Hi people! Here’s the tracklist  of the latest AKB48 Shibuya AX Concert Request Hour Set List Best 100 (LOL what a long title…). I’ll make a few comments on some of the songs, and I got all of this info from Stage48 so credit goes to them entirely.

100 - ↓38 - A4 - 7時12分の初恋 (7 Ji 12 Fun no Hatsukoi) –> I think that this was the return of the A graduates. Kinda sad that it’s No. 100 now… 
99 - ↓29 - A2 - 涙の湘南 (Namida no Shounan ) –> MAIMAI!!! Yeah. I love this song so much, I don’t care it’s 99, I’m just so happy it’s there anyway!!
98 - ↓85 - A3 - 小池 (Koike) –> LOL Quintessential rebound song AKB version
97 - ↓30 - K4 - 回遊魚のキャパシティ (Kaiyuugyo no Capacity) –> My favorite group song from K4 <3 <3 <3
96 - ↓49 - A4 - ただいま恋愛中 (Tadaima Renaichuu) –> And my favorite song from A4! Yayness! This one was performed by the kenkyuuseis, I think
94 - ↓82 - H1 - 僕の太陽 (Boku no Taiyou) –> I actually like this single, even though everyone else hates it <3
94 - ↓93 - H1 - ヒグラシノコイ (Higurashi no Koi) –> I expect it to be sung live, like it has in previous versions. Yuka = So much love
93 - 初 - A5 - 真夏のクリスマスローズ (Manatsu no Christmas Rose) –> Uh… I don’t like this song at all. Sad because I love Chiichan, Mariko and Yukari. Who is the 4th member anyway? Have they decided on it yet? XD
92 - 初 - S2 - Glory days –> I expected this to be a LOT higher due to Jurina being in it…
91 - 初 - A5 - JK眠り姫 (JK Nnemurihime)  –> Meh. 
90 - ↑97 - K3 - 脳内パラダイス (Nounai Paradise) –> ONETWOTHREEFOURABCD LOL This song wins at life.
89 - 初 - N3 - Girl’s talk (ノースリーブス)  –> Good to see no3b doing well
88 - ↓62 - A2 - ガラスの I LOVE YOU (Glass no I LOVE YOU) –> Oh God, please, make them stop singing this!
87 - 初 - B4 - そばかすのキッス (Sobakasu no Kiss) –> Wtf? Japanese fans sure are different from western fans when it comes to their taste in songs XD I happen to love this one too though
86 - 初 - S2 - チャイムはラブソング (Chime wa LOVE SONG) –> I seriously don’t want to hear this anymore either. It’s been overplayed to death
85 - 初 - B4 - アイドルの夜明け (Idol no Yoake) –> Marching band!!! So amazing <3
83 - ↓42 - K4 - ごめんねジュエル (Gomen ne Jewel) –> Umeda performed instead of Yuko I love Ume, but come one! This is a Yuko unit that I absolutely adore!!!
83 - ↓15 - H2 - confession –> And Yuko was here instead. I like sexy Yuko, but I prefer to see her in Jewel. I think they placed her here because she’s in Majisuka nad has to look cool, because Amina has become the staple performer in this unit otherwise…
80 - ↓39 - H2 - 夢を死なせるわけにいかない (Yume wo Shinaseru Wake ni Ikanai) –> YumeShina!!! I really like this song. Glad it made it!
80 - ↓21 - H1 - 向日葵 (Himawari) –> No Maimai, I’d guess…
80 - 初 - K3 - くるくるぱー (Kurukurupaa) –> LOL Kana got her wish granted XD Glad tos ee the K graduates come back
79 - 初 - A5 - スコールの間に (Squall no Aida ni) –> Umbrellas. And that’s pretty much it…
78 - ↑89 - A1 - スカートひらり (Skirt Hirari) –> Senbatsu version (not original senbatsu though) I’ve seen it 678999 times already
77 - ↓59 - K4 - 16人姉妹の歌 (16nin Shimai no Uta) –> THIS. It’s the best Team K song to ever be performed at AX!
76 - ↓51 - H1 - RUN RUN RUN –> I’ve always had a special little place in my heart for this one. Although it isn’t that special.

75 - 初 - A5 - 君に会うたび恋をする (Kimi ni au Tabi Koi wo Suru) –> LOLZ @ the haters. I adore this song, so glad it made it high in the list :3
74 - ↓45 - K3 - 君はペガサス (Kimi wa Pegasus) –> Yay! Pegasus!! It’s never lost it’s cool prince-ness XD
73 - ↓52 - A3 - 誰かのために -What can I do for someone- (Dareka no Tame ni -What can I do for someone-) –> Uhh… For old time’s sake?
72 - ↓12 - H2 - 記憶のジレンマ (Kioku no Dilemma) –> Asuka and Natsumi version. This makes this unit a non-Team K members unit now. Weird.
71 - 初 - A5 - 長い光 (Nagai Hikari) –> Cute song.
70 - 初 - C/W - 白いチューリップ [from 渡り廊下走り隊 2nd single] (Shiroi Tulip) –> No idea. I’ve never listened to it *runs to listen to all Watarirouka B sides*
69 - 初 - B4 - タンポポの決心 (Tanpopo no Kesshin) –> Ahh!! I love this song!! And that makes me certain that most fans hate it in this side of the world XD
67 - 初 - C/W - 飛べないアゲハチョウ [from AKB48 13th single] –> OMG!!! Tobenai!! Such an awesome song!!! I’m ultra happy it got here!!!
67 - ↓23 - B3 - ワッショイB！(Wasshoi B!) –> AIKYOU SAIKYOU or whatever. This song is epic.
66 - 初 - B4 - みなさんもご一緒に (Minnasan mo go Issho ni) –> Team B attack!
65 - 初 - SG - 初恋ダッシュ [渡り廊下走り隊 1st single] (Hatsukoi Dash ) –> I’m glad to see Watarirouka owning so much, they’re a great group!
64 - 初 - SG - やる気花火 - [渡り廊下走り隊 2nd single] (Yaruki Hanabi) –> I want to see the transition between all of this Team B madness though XD
63　初 - SG - チューしようぜ [AKB48 + Idoling!!!] (Chuu Shiyouze!) –> AISHITERU AISHITERU! All AKB version! And I think I saw Chikarina here!
62　↓11 - K4 - おしべとめしべと夜の蝶々 (Oshibe to Meshibe to Yoru no Chouchou) –> Talk about a huge drop -_- Casual fans definitely made this year’s AX a lot more… Interesting…
61 - 初 - — クリスマスプレゼント [no3b] (Christmas Present) –> My least favorite Persona song, but still, amazing!
60 - ↓44 - H2 - Bye Bye Bye  –> I’m sick of hearing this song already. But it’s a nice position because no3b can sing the 2 songs in a row
59 - 初 - K5 - 抱きしめられたら (Dakishimeraretara) –> OMG!! I adore this song completely! It has some of the most coherent lyrics I’ve ever heard in an idol song XD
58 - 初 - S2 - ウィンブルドンへ連れていって (Wimbledon e Tsureteitte) –> No Tsukina, but Jurina XD I knew she couldn’t be stuck in such a low position
56 - 初 - K5 - わがままな流れ星 (Wagamama na Nagareboshi) –> Yay! This might be my second favorite duet (fave is Haru ga Kuru Made, which is nowhere to be seen ofc -_-)
56 - ↑96 - H1 - 竹内先輩 (Takeuchi Senpai) –> Classic. You can’t not like this song.
54 - ↓35 - A2 - 渚のCHERRY (Nagisa no CHERRY)  –> Acchan fest!
54 - 初 - K5 - 虫のバラード (Mushi no Ballad) –> Sayaka Solo!!! ;_; So glad it made it ;_;
53 - 初 - N1 - 誘惑のガーター - [SDN48] (Yuuwaku no Garter) –> Yay! I finally get to see sexy Yukarin!
52 - ↓50 - K2 - BLUE ROSE –> There’s not much that hasn’t been said about Blue Rose already…
51 - 初 - SG - 強き者よ [SKE48 1st single] (Tsuyokimono Yo) –> OMG! Best single ever! Epicness.

