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Trainees have to pay monthly fees?

I though they get free training/whatever, or is that just for he main H!P girls.

They used to be free until late 2011 when the renamed from Egg to Kenshuusei.

It changed not long ago to a monthly fee of 10,000 yen, I think?

It's just like any off school activities (judo, karate, piano, whatever), I'd guess. You pay money, you do go competitions every now and then (concerts) and if you're lucky and like it enough you'll end up having a career in what you're doing.

Interesting. So, when KSS do back dancing during concerts, or do helper duties at fan events, do they get payed, or does that come under the monthly fee?

I don't think any of us are entirely sure about that. Could be that they're paid a stipend for that type of them, or it could be that it's just more exposure and experience to help their skills along.

At first I was kind of disappointed in a "not this shit again" kind of way, but I guess it makes sense. MM is at a high level right now, and seeing them at MuSte kind of solidified that. The level of dancing is so high right now, that even their ace has fallen over during concert while having to perform it. So a green newbie may not be the best addition right now. It would also be weird having to work them into the promo campaign that they're on right now. The 10 as they are make a great unit, though they will need to add people eventually when Sayu is on her way out.

The kind of sad thing about this is, that MM image is gradually becoming that of a group that only kenshuusei (read as: monetarily privileged) can enter, if the level is so high that it requires a lot of training. This also takes away the approachable girls next-door image that they had, so that there won't be any more Konno-like diamond in the rough members lol, or more relatable binbo characters lol. Ah well, other groups have pretty much taken that image nowadays.

Anyway, when the time is right I am hoping for the most amazing tan future girl to be scooped up and put in. Thankfully this came before training camp so I wasn't attached to anybody lol.

I don't think it takes anything away from the girl next door image. He isn't looking for soulless physically appealing super hot goddesses. He'll always look for various interesting personalities, but now, they need to be better at dancing and/or singing than previously required for new members. That's how I see it anyway.

Daisuki Daiiyo wrote: This also takes away the approachable girls next-door image that they had, so that there won't be any more Konno-like diamond in the rough members lol, or more relatable binbo characters lol. Ah well, other groups have pretty much taken that image nowadays.

The problem with that business model is that it lost its luster after a few years. Remember in the late silver & early platinum era, the girls weren't losing to Perfume, AKB or Momoclo. They were losing to themselves. They had zero competition and still couldn't muster up sales. That's the Konno legacy. The Umeda legacy. The Country Musume legacy. It's not that those girls weren't appealing. It's that their lackadaisical approach to being famous inspired a lackadaisical response from the fan base, who just drifted off after a while.

I also have a kind of theory about the philosophy of UF in only wanting skilled girls. Keeping up your game in such a high level group requires a lot of time and dedication. Girls who have really good work habits are going to try harder to stay in the group. They're not going to have time for scandals or want to throw away their careers, or just walk away from the group because they're bored. So in that sense, management thinks that hiring highly skilled girls is a better long term investment

I think their selling point right now is that they are talented--they sing live and do complex dances, and overall they offer more quality to the performances than other non-H!P groups out there. None of the individual girls can probably hold a song and dance intensely all by herself, but it's a group so no one has do that. The quality comes out through the group's effort, like their formation dances (where, by the way, even the "back girls" need to come to the front every now and then).

One of the message I got from this result is the reinforcement of how MM is different from other idol groups out there (more now than ever). You don't just audition to become an idol; you audition to become the current MM. You have to offer more than what we've seen with past auditions.

UF = JYP Japan?