Graduation announcements thread

Wasn't Hiichan on the list of eligible members for OO48 who were not participating? Seeing as just about everyone else on that list have announced graduation...

 

Yeah specifically for Hiichan we all assumed back then that she would be busy with other jobs so people were not as concerned as with other members in the list.....
Who knew that they all actually informed the management before OO48 even started. Now as you said in discord, only Hinana left there....

Truly the "OUT OF 48" List indeed.

 

And I think we'll all be surprised if Hinana doesn't announce her graduation by the end of the year.

 

The sudden nature of this announcement seems like a Juri type of situation. She either going to redebut asap in a new Kpop group, or a new Japanese Niziu-type group.

 

Maybe wages are being cut in AKB (along with the obvious downsizing) and she's got a better offer elsewhere.

 

yep, this has Juri vibes all over again. Even though Juri announced her grad on stage, the suddenness and the lack of acknowledgement from management in the form of grad single or concert considering their services to AKB is strikingly similar.

 

Now THIS IS shocking news.

I know she is getting more and more outside work opportunities, but i thought she would stay for at least 1-2 more years. Especially since management seemed to push her as ace along with Yuiyui.

Anyway, wish her best and hope she gets at least a great grad con. I'm shocked she won't get a grad single, please at least a b-side grad song.

 

There is no way Juri would have had a graduation single... and I also don't think that for Hiichan, it's too "sudden" as for Juri. if we think about it, she was excluded from OO48, although everyone thought that it's because she's popular enough or busy enough... and well, she's been in the group for 10 years, she left for a while, returned and stayed 2,5 more years, many members of Team 8 (debuted at the same time as her) graduated this year, she has a career etc. it's not shocking that she would want to move on. it's surprising because she could stay longer yes but it's not really "sudden". Also in her last months in the group, Juri looked like she didn't care anymore, she clearly wanted to leave... I don't think Hiichan has been like this.

 

this is hilarious. why the heck they private the video if they themself who was publish it in the first place? what is the point?

anyway this makes AKB48 more interesting. I;m curious what AKB48 will be like in the future. can;t wait!

 

Sudden? Honestly, I'm surprised she stayed this long. After her return from IZ*ONE, I thought she'd going to leave within the next 6 - 12 months. I'm glad - and respect - that she decided against leaving immediately (unlike some specific HKT member), but looking at the group('s management), maybe it would have been smarter to leave sooner.

 

Even besides those factors, the fact that she wasn’t specific about what her intended “next steps” after graduation are screams redebut.

Like when Nako graduated, she clearly stated it was to pursue acting.

 

If it is redebut, i hope she received an offer from a great company(so she won´t end like Juri). Otherwise, staying in AKB or just investing in her media career in Japan would have been better.

 

It was sudden not because people weren't expecting it (though when?) but for how it happened, how it was done. They gave us a short and gloomy video with her saying she's graduating and see ya, folks. If you compare it to Mogi's announcement, people didn't know she was going to leave but it was more understandable and she gave us a proper reason right away. Some Nagi fans knew since last year that she was going to leave, she told fans at the "handshakes" that she was going to announce graduation even before she announced it. So when it happened it didn't hurt as much, and she made it clear that she was going to continue in the entertainment industry. Later she even confessed she was still going to be an idol and when it would happen, although with no further details. Hii fans got nothing. It sounded even worse than academic reasons. But there's still enough time for her to drop hints here and there.

EDIT: Do you listen to her radio show? Did she say last month she was already thinking what to write for next year's tanzaku?

 

Why is she leaving without a Grad single? what are we missing? AKB can just pull out a fast single for hii, they have the resources.

 

I agree with @Aka at this point, it was sudden how it was done. About a month later there will be Budokan concert and she can announce it in front of members and fans, not by a pre-recorded video last 5 minutes on YouTube before it's deleted. Also no grad single and even a B-side center or graduation song is unacceptable for me. We all know NGT is more like a chika-idol nowadays but they still can send Rika-hime off with a graduation single and a (big) concert, if there aren't any special reasons behind the scene and this is how management treat the top members of the group, goodbye DH and AKB I'm done.
Nako didn't foreknow about the announcement either, and tbh where's the Eito? Remember when Naachan announced her graduation, tons of members tweeted and congratulated Naachan though the situation back then, what's wrong with Hii?
cre: https://twitter.com/nemohamorumor/status/1696888661361483872

