1. Check the 2023 Stage48 Member Ranking Results, how did your Oshimen rank this year?

Watanabe Mayu (Mayuyu) / 3rd Generation

Discussion in 'AKB48 Graduated Members' started by arrowisland, Jun 5, 2007.

  1. Nighthawk141

    Nighthawk141 Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Nov 16, 2014
    Oshimen:
    Watanabe Mayu
    Twitter:
    mraiman_
    Happy birthday to my inspiration, my beloved girl Watanabe Mayu
    I hope that you're happy, wherever you are right now
     
  2. shinto48

    shinto48 Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Apr 6, 2021
    I wonder if yukirin’s graduation might be a chance to see mayuyu in public again. I highly doubt she would sing or even give a speech, but at least she might be there to hand her a bouquet of flowers.
    Would be really nice to see her again in any event.
     
  3. bonjourmarlene

    bonjourmarlene Under Girls Wiki48 Editor

    Joined:
    Mar 21, 2016
    Location:
    UK-AUT
    Oshimen:
    小林蘭
    Twitter:
    curioushitomi
    I agree when it comes to Mayu, but then there is the question of "When will Yukirin graduate?" Not too long ago, she gave an interview where she said she'd find it interesting to be an idol even in her 40s or possibly even 50s... :^^;: She might change her mind in a few years (like she did about never dyeing her hair, we can also see she didn't stick to that), but I wouldn't expect her to graduate all that soon.
     
  4. Jsprite

    Jsprite Future Girls

    Joined:
    Mar 25, 2018
    Location:
    Los Angeles, USA
    I personally don't have a problem with Yukirin sticking around in AKB48 until her 50's...LOL (She may be one of those vampire types and look basically the same 20 years from now)
     
    • Agree Agree x 2
  5. bonjourmarlene

    bonjourmarlene Under Girls Wiki48 Editor

    Joined:
    Mar 21, 2016
    Location:
    UK-AUT
    Oshimen:
    小林蘭
    Twitter:
    curioushitomi
    Same. I think Yukirin looks younger than some other members who actually are younger
     
    • Agree Agree x 2
  6. fire_cheetah

    fire_cheetah Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2020
    Another problem is whether AKB would still exist after 20 years, though.

    In any way, I think it is unlikely for Mayu to appear in public again, at least in the short term future. I guess the bigger picture for Mayu is to get rid of her past and find the true meaning of her life.
     
  7. David61

    David61 Under Girls Stage48 Donor

    Joined:
    May 17, 2015
    Location:
    Reading, England
    Oshimen:
    Komiyama Haruka
    Twitter:
    DavidB13
    • Like Like x 13
  8. luamos

    luamos Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2020
    Oshimen:
    Matsui Jurina~SKE48 hako-oshi
  9. David61

    David61 Under Girls Stage48 Donor

    Joined:
    May 17, 2015
    Location:
    Reading, England
    Oshimen:
    Komiyama Haruka
    Twitter:
    DavidB13
    Cyzo Woman yesterday published a news story saying that Mayu apparently quit the entertainment business due to a dispute with her production company Ogi Pro:
    https://www.cyzowoman.com/2021/05/post_342289_1.html

    A user on Reddit has provided an English language summary of the article:
    https://www.reddit.com/r/AKB48/comments/nlzeio/cyzo_woman_watanabe_mayus_retirement_caused_by
    The user goes on to say:
     
    • Like Like x 3
    • Informative Informative x 1
  10. bonjourmarlene

    bonjourmarlene Under Girls Wiki48 Editor

    Joined:
    Mar 21, 2016
    Location:
    UK-AUT
    Oshimen:
    小林蘭
    Twitter:
    curioushitomi
    I've been hearing rumours on English-speaking twitter today that people are speculating whether Mayu would return to the entertainment industry. This article now explains where those speculations are coming from.

    Surely other agencies would be moooore than willing to sign Mayu? If it's true, I wonder why she hasn't just called it quits with Ogi Pro and signed with someone else who was willing to get her into stage plays...
     
