[5/30] Tamura Meimi has graduated from Angerme and H!P

[riversong]

Well, any chance I had of ever getting interested in ANGERME is officially leaving.

[AyuHikaru]

She was next on the list after Kanon

This is probably an obvious thing I'm overlooking but what list is this you're referring to?

Unless someone found one of those "$GROUP$ CURSE" photos?

"Look at candid_group_shot_337.jpg ~~~! Kanon's eyes are completely closed or zero percent open and she just left. Meimi's are 1/4 open, she's next! And Katsuta's eyes are 2/7ths open. Bye Bye Rinapuu!!!"


".....Akari's eyes are 180% open"

You don't understand Zunu! If you are even a little bit surprised, then you're completely uncool and bad at paying attention!

[Sohee]

Spring already? Wtf.

Will keep my eyes open on musicals for her though. Will support her so goddamn much, I hope she manages to make a name for herself cause she really deserves it. <3

[Shoujo Q]

Meimi can totally stay in UF and do musicals. Half of the OGs, that's all they do. Part of me wants to see that happen. Part of me also wants to see her in a Japanese production of Les Misérables. Which I think may in fact be her dream. And a dream she couldn't realize as a member of an idol group.

I'm just so upset because I never actually got to see her, talk to her, tell her how amazing she is. I'm just so sad. And it's all coming so quickly. 2015, suck year to be a H!P fan.

[resop2]

I think Meimi will have a lot of success in musical theater. There is a part of me that believes that if UF had earlier given her a photobook she might have stayed.

[AyuHikaru]

It's scary because we don't know what will really happen with Meimi, but I'm hoping she takes off like Mano Erina did after her grad. YOU CAN DO IT MEIMI.

[Shoujo Q]

^UF may suggest a girl get a photobook but they aren't going to force them. It's not that type of company. Meimi is more comfortable in theater and she's going down that road. She's not going down the model/visual road. Even before she joined she was in theater. This idol road was basically a side road if you think about it.

[downfrontguy]

Tamura indeed has some talents and potentials to overcome her idol origin and truly be successful as a professional unlike the rest of the current H!P roster in my view.

I am not necessarily putting down other girls, but it's just the nature of business in my view - no one (except idol fans) really takes ex-idol seriously, deservedly or not. There is no one from H!P, current or OG, who really broke free from their ex-idol status and taken seriously by the general public and critics. It's like "once an idol, it's forever, like it or not" and the best outcome is to become a TV talent(o).

I can't think of any ex-idol after 2000, ex-H!P or not, who is taken seriously as a professional singer, so that's that. I don't know how truly successful Mano is as an actress -she seems to be doing ok. And I suspect theater OGs like Niigaki and Abe aren't taken that seriously by the general public and critics -and almost certainly no one takes occasional dabblers like Takahashi or some others seriously. Too soon to tell about Sudou. Tamura, on the other hand, hasn't done anything yet but she seems to be cut from a different cloth in comparison. She may never be a leading lady type -I'm afraid she may not have "the look", but I could be wrong on this-, but she definitely has the potentials to be successful.

I selfishly hope that she doesn't get into Takarazuka, in particular, though. I know it's strangely popular among some past and current H!P girls, but they have very stylized way of singing and it really limits its actresses from singing in any other way. Not at all a fan of their singing style. If you thought H!P was ruining her singing (i.e. recent wotaintranslation post), Takarazuka would kill it for good.

[resop2]

^
I'm not sure if Meimi would qualify for the Takarazuka review. She might be too short.

However, there are tons of musicals every year so I am sure that Meimi will be able to get steady work. Heck, even Reina is going to be in a Fushigi Yuugi musical next year.

[AyuHikaru]

Tamura indeed has some talents and potentials to overcome her idol origin and truly be successful as a professional unlike the rest of the current H!P roster in my view.

I am not necessarily putting down other girls, but it's just the nature of business in my view - no one (except idol fans) really takes ex-idol seriously, deservedly or not. There is no one from H!P, current or OG, who really broke free from their ex-idol status and taken seriously by the general public and critics. It's like "once an idol, it's forever, like it or not" and the best outcome is to become a TV talent(o).

This is exactly why I tend to drop the idol BS from a girl once they graduate. They leave my favorite idol list, I don't call them idols anymore, etc etc. If they even have a chance they have to drop that stigma and yeah just me doing it won't help them at all, but it's my own way of nudging them forward.

But there have been some break out idols over the years (Ayumi Hamasaki, Namie Amuro, Erina Mano, Mai Satoda arguably, etc etc) it's just REALLY hard to lose that title once they have it. And it probably was a lot easier back in the day when the entire country wasn't completely obsessed with everything idol.