Hello! Project Rankings 2012

Ranks are something that I do, but not a lot. In general, I only ever really do a rank of my favourite Morning Musume members, and that's only because a drastic change in the lineup has happened and I have found new people to fawn over. When it comes to H!P in general... well, I don't usually do it, because I never found reason to.

Well, I found a reason to, and that's because my opinions of some girls have drastically changed, and whether or not you agree with me or think that my decision is a good one, this is my 2012 Hello! Project ranking, the one where you may or may not be surprised by the choices I made, and the ranking list where you may just hate me for liking or disliking a certain member...

1. Ikuta Erina

I swear, for anyone who reads this blog, this one is a no-brainer. Whilst my Top 3 are pretty much interchangeable in some cases, I do think that Eripon is my next Oshi. I adore this girl, and it's down to the fact that I feel like she has a better understanding and connection with her fans than any of the other current members. She's experienced an FC event for Gaki with them, if that doesn't convince you with how in-tune she is with the Wota. She's also a pretty funny character, and I love how she's quite happy to voice her creepy intentions on Gaki and rival her Wota love to Fukuhime's H!P-Love. She's just fantastic, and with ever single she gets better vocally and in dance. Of course, that's just my opinion, and I know that people will disagree with me on that, but hey... I think she's improving fast!

2. Iikubo Haruna

Iikubon is another no-brainer, because I have loved this girl since I saw her during the 10th Generation auditions! She's an absolute stunner, and whilst she is the least talented of all the current Morning Musume members, she has a certain charm point that she plays well, and that's being an Otaku as well as the new Variety act for Morning Musume. She's a charming and sweet girl, one who vocalises her love for JoJo whenever the possibility arises, and she's funny! She's an absolute goof, something that I never expected from her because she looks so sweet and mature, but honestly, this girl is a bit of a goof ball, which is really nice to see in my opinion. I adore her, and I think that she will do well in taking Sayu's place as Morning Musume's Variety show girl. She's very loveable, and she's extremely confident in front of the camera and around people. Her positivity and confidence is key here!

3. Suzuki Kanon

My little ball of Sunshine, Zukkini, is so lovely. With every single, her voice gets stronger and her dancing becomes sharper. She is definitely the dark horse of her generation in my opinion, coming in with no vocal or dancing training prior, or any entertainment background for that matter, and showing that she is one of the strongest members of her generation. I really think that one day, she will be up at the front with the others because of her hard work, her vocal ability and her strength in dance. If not, she will forever be in the back, shadowed by others... urgh. Anyway, she's a very dedicated member, and whilst she isn't as happy as she used to be, I think that she is still an adorable little darling whom I will always treasure, because she was the first 9th generation member I truly fell in love with. My little Zukkini-pie <3

4. Okai Chisato

My number 4 was tough to decide, because honestly, Chissa and Haruka can easily be on the top of my list, but I settled for Chissa because no matter what, she always impresses me. Okay, so her Soccer Mom hair is a bit... eurgh, but whatever, I love her. She is so talented it's crazy, and ever since her massive push, I just keep seeing improvement. She's a gorgeous singer and a fantastic dancer, and her body is rocking! I just love her <3

5. Kudo Haruka

My little queen of Lollipops and Gumdrops is so loveable, I just adore her! If I hadn't fallen for her like I did, she would have definitely been in the lower rankings of this list, because I really did not like her at first. Kudo is, essentially, a bossy little brat, but I find that rather charming about her. But, whilst she's bossy and blunt, she is also very childish when the time arises, especially when ghosts are involved. Really, I sometimes forget that she's only 13 years old, but you really come to appreciate how much of a child she truly is when she shows her more vulnerable side. She's a little darling, and I adore her. She's a diva, but a good diva, and she keeps her generation in line when needed, and gives the group that brotherly feel that has been gone for a while since Yossie graduated.

