Shinoda Mariko talks about marriage and upcoming elections

AKB48’s Shinoda Mariko appeared at a press conference earlier today to unveil her self-designed wedding dresses, titled “Love Mary 3rd Collection”. The theme this time is “Airy & Lovely”, and she used ribbons and lace to deliver the European Princess look. Here are my favorites from her collection.

When asked about her marriage plans,  she said, “I can’t find a partner whilst in AKB48, so i’ll look for one in my 30s. I probably won’t be in AKB at that time.”

Although she hopes to wear her own designs first, she also wants to design something for Takamina to celebrate her recent solo debut.

When asked about Akimoto Sayaka’s graduation, she mentioned that Akimoto had talked about graduation with her several times, but she didn’t know when the announcement was going to be. However, the deadline to nomination of candidacy was approaching so it was probably the only time for Akimoto to do it. Considering Akimoto’s future plans, Mariko could understand her need to graduate.

“Like me, she was waiting for the next generation to crush us, so i wanted her to stay on. But there were things she wanted to do and was unable to, so i think about her graduation as a positive thing. She’s a strong-willed person and i’m not worried, so i’ll cheer for her as she strives to become an actress,”said Mariko.

On the topic of the 5th General Elections, she said Sashihara Rino was the most likely member to crush the seniors, as she saw on TV that Sashihara was aiming to be No.1 and seemed serious about it. Personally, she hopes to improve her rankings this year, but she’s also looking forward for a shakeup in the Senbatsu lineup.

“For example, Paruru or Mayuyu…if they are able to bring forth a revolutionary change, i’d be really happy,” said Mariko, revealing her expectations for the girls known as the next generation aces.

I just want to express my admiration for Mariko cos she’s not only a great leader of AKB, she’s also found time to launch her own fashion brand, appear on TV, model for magazines, design wedding dresses etc. How does she juggle all these activities at once?!!!  She’s definitely ready to graduate AKB, but she’d rather stay on to nurture the next generation, which makes her all the more respectable.

How many fans recognize this attribute in her?

Her wedding dress collection: http://www.kuraudia.co.jp/love_mary/collection.html
Her recently launched fashion brand: http://ricori.net/