Kakizaki Memi: Ushio Sarina talks about Memi's injury

Memi and Sarina

As she recuperates from her broken wrist, Kakizaki Memi is quiet on the blog front, and is just returning to Message -- including a mention that she'd like to get back to Nagano and see some snow.

But Ushio Sarina, in her blog, goes into a bit more detail about the accident:

"On our last day of roller-skating practice, during the last check, Memi fell. Asked, 'Are you okay?' she answered, 'I'm fine!!' with a smile. But just to be sure, they said they'd take her to the hospital.

We kept on with our lessons.

While we were still there practicing, Memi came back wearing a cast. I burst into tears and couldn't stop crying. I remembered how Memi looked saying we would definitely make a success of this live, and my tears flowed even more.

I hadn't felt so upset in a long time. 

Memi's eyes were full of tears, but she was still smiling.

I was so happy to be able to sing that final W-KEYAKIZAKA no Uta together.

During lessons and during the live, Memi was always with us!! Everyone's feelings were one.

Thank you, Memi."


Japanese reaction has been consistently strong and positive to Memi's return to the stage in her cast. Her smiling courage has lots of people declaring their support for her. Perhaps this disaster can be a blessing in disguise, as her image of strength of spirit finally makes people really notice her, and complements her growing beauty.


Beauty like this new pic, which is immediately one of my favorite images of her:

There is often a hint of amusement in her face. And somehow, she always seems calm and settled.

Here are some offshots from a photo-session with Saitou Kyouko and Takase Mana. Memi is not a big person, but somehow she always seems the biggest one in any shot. Kyonko being tiny helps, of course:

We have now seen her acting so well in Re:Mind:

And that same ability is what allows her to sometimes show such deep expressions in professional photos, such as this one from Idol & Read, where she seems so present:

However, these are the images that I have most seen reproduced recently:

It's an irony I just realized that in their song Soredemo Aruiteru, the lyrics include the lines:

Life is a thing of falling down
And of rubbing a scraped knee
But no matter how many times I have to get up again
I will still keep on walking.

The word 転ぶ korobu "fall down" is the same word Sarina uses when she says Memi fell. Life often imitates art. And Memi is imitating the song by getting up again and going on.