So I don't really use this blog for a lot. When I feel the whim to translate something, maybe I'll post it here, but even then I usually won't. I mostly stick to posting vague posts on twitter that I'm forced to make even more vague thanks to the 140 character limit. That's not really productive when I have something I actually feel warrants something longer than a few tweets.
This past weekend (2017/9/9 and 10), a dream I've had for 5 years came true.
5 years ago, I stumbled upon a video on youtube, an english subbed episode of AKBingo. My knowledge of idols, and specifically AKB, was limited at that point. I had been a fan of Idolmaster for almost as long as I'd been into anime, but real/3D idols were mostly outside the realm of my interest (the major exception being Dempagumi.) The video I happened to find was actually perfect as an introduction to idols. It went over the history of AKB, starting from their theater debut in 2006. This video sparked what would end up being more or less a new stage in my life, with much of the passion I had put into being an anime fan now going towards idols.
What makes this video important to me, beyond just being the definite point I went down the AKB and idol rabbit hole, is who was in this video. One of the newbie AKB members being featured in this episode was a girl named Iwasa Misaki, or Wasamin. I remember watching this episode and thinking to myself, she's cute! I didn't recognize it then, but she had caught my attention in a way only a few idols can. I remembered her name and her face, and as I got deeper into AKB, I always looked out for her while I was watching things.
I've gone through a few phases in my AKB fandom in terms of who I thought was my oshimen, or favorite idol. But no matter who I considered my oshi or my favorite at the time, Wasamin always stood out to me. I should have realized it sooner, but she was my real oshi! Towards the end of my hardcore AKB fandom, I did realize it, and I enjoyed following her and supporting her quietly.
Wasamin has now left AKB, and is continuing the solo career she started as a member. She's achieved many things as a soloist, and this year she had the opportunity to make her first appearance in America by herself. To me as a fan of Wasamin, it was really meaningful to me that she was able to appear at an event just as Iwasa Misaki. She was here as herself, not as part of any group.
I got to meet her in that context, and I'm so happy and grateful for that. When I talked to her, I told her "I was Wasamin oshi!", but I wish I could have told her something more like what I'm writing here right now.
Seeing her, meeting her, talking to her, all of it reminded me of why I like idols in the first place. Wasamin isn't an idol anymore, but she's still someone I care about, still someone I support and love like an oshi. Honestly, when I first became aware of her solo career, and then when I started to support it more seriously, I was a little unsure. I was worried how she would be received as an enka artist, given her background as an ex-idol. I was worried about how she'd sell, ex-idols always seem to decline in sales the longer time passes. But she's doing good. She's following her dream as a singer, and along the way she's giving so many people happiness and granting the dreams of people like me.
Wasamin is in a lot of ways the reason I'm an idol fan, and if not that, she's the most constant part of my idol hobby, and really all of my hobbies these past few years. I'm proud to be her fan and I really hope that I have more opportunities to support her more directly in the future. Like I said on twitter, next time I meet her I want it to be in Japan!
AKB48夕陽を見ているか？【2007年】 by makipyon1--
This video isn't really related to Wasamin herself, but it's really important to me as an AKB fan.
The lyrics mean a lot to me, and I think apply to me and my life more than they ever have.
I'm really grateful for all the experiences I've had in my life. I feel like some sort of weight's been lifted off of my shoulders.
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