[Member Bio] (Purple) Reni Takagi

Takagi  Reni

高城  　 れに

たかぎ　れに

 

「Electric girl」, most commonly referred to as Reni(-chan)

 

Momoclo’s eldest member, and also arguably the very first person to join Momoclo, being part of the roster when Momoclo was still just a project on paper with not even a proper group name yet. Because of her seniority, she was also the first leader of the group, later handing the position over to Kanako in November of 2008. Although she’s the eldest member, by all means she seems more like the clueless, protecting big-sis type.

 

When you think of Reni, probably the first thing that stands out is her smile. Unlike Kanako’s contagious laugh, Reni’s smile is more of the healing type, giving a calm and relaxing feeling, and just generally cheerful.

Reni nearly always has a smile on her face

Reni with a more mature look still looks great!

But for me, I love “natural” Reni the best

She is the “clown character” of Momoclo, in no small part because of her erratic way of thinking and acting, to the point that even other members call her “weird.” If there’s ever a person on Momoclo most likely to go off the walls crazy on shows or programs, it would have to be Reni.

Another thing of note is her seemingly endless energy. Indeed, she is probably what we can describe as a “genki girl,” always yelling or jumping around. This is really noticeable in Momoclo’s 24 hour programs, where in contrast to other members who look exhausted by the next day, she is still cheerful and fooling around like usual.

I really wonder if her randomness and weirdness is her actual personality, or maybe just a persona?

Whatever the case, it seems that Reni is enjoying this role thrust upon her.

Besides this, it also seems that Reni is the chief provider of comfort among the members, being the one to reach out to the others in private life. Pretty fitting that she show signs of older sister affection considering she is the eldest. (lol)

In any case, one really cannot help but to love this always smiling girl.

[Member Bio] (Green) Momoka Ariyasu

Ariyasu 　Momoka

有安         　杏果

ありやす　　ももか

 

「Foolish little giant」, mostly refered to as Momoka

Nicknamed 「little frog」or「Dango」( a type of Japanese dumpling)

Reni’s pet name for her is 「Yassan」(short for Ariyasu-san)

 

Momoka was the latest member to the Momoclo lineup, joining on July 26th, 2009. With that said, in terms of years within the entertainment industry she is the most experienced out of all the members , starting since the super young age of 1. It is pretty easy to dig up old commercials and photo shoots with Momoka in them, and she has some super devoted fans(pre-Momoclo) that have stayed loyal throughout all these years. She is also the only one whom one can say has received proper training in the past, being a member of EXPG (affiliate institution of EXILE that specializes in dance and vocal training). Another interesting thing of note is that she is probably the only one within Momoclo that had her sights set on becoming a singer since the very start.

With hard work Momoka became a pretty forward ranked trainee of EXPG, and eventually she got a chance to tour as a backup dancer with EXILE, also making an appearance in one of their MV’s. Unfortunately, due to having a larger priority for school, she dropped out of EXPG and changed agencies to Stardust. There she was assigned to the idol group Power Age, which in a bad twist of fate, disbanded in less than 3 months after she joined (to further rain on the parade, the decision to disband was announced to Momoka on her birthday). This might have been a blessing in disguise though, as her next stop brought her into Momoclo.

With her extensive experience and professional training, Momoka’s addition made a huge impact on Momoclo. Or as Akarin put it, “it felt like we needed to step up our game.” From this point forward, Momoclo’s choreography increased in technical difficulty and intensity, gradually shaping into the Momoclo that we know today.

 

Momoka has the smallest figure out of all the members, which early on led her to be one of the two “little sister” types within Momoclo along with Shiorin. Nowadays though, Shiroin is much larger, so the only one who still looks like a little sister is Momoka. She does need to watch her figure a bit though….

Twin-tailed Momoka~

Besides this, Momoka is also famed for her selfies. To hide the fact that she has a rather large and round face, most of her selfies are taken from the same angle. This camera angle has since been coined as 「Momokakudo」(Momoka Angle)

In a way, it’s pretty impressive how she can hold the same pose in every picture…..

 

While we’re on the subject of “little sister,” this seems a pretty good point to talk about her personality.

