Board Thread:News and Announcements/@comment-4074115-20150430000714/@comment-27153547-20150430053532

I feel like a lot of the contention between people would be nonexistent if both Factory groups had been announced at the same time ... which I feel would have been a better idea, but then you'd have them releasing at nearly the same time too. Plus, Country Girls weren't much sooner than Kobushi Factory, there wasn't nearly as much of a riot then. It's only the naming, which considering that both are KSS units starting at the same time, I think it's a neat naming scheme.

I for one am excited for both groups. Nen ni wa Nen and Survivor were both really good and I'm just gonna wade through the inevitable storm that happens when Tsubaki Factory releases a single and ppl don't deem it as good... Also, they haven't actually DEBUTED, they're still just units. (Imagine them making ALL of KSS split into units like the Teams for AKB and their groups.)

I feel like H!P has planned this since the beginning, though. Berryz leaving, NG!P KSS disbanding, adding their best members to H!P KSS, debuting a few of them and most of the eldest current KSS as well, C-ute possibly leaving in the future - it all feels very calculated on their part. It could even stem back to Sayu leaving - one of their most popular members leaves and they need to bring in new blood.

(Also, I'm glad they're spiritual successors to Berryz Kobou.,, It's been said before that in HP, they were the group with the longest collective tenure (with some grey area around Melon Kinenbi i think) and it's /still/ disconcerting thinking that Berryz is gone.)