Thoughts on Jin Leaving KAT-TUN
I wasn't sure if I should make any assumptions yet regarding the news as usually they're all rumors and I try to persuade others to not believe in them until officially confirmed. Well, unfortunately this time it's not coming from the mouths of fans, but Johnny himself. Being a fan of KAT-TUN for so many years now, I'm really sad to hear that my favorite group is going to be resized from 6 down to 5 people. Although that naming about using Kazuya's family name as the "KA" part still works, it just doesn't represent the original meaning of the name, and I think it was stupid that they just had to make this explanation because it's like rubbing salt in our wounds.
I know that the "final decision" has not been confirmed, but why in the world would Johnny need to explain how he feels if it wasn't a done deal? Personally, this decision to me is 90% confirmed and that 10% is only to drag it out for us fans so that we have this transition time and are aware of what's going to happen before they come out and say it's over between Jin and KAT-TUN. I'll still hope for a miracle, but I kind of don't see it happening.
Now, on the other hand, to be honest, I'm not as heartbroken as I thought I would be. Maybe it hasn't sunk in yet, but I think part of it is because I've already seen aspects of this possibility ever since Jin did his BANDAGE project. You could really tell that he loves doing solo projects more. In fact he even admits that his own concert was more fun than being with the group on stage. It was even more apparent for me in the PVs at the beginning of the year where there was like this wall between him and some of the other members. I kind of understand what Johnny is saying when he was explaining his decision. This is not a job where you can just go off and do what you want and then come back and act like nothing happened. This does affect the morale of the team as well as its supporters. I do feel Jin is being selfish, but then again it's his own life. We don't own him, so we can't force our desires on him. As much as I would like to see all six of them together, if the heart isn't there, what purpose is there to trying to prevent him from leaving?
I'm wondering how the others are feeling right now. Did they anticipate this? Or did they just hear about it like we did? Did Jin consider that all of this may happen? Was he okay with this decision? I just hope that KAT-TUN stays strong through this period and don't lose hope. There are fans out there that will support them.