KU: Akane Sato

In a universe where Akane grows up and shit happens to her Sorry I have fallen idol feels



<sub>Name: Sato, Akane (佐藤茜)
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Height: 5'2"
Date of Birth: July 24th, 1993
Degree: Fashion design
Year: 1

Bio:
Akane was raised in an average home and lived a rather average life during her early childhood until her parents divorced. Despite that, the separation didn't really affect her because she was still too young to understand the gravity of the situation. Since then it had just been her mother and her older siblings in her life. Supportive as they were, because Akane was the youngest in the family, she was very much cared for and essentially babied by everyone in her family and has always been a rather innocent and sheltered girl. Because her mother was the only one financially supporting the family, Akane and her siblings were always told to do well in school and eventually get stable jobs. However, by the time studies were starting to matter most, Akane's eyes were glued to the TV, admiring idols and singers in all their fame and glory.

Akane had never had much independence or direction in her life as she was typically guided by the hand when it came to things like her future. It wasn't until she started becoming interested in idols that she finally wanted to do something on her own. But because of the absurdity of wanting to be famous at such an age and with so little experience, Akane had always kept that dream to herself, leaving it as just that, a dream. But she gained more interest in music, taking choir in school, joining the music club, singing and dancing alone in her room. It wasn't until she was out shopping with her older sister that she was scouted for an audition. Skeptical and not wanting her younger sister to get her hopes up, Akane's older sister looked into it and upon finding it was legit, she was more than supportive, knowing that this was what Akane really wanted to do for herself. Her mother however, was in much disbelief but because Akane lacked confidence in herself, she assured her mom with a smile that there's a good chance she wouldn't get in anyway so it wouldn't hurt to try, would it? Ironically and ever most miraculously, she passed the audition and was accepted into the first generation of an upcoming idol group. And despite her mother being reluctant at first, she eventually gave in, allowing Akane to do what she wants, hoping this experience will help her mature.

In her years of being in the group, she was faced with many challenges. She had to move to Tokyo all by herself at the age of 14 and stay at the dormitories the company provided. Not only did she have to practice long hours into the night to perfect a number of dances and songs, she also had to juggle her studies in between. This lead to many days of barely getting 3 hours of sleep to none at all. And as the group's popularity was steadily rising, so were the expectations and hardships that followed. On a number of occasions, she had fallen ill and fainted due to exhaustion, leading to a few times of being hospitalized. Despite that, she still pressed on with a smile, as an idol should because it was just one of the many things her and her group mates had to do in their line of work.

As the group as a whole started to become more popular and grow, so did the chances to appear on variety shows, dramas, and magazines. Despite the charms Akane had to offer, there were several other girls in the group that had overshadowed her. And although she had individual fans, her popularity wasn't as high as the top aces of the group and it became a competition for recognition. Over the years she had gained a stronger and bigger fanbase, but that was to be expected when the number of fans for the group as a whole also grew. Not only that, it became increasingly harder to stand out when more girls joined the group.

Unfortunately for Akane, she became noticed by all when photos of her seen with and being close to a young man at night were posted up on the internet, causing much controversy due to the policy of idol purity amongst the wota (hardcore idol fanbase) culture and not a moment too soon hit tabloids. When her management questioned her about the photos, she could only stare in shock. In truth, the young man she was with was a childhood friend she hadn't seen in years and they had only met that day to catch up. However, even with that, she could only become tearful in front of her higher ups because it was still inexcusable. And in her mind, there was part of her that thought that maybe it was for the best. For nearly six years she had missed out on a normal lifestyle a teenager would have, she wasn't allowed to by contract. There were many days when things got too complicated that made her consider about graduating from the group. She was lackluster, getting older, and there were many other girls who could replace her too. As much as she wanted to be up on stage, as much as she fell in love with it, as much as she felt a genuine sense of satisfaction and joy upon making others smile with songs, her insecurities and lack of self-confidence left her with so much uncertainty.

Her image was now stained, even if she said something, people still wouldn't believe it, there would still be rumors that the two of them were actually dating. How could she bring herself to stand up on stage after all this? In front of loyal fans who have supported her throughout the years? She had broken their trust all because she was too careless. And so, Akane took it upon herself to make a heavy decision on her own. After a tearful public apology on stage in front of fans, she graduated from the group. She apologized to the fans, her group members, and her management for all the trouble she had caused and said that from this point on, now that she is almost a 20 year old adult, she will no longer be the Akachan fans have come to know and support and will strive to show everyone a more mature side of her.