    • Agree Agree x 4
  11. Mimikkyu

    Mimikkyu Member

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2019
    Oshimen:
    48G itself.
    The article said her heart was broken, I think she denied all of them because she was having a serious nervous breakdown.
     
    • Informative Informative x 1
  12. sven

    sven Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    May 12, 2021
    I originally linked that reddit article so thanks for posting it over. Again, I want to emphasize that Cyzo Woman is not the most credible source, so take the entire article with a major grain of salt.

    A contract is a contract for a reason and I imagine it's not be easy to get out of one. For example, Ogi Pro doesn't want to invest a ton in Mayu's career only for her to immediately bolt to another agency, so there's probably some security clause for them.

    Finding another agency now might be challenging too, since if the story's true, Mayu going on strike and then retiring isn't exactly the type of behavior an agency wants to see in a potential client and she'd gain a reputation of being a difficult person to work with. And if she only does stage, she won't bring in much money either. Mayu also has a pretty severe communication issue so it might be overwhelming for her to contact and initiate negotiations on all the business stuff by herself, since everything she's done so far has been arranged for her ahead of time by Ogi Pro or AKS. Now's the time more than ever for Mayu to rely on her friends like Sasshi or Yuko to help her network and introduce her to whatever production agencies they are with, but considering how Mayu operates, I figure she'll end up doing everything by herself.
     
    • Like Like x 2
  13. Mana

    Mana Under Girls

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2012
    I don't know how true this is but Mayuyu definitely loved stage plays and musicals since forever. I wouldn't be surprised if she wanted that type of work more. But if this is true, I wonder why she retired and didn't just finish her contract then switch to another agency? Unless her agency is the type to make it difficult for artists who leave them (like Nounen Rena's case for example) maybe she had too much stress and decided to retire... anyway I would be extremely happy if Mayuyu returns to do stage plays and musicals. Hope she's happy. I miss her ;_;
     
    • Agree Agree x 2
  14. Mimikkyu

    Mimikkyu Member

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2019
    Oshimen:
    48G itself.
    I think once she gets better, even if she was somehow blacklisted by Japanese companies, it is still possible for her go to China, Taiwan, Hongkong or at worst, Thailand or Indonesia to continue her stage career there.
    Even Sakai Noriko, once arrested for drug use, is still able to work and make money in China, just because she is remembered for her roles in one or two J-dramas. I see no reason why Mayuyu won't be accepted there, since she was a flawless idol in AKB48. Or she can have a role in a foreign 48 group (not necessarily as an idol).
     
  15. Jsprite

    Jsprite Future Girls

    Joined:
    Mar 25, 2018
    Location:
    Los Angeles, USA
    Do we know what are those "severe communication issues"? While on AKB she seemed to be able to speak by herself.
    Aside from that, what was the cause of her nervous breakdown?
     
  16. sven

    sven Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    May 12, 2021
    I think the problem is more her communication issues than being blacklisted. Mayu's optimal move right now if she wants to return to the industry is to call Sasshi, explain everything to her and ask her for help. Sasshi knows a lot of powerful people in the industry and they are close enough friends Sasshi would be willing to get Mayu hooked up to whatever she needs. The issue though is that Mayu has too much pride and social anxiety to ever do something like this.
     
    • Agree Agree x 3
    • Disagree Disagree x 1
  17. Tsumu

    Tsumu Kenkyuusei Stage48 Donor

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2015
    Location:
    Finland
    If there's a non-compete clause in her contract (most likely there is) and if I've understood this correctly, in Japan, the restriction period in general can be no longer than two years. If Mayu is going to come back to the entertainment industry, we're looking a time frame around mid 2022, counting from her retirement announcement. Assuming we're not talking about completely messed up breach of contract issue, in which case the company might utilize very dicky moves up to who-knows-when.

    Imho, Mayu can carry her own weight and forge her way back up if she wants to. Also, I don't think she needs to explain anything to Sasshi if she'd need her help in any way or form. That couple of dorks already now each other well enough.
     
