Well, I guess her uniform isn’t getting in the way anymore, am I right? *wink wink*

*sigh* Who am I kidding?

I’ve been a fan of AKB for a long time, and Rinatin was absolutely one of my favorite members. I have a ton of favorites, I know, but she was special to me because of her angelic voice. I love it when girls have beautiful voices, which isn’t necessarily common in the idol world, sadly. But Rina was all I loved in an idol back then: great voice, cute looks and a sweet personality.

When she graduated I was of course very sad, especially cause she graduated along Tojima Hana who was another BIG favorite of mine, it was a horrible day for me xD

Afterwards, she kind of was a lot less active than the other graduates. I was uber happy when she appeared in AX09 and sang “Ashita wa Ashita no kimi wa Umareru” with her Chocolove partners <3 Also, she was a very sickly girl, she was out of the whole Himawarigumi 2nd Stage because of a back injury and she was also supposed to perform at AX10 but got hospitalized because of an asthma attack and couldn’t attend, she even blogged about how she was sad she had missed the event.

Later she posted in her blog that she would leave the entertainment business.

A little after that, rumors started spreading about her supposed nude photoshoot and her starring in JAV, I thought it was a lie, or a joke… and then… I was a faced with reality, or more like, tons of naked Rina pictures and then “Yamaguchi Rico”, the snaggletooth debate, the covers of her movie (I’m really not into that sort of thing, so it might have been especially traumatizing for me xD)

It’s obviously her, some fans are still in denial, but the fact that AKS filed a lawsuit against Nakanishi for a breech of contract (Her contract with them stated that she couldn’t do anything that put the brand name of AKB48 down even for 3 years after she had left the group) obviously proves that Rico is Rina, otherwise there would’ve been no lawsuit x_x And well, in case you’re interested, the lawsuit didn’t progress because the judge didn’t think anything Rina did would affect AKB48.

And neither do I, honestly. Well, of course, anti-fans will yap and yap about how the AKB girls are such whores that they even go into porn *rolls eyes* but it’s nothing new to hear them bashing AKB for whatever reason so meh…

But what I do worry about isn’t AKB, but Rina herself. It just strikes me as something incredibly odd given the personality she always showcased in the group. She was the most demure, gentle and sweet girl in Team A. She didn’t even do too well in sexy songs because she looked scared all the time in the Seifuku ga Jama wo Suru PV xD

And then… this? I mean, it’s not like I wouldn’t be shocked if anyone from AKB would go into JAV but… Rina of all people is really baffling.

Hell, we were all betting it would be Narita Risa, who became reknown for her big breasts and racy gravure photoshoots and DVDs, and now, lo and behold, after Nakanishi said on her graduation speech that she was going to be a solo singer, it is actually Narita who is going to debut with a unit later this month. Oh, the ironies of life

I have a LOT more to say about this. Actually, I hadn’t even thought about it that much until yesterday, when I was working and listening to my iPod and all of a sudden “Shinkirou” her duet with Kojima Haruna started playing. Then it really hit me. And… man… I don’t even know what to think, but I’m planning a tribute to her nonetheless.

I just really really hope that this is what she wanted to do in life, and she’s happy with it. I don’t want to think that this is one of those sad stories of falling from grace I often watch on E! Entertainment Television xD

So yeah, expect a second post as a homage to Nakanishi Rina, the AKB48 idol I knew and loved.

You know, I’m just tired at people having a go at AKB48 because of their new single. It’s my favorite AKB48 single so I can’t help but think “Geez, people need to chill out O_O”

I’m ok with people hating AKB48, people should be able to voice their dislike of something all over the internet if they feel like it, but it’s the double standards that really REALLY annoy me.

First off, I’ll say that I like AKB48 because they have slutty songs. I won’t fool anyone, that’s what lured me into liking the group and it’s why I’ve been liking them for so long and I don’t think I’ll stop anytime soon. I’m 22 years old, I no longer want to listen to happy sugary stuff all the time, and although it’s perfectly fine for me if people want to like such stuff, I don’t.

I don’t want to rag on any group because I hate flame wars, and really, I’m a very respectful person xD But people just need to calm down. Seriously.

I think the whole Nakanishi Rina porn scandal thing had a very bad timing considering this PV xD but both things are completely unrelated, and I’ve seen people even making connections to them O_O wtf

So here’s what bothers me:
1. OMG UNDERAGE GIRLS IN UNDERWEAR DO NOT WANT DDDDD: That’s never happened before in my K-pop/J-pop!!!!

Seriously? wtf is this. I’ve seen plenty of Jpop stuff that sells sex, without even touching on H!P because I don’t want to ignite a flame war. Remember SweetS? I loved them, but they were well underage and their lyrics and dances were provocative enough.
Hinoi Team anyone? Keika was like 12 and it was also the same story.
And you know what? I will touch on the H!P issue because I loved those songs that were a little racier xD How about Chu! Natsu Panty, excuse me Party and its panty flashing when Aibon was definitely underage? There, I said it xD

Now K-pop? I love it. Because it’s slutty. Yes, I’m like that. If KARA’s butt shaking dance isn’t sexual the I DON’T KNOW WHAT IS. And what about T-ara’s PV in a high school? That was also pretty sexual. And how about SNSD’s Cabi song (love it so SO much BTW) HOTNESS OVERLOAD. You all get my point I hope.

And to boot, only 2 of AKB’s frontgirls are underage: Watanabe Mayu: who is 16, and she was wearing a very cute puffy pink top and boxers, hardly more revealing or suggestive than a bikini.

And Matsui Jurina, who is turning 14 soon, and all you can see of her is her head and her knees. THE HORROR. *rolls eyes*

2. OMG THEY THINK THEY WILL GET MY MONEY BY PULLING OFF THEIR DISGUSTING LESBIAN STUNTS! WELL NOOOO I’M NOT BUYING THIS!!!!

Fine, don’t. And chill out. Geez. Nobody is forcing you people to like anything or buy anything, so please chill out, ok?
Also, I’m pretty sure that AKB48 will sell pretty well anyway even without all of you non-fans helping out with buying some singles, so don’t worry about it

Now, before people start flooding my blog and commenting stuff like “That was only one time, and underwear is definitely worse” Yes, ok, I get it. I like slutty stuff, but it’s only me, if you don’t like it then it’s ok too. If you hate it, it’s ok too. Just don’t pretend that sex hasn’t been anywhere near your preferred part of the music industry, because unless you’re a big fan of Pavarotti, it has been. BELIEVE ME.

And also, a quick note about fans who are sad because their oshis didn’t make the PV even though they were senbatsu. I feel for you. I wanted to see Sayaka in lingerie as much as anyone else. But Akimoto does what Akimoto wants Let’s all wait till the next CD and hope for a better luck for our oshis (I wanted Sayaka, Kitarie and Sasshi in cat ears ;_;)

So, to sum it all up, hate and rag on AKB as much as you want, but I just had to get this off my chest!!

And also, expect a detailed review with lots of screencaps when I get my single I bought both editions too!!! YUKO MY LOVE I’LL SUPPORT YOU EVEN IF THE WORLD IS AGAINST YOU MY LOVE!!!!

Yeah, for me, this is the best AKB single EVER. Slutty songs are my favorite songs, and it’s why I like AKB, I couldn’t be happier about slutty songs returning to singles

Hello people, I’m bringing you the results of the new senbatsu election! Let’s keep things interesting, I’ll post the girls name, the amount of votes she got, a picture of her and my personal opinion. Here we go!

