Okay, now that I've had the day to let this sink in I think I'll make a completely unnecessary, butt thoughtful post.
Over on H!O, I check the Takahashi thread everyday, I have to or those crazies will let it grow beyond control. Now, every once in a while, someone will go, "Oh man, she's so awesome, it'll really suck when she graduates." and this prompts the majority to rise up like a black tide with warnings not to mention the 'g word' lest it become a jinx. A few days later, some person with a grasp of the English language, butt not fluency will skim through it and exclaim, "Takahashi's graduating?!" and start the whole process again.
It's quite amusing to watch, actually, butt I digress.
Now, these instances will spark a Great Debate over what will happen once the dreaded 'g word' finally does come to pass. Some will curse Tsunku, some UFA, others will say, "Well, if she goes, so do I." Others will wonder if she'll finally announce her love affair with [insert H!P girl of choice here] in a joking manner. I swear I saw that one once.
The truth is, the future is uncertain. Honestly, my biggest fear was, and has always been, waking up to news of, not graduation, butt a sudden terminal accident. I shudder to think, you know?
Anyway, my point is, graduation is on the horizon for Takahashi Ai's journey on the good ship Musume, her time as Captain is coming to a close. When she first took up the position, I had to admit, I thought the ship was sunk. "This is it, Morning Musume's done for. Too many scandals, not enough backbone." And in the beginning of her reign, I was being proven right. Gradually, though, Ai-chan scooped out the water, one bucket at a time and the girls all pulled together to patch up the holes. Sure Morning Musume isn't the newest ship to sail the Jpop ocean, it's a little rusty in some spots, there's been many attempted upgrades that haven't gone as planned, her crew is a lot smaller than the competition, butt she's sea worthy. And totally willing to carry us fans to the end, whenever that may be, however many eras have to end.
By the time the Captain was made Admiral of the entire Project, I have to say, things were going good and they only got better. Koharu's graduation was sign of that, after the lineup had been so shakily steady for so long. I'm proud of how far Ai-chan had taken the torch she was handed and she's more than filled Yuko's, Kaori's and Yossui's shoes as leader. Now, well, soon enough, she'll hand the torch to a new leader, a new Captain, and for such a small woman, Ai-chan has left some big shoes of her own for Risa to step into.
Hopefully, UFA, or whoever, will take this remaining time to show Japan and the world a side of H!P that hasn't been seen since the "Glory Days" and Ai will be training Risa and the 9kies to lead the flagship through rough seas when they come.
So begone you nay-sayers! Away with any negativity! We must keep our heads high and support the transferring Captain and the ship she'll leave behind, like the good fans we are.
I hope that when Ai does leave, she hops into a jet fighter to rule the skies over her beloved H!P fleet, on her own, butt never far away from friends and fans.