On May 8th, Oshima Yuko (23), a member of the popular idol group AKB48, appeared at a publicized post-recording event for Disney�s Brave (opens July 21st in Japan.)� She does the Japanese voiceovers for Merida, the protagonist of the film.� At the event, she expressed her excitement for the upcoming AKB general elections (June 6) and effectively dispelled internet rumors of her �Graduation Announcement�.

On May 6th, Oshima posted a video on the AKB48 APPEAL COMMENT Channel on Youtube in which she stated, �This is the last chance for me to be a center.�

With no official �Graduation Announcement� from AKB48, she denied that she was graduating on her blog on May 6th and on May 8th. She again directed fans to her blog when asked about this leaving the message, �It is as I stated on my blog. I have not made a graduation announcement, so please do not worry.�

For the recording, she voiced the protagonist Princess Merida with strong emotion. The movie depicts a world in which witchcraft is forbidden. When reporters asked �her, "If you could use magic, who would you use your powers on?" She laughed mischievously as she responded, �I would like to use magic on myself, and make myself be able to use magic freely. Then I could use magic for everything!"

Source & Image: Sanspo