I have said in the past that AKB48 was about Minami Takahashi . How Takahashi was not the most “agile”, but she worked very hard for her dream with AKB48. Now you can say the same thing about Rino Sashihara . She was an idol otaku who had dropped out, becoming a top idol herself and becoming a producer who will foster idols in the future.

Why did Sashihara manage to succeed from adversity?  When I’m with her, I always notice that she is singing a song.  As well as the AKB48 group, she always has a favorite idol song at that time.  Hard times, sad times, fun times.  For her, being an idol is everything.  “I want to always like what I like” and I think that simple thing is the driving force that has made her work so hard.

Sashihara graduated from the AKB48 group, but she is a lifetime idol.  Thank you very much and continue to do your best.

In 2007 Rino got her start in the industry, successfully passing the audition for AKB48’s 5th generation. The following year she made her theater debut in March, and in August was promoted to Team B. In October she appeared in her very first a-side, AKB48’s 10th single “Oogoe Diamond”

During the first Senbatsu election she came in a respectable 27th place, landing her in the Undergirls. Next year she managed to make Senbatsu coming in 19th. 2011 was a breakout year for her, as she suddenly shot into the top 10 during that years Senbatsu election.

As her popularity began to soar things took a turn for a worse when tabloid Weekly Bunshun exposed that she was involved in a dating “scandal”. As a result she was removed from AKB48, and transferred to at that time the newly formed HKT48. The opposite happened and Rino’s popularity only continued to rise, following her scandal she won her very first Senbatsu Election. She went on to win it a record breaking 3 more times.

In 2017 Rino became the producer of her very own idol group called =LOVE. She already has another group in the works, as last year she announced auditions for the sister group of =LOVE.

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Another celebration is planned for Rino, a special “Thanksgiving Festival” will take on May 28th at the Marine Messe Fukuoka.

(via modelpress)

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