Umeda Erika has Graduated

[tsukinobyouin]

Umeda Erika officially graduated from C-ute and H!P on the 25th. Apparently 2ch is reporting that she didn't get a big ceremony, she just thanked everyone and went her way. There's a special photoset out with graduation messages from each of the members of C-ute. These are all my translations below:





Umeda Erika:

To everyone who has supported Umeda Erika,

It's because of all of you that I've been able to come this far and that I'm able to do my best going forward.

I won't be able to see you like this at events and concerts anymore, but even though I can't see you, I know that you're there and I'll continue to do my best.



To all of the fans, I love you♥♥

For whatever reason, she wrote "I love you" in Korean, in hangul and everything. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':whistling:' />



Yajima Maimi:

DEAR... My beloved Eri

Eri, congratulations on your graduation. It's really sad saying goodbye, isn't it. You know, I love how you're kind to every single person.

Whenever something is wrong with one of the members, you notice right away and worry about us, and you're really caring, like "I'll do anything for anyone!!" Watching you act that way has made me want to become more like you, and I've learned a lot from you.

The seven years I've spent with you have been so rich with memories I can't count them all.

There were times when we laughed together, and times when we cried together. I really treasure all of those moments.

Our paths have split, but the path we have followed up until now will always continue forward, so I'll continue on treasuring it.

We won't be able to see each other like this anymore, but you've always been saying that you want to become a model and I'm going to cheer you on more than anyone else. C-ute will do our best to make up for Eri's absense. Finally, thank you for all of your kindness. Thank you for always warmly lending an ear to me. There were difficult times and fun times, but I'll never forget the days we chased after our dream together. Let's both go after our dreams with all of our strength. And then let's both take hold of our dreams!! I'll always love you.

FROM Maimi

Nakajima Saki:

To Umeda no Erika-chan,

Congratulations on your graduation.

You're reaaally funny, and super awesome!

Please do your best as a model.

I truely love you.

From Nakajima no Saki

Okai Chisato:

DEAR→Erika

It's really sad to see you graduate from C-ute after we've been together all this time...

But I don't want you to give up on your dream, and I want you to do your best until it comes true...

C-ute will work even harder okay!!!

Erika!!! Let's work together again someday, okay?

I'll alllways, alllways love you!!

The possibilities are endleessss

FROM→Chisato

Suzuki Airi:

(She drew a heart with a lightening bolt on it, two arms, and a smily face and labeled it "Erika-chan")

Erika-chan, congratulations on your graduation. (batted eyelashes smily face)

Although I'm sad to see you leave C-ute ´o`, I'll never forget the times we worked hard together, laughed together, and cried together.

I'll cheer you on as a model.♥ Do your best, okay!!

Thank you ;_;

Hagiwara Mai:

I love you♥♥Erika

You were always teaching me stuff about clothes and lots of other things!!

Let's both continue to do our best from now on (´艸`♥♥

[Special Needs Tricycle]

Aw, no big ceremony? <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... #>/sad.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':whistling:' /> I'm such a sucker for graduation ceremonies.



I hope she does good as a model. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':ph34r:' /> I also hope that her fans don't abandon her now that she's revealed that she's actually a Zainichi Korean. MIKI, YOUR TURN

[EmEl]

A big wow at Yajima's message. That girl must be really sad, as those words seem to be more as a friend than her "duty"as a leader. (Or I've been bamboozled by the idol industry again <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... unsure.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' /> ) Just seeing that large block of tiny text on Yajima's picture was impressive enough.

[aine]

[quote name='EmEl' post='70668' date='Oct 27 2009, 12:46 AM']A big wow at Yajima's message. That girl must be really sad, as those words seem to be more as a friend than her "duty"as a leader.[/quote]

My feelings exactly, that's a very touching and bittersweet message with much more going on between the lines if you can see through it. I'd say more than that but I never really got around to recognizing C-ute members... So I'm not much affected by it. I sure liked a good number of their songs and this made me somewhat mellow.

[tsukinobyouin]

[quote name='EmEl' post='70668' date='Oct 26 2009, 07:46 PM']A big wow at Yajima's message. That girl must be really sad, as those words seem to be more as a friend than her "duty"as a leader. (Or I've been bamboozled by the idol industry again <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... unsure.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' /> ) Just seeing that large block of tiny text on Yajima's picture was impressive enough.[/quote]



I was kind of thinking the same. She's also the only one to call Erika by a nickname, and even though some of the stuff in her message is the standard graduation stuff, it was definitely more personal than "Uh...thanks for teaching me about clothes!!" and "Uh...oh yeah ur sooo funny."

[Mierna]

C-ute is now five members. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... #>/sad.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' /> Best of luck to them. Sometimes I wonder what's keeping me from not wanting to support H!P anymore. Kanna, Erika, and soon Koharu will be out of the picture, so who knows...

[alita87]

Just watched the clip up on Dohhhup for the Alo!Hello DVD. Looks like they edited Erika out of it completely (though there are a couple of spots where I think I spotted all six when i watched it but I've only watched it once.)



Sad that they didn't give her an actual ceremony, but I guess our image of graduation ceremonies comes from Morning Musume and maybe they're trying not to start a pattern of adding and graduating members like that, who knows?



I wish them the best as a five member group and just hope that the model spiel wasn't an excuse to jump ship to another company (*cough cough* like Avex).

