Tying up Loose Ends and Saying Our Goodbyes to Anata Tsuyame

/ Papermaiden

Fall doesn’t seem to be a good season for Tsurezure; last year in October, our beloved Cococo left the idol world. Her cohortmate, Tsuyame, stuck around as they were looking for a fourth member, seemingly becoming as much of a pillar of the group as the two founding members. And yet, here we are.

Anata Tsuyame, the braided brunette from Yukueshirezutsure has her graduation concert tomorrow night, September 7, at the Shibuya O-Crest. This news took everyone by surprise, and the shock was so great that I planned on writing something at the time, but couldn’t. Denial is a part of the grieving process, isn’t it? But there is no time for that anymore, as Tsurezure embarks on their new tour, titled Eclipse, in a mere 10 days.

How to honour Tsuyame’s two year tenure as a member properly?

Yukueshirezutsurezure has had a notable member rotation in their inception in November 2015. So far, three girls have left:

And a fourth one is leaving tomorrow.

Tsuyame stuck around for two years, even though she considered leaving last year around the same time. She kept going on and blessing us fans with her gentle voice and presence, solidifying Tsurezure’s presence on stage with her unique character. No one in the group has had quite the same vibe (or brown hair, for that matter). As she premiered her solo song, “Call my name Miss Felis”, at her birthday event on November 4 last year, you could tell that Tsuyame wasn’t just all softness. You can get it on the limited edition of exFallen, which I highly recommend. In “Call my name Miss Felis”, you start with Tsuyame’s delicate and nostalgic vocals, before an energetic bridge and eventually some of her lovely screams. It is likely my favourite song on the entire album.

In her last MV, the one for “Phantom Kiss”, the allusions to her departure are clear, from the stabbing worked in the narrative to releasing the girls from their chains to the all-white version of their habitual costumes, symbolizing death. Please have a listen to enjoy her voice for the last time as a current member of the group.

Tsuyame will not likely pop up again on our radar. Time and again, she said she joined YukueshirezuTsurezure because she liked the group’s vibe so much, not because she wanted to be an idol. She explicitly said she is quitting idol forever. Tsurezure and us fans were extremely blessed to have her go out of her way due to her love for the group. May you have a wonderful life filled with happiness, Tsuyame.

A farewell piece by Sagawa, a devoted Tsuyame oshi whose work I encourage you to check out.

Thank you for supporting the group for so long. Thank you for the cat pictures. Thank you for having been in our lives. You will not be forgotten.