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The story
The official site for MORE STAR, a group under Asobi System’s idol project “Kawalabo,” announced that Karin Suzuki and Rushia Yamamoto, both of whom had been on medical leave, left the group as of September 22, 2026. Management cited health issues, but thread posters — noting that one of the members had already been off activities for several months — speculated it might be tied to the group’s dating rules. Posts also pointed out the popularity gap with Kawalabo’s other groups and MORE STAR’s low name recognition as a later addition to the lineup, with opinions split on the real cause.
Regarding Karin Suzuki and Rushia Yamamoto
Thank you as always for your support of MORE STAR.
Regarding members Karin Suzuki and Rushia Yamamoto, who have been on medical leave: after repeated discussions with them about their future activities in light of their ongoing health issues, it has been decided that both will leave MORE STAR effective today, September 22.
Source: morestar.asobisystem.com / Original article here
What people said
That's because they've been run like an underground group — they can't shake that underground smell.
She'd already been on hiatus for about half a year.
In Hello! Project terms that'd be like two members quitting Beyooooonds.
Hello! Project's 5th-ranked group is Tsubaki Factory.
Nuh-uh, that's not true~
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/G8C9wS0boAEIZxB.jpg
The ones in matching colors look like they'd mix up each other's costumes.
It's almost impressive they can only crank out this one cookie-cutter, mass-produced idol formula.
That's because it's a mashup of the names of real magazines.
Cutie Street — "Is It Not Okay to Just Be Cute?" — Pink: Parutan, Blue: Ayano Masuda
Candy Tune — "Double the Double" — Pink: Bibian Murakawa, Light Blue: Rinomaru, Orange: Natsu Minami
Sweet Steady — no idea
MORE STAR — no idea
At least remember Kohaku-chan.
Impressive that you know all that.
Gives off the same creepy vibe as the class's resident shoujo-manga encyclopedia.
That group is at the very bottom.
And it doesn't go viral or sell at all.
It's basically the symbol of Kawalabo losing its buzz.
No, I wanted to know the ranking between Cutie Street and Candy Tune.
That one's the Okinawa branch, so it's an exception (lol)
Their singles actually sold pretty well though.
As you can tell from Fruits Zipper, Kawalabo pushes some pretty brutal sales tactics.
That kind of selling doesn't last long.
Are you dissing Stardust now? (Stardust Promotion, a talent agency)
How is it brutal exactly?
Because Parutan, who didn't make the cut on Produce 101 Japan The Girls, went viral.
Because they had Sakuraba, who was already known from the ME:I auditions.
Initial name recognition from dating-reality alumni: four members popular with Gen Z — Risa Furusawa, Ayano Masuda, and Miyu Umeda from the dating show "Kyou Suki," plus Aika Sano from the dating show "Koi Step" — joined the group already carrying strong fanbases. The addition of "Produce 101 girl" Haruka Sakuraba: Sakuraba, who'd built a passionate following on the audition show PRODUCE 101 JAPAN THE GIRLS, joined and instantly pulled in attention from hardcore idol fans. The debut single's TikTok boom: on top of the members' individual reach, the catchy choreography and hook of the debut single "Is It Not Okay to Just Be Cute?" blew up on social media. In short: you had the strongest possible foundation — dating-show influencers Furusawa, Masuda, Umeda, and Sano paired with Produce 101's Sakuraba — and then a perfectly viral song landed right on top of it.
Hooking up with a fan is the line you can't cross.
Same as Hello! Project.
It's specifically fan connections that are banned.
A trainee-type member got exposed for one before and just kept working like normal.
Everyone's quietly keeping tabs on other idol groups.
I'm mainly a Kawalabo fan.
Actually, is anyone here even mainly into Hello! Project?
One of them had already been on hiatus for half a year after her fan connection got exposed.
The other hasn't been exposed, but went on hiatus around the same time.
Kawalabo's probably fine with dating.
Otherwise they wouldn't say they want members to keep working even after marriage.
Background and Points of Debate
Kawalabo is a newer idol project from Asobi System that runs several groups at once, including Fruits Zipper and Cutie Street. MORE STAR is one of the newer additions and has repeatedly been noted on the thread as trailing the earlier groups in name recognition. The official announcement attributes this departure solely to “health issues,” but on 5ch, users pointed to the fact that one of the two members had already been off activities for several months and speculated that a personal relationship with a fan may have been the real reason. This remains pure speculation from an anonymous message board — management has made no statement about dating or any rule violation. Posts about Kawalabo’s dating policy were also split between “banned” and “quietly tolerated,” suggesting enforcement may vary by group, though again this is not officially confirmed information.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Signs of Kawalabo Collapsing? Two Members Leave the Same Day.”
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