Country Girls, Gomen ne

Everybody must have heared the news concering Country Girls.

Here is a short summary:

After this years Hello!Pro Summer concert tour, Country Girls will be switching to a new system. Morito Chisaki, Yanagawa Nanami and Funaki Musubu will join another H!P Group, while Yamaki Risa and Ozeki Mai will focus on their studies. Country Girls' will not disband, they will only be active during school breaks and holidays, and release digital singles. 

What a news.

This actually just means that three girls will get new main activities, while two girls will only be part-time idols. There isn't any info about which group Chii, Yanamin and Musubu will join and if they will stay togheter.

At first it seemed as though the girls came with the idea themselfs or that at least Risa and Mai said they wanted to focus on school, but not leave the group. Yet it now seems that management just wants to shake things up and decided that Country Girls will enter this new system. The girls themselfs got to choose if they wanted to join another group or not.

I feel so weird about this new, you guys have no idea.

At first I was really happy for Risa and Mai that they could stay withing H!P while focussing on school, but now it just feels like they decided to focus on school if Country Girls couldn't get their main focus. It will be so weird to see Chii, Yanamin and Musubu join other groups. I mean I can't even think of them in other groups... They are such a well oiled group togheter and Momoko really taught them well. Maybe this is the whole reason why.

Shaking things up is a great idea though. I have been thinking about making H!P more dynamic and interesting, but I was thinking more about lending members or doing the whole sub-unit thing again like the chanpuru thing they did in 2009. However this is way to permanent. It's like management is saying: Country Girls without Momoko won't work, so you will change into a sub-unit, only preforming during certain times. Urgh, I feel so bad for the members.. 

I mean what groups can these girls even join? I don't really see Morning Musume as an option, because Kaedii and Yokoyan are still way to new. Is there going to be a new group? Ichinoka, Danbara and Kawamura are still in the pipeline for a debut, so they could make a new group with these 6 members. But due to translation, the messages might also say they (Chii, Yana, Musu) will be joining currently existing groups... I feel like Juice=Juice will be the most obvious choice, as their members are getting older and some of them might want to leave soon. Karin even said she would welcome any of them in the group. Yet Kobushi and ANGERME are also option. Kobushi will be losing a member this summer and ANGERME still doesn't have any news on Aikawa Maho. 

I am not happy about this decision. If the group thought of this themselfs, I would mind it as much. However management kind of pushed them in this direction and it makes me so mad. Country Girls is such an amazing and fun group. I love their songs and the whole retro feel they have. I knew they would have a difficult time ahead without Tsugunaga Momoko, but I was so sure they would be fine. I wanted to see Yamaki Risa lead the group and I wanted them to add some new member when the time was right. I was so looking forwards to them as a 5-nin group and seeing them grow even more. It really feels like management didn't see them sell well once Momoko leaves and it really makes me sad and mad and powerless. I do think all the members have enough power to powerup any of the other groups, But just imagening Chisaki in Juice=Juice or Musubu in Kobushi makes me feel weird inside. They are first and formost our Country Girls and now they will join another group as main members.. And just to imagen not seeing Yamaki and Ozeki as often as we see now, just makes it all way way worse. 

In the end, we will just have to accept this news and hope management really is trying to do what is best for the members. I think it is amazing that Risa and Mai will be focusing on their studies and I am sure Momoko played a big part in this. Education is so important! As for the other three, I am sure they will be welcomed into any group they are put in and I really hope the fans will do the same. The girls are member of Hello!Project and they will stay inside H!P. Let's all at least try and support them as much as we can, as they probably are having a hard time right now.