Mitsui Aika to graduate from Morning Musume。on 5/18

[Menno]

So this will be a double graduation on 05/18.

I can't say that I'm surprised that she going. Just this morning when I watched todays TV performance I noticed that I didn't notice that she wasn't there. That's not a good sign.

And let's be honest, she was pretty much doomed from the moment that it was only her that came into the rehearsal room where MM was waiting for the results of the audition. Pretty much everyone on JPM had a WTF reaction, even if that reaction wasn't necessarily because of her but because it was again just 1 girl that was chosen. It was still a 1st impression that is often very sticky.

[Sohee]

I really hope that at least they record a graduation DVD for her and have it ready at least on the 18th.

[Celedam]

Impossible. USB sticks, maybe, like they've been doing with recent concerts, but not DVDs.

[Zunu]

She's basically been "graduated" for a long time, so I can't say I feel much at this point. Except that it sucks that Risa has to share her graduation with a much less prominent girl.

[lynnkung]

Really want this to be Risa's memory concert alone.. wish they'd wait till summer tour but I guess summer is HP concert which is too big for Aika to graduate from?

[Sohee]

Impossible. USB sticks, maybe, like they've been doing with recent concerts, but not DVDs.

Why would it be impossible though? Aika's not doing much Renai Hunter promo so they definitely can record her segment in one day. While recording the messages from the members can be done in between rehearsals and stuff.
The actual bringing it to DVD-ness, surely can't take that long? Or maybe I'm forgetting something.

[MrMoondoggie]

i guess we only have the question marks of Asuka, Sayaka & Ayappe. i don't know enough information about any of them to know how much notice they gave before they graduated, and whether they even got graduations (i know Asuka did, not sure about the others).

I'm pretty sure they all had proper graduations. I've seen Asuka's and Sayaka's, and I've read reports of Ayappe's. And even though they were on somewhat short notice by today's standard — those first few years were a wild time, with UFA still trying to figure out the whole audition-to-graduation cycle — it was still more than two weeks.

They all had graduations though they were a bit small and not that much ceremony compared to how they did things later on. Just a footnote at the end of the concert where the leader says a few words and they give flowers and that's it. I think the only one who got something resembling ceremony was Asuka though it was still pretty small since it was the early days. Yuko was really the first graduation where a huge deal was made of it and then they continued like that.


And they had quite a bit of notice and made the announcements in time to make their last TV appearances so they stuck around for a while before they left to do that. So yeah Aika's notice is pretty fast not counting situations where they had to remove somebody as quick as possible with no graduation concert.

[Echidna]

it should be only Risa's grad concert! not Risa + some ghost member can't they just let her go like Mari or Miki? O_o she isn't full-time member of MM for a long time, Risa is far more important, she deserves her own graduation!
I'm really pissed

[MrMoondoggie]

She's basically been "graduated" for a long time, so I can't say I feel much at this point. Except that it sucks that Risa has to share her graduation with a much less prominent girl.

Niigaki wanted to have a shared graduation in the first place so i guess she got her wish. And honestly when it comes to prominence i dunno Niigaki has hardly been a massively loved member in Japan over the years she's come under as much flack for random things as Aika has some somehow it's kind of fitting they graduate together because they both suffered from fan complaints.

And for myself it's kind of fitting with two members i never really disliked but always felt a bit indifferent towards like they were just group members. But in any case i wish them both well. Risa i'm sure has a great future ahead of her doing whatever she wants and Aika well i hope she fan find something that works for her and won't cause her injury.

[Sohee]

I don't mind them sharing the graduation, really. But I really wish Aika would have been given a bit more proper treatment. People complain about her stealing Gaki's thunder or whatever, but really? While not the most popular member, I definitely feel that Aika should be given more than just to graduate on the 18th. Hopefully she'll get to sing a solo, but aside from that I really hope they manage to come up with at least some kind of goods or whatever. I really want a DVD.
Gaki probably doesn't mind sharing the spotlight with Aika, but I'm pretty damn sure that Aika herself feel really bad about all of this. Especially because it's "supposed" to be Gaki's night and whatnot.

What bugs me the most, I guess, is that Gaki wanted to graduate and so that's a good graduation. Aika doesn't want to. She's (pretty much) forced to go against her own will - though of course she chose to because of her injury but y'know. And that's just... .__. I really feel sorry for her. Good thing is, I guess, that she'll probably still take part in the H!P concerts and she won't just disappear. But I definitely think she deserves more than to just be a sudden addition to Gaki's grad like this.