6. Mano Erina

The soloist who will soon be gone. Mano Eri is an Idol who I will dearly miss the moment she leaves H!P, because she's the only soloist I know of. She's talented, in both acting and singing, and I love her voice, but she really rose to my favourites list when she released My Days for You. Out of all the current H!P acts, Mano has the best PV's to date thanks to her maturity and breaking out into simpler, more enjoyable PV's that don't confine her to a studio. If anything, Mano is a breath of fresh air, which I very much appreciate, and she's just so loveable. No matter what, you know that she loves her job and that she enjoys being an Idol. It's lovely, and so is she.

7. Tokunaga Chinami

LEGS!!! Oh, those beautiful, lovely long legs that belong to this comic Angel. Chinami is just so Nng!!! I really adore her, I think she's fantastic. She's funny, cute, has lovely legs and just all around adorable, but also quite sexy. I find her fascinating, and she just continues to appeal to me the more I see of her. She's just... <3

8. Katsuta Rina

Rina-puu has really climbed her way up my list, because initially I didn't care much about her or the rest of S/mileage that didn't consist of Kanana, but somehow, she has charmed her way into my heart, and it's mostly to do with how positive and happy she always is, and the brilliance of her voice. Honestly, I love her voice, I think that this girl is a fantastic singer who has had the misfortune of being pushed to the back mostly because of her lack of popularity and, sadly, her looks. Really, she's just so loveable, her smile is beautiful and her enthusiasm for everything she does really makes her shine. I think that she's adorable, and I want to kidnap her for myself, because I think that I will appreciate her more than H!P ever will... Actually, this is how a majority of her fans might feel xD

9. Nakanishi Kana

Kanananananana, my Gorilla! She's so funny, so bright and a little ray of sunshine. She's also absolutely gorgeous, and such a dream to look at! I adore this girl, and she makes me laugh a lot, something that I do love in an Idol. Whilst she's vocally not the best, or the most skilled in dancing, I think that Kana has come a long way and improved massively since she first joined S/mileage. She's definitely S/mileage's comedy character, and I think that she is really blossoming into a beautiful young woman. Hopefully H!P will give her the lines that she (and Rina) deserves, or I might just have to steal her as well...

10. Hagiwara Mai

Haggy pretty much introduced me to C-ute, so for me, she's one of my top members and the girl who was basically my first favourite outside of Morning Musume. She's really bloomed into a gorgeous girl over these past few years, and whilst vocally the weakest, she is very loveable, though she does look very bored or out of it most of the time, which isn't so charming, but hey...

It's also nice to see that she has finally grown into her head.

11. Suzuki Airi

Suzuki Airi is just one giant bundle of toothy happiness. With everything she does, she has one massive smile on her face, and an ecstatic twinkle in her eyes. She's never sad, and she is always having a blast, which I find absolutely fantastic. She's also extremely funny, which is the reason why I began to like her. That, and she's the best Hello! Project has in terms of vocals. She is, by far, the best singer that I have ever heard when it comes to Idols. She's just a wonderful singer, and I can see why so many people love her. She's pretty much a Class A act.

12. Wada Ayaka

So, how many of you have fainted or died from the shock of this rank? Yeah, it's weird, I know, because even I felt concerned out how freakin' high this girl was in my ranking list...

But yeah, DAWA's climbed up my list pretty freakin' fast, like a monkey, and settled for the Number 12 step. Why? I have no idea, because slowly, she just started to appeal to me. I thought 'She looks cute...' and it kinda went on from there. At some point, I think that she will probably rank higher than Kana or Rina, it depends really, but it's more so a case of if she affects me like Yuuka did... I just find her charming, and I love how dedicated she is to her group. She's also nearly always happy, and you just know that she loves being an Idol.

I still don't think that she can sing, though.

13. Natsuyaki Miyabi

I swear, I can never remember her last name...

Miyabi is one of my favourite Berryz members, and honestly, I pay very little attention to Berryz to the point where most of them are in the bottom tier of my list, but Miyabi just stands out like Chinami does, but more so because of how gorgeous she is and how fantastic her voice truly is. I of course noticed Miyabeam through Buono!, but I still really like her even in Berryz. She's the best vocalist in her group by miles and is just so expressive and loveable. She also has lovely legs! Oh, how I love me some Miya legs!!!

