 2013/08/20 鈴木愛理10th写真集「泳がない夏」
        オリコン圏外 ← 2013/10/15 矢島舞美7th写真集「ガラスと水」
        累計1,525冊 ← 2013/10/27 道重さゆみ10th写真集「Blue Rose」
        オリコン圏外 ← 2013/11/15 夏焼雅2nd写真集「GLOW」
        オリコン圏外 ← 2013/11/25 鞘師里保3rd写真集「太陽」
        オリコン圏外 ← 2014/02/05 中島早貴4th写真集「N20」
        オリコン圏外 ← 2014/03/27 矢島舞美8th写真集「PURE EYES」
        オリコン圏外 ← 2014/04/12 鈴木愛理11th写真集「共鳴」
        オリコン圏外 ← 2014/05/10 石田亜佑美2nd写真集「shine more」

        Not sure for the second half of 2014, though. Riho’s most recent photobook was estimated to selling less than 1,000 copies because it didn’t rank in Oricon and the the book that came in 10th sold 1,017 (Source: http://hello.2ch.net/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1427942942/).

        For shits and giggles, the best selling photobooks in H!P history:

        1位  43.5万部 「Rika Ishikawa」/石川梨華(2001.8)
        2位  30.8万部 「石川?梨華」/石川梨華(2002.6)
        3位  28.8万部 「ヤグチ」/矢口真里(2002.2)
        4位  27.7万部 「後藤真希」/後藤真希(2001.11)
        5位  24.7万部 「よっすぃー。」/吉澤ひとみ(2001.10)

        All hail Rikacchi, PB queen of Morning Musume. \o/

  25. I’m kind of happy that there are so many comments here saying that bikini shots mean nothing to them??? Way to go against my expectations, guys. (Or is that just Henkka keeping the nasty comments off the site?)

    I always thought that doing swimsuit shoots would be one of the worst parts of being an idol. I mean I personally don’t feel so great about my body, but bad self-esteem isn’t the only thing keeping it from sounding fun. I think solo shoots would be even worse than group shoots.

    I wonder if MM will go to Hawaii next year with 12th gen? It felt kind of awkward when 10th gen had just joined. Still, the context in AloHello!/H!P photobooks in general isn’t so bad since they’re actually on beaches/around water in most of the shots.

    • Good question. I remember that the year after Reina’s graduation they didn’t go to Hawaii (iirc). Now with Sayumi gone, the main seller is gone. Of course, Mizuboobs always sell, but they could just squeeze out more PBs for her instead of forcing all 13 of them to Hawaii.

  26. 8. 名無しのハロプロさん 2015年05月10日 17:31
    I wonder what the sales numbers would look like if they released two photobooks of some member, one with swimsuits and one without?

    This.
    I don’t fap to photobooks but I do like seeing cute girls wearing swimsuits.

  27. Henkka D: I’m so sorry I already have a Dropbox account! I’ll see if I can use an alternate mail to create one.

  28. Pingback: Recommended Jpop♀ Reading: June 2, 2015 | Idolminded

  29. Every time Im on a forum and someone posts photos from a photobook or bikini picture, I rush and change the page. I am a straight male, almost the age of the older members in momusu, and I get it would be normal to like them, but I still make an effort to not have such thoughts about them. I really hate that they have to do it, I actually dislike the fact that some guys are waiting for a photobook to come out. It is not that I feel they are related to me, I actually just make an effort not to look at those pictures because that ( to me ) is respecting them. And I wouldnt disrespect someone I actually like.

    • If you have to look away, it’s just a hollow gesture. Instead, if this is the path you wish to follow, learn to appreciate their beauty with pure thoughts when you encounter it.

  30. Old post but…

    3. 名無しのハロプロさん 2015年05月10日 12:56
    I hate how nowadays it’s thought that photobooks = swimsuits. I’d prefer if they were just clothed. It just feels more clean.

    4. 名無しのハロプロさん 2015年05月10日 14:02
    ※3
    Agreed. I just want to see them wearing lots of cute outfits. The members have more fans now who just look up to them, so I’m sure there’d be a demand for it.

    5. 名無しのハロプロさん 2015年05月10日 14:07
    I really don’t need the swimsuit shots.

    ^ THIS.THIS.THIS.THIS.THIS SOOO MUCH!!!!!!! I’m a girl and I’m really uncomfortable and sad whenever a member I love announces they’re getting a photobook because of the damned bikini/swimsuitother revealing outfit pictures. As a woman, I view gravure as plain disgusting and unworthy of a girl to do, especially for talented girls who I love and look up to because of that: their talent. And even if I was a man, I’d think the same.

    136: 名無し募集中。。。 2015/05/09(土) 22:28:40.23 0.net
    Momoclo, E-girls, BABYMETAL… the recent groups that have become popular have all done so without the help of swimsuits.

    And that is why I admire companies like Stardust (even though Hello!Pro is still my favorite agency thanks to the members and the songs).

  31. No, I will never understand the need of Japanese companies photographing under-age girls in swimwear.

    It isn’t for a store magazine to show off summer merchandise.
    They are not in settings that require a swimsuit to be used.
    They are also not models, they are singers, for the most part.

    It clearly makes a large number of the girls uncomfortable. And, to me, it seems to the company isn’t depending on their vocals to generate profit. it is really telling.

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