KK, Ai & Lin on KK's Graduation: ON8 Radio Excerpt

Koharu, Aichan and Lin Lin speak about KK's Graduation

BayFM ON8 09/10/22
(thanks lovemusic)

On the October 22 broadcast of the BayFM radio program ON8, Koharu Kusumi spoke publicly for the first time since the September 19 announcement about her impending graduation. Before presenting her interview responses, some background about the program is in order: The host of ON8, Emiko Furukawa has been involved with Morning Musume and H!P from very early on, conducting interviews as well as week-long promotional events like the one this past summer when MM appeared before a crowd of fans on the Nanchatte tour. In fact, last month when ON8 celebrated its 12th anniversary, recorded congratulation messages were sent Matsuura Aya, Abe Natsumi, as well as Ai and Risa.

Although Emiko’s always had a good relationship with MM, she appears to especially been taken by Koharu, who’s krazy komments and genki personality had her in stitches during KK’s first appearance on ON8 this February. Koharu’s appearance last week was in fact her fourth time on the show this year. Another fact to note about this program is the presence of KK’s friends Aichan and Lin Lin, who provided a supportive environment—it’s probably no coincidence that those two were selected to join her for this broadcast.

Translation of KK’s Graduation Discussion

After a station break and ID the following discussion begins at 21:30 in the broadcast with “Aruiteru” playing in the background, Emiko has the girls reintroduce themselves and then begins talking about the graduation:

Emiko: Last month, from Morning Musume producer Tsunku-san came the announcement, “Seventh generation Morning Musume member Koharu Kusumi, on the last day of the nationwide tour on December 12, will be graduating from Morning Musume and Hello!Project.”
KK: Yes.
Emiko: My. . . to be frank, I was shocked.
KK: Oh, really?
Emiko: [laughing, incredulous] Yes, really, Koharu-chan! Since the announcement it’s been a month.
KK: It has been, yes.
Emiko: What are Koharu-chan’s feelings right now?
KK: Ehh? Yes, well . . what is it? There indeed isn’t much time left but uh . . . there’s work before the end of the year—called . . “Winter Hello”?—that I’m not in, and so the members are working on something without me—that feels kind of strange.
Emiko: But we were just talking a while ago . . . we have such little time left [sad laughter].
KK: Ehhhh?! Does that mean you’re not going to let me be on HelloPro Week, Miss ON8?!
Emiko: [laughing] No, no, no!
KK: I request a “Koharu Week!”
Emiko: We’ll have a “Koharu Week”! We will, we will, we will! [laughing]
KK: Really?! Thank you very much!
Emiko: In the process of making the decision, you must have been quite worried, no?
KK: No. With various . . . people like Tsunku-san, with people from the company, we had all sorts of meetings and it was decided in that way so . . I wonder why . . .”worried”? . . . I wouldn’t say I was worried.
Emiko: Ah, so that how it was.
KK: We had all sorts of meetings and decided . . . We discussed it and properly decided so. . . it wasn’t a surprise to me, it was like that.
Emiko: Aichan, as leader, how did you feel when you first heard this announcement?
Ai: "Oh, no. I can’t believe a junior is graduating."
[KK chuckles]
Emiko: That’s right. That’s right.
Ai: It’s the first junior that I’ll be seeing off so I kind of understood Yoshizawa-san feelings.
KK: Ahhh.
Ai: When Yoshizawa-san was sending off my co-generation members Makoto Ogawa and Asami Konno, she said “I can’t believe I’m sending off my juniors”--exactly like that, and now I’m like “Ah, now I know the feeling.”
KK: Ehhhh? So it’s a strange feeling?
Ai: It IS a strange feeling.
KK: Is that right?
Ai: As you’d expect, right? It’s a junior, right . . . and not just a junior by one generation but really junior by two generations, so here. . . what . . . our histories are quite different, because were about 5 years apart.
KK: That’s quite amazing.
Emiko: Frankly, in Morning Musume, really organizing these 9 people, in acting as leader, Aichan’s surely is always thinking about "the next thing, the next thing," I imagine. As leader what are you thinking about what to do next?
Ai: Well, graduations are really sad, but for this person it’s not something to mourn but congratulate. But as you’d expect, um, how do you say it? . . MM is supposed to evolve. But it is an essential thing, I think. [as Aichan speaks, both Emiko and Koharu are quietly agreeing, “mmm hmm.”]
Emiko: Is that right? What would you like to say to Koharu right now?
Ai: For now, I’d like her to do her best in a Koharu-ish way.
[Emiko starts laughing]
KK: That’s right. But that’s just the way I always am, right?!
[Emiko laughing]
Ai: Yes, that’s the way you are.
KK: On the contrary, after I’ve left . . . I’d like to see what Morning Musume is like after I’ve left. Like, “what will it be like?” I really want to see a concert soon. [laughs]

Emiko: Lin Lin, how are you feeling about it?
LL: Somehow, it’s really odd to me. It’s the first time I’ve seen a member graduate. I’ve always received DVDs [of concerts] and I went to see Yoshizawa-san’s last concert after I was told I would become a Morning Musume member. But as you’d expect, that someone you’ve been with for over two years is graduating is. . . really heartbreaking..
Ai: You can’t imagine it.
LL: That’s right, you can’t imagine it! Plus, plus, someone like Kusumi-san who’s always genki . . .
Emiko: That’s right!!! [laughs]
LL: . . . and smiling, “Ha ha ha,” I totally can’t imagine her graduating! It seems like she’d always be around. That’s why it’s odd, you know?

