[180529] Muto Tomu Mobile Mail: Tomu’s Thoughts on Election
This year General Election has finally begun!!
For me, it's been 2 years since my last election.
I decided to not run for last year election.
I do not think that I made a wrong choice. Thanks to that, I was able to rediscover myself.
But, for the past year there is also a fact that I came off AKB's front line.
Senbatsu and Kouhaku, the other things also did not go well. There are many occassions which are frustating and painful. I'm often depressed by my own uselessness.
That is why, For me this is the time to compete.
I must change it with this one.
With this, I would like to say that I can bloom again and shine more as an idol!
I would like also to increase the opportunities to interact with you who always support me. I want to increase our fun time and happiness(^^)
Up until now, I never rank down in the election.
Therefore, many people told me at the handshake event that this year would also be alright.
But, I do not want you to think like that.
I often check ranking prediction on the internet and magazine, I am so happy to see my name on it, but at the same time I am also afraid.
There is no guarantee about what will happen in the future.
But,
I believe in people who support me, and of course, you.
Thanks to you who always support me, I am here now.
I believe in this bond (^^)
Let's do it together!!
This general election is a crucial moment for me!
One year since the day Jurina won the AKB48 General Elections. It was a day of lots of emotions. There was passion, there was frustration, there were tears, and there was joy.
This was something she had worked for 10 years to achieve. She pushed herself to the physical and emotional limit, voiced her strong passion to her fellow members, and stood alongside them with pride.
She may have given harsh words to some, but they were out of the desire to bring the group back to the top.
She gave kindness to Sakura, her rival, when she had just moments earlier cried in frustration.
She hugged so many members who ranked in and shared in their happiness.
She took her place on her throne.
Although there were lots of bittersweet memories from when she took her hiatus, it still made me so happy to see her shine when she had finally reached the goal she had been pursuing for years.
I hope that this summer, she will burn brighter to make up for the time she was absent during her hiatus last year. I will continue to support Jurina and SKE48!
Matsui Jurina, congratulations for your victory on that day.
Sakura is taking it so bad she is unable to participate in handshake event today... As a both Jurina and Sakura fan, I feel troubled. I wanted Jurina to win, it's been 10 years and she deserves it but I always thought Sakura would come second. Dasu is another cinderella story, but I think Sakura took badly especially losing to Dasu as well...
It’s unfortunate, but she’ll have to learn to pick herself up. After all, you could consider this to be the first major setback of her career.
I don’t blame her though; there was a lot of pressure on her this year. Having to prove herself worthy of the immense push she’s had over the past couple of years, carrying the expectations of the entirety of HKT48 on her back (especially with Kodama still MIA), as well as having to live up to Sashihara’s legacy; Judging by her speech and her social media feeds, she probably feels like she has essentially dropped the ball on all of that. Losing the crown to Jurina is one thing; but losing to Suda as well - if anything, that’s what would push her over the edge.
But at the end the day, she still needs to move on. Setbacks like these are part and parcel of a career like hers. I mean, look at how many times Watanabe Mayu tried - and failed - to take back the crown for AKB48. If anything, I want Sakura to use this opportunity to understand herself better, re-evaluate and improve her approach to being an idol even further, and to come out of this with a brand new resolve to stand tall at the forefront of 48G alongside, and maybe even ahead of Jurina. Giving up is not an option.
The best thing for Sakura to do now, is to double down on her efforts in Korea. Focus on that battle, and use that as a second chance to redeem herself in her own eyes. If she really wants to prove herself, then there will be nothing more satisfying for her than to claim glory for 48G as the Center on Produce48.