40 Ishiguro Atsuki (RS) - 1603: Ishiguro is a Research Student, and she’s someone I’m familiar with because she’s extremely talented. She has a very beautiful voice, so I’m happy for her, at least she can hold her own. Not that idols are supposed to sing well at all, but it’s a thing I definitely prefer XD

 

 

39 Matsubara Natsumi (A) - 1859: I was SO relieved to see Natsumi here!!! She was a background girl in Team K, but she has an amazing laid back personality and she’s very talented. She’s always smiling and she’s a terrific dancer. However, as so many girls in AKB, she didn’t get enough love. However, she made it to UG last year and I’m so glad that she’s back in UG… Akimoto needs to get his game together, he just keeps pushing whoever he feels like pushing and stuffing the girls who have proven themselves to the back… Grr. This makes me very happy because she hadn’t appeared in the preliminary results. And I was sad that the lack of work she got to do might be getting to her, because the A6 shonichi has been postponed once more.. Agh. Anyway, congrats Natsumi!!!

 

 

 

38 Yagami Kumi (S) - 1909: Kuumin was the default choice of a Team S girl who was getting a push by Akimoto (or whoever it is that decides who gets a push XD) She’s a very good dancer, and she’s incredibly beautiful. She doesn’t get as much hate as some of her SKE teammates for invading AKB singles, but maybe that’s just because she was only an UG in the latest single. Anyway, after Takai Tsukina left Team S, she was the de facto famous girl to round up the Matsui duo. Congrats to her.

 

37 Katayama Haruka (A) - 1935: OMG! Haachan! She’s my no. 3 favorite girl in AKB so of course I wanted to see her making it to the list! She got a low rank, but still, the competition was quite fierce this year, and I’m just really hoping that she can keep shining, and that she gets to lead a unit in A6. OMG my baby diva is going to be a star!!!

 

36 Yamauchi Suzuran (RS) - Ranran is a very popular Research Student, and she’s very talented and especially, very charismatic. I’ve heard many people calling her “a natural” so I’m glad she made it, quite honestly RS have a hard time, considering how many cuts they have to live through. But really, I don’t agree with them being chosen for this kind of thing. I mean, they are trainees, they shouldn’t get the privilege of being in a single until they become full fledged members. I do understand that some of them are very talented and blah blah blah, but it detracts from the whole point of being a member. What gives, if you can still be famous while you are a trainee?

 

35 Takayanagi Akane(KII) - 2030: Takayanagi is pretty much the face of Team KII from SKE48. Which baffles me because I thought people would fall for Mukaida, who was the girl who was pushed the most in their first stage XD And it also saddens me a bit because my favorite KII girl is Furukawa Airi and I wish she would’ve been chosen XD

 

34 Yonezawa Rumi (K) - 2171: I’m really ecstatic that Rumi made it again this year. Last year, she was 3 votes away from senbatsu, so she was the leader of the UG, however, come next single, she had been stuffed in the back of Theater Girls again DX Completely unfair!!! Thankfully, she’s back in UG, and hopefully, Akimoto realizes that she has enough fans to keep her in her well earned and deserved position!

33 Fujie Reina (K) - 2460: Oh Reina, my Reina. Fujie was originally pushed a lot by Akimoto, she was senbatsu before too, and then in last years election she was nowhere to be seen I love her, she’s sky rocketed into my top 10, she’s incredibly sweet and innocent, and she has a sultry beautiful voice that I adore too. And she’s Natsuyaki Miyabi’s cousin too Congrats Reinyan!

32 Umeda Ayaka (K) - 2499: Team K power!!! I’m super happy Umechan made it too! Especially because she is an original Team K power who doesn’t get enough love Umechan is one of AKB’s best dancers so I’m sure she’ll be a great fit in UG!! And let’s hope she stays there too!

 

 

31 Satou Sumire (B) - 2591: Everyone’s favorite H!P reject (after Yukirin XD) makes a comeback! Suuchan is the cutest and prettiest girl on Earth! Definitely a favorite of mine in the new Team B. I hope she’ll get a push from this, because she doesn’t deserve to be an obscure background member!

30 Komori Mika (B) - 2613: No surprise here, Komorin has always been a big fan favorite in Japan. I like the fact that she’s in now that she’s a full fledged member as I didn’t enjoy her appearance in NamiSapu as a Kenkyuusei that much. Komorin is a very talented girl, she can sing very well, and has an amazing style of dancing that can only be described as “unique and classy”

29 Nitou Moeno (K) - 2693: I’ve always been under the impression that Akimoto has a soft spot for Moeno, and that works fine with me because I like her. I think it’s a spectacular jump, from being nowhere after being pushed a lot last year to making No. 29 this year without so much promotion, although she was part of Team PB I like you Moeno! Keep rocking!

28 Shimazaki Haruka (RS) -3076: This girl is clearly the darling of the Kenkyuusei, so of course, she had to rank high enough. I’ve said all I had to say about Research Students XD and she’s pretty cute, so it’s all good.

27 Ishida Haruka (B) - 3235: Ahhh! Harukyan was my favorite kenkyuusei!!! She’s so good at what she does!!!! I’m ecstatic!!!!

 

 

26 Hirajima Natsumi (B) - 4106: Yay! Nacchan is so awesome! I was saddened to see that they stuck her in TG after she had done so good in UG, and because she’s such a good Team B member. I’m glad to see her back in her feet

 

 

25 Masuda Yuuka (B) - 4137: YES!!! YES!! Yuka is hands down my favorite AKB singer, she needs to get more lines and more love! I really loved her new unit in B5, but I wanted her out of Theater Girls, she can do much better than that!!! It’s the return of MARIA moffos!!!

 

 

24 Oya Masana (S) - 4634: Well, this is definitely surprising I’d never imagined that Masana could rank higher than Kumi, and with such a big difference too! Masana is a great girl, though. She works hard and the camera loves her (oh God, too much ANTM XD) she’s usually one of the invisible frontgirls, which are girls who are in the front a lot but people don’t usually notice that fact all that much.

 

23 Kuramochi Asuka (A) - 5355: Awww… My beloved Mochi! I think this is good for her actually. She was senbatsu last year but she was in the back so she got almost no screen time or lines, but now that she’s fronting UG, she might get a much better position. I do think that the delay of A6 actually affected the lower senbatsu members of Team A, Mochi hasn’t performed in the theater ever since K5 ended, and that was months ago!!! Anyhow, I wish her the best!

 

22 Oota Aika (A) - 6145: Lovetan was senbatsu for the first time last year, but same as with Mochi, I think she actually has more chances to shine in UG :D 

SENBATSU MEMBERS

 

21 Miyazaki Miho (B) - 6371: Quite honestly, I expected Myao to rank higher :O She’s been pushed a lot, and she’s one of the new Team B frontgirls. However, this years competition was crazy, so maybe that’s why. I never want her out of senbatsu either, her bitchy personality is definitely a breath of fresh air in the happy-go-lucky idol world.

20 Nakagawa Haruka (A) - 6567: Harugon didn’t even place in UG last year, and she was the lead of the last TG PV, which I think helped her a lot. Also, she said that she was crushed last year because she hadn’t ranked I think Watarirouka fans also helped her get through and voted for her. I like Nacchan WAY more than I like Harugon, but I’m super happy that she has more fans now, and being in senbatsu for the first time must be like a dream for her Good job!

19 Sashihara Rino (A) - 6704: Whooo! Sasshi my girl is in senbatsu!!!! I love Sasshi, she’s a total wota, and so much fun to watch all the time! I only hope that her popularity keeps increasing and increasing!!

