I wasn't originally planning to do a milestone post for it; but since it comes just after her graduation, I dedicate my 600th post to Ono Erena.
Erepyon was actually the first AKB48 member I ever saw, though I didn't know anything about AKB48 or her affiliation with it at the time. Being a huge fan of the Higurashi no Naku Koro ni anime and games, I watched the live action film when it came out. She played Satoko in the film:
Later, when I had become a fan of AKB48, I realized I had seen her before. During my time as a fan, she has always been near the top of my list of favorites (never dropping lower than seven in my rankings).
Erepyon's is also the first major graduation since I became a fan. I must say that, while looking through the threads yesterday I ... uh ... got a lot of dust in my eyes.

I'm really going to miss her in AKB48, but I do know that for the girls the group is a means to achieving their dreams. Erena's dream is to be an actress, and I believe she'll be a great one. After all, that's what she was doing when I first saw her.
Ganbare, Erepyon!!!I really need to do something about all this dust. It kept getting in my eyes while I was typing this post, too.