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I wrote this during a long card ride yesterday expressing some of my feelings in light of the recent news. It was a really sad day for me and i'm sure it was for many others in this fandom.
Today will be remembered as one of the saddest day in my time as a fan of hello!project/Morning Musume. Sayashi Riho has announced her graduation very suddenly and unexpectedly. Hardlyanyone, even the other members of Morning Musume, saw this coming and I’m no exception. I fully expected, with her powerful presence as ace for her to continue as a member for several more years. Even if she didn’t remain center I thought for sure she would continue to help improve Morning Musume and lead the group into a new defining era. Yet here I am today shocked to hear that she is leaving in two months. When I first became a fan two and a half years ago my first impression of Riho was based off of a lot of negative opinions of her bouncing around the international fandom. I remember there being so many negative comments about her bad voice and smuggish attitude. So while my positive attention was grabbed immediately by Zukki and Sakura I jumped on the bandwagon of low key hating onher. I really thought she didn’t deserve her position and wasn’t talented. I remember asking myself why on earth she was so popular with the wota. But slowly during my first year as a fan she began to grow on me. I began realizing how stupid many people’s and my own rash judgements about her were. I noticed her intensely powerful presence on stage, her dance skills and yes even her voice, which although wasn’t always stable, is powerful and carries. I found her dorky and awkward character endearing and relatable and in contrast her seriousness when it came to her work, inspiring. When I saw her perform in NYC last October I got to see her on stage and fell in love even more and I have regretted that day so much because I lost my chance to meet her and shake her hand (that's another story..). All ofthis has some how drawn me to her and I’ve gained so much affection for her in my short two and a half years as a fan. I don’t even own a Riho photo-book, I haven’t been her fan since the beginning and I haven’t covered my walls in her photos, still she has stolen my heart. She’s an inspiration for me because she has taken on tremendous pressures as center and persevered amidst those challenges. She has strived for quality and worked extremely hard to be the best she could be. If you can’t recognize her dedication I don’t know what to say to you. It saddens me to think that she had to struggle with the pressure of being center alone at times and could not rely on her fellow members for support. I can’t imagine what that does to an adolescent mind. Riho never asked for her position as center yet she took it on bravely and did her best to show people what Morning Musume represents. I’m comforted by the notion that she is moving towards doing what she really loves and I truly hope that she’ll be able to do that freely without the burden she’s been carrying for the last 5 years. I’m thankful that she isn’t disappearing from our sight, that would be more devastating, and that I’ll be able to support her in her endeavors. I hope until the very end she realizes how loved and appreciated she is and that she will be sorely missed. There were certainly be a hole left by her that can’t be filled (at least in my heart) yet I’ll continue supporting Morning Musume because this is the reality of what Morning Musume is. I understand now how so many fans have struggled to move on when their favorites leave but this is how the group evolves over the years. All this is to say that whether you liked Riho or not she made a tremendous impact on the group. Every member leaves their mark on the groupand Riho has certainly left hers. Thank you Riho, for inspiring me and for capturing so many hearts these 5 years. You will not be forgotten.
Today will be remembered as one of the saddest day in my time as a fan of hello!project/Morning Musume. Sayashi Riho has announced her graduation very suddenly and unexpectedly. Hardlyanyone, even the other members of Morning Musume, saw this coming and I’m no exception. I fully expected, with her powerful presence as ace for her to continue as a member for several more years. Even if she didn’t remain center I thought for sure she would continue to help improve Morning Musume and lead the group into a new defining era. Yet here I am today shocked to hear that she is leaving in two months. When I first became a fan two and a half years ago my first impression of Riho was based off of a lot of negative opinions of her bouncing around the international fandom. I remember there being so many negative comments about her bad voice and smuggish attitude. So while my positive attention was grabbed immediately by Zukki and Sakura I jumped on the bandwagon of low key hating onher. I really thought she didn’t deserve her position and wasn’t talented. I remember asking myself why on earth she was so popular with the wota. But slowly during my first year as a fan she began to grow on me. I began realizing how stupid many people’s and my own rash judgements about her were. I noticed her intensely powerful presence on stage, her dance skills and yes even her voice, which although wasn’t always stable, is powerful and carries. I found her dorky and awkward character endearing and relatable and in contrast her seriousness when it came to her work, inspiring. When I saw her perform in NYC last October I got to see her on stage and fell in love even more and I have regretted that day so much because I lost my chance to meet her and shake her hand (that's another story..). All ofthis has some how drawn me to her and I’ve gained so much affection for her in my short two and a half years as a fan. I don’t even own a Riho photo-book, I haven’t been her fan since the beginning and I haven’t covered my walls in her photos, still she has stolen my heart. She’s an inspiration for me because she has taken on tremendous pressures as center and persevered amidst those challenges. She has strived for quality and worked extremely hard to be the best she could be. If you can’t recognize her dedication I don’t know what to say to you. It saddens me to think that she had to struggle with the pressure of being center alone at times and could not rely on her fellow members for support. I can’t imagine what that does to an adolescent mind. Riho never asked for her position as center yet she took it on bravely and did her best to show people what Morning Musume represents. I’m comforted by the notion that she is moving towards doing what she really loves and I truly hope that she’ll be able to do that freely without the burden she’s been carrying for the last 5 years. I’m thankful that she isn’t disappearing from our sight, that would be more devastating, and that I’ll be able to support her in her endeavors. I hope until the very end she realizes how loved and appreciated she is and that she will be sorely missed. There were certainly be a hole left by her that can’t be filled (at least in my heart) yet I’ll continue supporting Morning Musume because this is the reality of what Morning Musume is. I understand now how so many fans have struggled to move on when their favorites leave but this is how the group evolves over the years. All this is to say that whether you liked Riho or not she made a tremendous impact on the group. Every member leaves their mark on the groupand Riho has certainly left hers. Thank you Riho, for inspiring me and for capturing so many hearts these 5 years. You will not be forgotten.
