Translation: Watching the Morning Musume. '21 Sato Masaki Graduation Concert (Tsunku♂ note)

Watching the Morning Musume. '21 Sato Masaki Graduation Concert

2021.12.13 21:00

Article: Tsunku♂
Editing: Ozawa Aya
Illustrations: Mizushina Takayuki
Translation: Lurkette

Sato Masaki, congratulations on your graduation. You were all smiles.

The final "Egao no kimi wa taiyou sa" was really good. I had heard her sing it previously, and I listened to the version released digitally that is her alone singing, but watching the concert, I feel like I somehow understood her reasons for choosing this song.

It's a song written for a group, but just for this day, this moment, it became such a powerful song that it almost seemed like it was made for her to sing it solo. The lyrics and the melody and the backtrack all resonated emotionally.

I always say this, but for idols, at 3 or 4 years in, they suffer from a kind of "doneness." This isn't limited to idols themselves, but also to creative teams and managers. They burn out, for one reason or another.

Morning Musume. was built to have the member change system so as to preserve that freshness, and that's how it has gone on for so long. So it's a peculiar feeling now with Sato, because she's done this for a decade but it still feels like, "What? Already?"

She has her own health to consider, and I believe she is resolute in her decision to graduate. She even said during the show, "I'll see you again at another concert," which didn't seem like a joke, but like that might actually be the case, right?

I wonder what she'll do now, but no one seems to know, and she may not even know, herself. But watching this concert made me excited for what's to come.

I also felt like Morning Musume will change now, and I feel like as it changes, it will perhaps grow stronger.

The capacity is still not at 100%, but I'm grateful they were able to do this in front of a live audience, and today made me feel happy to be able to make music.

Thank you.