Hirata Rina's G+ Post

Hirata Rina wrote a long post after learning Minegishi Minami's demotion.  It was a very mature, sensible take on the situation and fans have applauded her for it.  I would like more people to see it so I translated it on twitter.  But there is only so much you can do with 140 characters, even with multiple tweets, so here is the unabridged version...

This is Hilary.

I was eating with Yukarun and Miyupon when I found out about what happened to Minegishi-san through Togasaki-san's blog.

We haven't heard anything so we were confused, we were not sure if posting on g+ was a good idea, but now I will write down what's on my mind.

I have always admired Minegishi-san.

At this point, KKS are not featured in performances of regular teams, so I have only been able to talk to her during concert rehearsals.  

But every time I see her, she is always very nice, and gives her everything during performances and MCs.

I have always wanted to be like her, someone who is able to do just about everything.

So I was very shocked to find out about this and really had no idea what to do.

To be honest I still have no idea what will happen.

But I do know that even if she broke the rules, her hard work up to this point has taught us many things.  And her strength has been part of AKB's support for the past 7 years.

I respect her as a person.

For someone so close to the goal, it must be difficult and takes a lot of courage to start again from beginning.  

So when she becomes a KKS, I will greet her with smile and respect.

What happened this time has made people angry, sad and hurt, but I would like to gather up all the negative feelings and share it with everyone - that way we can go through this together and share the happiness that comes after.

I still cannot believe she is going to be a KKS, but if it is true, we will do our best to learn everything we can from her and become better at what we do, no matter how little the growth may be.

We would also be very delighted if Minegishi-san is able to discover new things when she is with us.

We will do our best to make sure everyone enjoys AKB - we want you to think that your days are enjoyable because of us.

This is how we want to move forward.

I want to make everyone happy - this sentiment has not changed since I joined AKB.

I am going to work harder than ever, please look forward to it!

Hilary

AkiP: We Are Making A Team 8

https://plus.google.com/113474433041552257864/posts/7XVoticZYJM

We got a lot of worried responses regarding the KKS/trainees that did not get promotions...we were not going to announce this until later, but I'll spill it.

I'm sure some of you already know, but

We will have a Team 8.
That's our target.

AKB, SKE, NMB, HKT, JKT,
they need some sort of challenge.
A rolling stone gathers no moss.
Let's hope for some chemical reaction.

I talked to Jurina and Miyuki after the concert.
They talked about their love for SKE and NMB.
Of course I know what they mean.
SKE and NMB will show you what they are made of.

Full Togasaki G+ Post on Promotions/Transfers

https://plus.google.com/u/0/103388469578205010447/posts/Rxqc4MShNgD

We had some "surprise announcements" at the end of the SSA concert just now, and I'd like to report them here.

There were two announcements today.

First announcement was promotions to Team 4.  Those promoted were:

Kato Rena
Kawaei Rina
Iwata Karen
Tano Yuuka
Takahashi Juri

The other announcement is about filling Team K and Team B's roster, one spot each:

To join Team K:
Matsui Jurina from SKE48 Team S

To join Team B:
Watanabe Miyuki from NMB48 Team N

These two new members will still perform with their respective teams, which are Team S of SKE48 and Team N of NMB48.

As AKB48 members, there is a limited time for the "rental transfer, and we would like to see them develop while working with sister groups, as we think there is a lot they can learn from one another.  So please send them your warm thoughts and keep cheering for them.

Thank you for your continuous supportive to AKB48 and its affiliated groups.

光宗 薫 週刊プレイボーイ 2012 No. 7 / Mitsumune Kaoru from Weekly Playboy 2012 No. 7

Credit goes to ryokoayublue

December 8th, 2011.  She took the stage for the first time as a 13th-generation trainee on the day marked the 6th anniversary of AKB48's theatrical debut.

Her name is Mitsumune Kaoru.

She was the subject of almost all discussions among fans that day.

"Who the hell is she?"

Her overwhelming beauty and sense of fashion are unparalleled - someone like this has never existed in the AKB48 line-up.

Just who is she?