Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
Every consumer of Japanese pop culture knows about AKB48. The Akihabara based troupe has simultaneously become an object of both scorn and adoration throughout the years. Some of you may have half-jokingly predicted that at least one of its members would slut themselves out by way of Miley Cyrus after “graduation.” To those that did, you weren’t that far from the truth. Rina Nakanishi announced her departure from the group on October 5, 2008 due to health concerns. In June, 2010, she claimed that she would no longer be an entertainer on her fan club site. Not long after that, she adopted the stage name, “Rico Yamaguchi,” and took time from her retirement to do this: She released a nude photo book appropriately titled “Departure” and starred in videos with Alice Japan and Soft on Demand pornographic labels. What’s even more amusing than this is that a music station replayed old clips of the pop group and blurred out Nakanishi’s face. It looks like Ms. Nakanishi has become another unperson in Japanese Big Brother’s culture of consumer control.
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