Shida Manaka (Mona) / Keyakizaka46 1st Generation

I wonder what happened behind the scenes . I feel that there is something they don't not want to tell us about. Could it be that she did not have a good relationship with management ?

 

Clearly she had a boyfriend and they were selling stuff on the side in order to pay back her parents for choosing this job path and it clearly didn't work out so now she's graduating.

 

^Really

 

Otsukare-sama deshita!
Sayounara MARRY

 

Well, even if the staffs want to held a concert/ last handshake, the member herself still needs to be there, right? And if she doesn't want to, there is nothing the management can do about it.

 

That's what bother me the most. She grad without coming back on scene one last time, same for Imaizumi.

To leave just like that, I really don't like the mngmt choices. I'm really disappointed, they don't think about the fans.

 

It's not always the management choice have you read Mona's blog? I think she just want to graduate quietly. As much as I want her to have ceremony, but let's respect her choice.

 

What exactly happened? This can't be it. I still can't grasp the reason why she is graduating. Was it her choice? Was she tired? Why do I feel like Keyaki is falling apart?
Mona was one of my favorites. It's really sad to see her go like this

 

It's unfortunate that Shidas stint as an idols had to end this way, she had so much more left she could do and accomplish. But it's good that there's finally some closure for her and her fans.

Probably because two of the groups more prominent members just up and left for seemingly no good reason. It would have been like if Nanase and Matsumura left Nogizaka after only three years. These were girls that by pretty much any metric you choose were successful at being idols. For them to just up and leave in a very non-standard fashion just raises a lot of questions. Add on top of that the unreliability of the groups star which leaves everything else in limbo just leaves a very bad vibe around everything.

If we had better answers to why zuumin and Shida left and what's going on with Techi it would probably feel a lot better.

 

NikkanSports reports that she has no entertainment industry plans and likely plans to leave show business altogether. As I would expect.

As for why she left, I can see several contributing factors: one, she was quite shaken by the flare attack against Hirate/Memi in the next lane to hers at a handshake event. Memi came back immediately, Shida and Hirate (who was the guy's likely target) stayed out for a while. We don't hear the threats and criticism idols get, and free-spirit Mona probably got lots. Putting yourself out in front of the public, some of whom are unbalanced, must be nerve-wracking for some people. I feel as if Mona was not as mentally strong as she appeared.

Two, her physical condition may indeed have declined. Three, the "scandal." To think that reporters are lurking around even your own home digging up dirt on you to make public must seem like a poor way to live, for someone who isn't absolutely hell-bent on being an entertainer. Four, being an idol means not having a boyfriend. If she really did have a boyfriend, then that would seem like a huge price to pay -- especially with the disapproval of management breathing down your neck.

And she might have found these past months at home, in a less pressured situation, with old friends, pretty pleasant. As well, she could probably see that her career was not likely to lead to the big bucks that she was already not getting with Keyaki.

As for the selling clothes to pay back parents thing, which I only half believe (people tell their grandparents what they want to hear), I don't think we can extrapolate from that to its (highly likely) failure and the desire to get a real job. Maybe, but only with a lot of other factors going on. But I can definitely picture Mona running (or working in) a fashion boutique.

As for Zuumin, she left because she couldn't be centre. It must have been a shock to see Hirate elevated over her from the start, when Zuumin was clearly the better singer (even though I was never a fan of her singing, myself). And she has said herself that she never became close to the other members, except Pon -- and her only to some extent, it seems. She seemed close to Uemura for a long time (apparently sometimes stayed at her house nearer Sony than Z's home near Yokohama), but not in the past year or so. And maybe Sony offered her a chance as a solo artist. We'll see what happens.

 

Selfishly I'm gutted she's gone, for me she always shined brightly on stage & TV. I'll miss her laugh the most.
For the length of time she's been missing I suspect health (whether mentally or physically) is a major factor in her decision.
All I can do is wish her happiness.

