At this time, I have received the sudden news of the passing of Shiritsu Ebisu Chuugaku's Matsuno Rina, and I am filled with a deep shock and sadness. I send my deepest sympathies from the bottom of my heart.

No matter how many times I see or hear about Rinanan on the news, my brain refuses to understand it. It's like I'm still having a bad dream. The first time I learned of Rinanan, I was a fifth grader, and it was shortly after I joined the agency. I heard my manager say that they were also in charge of a girl around the same age as me, Matsuno Rina-chan, and I have memories of quickly looking into what sort of person she was.
At first we had no opportunities to meet each other in person, so I only knew her from her profile and blogs, but once we started our respective activities as Ebichu and Syachihoko, we got countless opportunities to meet and talk to each other. She was fair-skinned, beautiful, tall, and even though she was younger than me, I almost longed to be like her, the adult-like Rinanan. But inside she was really cute, and she'd always smile when she'd come up to speak to me, "Honoka-chan," and she was a special person to me and within Ebichu.

The reality of Rinanan's passing, frankly, is something I haven't been able to accept. Thoughts of, why? are spinning around in my head, and I can't think about and I could never have considered this outcome. This is how I'm feeling, but whenever I think about the Ebichu members and her parents, I get so upset that I want to escape from reality. I have to find some positive words to keep me moving forward, but I still have not found any. I'm sorry.
But I will absolutely never forget Rinanan, and in my memories she will always have her wonderful smile. I'm praying from the bottom of my heart that Rinanan will be able to smile and be happy in heaven, as well.

Akimoto Honka


It feels like in an instant my heart was gouged out and there's a gaping hole inside of me.
Reality still hasn't hit me, and the feeling of not wanting reality to hit me is very strong.

I guess this year would be the 7th since we first met, we've known each other longer than I've known the other Syachi members.
We took the same acting lessons in Tokyo, and the same auditions.
Such good memories of appearing on the cover of Team Aodaishou and singing. It was so much fun!
We all ate lots of monjayaki in Asakusa, the melon bread we had during shoots was delicious.
Every time we had another shoot I'd be surprised yet again at the difference in our heights; she's a model, after all, I'd think.
She was younger than me, but she was beautiful, adorable, and had dignity about her, and Rinanan, who was loved by everyone, will always a girl I strive to be like.
Thank you for showing me so many wonderful smiles.

Sakura Nao


I first met Rinanan when I joined the agency, when I had just become a sixth grader, at the first company lesson I participated in, I couldn't get the hang of things, and when I was troubled all alone, the very first person to come and speak to me and help me was Rinanan.

Rinanan's "Hello, nice to meet you! What is your name?" and her genuine smile truly saved me.
Because of that, we became friends, and even though the next time we'd see each other would be in six months or even a year later, she'd come up and speak to me cheerfully, "It's been a while!" and I looked forward to whenever I could see her.
Some years after our first encounter, Rinanan was a part of Shiritsu Ebisu Chuugaku and I was a part of Team Syachihoko when we next met, and I remember so clearly how very happy I was to be standing on the same stage as her.
We would sometimes share a dressing room with Ebichu, and Rinanan was always running around cheerfully, singing us songs that she had written, she was so funny and so cute.
But whenever it was time to get to work, she'd sharpen up into the beautiful, dreamy Rinanan... she's who we as the members of Team Syachihoko longed to be.

Rinanan, I won't forget you.
Thank you.
I will always, always love you.

Ooguro Yuzuki


I heard the news of Rinanan's sudden passing when I got home from school, and I really can't believe it; I've asked so many times, it's all a joke, right? and I've been so unable to accept reality that I've wanted to cover my ears to stop from hearing it on the news.

It's when I was doing the blog before I was in Team Syachihoko, the mini-log, when I first learned of Rinanan, and I thought I'd like to meet her someday, and I was so happy when I finally got to meet her when we were in Ebichu and Syachihoko.

It doesn't seem like we're the same age at all.
She's so beautiful and tall, she's a model, and I really want to be like her.
But when she speaks she's so innocent, I'd be relieved to realize that we are actually the same age.
I love Rinanan the way she is.

Thank you, Rinanan.

Sakamoto Haruna


When I heard the news, I really didn't understand, and I still haven't accepted it yet.
Rinanan had a great figure, she was a beauty, and she had this transparent quality about her, she was someone Chiyu wanted to be like.
Rinanan's speaking voice and her singing voice are clear in my mind whenever I close my eyes.
I really can't believe it when I think, I won't be able to see her again? and the only feeling I have is sadness.
I will never forget Rinanan as long as I live. Thank you for everything you've done.
I will always, always love you.

Itou Chiyuri


We will be praying for your happiness in the next world with all of our hearts.

Team Syachihoko

It's truly too sudden,
we can't wrap our heads around it.

When we heard the news,
our hands wouldn't stop shaking, and we wanted it not to be true,
we wanted so bad for it to be a dream,
and we're still thinking that now.

Every time it comes up on the news,
hearing anything about it makes the tears well up,
and we've been saying that it's all some sort of mistake, so that we won't think about it.

Rinanan was a beautiful woman with a great figure
and she always had a kind smile,
and we'd all look at Rinanan's blog and instagram
and her magazines together, and we'd talk about how cool it was that Rinanan wasn't just an idol but also a model.

When we got to appear at the same concert together,
we were telling her some boring story in our dressing room,
and she laughed so hard.
We laughed a lot, too,
like when the members of Ebichu entered the venue wearing their warm-up clothes, which included funny garments like a gorgeous coat.
She had such a wonderful smile.
Whenever we realize that we can't see her anymore, with that smile and the sound of her laugh, we become so sad and angry.

Even as we write this,
we don't understand the reality of it, like thinking, why do we have to write this? We haven't admitted it to ourselves.

Thinking about her family, the Ebichu members, the Ebichu family makes our hearts about to burst.
Rinanan is without a doubt watching over us close by.
It might seem like we're trying to make it sound better than it is, but we believe Rinanan is surely watching over us.

Just one page of memories with Rinanan is fine,
we just want her to be engraved into us as TacoNiji.

Rinanan.
Thank you so much.
The things we've learned, the things you've taught us,
for being kind to us, we definitely won't forget you.
You will always be our beloved, admired senior.

We will be praying for your happiness in the next world with all of our hearts.
Thank you so much. We love you, Rinanan.

Tacoyaki Rainbow
Hori Kurumi, Kiyoi Saki, Negishi Karen, Haruna Mai, Ayaki Sakura