royalpalmtree

I don't think I've posted in this forum since Kago's first scandal...

This came out of nowhere. What a total shock. I expected Koharu to stick around for another 2 years or so, at the very least. I guess this means that Kimagure Princess will be Koharu's last MM single? And as some people pointed out, it's weird that she's in the 2010 calendar. I wonder just how recently this decision was made? Umeda isn't in C-ute's 2010 calendar.

I assumed that the next graduation would unfortunately be one of the 5th or 6th gen members (most of us probably did). I'm surprised that she's leaving not just MM, but H!P. She's been a member for a while now, but not as long as most members who graduate from H!P. I wonder if there was something about the idol world that just wasn't for her.

In all honestly though, I can't say I'll miss her at all. I feel bad for her fans; I know it'll be really hard for them to see her go. But personally, I disliked her from the beginning, and she never did manage to grow on me like I hoped she would. This will be the 10th Morning Musume graduation/resignation that has taken place since I've been a MoMusu fan...and this is the first time I have ever actually been happy about a member leaving. Sorry, Koha fans...I just never liked the girl, and I can't even explain why.

I do wish her all the best though. I think it would have been better to stay an idol for a few more years and then move into modeling, but if modeling is what she is passionate about doing, then she should go for it. I just really hope it was her decision as well as Tsunku's. As much as I'll be glad to see her go, I'd hate to think that this move was not totally her choice. And unfortunately, the wording in Tsunku's statement kind of makes it sound like it was mostly, or even completely, his decision, and she's just kind of going along with it and trying to make the best of it. I hope this is what she really wants to do.

I don't think your getting what I'm saying at all. All this is my opinion, I think they should have gone ahead with everything.

We're not going to agree on this, are we?

From a business and practical perspective, there are just too many factors and issues that make going ahead as if nothing happened nearly impossible. I've already gone into detail about the reasons, so I won’t again. The main point is: something did happen, and everyone knows it.

I agree that it would be nice if people wouldn’t make a big deal out of it, but that's just not reality. People all over the world (not just Japan) love making a big deal out of tiny things. To say, "I wish they didn't..." is easy, but at the end of the day, it's really just idealism.

As for the fans not burning the pictures if the events weren't canceled...well, I guess maybe you don't know Japanese fans very well. Some of the H!P/Aibon otaku feel like they own this girl. The moment they hear she does something like this, they feel like she wronged them personally, regardless of official actions taken against her. On the same note, you say that this is really a lot of stress on Kago? How do you think she'd feel to show up at these events or on a music show to promote the new single and get insults shouted at her from the audience? To see her photos being burned right in front of her? Fans are crazy over this right now because it just happened. It would just be safer to wait for them to cool down, and then continue with things as planned.

I did read every post. It took me about 3 hours.

Again I ask: what punishment? Nothing long-term has been officially announced yet.

Yes but the short term punishment has been desided and it resulted in alot of money being lost. UFA cancelled events hurting Nono and alot of other people. Suspended the release of W single/album. UFA choose to take a 100 million yen hit all because of a pack of smokes. That is a big punishment. Ai-bon alone is responsible for that much loss. And I think that is alot for an 18 year old girl to cope with. I don't know about you, but to me that is alot of money to crap away. That is what I think is crazy or should I say excessive.

So what are you saying? UFA should have gone ahead with the events? There's no way that could be possible. Among other common-sense problems with having a big fan club appearance right after a huge tabloid scandal, and awkwardness aside, there's Kago's safety to consider. We all know how crazy Japanese fans can be. It only takes one psycho to kill a celebrity he feels let him down.

As for going ahead with the release of the single and album, there are promotion problems with that. I addressed it in a different post more thoroughly, but in short, Kago wouldn't be able to make promotional appearances for the single, and even MORE money would be lost because the single would sell very poorly.

Anyway, UFA chose to do it. They're the ones losing the bulk of the money. If they can handle the loss, there's no reason why you should have a problem with it. The money isn't coming out of your pocket.

It all comes down to this being Kago's mistake. Whether it's a lot for her to cope with or not, she caused it, and now she has to cope with whatever may come up.

I know this topic has been going on for a while and if read all my post you would know exactly how I feel. Ai-bon is not a victim. Hell read what you quoted from me. I said she deserves punishment but in my opinion I think this punishment is too much for just smoking.

Think about it this way if she knew everything that was gonna happen, as stated in her contract, do you think she would smoke? What I'm saying if she knew smoking would result in the loss of 100 million yen of revenue I doubt she would smoke.

I did read every post. It took me about 3 hours.

Again I ask: what punishment? Nothing long-term has been officially announced yet. How do you know she's being punished too much if you don't even know what her punishment is going to be?

And yes, I do think she would still smoke, even knowing the consequences. Give Kago a little credit; I think she's smart enough to know. Think about it, people break rules all the time, thousands of times everyday, knowing the consequences. Little rules, and big rules. For instance, you lie to your parents? You're grounded. Kids know that, and they still lie. You murder someone? You're jailed for life. People know that, and still murder. Kago broke her contract, and knew very well she would be punished, and she had to have known it would be a big one.

She had absolutly no idea UFA would go so crazy over her punishment. How can you say she deservse what has happened. It was a cigerette for the love of God! Maybe if it was hard-core drugs, yes, this punishment would be more in line with the crime. She deserves punishment, but not this punishment. I can't defend her stupidity either, but I would stand by her if I could. This punishment does not fit the crime.

Wait, wait...aren't you just guessing all of this? :huh For all you know, it may have said right in her contract, specifically, "If you smoke, ______ will be your punishment." How can you say with such certainty, "She had absolutely no idea UFA would go so crazy over her punishment."? She probably knew exactly what would happen if she was caught. She even saw close-up what happened to Abe and Yaguchi when they broke the rules. If she didn't know she would be punished, then she's an idiot. She knew the risks, and she chose to ignore them. It's almost like you're trying to make Kago seem like the victim in all of this! She caused it. She has absolutely no one to blame but herself.

Also, how can you say anyone is "going crazy" with her punishment? Has any long-term official punishment been announced? So far, all I know is W's single and album were postponed, and a few events and things are going to cancelled, etc...but that's all. We don't know what her real punishment will be yet.

I love Aibon, and I'm definitely still a fan, but if you break the rules, you need to be prepared for all possible consequences, no matter how harsh they may be.