Kojima Haruna (Kojiharu) / 1st Generation

A translation of the letter Aki-P wrote for Kojiharu (excuse any mistakes, I'm still quite new to Japanese):

"To Kojima Haruna-sama,
You have always been a diligent member. Even when I didn't know how to handle some stronger personalities from some other original members you always neatly did what had to be done. At a time when AKB48 still didn't sell well you suddenly told me during an interview in Daikanyama: 'I am surprisingly good at singing!'
Naturally you said it in your playful way of saying things. But because you were so diligent I didn't pay attention/I forgot about it and you started complaining and feeling sulky about it. You were right: your singing was in fact really good but I had forgotten about it. So I quickly came up with a WCenter song for you and Maeda Atsuko: 'Yuuhi wo Miteiru ka?'.
A few years ago you told me you want to talk to me about something so we met for dinner in an Italian restaurant in Azabujuban. I'm certain you were thinking about seriously graduating back then but in the end we were only talking about it jokingly. I feel like I was a father who didn't want to hear that his daughter had plans to get married and so I avoided the graduation topic when it came to you.
It's needless to say you were always thinking about AKB's future, you took care of the kouhais and didn't bring up the topic all the time. So I didn't bring it up either, I let you do it and I thought it would be nice if you stayed in AKB even after you are 30.
Now we're finally celebrating your celebration on the 19th April 2017 and I will ask you this: 'Haruna, can you stay a little longer?'
Just kidding. I won't get spoiled by you anymore. Stay yourself. Even if others see you as a person that lacks motivation or that you're cutting through life without work, because the truth is that you loved AKB48 more honestly and seriously than anyone else. You had a big sense of responsibility and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Thank you.
Congratulations for your graduation.
You have my blessings for your second start into life.
Akimoto Yasushi."

 

thanks for the translation!!! that made me cry!! one more time!!!

 

Thanks. I'm so happy when I read this. I feel that Kojiharu is really important to AKB48 when Aki-p himself wanted her to stay a little longer. There's no doubt that her voice is good.

 

I've read on some threads that a few of the more cynical posters on Stage48 think the tears we see in these graduation stages are all manufactured by the girls for effect. Their reasoning is that the fans want to see tears, so the girls give the fans what they want. I really don't want to believe that for a second. I've always thought that those emotions that we are seeing are absolutely genuine. Anybody have an opinion one way or the other?

 

I mean maybe some members are playing their tears up, but a lot of them are absolute disasters. I doubt they could make themselves look like that much of a mess if they tried. Not that I'm saying it's a bad thing! I think it's really touching when a member just loses it at a graduation

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Yukirin was suspected to have fake cried They even called her on showroom to ask if it was fake, but obviously Yukirin said it was all real.
imo Kojiharu is such a huge influence on every member wether she spoke to them or not, so I think all the tears that night were real

 

^^ Thank you so much for the translations.

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renaikeikaku


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Swingle


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Sakurai- Ariyoshi the Yakai no 04/27
@16:30

 

I really want to think the members' tears are genuine. Kojiharu was such an important part of AKB! And as Aki-P said, even he wanted her to stay after she was 30 and that she was so supportive of her kouhais. Since she was the oldest member and a 1st Gen, pretty much everyone was her kouhai! Yukirin has that blackhearted character, but I still think that she cared for Kojiharu. It must feel like the end of an era with her gone

 

Kojiharu in GirlsAward 2017 Spring/Summer 5/3




credit: Modelpress and Oricon

Maidigitv


if the video does not show watch the video here


if the video does not show watch the video here

 

Aki-P gets a lot of crap from netizens for being a money grubbing dirty old man who exploits young women, but that was a really sweet letter he wrote for Kojiharu. I think he really does care for the girls in the 48 group, especially those from the first few generations whom he's gotten to know well throughout the years. I really do get the feeling that he wants the best for them despite what some people may say about him. And lol at Haruna tooting her own horn in regards to her singing abilities. She was basically like "Listen Akimoto-san, I can sing pretty well so why haven't I centered a song yet?"

I guess it's believable that some of the girls may have been hamming it up. They might have seen it as an opportune time to practice their fake crying and improve their acting chops, but I doubt too many of them did. Whether they were close to Haruna or not, her graduation is yet another reminder that the AKB we all fell in love with is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, the group isn't the same as it was and the future is no longer certain. Will the group maintain relevancy or go the way of Morning Musume? It must be anxiety-inducing for the remaining members to experience the graduations of all these legendary members.

