This is what I really think.

[wao_wao]

My heart sank when I heard the news.Stupid Hankyu and its stupid "40 years old" rule preventing Yumiko from making top. Stupid company for not maneuvering people differently in order to allow her to become top

Comments

[anthy1306]

oh well, don't worry, you are SO NOT alone with your thoughts >____<
Especially the "Chie/Kimu" thing.
I am Happy Chie became Top after Touko, but Yumiko deserved that position so much....more....

Ok, seeing her in a total unfamiliar troupe, just to see her as topstar would not be better at all, but secretly I had wished, she would come back to Hanagumi, since Sou-chan really still has some time to grow. *grief*

[kyanited]

The thing is that we'll never know what's going on behind the scenes. Who knows, Yumiko comes across as someone so sweet and friendly and cuddly that maybe she was happy to stay in a troupe where she just 'clicked' with the people around her. And she's getting a Sayonara show, which is as far as I know not common for nibante. I'm not sure if that's Hankyu honoring her or Hankyu appeasing the fans or Mizu making Hankyu give Yumiko her thanks or whatever.

The only thing I really regret is that Yumiko didn't get another lead after Silver Rose Chronicle.

[ladybretagne]

I'm sad that we won't get to see what she would have done as top, because I think she would have been amazing not just as a performer but as a leader for the troupe. That being said, I am glad they're sending her off with some pomp and circumstance. At least it shows that someone somewhere in that big Hankyu hive mind understands that she's special and has a lot of fans who adore her.

And you know you're not the only one who thinks some of the younger ones should be given a bit more time to mature before being tossed into top stardom. Like you said, I think the little ones are less fraught with sources of upset lately.

[muffin_song]

*sigh* Unfortunately I think there is no "everyone wins" situation. It would be wonderful if everyone had a spot waiting for them when their own troupe needed them, but the timing rarely seems to work out like that. Kiriyan was lucky in that she's still young enough to become top of tsuki when there was a spot open. But in Yuuhi's case it involved transferring to another troupe, and in Yumiko's case she couldn't become top at all.

If Yumiko became top of hoshi, I'm sure the hoshi fans wuold be griping. Not because they have anything against Yumiko, but rather because "parachute tops" are often met with resistance"

That being said...yes, I do agree that Chie could have waited. And as much as I love Kimu I'd rather that she get more time to develop as nibante (for her own sake).

But as I said initially, I think there's no "everyone wins" scenario :/ And yes, the "must retire by 40 thing" is stupid :P

I'm worried about becoming one of those people who can't give up the fandom but is too jaded to be pleasant about anything.As

[tonihime]

The road to becoming an anti-fan! I'd venture to say that about 80% of ANTM fans are really anti-fans. I dunno where I fall. Somewhere in the middle maybe... or a fan with anti-fan tendencies. Go ahead, be a little jaded. It's fun on the dark side. We have cookies! 8D