Shida Manaka (Mona) / Keyakizaka46 1st Generation

Speculations are good as long as they are not made just to diss members and groups (which I know it's not your case @ukifune ) and I think both of you are right.
For Zuumin there were health problems, but also the fact she went into Keyaki with a specific mindset and her wish wasn't fullfilled, no matter how much she stood out as Yuichans and as soloist.
I remember I was quite happy about her determination; something that I saw quite lacking in the other girls at first.
So, I may be wrong, but I think both her place in the group and the complications she went through made her graduate.
Personally I'm a fan of Zuumin so I really hope she will take the singer path and fullfill all her dreams from now on.

Shida is a different matter. Shida is different, period.
Perhaps the opposite of Zuumin. She entered Keyaki with no goals in mind, carefree and ready for whatever the future would bring and lived it just like that.
She brought smiles and laughters and became a sort of pillar, for both the group and Techi.
I could be wrong, but I think Shida herself had a lot to growing up to do still while in Keyaki; the stuff ukifune listed surely made her think twice about why she was in the group, and the time she took on hiatus for the injury may have helped her to valuate her choices better.

When we say "idols" we know we are talking about different persons, but often we expect them all to act in the same way no matter what.
Shida always looked to me like many of my friends, who had to walk their path at their own pace and make their mistakes too, no matter how much I would have rushed them in or make their turn around, and because of that I liked her more than the others, except for Techi and Zuumin.

She's still walking and still going to her own pace... hopefully to a brighter future than haters would want for her.

As for me, I still can't bring myself to make her tribute fanart

 

To be fair that's mainly because "idol" is a job title. If your job title is "garbage collector" you're expected to pick up trash regardless of how gross it is, if your job title is "accountant" you're expected to keep track of accounts regardless of how difficult it is. There is of course personality and skill involved that differentiates individuals within any profession but the underlying job still has to get done. And if you do not enjoy what your job entails you should try to find another that is enjoyable.

That's why I'm not particularly upset Shida has left. She just did not enjoy idoling and I would really hate for her to keep doing something that she didn't enjoy whole heartedly. I hope she can find her true life's passion from here and hopefully the experiences she's had along the way so far have pointed her in it's direction.

 

I believe Shida early on mentioned she wanted to do 4 things: A model, cloth designer, shopkeeper, and nail artist (please correct me if I'm wrong). However she said that he had lied about those things, probably because she couldn't think of anything else. She is at an age where you question who you are, and what you really want to make with your life. I get the feeling deep inside she wanted to do the first two. For a model she certainly has the height, and a very unique face that would stand out in any runway (or really, anywhere else). Keyakizaka is an springboard for that, it worked for Risa and Rika. Not sure about the cloth designer option, and definitely not for the other two.
Anyway, even if she decides to stay away from showbiz, I just hope she finds her path and be happy.

 

Whatever it is, let's hope they don't end up simply staying at home and just being housewives. It will be a waste of their talent and abilities. Better still, if they quit showbiz, that they enter university and get a professional job and compete with the salarymen at work. That will really make a difference .

 

Well good bye Mona, be happy and live long! That's all I can say.

 

Maybe Mona is a Trekkie? If that is the case, then: Live long and prosper!

 

Oh shit .. I teared up.
https://twitter.com/keyaki_first/status/1064654637024911365?s=20

 

Damn, I miss Manaka. The link above reminds me of her smiles and laugh.

It's not helping that they just casually mention and show snippets of her in KeyaKake like she's still there.

 

I feel a sob in my chest. So great. Her smile after she tosses that (candy?) in her mouth. There was a matome piece talking about how much the group loses in losing her: the soul of the group, in a way. Individual. Relaxed-seeming. So uniquely beautiful. Such a smile. The video is a making-of video for the photobook, with photographer Hosoi Koujirou, who did Neru's photobook. "Blue car," her photo feature is called.

 

source
I'm sorry I don't know how to link the photo to imgur I can only link 2 images

 

Yep.. They are not making it easy for us at all..
I open my Twitter, I see Mona's precious smile and boom.. Tears build up.. I open my Instagram, I see her snippets and boom.. Crying silently at a corner..

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I'd also like to add a picture of Mona, it's actually a 'photo of a photo' which I took in the Tsutaya Shibuya record store earlier this year when I was visiting Tokyo. As well as loving her personality, for me she was also a great stage performer and this picture captures that so well:

 

It feels as if a close relative passed away... just an empty feeling, thinking of all the things that could have been.

 

Uh don't phrase it that way.. I will cry again.. But yeah.. It's like some one important just left us.. But we were bound to say our goodbyes though we fans couldn't give her a proper goodbye and all our wishes..
I only wish for her happiness and a beautiful future for her..
Well today, the photobook is released..
Can't wait for the reaction

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Agreed... I am sooo ordering the photobook.

 

Happy Birthday Mona!

You are officially an adult now! I swear I will make this the last time I cry.. And please keep smiling as I love it very much..
Mona, otsukaresama!
Be happy and enjoy your life!

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I keep thinking I should not look at or post any more of these painful good memories. But then someone brings along a Happy Birthday video like this one, with so many memories, including her first introduction on KeyaKake:

https://twitter.com/mona_1123jn/status/1065621070730813447

 

Happy Birthday Manaka!

 

That video but also so many good memories is impossible not to smile through it

@Ozeki I was scrolling down the forum and almost had an heart attack when I saw your nick in the graduates section
Then I noticed it was actually you replying this post and not Ozeki graduating

Keyaki grads scared me for life

 

Happy birthday to one of the most unique of Keyakiza46 members, Shida Manaka!!!

I wish I could post the following:
"Now, enough with the dokkiri, come back to Keya, baka girl!"
(sigh....)