Miona Hori: The day where the 'straw that broke the camel's back' for Nogi has sadly arrived.....

 

 Won't give all of my thoughts or opinions yet as I'll be bringing this up in many future posts. Am hoping I don't sound too angry, I am to an extent but also that mood is one of sadness. Yesterday Miona announced her graduation from Nogi and it was a bit unexpected. But not entirely as I had a feeling she was getting a bit frustrated at her Nogi career and also of her best mates in the group. Nogi has just had two recent first generation graduations so thought Miona would wait a while before telling the world but it seemed she needed to get that news off her chest and did it in two ways.

 At the bottom of the post will have her blog entry on the graduation that's been translated. Also her farewell video for it's in that she announced her departure first, have many subbed screenshots of that. We all know the day will arrive when a J-Pop Idol will leave her group and we all accept that, this one though seems like the day came way too soon. There's been so many of my faves that have left their groups over the years but none affected me as much as this shocking news. I was a Miona fan the instant she joined Nogi and she's been among my top three fave members for five years. So while I'm kind of mad for management letting things get to this stage with her and possibly others I'm also quite sad which seldom has ever happened with a graduation.

 Won't make this a long post as I'd end up repeating myself too much. But as the title mentioned this event could be the 'straw the broke the camel's back' as far as me being a Nogi fan. When you follow a group for so long you get more attached to the members than the group as a whole or at least that's how it's been for me. So when that core dwindles down to so few what's the sense of following a group such as Nogi any more? Not much is my thought and though I've already weened off from doing as many Nogi posts will continue to do to decrease them much more.

 So guess what I'm planning on doing is the same amount of posts until the end of the year. Then starting in 2021 the only posts I'll do for them are solo ones for the first generation members but those are rare these days. But just did start a new monthly series two weeks ago for the second generation members which I'll continue to do but they may be dropping like flies soon! In a very odd and sad stat after this graduation takes place the total number of fourth generation members will be more than the first two combined! Perhaps if those members were in their twenties I'd still follow Nogi a bit closely but they're not and I'm getting too old to pay attention to teens. But the news of this has only been out for forty hours so will let the dust settle a bit before I make other comments.

 What else will break the camel's back even more is when Miona's best mate leaves and to me it's much sooner than later. Am talking about Hinako and those two have been battling for my #1 fave member for over three years. She's made some recent blog entries about how her career isn't working out as well too and she's been getting some backlash lately from fans which has never happened before. Probably won't happen but wouldn't be shocked if they left Nogi on the same date.

 They've had one 'pairs post' and think the duo will be having another one. Often a graduation takes place in the last week of February when Nogi holds their Birthday concerts but with the crisis still on wonder if those shows will be taking place? That does seem like a logical time to leave, Miona said she would remain for the next single which comes out on January 27th. But if those shows can't be held a month later wonder what would happen as she truly deserves a splendid farewell concert. The second possibility which actually makes more sense is to have the graduation in May. That'll be Miona's eighth anniversary and also when the other second generation members joined, she's been such a supporter of those gals so it'd be a more fitting sendoff if it was just a 2G concert.

 Sigh, luckily no grad rumors about my third fave member. Beam Subs has done an excellent and quick job at translating Miona's blog entry where she announced her departure, have that text here. She's been a little critical in the past about how the second generation members have been bypassed in order for the 3/4 generation members to have the limelight and most fans agree with her. Miona doesn't go off on that tangent too much here but did say this wasn't a spur of the moment decision and had been talking with management for some months about it.

 We've hit the end and don't think I let my emotions get the better of me, as I said in the beginning no graduation has or will affect me like this one. Beam Subs has also done another fine job in subbing a new video that came out yesterday. Title of the song is "Tsumetai mizu no naka" which roughly means in the cold water and think that may express her feeling towards management! It's a Miona solo song for the upcoming single and on the PV is when she first made the graduation announcement.

 The video was released on November 27th at 10:15 am, the date was when the "Barrette" single came out seven years ago. That's been her only time as a center and 10:15 refers to her October 15th birthday. The video on YT isn't subbed but it still needs to be viewed, have some screenshots of the subbed version and the announcement takes place at the 6:44 mark. The song is good but nothing special, but the video is as it appears it was shot all in one take and if it wasn't it was an excellent job of editing. Miona does such a superb job in the video, especially so if it was done in one take and her voice seems to have improved over the years.