Takagi Sayuki left Juice=Juice and Hello! Project as of 02/13/2021

[Zunu]

I don't think they forced her to leave.
But if Sayuki would have stayed now and would announce her graduation in a few months, wotas could be disappointed like: 'We agreed to her staying and now she is abusing our trust by leaving anyways.'
So my guess is, this has just sped up her leaving by loosing a graduation period.

Makes perfect sense to me, especially considering the fact that UF are not for now breaking ties with her.

She knew the rules and broke them. UFA can only do what they’ve always done to not set a bad example.

This is the idol industry
Not saying she shouldn’t get to be a normal person but she did know the rules and broke them
So I don’t feel sorry fo her?

It doesn't really looks like she has any real regrets here so I agree there's no reason to be sorry (except for the disappointed fans, maybe). But at the same time, just saying "she knew the rules and broke them" is kind of a cop out. These "rules" are a relic from 20 years ago. UF aren't forced by some law of nature to do what they've always done. It's time for them to re-examine their policies. I agree with Celedam here:

There's a difference between a 15-year-old girl dating and a 23-year-old woman dating.

It's one thing to discourage dating for their teenaged employees. Allowing it would cause many to view the girls as bad role models. It would at the least interfere with Up Front's reputation as a more wholesome, benevolent-custodian counterpart to the slimy Vernalossom empire (ex AKS). But grown women SHOULD be able to have happy public romantic lives. Might doing so adversely affect their fan following? Maybe. But so might changing their hairstyle, or NOT changing their hairstyle, or straightening their teeth, or NOT straightening their teeth, or doing a photobook, or NOT doing photobooks, etc. In other words, they're adults, and their choices in life have inevitable consequences. But they should still be allowed to make them, to the extent that they're not actually bringing shame upon the organization. Example of choices that UF would have to swiftly respond to: an affair with a married man, which is still a serious scandal in Japan. A tattoo. Drunken behavior. But adult celebrities dating isn't something that requires a response. It might be gossip, but it's not a scandal, except that Up Front allow it to be so by taking punitive action. If they were to say, "We don't comment on the personal affairs of our adult-aged performers," that would be the end of it.

[aerosuffly]

My impression is that UFP, who is in charge of managing H!P idols, is not actually enforcing the no dating rules, especially on older members, but they have to play by the rule books of the UF hierarchy, who cares most about business and their reputation. In one of the idol mo iccho episode, the sunglasses host said that Nishiguchi director is quite progressive, and it is thanks to him that H!P idols are more free to use social media now. So I think UFP cares but they have to follow the rule books of the company.

[Sohee]

^Yeah, that's my impression too. They're VERY nice and understanding of these things - which I appreciate a lot. But, they're also an idol company in Japan so even if they'd wanna change how things are done, I doubt they can do so in the blink of an eye AND keep all their revenue. Which is why the whole thing pisses me off, cause I definitely get the impression that if Japanese society in general were okay with idols over 20 dating, this wouldn't have been an issue. But in general, Japan isn't. And thus that's the mindset most of the girls have. Even if they don't feel like that they're doing something wrong - even with the backing of their company - the fact is that it's goddamn ingrained in them that their fans believing that they're single and "innocent" and whatever, comes first and they owe them that in return for their support.

And it's ridiculous. Unless the girls don't break the law and as long as they're able to do their job there shouldn't be a problem v.v

[B8067HC]

It's like unwritten rules, "if you already passed 20s and have a bf, please consider to graduate, and please don't get caught, or else you have to take a responsibility". I think it make sense, as long as they already "mature enough" to doing things. By the way she's still in agency right.

[rikkikow]

a song was written

Spoiler: show

[Celedam]

From another thread…

Found a new channel created by a female wota who loves Hello! Project and BABYMETAL. That fits with us here, of course, but what really makes her channel noteworthy is that she also uses it to practice her English. She occasionally speaks English, and she also subtitles most of her videos in English. It's both cute and impressive.

She has some thoughts about Takagi…

[Amped]

In this week's We Are Juice=Juice radio show, in a sad tone, Tomoko and Manaka made the announcement and apologies about Takagi Sayuki ending her activities. They share some of their memories with her.



They will have to keep apologizing for her.

[Shoujo Q]

Oda Sakura had a LOT to say on the subject of Sayuki in her latest blog post. A lot more open than I expected from a girl STILL in H!P. I wish I could find a decent translation that wasn't a broken twitter feed read. (I'm on my iphone.)

[Moh]

I took screenshots of this Twitter thread summarizing the post.

[Amped]

Oda Sakura

This is Oda Sakura.

I'm sure the past few days have been very complicated for Hello! Project and its fans.

I would like to summarize the various things that have come to my mind during this period.

I usually cut parts of what I say and that part often gets bigger than the rest.

Recently, there have been some people who were concerned about my feelings because they imagined what I was going through.

And so the image of me grows again.

It's true that the person you imagine me to be is the person I am, as an idol.

However, it makes me very anxious to imagine when it is far from what I really am and I can't stand it.

This blog is my true feelings, which may be a little different from what you imagine.

I have been an idol for 9 years and have seen many idols from various genres.

If you don't like it, please ignore this blog.

There is something that makes me uncomfortable about the way idols are being treated these days.

This time, I'd like to talk about female idols.

My impression is that a generation ago, idols were at their peak.

The idols of the 1970s and 1980s seemed to have been idols with weapons such as "singing," "outstanding looks," and "star power".

Now, I feel that the "girl" itself has become a weapon.

We often see lyrics that are directed towards guys.

It's becoming more and more familiar.

Singing and dancing are things that require natural sense, study, and effort.

The number of idols will inevitably increase if we have to fight with something that everyone has had since birth, and the choice is based on preference or the order in which we see them first.

In spite of this, I love Hello! Project for trying to use music as a weapon.

So the reality is that even someone like Takagi-san, who had the greatest weapon of all, her singing voice, was sometimes unable to fight.

I felt that music was not the most important thing for her.

It made me very sad.

So all the hard work we've put into singing, dancing, dieting, etc. as idols is for nothing?

Does "idol" properly belong in the entertainment of music?

All I can think about is one thing,
is I hope that idols will be evaluated by their individuality and music.

But this is just a thought I had because I love music.

As a professional, I've always thought that what I receive from you is for my singing, dancing, smiling, sparkling, etc.

I used to think that I was only getting them for what I did on stage.

But if they included my personal life as well

I think I need to change the way I laze around at home.

I think the reason why idols are in this position is to make a distinction between "idols" and "singers".


Then I wonder what an idol is.



I'd like to think that what I've done to be Morning Musume, to be on stage, is not in vain.


However, I don't like people who use the title "idol" for something other than their work.



I don't know if this will change while I'm still working, but I hope that the day will come when "idols" can be more independent.



I think it would be great if the happiness of the idols themselves and the happiness of their fans were proportional!


I would like to continue to face music so as not to be ashamed of this statement.



Oda Sakura

https://ameblo.jp/morningmusume-10ki/en ... 94088.html