Watanabe Mayu (Mayuyu) / 3rd Generation

It’s sad but I am more optimistic. Mayu does everything with great determination, even with her retirement. I think she had planned it for many years and it is good that she knows what she is doing. It’s good to move on without looking back. It always takes a lot of time to adjust during major life changes. When she gets more successful in her new career / life goals, she might become more open to share about her life journey.

 

What I was wanting to know was what Harugon actually said. Reading one of the translated comments suggested that Harugon might have alluded to a reason as to why

 

Okay, so let me summarize what Harugon basically said and implied in above video.

On her instalive, some fans asked her about Mayuyu, and she said that since Mayuyu is retired (no longer an artist) so she could not give any update about Mayuyu to the public (though from her wording, it sounds like she is still communicating with her), because there is a so-called right of privacy in Japan where already retired artists can't have their information (basically anything) leaked to the public in order to protect their privacy, and offenders can be penalized. This is also the reason why Mayuyu deleted her social media accounts, and other AKB members never mentioned her such as wishing her a happy birthday on their social media accounts. She will reappear in public when she decides to come back to entertainment industry.

 

Doing an academic paper of Mayuyu's contribution as an idol and I wonder where is the source of Aki-P saying that she was born to be an idol (from Wiki48)? Are there also other interesting comments he has made about her?

 

That is from a 2013 interview with AkiP in IT Media Business online. You can read it here. He talks about various Senbatsu members:
https://www.itmedia.co.jp/makoto/articles/1303/05/news003_2.html

(Note that AKPedia, the Japanese AKB wiki, lists the quote as being from Nikkan Sports Sousenkyo Manifesto. It was probably just reposted there in 2013 or 2014, causing the confusion.)

 

I've found an earlier mention of the quote in this thread in this post from August 2009. However it appears in quoted text from a user called @rui whose original post I can't find. It would though seem from the quoted text that Aki-P said that about Mayu in a swimsuit PB, maybe the one for the 2009 SSK?

 

Yup, he also says Mayu was born to be an idol in Mizugi Surprise 2009. He's probably said it in a few interviews.

 

Happy 28th birthday!

 

Omedetou
Happy birthday Mayuyu!
Wish she return.

 

Happy birthday to Mayu chan! Another year had passed but I, like many other fans, still love Mayu chan. You has been and will always be my idol, making me a better, more capable and kinder person. Please always be proud of your past and optimistic of your future. I always have faith in Mayu! I wish you all the best and please remember to eat well, sleep well and be happy every day!

 

Happy Birthday Mayuyu
have an awesome Mayuyu day everyone

 

Happy Birthday to the Queen herself. Happy Birthday Mayuyu (Hoping she's doing well).

 

Happy birthday Mayuyu!!!





I miss her a lot ;_;
I hope she's living a happy & healthy life!
Even now I still watch her old content ;w;
I hope we'll get a sign from her someday.
I'll listen to her songs today

This is random but my top 5 songs of her:

- Synchro Tokimeki
- Rappa Renshuu-Chuu
- Magirashiteiru
- Tadashii Mahou no Tsukaikata
- Cousin

 

Ah Mayuyu, I hope she had a wonderful birthday, and that—whatever she’s doing—she’s happy and healthy

 

麻友ちゃんお誕生日おめでとう! I wish you nothing but happiness

 

Happy 28th birthday to the queen of our hearts!

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my eternal kami-oshi Mayuyu!



Wherever she is I hope she’s having a great day and even if it’s a very quiet day for her I feel sure she’s very happy

 

I'm late but happy birthday Mayu! We miss you

I watched Sasshi's graduation concert again the other day randomly, and Mayuyu turned up. They performed "Avocado Jane~shi..." together. It makes me sad that that was one of the last times we got to see her before COVID happened and she decided to retire. I really hope, whenever the day comes and Yukirin graduates, she'll feel comfortable enough showing up

 

Bunshun recently reported that one of Mayu's co-stars in Bookstore Girl, Houka Kinoshita, has been accused of rape by several unnamed actresses. Huge amounts of buzz on Japanese/Chinese forums that Mayu might have been one of the victims and this was the reason for her retirement. Mostly baseless speculation though as far as I can tell, especially since this would have happened in 2015 and she didn't retire until 2020.

 

I really, really hope that it's all baseless speculation :/ Rape isn't some light matter that I imagine victims would be able to casually brush off, it's fu***** traumatising. And if this was true, I honestly don't think Mayu would have been able to carry on the way she did up until her graduation.

Regardless, it's horrible that someone even had to go through it in the first place.