KOKORO&KARADA is one heck of a song to debut on. It's an ambitious song, a song that feels at first like it could have been intended for Kikkawa You, but, at the same time, it shows a certain ambition on behalf of the group, a dedication to the dance music stylings that have characterised Morning Musume since the release of
One・Two・Three and the group's big, noisy, danceable return. 2019 was, however, a long way from 2012, and for older fans, the honeymoon was maybe partially over by this point. The release of
KOKORO&KARADA was a bloated "tripe A side," a feeling that no one could decide which song was supposed to be the lead. Yet, it was also the debut of the fifteenth generation, amongst whom, was
Kitagawa Rio.
It's hard not to be aware at the time of writing this that Rio is graduating on 31st December. The situation surrounding this is not pleasant, and whilst Rio has resumed duties and wants to leave seemingly with her head held high, it feels like this overshadows everything—it reminds me of NECRONOMIDOL. I was going to be specific in relation to the members who later went on to form MANACLE, but I realise I could be talking about the exits of any member of any generation of NECRONOMIDOL. I don't think it's unnatural to complain about work, to complain about those you work with, but I think it also highlights the difficulty of trying to be in a group like Morning Musume whilst also trying to go to university, trying to live a normal life, to prepare for what comes
after being an idol. Before that, however, in 2019 were the auditions, attempted not just by Rio but by fellow future fifteenth generation members Okamura Homare and Yamazaki Mei, as well as future Juice=Juice member Kawashima Mifu, and members who later joined ANGERME and OCHA NORMA, each of them passed with flying colours. Rio had spoken a lot when younger about wanting to join the entertainment industry, developing a fondness for Girls' Generation whilst still in the fifth grade. I wonder now if she would have any advice for her younger self; I wonder if achieving that ambition of becoming an idol made it mundane or if, in some way, it was so precious to her that she felt the need to downplay to others in order better to fit in? It's not the kind of question that can be asked, and, as such it's the kind of thing that will have to remain unanswered.
After only half a year or so in the group following her debut, Rio's experiences of being an idol were already informed by circumstances unlike any prior generation experienced. Her birthday shows in March 2020 were cancelled due to the onset of the plague, and yet amidst that, her first photobook was released, its only promotion being online. I don't know if this experience made her more dedicated than she would have been usually to this kind of thing, but since that first book during the height of covid, Rio has continually put out a new book each year—well, at least until this year. With the following year, however, and her fanclub established, Rio got to set tradition with annual birthday solo concerts, and despite joint injuries and covid, she carved out a place for herself within the structure of Morning Musume, a popularity that granted her the opportunity to go on tour with Okamura and Yamazaki alone just as the fifteenth generation. It is frustrating then that her suspension in April overshadows this success.
There are only a handful of days left with Kitagawa Rio, and without being in Japan for handshake events, I feel that many will miss out making peace with this moment. This, perhaps, is the real experience of the overseas fan. It's such a shame to end things this way. I really hope that Rio manages to find her place outside of Morning Musume.
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