Those extensions... I missed long haired Kojiharu. She looks so lovely and imo she walked better than the other models despite those killer wedges they had her wearing. I was watching the first vid thinking about how stiff all the models looked when Haruna came out looking so casual and chill. The bag looked like it was in danger of slipping off her narrow shoulders though. I have the same problem with satchels. Does anyone know what brand she was modeling for?

 

Could someone translate this article about Kojiharu?

http://googirl.jp/entame-2/170508yurufuwa003/

 

Loosely translated with a lot of help from translator applications;

"On the topic of women, 'what power is necessary to be a contemporary woman?'
"This time I picked Kojima Haruna-san, who recently graduated from AKB48. While attracting a lot of male fans as an 'idol you can meet,' her beauty and marshmallow body (I'm not sure what exactly that is supposed to mean but oh well) present in magazines was a goal/role model for many women. So what is Kojima Haruna-san's secret power to be supported by men and women...?
"A characteristic that was found within her but not within other AKB members was objectivity. In a world of entertainment you usually cannot survive without putting yourself out there but she always gave off the impression she was watching AKB from somewhere else. While being a central/important member, she is calm and supportive and she never broke down under the pressure of explosive popularity.
"Such a character seems to be called 'my pace' with lack of motivation but that alone cannot be the top idol; it can be seen now that Kojima-san was an adult woman who was good at overlooking everything for a long time.
"Even Kojima-san who has a lazy image would have to put a lot of effort into remembering so many songs and dance (choreographies). But she doesn't show how hard she is trying and she does not seem desperate, she is striving for her goals in the shadows. A "person who doesn't consider effort as effort" can continue producing stable results even when enduring painful circumstances.
"Even her graduation event, which involved nearly all the staff and caused a sleepless season seems relaxed in her case. As far as I saw on the documentary, there was a scene of tension but she kept a cool head that is incomparable to the stress/pressure other members have felt or will feel at their graduation ceremony. Kojima-san's laziness may be blunt but that does not make her effort any less.
"Kojima-san who stayed in the group for as long of a period as more than 10 years is rare in the idol industry, as most of her colleagues soon spread their wings into different territory [such as acting]. Even when her work load as a magazine model and commercial worker increased, she did not quit AKB. Why is that? I guess that is because she possess the unique talent to evolve without changing.
"It is easy to evolve once you have changed your environment but it seems impossible to continue your desired growth without changing the conditions other than yourself without considerable self-production ability. Kojima-san used her own objectives/virtues and insensitive abilities to gain the hearts of men and women alike."

(Sorry for any mistakes, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong!)

 

Renaikeikaku


photo credit: https://www.instagram.com/p/BT3xLKHADU0/
http://ameblo.jp/rirandture/entry-12273458773.html

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Snidelhk


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Maquia


photo credit:
https://maquia.hpplus.jp/topics/account/news/makeup/QJYWljA

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Kojiharu guest in Ogiyahagi's TBS radio program 5/4


if the video does not show watch the video here

 

@bonjourmarlene Thanks for the translation! It was a nice read.

Kojiharu was invited to the opening of FENDI pop-up store in Omotesando. Says she supports everyone in the election especially the AKB members.

if the video does not show watch the video here

New two-shots



And this...

 

Two more videos from Fendi Opening 5/11

WWS Channel


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Oricon


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She is often referred to as having a marshmallow body. Supposedly it means she's a little chubbier than other Japanese girls, but I wouldn't call her chubby at all. She is a perfect weight for her height. The best I can translate its meaning to is curvy I guess? She probably weighs more than 50kg which is "big" for a female Japanese idol. Most are, like, 160cm and < 48kg whereas she's about 165cm and > 50kg-- hence the "marshmallow" body. See the article below about an idol group made up of marshmallow girls and you'll get an idea of what the term refers to.

http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/01/...bbiness-japans-latest-chubby-girl-idol-group/

 

Those two shots must've been taken a while ago... her hair hasn't been that long or that dark for a while...

 

^ Yup by new, I meant newly released two-shots on Numero Tokyo. These are slightly different from the designs on her homies t-shirts.

Some pictures from her Kojimatsuri booklet

Anyone watched Day 1 of her grad con? I thought the friendship quiz in the middle of Omoide no Hotondo was original and hilarious (Mayu and Haruna got all the answers wrong lol)
I couldn't stop laughing at that part when Takamina got trolled...her stunned expression...
I also got goosebumps when Akimoto Sayaka performed Mushi no Ballad and all the penlights switched to green automatically. It was a pretty fun concert!

 

@bonjourmarlene Thank.

I found this video as soloist in Hong Kong.


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