[Member Bio] (Pink) Ayaka Sasaki

Sasaki 　　Ayaka

佐佐木　　　彩夏

ささき　　　あやか

 

「Momoclo’s Idol」, mostly goes by Arin (or, A-rin, Ahrin)

Nickname is simply Arin, though she also likes to be called Acchan. Also termed “Sasaki-pro” by the fans

 

Youngest member of the girls, joining Momoclo when she was only 12. Despite this, she is 2nd only to Momoka in terms of years of experience in the entertainment industry, being a child star since 1st grade. This experience is probably also the reason why she has a very high level of professionalism and good work ethic. Arin has always had good composure, and this was even more amplified when Akarin left the group, taking over the MC/talk duties on stage. She is also tasked with hyping the crowd up, something she does to great effect. Put simply, if there was any single member that could hold down the fort on their own, it would have to be Arin.

I commented previously on how Shiorin is regarded by many as a natural beauty. Well, Arin isn’t too far off herself, with her big round eyes, long silky hair, and soft skin.

It also helps that she is the most well-endowed out of all the girls. XD

Conveniently, this plays right into the fact that she is the self-termed “idol” of the group, actively projecting a “playful sexiness” image.

Arin in 2010! I’m always amused by the contrast between Arin of then and Arin of now…

As Momoclo’s idol of course I have to have an idol-like body. I’m Arin da yo!

[Member Bio] (Yellow) Shiori Tamai

Tamai          Shiori 

玉井　　　　詩織

たまい　　　  しおり

「Everyone’s little sister」, normally goes by 「Shiorin」

Also nicknamed 「若大將」(Young Ace)

 

Probably most characterized by her love of food and her natural sense of curiosity, Shiorin’s abilities are the most well-rounded out of all the members, boasting athleticism only second to Kanako, being very qiuck-witted and sharp during talk/MC segments, all while also being the most stable out of the girls in singing. Put simply, this is a girl with no real weaknesses, and in these past few years, you really get the sense that she is almost an unofficial sub-leader of the group.

However, she was not always this dependable. In fact, during the early years of Momoclo (pre-2010), Shiorin was mostly known as the crybaby of the group, having a very timid nature, hence the reason for her nickname/catchphrases. During that time period, she was so sensitive that she would start crying simply through a few pranks by older-aged members (courtesy of Reni and 0th generation members, though mostly in good-humor)

 

 

Momoclo has always been a group that focused more on their crafts and performances rather than showing skin or relying on their looks/bodies, partly to set themselves apart from other groups, and also partly because, well, it’s not exactly their strength when compared to their peers. (lol)

With that said however, Shiorin is the one who will generally be praised for her looks. This is especially noticeable when you listen to remarks and comments made by non-fans, most of whom consider Shiorin the best-looking member from Momoclo. Her style in earlier years consisted of twin-pigtails, which coupled with her small figure, made her into one of the two “sister” types in Momoclo alongside Momoka. During 2011, after Momoclo released their first album「Battle and Romance」, she made the declaration that she would cut her hair if they didn’t take first place on the weekly Oricon rankings. They got 2nd place, and so starting from Momoclo’s 2011 Summer Dive Gokuraku-mon Concert, Shiroin revealed her short hairstyle to the public, which she continues to sport to this day (and in fact, even getting shorter and shorter……)

In the early days, Shiroin definitely took on the role of the cutesy-innocent kawaii type

Shiorin with her hair down

This is her hairstyle since 2011, giving her a more mature look

 

Though as a nature beauty, it really doesn’t matter if her hair is short or long

 

Wait a minute…..you’re turning into a boy now!! Abort!!!!

Coincidentally, it was after Shiorin changed her hairstyle that she started becoming the reliable 「Young Ace」we’ve come to be familiar with. Nowadays, with her spurt of growth, she is pretty much the tallest out of the girls, which coupled with her stronger personality becomes quite an interesting contrast to the “little sister” introduction that she still uses.

[Member Bio] (Red) Kanako Momota

Momota 　Kanako

百田 　　　夏菜子

ももた　　　かなこ

 

「Cinderella of the Tea Plantations」, normally called by fans as Kanako (Knk)

Also commonly called, 「leader」, 「deko-chan」, or just simple 「red」

 

One of the easiest members to tell apart from the others, with her unique triforce of dimples, large forehead, and canine teeth (八重歯)

She has a very bright smile that is so infectious one can’t help but to smile or laugh along with her.

One of her favorite ways of acting cute is to wink at the camera and then giggle to herself.

 

I’ve read somewhere that Kanako is pretty self-conscious of her looks, and doesn’t really like her appearance. I guess one can’t exactly fault her for that line of thinking- it is pretty rare to have large foreheads and canine teeth in the entertainment industry. But I will say that her looks grow on you more and more as you become familiar with her. Everyone has personal taste’s I guess, lol

Kanako when she still looked very childlike

I must say she grew up beautifully, but one thing she’s retained is her smile

And who might THIS lady be? XD