My Picks - Produce 101 Japan: The Girls

Image by Lemino & LAPONE

        Recently, the 3rd season of Produce 101 Japan is airing, and I have been enjoying it thus far. For context, Produce 101 is an idol survival program that originated in Korea. The viewers vote for their favorite trainees, and the remaining 11 debuts as an idol group. Unlike the Korean version, Japan takes individual trainees, meaning they are not part of a company, and the final line-up becomes a permanent group.

 In this post, I want to share my top 11 girls and explain why.

11. Kanno Miyu

        Before Produce 101 Japan, Miyu participated in Girls Planet 999, and during that time, she definitely lacked the necessary skills to continue to the later rounds. However, in this season of Produce 101 Japan, Miyu improved her singing and dancing. Although, the reason I chose Miyu is mainly because of her visuals. Fortunately, that visual is backed up by decent skills, so I don't feel too bad about picking her over the other girls. My favorite performance by her so far is the group battle for Nogizaka 46's "Seifuku no Mannequin."

10. Shimizu Keiko

        Shimizu Keiko is an anomaly pick. She doesn't have any of the basics in dancing or singing, but her stage presence is lively. Considering that this group is to last for a long time, having a marketable character is a necessity, and Keiko is the best person for that. Her role in the group would be like Hwang Kwanghee of ZE:A or Boo Seungkwan of Seventeen. My favorite performance by her is the group battle of Perfume's "Tokyo Girl." In this performance, Keiko demonstrates that she can do sincere performances and she has the potential to grow more skillful. Her singing style is still very much "copy & paste," but that proves Keiko's ability to improve.

9. Murakami Rinon

        Rinon has the potential to be a lead vocalist, and with enough dance training, she'll become a more well-rounded performer. It's also easier to fix dancing over singing, so her natural affinity for pleasant vocals is undoubtedly a plus side. Rinon is also a visual pick for me, but I prioritize her singing skills. My favorite performance from her is her evaluation song, Atarashi Gakkou's "Otona no Blue."

8. Takahashi Hina

        Hina is also a lead vocalist material, and she has a better understanding of dancing. In her evaluation performance, she also demonstrated creative talent in composing stage performances. These qualities at such a young age further prove that with more training, she will become a force to be reckoned with. My favorite performance from her so far is the group battle of IZ*ONE's "Fiesta." Her vocal tone matched the song perfectly, and I like how she sings the word "煌めく(kirameku)" with a slight breathiness.

7. Sakaguchi Rino

        Before Produce 101 Japan, Sakaguchi Rino was in the survival program iCON Z. Since then, Rino has significantly improved and regained the confidence she had during iCON Z. Skillwise, Rino is well-rounded; her vocals are slightly superior, but she has an aptitude for dancing and rapping. I noticed her more from the group battle for Blackpink's "How You Like That." She had this type of stage presence that I didn't expect, especially considering her previous performances on Produce 101 Japan. I don't know why, but I also liked how she said, "How you like that," it encapsulated the vibe from the original song.

6. Sakurai Miu

        Narratively, Sakurai Miu is presented as the super-trainee of Produce 101 Japan. This is because she was a part of two other survival programs: Nizi Project Season 1 and Girls Planet 999. On top of that, she was part of the debut line-up for New Jeans until Ador decided against Miu's participation. That determination is part of why I felt inclined to pick her. Thanks to the training she received in Korea, her skills are polished, although her singing could be better. My favorite performance from her thus far is the signal song "LEAP HIGH! Ashita e Meippai."

5. Kasahara Momona

        Before joining Produce 101, Momona was a member of the idol group ANGERME. It's apparent that through this experience, Momona gained knowledge about being an idol. Her talents are well-rounded, and she has an outstanding stage presence. I genuinely enjoyed her evaluation performance of Yoasobi's "Idol." She does have some bad singing habits, but overall, nothing is unfixable, and her voice manages to sound pretty despite those habits.

