Berryz Koubou to go on ‘Indefinite Hiatus’ next Spring

I don’t consider myself a cynical person. Unfortunately I can’t phrase an explanation for that last sentence. I suppose I can reference the recently leaked Deadpool footage that I’m pretty sure everyone’s seen by now and say that many people were cynical of that. They proclaimed that the leak meant that there wouldn’t be a film about, arguably, the best Marvel character EVER (that’s a slight bias). I wasn’t one of them. I’m optimistic that we’ll see one in the near future, and that the footage was leaked intentionally to gauge fan reaction. 

Anyway, this isn’t about Marvel. That was an example that I hope did justice to my opening statement. In general, I don’t think I’m cynical… until I hear two little words used in conjunction with a band/group/artist: ‘indefinite hiatus’.

To me, ‘indefinite hiatus’ is a very nice, very kind way of saying ‘as a group, we’re splitting up’. I was thirteen years and almost a fortnight old when blink-182 used those two words at the end of August 2005. At the time, I was sad, certainly, but confident that they would come back soon enough and continue making music. They didn’t. I can’t remember if they admitted to splitting up or not; in fact, I’m pretty sure that they did, and that admittance felt like a betrayal to me. Like, ‘Well, why couldn’t they have said that in the first place?’

That was my first thought when I read about fifteen minutes ago that Berryz Koubou were to go on ‘hiatus’. Specifically, an ‘indefinite’ one starting from next Spring after their tour has finished. Right now I’m on the Hello! Project Facebook page (the one run by Chuu! Sugoi! Idol) and it’s looking pretty clear that Berryz Koubou are going to disband.

Here’s a translation from my resident scapegoat and UFP Representative Director, Ohama Minoru, and a chance for me to get my feelings out:

Thank you for your continued support about Berryz Kobo.
Today, Berryz Kobo members have announced the indefinite suspension of their activities during the Hello! Project Concert at Nakano Sun Plaza.
I bet that was a joy to hear for all those poor wota. Also, ‘indefinite suspension’. Never heard it phrased like that before.

Concerning the future of the members, they have talked with the staff and decided to suspend their activities after the Spring’s tour on 2015. Concerning the exact date, it will be announced later once decided.
I bet you’ve already got an exact date. Also, who decided to go to the other first? Was it BK going to UFP, or the other way around? I like to think the former happened.

Berryz Kobo have grown like this with all the support they received until now. And to be able to reach this level of accomplishment in their activity, all the members have the feeling this is thanks to everyone and feel gratitude.
They feel gratitude to their fans, do they? They’re so proud of all that they’ve done and they want to thank their fans for support? They absolutely, 100% love what they do and they’re desperately sad that they have to go on ‘indefinite hiatus/suspension’?

I get the impression from this that each girl went in separately to do their pose for the cover shoot.

To be fair, they could be looking miserable because of the RIDICULOUS old people clothes they had to wear. Risako went prematurely grey from the injustice of it all.

The look of desperation from Maasa and Miyabi. The resigned look on Yurina. The blatant ‘I don’t give two shits’ that Momochi’s conveying to us with a glance. It breaks my heart 😥

Yeah, sure, I can buy that.

…

OK, maybe I was being a bit unfair and selective in the pictures I found. There are a few promotional images and CD covers where the girls are happy that I chose not to feature, but by and large, from Golden Chinatown onwards (or possibly earlier) they all look BORED as hell with their jobs – with the possible exception of dear, dear Yurina, who always tried hardest to look like she genuinely cared about her job. And this isn’t even going into the MVs from GC onwards to get screencaps of the girls looking fed up. I’ve mentioned in EVERY MV I’ve done for BK how miserable they all look (well, with maybe more bias on Risako looking miserable but you’d think as a lead singer and an idol she should ACT like she’s happy at least), again, apart from Yurina and, occasionally, Chinami. But still, my point, I think, is clear: I don’t believe their feelings of gratitude as conveyed through the UFP statement, especially with reams of evidence in promotional images, album covers and MVs that suggest otherwise.