18 Sato Amina (B) - 6921: Amina had a big drop from last year, but it’s still a huge feat to stay in senbatsu considering how she was never one of the front girls. I hope that she keeps working hard, I really admire her because she puts all her heart in what she does, and hopefully, this will keep her in the spotlight

17 Akimoto Sayaka (K) - 8049: BAWWWWW. My second favorite girl made it back into senbatsu ;_; words can’t express my joy. It was all I cared when I looked at the rankings. She should be way higher, but this is a good start. I want Akimoto to stop shoving her in UG, dammit. Just because she’s not some cutesy loli doesn’t mean that she should be in the back. She is an incredibly talented and charismatic girl, dammit. And she has such a big heart! <3 I’m sure she’s happy that she was able to be part of senbatsu again, and I hope she stays there, for God’s sakes. For better or worse, all of the captains should be in senbatsu, especially when it’s Sayaka we’re talking about, there’s nobody else like her in AKB, her passion and dedication can only be compared to those of Takamina, so she should stay in senbatsu! Agh… I make no sense, but I’m just so happy ;_;

 

 

16 Kitahara Rie (B) - 8836: I absolutely adore Rie. She’s so beautiful and quirky, it’s amazing! I wish she had ranked higher though, I think she was in a higher spot last year, and she’s always been a pushed girl. *shrugs*

15 Ono Erena (K) - 9468: I don’t get Erena’s constant teetering between frontgirl and not so much ever since last year. I love Erena, yet I don’t get why she didn’t lead a unit in K6 or why she doesn’t seem to get the same push she did last year. Some people even speculated some scandal that had relegated her to the back, I don’t know. I’m glad she’s in senbatsu, for what is worth. I really like Erepyon.

14 Minegishi Minami (K) - 9692: Awww… I’m so glad Miichan got to climb 2 positions from last year to this!!! Miichan is all kinds of awesome, she’s funny, talented, and hilarious with a devilish touch, she’s so perfect *_* And now that she’s a front girl of Team K, she can shine even more! She must be happy with the elaborate choreographies in some of K6 songs, and of course, she leads a unit!

 

 

13 Takajyou Aki (A) - 11062: Well, of course Akicha had to be in senbatsu this year I’m happy for her, she’s all kinds of adorable. Like, she makes me want to cuddle her or pat her head or something like that XD She’s also a star, I mean, she was the RS who got promoted to a Team the fastest, that is pretty impressive! Also, she was really pushed last year, and she got to UG, I feel like now that she had a little more time to train herself more and become more comfortable with being an idol, she is actually even more amazing. Gosh… I remember her blabbery MCs back when she was just promoted… I feel nostalgic already <3

 

 

MEDIA SENBATSU (AKA. The girls who appear on music shows promoting the single and such)

12 Kasai Tomomi (B) - 11080: BAWWWW ;_; I’m so glad my girl made it to media senbatsu!!! especially because she had been gradually relegated to the back more and more with every single ;_; and I was so afraid of her moving to Team B, which has many front-ish girls now, but I’m so happy ;_; Go Chiyuu!!

11 Matsui Rena (S) - 12082: I’ve actually read that there’s a lot of people who feel that SKE48 shouldn’t be part of the elections, I’m cool with them taking part in the elections, but what I really hate is that SDN has to be left out That is unfair! Er… anyway, Rena is everyone’s favorite Nagoya princess, she’s also proven herself even more after her amazing performance of psycho Gekikara in Majisuka. Props to her!

 

 
10 Matsui Jurina (S) - 12168: Welp… in the preliminary results Rena was ahead of Jurina, but now she isn’t XD I have nothing against Jurina, and she’s definitely talented enough to hold on to her stop in the top 10!

 

09 Miyazawa Sae (K) - 12560: Bawww… My bb Sae made it to the top 10!!! I’m so SO so happy! She’s awesome, and if anything, the new AKB senbatsu needs a little bit more oomph IMO And Sae is just the perfect girl to deliver performances that can definitely pack a punch!

 

 

08 Kashiwagi Yuki (B) - 15466: Yukirin! My angel voiced girl lands a very good position this year ! I’m definitely happy for her, its always nice and heartwarming to see people accomplishing their biggest dreams Also, this hopefully means she is finally getting that solo single that was rumored before??? Oh well, a girl can dream, right?

07 Kojima Haruna (A) - 16231: Super team A frontgirl Kojima Haruna got No. 7. Ok, we were all expecting her to rank high, and I honestly don’t have anything to say about her lol at least not until A6 begins which will be in like a month from now *sigh* Moving on…

06 Takahashi Minami (A) - 17787: Yay Takamina!!! I’m curious to what comes next for her though, since Akimoto apparently mentioned in the election guidebook that she was the soul of AKB and that she should be in the Top 5. I don’t think that being 6th is bad at all, since it was such a huge competition. And you gotta love Takamina, she just really loves AKB, it’s like, her whole life, and I respect her a LOT because of that.

05 Watanabe Mayu (B) - 20088: Aww… I really wanted my cyborg girl to make it to the top 3, but being No. 5 is not a bad position at all! Next year the CG Revolution will come Mayuyu!!! Don’t worry! And about people complaining that her speech was insensitive, well, it is a tough situation… it would be best for all of us if there weren’t any elections whatsoever…

04 Itano Tomomi (K) - 20513: I don’t think many people saw this coming XD Tomocin has always been a popular girl, but this HUGE jump was kind of surprising haha. She’s now a Team K member, where she is THE frontgirl alongside Yuko, and this kind of exposure was definitely very good for her. See? Good things come out of the shuffle too

03 Shinoda Mariko (A) - 23139: You know, I understand that Mariko looks like a model, is a funny girl and is super stylish having a following made up of pretty high schoolers, but really? Number 3? It’s no surprise, her Mixi ranking is higher than anyone else in AKB48, but… I love Mariko, don’t get me wrong, it’s just that she’s never at the theater performing (same as most Team A frontgirls) so I haven’t seen much of her lately XD Her acting in Majisuka was pretty awesome though Still, I do think Mayuyu should be in this position next year, nothing against Mariko, I just see Mayu around more XD

02 Maeda Atsuko (A) - 30851: well, this one was definitely the big surprise of the election. I guess most of us really assumed Acchan would always be No. 1 and thus we didn’t care all that much about the whole election thing. It is certainly sad for her, and I feel bad for her because I like Acchan and I think that she’s a good front girl, but in all honesty, too much of one thing might get stale. She’s been the centre in most AKB singles for 5 years now, it’s good to change, even if its for a short while. I’m also glad that she can be relieved of the great pressure of being No. 1, and I’m sure that she’ll still be the face of AKB regardless of the results of this elections. We all should’ve learned from last year that elections mean nothing. If Akimoto likes a girl, she will be senbatsu, regardless of the fans (who will grow to like her more and more anyway because she gets more exposure) and if he doesn’t like a girl, then it doesn’t matter how many people vote for her, she’ll be relegated to Theater Girls as soon as next single so whatever…

 

 

 

Still, it broke my heart to watch her trying to find words to say to her fans, and how she said it must be that she wasn’t cut out for that position. I know that japanese people are supposed to put themselves down, but it must’ve been hard for her anyway :( 

Still, we all know that elections mean nothing and Akimoto will bring his usual senbatsu ad center girl back next single so whatever XD

01 Oshima Yuko (K) - 31448: OMG!!! I never thought I’d see this day ;_; Yuko has always been my favorite girl, ever since I first spotted her in Seifuku ga Jama wo Suru PV, and that will never ever change. Well, I’ll try to be as coherent as I possibly can, and I’m so so happy for her! She’s so hardworking, and whenever she performs you can really see that she puts her whole heart into everything she does!!! I’m sure she’ll be a great center for the next single, and I want her to get a solo line!!! I’m going to die in happiness if she does… 

 

 

I also like this because I think it will be a change of pace, considering how Yuko can be insanely cute, but she can also deliver fierce performances. I’m hoping for new singles to be more like RIVER and less like everything else they’ve released lately XD I do love every single to bits, but honestly, I prefer when my idol music can pack a punch instead of just being happy bubbly and whatnot. So yeah, I want a “cooler” AKB now that Yuko will be supposedly fronting it (which I doubt, because Akimoto has already shown us plenty of times that he will do whatever the hell he pleases regardless of how many votes a given girl gets. Or else how did Masuda Yuka, Yonezawa Rumi and Hirajima Natsumi end up in Theater Girls when they’d been voted for UG while Oku Manami, Nito Moeno, Maeda Ami climbed to Under Girls out of nowhere when they didn’t even get a rank in the first place.)