50 - ↓8 - Chocolove - 明日は明日の君が生まれる (Ashita wa Ashita no Kimi ga Umareru) –> No Rina
48 - ↓41 - SG - 夕陽を見ているか (Yuuhi wo Miteiru ka) –> LOL Another single western fans love to hate on. I don’t like it that much either.
48 - ↓16 - K4 - 支え (Sasae) –> WE ARE THE TEAM K!!! Oh wait, wrong song XD But kinda like that anyway though…
47 - ↓7 - K3 - MARIA –> This song needs no description. It just owns so much.
46 - ↓9 - B4 - 純情主義 (Junjou Shugi) –> Yay! Haachan love! <3
45 - ↓27 - K2 - 禁じられた2人 (Kinjirareta Futari) –> The classic lesbian ballad XD
44 - 初 - A5 - AKB參上！ (AKB Sanjou!) –> Most played song in my iTunes! It really is a great anthem for AKB
43 - ↓14 - A4 - Faint –> HANA OMG OMG OMG OMG HANA HANA HANA HANA OMG OMG
42 - ↑68 - A1 - Dear My Teacher –> I wonder what was the lineup? Probably the current Team A…
41 - 初 - K5 - 逆上がり (Saka Agari) –> K5 is pretty much unloved XD Only the units made it, and then, not even all of them did ;_; I’m glad the title song got a decent positin, everyone hates it, but I think it’s great
40 - ↓17 - A5 - 戀愛禁止條例 (Renai Kinshi Jourei) –> Title song from A5… Not a fave of mine…
39 - ↓19 - SG - Bingo –> BINGO is such a good single! 
38 - 初 - B4 - 愛しきナターシャ (Itoshiki Natasha) –> Cue crazy headbanging.  Team Karyudo FTW!!!
37 - ↓25 - K3 - 草原の奇跡 (Sougen no Kiseki) –> With Sayaka solo lines please :3
36 - ↑46 - H2 - となりのバナナ (Tonari no Banana) –> Whoa, Banana is actually going up instead of down! Tomomi was right! They’ll be No. one in 3 years! LOL
35 - ↓13 - A4 - 純愛のクレッシェンド (Junai no Crescendo) –> Awesome song is always awesome.
34 - ↓5 - K4 - 最終ベルが鳴る (Saishuu Bell ga Naru) –> Saishuu Bell dropped a lot
33 - ↓6 - B3 - パジャマドライブ (Pajama Drive) –> One of the best unit songs.
32 - ↓10 - SG - 桜の花びらたち (Sakura no Hanabiratachi) –> Performed by the new Team A line up, if I’m not mistaken.
31 - 初 - S2 - 雨のピアニスト (Ame no Pianist) –> Definitely deserving of its position. I don’t know who subbed for Moe though…
30 - 初 - SG - ナットウエンジェル (Nattou Angel) –> LOLZ I had no idea!!! XD This song is hilarious! 
29 - 初 - A5 - ひこうき雲 (Hikougigumo) –> Theater girls or Team A? I wonder who performed… My money is on team A of course *rolls eyes*
28 - 初 - SG - タネ (no3b - Tane) –> I like this song, it sounds happy but it’s about breaking up with someone
27 - 初 - S2 - 手をつなぎながら (Te wo Tsunaginagara) –> Whoa unexpected. Kinda. Well, it’s not a bad song…
26 - 初 - C/W - FIRST LOVE –> OMG. I didn’t think Erepyon’s solo would end up so high! It’s truly one of the most beautiful AKB songs IMO, so I’m glad it got high enough (this song makes me sad though…)

25 - kuroi tenshi (takajo,maeda,fujie) /full/ [A5] –> Welp. That was completely expected
24 - kodoku na runner /full/ [SDN1] –> Glad to see another SDN song make it!! I’m so excited!! If we had LOD’s of their stages, I’m sure they’d become my favorite *48 group :D

23 - tenshi no shippo (nakatsuka,oota,nakaya) [B3] –> Nakayan power! 

22 - kataomoi no taikakusen (nito,komori,yonezawa) [B4] –> Weird to see it so high, but it’s a really good song anyway. I don’t understand Moeno’s popularity though. Sometimes she shoots right up, and then in the election she didn’t make it to the undergirls even…
21 - aitakatta (shuffle) [A2] [B2] [KII1] [MAXI ---> We all know Aitakatta by now I'd hope

20 - ENDROLL (umeda,noro,oshima,matsubara) [K5] –> Yay! Yuko unit! This song I think has also quite coherent lyrics for an idol song XD You know, I think people didn’t like K5 because it wasn’t very Idoly. It sounded more mainstream, I think

18 - relax! (no3b) [MAXI] –> No3b keeps succeeding (2 songs are No. 18 because they were tied)
18 - only today [A4] [c/w] –> Always a fan favorite. I learned to love it a lot through my years as an AKB fan…
17 - zannen shoujo (nakatsuka,watanabe,uchida) [B4] –> Mayuyu unit, ofc. Very cool.
16 - kuchi utsushi no chocolate (kashiwagi,hirajima,oota) [B4] –> Yay for pervyness! 

15 - korogaru ishi ni nare [K2] –> I’m so glad it made it to Top 20 at least… I really wanted the girls of Team K to sing this together for the last time…
14 - tsundere! (sato a,itano,kitahara) [A5] –> Definitely one of the best units in latest stages.

13 - baby! baby! baby! [DIGI] –> Now THIS is weird. It didn’t even rank that high the year it was released!
12 - temodemo no namida (kashiwagi,takajo) [B3] –> It’s completely lame to not bring Mikachii back, and especially, to replace her with a girl that isn’t in Team B. I love Akicha as much as anyone else, but this is just wrong.

11 - nakinagara hohoen de (oshima solo) [K3] –> YUKO > ALL.
10 - BIRD (shinoda,takahashi,miyazawa) [A3] –> Sae instead of Maimai? I’ll take what I can, but… Maimai…
*9 - 3 seconds (persona) [soundtrack]  –> This song is epicness. I love the boyband look too XD
*8 - shonichi [B3] [c/w] –> We know Shonichi too, right? It’s been a B side of 2 different singles already…
*7 - heart gata virus (kojima,kitahara,takajo) /kojima speech ver./ [A5] –> I’m sure that almost 60% of the people who voted for this song wanted Maimai back. It sucks that she was only in Namida no Shounan at 99 position, when she had this song in the top 10 for her. Meh.
*6 - namida surprise [MAXI] –> I can’t get to like this single. I guess I never will…
*5 - RIVER [MAXI] –> LOL Theater fans hated RIVER I heard, but then I guess casual fans pushed it this far XD
*4 - oogoe diamond [A5] [S1] [MAXI] –> Diamond is such a good song!
*3 - 10 nen zakura [MAXI] –> Unexpected. I had no idea 10nen Zakura was so important. Maybe there’s hope for SakuShio
*2 - kimi no koto ga suki dakara [c/w] –> What. the. flying. fuck. LOL. This song is so… unremarkable in many many ways… But I guess that’s the way people like their songs, girly, cute and with sunny PVs.
*1 - iiwake maybe [MAXI] –> My favorite single of 2009 hands down. I concur with the masses who voted it No. 1.

yeah I’m to lazy to edit them so that they look all nice and samey, so w/e I’ll re edit whenever S48 has made the top 25 pretty like the rest of the list

So yeah… My favorite AKB song wasn’t in the ranking… Sucks to be me XD

Also, my favorite Team (which is K, BTW)only had 19 songs in the ranking.

Oh well, maybe I’ll have better luck next time? Or… I don’t know, maybe next time I just won’t care, let’s see how this evolves…

Hi people! First of all, I have to get something off my chest, so here goes:

If anything I’ve ever written in this blog or anywhere around the internet has ever offended any of you in any possible way, I apologize. I’m trying to become a more sensible and peaceful person, so please forgive me if I’ve said anything inappropriate. I mean it in the most honest way.

Ok, now, let’s move on to the things we love! AKB48 and SKE48! Wheeee! But first, OMG have you watched the Sakura no Shiori full PV? It’s so pretty *__* I’m loving the single so much already! If you want to check it out, it’s upped at H!O.

Today, I’ll do a brief track by track review of S2 (although I really should be reading about Kawasaki’s disease XD) Also, the translations are made by me, so they’re nowhere near accurate XD They’re just supposed to give you an idea of what the song’s about anyway

1. Bokura no Kaze “The birds are flying freely towards a new horizon”

The opening song of B2 is a standard cheery idol song. Pure pop, complete with cute letters about overcoming obstacles in your life and how you have friends who help you out with everything always and stuff like that. It does sound a tad bit generic, though, so it’s not really a favorite of mine, however, I do appreciate the fact that it’s an upbeat number, and has a nice jumpy choreography that really showcases the high energy level of Team S’s girls. Also, tambourines! OMG I love them!

2. Mango no. 2 “Fast, fast, I want to become an adult! I want to throw away my sneakers and wear big high heels”

This song begins with Jurina saying “Uuuuhhh Mango number twoooo—” and then the girls come out and GUESS WHAT YOU GUYS, it’s actually mambo! LOLOL I love it when AKB (or SKE) have latin sounding music! It makes for great danceable numbers, and I also really really enjoy them because, well, this is the music I grew up with. So yeah, I’m in love with this cute little mambo number! The tempo is kind of slowed down though, but it still makes for a super cute choreography! And I also love the lyrics about wanting to grow up fast :3 I don’t know why though… Maybe I can relate to that feeling, because all the people around me were always older than me XD

3. Chime wa Love Song “The school chime is a love song, a dear melody to me”

This song has been way overplayed already. Whenever SKE appears anywhere this is the song they sing, but of course, it’s because it’s actually a very idol-y song, about a girl who looks through her classroom window at her crush so whenever the school chime rings she is happy because she can see him if only for a bit. Yeah, those lyrics are lame unless you’re like 14, but whatever. IT has just the right measure of energy and cute dance steps to make it catchy. It’s not a favorite of mine, though. I don’t understand why didn’t they give this awesome (albeit a little too colorful outfits to the more tropical Mango No. 2 but w/e)

4. Te wo Tsunaginagara “Under the gate where cherry blossoms bloom, while I’m feeling nervous, pushed by the spring breeze, it’s the first day of school”

Yay! Rika-chan screencap FTW <3 Anyway, the title song, is a very energetic one, albeit a little generic. However, it has a nice melody and it has parts where the audience can scream “HEY HEY HEY” along with them, so fans always like that kind of stuff XD My only complain about this one is the fact that it sounds too similar to CHIME sometimes, so yeah. But even though it might not be musically awesome, it’s pretty nice to watch the girls perform this, they are super happy and interact with each other cutely

5. GLORY DAYS “every day, everytime, I’m living today as well”

This is Jurina’s unit from S2, where she sings along with Kuwabara Mizuki (left) and Nakanishi Yuuka (right). This is the dance unit in this stage hands down, and although I didn’t really like it at first because it’s all over the place, music wise, I like the reggae feel it has at some points Also, the dancing! OMG! These girls move around so much that I had to put my video player in slow motion in order to take screencaps of them, it was insane! I also don’t get why Kuwabara ended up so low in the general AKB/SKE ranking this year, she’s a really really good dancer, and that should count for something Not a fan of the hats or the feather boas, but they make it work surprisingly well!