From now, there will be the live at Nippon Budokan on September, the Autumn’s tour and new songs released.
With such titles as ‘FFS Can we PLEASE stop being idols already?!’ (the obvious follow up to Futsuu Idol) and ‘Nanchatte Akogare no Kanji’ (‘Fake Admired Feelings’ would be the ‘official’ English title, which conveniently ignores the subtext implying their supposed love for their band members).

Members as well as the staff feel gratitude to everyone and ask everyone for their support.
You keep using that word. I don’t think it means what you think it means.

And then it signs off. 

Also, an excerpt from Momoko’s blog, also posted on the Facebook page, regarding this announcement:

If I use the word “‘DISBAND’, it feels like Berryz will go away and disappear… That is why we chose the words ‘STOP ACTIVITIES’
Of COURSE, Momoko, I understand completely. You are a delicate flower, and a precious soul, and a fragile little buttercup. The word ‘DISBAND’ is so harsh and ugly, isn’t it? If you even spoke it, my dear, darling, precious little peach child, your soul would shatter into a tiny million little fragments, to scatter far and wide across the globe, or maybe even to attach themselves to a nearby, random object. And we wouldn’t want you making Horcruxes, would we, my little snowdrop? That would just be terrible.

And according to Maasa’s blog (this is second hand report from comment made under the UFP statement) the girls had considered disbanding but chose the ‘indefinate hiatus’ instead.

So that’s that.

I really don’t know how I feel. 

I’m sad, because when I first got into Hello! Project, I didn’t really have a favourite group: one that stood out to me and whose every song was brilliant, even the album fillers. That wasn’t Morning Musume, it wasn’t S/mileage (though they came close for me), it wasn’t even C-ute or Buono!. Then I listened to Berryz Koubou and I just knew. They quickly became my favourite group. I couldn’t choose a favourite album because they were all good (though now, I’d probably say their second. Or maybe their fourth. Or their first. I STILL CAN’T DECIDE but I know it’s one of their early ones for me). I couldn’t choose a favourite song for that very reason (now, I can confidently say that Sabori is my favourite). I watched a few MVs and they all of them seemed to be having the time of their lives, until Golden Chinatown.

Of course I wasn’t the only one to notice that the girls looked unhappy. I know that there were a few fans who knew, somehow, that the girls’ time was coming to an end. So perhaps that isn’t why I’m crying right now. I don’t even feel sad, so I was lying when I said that. I just feel… nothing. Numb. Resigned, I guess. Even a little ‘black woman in hindsight’ because I knew this was going to happen. If you haven’t clicked that link yet, you should because that is how I’m feeling right now. I’m sure of it now.

I also feel frustrated. It’s INCREDIBLY obvious to me that Berryz Koubou will be no more come next Spring, yet they’re all dancing around that fact, waving at us to distract us from it. They’re dressing up their inevitable split with euphemisms and pretty words like ‘gratitude’ and ‘support’. It beggars belief that people in the music industry actually believe that fans still fall for the old ‘indefinite hiatus’ chestnut. Yes, there are people who do and I like to think that they’re young and still dazzled by respect and awe for their favourite artists, like I was and you were once upon a time. 

When I see the words ‘indefinite hiatus’, I feel like those in charge of whichever artist or group going on the supposed hiatus has no respect for those fans. Do the people at UFP really not respect BK fans enough to tell the truth? For that matter, do Berryz Koubou themselves not respect their fans they claim to be indebted to? They say that it’s an indefinite hiatus ‘for now’, with the implication being that they’ll make a comeback in a few years.

That’s all very well, but as the girls put it themselves, they’ve been idols for ten freakin’ years! That’s an inordinately long shelf life. Perhaps, like Melon Kinenbi, they may reunite for the odd concert but right now, I feel they should be honest. The truth hurts (if indeed it is true that they’ll definitely split up next year) but it hurts less in the long run than the betrayal some fans will feel when they (may) announce that it isn’t a hiatus, it’s a definite split.

I don’t feel like this post has any structure to it. It’s really rambly and long and I’m impressed if you’ve made it this far. I’ve said how I feel and I don’t think I can say anymore, so I’ll just enjoy the time BK have left and then I won’t feel so guilty for replacing them with Juice=Juice as ‘Favourite H!P Group’. Perhaps.

 

• announcement
• berryz koubou
• indefinite hiatus
• yeah i bet it is