Morning Musume Members Ranking

For me, a H!P blog isn't a H!P blog without a member ranking post. Since I'll be writing about all these idols, I think it's necessary to give an idea of what I think about each of them. I want to remember this isn't intended to offend anyone, and that regardless of ranking I love all of them. At least up to Kaorin. I'll be ranking all Morning Musume members from first to current line-up. Other groups don't enter here because I don't know them enough; although I do like plenty of C-ute and Berryz songs, the only members who would have a fair chance in this ranking would be Airi and Momoko. I'll show my ranking first and then examine each member separately. Here it is.

Konno Asami
Her being my favorite makes it difficult to write something about her... I like practically everything she's in, so listing that is no good. She was my favorite from the beginning; eventually I started noticing other members, had other favorites for some time, but in the end it all comes back to her. *enters fanboy mode* She's the cutest thing to ever happen in H!P <3 I don't know if I should praise Tsunku for recognizing her potential or complain that he said Konkon was a failure. And she's intelligent enough to get into Keio, a top level university <3 And she's athletic, she knows karate <3 And it's always a pleasure cheering for her in games, because she tends to win or get close <3


Abe Natsumi
To put it simply, looking at her makes me smile like an idiot =) I love her smile, her voice, and almost her whole solo career. Her ~Vansanc~ tour is one of my favorite H!P concerts... She also had some interesting characters in old skits, my favorite was Kawamochi-kun... It was so cute when she talked like a child and bumped into that bus stop...

Kago Ai
God knows what goes on in your mind, Kago... I can understand having a boyfriend/getting pregnant, but not smoking. Even then, I can ignore that. I love old Aibon, doing her Gackt impersonation (almost best H!M Monomane ever T_T), singing Hina Matsuri! and just being cute. I'll hold on to that image, and pretend nothing happened.

Yoshizawa Hitomi
One of the best leaders Morning Musume ever had - just can't take that title from Yuuko-san, no one can. She mastered the "cool" image like no one else. Love her personality. But what gets her this high on my list is her acting talent. Better yet, her participation in old H!M comedy skits. Her characters are gold, especially the foreigner girl and the devil. Glad to see she's still doing something after her graduation.

Ogawa Makoto
Old man from Japan's cold rural side in those skits! The girl who, in one of her first appearances on H!M, in her first Monomane Battle, used a horse's mask! Funniest PB ever! She's a comedian genius. She gave those skits life again, at the time when Yasuda-obaachan wasn't appearing regularly anymore. If only she could return to Japan, reenter Morning Musume and definitely save Haromoni@... But that's asking too much, right? T_T

Michishige Sayumi
I'm still trying myself to understand how she climbed up my ranking like this. I couldn't stand her in the beginning. Now I find that I actually like some rare occasions where she performed solo... I once found her all-out cute act waaaay too exaggerated, but as I saw more and more videos with her, she showed a different side. "Dark" Sayumi. The one who'd get angry when someone said she wasn't that cute, who'd have frequent fights with Yuuko-san in Maido Ari, and who'd say this beautiful phrase in a recent Haromoni@. "My computer was my friend / But now I go out properly". That's so sad and beautiful T_T

Kamei Eri
And here's to the Queen of PBs! She first got my attention on Maido Ari, on PBs and, finally, on MorningBerryz's Kamei Worship Week. I never saw a picture of her that wasn't nearing perfection. She should be used more in Momusu's singles. She also has an interesting sense of humor and some promising drawing skills. I think a Kamei Eri customized T-Shirt with an original drawing should exist. That would make so much money they could keep doing PVs as good as Mikan for a long time... =P

Takahashi Ai
Ribbon no Kishi <3<3<3 She didn't get the main role for nothing. Only Miki was comparable to Aichan in Ribbon, and still, Aichan is above them all. Just couldn't compete with the veterans Marcia-san and the other Takarazuka one. Interesting that she likes Takarazuka, she should join them after graduating H!P... I think she'll be OK as a leader, but I wanted Gaki-san in that position... She does get many lines, but I can't complain about their quality... Just that others aren't getting their chance too...

Yaguchi Mari
She made an unit on her own, and it sold like rice. She had the best outcome from a scandal, no doubt about that. She was kicked out of MM and stopped singing at concerts for some time, but still, she kept semi-active as an MC and appears at other programs. At least, she's more active than Yasuda. Where's Yasuda? Anyway... She has one of the strongest personalities in H!P, and looks like she can do anything well. I wish they had given her some funnier roles in those skits...

Nakazawa Yuuko
SOMEONE GIVE HER A DAMN CORNER ON HAROMONI@ NOW!... I don't think there's anyone that's more representative of H!P than her. Sure, there's the face of MM, Nacchi, but still... Nakazawa is the mother of H!P, and will always be for me. I remember in some program that showed 5th gen when they had just entered MM, meeting Yuuko for the first time. Konno later said "I got as nervous as when meeting Tsunku". That kind of respect from the other members is what I mean when I say "mother of H!P". With her personality, she has the gift to turn any talk into gold, and she NEEDS A CORNER SOMEWHERE TO DO JUST THAT, right?

Yasuda Kei
Obaachan! <3 She was the one who made Haromoni Theater such a wonderful thing as it was =) It would be redundant to list all her characters here, so let's just say I love Yasuda-obaachan the most. She suffered a lot in Utaban, but those were the best episodes. I'd like to know what she's been doing lately, as in, since her graduation?

Fujimoto Miki
She's as far as a member can get from an idol image, without counting her scandal in this... I guess I like her for that. I love her voice: her solo career, and great performance in Ribbon no Kishi. She actually seemed to have too much fun in Ribbon, dragging Aichan around in the stage... And although Kamei is PB Queen, nothing can take the title of best PBs from Miki's Couer and Cheri ones. I can't choose between them. Not particularly fond of her other PBs though... I miss Mikitty T_T

I don't have much to say about these last members, so I'll make it short...

Tsuji Nozomi: pure random fun <3
Niigaki Risa: she was so funny with those pigtails >_< I want her singing more
Tanaka Reina: Reina, give up acting cute and go back the Yankee way.
Iida Kaori: I'm glad for her "scandal" ^_^ wish all good things to her and the baby.
Goto Maki: I liked her past image.
JunJun: LOL she ate that banana!
Ishikawa Rika: I can't make up my mind whether I like Rika or not, so I'll just leave her at the bottom for now.
Koharu: WHY did she have to release Balalaika? that'll never get out of my mind T_T anyway, I don't like her
LinLin, Aika, Ichii, Fukuda: nothing to say, haven't caught my eye.
Ishiguro: sorry, don't know her...