I will preface this by saying I am only a casual fan of Hey! Say! JUMP. I like what I’ve heard, and think they’re incredibly talented, but I am not as familiar with them as a group as I am with artists like Snow Man, SixTONES, and Travis Japan.

That being said, I know a lot of fans have been shocked by the news that one of the group’s founding members, Yuto Nakajima has decided to graduate from the group to focus on his acting career.

“It has been 18 years since our debut, and we’ve walked together even longer, counting our time before debut.” Nakajima said in his farewell statement as a member of the group. “Thanks to our fans who have always supported us, we’ve been able to see so many new sight together.”

“When I thought about what I could do as a person, and who I was, I realized I had a strong passion for acting.” He continued about his feelings toward his career. “That passion has become even stronger, and I have decided that from now on I want to stand on my own two feet and focus on acting as my main focus.”

Some fans took to reddit to share their thoughts on the news, and there are many emotions, ranging from elated to heartbroken, and to be fair, every single one of them is valid. Change is inevitable, but that doesn’t make it easy.

We at Life in Cartoon Motion wish Yuto the best, and can’t wait to see where this new path takes him!

More news soon so…

Stay Tuned!