Emiko: Well, Koharu-chan, keep in you heart the idea of becoming a Morning Musume graduate and in a Koharu-ish way [laugh] . . . .
KK: Yes, I’ll do my best. I’m looking forward to the graduation, you know.
Emiko: Is that right? Ha, ha, ha
Ai: [pained] It’s coming soon, you know.
Emiko: Koharu-chan is saying this with a smiling face! So just the way you are, the way you are right now, you’ll continue doing your best, I know. Still, as you’d expect there’s real devotion from ON8 to the members . . . .
KK: [softly] Thank you very much.
Emiko: [“Ame no Furanai” begins playing in the background] . . . so as you’d expect, there’s this feeling of saying “Do Your Best!” and cheering you on of course, but with the idea that “Koharu-chan is graduating” . .. . there is this sense of loneliness . . .
KK: [chuckles]
Ai: That’s right.
Emiko: Right? Whatever we do, there’s going to be that lonely feeling . . . but in Morning Musume’s history notion of the graduation is always there . . .
KK: Mmmm.
Emiko: . . .so the people who graduate and the people who remain will, as you’d expect . . . always increase their brilliance.
Ai: Ahhhh.
Emiko: It’s . . . really a positive thing. Mmm. So we’d like to see Koharu-chan continue to grow and grow brighter . . .
KK: Yes.
Emiko: . . . and Morning Musume to grow and grow even brighter is something we’d like.
KK: Thank you very much.
LL: Wow, I’m really moved right now.
Ai: Really, oh no. [laughter]
KK: [starts humming softly along to “Ame no furanai,” still playing in background, for a few notes]
Emiko: [voice kind of weepy] Umm. So moving along, I’d like to introduce a song, but before that, in a questionnaire asking for a few words for Koharu, Aichan writes, “I love you.” Then Lin Lin writes, “Kusumi-san, I love you always.”
KK: Oh, thank you so much!
Emiko: It’s simple but very heartfelt.
KK: I’m so happy. Ohhhh. [sounds teary]
LL: I’m about to cry a little.
[everyone starts laughing]
Ai: Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.
Emiko: [laughs] Aichan’s going “oh, no” starting to cry! She’s crying. [brightly:] So Koharu-chan, please think of ON8 as your home and come back, okay?
KK: EHHHHH? Really? [applause] You’ll hold a “Koharu week?” for me, then?
Emiko: We’ll have a “Koharu Week!” ha ha ha.
KK: I appreciate it!
Emiko then starts to intro the next song from the “Best of Coupling Collection”. . .
Ai: With that, please listen, to Morning Musume’s . . .
MM: . . . “321 Breaking Out”!
[Note: As Aichan introduces the song, she’s sounds congested—yes, she had been crying.]

Komments
This is what Koharu fans have waited over a month for—her account of the story, or at least what she is able to tell us publicly on a radio program that’s got some type of partnership with Up Front. Just as importantly, it gives us a chance to hear her voice and mood as she speaks about the graduation. And although not all our questions are answered, the news is somewhat comforting and welcome:

• The graduation did not come out of the blue, but was the result of various meetings, with both Tsunku and company officials, so there was no surprise on her part about the graduation decision.
• This reconfirms the recent interview with Tsunku on DohhhUp in which he acknowledged that there were various meetings between her, himself, and company reps and that the idea was discussed with her and she accepted; it contradicts—or at least seems to soften—Tsunku’s September 21 blog post in which his language seemed to imply that it was his solely his decision that she was puzzled by and essentially forced to accept.
• The tone of her voice as she speaks about her discussions with the company about the graduation is interesting: She sounds very matter-of-fact about it, almost as if she were talking about how she picked strawberry ice cream over chocolate pudding, rather than about a major life/career decision.
• The word “model” was not uttered during the course of the talk.
• Not only does she sound happy, she’s says she's actually looking forward to the graduation.
• Upon hearing this conversation, one gets the impression—not a surprising one—that she wouldn’t want an “emo” graduation and instead, consistent with her image, wants to go out genki. Still, you can tell she’s was moved by her two friends’ wishes for her here, so we’ll see if she can keep her smile intact to the very end.