Minegishi Minami (Miichan) / 1st Generation

If it's Kojima-san I would guess it's Kojima Haruna a.k.a. nyan-nyan

Fun Fact: Kojima Mako once lost the right to her family name for a fortnight(?) to Kojima Haruna during a Janken tournament.

Miichan's twitter
https://twitter.com/chan__31/status/991162847110447104
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初めて韓国に行ってきた！！！！ みきちゃんと小嶋さんとの姉妹旅行☺︎☺︎☺︎韓国で流行ってるソフトクリーム屋さんに行きました。楽しく食べているところから、みきちゃんの髪の毛についちゃった瞬間までの表情の変化をお楽しみください...ずっと笑える また写真載せまーす。
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I went to Korea for the first time!!!! Sister travel with Miki and Kojima San ☺︎☺︎☺︎ I went to the ice cream shop that was popular in the Korea. Please enjoy the change of the expression until the moment when I got on Miki-chan's hair from the place where it is happily eating... It's a lot funnier to put photos.
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If she went a bit earlier she could have claimed to bring peace to the peninsular


Someone made a drawing of Miichan
Miichan's instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiHW7kYFryB/?taken-by=minegishi_31chan
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センチメンタルで艶っぽい世界観が大好きな、イラストレーターのますだみくさんがなんと私のことを描いてくださいました...！きゃー！嬉しいー！
「描きたい」とか「撮りたい」とかクリエイター心をくすぐるような人間になりたいものですねぇ。。頑張る☺︎
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I love the sentimental and glossy worldview, Illustrator Mr. Miku draws me ... What a strange thing! Certainly! I'm happy!
I'd like to become a human being who tickles "Creating" or "I want to draw" or "I want to shoot". . To do my best
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(I guess she means she wants to trigger creativity in other people)


She sure tends to move into the artsy, higher culture scene it seems

Miichan jokingly complained about never being featured in nyan-nyan's social media posts in an episode of Ariyoshi Akb Kyowakoku...
and nyan-nyan eagerly admitted to that, because, as she explained, she was trying to create a presence in the fashion world apart from her work as idol.

if you search on 10 best AKB shows you can find a the video, the exchange starts at 08.02

edit: replaced the drawing with a larger version, I must have uploaded the thumbnail by mistake

 

It's obvious that Miichan's demotion to kenkyuusei has not been that bad in the long run, not for Miichan nor for AKB. She really bonded with Miki's and Kojimako's generation.
If you have a chance you should watch the shuffle announcement segment in 'The time has come', Miichan being the rock on which Team 4 was founded, she and Kojimako in their senbatsu uniforms, the rest in their Team 4 kit, it kinda shows how she was 'living' in both spheres ... on the one hand the veteran top members and on the other the up and coming wild bunch that Team 4 was.

Miichan might probably have graduated 3 or 4 years ago if she didn't have Team 4 to nurture.

Btw Miki-chan sang Miichan's signature song 'Watashi wa watashi' together with Miichan in her graduation performance ... that's was pretty emotional, and I dare say special.
I have no idea if anyone else has performed that besides Miichan


And another thing I might add: I think graduating was a good thing for Miki-chan, if you see how she looked when she graduated and how she looks now, she looks much, much better, happier too.

 

Well, we have confirmation ... it is Kojima Haruna, as Celin said, THE Kojima or maybe better put, La Kojima

I found out yesterday that 'Watashi wa Watashi' was Miki-chan's favorite AKB 48 song.

it's kinda amazing it scored 16th place on the AKB48 Request Hour Setlist Best 1035 2015 (not that it featured in any other set list, but still)

p.s.. I checked out miki-chan's instagram .... that girls is seriously fond of food (but otoh, it seems Japanese people in general are seriously fond of food, judging by the amount of foodp*rn on Japanese tv )

As far as I can remember Miichan only centered one undergirls' B-side, the one with the laser lights and the plastic skirts, Densetsu no Sakana :/ ... ow wait, I just checked ... it's two, damn, now I have to look for the MV of Mata Anata no Koto wo Kangaeteta, if there was one
.

 

I've seen the live 'a cappella' theatre version, it was amongst the videos in the Facebook group (of with most have disappeared unfortunately) it almost sounds as if it was especially written with her voice in mind

 

Bij re-reading the lyrics I realised that I can understand why Miki-chan could identify with Watashi wa Watashi, she must have keenly felt the pressure of her peers and friends moving forward (Okada Nana and Kojima Mako), the three of them being the designated aces for their generation, while she was flagging in the election.
And Miichan of course had been through all that as well, being zo close to Kami-7 ... but on the other hand so far away.

It must be so hard to see others soar while you are trying your damnest.

like being picked last for dodgeball, only a hundred times worse :/
(ok ... phys ed, yeah it's a childhood trauma of sorts :/ )

Frankly, I don't think her scandal has al that much to do with it, how ever much I like Miichan ... she never was top-tier, even before her scandal she just barely managed to stay in the senbatsu (not that isn't a accomplishment btw)
If we look at the members who got a grandiose send of ... they were all top-7 level members ...

otoh - given the fact that she's the only first gen left standing and her contribution as Team 4 captain ... I think she has earned a good send off, if and when she decides to call it quits.