♥ 大好き ♥
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2006
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- 7,764
I found out about this near the end of the last class of the day yesterday.
Thing is though, because of other commitments/things I had to do over the past couple of days, I haven't had a chance to get onto my comp to actually think/talk about it until now. Suffice it to say I was somewhat expecting for something to happen because of/after the report of the scandal was made. That being said, THIS decision still pretty much hit me like a Mack truck.
WARNING, LONG-ASS POST FOLLOWS. SOME RAMBLING INVOLVED.
Even now, one can do a google search and find dozens of different takes on what's happened. At least one fangroup/fansite out there has even pointed out that there are several pretty significant mistakes/inconsistencies in the "alleged BFs" story when comparing it to an interview section that was a part of Sasshi's "Sashiko" PB that was released last year. Obviously, at this point, whether the alleged relationship actually happened, whether or not she actually shtupped him, is no longer the main concern of AkiP and the rest of the management.
Now for me personally, as a fan, I'd like to think that I'm level-headed enough to not go ape-**** ballistic (like some of the more stupid, extreme Japanese wota out there) if one of the idols I follow turns out to be ( *gasp* :O_O: ) a relatively normal human. So personally, if they were a couple, then they were. If they weren't, then they weren't. Obviously if the latter turns out to be true, then the guy that started up all this **** is a major douchebag who should be tied to a chair on stage at the AKB theatre and rochambaued one by one by Sasshi and all of her wota army for putting her through all of this bullshit.
When you get right down to the bottom of it, Sasshi made a BIG mistake for someone in the idol world, which was to fraternize with someone who was a fan. It's one thing to meet, speak and interact with them at concerts, handshake events or at the various other "meet-n-greet" type of events that the girls do. She's denies that they were a couple, but she did admit that she became friends with him. Now, as stupid as it may sound, and regardless of whether or not anything sexual happened between them, said "friendship" still constitutes "having a relationship" with him, which in the idol world, is one of, if not it's biggest no-no. As a big idol fan herself, Sasshi knows that "having a relationship" with a member of the opposite sex is a no-no. She knows that she messed up by knowingly and willingly getting herself into it. The fact that many/most idols and idol groups like AKB have a "no private relationship with boys" rule just reinforces the fact that Sasshi messed up.
If this BF thing had happened before she joined AKB as a kenkyuusei/trainee, then it likely would not have blown up as big as it has. Problem is, Sasshi already was in AKB, she already was taking part in stage performances at the theatre, so there really was no way for AkiP and the management to just sweep this under the rug or just disregard it as not being important. It's been said out on the Net, and I would have to agree that it's got to be true, the only thing that saved Sasshi from getting fired was the fact that she placed so high in the recent Senbatsu elections. Other members were fired or resigned from the group for similar scandals that didn't have as much "juicy" details as the ones being provided here by the alleged ex-BF. Those other members, though they did have their fans, simply didn't rank high enough on AKBs hierarchy of popularity and, more importantly, profitability, to make them worth keeping. Take away Acchan's upcoming graduation, Yuko's Senbatsu win, and throw in her solo debut CD, 1st photobook, numerous solo appearances on big-time/popular Japanese variety shows and her own drama series, and it can be argued that Sasshi IS currently the biggest thing in the entire AKB conglomerate. As such, from a business POV, letting her go/firing her could/would be the stupidest thing that could be done.
This has lead us now to AkiP's decision to transfer her over to HKT48, where she's basically now going to walk into a situation similar to when Mariko was brought in by AkiP as a 1.5 Gen member after the rest of the group had been formed. Now AkiP has publicly stated that this move is not intended to be a demotion, and it could be that really intended it to NOT be one, but the simple fact is, HKT simply does not have the exposure and popularity that AKB, SKE, and NMB currently have. Sasshi's popularity over the last couple of years has been consistently growing, and the fact that she's been living in Tokyo ever since joining AKB has undoubtedly been a big reason for that growth. With her transfer to HKT, Sasshi now will have to move to Fukuoka. Now although this will mean that she'll actually be closer to her family and her hometown of Oita, she'll be farther away from Tokyo, farther away from her current work obligations, and farther away from possible/potential future work that she could've/would've gotten had she remained in AKB. For example, how much longer can we honestly expect her to remain as a regular member on "Waratte Iitomo", regardless of how much the show's producers may want her to stay, considering the increased commute that she'll have to make? Can we honestly expect Not Yet to continue as it currently is when only 3 out of 4 members are within the immediate Tokyo area?
Now of course there's the "devil's advocate" side in this. Both SKE and NMB grew in popularity quickly after they were formed as sister groups to AKB. HKT has unfortunately struggled in that regard. It didn't take long for SKE and NMB to get their own TV shows, however HKT has been around for 9 months, and they still don't really have a show of their own. They're appearing on TV quite a bit, but for the most part, they're still "just" doing guest spots on other shows (most of which a local ones limited in broadcast to the area of Fukuoka and it's neighboring prefectures). There are/have been those who are speculating that AkiP sees and is using this transfer to send Sasshi to HKT to help boost their exposure and hopefully jumpstart their popularity. If that is indeed true, then unfortunately it doesn't necessarily case a positive light on the current HKT members. Are they doing so poorly as a group that they need a "ringer" to be brought in to help them? Do they need a new "face" to draw fans to the group because the current members couldn't do it on their own? I admit, while I follow AKB's, SKE's, and NMB's shows and appearances, I haven't done the same for anything done by the HKT girls. Putting it bluntly, I haven't given HKT a second glance during the 9 months that they've been around. That being said, is it fair that the current HKT members now may have to deal with this doubt/stigma of not being good enough to do things on their own? No it's not, just like it isn't fair that Sasshi may now be the target of resentment/jealousy from HKT fans (and possibly members) who may see her as trying to take over the group and establish herself as their new "ace" member.
But of course, the decision has been made, so there's no real point now in discussing and arguing about things like "why it was made" and whether or not it's "fair" to one side or another. As much as I personally don't like Sasshi being transferred to HKT, it's done, and unless something big happens, it's not really likely that she'll be transferred back to AKB. She's still my kami-oshi, and as a fan, I'll still love and support her and wish the best for her. Now whether or not this gets me following HKT as a whole, I don't know.
At the very least, I can now honestly say that I've got an HKT oshimen.
WOTAGEI MODE, ON!
