8 comments on “Morning Musume 20th Anniversary Official Book Interviews: Haga Akane

  1. what a good girl! She has risen in my ranks and rises even more because of this interview. May be top 3 or even number two after Ayumi for me now.

  2. Honestly, reading that nothing (!) in the group was fun for her – and apparently other girls as well, judging from other interviews – for two, nearly three years… that just sounds wrong. No offense, I get that trying hard is important, that catching up is important, but suffering through the beginning, as in longer than the first few months, feels wrong. This isn’t Kpop where they train for years before debuting at a really high level (and even among fans Kpop methods have been called out by several people by now), MM, despite being very professional, is not that high quality that should spark from such effort and scolding. They should realize that their method isn’t that great.

    Nevertheless, thanks for the translation Henkka. I love Akane, and I love her more the more I read about her.

    • This is why Tsunku (I believe) said it’s kind of unrealistic for a “normal” girl to get straight into Morning Musume at this point in time. They may not perform every song in their catalog, but when it goes back for 21 years (not including the covers they do of other H!P acts), it’s hard for anyone to catch up comfortably. I’m glad he was able to convince the others to start the Egg program, cause now they’re becoming an important resource for “new” talent.

      Sort of a back handed compliment, too—they pioneered the formation dance, and a lot of their recent concerts include medleys that go on for 20+ minutes nonstop with live vocals. It’s that professionalism and constant desire to work on their craft that requires the amount of work the new members have to put in: Kaga Kaede is a good example of what a good amount of time in the Egg program can produce, and how much more quickly a former Egg can fulfill their role in a given group.

  3. It’s so interesting how she says she doesn’t want current MM to just be cool, they have to be energetic too. I feel the current K-pop boom is affecting H!P girls (most of them are huge K-pop fans) because they’re trying to be cool and sexy and coy on stage, but it doesn’t work for most of them. The energy of MM’14 and Angerme in 2015 was best for both groups. They don’t need to be only cool or sexy.

    • yes i agree. even maa’s performance style and eroshii and expressions seems like it’s slightly more influenced by kpop now than her reina-inspired performance style early on. i want to see the dynamic maa we saw in 2014-early 2016. we get glimpses now, but i think she’s locked into this style because her wota are crazy about it.

    • Ugh please keep kpop far away from H!P and j-pop in general ><
      No matter how much my friends are into it and how many times I force myself to watch k-pop shit I can't get myself to like it

  4. Akane’s always been very cute but she’s become really pretty over her time in Morning Musume. It was fun to read about her experiences.

    Thanks for translating this Henkka! :)

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