 

 

And in order to stick to the election, I have to say that I thought Yuko’s speech was the best one BY FAR. It was translated by a number of kind people, especially, it was tweeted live on AKB48 Journal, but the gist of the speech was this: “Last year, I asked my fans to push my back so that I could improve, this year I want my fans to follow me instead”

OMG YUKO I WILL FOLLOW YOU TO THE END OF THE WORLD AND BACK <3 <3 <3 <3

Ehm… well, the elections are over, the amount of internet drama has been pretty funny XD and still, we’re likely to get elections again next year LOL that sucks I hate elections. The good side is that they are the only way some girls can make it to a single, but the downside is that with so many girls in AKB, it’s just mean to rub it in their faces that they aren’t well liked enough or whatever. I don’t enjoy this reality show at all, but whatever, it’s good promotion, so I guess the management will still do it each year regardless of what we want or not.

And it truly broke my heart to read the blog entries of the girls who didn’t rank at all. It’s very sad to read that they are crushed, they feel like they are worthless or they have failed. I don’t want my idols to feel sad or defeated, I want them to be happy so that I can be happy for them. As shallow as that may sound, it’s the way I want it to be. I never want any of my girls to cry bitter tears… and more importantly, I wish there wasn’t a whole show based around watching them suffer *sigh*

At least we have one more year of peace before the ruckus comes up again next year…

Hi people! Just chiming in to remind you that you all should buy the new AKB48 single “Ponytail to Shushu” which has already been released!!!

The tracklist is the following for the 2 versions:

Version A:

1. Ponytail to Shushu

2. Nusumareta Kuchibiru (Undergirls)

3. Boku no Yell (Theater Girls)

4. Ponytail to Shushu (off vocal)

5. Nusumareta Kuchibiru (off vocal)

6. Boku no Yell (Off vocal)

Version B:

1. Ponytail to Shushu

2. Nusumareta Kuchibiru (Undergirls)

3. Majijo Teppen Blues (Majisuka Gakuen Cast)

4. Ponytail to Shushu (off vocal)

5. Nusumareta Kuchibiru (off vocal)

6. Majijo Teppen Blues (off vocal)

Of course, both versions include a DVD with the PVs of the respective songs too If you want my personal opinion, and you do, because you’re in my blog for a reason, I’ll do a tiny review of each song and suggest which version to buy

1. Ponytail to Shushu: The main track as performed by senbatsu members is a super happy and surprisingly melodic summer song about being in love and chasing the person you love on the beach while wearing a ponytail and a scrunchie XD It’s a very nice song, and it features a pleasant Acchan mini solo (she sings 3 words by herself LOL) and the catch here is the PV, which was shot at the beach in Guam and it’s very colorful and pretty! And of course, bikinis…

2. Nusumareta Kuchibiru: The Undergirls song is a lot more serious sounding than the main track, and it’s also very emotional and kind of heartbreaking. It’s a deep contrast with the A-side, but I like it when UG get the cool song anyway The PV for this one features them by a bonfire on the beach at twilight wearing (LOL) school uniforms. Yes. XD They also wear bikinis for a major part of the PV though! Of note is that Team A’s Maeda Ami gets a TON of screentime! :O

3. Boku no Yell: Yay! They gave an original song to Theater Girls!!!! That makes me *so* happy! This one is a very relaxed and kind of slow paced song about trying your best and not giving up. I honestly expected something more upbeat, but this soothing song is also very pretty! The PV features Nakagawa Haruka as the main girl, and all of the Theater Girls are part of a soccer team, complete with uniforms and stuff It’s very nice, especially because it’s a HUGE step up in budget when compared to “Hikoukigumo”

4. Majijo Teppen Blues: This song is SO much win. I don’t know if it was really needed though, how many Majisuka themed songs can you honestly release? But it is super awesome, so I’ll forgive Akimoto this time! This sounds completely different from the upbeat and even chirpy “Majisuka Rock and Roll” This one has a darker rhythm going on for it, with amazing electric guitar riffs complete with finger snapping and stomping which is a very cool effect THIS SONG IS BADASS. The only drawback is that it has a bit of a character dialog after each verse, because the song is basically about a fight between “Team Acchan”and “Team Yuko” (and you all know who I’m rooting for, right? :D) so every member of the team says their little yankee line, and afterwards they get interrupted by a long Takamina solo (really long for AKB single standards BTW. It’s just a verse, really) and more “OI”s and stomping and stuff take place! This review was all over the place LOL What makes this song so much win is the fact that the PV is amazing. Like, the epitome of a PV with a story behind it. I’ll leave you guys to find it and watch it because it’s really really cool.

Overall: I would get Version B, even though A has Yuko on the cover XD B includes the amazing Majijo Teppen Blues, and if you’re a fan of the good old times when AKB released their darker stuff as singles, this one is a bit reminiscent of that time! That said, if you like their recent image change more, and prefer something cute and idol-y then you should get version A. OR you could get both Really and vote for your favorite member in the senbatsu election! If you don’t know who should you vote for, then vote for Akimoto Sayaka because she’s made of awsum and we don’t want her to be the only Team Captain who isn’t a senbatsu member

Also… I saved the best for last… AKB48 Ponytail to Shushu has sold over 350.000 copies on the first day of sales!!!!! That’s an incredibly jaw dropping number! I’m very happy for our girls! Please let’s keep supporting them all the way!! Wheeeee!

Hi people! Sorry for the hiatus again DDD: I should promise that I’ll post more often but really, I’m so busy with my real life that I can’t really promise anything at all…

Anyhow, this one is just a random post about random things I feel about AKB48 lately You know, my AKB girls are definitely my only hobby lol especially now that I have so little free time D:

So yeah, randomness assorted!

1. K6 is awesome: I really plan on reviewing this one, but I want to do it when B5 and A6 come out well A6 will take a million years to premier, but I really want to do the 3 like a small series (I suck at series of anything, but I love reviewing stuff, so who knows, it might even out). Anyhow, I wasn’t going to shoot myself or wail in despair when the shuffle was announced but the fact that my favorite team (which is K, in case you didn’t know) was going to get torn apart didn’t amuse me either. I just thought “Welp, let’s sit back and see what comes out of this” and what happened was the awesome K6. Also, I don’t really know how it happened, but I’ve fallen in love with Tomochin. I’ve always liked her, but in a random way, only now I REALLY like her a lot. She might even be in my top 5, go figure.

Against all odds, K6 is an amazing stage IMO. The songs I wasn’t really “feeling” at first have grown on me exponentially, and I like how AKB is back to having super fun performances and choreographies where you just WANT to watch them perform instead of just listen to the song. That’s what first drew me into them and I love that they’re bringing it back.

