Mayuka Akimoto Exclusive ~upd~ -

She also addresses the "ghosts" of her past—the members of AKB48 who still follow the rules. "I don't hate them. I envy them, sometimes. Ignorance is a warm blanket. But I can't sleep under a blanket that is strangling me."

"I am never going back to a label," she declares. "They take 90% of the merch sales. They own your face. In my contract, I insisted on a clause that says I own my facial expressions. That is how deep the control goes." mayuka akimoto exclusive

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When asked if she has ever spoken to her former management since leaving, her answer is chilling. "They send me cease-and-desist letters every time I use the color yellow. They tried to trademark a shade of yellow because that was 'my image color.' Imagine that. Trying to own a color because a teenage girl used to wear it." So, what is next for Mayuka Akimoto? She also addresses the "ghosts" of her past—the