by iceymoon » Thu May 21, 2015 2:01 pm
Kanyon was my favorite since S/mileage was formed, but after Sakichi graduated and 2nd gen was added, my feelings for the members changed.. i realized that what i loved most was their dynamic as 4nin. so even though i have some lingering fondness for her and was sad to hear she's leaving, it was easy to accept. i've already mourned the loss of the 4nin dynamic, and a lot of what i loved most about Nyon went along with that lineup.
plus, when 3rd gen was announced, i was thinking one or both of 1st gen must have either already been thinking about graduating, or have started to see it as a not far-off possibility. it wouldn't have been a shock for an announcement like this to come from either of them. i still think Ayacho might graduate a year or two after Nyon.. i've heard girls before saying they're not going anywhere, only to announce their graduation a year or less later (Reina, and i think Sayu as well, and my memory is rusty so i no longer remember who, but Reina wasn't the first one i remember thinking this about).
i think the mentality might be that your status is "absolutely not graduating" all the way up until the day before you announce your graduation. otherwise, you'd be alluding to something that's not official yet, which is never good when it comes to big announcements (since you never know what can happen to change/interrupt plans).