(originally posted on June 5, 2010)
Let’s look at their history.
They were selected from over 13,000 applicants in the Hello! Project Kids auditions.
After the auditions, some time passed, most of them got to do a certain kind of job, like features in magazines, or even participating in short-lived units.
Then eight of the kids selected through the auditions got to form the group Berryz Koubou.
What were the others were?
REJECTS.
And they were very aware of it, if not then, then a few years after, because they have talked about it, and not as if they didn’t care - they did care.
These rejects were named “℃-ute” in 2005.
Back when they were new, they would get a fair amount of promotion, like any new Hello! Project group.
It wasn’t their awards what made me a fan (Although for the girls themselves, the fact that they were rejects and some years later they won an award… it must have been surreal for them).
It surely won’t be their popularity what will make me more of a fan.
It is their hard work, perseverance and dedication.
The message from most of the current Hello! Project works and girls can be said in a single world: “頑張って”. It’s a very simple word to say, but a hard one to live.
And from looking at EVERYTHING these girls do, I say they do a good job at living that message.
Not just C-ute, but every one of them.
“Yeah, but every group works hard”. Very possible. Who knows, a few companies can explote their artists even more. All companies do that to some extent.
But what are the things than can make you STAY as a fan?
I’ve already thought of C-ute as a disbanded group, imagining them and myself ten years later, and listening to their songs as if they were a group of the past. Since I also like groups that have also disbanded, that’s not hard at all to imagine.
What do I want to think then, seeing as if they WILL disband sometime?
Mourn the loss of the members who will never come back anyways, or enjoy the present?
These two choices are not the only things I could do, that’s for sure, but in the end, after thinking about this so many times over and over, to me it comes down to that.
Maybe it’s difficult to love something that has changed.
But what I do, that’s my choice. And it’s my choice to love them, regardless the changes. Regardless of their popularity. I mention the popularity thing again because of the group pressure that goes around in things such as pop groups. Once something is popular it’s like… sales and awards become the most important things. People want them to “take over the world”, in the sense of popularity, THEN being loved by a large number of people (<- that’s an exception. It doesn’t happen everyday. So what if they aren’t the most popular idol group anyways? Or even not in the range of popular idol groups?).
I’ve already seen that happen with SNSD, and to me that’s sad. During Kissing You days, I was SO INCREDIBILY HAPPY with their Music Bank win. It was their first win, and one attached to a bad event too (a car accident - with no major problems thankfully). Noawadays people seem to want just bigger and bigger awards, bigger points, bigger events, bigger everything but the girls’ health. Not all fans are like that, but a good bunch of them is. I’m not in that group of fans.
But back to C-ute.
I don’t feel anything other than fan support when I check for their updates. I do not do that in hope that they’ll disband, but because I care for them.
The fan-idol relation is still amazing and dear to me. It’s one of the many kinds of love I hope to feel while I’m alive.
頑張って can be interpreted as:
- Tomorrow will be a better day
- Leaving is a new beginning (a phrase from Linlin)
And so many more interpretations as well. During one’s entire life. Just because it’s a simple message, it doesn’t mean it can only be lived when one is a child.
When C-ute doesn’t bring me happiness anymore, or… more bad feelings instead of happiness, I’ll leave all of this.
That hasn’t happened yet. The group I enjoy checking updates of the most is C-ute. The group I enjoy the most songs of is C-ute. The group I have supported the most is C-ute.
And the group I will continue to love and support the most is C-ute.
Strong feelings are hard to feel and live, that’s why they are called strong feelings. But we don’t have to feel them in a strong/passionate way all the time. That’s tiring, and when love becomes tiring, something went wrong in the way.
Even if C-ute becomes a duo (unlikely to happen), I’ll support them.
Even if they bashed by millions of people (unlikely to happen as well), I’ll support them.
“So whatever they do, you’ll support?”. You’re getting the wrong idea here.
Whatever they do, as long as I see it has some kind of love in it, and it makes me happy, THAT I’ll support.
We fans have a grasp (unsure) knowledge of what’s happened with Megumi, Kanna and Umeda. Resignements have been made, graduations and tears have happened. Those things, won’t happen again in the same way. Whatever damage has been done, it’s done. Whatever spark they have lost, it’s lost. I don’t want them to come back, not after everything that has happened.
I refuse to think of the current five girls as the “remaining” ones, I don’t find that respectful at all.
“So, your expectations are pretty high then”.
Not. at. all.
I love C-ute. That’s all that needs to be understood about this.
So, 5nin C-ute?
BRING IT ON.
