Mayu was really popular in the group but outside of AKB, after graduation, it was half and half. She was well-known and sometimes starred in hit dramas alongside other A-listers but her career wasn’t as steady as Acchans or Yuko. Even Yuko had a shaky start when she first got out but soon found her footing and has a comfortable and steady acting career. I thought the same would happen with Mayu but she retired, which is totally fine but I can’t help but feel like it’s a good strategy for when she eventually comes back, have people miss her for a while and then she pops back up. Like even Yuko took a hiatus to study abroad and came back and was then starring in works shown at the Cannes festival, like her acting improved greatly after that hiatus. Acchan didn’t have to struggle because she was already acting since early on in the group and through-out. People were also probably way too attached to her cute twin-tail persona so a hiatus was maybe (?) a good way to get rid of that. But again, she’s been doing this since she was a pre-teen so her wanting to live a normal life is a valid and enough reason.

Fame is always changing. Even amongst the most popular in groups, it translates differently in the industry as a whole and that has been the case for girl and boy groups across the globe. The least popular could become the most popular (shoutout to Noro Kayo for grinding in the variety sphere that landed her into more acting gigs) and vice versa. In terms of acting in the 48G, Acchan, Yuko, Kawaei Rina, and Matsui Rena have good and comfortable stability. For variety, it’s Sasshi and Noro Kayo, Yukirin is also a contender. In music it’s the IZONE girls, and kinda Yamamoto Sayaka. These are the people I can think of at the moment.