Watanabe Ayusa (Aasachan) / 2nd Generation

Name: Watanabe Ayusa
From: Yamagata, Japan
Birthday: September 3, 2001
Blood Type: AB
Skill: Racket Sports
Hobby: Collection of fragrance
Favorite food: Blueberry, Macaroon
Favorite word: Thank you
Message: I will try hard so that people of all ages will be pleased. Thank you.

 

if the video does not show watch the video here

 

This girl is going places. I'm calling it.

 

After a week or so of observing the newly-arrived girls, I can say with a degree of confidence that Ayusa is one of the biggest wildcard to come out of the NGT48 2nd generation.

After Mirii, Ayusa is another member that has really caught my attention lately -- although I must admit that I decided to check her more closely only after Maho gave a mention of her on SR, describing how she was reminded of herself back in the beginnings, due to the way she used to be so wary of others and fearful of anything unfamiliar.
Personally, I don't see much of a resemblance myself but I figure this is probably more due to the fact that I, as a fan, am limited to just seeing the members from an outsider point of view and nothing else.

Spoiler

Or perhaps it's a matter of Maho referring more to the external body language. Left is Ayusa, right is a certain unnamed Number-50-chan from back in 2015.

What's for sure is that she has something magnetic about her behavior that in the end has convinced me to stay over, after going through watching a few of her Showroom appearances. I would love to bring up some recordings of her, although I fear the links will all end up dead not too long after. Take a short look at this for example, as an introduction:

Spoiler

if the video does not show watch the video here

if the video does not show watch the video here

if the video does not show watch the video here

Or you can look up her name on Youtube and watch the first videos you come across to know what I mean.
The point is this quiet-mannered and reserved demeanor that she consistently shows in it, characterized more by discreet physical gestures and shy facial expressions (both of which fans have already learned to know and love) than verbal communication -- the latter of it mostly consisting of greeting viewers and thanking them for the gifts. And then, interspersed in the middle of those long pauses of waiting in silence, from time to time she would give out some short details about her and her everyday life, always in a piecemeal fashion and always keeping herself from giving away too much, which actually leaves the viewers more curious and wondering than before.
Needless to say, all of this in turn has contributed to involuntarily (maybe even unwantedly) make her more enigmatic than she'd probably intend to, but you can say that she has already found a way to approach and draw the interest of the audience that is distinctively hers.

It's not my intention to speculate on family matters (not until she is willing to reveal more herself on social media), but she gives me the impression of being a girl who has been taught to be very discipined by her family, and now that she is stepping out of her family environment just needs to take her time to be less straigh-laced and feel more comfortable in front of an public audience made up of relative strangers.

Looking around on the group's main matome blogs, it turns out I wasn't the only one that felt pulled in by this personality of hers (see here). More generally speaking, I have also seen some comparison being drawn between her and Tsugumin, in the sense that she is a "soothing character" like her, but she takes her natural style in a completely different direction.
But as far as I see, I am more reminded of Moeka during her early stages inside the group though, in the sense that, in the same way as Ayusa, initially she was visibly in difficulty with getting herself across to fans and struggled to overcome this barrier of timidness (although, even here, this constituted part of her charm itself). Unfortunately for Moeka, this is still partially true even to this day, with the only end result that any attempt at establishing a character for herself, with its own figures of speech and other quirks still ends up looking to an outsider's eye as just "acting weird" (especially in the face of more exuberant and hyper-communicative members like Rittan, who are somewhat playing in her same league).
Similarities or not aside, I'm hoping for Ayusa that she won't face the same communication issues for as long because I feel time won't be on her side, like it was for the 1st generation. Ayusa sure has lots of secret potential waiting to be discovered and then to be realized, if done with the right assistance and stimuli, and I'm curious to see how she'll come to be once she breaks out of her shell (what a bad expression, I think "chrysalis" would make for a better analogy).
And even if she would go on to remain a little wallflower, that means she'll really stand out as one of the cutest looking.

