32 comments on “Did it take you time to come to like Maa-chan?

    • I like her. I think she’s great. I was already in my twenties when she joined the group and so when we first started hearing Gaki-san on the radio telling her stories of Maa-chan, you know, being a pain in the ass and running around completely naked in the dressing room and that sort of thing, I could just take it for what it was: a child being a child. So I never took issue with any of that. And I really like the whole “meme” of her being the Tsunku-approved, musical prodigy of the group. All in all, my opinion of Maa-chan is very positive.

      My wife’s opinion of me for liking Maa-chan, however, leaves something to be desired.

  1. I don’t really follow MM that closely anymore so maybe she’s changed but I really couldn’t stand her when she joined. That kind of bratty/annoying/wtf personality she had isn’t why I follow idols. These days I’ve mellowed but wouldn’t say I like her.

    As for her fans, well honestly I find a lot of idol fans to be really annoying about their oshi’s. They just can’t seem to like someone without putting other members down. Airi had many fans like that when I discovered C-ute, who were the first HP group for me, and it made me take a dislike to Airi that had nothing to do with her.

    • Absolutely. I had the same problem with Riho – Riho herself was great, quite smug and calculating maybe, but nowhere as bad as some fans made her out to be. However, as soon as you criticized her singing – which was, after all, subpar for a lead singer – you had around 20 people at your throat.

      Honestly, I think that’s the biggest reason why popular girls usually have lots of “haters” or “antis”. It’s not the right reaction, of course, since the girls aren’t at fault here, but it does leave a bad taste in your mouth.

      • Totally agree.
        I felt like I had to control myself from disliking Maachan before. Her fans were just horribly annoying (nowhere along the lines of Riho’s though) but I came to like her a lot more after I tuned them out, and she also started having more consistency in her performance. I hate to have something out of their control affect their image but it really can’t be helped much.

    • I wonder if Masaki and Airi’s habit of running around in the dressing room naked is related to them picking up a lot of oshi’s that were negative about other members?

  2. I used to hate her. I thought she was a noisy brat. But after I watched the video of Riho scolding her as if Riho was her sensei. I grown fond of Maachan.

  3. Wow, the whole discussion underneath #46 is very similar to the one we had in the last Masaki-thread. Japanese and non-Japanese fandom aren’t that different after all.

    I feel #26. I also think her mood swings are pretty unprofessional and it was easy to let it fall aside when she was younger, but now she’s at an age where she’s a legal adult in many places worldwide so you’d think she’d be a bit more mature and responsible.

    I don’t even think there are no people who feel indifferent towards Masaki, it’s just that the very supportive and proud fans as well as non-fans (“antis”) are just very, very loud and noticeable.

  4. Definitely agree with 53, “There definitely are some Maa fans out there who will put down other members for the sake of praising Maa-chan.“ There’s of course nothing wrong with praising your oshi, but don’t do it at the expense of putting down the other members

  5. The only thing I wasn’t always quite fond of was her laugh – but that’s only because it’s a very hearty, childish possession-giggle (so even still it can irk me loll)

  6. I feel like I’m the only one who’s never encountered a rabid Maachan fan who puts others down… I’ve seen plenty of those for Airi tho, and just like with other people, it turned me off from her, which is a pity

    • Well, we all have to admit that Airi IS good at everything she does, so I understand why she’s almost deity to her wota. And I am a Berryz fan who didn’t even like C-ute…

      • Lol
        I’m also a Berryz fan (kinda indifferent towards C-ute), but tbh I think Miya’s voice has a lot more character to it than Airi’s. Idk, her voice just feels too plain and nondistinct to me, although she hits the notes well and stuff. With Miya’s I really feel more raw emotion coming through.
        But if I had to pick my favorite thing about Airi, I guess it’d be her puns :D

      • “Airi IS good at everything she does”

        Have you ever seen an Airi MC? She’s horrendous, lmao. I mean, it’s part of her character that she’s this weird, quirky girl that is constantly mumbling who is also an outstanding performer. But she struggled early on.

  7. I was a bit disappointed when I read the comments for the other blog. But this one calmed me because there are actually fans who share my opinion. It’s just that haters are more aggressive and share their ill thoughts literally everywhere. I have learned to ignore them but sometimes I can’t do that. I wrote a blog about her just before you posted this one here:

    https://aminoapps.com/c/hello-project/page/blog/sato-masaki-the-genius-we-need/3WRw_po8FBuwrXkrvxLk3lVNqNeeYpqgJ7m

    Btw. it made me really happy, that you like Maa, Henkka! ^^ This little devil is the reason, why I still follow MM and she means so much to me. Seriously, thank you for this translation!

  8. If I’ve learned one thing from this post, it’s that if you love Maa-chan, then there was probably a time in the past, or will be a time in the future that you hate her. And if you hate her, then there was probably a time in the past, or will be a time in the future that you love her.