The choreographies for this one are full of energy and really amazing, and while some of the songs sound a bit generic, and this is DEFINITELY a huge step aside from what K5 was like, I enjoy seeing that the shuffled girls have so much chemistry with the old members and everything just seems to click! There’s nobody I want to tell “OMG! GTFO my beloved Team K” and I think I might stay both an old K fan and a New K fan. The only bummer for me is that I really really wish they’d kept Kasai here. I love the girl and seeing her in the same team with the other Tomo would’ve been awesome. But then Team K can’t really be the star, what would happen to Team A then??

Ok, I’ll do a huge post on new K, RESET and everything related later, but I’m just ecstatic about this!

2. Watarirouka Hashiritai welcomes Kikuchi Ayaka into their lineup: Watarirouka Hashiritai is my favorite AKB subunit, if we don’t count the dead ICE which was TEH AWESOME. Anyhow, WH was also dubbed the “loli unit from Team B” and its members were the Ogi Pro sponsored Hirajima Natsumi “Nacchan”, Watanabe Mayu “Mayuyu”, Ota Aika “Lovetan” and Nakagawa Haruka “Harugon” their songs are so much classic cutesy and energetic idol win! And you all must remember Kikuchi Ayaka from the boyfriend scandal that got her kicked out, and how she was accepted again as a trainee and then promoted to Team K, right? Well, before she was fired, she was also signed by Ogi Pro, and a while after they fired her, Watarirouka Hashiritai debuted. Rumours were that Kikuchi was supposed to be part of the group, but she couldn’t join for obvious reasons XD Anyhow, she was added to the WH roster, and was featured with a relatively big part in their latest (and Oricon No. 1) single “Akkanbe Bashi”. Some people flippeed out for many reasons, but I for one, am cool with it, you know?

I was never the biggest Ayarin fan, I thought her voice was a bit raspy back when she was a B frontgirl, but I think she has improved so much her singing! She sounds great! And also, on the personal side of things, I admire her courage to stand up for her dream, even after she made such a big mistake. I think she’s amazing fr that. She was signed with Ogi Pro again too! Yay!

3. Queen + Elizabeth = SO MUCH EPIC WIN: I can’t believe I haven’t blogged about them, and I’m sure they’re kind of a one shot deal, but OMG this unit is so amazing! Love <3 Wars (lol see what I did there?) is such a great song! It’s sassy and sexy and girly all at the same time, and I love how their voices go together in this one! This (along with Majisuka Gakuen) could be one of the reasons why Tomochin has astronomically risen in my favorites list. Please do yourself a favor and buy this single because it’s just… words can’t express the awesome. (TODO: PV review! OMG and Making Of review, cause that one was awesome too!)

4. IT’S STARGAZER FTMFW!: We all know new Team B member Masuda Yuka was one of the best singers in AKB, right? (she’s the best one IMO) but sadly, she had been pushed down a whole lot ever since K5, so all of us fans were sad and grieving. But guess what? She released a solo single! It’s the opening to some anime I have no idea (or interest) about, but IT’S A SOLO RELEASE FROM MASUDA FREAKING YUKA!!!!! This song is so hot. Her powerful voice just makes you soar! It’s the standard shounen anime opening style of song, very upbeat and uplifting too, but it’s so great! It has an edge to it… I don’t even know what I’m saying, but just listen to it! It’s so great! Hopefully, in Team B she’ll get a great position and a great unit in the upcoming “Theater no Megami” Stage

5. The future ace… looks like the future has arrived!: Akimoto Yasushi said in an interview that the halfie loli of AKB48 Oku Manami, new Team B member was his future ace. People were kind of puzzled by this because while Manami is really beautiful and cute and looks like a little angel, she has always been a bit of an underdog, and it’s admittedly quite rare for an AKB girl to be pushed after being stuffed in the back for so long. Anyhow, most of us just shrugged it off as another one of AKi-P’s crazy statements, but lo and behold, THE FUTURE IS HERE!!! Oku Manami just released her first solo single too! She sings the opening to yet another anime that I don’t know (or care) about, which is the beautiful “Katatsumuri” song. This song is breathtaking, the first time I heard it my jaw dropped XD The thing is, I’d never really heard little Maachan singing more than one line, so I wasn’t very familiar with her voice, which is very soft and dreamy. Katatsumuri sounds beautiful, it’s a light and sweet slow tempo song that really showcases her pretty voice. I’m a sucker for this kind of songs! She reminds me a bit of Sakamoto Maaya’s work here. The C/W song is “Imomushi Johnny” which is a completely different style of song XD It sounds very daceable and tropical and I love it too! My only bother with it is that her voice sounds kind of like as if it was heard from afar or something O_O but still, an amazing release, and I’m hoping that this will pave the way for more solo release for the AKB girls and also, that it pushes Maachan, cause she’s very cute <3

6. Team Dragon WTF?: So, AKB48 is in charge of doing the ending to Dragon Ball Kai. WTF? I have to confess, I was the biggest Dragon Ball fan EVER back when I was like 9 years old. That’s what got me into listening to Jpop in the first place, because I loved the endings of DBGT. But this was a bit of a shock nonetheless XD I’m too old to be watching something as lame as Dragon Ball, let alone a remake, but having a girly cutesy group of idols doing the ending? That made me chuckle. Although it’s not necessarily far fetched, you know. After all, the ending of Dragon Ball was the ultra sappy “Romantic Ageru Yo” and DBGT featured mostly romantic songs like “Hitorijanai”, “Don’t You See”, “Sabitsuita Machine Gun de Ima wo Uchi Nukou (WTF longest title ever)” and even the opening, “Dan Dan Kokoro Hikareteku” was ultra cheesy  and lovey dovey XD. And what’s more, former Onyanko Club member Kudou Shizuka sung the only kickass GT ending, “Blue Velvet” OMG!!!! It’s really a small world, am I right?

Anyway, Dragon Team was initially rumored to be made up of lower senbatsu members, but when the release date and members were announced everyone’s jaws dropped XD It’s going to be released at the same day that Idoling!!! and Morning Musume’s new singles are released, and the members of this subunit are the Top 7 AKB members, Oshima Yuko, Maeda Atsuko, Watanabe Mayu, Kashiwagi Yuki, Kojima Haruna, Itano Tomomi, Takahashi Minami. Aaaaand the song is LAME. XD No, really, it’s so generic that it hurts, but then again, so is Dragon Ball *shrugs* and anyhow, if they perform it in fighting suits or something like that it will be amusing to the max! I have to give the song another listen, in all honesty, I just skipped it over, kinda, but it sounded very much anime ending-esque.

And about the idol wars that will surely ensue from this *sigh* I hope everybody stays calm in the internet, really. But what I really really want is a special show where the 3 groups are featured XD Imagine that? Junjun vs. Yuko battle of funny could be totally epic! And the Idoling!!! girls are so charismatic and funny that it’d be a blast to watch for idol fans in general

7. Ponytail to Shushu!: The new AKB48 single “Ponytail to Shushu” is scheduled to release on May 26th. and the PV has already been aired! It’s a super fun song, with very cute lyrics and upbeat music that definitely makes you think of summer. Also, the girls appear in their bikinis in the lovely Guam! It’s a great song and PV, so I hope you all will support our girls and buy it Also, if you do buy it, you can get to vote for your favorite girl in the second senbatsu elections! Yeah, drama galore once again *sigh* Anyhow, coupled with this single are the Undergirls song “Nusumareta Kuchibiru” with its lonely aura and nostalgic lyrics, and of course, the hot girls in their bikinis watching the sunset at the beach… The Theater Girls song “Boku no Yell” which features them in football uniforms! or instead of Boku no Yell, you could buy the version that includes “Majijo Teppen Blues” a really bizzarre but cool number which features the girls speaking lines from the Majisuka Drama along with a kickass instrumental and chorus.