14. Nakajima Saki

Nakajima Saki has creeped up on me, and that's mostly to do with Morningtime... he loves Nakky to death, and somehow his love of her has really rubbed off onto me. That, and I think she is a wonderful singer and an amazing dancer. Really, her skills need to be shown off more, because she is C-ute's strongest dancer, and when she sings live... WOW! I was so blown away by her voice the first time I heard her live, it was like a totally different person had replaced that squeaky singing voice she uses for single releases. I love how she sounds, and whilst I doubt Nakky will ever hit my top 10, I do think that she will never hit the rock bottom.

15. Tekeuchi Akari

Admittedly, my love for Derp-chan has fallen a lot, but no matter what, I still think that she is the saviour for S/mileage when it comes to vocals. She has some of the best pipes in her group, and she is a gorgeous girl, but I don't find her as appealing as I used to. I guess it's due to the amount of crazy she lacks, but truly, she is a gorgeous gal...

She just needs to up the personality a bit.

16. Sudo Maasa

Here's another one who climbed my list, and it's because she is A) Gorgeous, B) GORGEOUS and C) So mother-f***ing GORGEOUS! Honestly, I can't stretch how beautiful this girl looks in every PV. She started to stand out to me in Be Genki, and she's popped out ever since. She's just so lovely to look at, and I like her voice as well, which is always a bonus. I do think she needs more of a push, but I don't know much about her personality... Anyway, she's eye candy. That's pretty much it, but I notice her a lot now and she just stands out to me and appeals.

17. Fukumura Mizuki

Now, whilst MizuKingdom/Whiskey has fantastic vocals and a rocking body, she's not really wowed me with her personality. She's a Potato Idol, but a loveable one, and I do find myself wishing I liked her more simply because I like to look at her. I don't dislike her, but I don't like her as much as other Idols in H!P, but she isn't so boring that she's stuck right at the bottom of my list.

I find her somewhat endearing, her H!P love is something which I adore about this girl, and you can tell that this girl loves Hello! Project and Morning Musume with all her heart. She is a dedicated girl, and I am glad she was put into Morning Musume, because you know that she is thankful for it everyday.

18. Sayashi Riho

Have you all fainted again, or at least taken a step back, held up your hands and said 'WAIT A MINUTE'? I understand if you have.

Riho started off loooooow in my list a while back, and she's climbed up to this spot, which I find really weird and unbelievable, even though I made this list, but like Dawa, I have found certain charm points about her that made her climb up my list. As of late, she's really come out of her shell and seems a lot more confident in herself, and she seems to smile a lot more genuinely now than she did before. I also think that she has found where she rocks the most, which is singing ballads. Yeah, she still bores me in PV's and I find that she still sucks at singing high songs, but I also find her quite cute as well.

But she needs a rest from centre for a little bit, even if it is one single...

19. Ishida Ayumi

Baby Predator really does not stick out to me at all, unless it's her teeth/smile, or her dancing. She's a kick-ass dancer, nobody can deny that, a dancer who is better than Riho in my opinion, but I really haven't payed enough attention to her to truly say that I like her more than other members. I think she's a darling, and very photogenic, but because of my love for the Loli Queen and the Honey Chocolate Goof ball, I've kind of just taken less of a look at Baby Predator or the Midget Meister.

I really need to sort that out, though...

20. Michishige Sayumi

Shige is adorable, and I do like her, but not as much as I used to. If anything, I just don't pay attention to her any more because there are many more interesting members who can sustain my attention longer than she can. That said, I do like her still, but I do think that her creepy love of the newbs can be a bit tiring at times, and less than endearing. I guess I just don't really care for her much any more... which is sad, but very very true.

21. Mitsui Aika

I like Aika, believe me I do, but she really hasn't been that present in H!P for me to truly appreciate her or take notice of her. Yes, she has returned in the unit GREEN FIELDS, but I find them all so boring there for some reason. She's adorable, but I really think that she needs to find something a little more interesting to do other than sing a slow song about being ambitious when the song is anything but...