 

If we think about who has gotten grad songs/singles in the past, Hiichan not getting one makes sense. The past 4 grad songs/singles have gone to

2021 - Yuihan (Solo B-side, ex-GM)
2020 - Miichan (B-side, last 1st gen member)
2019 - Sasshi (Center A-side and Solo B-side, because Sasshi)
2017 - Mayuyu (Center A-side, because Mayuyu, last AKB member to have gotten an A-side center grad song)

This is just speculation, but I think management considers grad songs a big deal, and they don't just deal them out to anyone. You could make an argument for Hiichan to get one based on current popularity, but her popularity only exploded in the past 2 years post PD48 and management maybe thinks she hasn't had any significant lasting impact compared to other members who have gotten one. I'll be shocked if she doesn't get a grad con; less popular members have at least gotten a mini live or something before, but I can see this as a possible angle for why she's not getting a song.

Also, there's the issue that is the upcoming 62nd single. I have no idea whether Hiichan told management before 62nd single was decided, but if she did and if they really wanted to shoehorn in a grad song/single for her, there were only 3 alternatives IMO
1. Center 62nd single, but that will make it 2 center singles in a row, not something I think management will do at this age where they're trying to push the new gen members
2. Give her a B-side in 62nd single, at the expense of one of the other songs (most likely option, 2nd Campus and Universe Girls are pretty much the throwaway songs and they could have easily dumped members of both songs together)
3. Wait until 63rd single, but does Hiichan want to wait for god knows how long until activities for that have concluded before graduating?

Options 1 and 3 appear to be out of the question, so the question remains that whether Hiichan deserves a grad song enough to pull off option 2? Apparently management don't seem to think so, if they really had the choice to do so.

 

As there is a discussion on Hii going to Korea. Here is my analysis on prospective labels.

1. HYBE
HYBE is debuting a new Korean girl group through the show "R U Next?" through Belift affiliate, the audition show will be concluded this coming Friday. And, its main resources have been diverted to its American girl group project, Dream Academy.
Also, HYBE Japan has denied the speculation if it is debuting a girl group, the sister group to &Team. Fans discussed this made sense since HYBE Japan had made no profit as &Team was not received so hot.
Source Music, another affiliation of HYBE, has also been under new girl group speculation but, Source Music has not reached break-even on Le Sserafim project. It may take some time to launch a new group.
Hii going to HYBE is unlikely.

2. Modhaus
The house of the NFT idol triple S. The concept of triple S is to add new member until the total number reach 24 thus, they are still some empty spots. (I don't remember if the newest member is 18th or 19th). The group has sold over 100k copies for each mini album/single and booked. But, the number of members being very large makes it questionable how much each member can possibly make. The growth of the group also seems limited. I don't think Hii might be interested.

3. S.M
Early this year, S.M announced the plan to debut a new girl group in second half of this year just to postpone the project to next year few months later. For S.M to set the debut period, despite later postponement, means the lineup has been finalized. Unlikely, there is a spot for Hii. Snatching debuted idol is out of S.M's character too.

4. Cube
Cube has mentioned about new girl group for months but no detail has been specified. Anyhow, this label is shittier than Woollim, to where Juri belongs. Its only star is (G)I-DLE, who only succeeds because self-produced. Its other groups are miserable.

5. JYP
The label is supposedly being busy with A2K and Nizi Project 2. NMixx still is new and needs a lot of effort too. It unlikely will launch any Korean/Japanese girl group in near future.

6. YG
Recently, there was a report on YG planning a cross-ocean Korea-Japan girl group. But, the debut of Baby Monster, scheduled for September, has yet to be seen. YG and delay are inseparable. Baby Monster was first teased like 2 years ago. YG's fans do not give much weight onto this Korea-Japan project. Besides, I can't wrap my head around Hii doing Blackpink-ish shits. Another unlikely choice.

7. Starship
IVE still is new. It will take over a year for Starship to launch a new girl group.

8. THEBLACKLABEL
This independent sub of YG has been working on girl group project for some time. No one knows how far the project has progressed. A possible choice?

9. Lapone
Produce101 JP is on the horizon and Hii can easily win a spot here. If Hii will go to J music industry, only something of this scale deserving to her. But, Hii to undergo another Produce show? Moreover, it will be a big fiasco if she fails. Highly unlikely I guess.

