Translation of Toybox article about Rika. It's not complete; I'm missing the last two paragraphs of the article, but where i stopped is actually a pretty good ending place. It's like an essay/editorial column written by a Rika fan.
Now.. if i can only remember the link...TOYBOX Ishikawa Rika Cinderella Story
Ishikawa Rika graduates at Budokan where she had her first concert. In her first concert, who always had a high voice during the MC, watched the older members intently while laughing. In the audience encouragement, it was inevitable they would be confused. A little before that, without moving anywhere, she was an ordinary quiet girl. What did she feel standing on the big dance stage all of a sudden? Joy? Fear? Or… And what was she thinking of on May 7.
Even among the 4th generation members, the right adjective for her, who held back her enthusiasm, was negative. Moreover, she didn’t have confidence anywhere in her own singing. But still, she did a musical in a monotone voice and such, and within herself, the girl who was able to capture the right direction, little by little, grew. Recently, the word “positive” haven’t been shown from her, but the way that it is heard by oneself has changed.
Persistently, it might be the writer’s selfish assumptions, but wasn’t the element that allowed her to grow was the establishment of joining Tanpopo and the always teased on character in Hello Morning?
Still not knowing right to left, when she was told she would be joining Tanpopo, she was full of worry, but doing activities in a small group of 4 people allowed her to find her own place and I suppose let her learn lots of things from the older members. I always listened to a radio program called, “Osoro,” but talking by herself there with only her voice and challenging the expressions she had to do on the radio drama, I felt she grew a lot. Again, with 3 members graduating, she became the leader of the new Tanpopo, even from the radio, she really conveyed that the she takes care of the younger members well. Of course, even now, the younger members respects the older members, I wonder from now on will Viyuden pull with great force.
In Hello Morning, this is about the news corner that “Charmy” was in charge of. Even there, she worked with the big older member, Yuu-chan, and the bonds between them deepened more, and I suppose she learned more than a mountain worth. I remember her fiercely protecting her caster corner seat. Someday, for sure, looking at myself, the time comes where I transfer to the younger members the place where I grew. At that time, I woke up to how deeply moved I was without thinking; I wondered her feelings of how much she loved that corner, how hard she did her best, and how much she received favors and thanks. She was doing her best and captured our hearts and I felt that I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. I watched over her as she grew from a young girl to a female adult and supported her.
Pictures taken at her hometown, Yokosuka, Yokohama and Okinawa (bikini pics, of course). There are a long interview, graduation stuff, pictures from her chilhood, etc.
Pictures of her hometown... maybe that will help me find her home...