8. Senbatsu Election AGAIN????: Yeah, there’s a new senbatsu election, and there’s a promotional book for it which includes the promo posters for all the girls… And well, an interview with Aki-P with some controversial statements such as something along the lines of “Takamina’s position in this election will determine the path AKB takes from now on” and “The struggle of Maeda fans and haters has always been there, we’ll see how things turn out for her this time” I’m just paraphrasing though lol I can’t read much japanese as to translate it myself, so this comes from Stage48

9. New SKE48 single: My God… I’ve been off the internet for a LONG while haven’t I XD Anyhow, SKE48 released a new single called “Aozora Kataomoi” a cute and upbeat song featuring only a handful of members, with the exciting “Bungee Senge” as the C/W! Congratulations to the Nagoya girls! They sold around 45000 copies, which is a fantastic achievement!

10. Team S 3rd Stage “Seifuku no Me”: So after the smashing hit that was S2 (one of the best stages in the 48 family history hands down) everyone was eager to watch the follow up batch of performances, we got a special LOD where we got to see the girls performing in their traditional super energetic and amazing style <3 Team S is so wonderful!!! While I really enjoyed some songs out of S3, I have to say I still think S2 prevails. But I’ll get around to review S3 anyway soon enough Exciting!

11. Graduations… Again????: Yup, well first, Team S members Mori Sayuki and Shinkai Rina announced that they’d be demoting themselves to Kenkyuusei status in order to focus for their studies, but a little bit after that, they said that they’d be graduating instead In case you don’t know who they are, Mori Sayuki was the super cute kid in yellow of Wimbledon and Shinkai Rina was the girl with the IMPOSSIBLY high voice XD Good luck in your studies girls!!!

Phew, that was a long post! Now I want to write about K6 really badly!!! Uhhnhh… I’ll see what I can do to restrain myself and release the new reviews!!!

Happy 3rd Cake day to Intl Wota!!! Thanks for the years of bringing the J Pop blogging community together!

Now, as a celebration, let’s all have YUMMY CAKE!

Of course, there’s never a party unless the 2 top frontgirls of the 48 family show up ready to sing!

And for all of the fans of Watarirouka Hashiritai (I’m a fan :D) here’s a little preview of their swimsuit photobook. I think Kikuchi Ayaka isn’t inluded in most of the shots though, but still, GO BUY IT NOW!!! Cuteness overload!

No party should even happen without the participation of the hottest AKB member ever! And if anyone dares to comment saying “She’s not in AKB anymore, dumbass” I’ll go berserk. Maimai how I love thee <3

 

For people not too fond of curves, Shinoda Mariko is the slender beautiful girl you’re looking for

But then again, if you prefer Moe, there’s Tomochin!

And I’ll make use of this post to do the news updates I’ve been neglecting so much because I’m busy as hell This is Queen & Elizabeth people, they’re releasing a single with one of those guys in thighs. They’re awesome and hot and amazing, so go buy it and ignore the guy in thighs XD

And of course, everyone’s favorite H!P reject is here XD It’s Team B captain herself! The lovely reaction queen Kashiwagi Yuki!!! (and her boobs XD)

And to round it up, a picture of my favorite girl in the world, cosplaying as Avril Lavigne… except, looking 48976 times fiercer than Avril could ever dream of

So yeah, HAPPY CAKE DAY! Hopefully many more years of wotaness are still to come Oh, and I was actually thinking of posting tons of Namida Surprise screencaps for the occasion, but I really hate that song so I decided against it XD 

CONGRATULATIONS TO AKB48 ON THEIR FIRST PLATINUM SINGLE!!!! <3 <3 <3 There aren’t words to describe how proud I am of my girls! just… BAWWWW

Now, let’s review my favorite song of the single! And the one with the crappiest PV XD Here’s the amazing, the awesome, the hilariously yankii MAJISUKA ROCK ‘N ROLL!!! This single doesn’t feature all of AKB, well, they are all in the A-side, but not majorly, except for Acchan, and Kitahara Rie XD but Majisuka has Nakayan and Haachan! My favorite underdogs!!!

First, I’ll start by giving you a little background information. This song is the opening of AKB’s drama “Majisuka Gakuen” a campy full of LOL and WIN show about a girl who’s all autistic but goes berserker whenever someone says the word “Majisuka (seriously)” to her. This girl (played by Maeda Atsuko) was recently transfered to “Majisuka Academy” a school for yankis, in which a group of mighty girls called Rapappa call the shots. And Yuko is the leader! YAYNESS. It’s an amazing show, really. If only because it’s really funny to watch all the girls acting like yankiis and kicking the crap out of each other (in fights that look faker than anything Disney Channel has done in the last few years XD). 

Here, have a screencap of Rappappa

Left to right, Shibuya (Itano Tomomi “Tomochin”), Anime (Nakaya Sayaka “Nakayan”), Black (Kashiwagi Yuki “Yukirin”), Sado (Shinoda Mariko), half of the head of Jumbo (Tanabe Miku “Tanamin”) XD, Yuko (Oshima Yuko), Gekikara (Matsui Rena), Rice (Yonazawa Rumi “Yonechan”), Torigoya (Kojima Haruna “Kojiharu”), Showa (Katayama Haruka “Haachan”)

OK, so here comes the review!

So basically, this PV is all about the characters of the drama, as they involve in some sort of yankii party in one of the class rooms, confetti in the air and crazy dance steps included, of course XD

Acchan starts the party with her famous “If you can’t be serious, you can’t win!. Let’s go ROCK N ROLL” You know, Acchan’s character in the drama is a completely introvert girl who has no emotional range whatsoever XD The funny part is that most fans are sniggering because it’s pretty much like her. And then she goes into super saiyan mode and kicks everyone’s butts

This is a look at the Majisuka Academy sign thingy. The funny part is that they tried really hard to make this set look all run down and stuff, but some of the public schools back in my hometown looked totally like this XD

Here are three of the four Queens. The top 4 fighters of Rappappa, Kojima Haruna, Itano Tomomi, Matsui Rena. I absolutely ADORE how badass Tomochin looks with the heavy makeup and sassy attitude! I’ve found a new love!!! XD XD XD I’m so looking forward to her in K6!! Also, well, Haruna has been the same airhead she’s always been in the drama as well as in real life, and we haven’t seen Rena yet, but I really want to see how she’ll turn out because she’s a super polite and nice girl, so seeing her do a yankii will be interesting!

Sayaka looks particualrly gogeous in her yankii get up (more on this later) then tehre’s of course, Takamina, although I don’t really know where she stands in the story of Majisuka Academy, and Mayuyu, who is the creepiest character ever, but it’s absolutely amazing at it.

Team Hormone! Nito Moeno, Takajo Aki, Sashihara Rino, Kitahara Rie and Komori Mika. They are the best comedy relief ever!

And of course, the best character ever is Oshima Yuko, who plays the violence-happy, psycho leader of Rappappa <3 <3 <3 

The Rappappa headquarters!

Here’s Mariko, looking like she REALLY means business!

The kabuki sisters, Kuramochi Asuka and Kasai Tomomi. I must make a special mention to Tomomi who is one of the sweetest girls on Earth, but I still loved how she portrayed this character

Here’s a screencap of Acchan together with SAEMAN <3 <3 and Nachu LOL Nachu is so hilarious! Her character is kind of wimpy and annoying, but she does a good job at being funny nonetheless…

It’s the fearsomely MOE loli trio! Lovetan, Myao and Manamana!

