Tanaka Reina graduated from MM & H!P, 5/21 @ Nippon Budokan

[danzarely]

I'm about to say the most off topic thing ever, but all this talk has me hella nostaligic for early 2000s jpop:

It's a shame that SweetS would be popular if they were around now. Before their time they were.

[TotallyUncool]

Every time I listen to a SweetS song, I'm struck by how great they were -- the production/arrangement (and performance) on songs like "Tear Lemon Drop" an "Love Like Candy Floss" were just epic, and there isn't very much right now that could even touch them, at least not in that particular style. It seems like Avex really hasn't been able to find that formula again.

[Zunu]

^ They couldn't even equal themselves. I liked their later offerings fine, but they never equaled that kind of transcendent inevitable quality that great music has, the way a song upon first hearing can seem both a revelation and an old friend simultaneously.

[TotallyUncool]

That's exactly it. And maybe it's unfair for us to measure other groups against SweetS' early songs, but it's almost impossible not to.

[aishiteruaibon]

Oh man... just realized it's been 10 years for me since I first heard Jpop/got instantly hooked to it. I think I already mentioned somewhere not too long ago, but I'll mention it again since it's relative: I became a fan just as Go Girl ~Koi ni Victory~ was released back in 2003, but my first Momusu song that I heard was SAY YEAH! ~Motto Miracle Night~. Speaking of which... I think I'll listen to that now, I haven't heard it in so long.
♪ mirakuru mirakuru ♫

[Celedam]

…Ok here, I’m changing the subject, but I found these pics ”

Offshots from when we went to Hawaii~
When did we go to Hawaii again
It feels like such a long time ago…
The Morning Musume Alo Hello was also released recently

I was in such high spirits~
It’s cuz I knew that it’d be the last time I’d go to Hawaii as a Morning Musume~.

http://ameblo.jp/tanakareina-blog/entry-11410425962.html
http://blog-project.net/tanaka-reina/90657

Which means the decision was made a while ago. The band was not a whim or something she could do on the side while still in MM. This was the plan all along, as many of us guessed back then.

[wotakubrandon]

^I mean does any solo Morning Musume project stay a side project?

[Nayoko-Kihara]

^ Lots of them.

The ones that come to my mind right off are all anime related.

[wotakubrandon]

Buono! is the only one I can think of right now but I'm sleepy.

[esm]

I guess they didn't want to say anything definite (like with a graduation date) until the band thing works out, since we did see how the audition wasn't successful back in July and there had to be more auditions.