Mori Anna, Oba Mina, Shimada Rena scandal investigation results

Just announced on AKB48's and NMB48's official blog. A shocking simultaneous triple announcement. AKB48 Team 4's Mori Anna will graduate from the group immediately, Oba Mina from the same Team will resign from her post as Captain, and NMB48 Kenkyuusei Shimada Rena will be suspended from all NMB48 activities in 2011.

Now usually we don't report about rumors and scandals because I don't see a point in exaggerating the situation. Unless something actually does happen to them as a result. This announcement post will include a brief overview of the situation, the full details of the scandals will come in the following post.

It all started when AKB48 wotas found purikura (print club) pictures of Shimada Rena with a boyfriend. One of the purikuras even shows the two of them kissing. But the purikuras were taken before she became a member of NMB, and thus she was let off lightly by NMB48's management.

This didn't please the AKB wotas. There had been AKB48 kenkyuuseis fired in the past because of purikura pictures too, but the purikuras were much less severe than those of Shimada Rena. The most well known purikura scandal was that of then Team B member Kikuchi Ayaka. She was fired, but re-auditioned and is once again an AKB member.

The wotas found it unfair. Why were their favorites kicked out but Shimada Rena wasn't? So they exacted revenge, searching the vast internet for other scandalous pictures. Sadly, they managed to find Mori Anna's personal blog before she joined AKB. In it are entries of her dating a guy and other suspicious stuff.

Oba Mina was not spared either. Her personal blog was found not so long after Mori Anna's, and so too were there posts of her dating a guy, and even some talk about Enjo Kosai. Compensated Dating. You know, like in Seifuku ga Jama wo Suru.

The wotas were causing such an uproar that AKB48's management could no longer keep quiet. AKB48's theater manager Togasaki said 2 weeks back that the management is working on verifying the purikuras of the girls, and that the results of this investigation will be reported once AKB48's nationwide concert tour [AKB48 ga Ippai ~SUMMER TOUR 2011~] ends. That ended 2 days ago on August 31st.

Here are the announcements of the investigation.

Mori Anna announcement, translated by AKB48Journal
http://ameblo.jp/akihabara48/entry-11005822810.html

Team 4 member, Mori Anna has proposed to retire. Management has accepted the case, and this is the announcement.
Below is a message from her.


I, Mori Anna, starting from 2nd September is retiring from AKB48.


Recently because of my back pain, I often can’t appear at theater shows and this condition is keep continuing. This is very painful for me.
And because of that I’ve made AKB48 members and staffs worry so much about me. I can’t continue being in AKB48 like this, so I have decided to retire.


Akimoto-sensei kindly said, “Please come back again.” When my condition has get better, I will give a deep thought to it.


For fans who have keep supporting me in all kind of situations until now, really, really, thank you very much. I will not forget about everyone who have supported me. Until the day where we could meet again.


AKB48 Team 4 Mori Anna.

Oba Mina announcement, translated by AKB48Journal
http://ameblo.jp/akihabara48/entry-11005822810.html

Team 4 member, Ooba Mina has proposed a suspension. Management has accepted the case, and this is the announcement.
Below is a message from her.


Because of my past blog entries, I, Ooba Mina, have caused members and fans to worry. I am really sorry. Because of this matter, I think I am not qualified enough to be Team 4 captain, so I will resign from it. And then, I will also resign from janken tournament.


I don’t know how to apologize to fans who have supported me. But using this chance, I wish some time to reflect upon myself and asked to be suspended (from AKB48) for a while.


Because my egoism, I have caused fans to worry for a long time, I am really sorry about it. But please, give me some time. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.


Team 4 Ooba Mina.

Shimada Rena announcement, translated by AKB48Journal
http://www.nmb48.com/news/etc/etc_2011_09_02_02.html

Thank you very much for keep supporting NMB48.
We have an announcement about NMB48 2nd generation, Shimada Rena.

Regarding her past photos, because it was something before she entered NMB48, she is still allowed to perform at theater show and participate in handshake event.
While doing it, Shimada Rena was contemplating herself, does she, who have caused so much trouble to many people, is qualified to stand on the stage? Is it fine to just continue like this?
She’s very thankful to warm support like “Keep at it!” “Are you OK?” from fans, but at the same time she’s very sorry about it.

Now, Shimada Rena has requested to be suspended for a while. As one of NMB48 janken member, she will retire from janken tournament at 20th September, because of the thought that she can’t stand at such sacred place. And then with handshake event at 3rd September in Tokyo, she will be suspended from all activities in 2011.

We hope you will kindly understand about this.

NMB48 management executive.

In addition, Shimada Rena will not be taking part in the AKB48 Janken Tournament 2011.


Hopefully after this announcement, this senseless war will come to an end. This war, which ultimately resulted in the graduation of 1 member and the dethronement of another and the suspension of the 3rd. Nanchan was a nice girl :( . But I guess it is good for her in a sense, she recently has some severe back problems but has not got the time to recover. Hopefully once she recovers, she will re-audition for AKB48 once more just like what Ayarin did.

I predicted that if anything were to happen to Minarun (by the management I mean), she would most likely resign as Captain. It already happened before to Akimoto Sayaka after all. But still the announcement is quite a shocker. I wonder if the title of Captain will be transferred to another member of Team 4 or will it be left open waiting for Minarun to take it back? The only other Team 4 member I approve as captain is Shimada Haruka.

Shimada Rena was definitely the least surprising. After the kissing purikura, everything was in chaos. I wonder if her popularity will ever recover? Ayarin's never did. I wonder if the wotas will even forgive her? I hope the next auditionees for AKB48 or the other 48 groups don't make the same mistake. Remember to delete your old blogs when you audition! Even better, don't audition when you have a boyfriend.