Well, for a try, I even decided to subscribe to her mobame in a hope to find out more about her. Sadly the free trial campaign turns out to be unavailable to app users (sincere apologies for making the readers of the general thread get excited for nothing...), but I deemed it well worth the small price of a monthly fee.
One more observation before ending: the way she's such a far cry from the absolute boss that is Mirii (or even Kawagoe Saya, who strikes me as the golden standard of idol among the 2nd gen) serves also as a reminder to me of what a wide spectrum of characters this generation has already to offer, and which you can look forward to.

 

Aasachan has now joined Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/ayusa_watanabe/

 

2ki trans from AKB Janken magazine..

Spoiler: Link

https://twitter.com/aneroph/status/1048214303407529984?s=19

**credit to twitter owner

 

Watanabe Ayusa was replacing Rittan on Ato de performance at RH2019

https://twitter.com/moeka_ngt48/status/1086239572646719488?s=19

twt @Firstky_

 

Happy Birthday Ayusa~!


​

 

https://ngt48.com/news/detail/100003317
Announced grad. Her last activity will be 6/30.

 

Oh no, the only time my absolute favorite from a Showroom audition got picked (and I honestly couldn't believe it at first). She just has such a strange kind of aura about her, I was worried how well she would adapt to life as an idol. But she did well, can't blame her for getting out with things as they are.

(Mod edit: removed oversized photo)

 

I translated the official notice of Ayusa''s withdrawal: https://saitowinterstar.com/archives/173

Spoiler: Translation

Notice Information of the withdrawal from activities of NGT48 kenkyuusei Watanabe Ayusa
2019.06.22

At this time, we are reporting that we have received, and accepted, a request from NGT48 kenkyuusei Watanabe Ayusa to withdraw from activities. Watanabe Ayusa’s activities will end by June 30th (Sunday).

We will post her comments below.


I, Watanabe Ayusa, will be ending my activities as a part of NGT48.
Truly thank you very much for the privilege of about a year of activities.
I have always been sustained by the many kind words from those fans that have supported me.
Those that came and met me at events and performances, those that sent me happy messages.
Each and every one is an important memory.
I was happy just to have shaken your hands, or made eye contact.
I am full of feelings of gratitude for all the people that were involved in making these activities come to pass.
Really thank you very much.
In the time until June 30th, I want make sure to reflect on those that made my activities possible and send lots of feelings of gratitude back to everyone.
Thank you very much for reading until the end.


That is all.


Here is information regarding the last days of activity for Watanabe Ayusa.

Final Day of Activities
June 30, 2019 (Sunday)

Fan Letter and Present Acceptance
Arrival by July 30, 2019 (Friday)

SHOWROOM
The room will close June 30, 2019 (Sunday) at 24:00:00

NGT48 Mail
June 30, 2019 (Sunday)

NGT48 Mail App ver.
June 30, 2019 (Sunday)

NGT48 Mobile Photolog
June 30, 2019 (Sunday)
*Available online until July 30, 2019 (Friday) 23:59:59

There is only a little time remaining, but thank you for continuing to support Watanabe Ayusa.

 

https://www.showroom-live.com/room/profile?room_id=262996

 

Since I see that the Ayusa's own produced idol unit project has made progresses and gotten into full swing since Ayusa winning the Showroom Award back on December 2020 for personally pitching the concept, I think it really deserves reporting about it also here for awareness raising purposes.
There also couldn't be a better timing than this, anyway, considering that just some days ago they published the full-coverage documentary which was produced also as an additional privilege for the Showroom Award. I think it sums up the journey so far very comprehensively.

if the video does not show watch the video here

A translation of all the talk in the documentary, provided of course by myself:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rfW7gwhS62yJvE_RpCmh_iXCFC-9n6smVr3uFY_YsYk/

In any case, there's actually more articles and appearances before that, all documented naturally, so for anyone who wants more context, you know where to look for... :)

 

She being selected as the cover for the Yamagata Bishoujozukan (Yamagata Beautiful Girl Pictoral Book) for 2021 Spring edition.



https://twitter.com/yamagata_bz/status/1417061760909991936



Mod note: the image size limit is 750x750, not 2000x2000.