hm... Do you know what Japanese idols are like?

"Some of those who do are able to hide that fact successfully"

and of course we know that they have and know that they are able to hide it succesfully)

And there are only idols that had boyfriends but they were not able to hide it successfully

Anyhow for Momoclo there haven't even been rumors yet
So they're good! :)
(and Stardust is protecting them as much as possible I think)

May be, but this doesn't concern the views of idol fans on it
I remember a little scandal when Aarin was filmed together with a schoolmate accompanying her

ebizori said:

May be, but this doesn't concern the views of idol fans on it

Momoiro Clover Z aren't typical idols, and their fans aren't typical idol fans. They haven't been for years, but the fact that they're in their early 20s now (in fact Reni will be 24 in three months) removes any hope that they can appeal to fans who need their idols to be middle or high school age virgins.

If they're to be successful, they need to own up to the fact that they're adults now, and seek to appeal to an audience that is interested in them as adults. Which they're doing, so they should be fine.

Mattthecat said:

And in many respects Momoclo are a typical idol group.

If you say so. I can't think of many. They're even moving away from the complex dance choreography idols typically rely on during live performances. These days, at least half the songs on a Momoclo live DVD are choreography-free.

There are quite a few idol groups who don't really have great dance routines
Momoclo still do the whole idol route: Singing, dancing, acting, variety, even a bit of photo sessions on Hustle Press
They have the color scheme and the roleplaying.
And they're there to entertain and make you smile. That's the core of being an idol

The thing that still differentiates them the most is the fact that they don't cater to the erotic appeal.
Which is certainly an important difference

But I think we're going away from the original question at the moment :)
I believe there are still enough male fans who would be p....d off if it became known that their favorite member had a boyfriend

I hope there's a way for them to be in a relationship without it negatively affecting their career/image (that is, if they want to be in one).

I just can't imagine them permanently udateable while pursuing their MCZ career!

Mattthecat said:

There are quite a few idol groups who don't really have great dance routines
Momoclo still do the whole idol route: Singing, dancing, acting, variety, even a bit of photo sessions on Hustle Press
They have the color scheme and the roleplaying.
And they're there to entertain and make you smile. That's the core of being an idol

The thing that still differentiates them the most is the fact that they don't cater to the erotic appeal.
Which is certainly an important difference

Most of these things aren't specific to Japanese idols, they're specific to pop stars in general. Western pop stars do the same things. Variety/comedy talk shows, light acting, singing, dancing, voice work, photo sessions for magazines are all pop star things.

The five things I can think of off the top of my head, that make groups like Momusu and AKB different from western pop stars (these are the things western articles tend to lead with, when they're trying to explain the difference between Japanese idols and western pop stars) are:
1. the no boyfriend rule
2. the unusual, erotic photobooks and DVDs they sell directly to fans (western pop stars do erotic stuff too, but they don't sell them directly, they do them as an image building mechanism, for free, for magazines...and while they may have more nudity because nudity is less tabu in the west, they're still not quite as overtly sexual as the idol DVDs)
3. the "expiration date" when they reach their early 20s, with a new generation of young girls being rolled in
4. the handshake events, and all the other unusual things they do to sell multiple copies of the same product
5. the virtually male-only audience

Momoclo don't have any of that. If anything, they're less gimmicky and niche than even modern western pop stars. They're like a 70s, 80s or 90s all female pop act, aimed at the widest possible audience (both genders, and all ages).

As for the color scheme, that's from a TV show (Gorenjai). Did any other idol group do it before Momoclo?