Maimi says good-bye to her best friends, and one of the greatest idol groups ever, in her March 4th update “Berryz Koubou“. Full translation below.

I’m sorry for updating late
It’s Maimi

It took me longer to write than I thought(＞人＜;)

 

2015.3.3
Our contemporaries, Berryz Koubou, celebrated the 11th year since their formation.

At the same time, they held their final concert at Nippon Budoukan before suspending their activities.

We’ve always been together since even before we passed the Hello! Project Kids audition.

It’s been like that for close to 13 years,
so as expected, I still can’t believe they’re gone.

When we were Kids, we aaaaaaall shared the times we were scolded,
the times we cried from frustration,
the times we were happy and delighted,
and the fun times too

We’re really frank when we’re children,
so I think it’s a period where we clash a lot,

but we’ve been together since then.
We shared a variety of emotions.
We helped each other make it through a difficult period where we were always scolded at our lessons.

I think that it’s because of those things that our relationship continued even though we were in different groups.

I’m grateful that we were able to continue running together with that relationship.

There were 15 people who successfully passed the Kids audition.
Everyone had a different impetus for taking part in the audition,

but if we each didn’t have our reason,
if we each didn’t participate in the audition,

I would’ve probably spent today instead not knowing about the existence of these wonderful girls.

I think only a handful of people in this world have relationships with people from childhood to adulthood with whom they can get close with…
No, I think it’s only a pinch of people.

I think it was decided that we’d all meet in the future the moment each of us were born.

I think we are fated people who were supposed to meet and did.

Therefore, I feel that even though we’ll be walking separate paths from here, we’ll always have a connection no matter where we are.

The proof of that is that Ishimura Maiha-chan,
who ran alongside us in her youth as a member of Berryz Koubou,
and Umeda Erika-chan, who passed the Kids audition together with us,
came all the way to Nippon Budoukan to watch Berryz Koubou’s last concert

Murakami Megumi-chan, another member of the Kids, was unfortunately unable to come,

but when everyone gathered for the first time in a while,
those 2 hadn’t changed at all since before they graduated, and it felt like we had gone back to the time we were Kids.

I hope that we’ll all always be connected like this…

And then, Berryz Koubou’s last concert, which I burned into my memory

Each and every one of them were really sparkling

The members were smiling and playing around like always, so you wouldn’t have known that it was the end.

The group has made us smile like the sun up to this point.

In the last MC, they all told us their honest feelings standing on stage for the last time.

They were of course sad,
but I also felt their powerful purpose in their wonderful tears.

They were strong, and I felt that even though they’ll be by themselves, they’ll each walk their own path without faltering…

In addition, even though we won’t be spending the time together,
us, the staff, their families and friends, and all of the fans will always be there with them
They’re not alone

Even though this update will probably become long,
I will write about each member now…

First, Sugaya Risako-chan

I’m unable to forget the impact Rii-chan made on me when we first met! lol
I was surprised thinking “A girl this cute exists in this world!Σ(￣。￣ノ)ノ”.
Rii-chan was stylish and precocious even in her youth,
and just after passing the audition,
I think it was in the dressing room of Nakano Sunplaza~…

She was carrying a palette of lip gloss she just bought, and came up to me saying “Let me put it on you~(((o(*゜▽゜*)o)))”!

I remember being really happy that she talked to me

However, I was shy,
and I had still rarely worn lip gloss, and I didn’t like having stuff on my lips to the point where I wiped off the lipstick right away at the Shichigosan festival,
so I said “No~.”! (^◇^;)

Our parents accompanied us when we were little, and my mom saw that,
so at home she scolded me “Let her at least put lip gloss on for you!” …That’s nostalgic. lol

Rii-chan gave up and went to other girls saying “Hey, let me put some on you~~(((o(*゜▽゜*)o)))”,

but now I’d let her put on as much on me as she wants(≧∇≦)lol

In addition, whenever I became soaked with sweat at a concert,
she said “Hey!(　゜д゜) Your sweat’s amazing Maimi-chan(；゜０゜)” while quickly picking up a tissue and wiping my sweat away~

And when I said “My sweat is dirty, so you don’t have to do that~(＞人＜;)”,
she laughed “It’s not dirty at all!(o^^o)” and kept wiping

It made me really happy,
and I thought “She a really kind girl“

And then, Kumai Yurina-chan

About Kumai-chan,
I was still taller than her when we passed the audition, but she overtook me before I knew itlol

Her style is so nice, and I wonder if it was because she was a cool kid?
But she had an unapproachable atmosphere that made me think
“I’d be nervous talking to her!(°_°)”, but if you talk to her just once, you’ll be pulled into her Kuma Kuma world
She was always a carefree and gentle girl

We appeared in a play together, and it was impressive how she often cried tears of frustration.
It’s hard to tell from just looking at her because she has the carefree exterior, but she’s diligent and hates to lose.

