With Graduations Comes...Hate?

OK, it's been a few days since the giant bombshell of Kamei Eri, JunJun and LinLin graduating from Morning Musume together has dropped, and a lot of reactions have come across. Mainly, fans of the girls graduating have spoken out, depressed that their favorites were leaving the group. Some fans are quite frankly excited, not to see these girls go, but to see a new Morning Musume that's completely different from the current one. However, one thing I've seen a lot and that quite frankly disappoints me is all the Aika hate.

Now, I'm not going to pretend that Mitsui Aika's really popular and that people all love her. I know that, for some reason, a lot of fans really dislike Aika. Why? I have no idea whatsoever. But ever since the announcement for the graduations, all I've seen is "why couldn't Aika have gone?" and giving HER hate for the fact that Kamei, JunJun and LinLin are leaving.

Let's just get one thing out of the way:

Aika is not at fault for Eri, JunJun and LinLin leaving. She did not decide this at all.

Aika is pretty close to members in her generation (especially JunJun, I think, though she seems really friendly with LinLin) and with Eri, I think. There is no way she's happy or going "yes, I win" over this. Aika's not some maniacal "let me try to get rid of the others" person. I doubt she's happy to lose her friends like this.

Secondly, all of the girls leaving have relatively normal reasons, more or less. Eri's is inavoidable; she has a skin condition that being in Morning Musume, performing whilst covered in make-up and sweat, can NOT be good for. JunJun and LinLin are leaving under much less clear-cut terms, but they were different from Aika from the start, being literally referred to as "foreign exchange students." Exchange, implying that they're learning and going back, which is just what's happening right now.

While the rest of 8th gen is leaving, that doesn't mean that Aika should or has to. I just don't understand all the hate that's been happening lately. So, with my best Chris Crocker impression, all I have to say is "Leave Aika alone."

Also, I leave you with proof of Aika and 8th gen's amazingness.