Aika: Prayers answered!

Aika of Morning Musume, 2007: Just how bad is that hip?

There is a God, and he loves Morning Musume. Aika's sore hip is, reportedly, appendicitis. A bad appendix is a far cry from a bad hip, and infinitely less ominous. Let us all give thanks. Wotas of the world rejoice!

This had been stuck in my head ever since I heard about it. It's like a member of the family going down. We are so used to seeing these amazing athletes (which they are) routinely rip through routine after incredible routine, not realizing that an injury like this is bound to happen sooner or later. I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often. A bad appendix is one thing, but a hip problem can be devastating to a dancer.

Nono had to be helped by H!P staff in July 2006, as she addressed fans.

When Nono broke her leg in 2006, in the lower leg and not up top, in the hip area where all the twisting occurs. Aika's problem at first sounded awful, but since appendicitis has been discovered to be the culprit, that is a big relief. She is sore, but not lame; down, but not out.

That right lower leg has not been the same since.

Yet, older girls and young women are less inclined to succeed in Hello Project-styled singing and dancing. Young girls, between the ages of 8 and 14, just have flexibility built into them The same principle exists in gymnastics and even swimming, where the female body can only handle this type of stress at a young age, appendicitis or other illness notwithstanding.

One of the tenants of Dalcroze, which is a program that recognizes a child’s ability to connect sound and motion in a way that adults cannot, is that body weight and proportion are critical to physical well-being during stressful athletic endeavors. It’s like in baseball when a pitcher “throws his arm out” or in football, when a cornerback pulls a hamstring. Thank goodness this has not happened with Aika, and actually did not occur with Nono, as a fall was the causitive factor, not poor training or conditioning.

In Aika's case, it is an internal-medicine issue, not one requiring jock-style reconstructive surgery. Interesting, though, that she will likely not have her appendix removed. Only rest os recommended. In this country, she would have gone under the knife and had the appendix taken out. Otherwise, it might flare up again, and it it bursts, it becomes a potentially lethal cndition.

I just wonder if the decision not to operate had anything to do with trying to keep any changes to Morning Musume's performance and appearance schedule. Let's hope Aikia's needs take top priority. 

After speaking briefly, it was a bow in the dark, and goodbye for awhile.

The older an athlete becomes, the less likely the ideal body proportions vis-a-vis muscle strength will be present. Hence, more chance of injury. This especially noticeable in figure skating, ballet and gymnastics. Those self-righteous, uninformed idiots who criticize Hello Project for using such young kids as Hagiwara of °C-ute and Saki of Berryz Kobo have to understand that nobody any older than 15 or so is capable of taking that kind of physical pounding for any length of time. Nobody.

Still, even young people can be injured beyond the body's ability to fully recover, and each kid is different.

Aika, left, Morning Musume's brightest new starlet, rocks with V-u-den, fall 2007.

Now let’s all hope that Aika bounces right back, which she is likely to do, though a sore appendix can be a nagging irritation if not surgically removed. What will not happen is any lightening up on Morning Musume’s choreography on behalf of a single member unable to perform. It could be that Tsunku and his associates might design routines that will provide less stress on Aika’s hip, but don’t bet on it. More than likely, Morning Musume will just go with eight should the condition remain persistent, or she ends up getting the appendix removed anyway.

Nono was never the same after her broken leg. Her final Hello Project concert in January 2007 was memorable, but clearly she was not bouncing around Yokohama Arena as she normally would. It could well be that Nono’s injury contributed to Aibon’s tailspin in 2006, because she was already suspended when Nono went down. Things went from bad to worse. Without her best friend as an anchor, “W” fell apart – with Nono physically blown out and Aibon in an emotional and mental state that precluded her from ever singing another note for Hello Project.

Our prayers are with you, Aika. Take care of that appendix.

This is Radicalipton signing off – for now.