6. Kono Mune no Barcode “I only want the security camera to shoot the proof of the fact that I came here”

The songs so far have been either kiddie stuff, or bright cheery songs about “be happy, you’ll never be alone”. This is the first grown up song, with a moody tune and lonely lyrics about… well… shopping in a convenience store? XD Akimoto is at least original in his lyrics, I give him that XD This song compares love with things like “being read by a register machine” hence, the barcode in the lyrics. I especially like the line about the security camera because WTF? Who thinks of that when you say “break up song” Also, I used to love the outfits way more than I do now, the non-Aki girls (That’s Deguchi Aki in the screencap, BTW, the other girls in the unit are Ono Haruka and Takada Shiori) used to wear a really cute and stylish stewardess like little hat, and I really can’t understand why it was replaced with these random yellow things. I love this song, the music sounds even a bit soulful XD If such adjective can be used to describe idol music… And the vocals by the 3 of them are flawless and not grating in the least! Definitely a favorite.

7. Wimbledon he tsureteitte “Your sunburnt skin is surely a gift from the sun, right?”

And here comes the loli unit of S2! featuring Yagami Kumi (blue), Takai Tsukina (pink) and Mori Sayuki (yellow). This unit is pure idol pop in all is glory, classically made, completed by puffy dresses and ribbons and lace everywhere! These dresses are absolutely adorable as far as I’m concerned, I love them! Of course, the lyrics are kind of lame, but whatever! We’re not into idols for their lyrics most of the time anyway (except if you’re a trascendental weirdo like me…) The reason why I like this song the most is because its lyrics remind me of “Suki yo Captain” another Jpop song I really like. It’s a cute unit, to sum it all up.

8. Ame no Pianist “The pianist rain softly plays a Chopin farewell song I know”

This was the first song that made the SKE non-fans pay attention to the group. It’s kind of cheesy, but so amazing! XD Kind of like a guilty pleasure of sorts XD The girls are decked in Moulin Rouge-esque outfits, and they sing this sad break up song. The most remarkable part is the choreography, which is very intense, and goes along with the piano background really well. The girls in this unit are Yamashita Moe (left) Matsui Rena (center) and Matsushita Yui (right). Most improved mention goes to Rena, who manages to own this song as a lead, even though her vocals in her previous unit, Classmate weren’t as smooth as here. Rena is so hardworking <3

9. Choco no Yukue “Hey, tell me about the whereabouts of that love, did it end up in your tummy?”

OMG! Rika-chan unit!!! Yay!! <3 This unit is a completely cute song, about a girl who made Valentine’s chocolates for her crush and then leaves them in his locker but forgets to put a card with her name on it XD I think the comparison of love = chocolate is really cute and idoly. And I really like that line about the girl wondering if her love ended up in the guy’s tummy XD It’s all so cute! The girls in this unit are Hirata Rikako, Oya Masana, Hiramatsu Kanako and Shinkai Rina

10. INNOCENCE “Before you take off my uniform, tell me that you love me once more”

Of course, me being the huge pervert I am, this is my favorite song of the stage, It’s a really sultry song about a girl who’s going to lose her virginity, and the part I like the most is that *48 decided to be politically correct for once and the only girls who get lines in this are the legal ones Yay! Because, no offense to the lolis, but I like older idols a bit more *shrugs* This song sounds amazing thanks to the fact that all the solo lines are given to girls who can really sing

11. ROMANCE ROCKET “In a romance rocket, just the 2 of us, we’ll travel to the farthest ends of the galaxy!”

The only words that come to mind whenever I think of this song are “Weird and Bouncy” this sounds borderline denpa even XD And the chorus has some really catchy rhythm that I’m sure I’ve heard elsewhere before. It works though, and I like aliens, I think they’re cute, so I like songs that feature them as a main subject This song is really really weird though, in a cute way but… yeah, insanity. The male “Oh yeahs” can be annoying after a while though. Another guilty pleasure here XD

12. Koi no Teikoku to Taisaku Oshiete “Nobody has noticed, but behind his glasses, he has round eyes, and if he cut his hair, he might even become cool”

This song makes me happy for no reason whatsoever XD It’s a cutesy song about a girl who falls in love with a geek It reminds me a lot of a mix between Ki ni Naru Tenkousei and Heart Gata Virus But music wise, it’s a bit like Doku Ringo wo Tabesasete, in that the girls sing a solo line and then another girl says something cute like “KAWAII!” or something like that. It’s hard to explain. I just love this song <3

13. Daisuki “No matter what hard things might happen, it’s going to be ok from now on”

Oh, how I love this song. There aren’t words to express it. This song really made me cry the first time I listened to it. And I hadn’t cried about an idol song for like years. Seriously. I can’t even remember the last time I did. This song is kind of a ballad, slow paced and very pretty. I love the lyrics, although they are really generic about loving someone and being there for them. Also, the white dresses are so pretty.

14. Rope no Yuujou “The friendship rope, while it’s tied, we can go together to paradise or anywhere we want”

This is the first rocking song of the stage, and it’s really nice. I’m a bit fed up with the lyrics about friends, it’s like “Yeah, I get it, friends are nice, now STOP IT!” Ugh. But, other than that, the outfits are incredibly fierce, and military inspired. And they also have props! Yay! They use a rope to symbolize friendship and have an interesting choreography to showcase it. Yeah, you kind of have to watch it to get it though, but I like the music a lot. I wish Team K gets similar song in their latest stage ;_;

15.  Kayoubi no Yoru Suiyoubi no Asa “The me who cries too much, cries until the morning comes, because I can’t open the door”

This song is SO good. It’s not even funny. I was seriously converted into a fan when it started playing. The music is incredibly catchy and dramatic, and the macarena-like choreography works surprisingly well, although I was expecting headbanging here XD As always emo lyrics are popular within Akimoto’s works, this one is noexception but just… wow… it’s a really good song, by all standards.

16. Tooku ni Itemo 

I haven’t even bothered to listen to this song paying attention to what it says. It’s just a boring ballad, but almost every stage has one of its own, so it’s ok. 

 

S2 is a great stage, I highly recommend it even for people who don’t like Matsui Jurina, she’s not all over the place in this, and the girls from S2 are very charismatic and talented, it’s a stage that you will definitely enjoy, one of the best in AKB history IMO!

You know, with everyone in the H!P fan world praising Aibon (after ditching her for her scandals and PBs *shrugs*) because she said that AKB was nowhere as good as H!P is, I had an epiphany!! It was simply triggered in my brain!!!!

EDIT: No need to curse all that much in the blog *seatdrop* See, I got carried away because sadly, IRL I curse like a pirate XD

Here’s how my thought process went: 

1. OMG WTF?

2. That’s not really classy of her to say, especially when AKB girls are all super humble, and there are quite a few of MM fans in the group, who openly admit it and gush about their favorite idols! And even the girls who aren’t fans, they always refer to MM as their “big and important senpai” looking up to them and stuff. They’ve NEVER EVER claimed that they were even a competition against H!P in any way…

3. You know what? I don’t give a fuck. H!P could be the best thing in the music world, music and performance wise, I’d still stick with AKB songs because…. I’M TOO OLD FOR H!P!!!

Ok, now before I get flamed like crazy, allow me to explain myself:

I know that there are fans of H!P who are WAY older than me, and of course, fans of AKB who are younger than me too. (I’m 22, BTW) but the truth is that I’m a straight girl, I don’t like watching girls in my daily life, and the only reason why I watch these particular girls is because I like their songs, and I feel like I can relate to them somehow. (and that’s why I watch their idol DVDs too, of course *whistle*)

now, you might ask wtf does this have to do with anything? Well, I used to be a very mentally innocent person when it comes to love, so I adored Berryz songs, and (believe it or not) their lyrics too. It’s just like Ray wrote not so long ago, some people think that music is a trascendental thing, like finding a BGM for your life and everything that happens in it, well, I’m like that exactly.

