Kamei Eri and the Pandas Graduate

I logged in today to mostly wish Johnson a happy 29th birthday.  (Happy Birthday Johnson!) I've missed a couple of birthdays because I've been busy or on vacation.  Out of habit, the first thing I do is check to see if anything interesting is being talked about on the blogisphere.  I was shocked by the spam of posts about three members leaving Morning Musume.  Three!  I was waiting for one or maybe two.  I never actually thought JunJun and LinLin would leave at the same time, considering their age difference among other things.  Most people didn't see this coming looking back at the poll that I did.  This is what you get when you don't give enough time to each girl.  Kamei Eri, however, has a different reason.  While the pandas return to China, Kamei Eri will be recovering with a skin condition that she has been dealing with for some time now.  It is called atopic dermatitis.

Big announcement from the Morning Musume。

About the graduation of Eri Kamei, 6^th generation member

Eri Kamei came to me several times regarding her health condition. One time, she said to me : "I would like to find the time to cure the atopic dermatitis that I'm suffering from".

Since the time she joined the Morning Musume。, it looks like she was dealing with symptoms like itching and slight skin color changes. She took medication to calm the symptoms down and she also used make-up to cover it but during live concerts, there is a lot of sweat and many outfits to put on, which made her recovery very difficult.

Some may say it is "just a skin problem" but 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.

Eri Kamei will graduate from the Morning Musume。 and the Hello! Project on the last day of the Morning Musume。Autumn 2010 concert tour.  As for her activities after that, I intend to discuss with her after her full recovery.

About the graduation of Jun Jun and Lin Lin, 8^th generation members (foreign students)

In May 2005, both of them joined the Morning Musume。as foreign students and today, while being skilled singers and entertainers, they also greatly improved their japanese proficiency and they are now grown-up women. This is why I took the decision to graduate both of them at the same time as Eri Kamei on the last day of the Morning Musume。Autumn 2010 concert tour.

After graduation, they will enter a period of preparation before focusing on their singers and entertainer career in China.

August 8^th 2010

Morning Musume。 Producer

Tsunku♂

Finally they are holding auditions for the 9th generation.  I don't know why they waited so long, as if they didn't care about the group.  It was like a plateau period.  The group was on the same note, with no new progress.  It was like Morning Musume minus Kusumi.  The sad thing is, they are only excepting girls from ages 10-17.  Luckily Mittsi is still close to the max.  They have to be careful about the ages.  If they pick up one girl towards the max, it is just another Mittsi.  If they pick up one or more towards the minimum then the whole tone of the group will be at war.  A whole bunch or young women and a couple of girls.  It would not work.  The best thing for the group is to pick up a variety of ages all across the board.  Just think about it.  They can up four just to get back at nine, but Morning Musume once had 16 members.  One will just not due.

My feelings?  To be honest, I've detached from this group.  When I heard Ono Erena was leaving, I was crying.  Even if this was Sayumi Michishige I would care, but I wouldn't cry.  It is the same feelings I have towards C-ute and Berryz.  I care about the members; I like the music.  I've just lost my passion.  I was shocked about three members, and happy to hear about the auditions.  I just hope this is a sign of a turn around.