Two bright smiles have left H!P

In the past couple of days Hello!Project has seen two members from different groups graduate. First off was Tamura Meimi from ANGERME on May 30th then the next day Morning Musume had their farewell to 9th generation member Suzuki Kanon. Both had good long runs in their respective groups so it is not easy to say good-bye even though there has been time to prepare for their departures.

Honestly Meimi leaving ANGERME hits me harder as she was quickly becoming a favorite of mine as I got to know the group more. She was such a bright shining light in the group and a stand out vocalist. I wanted more time with her in the group and will miss looking for her when I see anything new for ANGERME.

Of course she is staying in show business as she switches to focus on a career in musicals so at least it will not be too hard to keep up to date with her. And I am certain she will continue to shine on stage.

And while I was more of a casual fan of Zukki there is plenty I admire about her. But I cannot help but think changing careers is a good idea for her as it seemed like too many were hung up about her weight to bother to get to know what a wonderful person she is. Of course for those that did get to know her she was easy to like and I am not surprised at how many loved her.

It is still sad to see her leave as it feels like so much wasted potential with her as she never really got the chance to shine in the group as she could have. At least she was given a high note to end her time with Momusu on.


I will miss both girls in their groups but I do hope both find happiness in the new paths they have set for themselves. And I hope that there will not be any more graduation announcements in the near future from their respective groups.

Chu-Z a new member!

Chu-Z has announced that they will be holding auditions for a new group member. The auditions started on April 20th and finish June 5th.

The announcement was made via their official Youtube channel.

Honestly I was surprised at the announcement as Chu-Z has never come off as the kind of idol group that would make additions to it. It makes me wonder if they want to stay as a six member group or if there may be another graduation in the near future. I hope it is not the later though with Maia turning 28 this year I would not be completely surprised if she leaves. But I do truly hope I am wrong and they just want to have six members.

As things are now while the group as a whole is still strong after Asuka's recent graduation the sub-units do feel off. Which is not surprising as going from three members to two does make more of difference than from six to five as there are less members to cover for the missing member. So wanting to add a member to bring Sun Chu up to three again makes sense.

Overall my feelings are mixed about the announcement. While I am willing to welcome the new member it just feels a bit off still to being one in. And then there is the dread that it is more because someone else in the group has graduation in mind and the agency does not want the group to get any smaller than it currently is.