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

[Chibs]

I am not saying she was forced to quit, or that she doesn't find Lovendor appealing, I am saying the graduation most likely wasn't her going to Tsunku saying I want out, but rather management approaching her about it.

[danzarely]

Reina didn't choose to go. Reina didn't choose to start a band. Management/Tsunku chose that.

Of course they will never say a girl is ousted. That's why they make it flattering with "graduation" - it isn't a graduation. Bitches just gotta go. That's how it is.

[AyuHikaru]

I'm not so sure about that. UF, for all their faults, are really good a facilitating a girls dreams when they do graduate. Risa and Ai wanted to be actresses, so they getting into stage plays (Aichan has a drama coming up I believe?), Mano wanted to focus more on acting so their helping with that, Koharu wanted to be a model - BOOM model. Reina has always wanted to be a singer, and her favorite acts tend to be rock ones, it's not surprising when/if they asked her what she wanted to do, she said "Have a band." They probably just helped her along with her dream, rather than forcing it onto her.

I'm pretty sure if UF completely controlled the decision, Aichan would be a singer, Koharu would be a children's show variety gal/anime singer, they probably would have tried to through Risa in the variety circuit , and Mano would still be idolling it up in Hello Project.

[Sohee]

So the story Reina tells in her DVD about her going directly to Tsunku to say "I'm graduating! Tomorrow!" and Tsunku's suggestion for the band starting activities in two years is all made up? Oh, okay.

[Chibs]

Is it implausible that the story might be spun a different way than it actually is, to make it sound better?

[Sohee]

If it wasn't true, why go into detail and mention it at all?

Girl wanted to graduate. It sucks for MM, I'd love for her to be in the group for a longer time too, but UF agreed on speeding up the band-process and that's all there is to it. I really don't see why that's so hard to believe.

[randompasserby]

Is it implausible that the story might be spun a different way than it actually is, to make it sound better?

It's always a good idea to maintain a healthy skepticism and try to read between the lines of any official announcements but when there's nothing whatsoever to indicate the opposite (in the case of Aichan, Gakisan and Reina) and all materials candid or official point to the same conclusion that yes, some girls are indeed given the choice when to graduate at their discretion, insisting otherwise is just... idk your own projection on how the world works?

Tbh though, barring scandals, injuries or whatever the case with JunLIn is, I don't think anyone was ever, strictly speaking, forced to get out of Momusu.
Going by the official lines, most of the time they were just asked to think of their futures and whether they still see themselves in Momusu. It's really not that unreasonable to accept that some of them would've wanted to move on at some point imo. Ultimately, the fact that they all seem to came to terms with it by the time of their graduations and even after is always supported by their agencies suggest that there's no bad blood between them as would've been natural if they were indeed kicked out.

[Jessi]

Jun/Lin were definitely forced out and probably the only ones who were. Tsunku failed expanding into Asia and with tensions as they are in Japan regarding Chinese and Koreans (despite it being among a minority of the Japanese for sure) I think it wouldn't fit into his reborn Morning Musume idea to keep them around. Plus they are "exchange students" which means "hey your visa expired time to go!!!!" I am exaggerating a little bit but I think that since they were Chinese they weren't treated as fairly. It's why they didn't get a lot of attention while they were in the group and why they were so easily shafted. Of course Tsunku also argued the whole "need to have time to make careers in china" thing. But even still it was Tsunkus choice not theirs and that's kind of sad. I still remember their blog posts about it and how shocked and heartbroken they were. You could tell it wasn't their decision.

[wotakubrandon]

Girl wanted to graduate.

I thought she wasn't to be leader? I think more than anything Reina wants to be leader of something.

I mean there's no question that some girls are probably given a little...push to graduate but I think some girls are ready on their own. I'm sure outside of a few cases (Koharu/JunLin) they discuss it with management/Tsunku and come to a decision.

Also how did people not see JunJun and LinLin's graduation coming a mile away? Foreign exchange students? There were essentially around long enough to get a diploma.

[Sohee]

Reina's dream was apparently (if we're to believe what Reina/Eri said in Eri's grad DVD, and at Rival Survival is true) for Rokkies to become the top of MM - which they now have been since Gakisan graduated.
She probably always wanted to be the leader somehow but with being on the top with Sayu she wasn't far off. And now she's the leader of Lovendor anyway lol.