IT’S PARTY TIME! You know, still, as you can probaly tell from this review turning into a review of Majisuka Academy instead XD I think that this pV was the worst because I’ve already seen the Majisuka opening a lot of times, and I’m familiar with it. But it’s still a nice concept, good for promotion, and fits the rock n roll music pretty well. This is my favorite song of the single, BTW. I love how upbeat it is! Gets me pumped up instantly!

Mayuyu’s character in the drama is a smart scheming creepy girl. It’s really scary at times LOL but she’s great at it!

Oh, Sayaka, you SEXY!!!

Scary Mariko is pretty scary O_O That’s the rest of the gang behind her, this is the climax part of the video, when all of Rappappa starts gathering along the corridor, starting from the weakest, until finally Yuko joins them and they face Acchan and Nachu

*RAWR* Yuko!

There’s a finale to the PV where Nachu and Acchan stare at their opponents, but they’re boring so they’re not included here XD

I recommend to all of you AKB fans to go and watch Majisuka Gakuen, it’s being subbed by Nihongogo, and it’s pretty funny and entertaining when you get past the predictable plot and lame acting by some of the girls XD

Also, buy Sakura ni Shiori! It’s an amazing single, and the cheeky Majisuka Rock n Roll is just another reason to pick it up!

Hi people! I really love the Sakura no Shiori single, you know. Not only do I find SakuShio to be one of the most beautiful songs Akimoto’s ever written, I also like to *gasp* sing along to it XD AND OMG SALES FIGURES JUST LOOK AT THAT!!! OVER 200000 ON THE FIRST DAY WOOOO!!!! That’s not something many artists can boast about right now, so I’m really happy fro my girls <3

But what I like the most about this is that AKB is covering all of its bases with this release. 

Want a pretty choir song? (well, most of you have already said DO NOT WANT but still…) have Sakura no Shiori

Want a cheeky pseudo rock number? There’s Majisuka Rock ‘n Roll for you

Want a remembrance of AKB back when its emo teen angst songs made it to the singles? Just take a look at Choose Me

Want bouncy ultra happy lolis? Go for Enkyori Poster

This efficient marketing strategy makes me a happy fan

So, to honor this amazing release (it is amazing in my mind XD) I’ll do a long assed screen cap chock full review for all of you guys!! Yay!!! Also, please remember to buy this single and support AKB48!

Sakura no Shiori “Bookmark of Cherry Blossoms”

So, the first 2 minutes or so, what we get are glimpses of the theater stuff hurrying to help the girls get ready for the shooting of the PV. My cousin actually thought that this PVs location was a store because of the tons of clothes and stuff XD

Those are the girl’s official AKB coats, as we got to see in the Junen Zakura Making Of. And that is the tiny AKB Theater in Don Quijote… Oh, the memories…

And the AKB48 Dressing Room gets a special appearance here too XD This isn’t the lamest thing I’ve written here, because I’m a super lame person, but I once had a dream that involved being in the AKB dressing room, and having to perform a group song next but I couldn’t fit in any of the girls costumes so I panicked XD LOL

And then we get a look at the dedicated staff members as they help the girls get into the really complicated hakamas. The girl in the screencap is Team K new member, Nonaka Misato <3

And then, finally, the actual PV starts, and we can see the girls in their hakamas and elaborate hairstyles basically hanging around, singing and looking pretty, while doing not much else XD

Sayaka love is a must <3 The PV alternates between takes of the girls hanging around looking cute in hakamas to being organized in some sort of circular formation and singing while doing the actual choreography in this dated school uniforms with wings

LOL Yuko looks like she’s about to sneeze or something XD But still, I took the screencap because it might be one of the few pics when we can see Haruna acting all flirty towards Yuko, since it’s usually Korisu harrassing her while she looks all “Geez, crazy, get off of me”

Everyone has already hyped about it, but this scene is very nice to look at. Acchan plucks a feather from Takamina’s wings and blows it in the air… While Jurina just stares XD Still, looks oddly relaxing or something

That’s Ueno 48, supposedly. The girls went to various landmarks of prominent Tokyo districts. I think Akimoto is trying to reinforce his “JAPAN48″ concept in a not so subliminal way with this kind of takes XD

Shinagawa 48! This time it’s just Mariko, Takamina, Tomochin, Haruna and Yuko fixing their bangs XD

Of course, you can sell 220000 copies in the first day if you learn how to pout like Tomochin XD She looks like an adorable duck in this pic right here XD

You know, I absolutely adore Yuko, but this is the most hideous hakama in the bunch. Like , seriously. It’s painfully plain, it looks washed out and it’s just… disgusting. Poor Yuko, she should’ve gotten a pretty colorful one with cute flowers like the other girls *shakes fist*

I like this screencap because Reina is like ULTRA HAPPY while the others are all like we live here in Tokyo so w/e. This is Asakusa48, BTW.

OMG Sae why are you so cute! <3 You know, I’ve come to the conclusion that Sae is the perfect girl you would want to have as your girlfriend (well, if you’re into girls that is XD) Maybe her PB title has been subliminally inducing me to think so?

Shibuya 48! Hmm… I can’t even write the word Shibuya anymore without thinking of Tomochin XD Anyhow, I really like the wings, even if people think that they’re tacky and stupid, I think that they are a cute touch!

I absolutely love Jurina’s hair feather thingies <3 Plus, you know that story on the tabloids about Shinoda Mariko being AKiP’s mistress? I think it’s gotta be Rie who has an affair with him or some important producer XD She’s ALL over the PV. Seriously. She’s in more shots than Acchan!! (BTW, that’s just meant as a joke, I love Rie and I’m glad that she’s getting a huge push)

 

That’s “Location Bus 48″ Or Loke Bus 48. It’s just a shot of Takamina and Tomochin sleeping and Rie (!!) playfully laying over them

Yoyogi 48 wandering around the famous Stadium. I think that the concept of this PV is so ridiculously simple that it’s endearing in its own way. It’s always cute to watch the girls interacting with each other, and the little hop hop hop dance they do before the bridges (I don’t know if you are getting what I’m saying at all XD Acchan and Yuko do it in their closeups…) is insanely adorable. I want a gif of that but I’m a computer retard so I’ll have to settle with what I have

And of course, mandatory Acchan take <3 She looks lovely all doubtful while she checks her cellphone. I love her red hakama, it makes her stand out a lot, and her simple but classy hairstyle really fit this kind of clothes and music

Ok, so expect to see Majisuka, choose me  and Enkyori Poster by friday, today got horribly late and I need to sleep I’ll just say one more thing about this song, it’s a really well made piece of music. If you still don’t believe it, listen to the off vocal track. It’s absolutely stunning! The strings are amazing, the piano is wonderful and I could go on. I’m happy that such a beautiful song came from my favorite idols <3

Also, yay for 200000 sales on first day! Next days will most likely exhibit a drop in sales XD However, I’m still incredibly proud of the girls who made it this far. It’s really been a long journey from the old AKB I grew to like, back when Team B didn’t even exist, to what they’ve become now. I’m happy to have been somehow part of the ride as a fan since the old days, back when people made fun of their poor sales and concert venues. What I like about following an idol group like this is to watch the girls grow, and finally adjust to really becoming idols. It’s very interesting, and it’s the first time it happens to me!

