Thoughts on Aichan's impending graduation

I didn't want to say too much on the subject yesterday because I honestly didn't know what to say. Airi may be my #1 love for now, but Aichan was one of my very first Hello! Project crushes. She is the sole reason for me getting into Morning Musume. And most importantly, Aichan is a huge reason for me becoming the fan that I am today.

So then, a day has passed since news broke. How do I feel now?



Sad. Melancholic. Somber. Grateful. Optimistic.

Pick and choose any of the above and you'd accurately describe my current mood. Yes, I realize some of those are oxymorons; let me explain.

Just like any Aichan fan, I'm sad. She is one of last remaining threads of Morning Musume's famed golden era. She has seen over a dozen of fellow members graduate and move onto other things. For many people, she is Morning Musume. After all, she has been a part of the group for nearly half of her life. By the time her graduation comes around, she will have been in Morning Musume almost as long as some of the Eggs have been alive.

And yet that's not enough.

It's selfish, but part of me wants her to remain in Morning Musume. However, I know that isn't possible. She has bigger and better things to move on to. As Tokyograph states, we haven't seen the last of Aichan. "Takahashi said that she plans to continue her music career, including stage shows and live performances."

She is considered to be the best singer Morning Musume has and we now will get to see just how good she really is. Morning Musume songs (and Hello! Project songs in general) are not the most challenging songs to sing. I know we have yet to see the best of Aichan. Hopefully, as a soloist, she will have the chains removed and we can finally see the depths of her voice.

Aichan definitely has a bright future, but what does this mean for Morning Musume moving forward?

Let's not forget about their sub-leader, Niigaki Risa. She joined Morning Musume the exact same time as Aichan. She has the same amount of experience and, too, has seen what it means to live the life of an idol for a decade. There is no doubt in my mind that Morning Musume's leader position is in good hands (also let's not forget that Aichan is not only the leader of Morning Musume, but also of Hello! Project. Gakisan gets to take over two huge roles come December). The only remaining question is who takes on the new sub-leader position.

It's obviously a two woman race. Sayumi and Reina, by ways of seniority, are in line to take over Gakisan's post. Reina has made it known in the past that she really wants to become Morning Musume's leader (which reassures that, barring any major surprises, she will be with the group for many years to come), but I think it's Sayu's turn now. She is older (by a couple of months), but the maturity level isn't close. Yes, I am completely aware of Sayu's prettier-than-thou shtick, but I am convinced that she can be mature when she needs to be.

Morning Musume's future leadership may be in control, but I'm not too sure about the state of their vocal/dancing ability. Linlin is such a great singer that I was certain she could take over Aichan's lead and the group would be fine. Now she is gone. Eri is such a great dancer that I was certain Morning Musume's overall dancing talent would not drop whenever Aichan decided to leave. Now she is gone.

They may have four new members, but I am honestly scared about the talent level Morning Musume inherits, sans Aichan. Reina is a good singer, not great. Riho or one of the young guns may develop into good singers, but they will need time. The girls are all professionals in every sense of the word, but without Aichan, I cannot confidently say that Morning Musume is a better vocal group than Berryz Koubou or a better dancing group than C-ute. No one knows what the future holds, but I think we may have a power shift among the company.

Morning Musume has been the de jure "flagship" group of Hello! Project, and their sales figures and overall talent backed that statement. In the coming years they still may retain that crown in the eyes of the casual public, but I see this as an opportunity for one of the other groups to step up and finally surpass their sempais (though Berryz are inching closer and closer to becoming sempais themselves whenever Gakisan decides to call it quits).

Back to Aichan. When I became a fan in 2007, I said that I wouldn't forgive myself if I didn't make it to her graduation concert. I was hoping it would be sometime in 2012 so that I would have already graduated myself, but this whole situation may just lend itself in my favor. Due to (good) unforeseen circumstances, I have the funds and the means to go see Berryz in Seattle and I was beginning to plan for it, but I won't be able to make both events. As much as I want to see Captain, the choice is a no-brainer.

The cost will be significantly more, but I should be able to squeak by, as long as I stay in Japan for a couple of days max. Normally I wouldn't have the time to make a trip across the world, but as long as it happens around the same time as EriJunLin's graduation concert, I will already be out of school for winter break. Also, at that time I will have studied Japanese for two and a half years, so I shouldn't have trouble surviving in Japan by myself for a couple of days.

It's still a long shot and a few things still need to fall into place for this to happen, but if all goes well, my first Hello! Project concert will also be Aichan's last.