 

Lets get one thing clear, newspapers don't have reporters just lurking around on the off chance that an idol will eff-up in front of them. A particular idol will only come on their radar if someone close to them (friends, colleagues, family, ex-bf) gives a tip-off to the newspaper.

 

You're building a straw man, but fair enough. I was being a bit too vivid. They're off in Tokyo waiting for the call. Or the call-back from their enquiries. Then they come and lurk around your home with a camera. I doubt that feels very different to the object of their attentions.

I'm not exactly blaming them: it's their job. But since I don't have the strong feelings about idols not having boyfriends that others do, I may see things from a slightly different angle. Shida messed up, but in my opinion she did nothing "wrong", even if the reports are true. I just hope this ends up giving her a life she loves.

EDIT:
A fan was watching early shows and made some animated gifs:

Spoiler: animated gifs

 

I'm sorry if I've somewhat jumped on your throat but it's just that I've seen that type of phrase being used too many times on this forum. Even if you don't, plenty of other people here are all too willing to "blame the messenger" instead of expecting people to take responsibility for their actions.

 

I think the flare incident should be a lesser reason that ranks low on the list or not at all. After all, it is an isolated incident and there are more important, worse things in life that could happen, such as a stressfull job, unnecessary public scrutiny, poor career choices, etc.

 

why do many people believe that Zuumim graduated because she can't be center and don't give her interview as proof. I don't think it's a strong indicator. It's like saying I transfered out of this particular high school because I couldn't be 1st honour. I thought it's more because of her health? Are you implying that her deteriorating health she mentioned in her blog is just an excuse and the real or main reason is she can't be center?

 

If the girls quit in order to pursue a different career path other than showbiz, then I'm fine with that. However, if it is because it is due to the reason that they are not making enough money by being in an idol group, then they might get a reality check if they enter the male dominated corporate world of their country, when female managers are still a rarity and the glass ceiling is pretty much unbreakable. This is probably why in their country, many more females than males want to enter the entertainment industry and showbiz such as idol groups as it is one of the few career paths to get a good income regardless of gender.

 

The Japanese don't speak out loud what they think. They tend to speak around, around and around the subject instead of talking straight into it. That is b/c they fear the others around them will judge them based on what they speak. They were teached not to stand out in a crown since they were a child. Especially in school, if they stand out to much compare to other kids, they will even get bullied. And that's also 1 of the reasons why a lot of Westerners can't adapt to their society while working there.

I myself also think she left b/c she knows that there is no future for her in the group, as long as Hirate is still there.

 

Shida is simply done with idol life. I don't think it's about not making enough money in the group. How could people believe this???? Do you guys know them enough personally to inquire of their financial situation. We know how much of a free-spirited person is Shida. Idol life wasn't just for her. Whenever she is right now I hope she is happy and living well. Her laugh and smile will be missed.

Everyone have different opinions and perspective on this matter, so I'll let this rest. I still don't buy it the "she quit because she couldn't be center"

 

@LOP -- I probably underestimate the effect of Zuumin's health problems, but I've seen her ambition from the start and can sympathize with how frustrated she appeared to feel (at least to me) in things she has said in previous interviews (that I can't lay my hands on right now, so I can't check details to be sure).

As for Shida and money, I'm sure that's not the main thing. Just that she probably wasn't making so much money as an idol that the money would hold her that tightly. "Done with idol life" seems the top reason to me, too. But there are a lot of details there we don't know, about what aspects of the life she had trouble with, besides being attacked in the press, and tangentially by a "fan." And also there's the physical stress of the job, which is like being an athlete, especially with Kanji.


Just to complicate things a bit more, I have been thinking that Mona seemed close to Techi. Might she know that Techi is going to leave, so Techi would not be a draw to keep her? Or might she know that Techi is going to stay, and was feeling that she couldn't be her "lightning rod" any more? Just a thought. Pure speculation.