Alumni Royalty: Ayase Miho has Successfully Graduated from Houkago Princess

On March 27th 2016, Ayase Miho officially Graduated from Houkago Princess and Universal Music in order to pursue a life outside of the entertainment industry. For many who know of the group and this wonderful girl, there is no doubt that this was a day filled with both smiles and tears.

Mihotan came into HouPri looking sweet and shy, and for me, she just seemed to be a relatively calming member in terms of looks. She did not stand out to me, she was not my favourite, and for a while, I did not really care much for her, because I was in a weird spot with HouPri by the time she came in.

Despite all of that though, she was the one who happened to stand out to me in the end.

I honestly don't know when my love for Mihotan started, but around 2014, I was kind of oshi-ing most HouPri members, with no absolute favourite (though Himari and Saori battled it out for a long while as my ultimate #1's). And then, suddenly, Miho intrigued me. Her twitter was fun to follow, the pictures she put up had me laughing quite a bit sometimes (that mirror picture, for instance. Love it XD), and she seemed pretty sincere. Plus, she and Miran had this incredibly endearing love affair thing going on.

I started to like her more and more, and then without realising it, she became my #1, and stayed that way for a good year.

So of course, when she announced her graduation back in February, it broke my heart. She was the first HouPri member that I was completely nuts about, more than Hitomi ever was

I cried a lot, because this girl is just as important to me as Koharu, Gaki and Ono Erena are. She is my Kami Oshi in HouPri.

Reading her final message to both the other members and fans, I couldn't help but cry even more. This girl is incredible. Sure, she can't sing for toffee, nor is she the best performer within the group. What she has though is persistence. She strived long and hard for a goal, and she reached it, and she never gave up, either.

Despite being the last member of her generation to be promoted, despite watching others leave her side to be promoted, to graduate or through being dismissed, she never once stopped aiming for her goal, and she never gave up on wanting to become a regular member of Houkago Princess.

"For about one year I was a candidate. I began from a small place. 

Initially, I was bad at synchronization and dancing, always at the very end of the row in the back, behind all of the regular students and watching everyone leave or get promoted. 

As a 3rd generation cadet student, there were a lot of frustrating things, and soon there was only me. I felt lonely. 

But I never gave up, because I wanted to give back to everyone who supported and cheered me on. I absolutely did not want to lose.

I felt so much joy when I was promoted to the Regular lineup, and I will never forget that joy. It was a big step for me."

Mihotan is an Idol who not only makes me happy, but also inspires and motivates me. She is sweet, caring and charming, and she is one of the most lovable Idols I have come across. I mean, how can you not want to love this girl? She may not look like much, and she may not have been pushed as much, but she is definitely present, and she is certainly persistent. If she wasn't, then she would not have come as far as she did in Houkago Princess.

For all that she has done, and for being a part of this wonderful group, I feel so happy that she was the one who stood out to me and became my Kami-Oshi within HouPri. It took a while, but it happened, and I adored this girl so much in the short time I realised she was 'the one'.

I am going to miss Mihotan so much, and I am sure everyone else, the other members and her fans, will too. She did everything she could, she moved forward and persisted through all the hardships, found happiness in her time as a member, and finally, she passed and graduated with flying colours, becoming one of the few, rare HouPri Alumni.

"For this last day, I decided with my heart that I should wear this, because it is what I entered Houkago Princess with. So, I wanted to wear it for my last performance. 

Thank you for shining.

Ayase Miho
2016.03.29"

Much Love,
Chiima~