Nagahama Neru blog post: Graduation!!!

Announcement,  335

Nagahama Neru
2019.03.07


Good evening!

Today I have
An important announcement for everyone.

Since I was able to join the group in November 2016
Almost 3-1/2 years have passed.

With people I love
In the midst of many new encounters
I have been given day after day of enjoyable activities.

Every day I thought
Am I living a dream from which I will never wake up?


After 16 years in which I wandered around aimlessly
These three years
Have been running and running all the time.
It felt as if I was always in the midst of brilliant lights.

No matter which of my memories I look at,
It's like a fantasy of dazzling enjoyment.



This is a sudden announcement,
But after the 8th single
I will graduate from Keyakizaka46.





I came up to Tokyo in 2nd year high school,
Joined Hiragana Keyaki,
And have been given countless glittering experiences.
 
Meeting all the members
Is truly my treasure of happiness.

I want to stay connected to them from now on.
They are all kind and dear to me.


To all of you who In this wide world
Have taken notice of Keyakizaka46 and Hiragana Keyaki,

To all of you who have given me such warm thoughts,

To all the members of the Keyakizaka46 team, nestling close,
Who are so much fun and whom I love,

To everyone whom I have worked with
And who have influenced me so much,


The list is endless,
But this would not have happened without you. Truly!!

To all of you whom I have been involved with
And who have given colour to the me who was nothing,
I offer my gratitude.


Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
This is nowhere near sufficient,
But thank you very much.


There is no blessing greater
Than to be an idol who can have a place in people's hearts.

It is my pride to have passed this time with you all.
From now on
I will treasure it forever.


And to the one who started it all for me,
Itou Marika-san,
Deep, deep thanks.

And to the ones who are closest to me and are my unwavering support,
My family, I pass my gratitude.
Thank you as always.



The national handshake events that begin this weekend
Will be my last.

I apologize for the suddenness,
But if it's convenient for you, please be sure to come and meet.


March 9th, Makuhari Messe,
March 16th, Port Messe Nagoya,
March 21st, Index Osaka.

Please come to one of them.



Of course, I will also participate in the individual handshake events ٩( 'ω' )و

Details of other things
Will be announced bit by bit.



As for what happens after I graduate
I will ponder that
With no promises made and with feelings that are relaxed.

I will just wholeheartedly live.



Thank you for meeting me.

From now on, please continue to support
Keyakizaka46 and Hinatazaka46!!


Thank you very much for reading.

Nagahama Neru

__________________________________________________

posted 2019.03.07   22:00h (8 hours ago)

This is the hardest blog translation I have ever done. Not because it is difficult to interpret. Just because of what it says. I have supported Neru since the moment they showed her video and she stepped out into the Keyakitte, Kakenai? studio. Without her, Keyakizaka loses a big part of its appeal. With Shida and Neru both gone, Keyaki has become much less free and unique.

When rumours of graduation started, I did not believe them. Neru certainly did seem estranged from things, doing her own thing more than the group's thing. But I could not imagine Keyaki without her.

• Neru having wept continuously backstage before she came on, calm and collected, for her first appearance on KeyaKake
• Memi trying to comfort Neru when she was weeping backstage at the Hiragana Omotenashikai
• Neru so happy to be called the most stylish member of the group on KeyaKake, and answering with: "A country girl like me?"
• Neru's sweet, technically assisted voice singing Mata Atte Kudasai
• Neru flying above the audience singing Wait 100 Years
• Neru passing on clothes to Memi
• Neru as the Empress in the Nagasaki Lantern Festival parade
• Neru in the Goto Islands
• Neru winning big for her team in the first quiz show she was on
• Neru the tricky but good-hearted tanuki 
• Neru stomping all over Sugai's boring Showroom and converting it into something special (and perhaps spoiling her future in Keyaki)
• Neru and Shida doing their comic schtick in the dressing room
• Neru going to Niigata to speak with Shida when her scandal first broke
• Neru's admiration for her oshi, Itou Marika
• and so on and so on....

What will she do now? It sounds as if she has nothing settled. That means probably not university -- unfortunately, from my point of view. Maybe TV talk shows, maybe acting. Maybe working in an art gallery? Maybe working in fashion? Probably not her teenage dream: to be ground crew at an airport. She has established herself as a great supporter of Nagasaki and area, so maybe she will go back there. Or maybe she will go overseas.

I have a lot of confidence in her. She can succeed at whatever she sets her mind to. My only fear is her excitement over being old enough to drink. There's nothing wrong with drinking, but it can go too far. I expect Neru is wise enough to stop at the right point, as most of us do.

I do hope that whatever she does, she will remain enough in the public eye that we can follow her growing happiness as she creates it.