So, back in the day, whenever my bf didn’t call me for days I always blasted Gocchin’s “Yokohama Shinkirou” in rebound mode or something like that. And of course, the first date was actually me humming “Tanoshii na lalalala Tanoshii na Hora! DEETO wa tanoshii na”

But then…

Well, let’s just leave the details out and say that a few years went by, and I grew up while H!P just became disturbingly younger and younger every time (disturbing for my life BGM purposes I mean XD). And, also, Koharu happened. With her sugar high songs with random instrumentals and derailed smile in her PVS and I went “Uh… not really my thing”

And while this might ruin my net reputation forever (like I have one LOL) I just have to accept the truth, I’d much rather listen to lyrics like “We fell in love like a roller coaster, our skins longing for each other, we dreamt a fleeting dream” than a song about a Bus Guide (really, honestly, I truly did love Berryz so much, but then I sort of… can’t relate to such songs anymore!) So yeah, you’re getting this kinda right, I grew up and then I didn’t care about Amulet Eggs people or something like that it’s like “Omg they’re 9 kthxbai”

So yeah, the next point you’ll say is “AKB has lolis too! And of course, innocent songs as well!!! WTF is wrong with you, you bitch???” and I’ll say: Yeah, but not quite. I don’t like the AKB lolis for the most part, and the vast majority of my favorite AKB members are over 18… and while sometimes I do hum GARASU no I Love you to myself, I’d rather hum “Junai no Crescendo” LOLOL

I also have to point out a funny thing that happened to me that made me realize why I might have given up on H!P, randomly, Abe Natsumi and Yajima Maimi’s duet “16sai no koi nante” started playing and, while paying attention to the lyrics, I could totally relate to EVERYTHING Nacchi was saying, shaking my head at Maimi’s naive lines. So I thought “Damn, I’m elder club fan material… Now it’s really for sure!!!” XD XD XD Ahhh… growing up sucks D:

To sum this up, as it’s always been the case, it IS a matter of liking one thing or the other, but for me, and around the time AKB48 was actually created, I wanted to listen to something a bit more grown up lyrics wise. 

Please keep in mind that not all of us girls want to listen to STRAWBERYY PIE AYAYAYAYAYAYAIIII FOR MAI DAAARIN!!! all the time… *shrugs* And this of course, doesn’t mean that I think AKB lyrics have a mystical and philosophical depth unbeknownst to man kind prior to their existence, because, come on, these girls have sung about ALL of the freaking bones in the human body! It’s just… I like their lyrics more and that’s it.

So if in your mind AKB = slutty

in mine H!P = teen love

They go together sometimes yeah, but that’s a whole other post and for a whole different kind of media that’s not exactly this blog XD

Hello people! Here’s my mini review of SKE48’s Team S second stage DVD! I think that some people might be shunning SKE thinking that they are a subpar spinoff of AKB48, but I wanted to show people, both old fans and new, how much I love this team, and how incredibly talented and hard working they are! This new generation of idols are all stars! Starting from the miracle child, Matsui Jurina, the face of SKE48

 

Well, I don’t know much about Masana, she’s quite pretty, and I get an “Invisible frontgirl” vibe from her. By that I mean that somehow I feel like she’s getting a small push by the management, because she’s in the front in quite a number of songs, and she’s the lead in Choco no Yukue, her unit. I don’t really know about it, though, it’s just… a kind of Kobayashi Kana-esque feel, in that they’re both given some extra lines and close ups even if they aren’t senbatsu

 

Haruka looks very different in pics than the image she projects on stage. I mean, she has this super cute set of fangs (like Nono’s XD), so whenever she grins, she gives out the vibe of being a cute and bouncy kid, but don’t be fooled! IRL she’s like that, but when she performs, this girl is fierce! She has one of the most powerful voices of Team S, and she’s also a great dancer. The best part is her whole attitude, she exudes such self confidence that she just makes you look at her! Definitely a favorite of mine!

 

Mizuki’s talent makes her outshine some of her more famous team mates sometimes XD She’s an incredibly good dancer, even in Team S, where many girls like Jurina, Kuumin, Yuka or Moe excel. She’s always super energetic, and she moves her body in ways that I can’t quite comprehend yet. I have to analyze the tsuyokimonoyo PV more, but in this stage performance of the first SKE single she’s in the center most of the time with the Matsui stars. That means that she’s an almost senbatsu! Wow!

Hello everyone! Happy New Year!!! I was on vacation so I had to leave for a while, but I wish you all a very happy new year, and I hope that you can keep supporting AKB48 this year as well

 

Anyhow, the latest news that’s buzzing all over the internet is the new AKB single, entitled “Sakura no Shiori” which means “Bookmark of Cherry Blossoms”. Well, the reason why people are talking about it so much it’s because it’s a bit… unusual for an idol single XD

Here’s a screencap of the first live performance of the song (ofc it wasn’t really sung live at all XD)

Well, don’t be fooled like I was the first time I saw the screencap, it’s not AKB’s cover of Serafuku wo Nugasanaide, it’s Sakura no Shiori which so happens to be a…. choir song!

*big sweatdrop*

And I really do mean a choir song, beautiful harmonies, simplistic background music that gives it a very elegant feel… All of that is there. But the reason why fans in this side of the world are climbing up the walls in despair? They don’t like it because they think that it has no hook, and it’s not idol sounding music at all!

I have to say about that, that AKB is at least very versatile in its catalogue XD And this is another proof of this. I don’t think that people should underestimate Akimoto, he surely knows what he’s doing. I think that his plan is to turn this one into THE graduation song for all of Japan, hence it’s choral nature and the simple choreography. I wouldn’t call it a remake of Sakura no hanabiratachi, this is a completely different song! (although the lyrics of this song, SnH, 10nen Zakura, Sakurairo no Sora no Shita de and Saigo no Seifuku are very very similar)

Sure, it has no instant “hook”, sure, it’s not something you can sing along to in a very easy way XD but I think that it’s a very well crafted song for its purpose. I mean, I can totally see people singing this at their graduation day!

Takahashi Ai must be eating her heart out XD “Oh, crap, how come they are the ones who get a full blown choir number :(”

All in all, I’m in love with this song, and I think that it’s very clever to use the big amount of girls in AKB as a choir, but I’ll agree with everyone else who thinks that it’s a kind of risky move for the group.

But don’t forget that the awesome Majisuka Rock n Roll is the coupling track, and also, Team YJ and Team PB’s songs are included, which guarantees a very interesting single, to say the least! If you’re not a fan of choirs, then support your idols singing idoly songs like “Enkyori Poster” which is also included here, or the emo “Choose Me” or the cool “Majisuka Rock n Roll” If Akimoto has a good selling startegy, it’s how he includes so much good original stuff in singles, there’s something for everyone!

Here, while you analyze the situation, have another screencap!

This song is so peaceful… I’ll definitely play it on repeat whenever I’m stressing out!

Hi everyone! This is really random and all, but I felt that since H!P fans have been kind of swayed by RIVER and its popularity, maybe I can try to lure in a few of the weak hearts by showing them the fiercest team and their fiercest stage! This ladies and gentlemen, is the reason why you should give AKB a chance! So, let’s take a look at it! (BTW, this isn’t a serious attempt, if it were, I’d be pushing Team B because for some reason H!P fans always love them the most. Must be the overall youthfulness and cuteness overflowing everywhere. But I just want to gush about Team K, so shut up.)

Warning: There are lots and lots of Yuko screencaps about to get posted <3 And also, this review will have like a thousand pics so be prepared! Also, all of the H!P jokes here are meant to be in a good light hearted way. I’m still a H!P fan, so I don’t say any of this out of evilness or anything.

Disclaimer: All lyrics courtesy of Studio48! All translations and lyrics belong to their rightful owner.

Overture

It’s Captain Sayaka! Ok, so as part of my H!P fan capturing plan, I’ll try to compare Team K members with H!P members of similar characteristics. This is sort of a way to get all of you interested in a girl depending on what type of idol is your favorite. So, anyway, if you’re a Yossie fan, look no further than Sayaka. Sure, her boyish side isn’t as highlighted as Yossie’s was, but she’s also a strong and funny girl who cares very much about others deep down.

You know, Umechan actually auditioned for Momusu, she was rejected and Tsunku went and picked Koharu… Well, well, who’s her H!P counterpart? I’d go for Shimizu Saki of Berryz, because they are both amazing dancers, and they are sort of in the background at times. That’s where the similarities end though, because while Saki is a little more outspoken and fun-loving, Umechan is a quiet girl, very gentle and calm.

Oh! It’s my favorite member ever! Yuko <3 If I were to compare her to anyone, it would probably be Goto Maki, since they both have that kind of starpower to them, they definitely own the stage at any given time, and they can be quite goofy and funny whenever they want to as well. The difference is that while Gocchin always had an aura of “coolness” to her, Yuko is more of an outright nice girl character. They’re both tsundere too!

Meetan, the queen of all things pervy in the 48 family. The only girl who could match her devious personality a bit, is Melon Kinenbi’s Boss Saitou. They’re both overtly sexual in a way, but they also get to be the butt of jokes most of the time and are really good sports at it

Maachan the halfie loli of AKB… I don’t really know, because she’s extremely introverted so I really am a bit clueless as to how her real character might be, but uh… she can be a coconuts musume right? With her being a halfie and all *fails*

Meet little princess Erepyon! She’s kind of similar to Berryz Risako in that they’re both lolis, have a million photobooks and are quite popular with the fans! They’re also kind of spoiled, wouldn’t you agree?