10. WakeOne
Its audition show, I-Land, is in the work. The contestant lineup is finalizing and the shooting possibly starts early next year. I-Land is different from Produce series as the expert panel has much decision power. Her debut through this show can be guaranteed. WakeOne's management of Kep1er is horrendous but, followers said the company had been re-structured and redeemed itself through ZeroBase1. A possible choice?

11. IST
The label still needs to get its shit together and do something with Weeekly. But, S.M acquisition may mean Kakao will take its music business more seriously and kick IST's ass. Still unlikely choice I guess.

12. 143
Limelight's latest mini album sold slightly over 10k copies, not that good yet, not that bad for the label's size. The group likely will grow significantly once Yeseo and Mashiro leave Kep1er and join it. It is very promising to outgrow Juri's Rocket Punch. Still an unlikely choice.

13. WM
Its only active girl group, Oh My Girl, has been around over 7 years and not as active anymore. It is in dire need for another girl group. But, no news has been leaked so far. If Hii joins it, she will have Chaeyeon, former fellow IZ*One's member and now soloist, as labelmate. A possible choice?

Maybe, I miss some labels.

 

Finally, some good news

 

What can you expect from an Ogiyuka fan?

 

I want to disagree but then I started compiling a list and realised you're right. It makes sense, but rather than admitting that, I'm going to add a bunch of names who also deserved a grad song in my opinion lol.

Just for funsies, here's a list of all graduation songs. If a line is bold, it means the member centered the A-Side.

Extra facts beforehand

Spoiler

• Acchan is one of the really big names not to have an A-side graduation song
• If you count "Sakura no Hanabira ~Maeda Atsuko Solo ver.~" (I wasn't sure if it counts), then Acchan and Sasshi are the only two members to have 2 graduation B-sides
• If you don't count Sakura no Hanabira, Sasshi is the only member to have two graduation B-sides
• In any case, Sasshi is the only member to have two graduation A-sides
• Yuko has an A-side graduation song, but her B-side is on a separate single
• Mariko and Tomochin share a single for their graduation songs but they have separate songs
• Tani Marika, Nakanishi Chiyori and Okada Nana have "graduation songs" in HKT48 and STU48 respectively when they moved to a different group. I didn't include those here because they didn't really graduate, just transferred, but fun fact for you all
• Yabuki Nako & Nakai Rika are the only ones who have a graduation A-Side but not a B-Side
• Only one NMB48 member who got a grad song didn't also center the A-side
• Only W-Matsui in SKE48 got a graduation A-side

Spoiler: AKB48

• Maeda Atsuko, "Yume no Kawa" on Gingham Check (2012.08.29)
• Kasai Tomomi, "Enjoy your life!" on Mine (2013.05.08) - non-AKB48 single
• Itano Tomomi, "Saigo no Door" on Koi Suru Fortune Cookie (2023.08.21)
• Shinoda Mariko, "Namida no Sei Janai" on Koi Suru Fortune Cookie (2013.08.21)
• Akimoto Sayaka, "Tsuyosa to Yoawasa no Aida de" on Tsugi no Ashiato (2014.01.22)
• Oshima Yuko, Mae Shika Mukanee (2014.02.26)
• Oshima Yuko, "Kyou Made Melody" on Labrador Retriever (2014.05.21)
• Kawaei Rina, "Kimi no Dai-Ni Shou" on Bokutachi wa Tatakawanai (2015.05.20)
• Takahashi Minami, "Senaka Kotoba" on Kuchibiru ni Be My Baby (2015.12.09)
• Shimazaki Haruka, "Better" on High Tension (2016.11.16)
• Kojima Haruna, "Kidzuka Renai you ni..." on Shoot Sign (2017.03.15)
• Watanabe Mayu, "Sayonara de Owaru Wake Janai" on 11gatsu no Anklet (2017.11.22)
• Sashihara Rino, "Watashi Datte Idol" on Jiwaru DAYS (2019.03.13)
• Minegishi Minami, "Mata Aeru Hi Made" on Shitsuren, Arigatou (2020.03.18)
• Yokoyama Yui, "Kimi ga Inaku Naru 12gatsu" on Ne mo Ha mo Rumor (2021.09.29)

In 2021, to be fair, Yuihan and Miichan were the most notable graduates. Others include Homma Mai, Suzuki Yuka, Maeda Ayaka and Oya Shizuka as the more memorable names. Maaaybe Oya for her long time in AKB, but she was never even senbatsu, so...

