This might come as a surprise to many Hello! Project fans out there, and since Kamei Eri has been my favorite idol for many years now, I understand your feelings, but do I feel the same?
For those who don’t know who these people are, they’re part of an idol agency called the Up-Front Group. The idols on this agency are put under a family name called Hello! Project, and the mothership of H!P is Morning Musume, a group that was once super famous but has lost most of its significance as of today. Morning Musume has been active since 1997 and a total of 25 girls have been part of it. The word “graduation” in this context refers to one or more members leaving the group. A graduation of a girl can be caused by several things, for example, a member can graduate for getting too old (this is usually their own decision), wanting to move on to do other things (such as modeling) or breaking their contracts by having boyfriends or smoking.
As a big fan of Kamei, this is a somewhat surprising turn of events, as Kamei was not expected to be the next one to graduate. What’s even more heartbreaking isn’t her leaving Morning Musume however, it’s the reason why. Kamei is graduating because of a medical issue, apparently she has had skin issues for quite a while and been treating it with medication and covering it up with make-up. Continuing to work normally did not seem to be an issue for Kamei, however, live performances where the girls sweat a lot and have to change outfits very often was a real pain for her. Apparently, what she’s suffering from is atopic dermatitis. While this might not be a life-threatening disease, “according to doctors, an external problem like skin problem may move to an internal level. It may as well have an impact on her spirit, her mental level. Also, for her, it is a serious thing so she decided to focus on her recovery instead of letting it continue.”.
It’s good to see Kamei prioritizing her health and I’m glad to hear that she has no intention whatsoever to retire from showbiz when her atopic dermatitis has been treated. Personally, I’m not really sad about her leaving Momusu, as long as she stays in showbiz, I’m happy. Kamei appeared as a guest actress in the currently airing drama Nihonjin no Shiranai Nihongo (with Naka Riisa), and perhaps that’s the route she’ll take when she gets back.
As for Jun Jun and Lin Lin (the two Chinese members of Momusu), honestly, the idea of taking them in in the first place was bad, in my opinion. But they’ve had 3 good years in Momusu and now Tsunku (the producer) is set to give them a career in China instead.
So what now?
Well, in my eyes, Momusu is doomed now. If Tsunku wants Momusu to stay alive, he has lots and lots to work on. It’s a sinking ship with only 5 members and just adding new members is most likely not going to save them. I think Tsunku will take a different approach at the whole idol thing from now on, and give the current members of Momusu something else to do, such as acting or singing solo. They’re all good entertainers so moving on might be the best thing to do now. Out of the remaining members, I will keep a closer eye on Michishige Sayumi and Niigaki Risa, I think Sayumi would do really well in a solo career. But I guess it’s still too soon to talk about that now.
My love for Kamei stays the same, Long Live Kameism stays the same, so while this is bad news, I can’t say that I’m not excited about what’s next. If Kamei takes on acting for real, that would be awesome^^
For now, let’s not feel too bad about it and just wish her well!
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