Tomo~mi-chan! Who could be the Ishikawa Rika of Team K. They’re both super girly and always happy, they both have high pitched voices and are both kind of jokingly bullied by their friends for their overly girly behavior at times.

Asuka is the prototypical pretty girl with a soothing voice. So she could be like Kumai Yurina (favorite Berry <3), and I actually think that their relaxed feminine personalities are quite alike too!

Kana, being dumb as a rock, is the perfect mirror for Tsuji Nozomi! And they’re both kinda tone deaf at times too!

The unexpectedly smart girl who’s kind of a background character, going by that definition alone, Nacchi could very well be paired with gokkie Konno Asami. Only Konkon was painfully quiet, while Nacchi is outspoken and likes to do gags and MCs…

Naruru was the Linlin of Team K. You know, they’re both funny, and incredibly talented but terribly overlooked… Oh well, she’s graduated already, so…

Nontii! How I’ll miss her! Ok, I’ve always thought that she kind of looks like Ogawa Makoto. And they’re also both funny girls, whose whole act is based on being tsukkomis. Of course, maybe Mako would’ve have to be way more over the top to match Noro’s level, but in general, I’d say that AKB girls are way more over the top H!P girls anyway…

Kaorin is like Berryz Maiha because they were both cute lolis who were kind of in the background and then graduated to keep studying Aren’t I the smartest??

Yuka’s voice is a stereophonic orgasm. I think that that makes her a bit like Natsuyaki Miyabi, they’re both great singers and mellow girls with a few little quirks to them

Nattsumii physically looks like Miyabi but she’s already taken so I’ll pick someone else I think that she’s like Niigaki Risa in that they’re both super nice to others, and super happy whenever they are on stage too!

Hmm… this is really difficult! Sae is such an energetic girl that it’s really hard for me to compare her to anyone in H!P. She’s one of the most over the top personalities in the already over the top AKB. The only one who could match that level of genki-ness and the versatility to fit in any song despite of that is Yaguchi Mari!

OMG! Look it’s the title screen! This stage’s title is: Saishuu Bell ga Naru (The last bell rings)

 

1. M.A.M.M.O.T.H “Even if the environment changes, more than anyone, it ferociously survives”

This song is the best Stage starter ever IMO. It’s simply full of energy in the fiercest way possible!

OMG Yuko! She’s front and center in this too, and you see, this choreography is full of jumps and fist pumping action, and she’s the best at it, it’s really impressive. (No, I’m not biased at all)

Rock it Erepyon! Well, she isn’t exactly one to rock anything at all, but she really tries her best though…

It’s funny (and adorable) to see Kasai trying so hard, the funny part is that she ends up looking sexy, but not scary at all!

You know, the truth is that, as much as I love this song, I kind of… Don’t get its meaning at all. I’m still unsure about whether it’s a song about global warming or simply a scary one about random mammoth spirits that awoke in order to kill all of mankind. Either way, it could be the next big movie right?

You see, for some reason unbeknownst to me, Erena is the easiest member to cap, so you’ll be seeing a lot of her

Yuuuuukooooo! *dies* Anyway, I like how this song is kind of mysterious sounding even though it does have hints of hip hop or something like that thrown in, it gives off a more dramatic effect.

I really like the costumes too. It looks like a school uniform but with a wild twist to it, because of all the ripped cloths over the skirts. The one thing I don’t like all that much is that some girls are given pant thingies, and while it helps keep a diverse look, it just… well, it kind of looks off to me

Of course, this type of songs is where Sayaka shines the most

Avatar Yuko looks cute in blue! (Lamest joke ever, I know)

Mochi! I love her hairpiece too, it looks kind of tribal and all!

OMG! Look! It’s almost a Maachan smile! That’s like the rarest item in the pokeworld!

Kaorin! She’s so sweet and adorable, but you know, the best thing about her is that she really tried hard to get in the mood of the song, no matter how hard she might fail at it.

Nontii is a really good dancer, and I’m sure that she’ll do great in SDN. Actually, I want their first stage to be over already so that we can finally take a look at their first stage DVD!

I remember someone once said that whenever Perfume’s Kashiyuka danced, it was amazing because her hair just followed her moves and it looked pretty neat. Well, it’s the same with Tomo~mi, I just always wondered how come it doesn’t bother her? I mean, it’s kind of bothersome to have your hair get in the way, but I’ve never seen her trying to adjust it or put it back or anything…

Ok, this is just weird. WTF is going on there? Sae looks like she just became possessed by one of the killing mammoth ghosts…

Cool formation is cool

OMG! It’s possessed Sae again! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!

Oh Yuko, why are you so cool?

Look at the hair ornament! Isn’t it neat? I want one!

You don’t know how numb by finger got from trying to get the only split second of camera time for poor Naruru

LOL Mochi looks surprisingly not really into it in this cap XD

 

Ok, so here’s the thing. I’ll really try my best to finish this one. Just, right now, it’s already midnight and Im falling asleep, so before I write any more nonsense, let’s wrap it up here!

Hello people! Sorry about the loooooong absence, but I actualy had something close to a real life until last month, so I just had to sit back and enjoy while it lasted XD

The end of 2009 is coming really soon, and so, here comes the list making season for blogs all over the net! (have you noticed how we bloggers have OCD? Making lists is a compulsion according to many psychiatry studies…)

Here’s my member ranking for 2009, I’ll rank the members according to their old teams until their new stages premier, ok?

Team A

13. Miyazaki Miho; I’ve never been a huge fan of Myao, to be honest. I think that she’s the full package as an idol, she’s determined to reach the top, she’s very pretty, and she’s entertaining as hell with her “unexpectedly tough” gimmick. She just doesn’t do it for me. I think that it’s her slight diva attitude. Sometimes, she looks as if we don’t deserve her in all of her glory, and it isn’t even in a tongue in cheek way, so w/e. I don’t like her voice either, and that’s a big no no for me most of the times.

12. Sato Amina: Oh crap, if I don’t get flamed for not liking Miho, I’m surely going to get slapped for placing Amina so low! I don’t dislike Amina in the slightest, in fact, I quite admire her as a character. She’s worked really hard to get where she is now, and seeing a girl who loves AKB this much is heart warming. She also seems to be very caring about her fellow team mates and whatnot, but still, she’s just not my type of idol. Her ultra high pitched voice is her greatest asset because she knows how to work it, but even still, I don’t really like its timbre. 

11. Nakata Chisato: Chiichan, Chiichan. She used to be my favorite kenkyuusei for a really long time, and then she got promoted and kind of disappeared from the face of the Earth. I think that Chiichan’s biggest problem is that she doesn’t have enough “oomph” to make people instantly spot her and want to root for her, and that’s almost certain to be a downside for an idol. Actually, I want that with the new Team A that fits her gentle personality she is able to show herself more, because she’s really talented and it’s a shame that it doesn’t always show.

10. Maeda Atsuko: How can an AKB fan really hate Acchan? I personally don’t. Especially not ever since I found out that she’s really close to Yuko XD But all kidding aside, I can feel for Acchan, ever since that MC in A5 shounichi where she said that Akimoto had told her to smile all the time because when she didn’t she looked like she didn’t care about anything, I realized that she’s just mostly misunderstood. I think that whenever people accuse her of half assing something, it’s probably just that she’s not all THAT great, objectively speaking, and that is her charm. But of course, not everybody GETS IT. I theoretically do, but she lacks the punch that I like in my idols so she’ll never be a fave. I still enjoy her blog though, it’s the main reason why she ranked here anyway XD

9. Kojima Haruna: Kojiharu is gorgeous as hell and stuff, but she doesn’t do it for me most of the time either. I love how determined she is, and how down to earth and smart she really is under that cover of hers. Also, Yuko seems to have a huge crush on her, so I kind of have to like her too because I’m lame like that XD And for the most part, I do like her, but I think that she’s not a very versatile performer, and that can really lower her level on stage. I think that No3b was the best thing that could’ve happened to her, it suits her style and lets her be the charmer perfect idol she is.

8. Shinoda Mariko: I don’t know about Mariko at all tbh. She’s like one of those girls that I really WANT to love, and she seems to have everything I look for in an idol: She’s goofy, has a good voice and great stage presence, but then in reality, she somehow falls flat for me and I don’t quite know why. What I really like about Mariko (other than the things I just wrote) is the fact that even though she’s really famous on her own, she still really loves AKB and has a lot of fun at it.  I admire her because I thought that she was going to call it quits at the same time Oshima Mai did, but she stayed, and even said in the Budoukan concert that she won’t graduate until she’s 30. 

7. Fujie Reina: Reina’s whole friendship with Mai seemed like a really obvious gimmick to me, what with the re enactments and overly dramatic tone of the whole story, but despite of that, it made me notice her. I used to dislike Reina back when everybody loved her just for her cuteness after her disastrous rendition of HoneHone Waltz, and then, Kuroi Tenshi came around and I was in love. Reina is a solid performer, she has a great voice, and she’s very flexible, which gives her dance moves an elegant look. I just love her, I love how honest she is in her blog too, and I’m totally looking forward to have her in K!!