    • Agree Agree x 3
  18. sven

    sven Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    May 12, 2021
    Mayu's communication issues are well known in her Japanese fandom but I don't think her western fans realize because of how much material is not translated, especially her post-AKB interviews, shows, etc. She tries to brush it off when she was in AKB and give excuses when she's called out, but she's been a lot more frank about it after her graduation. Basically, Mayu has a lot of trouble socializing and she has issues communicating with friends. Just off the top of my head
    • This is well known, but Mayu used to be a near shut-in when she was in elementary school and didn't speak to anyone in class. She didn't even talk to her family at home for some time.
    • She can't initiate conversation with people she's unfamiliar with and especially people she sees as her social superiors. It's well known how distant Mayu is to the other members of the Kami7, especially Mariko and Acchan and I think Mayu has always seen Acchan as the queen bee, so according to Miichan, Mayu used to not utter a single word whenever Acchan is in the same room. It's also where the whole "cyborg idol" thing started.
    • When Mayu films dramas or musicals, there has been several sources including Yukirin on Downtown Now that she practically locks herself in and doesn't talk to anyone on set.
    • She's stated on Downtown Now that 3's the absolute max number of people for a social gathering she can withstand.
    • She's been called out on ANN by Mocchi and Miichan for refusing to socialize with Team B, back when she was center. Team B would have dinners where most members would attend and Mayu would refuse to go and sneak off to eat by herself, which was seen as a weird leadership move by their center.
    • On Downtown Now, Mayu herself said that she puts in the absolute minimum amount of effort to maintain a friendship.
    • Mayu has also said friends she hasn't seen in a while feel like complete strangers when they meet again.
    • Mayu is famously secretive and only 1 friend had ever been to her house or even know the location of her house according to her own admission on UTAGE.
    • Yukirin also said in ANN that Mayu practically never invites anyone out to do anything.
    • Yukirin was put on the spot last May on instagramlive when her friend confronted her live about Mayu's whereabouts and Yukirin admitted that Mayu barely contacts her and she has no idea.
    • In Mayu's last All Night Nippon before graduation, both Yukirin and Sasshi were worried about how Mayu can survive with her communication problems in the real world.
    • In one of her post-AKB interviews for a drama, she was very frank about her loneliness and cited her communication issues as a core problem for her career.
    There's probably more stuff I'm missing, but Mayu on camera and off camera are totally different people, something Sasshi pointed out in AKBingo and something Mayu herself admitted. She seems to be able to speak normally on shows, but I suspect a lot of it is either scripted or she has some degree of preparation for them and remember her early appearances where she just sits there and says nothing, leading everyone to think she's CG? In AKB, everything's prepared for her on a schedule and she has a lot of friends and juniors who love her that will initiate conversations and keep her feeling welcome, but she's on her own now. Traditionally, I know her Japanese fandom has been worried about her becoming an actress since it's such a public social role that requires a lot of communication and many have always thought she would have been better off as a seiyuu, since it's a lot less public and socially demanding.
     
    Last edited: May 28, 2021
    • Informative Informative x 12
    • Like Like x 1
  19. Mimikkyu

    Mimikkyu Member

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2019
    Oshimen:
    48G itself.
    If so, somehow she reminds me of Sakai Izumi, who dominated Oricon in the early 2000s and has a chance to outsold AKB48 if she is alive today (i'm not sure, because she would be around 45-50 during AKB's prime times). Sakai Izumi had a very secretive lifestyle, it is said that not even the scandal magazines has anything to say about her or managed to take paparazzi photographs of her. She also had an ageless, flawless appearance. If AKB48 hadn't existed, the position of best selling artist would have been the race of Hamasaki Ayumi and Sakai Izumi.

    I wonder how will Mayuyu get married and have a family life in the future with her personality? Imaizumi Yui is mentally immature (though not as elusive as Mayu) and that resulted in the worst husband ever.
    mysk.jpg
     
    Last edited: May 28, 2021
  20. Jsprite

    Jsprite Future Girls

    Joined:
    Mar 25, 2018
    Location:
    Los Angeles, USA
    Thank you for all that information, I guess Mayu on-screen and off-screen are very different! If Yukirin doesn't know what she's up to, then no one else would, other than Mayu herself. I really hope she grows out of that phase and returns to the entertainment world.
     

Share This Page