~Iconic Moments in J-idol History~
The Fukumura Dash
Hello, and welcome to today's J-idol history lesson. J-idol has been around for around 50 years now, so there's a lot of history to dig through, regardless of whether you're new to the scene or an old pro. I don't pretend to know everything, but I know a lot, and in these history lessons, I'll do my best to explain some critical moments in the history of J-idol and why they're so significant to fans, the music industry, or Japanese society at large. It's basically an idol storytime, so enjoy!
Today's subject is one I chose because I've had some requests from people lately for translations about this event, which has come to be one of the most significant moments in the history of one of Japan's longest-running idol groups, Morning Musume. This event was given the name Fukumura Dash by fans, but it has since been accepted by current and former members of the group.
Join me as I delve into the who, what, and where of iconic moments in idol history!
Who is involved?
Morning Musume。
The Fukumura Dash
Hello, and welcome to today's J-idol history lesson. J-idol has been around for around 50 years now, so there's a lot of history to dig through, regardless of whether you're new to the scene or an old pro. I don't pretend to know everything, but I know a lot, and in these history lessons, I'll do my best to explain some critical moments in the history of J-idol and why they're so significant to fans, the music industry, or Japanese society at large. It's basically an idol storytime, so enjoy!
Today's subject is one I chose because I've had some requests from people lately for translations about this event, which has come to be one of the most significant moments in the history of one of Japan's longest-running idol groups, Morning Musume. This event was given the name Fukumura Dash by fans, but it has since been accepted by current and former members of the group.
Join me as I delve into the who, what, and where of iconic moments in idol history!
Who is involved?
Morning Musume。
First things first: Morning Musume was founded in 1997 and has maintained an add-and-grad system since its inception, with the 2nd generation of members added to the group almost immediately after their major debut. They were consistently adding batches of new members to the group, between 1 and 4 at a time, every year or every other year as older members graduated, until 2007. This year marked the start of the group's longest period of lineup stability, known as the Platinum Era, with only one graduation and no additions. In 2010, however, fans were devastated to learn that 3 of the 8 members were to graduate at the same time, which resulted in management holding their first audition for the group in 4 years to bring in the 9th generation. Tensions were high for this audition, as the 8-member lineup were long-standing members and seasoned performers, and fans were unsure of what direction the group would go in with the high likelihood of a significant age and skill gap. The oldest member in the lineup at the time was 24, the youngest, 18, and most of the members had been in the group for nearly a decade. New additions to the group were generally under age 15 and would most likely be new to performing, so no one quite knew what to expect from this paradigm shift.
Fukumura Mizuki
Fukumura Mizuki
Date of birth: 1996.10.30
Nicknames: Fukuchan, Mizupon
Join date: 2011.01.02
Fukumura Mizuki
Date of birth: 1996.10.30
Nicknames: Fukuchan, Mizupon
Join date: 2011.01.02
While the vast majority of members had entered the group by passing a public audition, Morning Musume's agency, Hello!Project, had established a trainee program in 2004, known then as Hello!Pro Egg. Eggs were allowed to participate in any audition and skip straight to the individual performance round, after which they would join the public participants in the bootcamp rounds, should they pass. Until the rebrand of the trainee corps as Hello!Pro Kenshuusei in 2012, however, most trainees did not pass these auditions, with only one Egg ever debuting in Morning Musume up to that point, although they did participate in a variety of idol activities that allowed the public to become acquainted with them.
Fukumura Mizuki became an Egg in 2008, joining the company because Hello!Project was such a significant part of her childhood. She participated in the 9th generation audition as an Egg, but did not pass to the final rounds. On January 2, 2011, then-producer of Morning Musume, Tsunku, came onstage at a concert to introduce the winners of the audition and the new members of the 9th generation of Morning Musume. After bringing the three new members onstage for their first public introduction, Tsunku made a surprise announcement: there would be one more member in this generation, someone who didn't even know that she would joining, someone from the Eggs. The Eggs were sitting onstage as part of the concert set-up, and while the Morning Musume members and fans scanned the girls for who could potentially be chosen, Tsunku announced the name, stating simply, "Fukumura." Fans were ecstatic, as she had established herself as a huge fan of the company and the group and her dream of being a Hello!Pro idol was finally coming true.
This is the exact moment Fukuchan learned she would be joining the group as a surprise 4th member of the 9th generation.
The addition of the 9th generation would indeed trigger a shift in the dynamic of the group, with three of the older members and leaders graduating not long after, and the 10th and 11th generations being added, as well. By 2013, Fukumura was the sub-leader of the group, being the oldest of the 9th generation members and having the second-longest tenure in the group after the reigning leader and soon to be longest-standing member of all time.
Michishige Sayumi
Date of birth: 1989.07.13
Nicknames: Sayu, Sayumin
Join date: 2003.01.19
Date of birth: 1989.07.13
Nicknames: Sayu, Sayumin
Join date: 2003.01.19
Michishige Sayumi debuted in Morning Musume after passing a public audition for the 6th generation in 2003. She auditioned for the group because she loved it, not because she possessed any particular skill in singing or dancing, which ultimately lead to her becoming notorious for her complete lack of ability.