6. Takajo Aki: For Akicha and me, it was love at first sight. I adored her, she reminded me of the unpolished and huggable Momusu yougsters when they have just joined, she looked really lost, but still smiled and gave her best effort always, and I instantly wanted her to be a star. And Akimoto must’ve heard my prayers because she was promoted to A in record time, and she was given a huge push in following concerts and the such. But I think she wasn’t ready for it, and sometimes she seemed even a bit dumbfounded (her self advertising video was HORRIBLE) and I was disappointed. But right now, she’s become more comfortable with her position as the leader of undergirls and I’m loving her again! 

5. Itano Tomomi: I’ve never been a Tomochin huge huge fan either, but I love her carefree attitude and I love her dancing skills, it just flows when she does it! I’m kind of bummed about her depression issues, as I really worry about such things and I know that it can get pretty bad, and I think that the shuffling announcement didn’t help cheer her up at all, but I really hope that she can find a good side to it…

4. Minegishi Minami: What’s not to love about Miichan? She’s just lots of FUN. And she’s also very talented, I love her sweet little voice, she has decent control, and she’s a really good dancer. I also love how cheeky she allows herself to be! It’s kind of sad that she’s been steadily losing popularity over the years because of the new generation, but hey, I’m still a fan, Miichan! Keep rocking!

3. Takahashi Minami: I think Takamina ranks this high mostly out of respect. I really admire how hard working she is, and how she puts her heart into everything she does, despite of her limitations as a comedienne, she still does MCs, and gets out there to speak in front of everyone, and what’s not to love about that??? If you like AKB, you have got to have a place in your heart for the great Takamina.

2. Sato Yukari: Yukarin! OMG I love this girl so much, and nobody ever understands why XD I used to like her even more when Nozofisu was around, I love seeing the 2 airheads just being silly with each other… But right now, I have to say that I love Yukari because she’s sheer attitude. She’s not the prettiest girl around, she’s kind of flat chested and she doesn’t really have a booty, yet she works it like no other in photoshoots and ends up looking really hot, and it’s the same in performances, she’s not a great singer or dancer, but she’s just damn proud of herself for being there and enjoys it fully, I can’t help but love her more everytime I spot her! And I’m going to sorely miss her when she moves to SDN

1. Kitahara Rie: Unexpected choice much? Kitarie is simply my favorite A member as of today. She’s been steadily rising ever since I saw her from the first time, she’s the most gorgeous girl ever. I LOVED her funny bits in AKBINGO as “Unagi Inu” and I also love how hard she works, she always seems to be glowing! To sum it up, I don’t have a real reason why I adore Kitarie, but I just do. So any other statements I might make now are going to be only gush gush gush so let’s leave it like this XD

Team K

15. Oku Manami: I’ll start by saying that I love ALL of the girls in Team K so this ranking was hard as hell! Manami is so adorable, she’s very beautiful and I like her soft voice. I also like how Akimoto thinks that she should be an ace, as she looks like a very trendy person to me. 

14. Kobayashi Kana:Kana is like she goes into on and off mode. Whenever she’s “on” she jokes around, is super lively and entertaining, and the she switches to “off” and you won’t even notice her at all. I don’t like how inconsistent she is as a performer, and her voice tends to go off pitch a lot.

13. Umeda Ayaka: Umechan has stage presence like no others, is an amazing dancer and an adorable dork, but she doesn’t have a lot of oomph to her personality either. I was such a big fan, then I went to watch them live and she was kind of freaked out by me XD Now I can’t really find a reason why I should be in love with her, I do think she’s one of the best performers K has, and I’m glad that they kept her in the team!

12. Kuramochi Asuka: Mocchi is a dear. She’s soft spoken, gentle and very ladylike, which is why she’s getting moved to A XD I love how sultry her voice is, she does wonders with it. Also, am I the only one who thinks that she’s absolutely drop dead gorgeous? She’s right up there in my ranking next to Kitarie <3

11. Matsubara Natsumi: I’ve always had a soft spot for Nattsumii, and I’m super happy to see that she’s steadily becoming more popular. Also, she’s a very H!P-like idol, which I think was the first quality that drew me to her back when I was a n00b XD. However, like the verse about her in 16 shimai no uta says, she’s too plain, and that hurts her a bit at times.

10. Masuda Yuka: I adore Yuka’s voice, she’s a star all around. She’s a great dancer, and she’s versatile enough to perform cute songs believably and effortlessly as well as power numbers, which is why I love her so much. Also, it doesn’t hurt that she has a relatively quirky personality. But you know what? Screw all that, the only reason why everybody should love Yuka is because idols like her are born every 1000 years (yeah, I’m stealing Akimoto’s definition of Mayu, so what?). She’s breathtaking on stage, if you won’t take my word for it, go watch her version of Koike, she 0wned everyone’s faces with that (and the whole first shuffle concert, actually XD)

9. Sato Natsuki: Nacchi is smart, fun, has a great voice and looks very beautiful. Also, she has a great way with words, she’s unexpectedly entertaining no matter what, I love her MCs, she manages to tell the most random stories in an amusing way! Also, she can eat salad endlessly! Which is a great talent, I’d say XD

8. Ohori Megumi: Meetan, the sexy predator of Team K. Of course I rooted for her a lot during her “Kokansetsu” days. What I admire the most out of Megumi is her devotion. She just entirely throws her heart and soul into the things she loves and that’s touching. I also really admire her honesty, she isn’t afraid of looking silly, she’s just incredibly sincere and that is so refreshing! Especially with the “cover up” attitude the idol world usually has…

7. Chikano Rina: Awww… I’m so sore that she’s getting moved to B! No hate to B, of course, but it breaks my heart how she was a kenkyuusei for like a million years and always wanted to be in K, and when she finally gets her dream, it evades her like this… Anyhow, Chikarina is amazing for the same reasons Kitarie is, more or less. She’s ULTRA happy to be performing in anything and it definitely shows. Of course, she’s more of the “fierce” type instead of Rie’s “cuteness” but still, their determination and happiness are almost equal. I also love Chikarina’s constant gush posts about Team K, she’s such a wota!!! (or AN wota if you’re a grammar crazy person)

6. Ono Erena: I’ll always state this until proven otherwise: Erena is singlehandedly the prettiest girl in AKB. You may or may not realized it, I personally hadn’t noticed it until I saw her in person. It’s incredible. Ok, now I sound like an L pedobear, but I swear I’m not. I love Erena because I always have. She’s the epitome of cuteness, and she’s a spoiled brat and doesn’t care about it. I love how she’s still super excited about her job, but even with everything that comes with being an idol, she doesn’t put up with anyone’s crap, and with this philosophy she’s beaten up certain AKBINGO guests XD

5. Noro Kayo: Nontii is hilarious. She is definitely not afraid to make fun of herself or be goofy, but she’s also really beautiful and talented. I like her dancing style, it’s very powerful and lively! I really wished that she could stay in K, because she really made everyone laugh and stuff, but I’m sure that she has a bright future ahead of her in SDN48 anyway…

4. Miyazawa Sae:  GENKING!!! Sae is incredibly lively an entertaining as an idol, she’s impossible to ignore, and I also think that it’s nearly impossible to dislike a girl like her. She’s just UBER excited about everything, and at times, she looks like she might need a Ritalin XD But in spite of all this, it doesn’t take away from her performances, which are top notch, and I love how she can go from jumping around everywhere to being sexy or emo if the song requires it

3. Akimoto Sayaka: Sayaka is one of those girls that people either ADORE or dislike. I can’t possibly understand how anyone could dislike a person as kind and devoted as Sayaka, but I guess some pople don’t look that deep into idols XD I also think that if you haven’t seen Sayaka in person, you might get the wrong impression of her, but the way I see it, she’s one of the girls who truly cares the most about her fans. She’s just incredibly nice and humble when you meet her. Also, there are a LOT more good things about her: She’s incredibly passionate about everything she does, and it really shows in her performances, she’s very funny, she isn’t afraid of being geeky, she has a great voice, she is gorgeous, she speaks english! There’s so much to like about Sayaka, I’m super excited about her being picked as the captain of Team K, because not only does she deserve it, but she’ll do a fantastic job at that position.

2. Kasai Tomomi: Tomomi-chan has been winning me over through the years. At first I didn’t quite like her because I thought that she looked too emo, but then I realized that it’s just her droopy eyes XD She’s amazing. I mean, she’s just… the only way to describe what I feel about her is that I want to run up to her and just HUG her until she squeals cutely XD I also love her voice, it’s very distictive and it helps balance out the lower voices of K. Also, come on! Just read a bit of her blog, she’s so perplexed and amused by everything and anything, that how could you NOT adore her???

1. Oshima Yuko: I’ve written enough about Yuko in this blog and all over the internet, but still, she’s still my number one, and I don’t think that that will ever change. I’m glad to see her growing more and more as a person everyday, and I also like that she’s steadily coming closer to her dreams with her hard work.

