Bye Bye Haruki | 3 Reasons Why I Love Yamazaki Haruki from M!LK

It is with a very heavy heart that I write this post as we recently recieved the heart-breaking news that lead singer and centre of EBiDAN group M!LK, Yamazaki Haruki has graduated from the group and will leave EBiDAN altogether at the end of this month. This news came as quite a shock for me considering Haruki was one of my all-time favourite idols, not to mention the fact that I'll be going to Japan for the first time next month so I was extremely disappointed that my favourite member of my favourite group would be leaving before I even got the chance to see them all in person.

I was so moved by Haruki's leaving that I even sent him a fan-letter in the mail expressing my discontentment for his departure but wishing him the best nonetheless. I've never sent a fan-letter before as I'm usually worried about the recipient being unable to understand my not-so-great Japanese but this time I felt I had to since it may be my last chance to tell Haruki how I feel.

Last month we also found out that MAGiC BOYZ will be disbanding (Is 2018 the year of EBiDAN groups breaking apart or something?!) and while Touma, Ryuto, and Joe will remain in EBiDAN, Mahiro will be leaving the agency and the entertainment industry as a whole.

Haruki, however, I couldn't imagine completely leaving the entertainment world behind. He has too much talent and determination for it all to go to waste so I'll be anxiously awaiting his return and will definitely support him with whatever he decides to do here on out. He has cited one of the reasons for him leaving as "wanting to start working towards his new dream" but we'll have to wait and see what that new dream is. Personally I could see him starting on a solo career, possibly as an actor or a model.

But anyway, with all of the sad stuff out of the way, (Well, not quite. You might want to grab your tissues for this post) let's get to celebrating all of the things we love about our adorable little matcha milk idol, Harukinman!

1. He's cute

Duh! If you've been reading this blog for a while you'd probably know that cute idol boys are my weakness and Haruki is the very definition of 'cute idol boy'. He looks cute, his voice is cute, and his personality is cute (I'm probably going to be using the word 'cute' a lot here)! He has an unusal fashion sense and isn't afraid to wear unique and super adorable outfits. His love of cute characters such as the Sanrio character Cinnamon and Kanato from Diabolik Lovers is just so -- you guessed it -- cute! He can go a little overboard with the 'forced' cuteness sometimes -- like when he speaks in the third person or edits his photos to make his eyes look scarily big -- but personally I don't mind this and it kind of makes me love him even more.

2. He's a talented performer

It's no doubt that Haruki was the strongest singer in M!LK. One of the main reasons I have a hard time imagining M!LK as a 4 member group now that Haruki has left is that I just can't see any of the other members being able to carry his solo lines (but I'm sure they'll find a way). I know that some people aren't fond of his voice because of how high-pitched it is but for me that's what makes it so unique. His dancing is pretty on point too and he seems to always give everything to do with the group his 100%.

3. His love for the group and everyone in it

You can truly see how much Haruki cares for the group and all of its members. When the group's debut was announced back at Hoshio Matsuri 2014, all of the members seemed somewhat taken aback by the news but Haruki in particular was crying so hard he could scarcely get his words out as he said how much he loved all of the members and how grateful he was for the chance to debut with them. It's evident that all of the other members love him just as much too as I almost burst into tears myself while watching his graduation live when all of them were literally bawling their eyes out while still trying their best to sing their lines. The part where he hugs Daichi during in "Hoshizora Scope" particularly got to me (Daichi always ends up crying during this song as he's said in the past that it reminds him of all of the support he's gotten from his friends and fans, so just imagine that combined with the sadness of Haruki leaving!).


I also made a little graduation video for Haruki, just as way to compile some of my favourite moments featuring him as a member of M!LK. Check it out below! And before you leave, I'm interested to know how you all feel about Haruki's graduation so please do let me know in the comments.

Haruki, 

I don't know what will happen from now on. All I know is that your time as a member of M!LK has come to an end. Your career as an idol has been a rather successful one and I know for a fact you've changed the lives of many (including me). Keep doing your best with whatever the future holds!

これからも頑張ってください！