There was no shortage of Manoeri fan opinion over the weekend in Los Angeles, both at Anime Expo 2010, and at the separate world premiere of Manoeri’s first movie just a block or so away.
All of it is wrong.
Prominent members of the idol-music blogosphere simply said they have never really cared for Manoeri, and the way she leap-frogged over Hello! Project singers to become the signature soloist for that company over the past two years.
I asked dozens of other fans their opinion of Manoeri, and not a single one approved of her. One female fan from Missouri, who had flown out to see AKB48 at AX 2010, said that she never took Manoeri seriously.
None of these people understand.
Evidence is ample that Manoeri has a lot more talent than just playing her keyboard and singing admittedly tepid singles. For example, she shined – and I mean absolutely excelled – in breathing new life into Petit Moni, long an extinct piece of H!P history. Manoeri combined with °C-ute stars Nakky and Mai Mai to make that magic happen.
Petit Moni’s songs are neurotic and tough to perform, but Manoeri kicked them all straight to the moon. Of course, Nakky’s stunning look and Hagitty’s penetrating alto delivery combined with Manoeri to make that magic happen. It turned me from a Petit Moni critic to an avid supporter of Tsunku♂’s revival efforts.
And don’t forget the incredible "Honey Pie" opening of the Hello! Project Winter 2010 shuffle concert that had all the shuffle groups decked out in vinyl outfits featuring all the colors of the rainbow. It reminded one of a roll of human-sized, fruit-flavored Life Savers being rolled out for the wotas to enjoy.
Manoeri, Nakky and Mai Mai wore shiny cerise vinyl costumes that practically glowed.
Not only did Manoeri master Petit Moni, not to mention her own solos, she knew every dance step and lyric H!P has to offer and performed all of it. Too bad most fans are ambivalen, at best about her career and give her virtually zero appreciation. This is similar treatment to what Kanna and Umeda received prior to their exits from °C-ute last year. Both were hounded out of the company, mostly by cruel fans and misinformed bloggers.
But Manoeri, to this point, has prevailed. And now she appears to be poised to launch off to her own greener pastures. More on Manoeri's future with H!P can be found here,on one of the hottest blogs on the entire Internet:
http://bloggerparty.com/content/manoeri%E2%80%99s-movie-changes-everything
It takes some genuine talent to pull off what this quiet and disarming kid, Manoeri, has accomplished in two short years. And now, she’s being billed as the next “face of Japan” by her American fashion handlers. I hope Manoeri makes the most of this and silences her critics forever.
This is Rad♂ signing off – for now.
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