From our other sites
The story
A photo showing Souma Yuume, a member of a Hello! Project idol group, crying in pain after her leg cramped up during what appears to be a dance lesson was posted by the group’s official account, sparking discussion on the 5ch forums. While many called her pained expression “shocking,” sympathetic and supportive comments poured in alongside tips for dealing with leg cramps. The thread also featured debate over whether it was appropriate to publicize someone in visible pain, as well as stories of other members experiencing the same thing during past live performances — offering an unexpected glimpse behind the scenes of idol life.
What people said
This is what happens to humans when they cramp up.
#おとどけロージー (“Delivering Rosy”)
Like a little kid
Sorry, Yuume-chan
that's just mean-spirited
using your hand to pull the big toe toward you guarantees it, but just flexing the big toe in that direction works too
sorry Yume-chan, even your pained face is way too cute
so now all I see is Souma-chan crying amid the ravages of war
Hang in there, Yuume
monkeys don't get leg cramps, right?
once you're used to it, it's nothing
though you'd think it'd happen a fair bit given how hard they're pushed in lessons and performances
There's a Juice=Juice live Blu-ray where Eba talks in the MC about cramping up right at that moment
it's on the bonus live disc for Juice Story or whatever it was called
Ishiyama Sakura mentioned during an MC that her leg cramped up too
It'll be over soon, just hang in there
Makeup melted by the tears
please understand (echoing the lyric of a famous Japanese love-letter song)
like, would an idol group really put this out there?
Background and Key Points of This Topic
Leg cramps, or “muscle spasms,” are typically caused by overexertion or a lack of water and minerals, and can occur during intense dance lessons as well as actual live performances. In the thread, some pointed out that members like Ishiyama Sakura and Juice=Juice performers had described similar experiences during past live MCs, suggesting such incidents aren’t unusual in the idol world. What sparked debate this time, however, was the fact that the official account itself posted an image of a member in visible pain. While most of the response was supportive and sympathetic, some comments expressed discomfort with publicizing someone’s pained expression, showing that fans’ reactions weren’t all the same. Practical advice also emerged, such as the tip that pulling the big toe back toward you can prevent a cramp — making the thread more than just a simple reaction roundup.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “[Image] Souma Yuume bursts into tears after her leg cramps up lolololololololololololololololololol.”

Leave a Reply