After the hard choice to finally end that chapter in her life, she took it upon herself to continue on with a higher education. The only problem was that she was still conflicted and indecisive over what to dedicate her studies in. All she had known was a love for music and performing but after her scandal, she was too afraid of standing on stage again, fearful of the public eye and told herself she could never go back to it again. However, all she could think about were the activities she had done and experienced with the group. And she remembered how she would always fawn over the costumes and outfits their designers would make, complimenting them each time she was able to wear them and she had always wanted to try and design different outfits for the stages and performances they had too. Despite the fact that she still lacked the confidence to go into this sort of field, she wanted to pursue it anyway because at least she was finally going somewhere on her own. With her innocent, young princess image gone, it was now time to start anew.

TL;DR: Average 14 year old girl who wanted to be an idol just like any other girl her age. Miraculously passed auditions and was soon cast into an upcoming idol group. Spent the next six years of her life trying to juggle demanding schedules and her studies. Eventually got caught in a scandal and took it upon herself to graduate from the group. Decided to continue on with higher education, particularly in fashion design.

Personality:
In the past, Akane is a very ambitious girl however because she is timid, she often times lacks a lot of initiative. She was almost always indecisive over big decisions and is generally hesitant to do things on her own. She typically took most situations with a smile and very neutral with most things, however, it was mostly because she didn't have a whole lot that she's completely driven for. Akane was a bit of a crybaby at times and her eyes would start to water when she got frustrated at herself or when things got too hard. She's been somewhat weak willed and lacked confidence but was determined to gradually push herself to fight her fears and insecurities.

In her years of being in an idol group, she had generally kept the same sort of personality and had built an image of herself around it. Over the years of being an idol, she had become used to tears and the pain of hardships due to fans' and her management's expectations. While she appeared smiling in the faces of others, over time, her neutral smile turned into a sort of emotional self-defense mechanism. Akane also has a constant inner need to submit to others' demands, constantly trying to be "perfect" to everyone and thus setting impossible standards for her own self-image, making her very self-critical. Because she had grown to be harsh on herself, Akane tends to overwork herself to the point of passing out due to exhaustion. After her scandal and graduation from the group, Akane grew quite wary of what others may think of her, always nervously trying to be on her best behavior and worrying about how to make good impressions. Despite the hopes of wanting to be a more mature person, she had ended up more shy and withdrawn from others. She is very wary of social gatherings even though she is now her own person free from idol expectations, her moral conscience and past experience keep her away from freely doing what most normal young adults enjoy.

Akane has few people she is close to, many of which whom are her former group mates. However, because of their busy schedules, she hardly has the chance to see them. But to those she is close to, Akane is generally more open and relaxed but isn't as playful as she used to be with her friends in the past. Past Akane's shy demeanor, though she may seem reserved and passive, the times when she does speak out, she can seem frank and blunt at times. However, when these occurrences happen, she will almost always apologize for speaking her mind.

Club: None
Occupation: None, former pop idol.

Likes:
- Music/modeling/acting.
- Spicy, bitter, and salty foods.
- Lizards.
- Anime and manga.
- Learning.
- Cleaning.

Dislikes:
- Bugs.
- Sweet foods or drinks.
- Cats (allergic)
- Dirty/unkempt rooms or people.

Extra:
- She is very well reserved but will pretty much flip her lid over anything messy.
- Can play the trombone.
- From Kyoto and speaks in Kyoto-ben.
- Was known by fans as Akachan (meaning baby). In truth, she actually has some resentment for that nickname.
- Kept the same hime-cut throughout the years she was an idol because that was her known image. After leaving the group, she had cut and dyed her hair.
- Voice: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlAbZm… Kashiwagi Yuki

Reference:
The idol group Akane was in is reference to AKB48: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AKB48
AKB48 scandals and how they were handled: allthingsjpop.wordpress.com/20…
A little ditty on idol culture: www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2…
AKB48 Documentaries:
To Be Continued: vid48.com/watch_video.php?v=AR… (part 1)
Show Must Go On: vid48.com/watch_video.php?v=71… (part 1)
No Flower Without Rain: vid48.com/watch_video.php?v=X7… (part 1)</sub>