But there's a bunch in 2022 who deserve a grad song... Annin, Renacchi, Myao, Rei, Satopii - especially since they could've made a duet for Anna + Renacchi and Rei + Satopii, they were already kinda grouped together for their graduation.

Out of 2023 graduates (so far), Naachan, Hiichan and Tomu are the most deserving. Naachan is another story, we don't need to start a big argument here, I understand why she didn't get under the circumstances but I'm still bitter. Both her and Tomu wouldn't have gotten a concert either if it weren't for their agencies.

I do think Hiichan is among the most popular and most recognisable faces, though. Maybe she doesn't have the longevity of Miichan or the manager status of Yuihan, but she's the most recognisable member to the general public and even among wota also one of the more popular members. High sales, high social media follower count, lots of variety show appearances, drama roles...

Spoiler: SKE48

• Kuwabara Mizuki, Takada Shiori, Hiramatsu Kanako, Yagami Kumi, Akaeda Ririna, Ogiso Shiori, Ueno Kasumi, Hara Minami, Kobayashi Emiri, "Sore wo Seishun to Yobu Hi" on Choco no Dorei (2013.01.30)
• Nakanishi Yuka, Sato Mieko & Furukawa Airi, "Sakura Oboeteite Kure" on Coquettish Juutai Chuu (2015.03.31)
• Matsui Rena, "2588 Days" on Maenomeri (2015.08.12)
• Miyazawa Sae, "Tabi no Tochuu" on Chicken LINE (2016.03.30)
• Shibata Aya, "Utsukushikute" on Kin no Ai, Gin no Ai (2016.08.17)
• Oya Masana, "Eien no Legacy" on Igai ni Mango (2017.07.19)
• Matsumura Kaori, "Arigatou wa Iitakunai" on Stand by you (2018.12.12)
• Takayanagi Akane, "Seishun no Hoseki" on So~ Yu~ Toko Aru Yo Ne? (2020.01.15)
• Matsui Jurina, "Memories ~Itsu no Hi ka Aeru Made~" on Koi Ochi Flag (2021.02.03)
• Oba Mina, "Umarekawatte mo" on Kokori ni Flower (2022.03.09)
• Suda Akari, "Watashi no Arukikata" on Zettai Inspiration (2022.10.05)

Spoiler: NMB48

• Yamada Nana, "Minna, Daisuki" on Don't look back! (2015.03.31)
• Watanabe Miyuki, "Yume no Nagori" on Boku wa Inai (2016.08.03)
• Jonishi Kei, "Tochuu Gesha" on Boku Igai no Dareka (2016.12.28)
• Yamamoto Sayaka, "Wasurete Hoshii" on Boku Datte naichau yo (2018.10.17)
• Ota Yuuri, "Acting tough" on Hatsukoi Shijo Shugi (2019.11.06)
• Yoshida Akari, "Ichiban Suki na Hana" on Koi Nanka no thank you! (2020.11.18)
• Shiroma Miru, "Itsumo no Isu" on Shidare Yanagi (2021.06.16)
• Umeyama Cocona, "Himitsu Nikki" on Koi to Ai no Sono Aida ni wa (2022.02.23)

Spoiler: HKT48

• Sashihara Rino, "Itsudatte Soba ni Iru" on Ishi (2019.04.10)
• Moriyasu Madoka, "Kono Michi" on Kimi to Doko ka e Ikitai (2021.05.12)
• Miyawaki Sakura, "Omoide ni Suru ni wa Mada Hayasugiru" (Digital single, 2021.06.20)
• Yabuki Nako, Kimi wa Motto Dekiru (2023.02.08)

Spoiler: NGT48

• Kitahara Rie, "Watashi no Tame ni" on Haru wa Doko kara Kuru no ka? (2018.04.11)
• Ogino Yuka, "Watashi ga Ichiban Iitakatta Koto" on Ponkotsu na Kimi ga Suki da (2021.12.22)
• Nakai Rika, Ano sa, Iya Betsu ni... (2023.08.02)