There's a billion threads this could go in, but in the end, it is one big confession.

I confess that the Sashihara scandal, how it has been handled, and other general recent feelings, have made me seriously question just how much I really want to support this AKB48 empire at this point.
I feel that this whole thing, and in hindsight past scandals and issues have been handled in the interest of publicity and nothing else to an almost cruel degree. I guess you could say "duh", but I am honestly a bit floored by just how blatant it is recently. We all know idol graduations are a mixed bag, but after seeing several in my time as an AKB fan, I think the staff and perhaps AkiP have totally lost their morals as far as exploiting these events goes. Think about how it's gone. For a time, it was simple: they either ignored the scandals, or did a firing or suspension. As time has gone on, we've seen all kinds of random, strange things. Kikuchi Ayaka making a comeback seemed to be when they decided they could make a media or fan impact where one previously didn't exist. Also coming to mind is the NMB scandal where they allowed fans to vote for Yoshida Akari to return or not. More headline attention grabbing perhaps? Yoshida is popular but not a top member, so it may not have garnered as much attention without it being engineered. Then we had Nacchan and Rumifu's scandal, which made a lot of noise in the fandom online but didn't really have much media attention since they weren't super popular members. That is, until they were made to give a tearful farewell speech propped up on stage. That got a few snapshots, didn't it?
And now we have this Sashihara scandal. Pics she sent to a boyfriend in a newspaper. So they're "transferring" her to HKT48. Today, though, they made a special section on the
AKB48 site for her, labeling it HKT48, and throwing her at the bottom. Why don't you just write "IN CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW WE'RE TOSSING THIS DISGRACED IDOL WHO WAS OUR FOURTH MOST PROFITABLE MEMBER A FEW WEEKS AGO TO HKT48 LOOK LOOK LOOK". I don't see a giant SKE48 logo for Deguchi Aki and Nakanishi Yuka. They were part of AKB48, too. It all screams of publicity stunts and in a bad way. I know it's all about the almighty dollar but must we use dirty smoke and mirrors like this? Making an issue out of a non-issue, prolonging it this much? Obviously Sashihara is not being
truly removed from AKB48. Were they, I don't think we'd have this ridiculous addition to AKB48's site. I confess honestly that this whole thing is eating away at my Sashihara fandom. I don't want to support this circus. I want HKT48 to shine on its own. I was looking forward to them recently. I want to get to know girls like Matsuoka Natsumi and Miyawaki Sakura better without Sashihara having to pointlessly introduce them to us, or be forcefully wedged into their formula. I 100% do not support this. I don't need time and I don't need to wait and see, I don't. fucking. like. it. For Sasshi's sakes or HKT's. I think it will pointlessly damage or at least slow down both entities.
You know how I feel after thinking about all this? I feel like the kid who will only drink Nestle Quick chocolate milk just because there's a giant fucking cartoon bunny on the can. Have I been consumed by brand loyalty for too long? Has a bit of disenchantment finally made me realize that AKB48 really isn't all there is to idols/entertainment/killing time? I'm truly starting to wonder that. I've been expanding my horizons lately and loving it.. have I been giving too much of my time to AKB48 and friends? Honestly, I must confess I'm starting to really question how much I like this empire now. I really do like the empire, but... maybe the monopoly is over. And you know what? I confess that maybe that's not such a bad thing. There's a lot of BRILLIANT music, girls, and idols out there. Not to mention the rest of the music scene. Not that I'm picking favorites or anything.
:3I will try to keep an open mind as things play out, but unless things take a drastic turn, I am quite confident that my feelings won't change. I wouldn't have written all this otherwise. But hey, never know. One thing about AKB48 is they're always full of surprises.