The audition clip at the start is notorious for showing the differences in not just raw talent but also in enthusiasm. She's a standout, either way.
Her generation-mates all possessed a level of raw talent, with two of the members going on to be lead vocalists for the group. Michishige, however, embraced her tone-deafness as part of her charm, and instead of devoting time to make minor improvements, she focused on honing her variety show skills. She ended up developing a strong, "poison-tongue" character that helped her get booked on TV shows at a time when Morning Musume had the least amount of public exposure and wasn't appearing much in mass media. She stated later that while she is not the character she presents, she wanted to be able to get Morning Musume seen by people and felt that using her character would help reach that end. Unlike many idols who use their performing experience as a jumping-off point for their entertainment careers, Michishige would often say that she had no goal other than to be in Morning Musume.
She would become leader of the group in 2012, and in 2013, became the only member in the group who had debuted before 2011. While the gap in age and tenure was significant, she was beloved by fans for her tireless dedication to promoting the group and helping the newer members develop their skills and personalities as idols to help Morning Musume continue on. All of the members admired her despite the lack of talent, although she managed to keep up as the group moved towards more complex dance routines and carved out a niche for her particular vocal stylings. Eventually, she also announced her graduation in 2014, and currently still stands as the longest-running member of the group with a tenure of 11 years, 10 months, and 7 days.
This was her final solo at her graduation, the song that she says was the beginning of her life, the song she sang for the audition, as above.
What happened?
On November 26, 2014, Michishige's graduation concert was held at Yokohama Arena to a crowd of 12,000. This was a significant step up for Morning Musume, as they had not performed in the venue since 2010 when 3 members graduated at once, based on demand for tickets. It was set to be a historic concert, with the group mantle finally being passed down to the members who debuted almost a decade after she did. Fukumura was set to become the next leader, and while fans were eager to see how she would do in that role, there was some anxiousness with the ties to the most popular era of the group being severed.
The concert was proceeding as usual, when halfway through the show, Michishige injured her leg during a medley, leaving her partially unable to move. In one portion of the medley, the members were to walk down the middle catwalk to the center stage to perform the next number. While the members were aware that something had gone wrong with Michishige, once one member decided to walk down the catwalk, everyone followed, except for Michishige who remained stuck in place on the main stage. However, the next portion of the medley was a duet between Michishige and Fukumura, who was now some 50 meters away. That's when it happened.
While Michishige looked despondent and frustrated on the main stage alone, Fukumura made a split-second decision to break formation as soon as she could to run back to perform the duet together. The camera cut to Michishige grinning as she realized what Fukumura was doing.
What's the significance?
The beginning
Morning Musume is a significant player in idol history. They came in at a time when interest in idols was arguably at an all-time low, and they managed to succeed due to their quirky style and strong personalities, despite numerous lineup changes early in their existence. They paved the way for groups that came after, like AKB48, and managed to keep a solid fanbase even when those later groups vastly overtook them in popularity. They change style with the changes in lineup, with the current music and performances being unrecognizable compared to their Golden Era songs. They will likely never regain the popularity they had at their peak, but they have continued to find success regardless. There's something comforting about the existence of the group, knowing that even if you tire of one lineup or their music for a few years, it's always there to come back to if you wish, and you sort of know what to expect if you do.
The beginning
The middle
What made the Fukumura Dash so significant was that it represented the future of the group itself. Michishige debuted in 2003. The next leader, Fukumura, didn't debut until 2011. Michishige had stood alongside Golden Era members who catapulted the group to fame. Fukumura was a breath of fresh air after the group threatened to stagnate and die off. Michishige represented the end of the old days, the eras gone by. Fukumura represented the future, the potential of the new generations. There was a lot of hesitation (and in some cases, panic) surrounding Michishige's graduation, including from Michishige, herself. She had given almost 12 years of her life, virtually her entire adolescence, to the group. Fukumura loved the group, too, but was it enough?
And now
The Fukumura Dash showed that it was. The change in expression on Michishige's face from when she feels like everything is ruined to the moment she realizes Fukumura is the leader she needs her to be says it all. She could think on her feet, she knew what the right thing to do was, she knew what the group represented to everyone there. And she still does, to this day, as Fukumura celebrated her 9th anniversary in the group earlier this year and is the longest-serving leader the group has ever had. While no one knows what the future holds for the leadership and direction of the group, Fukumura dashing down the catwalk to sing alongside Michishige has become a symbol for the potential of future generations and the enduring legacy of Morning Musume.
So... I hope you enjoyed this little history lesson, storytime, whatever you want to call it. I know it's a lot, but hey, now you know most everything there is to know about this moment in idol history! And that's worth something, I think. Whether you're a fan of the group or not, this was an extremely emotionally-charged moment, and as such, it deserves to be documented as an important piece of idol history.
Let me know what you think, ask questions if you have any, or discuss how you are also reduced to tears every time you watch the Fukumura Dash, like me.
