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The story
Runa Nakagawa of idol group FRUITS ZIPPER sat out part of a tour concert on September 25, then missed NHK’s “Nodo Jiman” broadcast on the 27th, citing poor health. It started when a video showing an apparent gap in reactions between members spread on social media, fueling speculation that the group wasn’t getting along. On 5ch, opinions split between those saying idols should keep their feelings off their faces as professionals, and those arguing the real problem was baseless pile-on criticism. Many posts also pushed back on the “bad blood” theory, citing exchanges from radio shows and live performances.
“Regarding Runa Nakagawa: due to poor health, she will not be appearing in tomorrow’s scheduled broadcast of ‘NHK Nodo Jiman.’”
This was the September 26 announcement from the official social media account of the seven-member idol group FRUITS ZIPPER, informing fans that member Runa Nakagawa would be sitting out the September 27 broadcast of “NHK Nodo Jiman.”
Nakagawa had also limited her participation in the September 25 concert tour performance due to poor health.
Source: asagei.com / Original article here
What people said
It's not like every single member of a group has to be best friends with each other anyway.
Fine if they don't get along, but this is a job — act friendly on camera, you're not kids.
That's just a lack of professionalism.
Whether they get along or not doesn't matter — what's being criticized is the stupidity of letting it show.
It's like saying it's fine to have a boyfriend as long as you don't get caught.
The point is: if you're a pro, keep it hidden.
Maybe there's also a backdrop where fans these days don't like it if members aren't shown being close.
For idols and YouTubers alike, keeping up a "we're all best friends" image is part of the job.
Whatever the reality, you have to put out videos performing being close and perfectly in sync.
Musicians or bands that skip that kind of camaraderie act don't need the "best friends" routine.
But for an idol group, being close and having "worked hard together" is part of the product too, so acting it out is expected.
I watched it and have no idea what's supposed to be the red flag.
This time, it's the most dedicated fans who can tell what's going on, and that's exactly why it blew up even more.
Normally this kind of controversy gets defended by the fanbase, but even that group is going "yeah, I knew it."
If the member who got frozen out had just denied it on social media, her reputation would've actually gone up.
For that to work, the one doing the freezing-out would also have to come out and play along with the "we're friends" act — otherwise it's pointless.
The fact that they can't do that is exactly why it's such a mess.
The one being frozen out has no obligation to go that far.
Pink talks → everyone claps.
Red (Amane Tsukiashi) talks → only Pink reacts.
https://x.com/hamusoku/status/2103427855413858413
https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/2103365994169450496/vid/avc1/1180×660/GW8ICCPdApDhXrsk.mp4
Isn't there more after that?
Looks to me like it's just going exactly according to script.
TV talents get booked precisely because they stay "on" even when it's not their moment — keeping their expression and reactions ready.
Slacking off when it's not your turn isn't unique to these girls; you see it all the time in other idols' interview segments too.
If anything, it's FRUITS ZIPPER's over-the-top, staged "we're best friends" celebration routine that's the unusual thing here — which is exactly why the one member not doing it stood out.
This one's pretty clear-cut.
The Nanase Nishino and Manatsu Akimoto thing is famous, isn't it?
Early on, Nishino was one-sidedly cold toward her, but they later made up and became close.
With that many members, there's probably always someone you click with, or management handles it well.
Though Kubo seemed a bit shaky at the start of the 3rd generation…
Green (the member in green) really had it rough.
I switch the channel whenever the other members come on TV.
There's footage of Haruka Fukuhara being treated like this back in her modeling days too.
This kind of thing happens fairly often in all-female groups.
Honestly, it even happens in groups of older women.
How exactly are you supposed to keep a bunch of late-20s/30-somethings in line? If most of the members were teenagers, maybe, but…
They're adults themselves to begin with. What are you even talking about.
https://x.com/ramenlunapippi/status/2105284363365797983
Amaneki said, "I didn't have a hair accessory that matched this hairstyle, so I called Runa and borrowed one! I'll do my best for Runa's share too, so please cheer us on!" — and she was wearing Runapi's ribbon, I sobbed so hard…
Manafi even changed the song lyrics to "Runa Runa Runaa!🎶," and during the encore Osuzu danced while holding Runapi's plushie — I love them so much, this is the best 😿💜
Trying to settle everything with just this is a stretch.
Management really fumbled this one.
This instant, manufactured tearjerker moment (what posters call "kandou porn," or overly engineered emotional content) is hard to take.
If anything, this is just their everyday normal.
The only ones who don't get it are the haters and the bandwagon fans.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBknoCHE8Rs&t=1412s
Tsukiashi: "This morning Runa, me, Yui, and Manafi all cheerfully sang COSMOS together.
Like, before we knew it, the four of us had even split up the parts and were singing in harmony."
It's funny how this completely debunks the bad-blood rumors every single time.
Behind the scenes they're totally on good terms.
Everyone listens to ANNX, you know.
We're not falling for it lol
For the record, this was before the "First Take" video even came out.
At this point the whole "bad blood" rumor is basically impossible to argue lol
What a shining example of a fan trying desperately hard (lol)
She's unwell.
It's been going on since before this whole thing.
Fans already know that.
This thread kind of looks like it's full of haters posting under fake personas.
Yahoo Trend Search, last 24 hours:
fruitszipper: 90% positive, 10% negative
Furubbā (fan nickname for the group): 86% positive, 14% negative
Runa Nakagawa: 77% positive, 23% negative
Runapi: 67% positive, 33% negative
Amane Tsukiashi: 86% positive, 14% negative
Amaneki: 78% positive, 22% negative
Seems like someone worked pretty hard behind the scenes on this lol
No matter how hard some faction pushes this far-fetched "bad blood" narrative, you can't keep a lid on the truth.
Everyone ends up seeing the truth: there was never any bad blood at all.
Background and Key Points of This Story
FRUITS ZIPPER is a seven-member idol group that launched in 2022 as a TikTok-born project, and Runa Nakagawa is one of its members. The group’s official social media only cited “poor health” for her absence from “NHK Nodo Jiman,” and neither Nakagawa nor her management has explicitly confirmed any link to the online backlash. It’s worth noting that the “member being ignored” clip circulating online was only a few seconds long and lacked context, yet many posts jumped to conclusions about the members’ attitudes anyway. On the thread, opinions split with no common ground: some argued that performing a “we’re close friends” image is simply part of the idol business and its commercial value, while others felt personal feelings shouldn’t have to be managed or acted out at all. At the same time, many posts cited radio and live-show remarks to push back on the “bad blood” theory, so opinions varied depending on which source people trusted.
※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Idols] The “Member-Ignoring Video” and Spreading Backlash Damage That Led FRUITS ZIPPER’s Runa Nakagawa to Cancel a TV Appearance“.
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