There was some news recently that I think went basically unnoticed or uncared for by the Hello! Project fan community (I’m speaking for those who have a grasp on English, but including the Japanese fanbase probably isn’t too much of a stretch). It was news about a new unit called HAPPY! STYLE that includes Ongaku Gatas’s Noto Arisa, two strange trainee additions named Aoi and Yui, and the girls of Hello! Pro Kansai: Iwashima Manami, Abe Asami (not Abe Natsumi’s sister…), Nakayama Nana, and Suma Ai.

L to R: Suma, Nakayama, Iwashima, Abe

Now, I’m not too “happy” with the concept of HAPPY! STYLE. They sound like the unit answer to the end of Uta Doki!, with a couple differences but that’s it. It’s a shitty way to debut the Kansai girls, and as a different place to put Arisa, since I’d really like for that fabled Airi-Arisa duo to happen. But regardless, I’m sure the Kansai girls are going to develop some sort of fanbase (especially since they’re not just doing that radio show [which you can easily find on YouTube, I'm pretty sure] anymore), so I want to give some general information and my opinions on them. Trying to suade everyone to like my favorite? Fuck yes!

Suma Ai

Name: Suma Ai (須磨愛)
Nickname: Patio (パティオ)
Birthdate: 04/15/1992
Birthplace: Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Blood Type: A
Favorite Food(s): Powdered green tea ice cream and cake
Special Skill(s): Eating, speaking
Aiming For In H!P: Goto Maki, Tanaka Reina, Saito Hitomi

Suma Ai (nickname “Patio”, for reasons unknown to me) is downright adorable. She’s got a very round face that gives off the impression that she might be a little chubby, but I think she’s just got a big body a la Maa, Juuchan, and Mako. She first caught my eye when I saw a group picture of the members of H!P Kansai exactly because I thought she was fat (physical flaws are an irregularity in idols, which is why I tend to look for them), and that…isn’t really good because it means wota new to the Kansai girls will probably think she’s fat. But she is charming in her own right, misleading body size aside.

I listened to a live recording of her and Nakayama Nana singing GAM’s “Melodies”. To be honest, I was underwhelmed. The singing started off on the wrong key and one of them is a generic squeaky ‘cute’ girl, though it’s thankfully not Suma. Ten points for her. She also auditioned for the seventh generation of Morning Musume, but we all know who won that in the end…

Nakayama Nana

Name: Nakayama Nana (中山菜々)
Nickname: Seven (セブン)
Birthdate: 04/03/1992
Birthplace: Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Blood Type: A
Favorite Food(s): Strawberries, cherries, takoyaki
Special Skill: Volleyball
Aiming For In H!P: Ishikawa Rika, ℃-ute, Takahashi Ai

Nakayama Nana (nicknamed “Seven” for reasons unknown to me) reminds me of a member of AKB48 though, due to my ignorance regarding specific AKB members’ names, I wasn’t sure who. Vulpi pointed out Sato Natsuki, which is generally who Nakayama reminds me of, but I also see elements of Ohori Megumi and Tanabe Miku (Ohori’s lips, Miku’s jaw structure). I still really believe Nakayama belongs in AKB48 more than H!P due to her looks.

Aside from that, I will admit that Nakayama is attractive and likely to achieve a lead status akin to Takahashi Ai or Ishikawa Rika for that exact reason. She isn’t really “my cup of idol”, and I dislike her singing voice as it’s basically another one of those generic cute girls’ (well, she is aiming for all of ℃-ute). Additionally, she ruined “Melodies” for me, but I don’t believe she’s a weak singer.

Abe Asami

Name: Abe Asami (阿部麻美)
Nickname: Asamin (あさみん)
Birthdate: 09/05/1990
Birthplace: Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Blood Type: AB
Favorite Food: Umeboshi
Special Skill: Making people laugh
Aiming For In H!P: Takahashi Ai, Ohtani Masae

Those of you who are familiar with this Abe Asami will probably find it entertaining that there’s a girl with the same name in Hello! Project’s Kansai nest (however, the kanji for ‘Abe’ is different). This Asami is, for the most part, fairly adorable. She has features akin to PIPO☆Angel’s member Ute Manami, though a voice that is…kind of annoying. I listened to her live “Onna ni Sachi Are” recording, and she overuses her vibrato, giving me the interesting mental image of a an anthropomorphic goatlike being performing the choreography while wearing a pink tutu. The dancing in addition to singing also weakened her performance, but I think she’s okay regardless. I’ll be interested to hear more from her and see if she ever stops busting out the vibrato for the uptempo songs.

Iwashima Manami

Name: Iwashima Manami (岩嶋雅奈未)
Nickname: Neesan (ねーさん)
Birthdate: 12/17/1989
Birthplace: Ehime Prefecture, Japan
Raised: Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Blood Type: B
Favorite Food(s): Ramen, frozen oranges
Special Skill: Abacus
Aiming For In H!P: Goto Maki

Iwashima Manami (I have no idea why her nickname is “Neesan”, but I can guess) was the second girl I noticed out of the group picture of H!P Kansai. She already shared a bizarre likeness to Yasuda Kei in my mind, and since I already hold a favorable view of Kei as a singer, Iwashima was like the idol counterpart. She radiates the same sort of young Maki vibe, except she actually has the talent to pull it off. Her “Yokohama Shinkirou” was so amazing, I had to wonder if it was actually her live singing or not.

The unfortunate downside to Iwashima is the same as Kei’s downside: Both have very unique faces compared to their colleagues that distinguish them to new fans but can easily read as unattractive, and which are generally accept as. I’m fairly sure UFA recognizes this, and that’s why I find her future promotion to be dubious. There’s so many times where UFA has chosen to show the girls who are pretty and charismatic or whose voices, looks, and personality suit the “theme” of the group they’re in. ℃-ute is a good example of both instances. There’s good talent in ℃-ute such as Okai Chisato, Umeda Erika, and Arihara Kanna, but the most these three girls are ‘allowed’ to do for single A-sides is sing group and duet lines with a main girl like Yajima Maimi (referencing “Namida no Iro”’s Chisato and Maimi duo line).

It’s off-putting, but I have hope for Iwashima. I have hope for any girl who seeks to emulate Maki, because that’s not just something an ordinary person wakes up and decides to do.

For links to everyone’s live songs, go here. Thank you Hello! Online imageboard for pictures and Wiki.thePPN for profile information/additional links.