[AEUGNewtype]

[quote name='alita87' post='70689' date='Oct 27 2009, 01:17 AM']Just watched the clip up on Dohhhup for the Alo!Hello DVD. Looks like they edited Erika out of it completely (though there are a couple of spots where I think I spotted all six when i watched it but I've only watched it once.)[/quote]

They did this same thing with the C-ute Has Come DVD from back in the day, since Megumi jumped ship between the time the show was filmed and when it got an actual release, but when it first aired on TV, she was still there. H!P is pretty good at this stuff. Didn't they edit Kago out of a few things as well?

[Pucchi-Mo]

[quote name='alita87' post='70689' date='Oct 27 2009, 03:17 AM']I wish them the best as a five member group and just hope that the model spiel wasn't an excuse to jump ship to another company (*cough cough* like Avex).[/quote]



Erika wants to model, Koharu wants to model,



MODELING is the new GASTROENTERITIS!!!

[jasminalee]

I hope they have a normal mm graduation for Koha-chan though

[alita87]

[quote name='jasminalee' post='70772' date='Oct 30 2009, 06:09 AM']I hope they have a normal mm graduation for Koha-chan though[/quote]



I'm sure they will, it's in Musume tradition. Maybe they just weren't sure if they wanted to start a trend by doing the same thing with C-ute.

[Cyrene]

[quote name='AsunaSasaki' post='70814' date='Oct 30 2009, 07:04 AM']They Should Do A Normal Graduation For Koha But I Hope She Does Solos Like Goto Did in Her Graduation XD[/quote]



I -like- you and totally agree!

[Special Needs Tricycle]

[quote name='AsunaSasaki' post='70814' date='Oct 30 2009, 10:04 AM']Wow Ive Been A Recent C-ute Liker and Now Its Weird To See Umeda Go Like That... But I Feel Like Maimi and Umeda Have Been Best Friends and Its Nice To See Maimi Giving The Bigger Speech XD



[quote name='alita87' post='70810' date='Oct 30 2009, 12:19 PM'][quote name='jasminalee' post='70772' date='Oct 30 2009, 06:09 AM']I hope they have a normal mm graduation for Koha-chan though[/quote]



I'm sure they will, it's in Musume tradition. Maybe they just weren't sure if they wanted to start a trend by doing the same thing with C-ute.

[/quote]



They Should Do A Normal Graduation For Koha But I Hope She Does Solos Like Goto Did in Her Graduation XD

[/quote]

Stop Typing Like This Or You Will Get Punished And Not In A Sexy Way.

[Pflaume]

This is what we get for reminding people to capitalize in the rules.



I hated Umeda at first but have come to like her. She will be missed, do don ga don, etc. Also, I didn't think they would edit Umeda out of anything if she didn't leave because of a scandal? Strange.

[kitaoji]

I see it more of company policy. Erika's officially out of UFA, so they don't really have the rights to have her on anything that they produce or release. I'm more interested in the FC release of their Hawaii trip, since there's no way she could have skipped out a fair number of their fan activities while they were there. Similarly, when Maiha left, the DVD magazines from their 2006 spring concert (read: rehearsals for Maiha's concert basically edited her out as far as I recall.



Then again, Murakami was still in some DVDs after she left. So maybe it's a case-by-case thing. :/

[Storm121693]

i can't believe she really left! but i'm glad she's pursuing her dreams of becoming a model. can't wait to see her in fashion magazines!

[IncolourXx]

Erika will be missed D:

[alita87]

[quote name='kitaoji' post='70851' date='Oct 31 2009, 07:23 AM']I see it more of company policy. Erika's officially out of UFA, so they don't really have the rights to have her on anything that they produce or release. I'm more interested in the FC release of their Hawaii trip, since there's no way she could have skipped out a fair number of their fan activities while they were there. Similarly, when Maiha left, the DVD magazines from their 2006 spring concert (read: rehearsals for Maiha's concert basically edited her out as far as I recall.



Then again, Murakami was still in some DVDs after she left. So maybe it's a case-by-case thing. :/[/quote]



Yeah I understand that part. But it must've really sucked for in Hawaii being like "Ok you five over here and... Erika just stand somewhere not in front of the camera." It was one of the things that came up in conversation with a couple of wota friends at dinner last night. I too think there's no way they could cut her out of the FC release because that would really piss off many of the fans who paid so much money to go on the trip.



One of my friends even said he hasn't been able to watch the Alo-Hello dvd because he turned it on, saw that Erika wasn't there, and it feels somewhat incomplete. UFA didn't announce that she wasn't going to be in the DVD so I think it was widely accepted that she would be as one of the last things of her in H!P.



It definitely shows the difference in planning time for Erika vs Koharu's graduations though, since Koharu is in the calendar but Erika isn't.

[eri]

[quote name='AsunaSasaki' post='71011' date='Nov 2 2009, 09:19 AM']O.o why not T_T!?![/quote]



Because:



1. It is against the forum rules to deliberately rape the English language.



2. It is annoying other posters. We have a small community. Most of us actually read the posts and try to engage in a more meaningful and intelligent conversation than what you see on other forums. It isn't that hard to type properly so when people don't, we can only assume they're doing it to be a dickwad. Nobody wants a dickwad in their close knit bbs.

[eri]

[quote name='AsunaSasaki' post='71027' date='Nov 2 2009, 10:38 AM']Oh alright...[/quote]

<img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' />



<img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... nceman.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... nceman.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' /> Lesson learned! Let's all get along! <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... nceman.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':shlick:' /> <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... nceman.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':danceman:' />