4. Ishii Ran

        Ran, like Momona, is also a former idol, and she was part of Girls2. Ran's singing is amateurish, but she makes up for that with her neat dancing skills. Her facial expressions are on point, her lines are clean, and her waves are smooth. I still can't believe that the mentors gave her a B during the trainee evaluation when she was more skilled than most of the trainees who joined. My favorite performance by her so far is the group battle for Perfume's "Tokyo Girl." The dance break was the best part of the stage, thanks to Ran's facial expressions and powerful moves. During the practice, Ran tended to overdance, so I was relieved to see her reel it back.

3. Kato Kokoro

        If you're well-versed in K-pop groups, you might recognize Kokoro. Yes, she's a former member of the K-pop girl group Cherry Bullet. Through the training she received in Korea and the practical experience she gained from being in Cherry Bullet, Kokoro is easily debut-worthy. Her abilities are well-rounded, and she has a magnificent stage presence. Compared to the other trainees, Kokoro exudes an aura that she's meant to be an idol. Thanks to her experience, Kokoro could be a fantastic leader for this group. Her leadership is especially demonstrated in the group battle of SPEED's "Body & Soul," which happens to be my favorite performance from her.

2. Sasaki Tsukushi

        Like many of the girls on this list, Tsukushi was previously on another survival show, and like Sakagushi Rino, she was also on iCON Z. Tsukushi has improved a lot from then and is arguably the best dancer on Produce 101 Japan. Tsukushi uses a lot of power when dancing, but it never gets to the point where she's overdancing. Her lines are clean and confident, and she has remarkable isolation, qualities that idols in Japan tend to not possess. Not to mention, her vocals are standard, and her rapping is astounding. In particular, I really like her in the group battle for Blackpink's "How You Like That." She displays quick thinking and professionalism when her mic falls off, which is exceptional to see that aspect of her is innate. Tsukushi also showed an immense stage presence, and despite not being the center, she took almost all the attention.

1. Ebihara Tsuzumi

        Ever since the first episode, I knew that Tsuzumi had to be in the debut line-up. She has great potential to be the main vocalist, her dancing skills are decent, and she has a phenomenal stage presence. Thus far, Tsuzumi displayed stable vocals that are dynamic. From the songs she has sung so far, Tsuzumi was able to show that her voice can fit cute, girl crush, and ballad concepts. Her dancing skills could be better, but she possesses the potential to grow into a better dancer and can understand the points of the choreography she has to highlight. Tsuzumi's strength in dancing ultimately helps with her stage presence; she is just a joy to watch. My favorite performance from her so far is the group battle of SPEED's "Body & Soul." The way she belts each high note with ease and her bubbliness is fantastic. SPEED's "Body & Soul" is a difficult song to sing because they basically yell in the original, but Tsuzumi was able to cover it perfectly. If she doesn't debut, I might lose faith in Japan's idol industry.

Current Ranking

Image by Lemino & LAPONE

        Currently, the top 11 rankings for Produce 101 Japan: The Girls look like the image above. Fortunately, 5 out of the 11 trainees are part of my favorites. Yamamoto Suzu, Kenmotsu Nano, and Takami Ayane are trainees I don't mind debuting, and I have yet to see qualities that are better than the trainees below them from the rest of the girls on the list. I'm devastated to see how criminally underrated Tsukushi and Rino are because they have dependable skills that I would expect from your average member of an idol group. Unfortunately, voting is only available for those with Japanese phone numbers, so I can't vote for my picks. I would also share my predictions if the general public had a knack for choosing talent over looks. The only conjecture I could confidently say is that Sasaki Kokona will debut because she managed to get into the top 11 without being interesting on stage.

That's all for this post. I hope you found this interesting. Are you also up-to-date on Produce 101 Japan: The Girls? Do you have any picks? Predictions? Please comment your opinions below. For my next post, I plan on discussing my thoughts on the TV anime Yona of the Dawn, so you can look forward to that. Thank you for reading.

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