I'm not sure how much of a hot take this is, but nepotism in contracting talent isn't necessarily a bad thing, having a pre-established connection means they're familiar with the culture right away which'll endear them to viewers quicker.Oh boy Nepotism-INVADERS-2-Megumi-Boogaloo Gen 3 never
It's why as much as I love ripping into VShojo I was never bothered by the Haruka/applications controversy. It's not an uncommon tactic - fast-track the people you know will be a good fit right away, but keep applications open in case anyone else you wouldn't want to pass up on applies. Recruiting talent is a completely different ball game to more traditional employment, where you have to at least pretend you're giving everyone an equal opportunity.