Matsui Jurina “The ace of SKE48″

Back when it was first announced that SKE48 would be formed in Nagoya, everyone was skeptical at best. When the release of the much anticipated “Oogoe Diamond” single came, and this weird little girl was featured ALONE in the cover, everyone flipped out. She was all over the PV, front and center, getting lots of line, and stealing the spot light from the ever leading Maeda Atsuko. People were mostly, raging. But everyone thought that this would just be a phase, a publicity stunt of Akimoto’s to promote the newly formed SKE48, and they lulled themselves into thinking that this anomaly would go away with the next single

But then lo and behold, Junen Zakura came around, and there was Jurina back in the center! XD The instant rage built up in many AKB wota’s hearts and the started claiming “Get her out of AKB PVs, she’s not even part of the group” and “She was just smacked there in the center for no reason at all!” and that’s pretty much where things still stand for many AKB fans. Jurina is still in the center, and she’s been featured prominently in all of AKB’s PVs after Oogoe. But I do think that she deserves her position in the center, so I’ll try to articulate a bit about that. The first easy comparison one might draw when thinking of Jurina is to Kusumi Koharu of MM, as both were deemed “aces” of their respective groups right after they joined. But reading an interview with Oshima Yuko, where she compared the Jurina situation to when Goto Maki joined Morning Musume, it seems more like that. She was a lot younger than her team mates, she was also placed in the center, and she pretty much pwned everyone else from there XD

I was surprised with her sudden center position at first, but not too much, because I try to keep in mind that there’s more of a business tint to the idol thing rather than an “artsy” approach. I knew that Akimoto needed to push SKE. Why choosing an 11 year old to do this was what left me puzzled at first, and some wacky theories exist around the internet, that claim that Jurina’s grandfather owns the Sunshine Sakae building where the SKE48 theater resides. But I don’t think that this is necessarily the reason why Matsui is the star of Team S, even if it turns out to be true. One has to watch her perform to understand, she’s incredibly talented! 

She might not be the best singer, but she’s good enough to stay on pitch and has a decent voice. however, it’s when she dances that she shines the most, it’s impossible not to look at her. She has a lot of stamina, and yet her steps are always precise, and at all times, there’s a huge smile on her face (which has made her haters call her The Joker XD) you can tell that she’s absolutely enjoying herself fully, and that makes her very appealing as an idol. Her very young age might also be a factor for her earning that position, because she’s simply a kid having fun, and I think that she stresses herself a lot less than the other girls in AKB about popularity and things like that.

And it’s also her youth that makes her refreshing among the other AKB girls, who are all savvy when it comes to show-business. Even though Jurina doesn’t generally perform any cam-whoring stunts, she just kind of exists there, as happy as always, simply enjoying herself on TV shows and the such, and her normal behavior sets her apart from the act of the AKB girls. Let’s look at an example of this, in AKBINGO they used to have a fast word game, much like Shiritori; one of the categories was “scary things” so at one point of the competition, one of the girls in Jurina’s team said something lame to win in that category because of the rush XD So when the hosts pointed this out, all of the girls in the group went “NO, LOOK BUT IT’S REALLY SCARY WAAAAH WAAAAH” but Jurina remained completely unfazed. When the guests asked her about this she replied “Well, I don’t think it’s scary at all”

In the end of the day, the fact that prominent members like Acchan or Yuko see her as an actual threat to their position in the group should give us all an idea of what Matsui Jurina is capable of. You all might keep hating on her all you want, she’s proved that she’s got the talent to back her front position and also outshine some of her seniors at times! She’s definitely serious about her job, or at least, as serious and dedicated as a 12 year old can be. I’m actually happy that Akimoto is capable of spotting talent like this, it shows that he really has a knack for idols

Really, I should be writing an entry about Onyanko Club because they so manage to make me ultra HAPPY whenever I listen to any of their songs! Their whiny voices and super sweet tunes are just instant K.O for me, I want to prance around in a school uniform and sing along while I bob my head stupidly… But I can’t write about them because I know next to nothing about them XD Except that they were pretty famous, sang pervy stuff sometimes, and one of them went and married Aki-P.

So, instead of that. I’ll try to have a little discussion about some of the most prominent aces of the 48 franchise. Granted, I’ll try to be as unbiased as I can, and while I don’t really hate any senbatsu, there are many that can be a bit grating for me :P 

Maeda Atsuko “The face of AKB48″ 

There’s so much that could be said about a girl as wildly popular as Acchan that even people who don’t know much about AKB recognize instantly, but incidentally, so little is said… People just leave it at “She’s a quiet demure girl so the japanese like that” but somehow I get a feeling that there’s a lot more underneath it. In a recent interview, Acchan said that she’s regarded as “a girl who’s never thinking about anything” and I think that it really shows. The reason why Acchan is popular it’s kind of strange when you consider other frontgirls in AKB or even outside of it. Take Takahashi Ai, for an example, she’s an easy comparison to Acchan (who isn’t liked by many western fans), because they are both quiet girls who people can even deem “boring” However, Aichan is clearly the most talented girl in MM right now, she’s the best singer, a great dancer and she is dazzling when performing live…

I’m no Acchan hater, I like her voice, and I think that she’s a good dancer and definitely holds her own, but honestly, talent wise, Masuda Yuka can outsing her ANY day. And 1/4 of Team K can dance much better than her. Then there’s the people who say that it’s easy to choose Acchan as a favorite because of her beauty. Acchan is a pretty girl, no doubt, but Shinoda Mariko is in a different league when you compare the two of them, and yet Atsuko is the quitessencial front girl. One can also say that japanese fans like a quiet, demure girl, which is the most popular theory for Acchan’s rise to fame, but this is only partly true, as Nakaya Sayaka, my favorite B member is rock bottom in the mixi popularity rankings while she’s a lovable, quiet and nice girl.

I recently read an interview with her that shed a little light on her center position. She said that she’s always been an introverted girl so much that even though she wanted to try for AKB48, she wasn’t even capable of telling her parents about her true wish until they came up to her and asked her if she wanted to go to the auditions. She also talked about how it was Natsu sensei who wanted her to be part of the frontgirls at first, because Akimoto hadn’t even noticed her, and how “Nagisa no Cherry” is a song that she really hated back in A2 because it made her backdancers mad because they had almost no lines while she was at the front. This is a lot of pressure, especially for a girl who isn’t naturally strong willed or driven at first impression

But that might be the reason why she’s at the front, more than anything else. She looks like the kind of girl who would break, but she’s competitive enough to work hard for her spot in the front, and for keeping it. She also mentioned that back when Oogoe was released and she had to share the center spot with Jurina, she had to step up her game because Akimoto started hinting that he might give the top position to Jurina if she didn’t get better and better. The reason why she has remained at the top is that her willpower has kept her there, it might appear as if she’s just thrown in there because Akimoto likes her, but make no mistake, Acchan knows her game better than that.

In all honesty, the reason why I like Acchan is that I can relate to her to a certain extent. She’s one of those characters that are endearing because they make you want to root for them. She’s an introvert, she’s not the best singer, she’s not the best dancer, yet she just wants to be in the center, and even though it might look like she doesn’t care at all (her bored expressions are priceless XD) if you have a chance to check out her blog entries, AKB is a really big part of her life, and she’s constantly thanking everyone who has supported her. She’s a funny case in that respect, in a group full of girls with a lot more spark and attitude and drive, what makes Acchan stand out is her slow but certain approach to popularity, by being herself and not creating a character like her fellow group members she comes across as a genuine girl, a flawed teenager full of doubts and fears, but one who’s honest enough to show herself  just like that.

All of this leads to the simplistic conclusion that in a group with the “girl next door” type as the main goal for its members, a girl like Acchan will naturally excel. But I liked trying to look a little bit more into her idol persona, whether I succeeded or not is a different story. I wanted to discuss Atsuko first because she’s the most complex one IMO, precisely because of her simplicity. I could write words and words and words about spirited camera hogging lovable girls like Sae, but with Acchan, there’s only so much you can say without repeating yourself XD. In any case, take this from me, Acchan will stay in the front for as long as AKB as we know it exists, so I respectfully advice all the haters to get used to her