Team B

14. Nakatsuka Tomomi: I still don’t understand why this girl was promoted, it perplexes me. I don’t hate her or dislike her or anything, but I can’t see what’s so great about her. This girl makes me worried because she’s on Team K now, I don’t understand why they shuffled her there anyway… She should’ve stayed in B, where her quirky dorkiness could’ve worked for the best

13. Nakagawa Haruka: I’ve always had plenty of issues with Harugon, mainly the fact that her voice sounds flat 90% of the time, but also the fact that lately, she’s barely noticeable on stage. When she first joined Team B at least she was lively and kind of quirky but right now, I just see nothing there…. She’s still gorgeous though XD

12. Kohara Haruka: Kohara just graduated didn’t she? I didn’t understand that at all. I think she was moved to K, then to SDN and she finally left for good or somthing, but I might be wrong. I loved Kohara at first, and I thought that she was perfect for Team A, as she’s cute, pretty and has a sweet voice, but then they placed her in B and nothing made sense anymore. She never seemed to be all that tight with her team mates, and she looked kind of awkward sometimes among the young girls of B…

11. Nito Moeno: Here’s another girl who’s been REALLY pushed beyond her popularity and I can’t really see why sometimes. She’s a good dancer, she’s a good singer, but… What else is there to Moeno? I don’t see it really, she’s kind of a mystery to me like that. I have no idea what her personality is like, or who she hangs out with or any of those background tips that mek you endeared. 

10. Hirajima Natsumi: Nacchan the great! I love how keen Akimoto was when he moved her to B, where her real crack personality started to show, and she became a very important part of the team, so much that she was one of the only 3 girls who were able to remain in the team. That said, I have a bit of an issue with her, and that is that she has very little control of her voice, and she can start shouting her lines when singing at times, which does bother me a bit because I’m absurd and expect idols to sing in a good way XD But still, even with that little problem, I still think that she’s one of AKB’s greatest members, she’s really entertaining and I love how she’s always having fun with everything!

9.  Tanabe Miku: I like Tanamin, she’s beautiful, powerful and she’s the best dancer ever. I liked her better with long hair though, it makes her look so elegant! I’m super excited to see her in Team K, because I know that she’s a hard worker, and I hope that she gets a chance to shine there. I also admire how determined she is because even though she was always a background character in Team B, with no solo lines or anything, she decided to stay there and do her best no matter what, and I really like that about her!

8. Yonezawa Rumi: Yonechan is a happy girl, right? She’s just infectiously happy, so to speak, and I love that about her, but the other thing I really like is that she’s very versatile as a performer, she’s incredibly cute whenever she needs to be, but she can also be super sexy, or look quite strong. I like her voice a lot too, and it’s really funny to hear the contrast between her high pitched speaking voice and her singing voice!

7. Watanabe Mayu: Mayuyu is a perfect idol. She’s incredibly cute, and she sings in an impossibly high pitched squee. Even though this is true, I like her because she gives her best effort all the time, so she manages to be unexpectedly good in various types of songs.

6. Urano Kazumi: Cindy is crack, and of the very good variety XD It was really amusing to see her interact with her fellow Team B members because the age gap gave room for a lot of funny situations. Also, I love how she managed to go from being one of the most obscure A members to become the leader of Team B. It’s kind of stupid to see that she’s getting transfered to SDN, because she was the perfect girl to continue leading Team B and even to assemble a brand new one and still make it fun. What a shame…

5. Ohta Aika: Aika is unexpectedly aggressive and mean, which I love. I also really liked her rivalry with Mayuyu, it was great for comedic purposes, and those 2 just look super adorable together. It’s sad that she’s getting moved to Team A, because she’ll probably get out shined there, but hopefully she’ll take it as an opportunity to grow up as a performer!

4. Sashihara Rino: Sasshi is hilarious, even the way she speaks. She’s also really beautiful, and a very hard working girl and polished performer. But I especially love her quirky personality, there’s so much about her that I really think will go to waste in a Team like A, where the girls are all striving to be perfect one way or another… Poor fun-loving random Sasshi…

3. Kashiwagi Yuki: Yukirin was a favorite the first time she opened her mouth and sang. I love her voice, it’s really clear and soothing. I’m wondering if she’s going to be a good captain, I mean, I love her and she’s a key member of her team, but… she doesn’t seem to have the super strong personality the other captains have XD. 

2. Nakaya Sayaka: I love Nakayan because I love the underdogs, and she’s the quintessential background girl. I want to root for her because I can’t understand why she has so little fans, she’s incredibly cute and has a homey feeling to her that reminds me a bit of Nakanishi Rina’s, and she’s also really talented, she’s a very good singer, and she’s also good at dancing, so why do people shun her like that U_U I think the main reason why people don’t care about her is because she’s a quiet girl, she’s not over the top at all, but people should try to notice her in all of her various units, also, whenever she subs for a member, she’s very good at that too! Please try to notice Nakayan a bit, ok? 

1. Katayama Haruka: Haachan, on the other hand, is the opposite. She’s all about attitude, she’s super confident too, which makes her a great performer and gives all of her performances a sexy edge to them. Also, THE VOICE. OMG, she’s just SUCH a good singer. If she ever sang a duet with Yuka I would literally die out of awesomeness

Oh Akimoto, you are a fucking genius. I’m REALLY impressed. 

The team shuffling thing has always made sense to me because idols are supposed to be interchangeable, and if they can become more profitable by grouping them in a certain way, then of course, that’s the way to go for a bussinessman like Akimoto.

But with the RIVER single, he really wants to make sure that he gets the coveted No. 1 position. AKB has the most aggresive PR campaign in their history yet, with the girls appearing in several billboards in important locations, spots for the frontgirls in almost every entertainment magazine in Japan, and of course, Shukan AKB, AKBINGO and SKE Gakuen (or whatever that one is called…) airing the RIVER PV all over the place.

I can’t embed videos for the life of me, but here’s a handy old fashioned link to the RIVER full PV in Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0el26spX7sk

I’ll screencap whenever I get my hands on the decent version, and I’ll probably do a bigger and better review then. But for now, I have to say that this song and PV are AMAZING. For one, they’re out of the sugar bubblegum pop streak that started with Oogoe, bringing on this girlish war anthem of sorts. It’s still a great idol song, and the girls manage to look like idols all through the PV in spite of their camo wear and war props.

I’ll just say one more thing, to all the people who whined about the girls not having firearms in there, this isn’t a PV about war, it’s a song about fighting bravely (like a soldier) to get your dreams and make sure that they come true no matter what and blah blah blah all that standard idol crap, so please FOCUS PEOPLE!

Anyway, I adore this song. I’ve always been a sucker for this kind of gimmicky songs about not giving up because I’m a quitter by nature XD Also, I love how catchy the war chants are! It’s an amazing song if only just because it’s REALLY memorable, and as a proof, I’ll give you the fact that most H!P bloggers are even commenting on this one! Score!

Finally, if there was justice in the world, this song would be the title track of K6. But of course, A’s cutie girls will perform their “rendition” in their 6th stage instead for sure… *sigh*

Now, moving onto Kimi no Koto ga Suki Dakara (Because I like you) by the Undergirls, we get a super sugary cavity inducing high energy number in a unit that features all of the AKB lolis (including the ultra neglected Maachan!). I have no idea as to why they changed the Undergirls line up so drastically, and it honestly seems a bit unfair to me. I mean, sure, we’re all aware that Amina won’t make it into senbatsu for a while because she doesn’t have the fanbase for it, but pulling Yonechan out of Undergirls? After she barely made it into senbatsu? OUCH. Not nice at all. My guess is that they just wanted lolis in here *shrugs*

Oh, here’s the PV, BTW http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ClAnMQjLPA&feature=player_embedded

Lots of people have mentioned how the sunny look of the PV and simple carefree attitude of the girls remind them of the old days of Berryz and C-ute, and I can definitely see where they’re going! While RIVER is great because it sets AKB apart, KimiKoto is amazing because it’s nothing more than idol pop, and it’s great at it! 

Plus, you can REALLY tell that wonky Moeno is getting really pushed, she has like a million close ups!

Last, but definitely not least, it’s the Theater Girls (aka. Real Underdogs) PV, a rehashed song (A5’s Hikoukigumo) and a crappy location (the AKB theater) really didn’t give uch hope to us fans of these girls. However, in an amazing turn of events, the PV turned out really amazing! It’s stupidly simple, but it’s warm and cozy and reminds all of us AKB wotas of the feeling of the theater itself and what the stages are about. Also, Natsumi is seriously the best looking person in a pair of pants EVER. OMG! I totally want her hips ;_; 

Ok, FOCUS CAT. Ehhhm. Here’s the PV for your viewing pleasure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-BCRe_HITM

Picking a song like “Hikoukigumo”, which is a concert staple of recent AKB history, was a great strategy, because it shows AKB just like what it’s supposed to be, not a posh group of funny schoolgirls, but a theater troupe of idols who create an atmosphere of “friendliness” towards their fans. In this song there’s audience interaction because of the cloths, and it’s just a great idea!

Ok, so now, to wrap this up, why do I think that this is the best AKB single to date? (Not my favorite, but the best, marketing wise) It’s because it has something for everyone. If you’re a casual fan, have the “edgy” and “trendy” vibe of RIVER, along with the familiar faces of the frontgirls playing Private Ryan. If you’re an occasional theater goer who’s smitten with, say, Sasshi, or if you’re just in love with the HAPPY aura of AKB, then have KimiKoto with its sparkly bubbliness (just like champagne, but sweeter XD), fun feel and girliness that it exudes. 