    It’s like some kind of weird infinite Maa-chan love/hate vortex loop.

  9. “In other words, there aren’t a lot of people who feel indifferent about Sato.”

    Well, I’m one of those fans who feel pretty indifferent towards Maachan. Though I’m not THAT into Momusu to know more about her (or the other members for that matter) so as to maybe start disliking her as an idol or the opposite, I just go with my impression of the members from MVs or concerts.

    From that I think Maachan is okay but I really dislike the way she sounds. And even though I consider myself as someone who feels pretty indifferent towards her, having no real negative feelings towards her besides not really liking her voice, I also somehow kind of would like to see MM without her? Or at least wouldn’t mind. Like, in Jealousy Jealousy when she couldn’t participate because she was injured (poor girl btw, I certainly didn’t feel happy that she was injured), it felt so refreshing somehow? So yeah, I don’t really hate Maachan but at the same time she does make me feel something so much that I actually felt refreshed when she wasn’t around? (though the reason why she wasn’t is sad). It’s weird lol.

  10. Have loved her from the very moment the audition footage came out and have only grown to love her as time passed. Her performance is of course cool as of late, but I’ve always loved how incredibly natural and goofy she is. She’s like a box full of surprises and you never know exactly how she’s going to react. On top of that she is a tsundere, kimagure princess, and has the most amazing laugh. Greatly helps that it all comes in an incredibly cute package!

  11. I agree with 4 but also 9, lol.

    Idk, I stopped paying attention to MM for about 3 years, so I only recently got to know all the members that joined while I was out of the loop. Of course, Masaki was already in the group, but I still didn’t know much of her before I just completely stopped paying attention.

    I was really impressed with her stage presence, and I felt bad that people were so harsh on her for doing childish things, as a member who joined when she was young. Yes, idols should be professional to a degree, but I don’t think we should expect kids to hide the fact that they’re kids, impulsive and silly.

    I think it’s cool she’s good with rhythm and can make music herself. I also remember watching a performance of MM in Korea & someone in the comments pointed out that Oda messed up so Masaki compensated and the choreo still looked good.

    IDK TLDR I think if you don’t take her actions too seriously you can have a good time. If you look at idols through an ultra-serious lense, you’ll probably get angry and upset over what amounts to be an idol’s character.

  12. to be honest, I respect her and her contributions to the group, but I’m pretty indifferent to her overall.

  13. She’s weird. OK I’m her wota now.

    -me after watching some oof morning musume’s funny clips and doing some research.

    I liked her sooo much, but now it’s alternating, I’m getting confused.

    Now that my depression is a bit worse, thinking of how talented and skilled she is makes mw question my life, and it pushes me to commit suicide everytime it happens.

    It’s weird but true.

  14. Early days with all the meme that she was something, someone special.
    Years passed by just to prove that she is really ‘the one’.
    Not many members, if any, get a thread like this.

    I knew something was up with this girl when I saw her audition video, which she performed her dance outdoor with a giant tree in a background with grass and barefoot in some rual area of Hokkaido. She is the one to watch. That’s not everyone’s first choice of location to film your dance routine for audition, is not it? Lol

    It is right that no one can feel nuetral about her. As for me, it is some part of her antics, part of her thoughts, that make me re-visit part of my younger self, and some emotion that I’ve already long forgotten. Something that you have lost as you grow older.

    It is not about because I watch a child being grow, because I have seen many idols grow old as well. It’s something with more genuine quality, which many years have passed, and I’m still not sure what it is.

  15. Whether you love her or hate her, you have to admit she’s unique. Are there any other idols like her? The way she talks? The way she acts? The way she engages whoever is talking to her? The way she jokes around? The way she trolls her seniors?

    And yet she can still bring it on stage. Who will ever forget her “AaaaaiiiiiisaarreetAAAAIIIIIIIII!!”

    Is there any other idol organization on earth that would tolerate, let alone hire someone like her?

    That said, Maachan and Sasshi are two peas in a pod. I love the fact they’re wota /for each other/.

    Me? Yes it took me a little bit of time to get to know her, but once I have I adore and cherish her. I have never seen an idol like her before and I sincerely doubt we will see anyone like her ever again.

    • “Is there any other idol organization on earth that would tolerate, let alone hire someone like her?”
      That. While she is certainly spicing things up as the other members might be a bit plain for public attention, she is also benefiting from a large group and a steady organization.

      On a personal note I have a hard time standing her antics, but I don’t care much either.

  16. I think I would like Sato Masaki if she was a villain on a campy TV show rather than an idol. There, her explosive expression changes, her unpredictability, and her weird way of talking would be positives.

  17. I wasn’t a fan of Masaki until I met her in person in Houston. Seeing her behavior and antics up-close, she came off much more endearing than annoying, like I expected.
    Plus she gave me a handshake and a high-five at the autograph session!

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