22. Tanaka Reina

If Reina was a little more interesting, and didn't infuriate me with those stupid cat ears, I would probably have her higher on the list, but lately, she's been a bit boring for me. Yeah, she's an awesome singer outside of the studio, but I really don't pay attention to her and her squirrel voice unless she really stands out in the PV, like Only You or Ren'ai Hunter. Sadly, she hasn't stood out for me in a while...

But hey, think of this: She isn't my bottom MoMusu member in this rank, which is quite weird...

23. Sato Masaki

Ah, the Midget Meister. Really, how did she get so low on my list? Well, it's called not paying attention to her... and not particularly caring for her, either.

If anything, Sato has always been the lowest ranking 10th generation member on my list. I guess it's because I find her quite annoying and clingy, but, she is also my favourite voice in the 10th gen, which is weird, considering how I don't really favour her...

Again, I need to learn to pay attention to certain members.

24. Kumai Yurina

She sustains more entertainment for me than the other Berryz lot who I don't particularly care about, and that's because she is tall, has a lovely body, and her voice is quite nice to listen to. That's pretty much it...

25. Tamura Meimi

My opinion of Meimi is an unfavourable one, if anything. I don't particularly like her, but I like her energy, enthusiasm and love for her group. I just find her scary, but ever since her forehead disappeared she has been a lot more appealing to me. I don't care for her voice either, though, and she annoys the hell out of me.

But hey, she's not my bottom S/mileage member, so that's an accomplishment in itself for her.

26. Tsugunaga Momoko

... Urgh.

27. Suugaya Risako

Ri-Suck-OH! doesn't exactly appeal to me, but she stands out more than the final Berryz member I don't care about. Really, I just don't like her voice, and that's because of her warbles or whatever she thinks is vibrato. She also constantly looks like she's trying to pout sexily, when in my eyes, she looks like a pigeon or a duck.

And believe it or not, I used to adore her. I have no idea what happened.

28. Shimizu Saki

I swear, she just does not stand out to me. She is the one member in Berryz who I could easily forget. However, she is one mother-f***ing awesome rapper and should really just create a rap unit with Gaki Aika and maybe even Airi. Maybe then I would notice her more.

29. Fukuda Kanon

I will get a bunch of hate for this, but honesty speaking... er, writing, I actually forgot about Kanon completely when I was making this list, which even I think is terrible of me. But honestly, I just don't care. I have tried really hard to like Kanon, especially after Saki left and I wanted someone to cling to in S/mileage, but I just can't. She's an amazing singer and the ace of the new S/mileage, but I can never seem to care for her enough. That, and she has become really annoying lately with her Cinderella act.

Girl, you were Princess Kaguya in LilPri, Yuuka's the REAL Cinderella.

30. Yajima Maimi

... I really find nothing to care about with this girl. She's bland, bland, bland, I don't particularly care for her singing voice and I find her to be the most boring Hello! Project member to date. I have never really favoured her, and I still don't. In no way does this girl appeal to me, and I hope she never does.

And that, my dears, is the end of my rank list. If you are wondering why Oda Sakura isn't present, it's because she has yet to officially debut. I would prefer to see her in a single and then rank her than simply rank her on the fact that she is the only 11th gen member who has awesome vocals. I need to see her in a PV first, trust me.

So, these ranks may not be in your favour (especially the fans of Maimi, Kanon, Meimi etc...) but most likely you like the members I don't, and dislike the members I love, so no matter what, we just need to agree to disagree xD I mean, yeah, what I say may not be in your favour, but how people view my favourites is never honestly in my favour, either.

We love who we love, and that's what makes this Idol world go round... or at least for me.

And that is my list for you all! My fingers now hurt, I am hungry and in need of more IRN BRU! Until the next post, guys!

Chiima~

PING!!! Idolminded Recommended Reading: November 18th, 2012