And if you’re just, well, the kind of wota who supports underdogs, and you would never leave the 8th floor of Don Quixote, or you have your name on a plate in the Theater Hall and have been a fan since 2005, then have Hikoukigumo, which features the “unpopular bunch” (this is, of course, completely arguable, since a lot of the girls who got voted for Tobenai ended up here, but work with me), and really gives a great taste of why the AKB Theater is such a magical place for wotas.

It also works in various ways, because by displaying the whole roster, they make sure that people at least find ONE girl they love, and become interested in the group.

It’s an amazing strategy! You know what? I know that my beloved Nakayan probably won’t ever make it into Senbatsu, but if she starts starring in any kind of PVs at all, I’m SUPER HAPPY! And a happy wota of course, means more money for Akimoto.

Damn him and his superior brain for idol producing. This strategy seems almost flawless to me, but let’s see where it gets us anyway…

Also, I really wish that this format is kept in future releases, I’d love if there were 3 different PVs, regardless how cheap they were, as long as all of the girls were given a chance in the spotlight… Wishful thinking…

Hi!!! Today I give you 2 Team A members and a B member. Takamina is so legend, she’s super excited about everything and talks non stop, while Reina is more on the quiet side and Yonechan is very good at leading Takamina’s babbling to some kind of point XD

(Srsly, WTF? Fujie was trying to be pushed around that time, so I understand that, but Rumi? I adore Rumi, but she’s all kinds of underdog material. She even missed senbatsu for just 3 votes but got kicked out of undergirls nonetheless, so I just don’t get this choice at all)

·      Takamina is ALL OVER Sayaka in “Sougen no Kiseki”. She even starts chanting her name at all the wrong moments XD I love how all AKB girls are Sayaka wotas Then Fujie tries to think of a Team A song with this kind of feeling, and Takamina says “Of course, Mirai no Tobira!” and starts humming it, but that song was long before Fujie was around XD Bummer.

·      It’s “Kuroi Tenshi” time, and Reinyan is all excited because this is her unit. The girls all think that this unit is very cool and sexy, and Reina explains that it has a very complicated choreography because they have to shove the microphones in every other girl’s face and it could be pretty dangerous XD Takamina says that there’s a huge gap between Acchan of Nagisa no Cherry and this Acchan, so that fans wen to watch A5 thinking “Oh, Acchan is so cute” but they learned that she can also be cool.

·      “Wasshoi B!” comes next, and Takamina is all giddy about it. She thinks that this is super cute, and she loves it! She was really surprised that they included the names of the girls in he lyrics!  They’re all having fun singing along to the Wasshoi parts XD Takamina and Reina are jealous because B and K have theme songs while A has none, so Rumi tells them that Team A’s theme songs are the ones with AKB in their title, but Takamina won’t buy that XD She says “I want something like A, A, A WASSHOI!” LOL

·      “Nakinagara Hohoende” starts playing, and Takamina explains that she loves it so much that she returned to the hinadan just to watch it She also explains that Yuko was really nervous when they told her that she had to be solo here, but she still did great (like she always does <3) and Rumi says that the first AKB show she watched was K3 and she really remembers this performance from it. To sum all their comments in one: They think that only Yuko could manage to use the stage just for herself in a song like this .

·      “YumeShina” XD aka. Yume wo Shinaseru Wake ni Ikanai has a choreography that Takamina really loves, she’s always happy whenever she’s able to dance to it. She says that it’s a really long title, but it’s still cool, so it’s ok They say that even though AKB are idols, they’re glad that they can sing songs like this sometimes too.

·      Takamina says that “Only Today” is one of the most popular songs among Team A members, they all love it! Rumi says that back when she first joined Team B, they went to a Team A lesson, and she had to dance to this song, but she couldn’t do it at all XD So Takamina asks her what did she think of her back when she first saw her and Rumi replies “The girl in the center is tiny!” XD LOL

·      They all like BINGO! a lot, they think that it’s a fun song. Takamina says that the dance was really difficult for her at first. Reinyan comments that this was the audition song for Kenkyuuseis, Rumi says that Team B’s was Virgin Love and Takamina says that Team K’s was AKB48

·      Apparently, when Takamina first saw the “Tenshi no Shippo” costumes she thought “What the hell??? But they’re cute!” She says that she’d like to perform this song, and tells Rumi “Because in a song like this, it’s ok if the center girl is tiny” XD

·      In “Renai Kinshi Jourei” they all agree that it’s super cool, and Takamina says that because there were no microphones, only headsets, she didn’t know what to do with her hands most of the time at first XD Also, she says that it made her really happy to be placed in a “dance unit” for the first time.

·      “Sasae” starts, and the girls are mostly quiet during the song, they say that it’s a really great song, and Rumi says that the feeling of having your whole team supporting you it’s amazing, so she compares it to B’s Shonichi. Is Takamina crying there? O_O

·      They all think that “Gomen ne Jewel” is a great song, and they love the costumes because they’re sparkly Also, Takamina LOLs at Rumi because she’s apparently dancing way too enthusiastically in the hinadan “But the fun part of AX is that you can watch all the performances!!” she replies, although she admits that it’s a bit embarrassing XD They also say that Team K always gets the difficult dances so they admire them for that

·      When the background music for “Faint” starts, the girls are all super happy to see Hana! Also, Takamina  says that Faint was the first dance unit given to Team A so she was very happy about that.

·      About “Junai no Crescendo” Takamina says that this was a difficult dance to learn (are there too many difficult dances in this part of the concert? or does she just find most of the dances complicated? XD) and she says that she was very surprised to see how grown up Miichan looks in this despite her age.

·      They are all TOO excited about “Kioku no Dilemma”, because apparently they all think that it’s an amazingly good song. So much, that Rumi has had it on “endless repeat” in her music player! They also gush about the costumes, saying that they are awesome, and there’s never been something like that before in AKB.

·      “Oshibe to Meshibe to Yoru to no Chouchou” turns the girls into a fangirling overly excited giggling bunch. They are just “Ohhh-ing” and “Ahhh-ing” at everything XD

Ah! This is definitely my favorite part of the commentary, these girls are hilarious! They are fangirling about every song, making fun of each other, imagining what would it be like to sing those songs themselves in a crazy way… Really, Team K is so awesome! :D

• The girls say that  the arm waving choreography in “Ai ni Ikou” is very concert-like, and Sae thinks that even though it sounds happy, this song has sad lyrics, so it was difficult for her to get the feeling right.

• In “Heart Gata Virus” they all say that it’s a very cute song, and Nacchi says “If there’s ever a Team K version, I’d like to see Sae, Sayaka and Yuka, I’m sure that the feeling of the song would change completely” XD

• “Nagisa no Cherry” ft. Acchan XD the girls say that it’s cute how her hair now looks like her hair back in A2, and how AX is nice because it brings back old songs. (although Nagisa no Cherry has been WAY overplayed lately, IMO)

• “Baby Baby Baby” starts, and Sayaka says “OHH COLORFUL” She’s so cute Then the girls go on about how they all look like dolls and everyone looks cute.

• “Kagami no Naka no Jeanne da Arc” is a favorite of the girls, and Nacchi and Sayaka talk about how they performed it at the shuffle concert. Then Sayaka says that she performed it with Team B once too, and she randomly says that she really loves Sasshi XD

• It’s “Korogaru Ishi ni Nare” K2 style! Sayaka says that she loves the look on Yuko’s face when she sings Korogaru, because she looks super fierce! Nacchi says that the first time she read the lyrics, the “We’re the Team K” part was really surprising and in K2 shonichi, the fans loved it right away.

• “Nage Kiss no uchiotose” starts, and Kayano comes out so the girls point out how AX is nice because it brings back the graduated members. They also say that they’d love to do a K version where all the girls would be in black suits pointing guns at people XD Man, these girls are crazy!

• The girls say that they really love “Kaiyuugyo no Capacity”, the choreography and all about it. They say that it’s a very cool song, and they are rather surprised at how cool it looks, because they say that they’ve never quite seen it like this, because being there dancing it makes it look different.

• In”Namida no Shounan” Sayaka and Sae talk about how they’d love to perform this, and Nacchi says that she’s already done it in JCB so the girls get jealous XD Sayaka is really bummed that she couldn’t make it to that concert, and asks who performed it, and when Nacchi says that it was her, Yuko and Natsumi she laughs because Yuko is tiny so she doesn’t really fit in this unit, so Nacchi says “Not really, because Yuko can look huge when she performs, that’s her biggest strenght” (The Yuko fangirl in me had to include this part :D)

• When “Tsundere” satrts they talk about how Tomochin and Amina really fit this song, but Kitarie looks like she’s trying to learn from them, which makes her even cuter. And Sayaka says that she’d like to perform this song “A Real Life Tsundere” she says XD

• About “Kinjirareta Futari” they say that they love the overall feeling of the song, it’s very mysterious and pretty. And they also say that because Yuko and Tomomi are so feminine they can pull off this song very well. LOL at Nacchi saying “Why is it that Tomomi-chan always fits so well in this type of songs’”

• In “SHAMUNEKO” they laugh because the stage is so big compared to the theater that they have to make all of the dance steps look wider, so they say “This isn’t a cat, it’s a CHEETAH LOLOL”