MOMONA 101 [ME:I Debut Single "MIRAI (Click / Sugar Bomb)" on 4/17]

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It seems that prior to Produce 101, Kasahara Momona, Shimizu Keiko, and Aoki Yuka went abroad to Korea and passed the "KPOP Idol Audition Course" at the KPOP ART SCHOOL (KAS) and were selected to be trainees in Produce 101. It is a KPOP study abroad program for foreign students.
https://jp.kpop-artschool.com/

The school acknowledges them becoming trainees for Produce 101 Japan.

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Here is KAS using Shimizu Keiko's video interview to show that she is a Japanese student in Korea.
KPOP idol training in Korea! Interview with a Japanese student skilled in rap!




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Nakano Kokona also went to KPOP ART SCHOOL but participated in a different audition camp in the middle of the year. Whereas Momona and Keiko went to a KPOP Idol Audition Course when the year started.

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They used her audition video recorded in May 2023 for recruitment promotion

[hewalksalone]

I'm really torn over her being in a Kpop group. Girls that she worked with, wept when she left. Now she going to a different company. Jpop is already struggling against Kpop. The absolute last thing I want is for Hello!Project to be a talent factory for the competition.

However, if the girls of Angerme support her then I will to.

[Idol Tenshoku Ondo]

The absolute last thing I want is for Hello!Project to be a talent factory for the competition.

I don't believe this is that start of a trend of country hopping. If it were to happen again I might wonder, but there's nothing out of place or wrong with graduates taking their talent elsewhere should they please. For example it's not as if there's not a bunch of graduates becoming back dancers for other groups since Riho danced for Babymetal.

I also don't see K-Pop and J-Pop as competing, they're somewhat similar as pop music can tend to be but clearly have different appeal and serve different audiences. K-Pop got popular from their outrageous MVs, western styled music, and hyper perfectionist appearance on top of filling a boy/girl group vacuum present in western pop. J-Pop has cheap(er) MVs, music that targets Japan specifically, and has idols that you watch grow from eggs to seasoned performers. Popularity isn't everything anyway. It can be easy to forget that.

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Produce 101 fan event at AEON MALL 9.7.23

PRODUCE 101 JAPAN THE GIRLS Official TikTok : arriving by bus to the event. Momona at the end.
https://www.tiktok.com/@produce101japan ... 5564441857

fan pics of Momona

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fan video

Momona's Intro

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[HaruKaze]

The group appeared today at a baseball game at ZOZO Marine Stadium to perform Leap high and throw the ceremonial pitch. Momona is once again very close to the center both in the performance and the group picture they took after the ceremonial pitch.

A fan took a video of the whole appearance. We might get some official material later.

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Here is Momona leaving the field. She is sporting a ponytail. She dashes with energy to the front like she's in a race to the finish and beats everyone. She puts one finger up to signal that she is 1st place!

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I was curious and watched some of the PR videos, and picked an interesting one to win alongside Kasahara Momona.

Murakami Rinon (From Okayama pref.)


The rest of them I don't care for. Not even the ones who were ex-members of a group.

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Produce 101 TikTok

Kasahara Momona
https://www.tiktok.com/@produce101japan ... 7598696712

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Theme song "Leap High" reaction video

Cameras record the moment when the Produce 101 trainees saw their own stage video for the first time


Kasahara Momona is standing on the very top left corner of the stairs (not wearing her jacket) next to her new friend Koyama Mana. The camera zooms in that section where Kassa is a couple of times.

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Produce 101 TikTok / Youtube

Kasahara Momona dancing with two other trainees. Anyone dancing with Kaasa, gets a boost in views.

https://www.tiktok.com/@produce101japan ... 0584580360

Kassa and other trainees get a closeup and wave. The lighting is over-exposed.
https://www.tiktok.com/@produce101japan ... 8397084929