I’m sure she’s going to put a lot of effort and work hard into to graduating college and becoming a model

I’m cheering for you

Next, Natsuyaki Miyabi-chan

With Berryz Koubou suspending their activities, recently ℃-ute has often watched old clips,

and whenever there was a girl who got scolded, or was feeling down, or was struggling to remember the dance,

the kind Miya would snuggle up to them and ask “Are you alright??(´・_・`)”.

I’ve seen her taking care of children a lot up to now,

and ever since we were little, she would stop and wait for the girl in the back to catch up

The Miya who never put up any walls and was friendly to everyone was really dazzling

When I heard her say “I want to continue doing the singing that I love!”, I was happy and thought “Will I get to hear Miya’s singing again?“,

and I want Miya who is naturally stylish to do her best at the fashion activities that she wants to do

Sudou Maasa-chan

She always was amazingly tolerant and always made me feel relieved
Even though she’s younger than me, every time I see her I feel like I want her to take care of me
She always say “Hey! Come here” and pats her lap,

so I’d take advantage of that and often sit on Maasa’s lap

We’re on the same wavelength when talking too, so I’m able to be really relaxed

When we all went out to eat yakiniku after we starred in a play together,

she prepared everything like she was everyone’s mother

After we finished eating, she used a wet towel to clean the top of the table like one of the restaurant staff

And she often made us laugh by saying funny things

It seems Maasa is going to appear in plays like she loves doing, and her next appearance is already decided,

so I want to see the actress Maasa on TV and on stage

Do your best(o^^o)

Tokunaga Chinami-chan

I really am filled with gratitude to Chii.
Before we passed the audition, she was the first person to pry open the door my shy heart!

Rather than “pried open”, it feels more like she flung it open with ease when she said “Howdy!( ´ ▽ ` )ノ” while grinning! lol

I was surprised(　゜д゜)
The first time we met, she swung my hands while saying “This is nerve-racking, huh(≧∇≦)”…

I think I was like “…(　゜д゜)”,
but for me who was feeling helpless by herself, it was the smile of an angel

When I look back at videos, we were always next to each other

It won’t repay her for everything she did back then, but I feel “I want to protect Chii no matter what!” and “I don’t want to do anything that will cause Chii to lose her smile!”

The fact that she’ll be helping to improve Hello! Project in the role of Hello! Project advisor is reassuring to me,

and I’m happy that there’s a place we’ll always be able to meet again

The last concert.
I was overflowing with tears at both Chii’s smiling and crying face

Once again, I felt that she’s a really precious best friend

Please continue to take care of me

Tsugunaga Momoko-chan

Momochi is really amazing
There are a lot of things I respect about her as someone of the same age(o^^o)

We talk about work a lot when the 2 of us go out to eat,
and there are a lot of times I’ve thought “Our way of thinking matches“,

and there are times she’s given me motivation and made me think “Whoa! Amazing“,

so our time together always flies by(^◇^;)

She watched rehearsal and give me her impressions like
“Maimi was like that today!” and “It was like this!”,

and even if they weren’t good things,

I was happy thinking
“Ah!
She was watching me“,
and I was able to know to pay attention to those things

Thanks.

Please use those characteristic powers of observation and leadership as Country Girls’ playing manager

Lastly, after all is said and done,

there’s Shimizu Saki-chan

She had brought the Berryz Koubou she loves as captain together for 11 years, and I want to tell her from the bottom of my heart “Good job“.

I think she was under more pressure than others and had a lot of worries.

But because Saki was Berryz Koubou’s captain, Berryz Koubou was able to be Berryz Koubou, and everyone walked alongside her.

It pained me to hear her say “I haven’t had any confidence up to now!” during the MC,

but Saki has led Berryz Koubou as their captain this far,
so I think she can have confidence in that more than anything

Saki is the best captain

She was under a lot of strain,
but I hope that starting today the weight on her shoulders and the thoughts of “I’ve gotta do that” and “I’ve gotta do this” will go away,

and that Saki will stretch out and walk a path for her own sake

I think we’ll have opportunities to work together from here on since she will be a Hello! Project adviser like Chinami, so please take care of me

 

It’s thanks to those wonderful members always running ahead of ℃-ute that we are the ℃-ute we are now

How’s that!!
They’re the kind of wonderful friends I want to brag about to everyone like “Aren’t they amazing(￣▽￣)”

We’ll all definitely be able to meet again someday!!

Be happy…
The Berryz Koubou I love!!

And then,
thanks so much for everything.