Hello! Yeah, I know that I’m far behind in the profiling, in the A4 review and many other things, but I want to keep pimping H1, since it’s an awesome piece of work and I think that everybody should go and buy a copy

In this part, I will introduce you all to Himawari-gumi, a group that merges Team A with Teamk. Within Himawarigumi, there are subgroups too, Team 1, is the All-Star cast of AKB48, featuring the most famous members, and Team 2 is composed of… well, the rest. Another reason I have to review this DVD is that because both teams are included, I get to finally talk and fangirl about my favorite team (which is K), even though I haven’t finished Team A profiles XD Also, like I’ve said before, most of my favorite Team A members are the underdogs, so I was more than happy to see them get a stage of their own!

Team 1 ~ The Girls

Akimoto Sayaka - Team K: Sayaka is a fan favorite for many reasons, the main one being the fact that she has an amazing powerful voice, and so much stage presence that she’s never left unnoticed on stage! She is a very strong type of girl, kind of a Yossie type of character, but the difference is that Sayaka actually gets lots of lines and screen time, and she’s not such a goofy girl as Yossie is. It’s actually just about the “cool aura” they both exude that makes that comparison come up a lot. I’m a big Sayaka fan myself, she can ROCK the hell out of any song at all, and you just have to love that voice of hers!

Highlights: She’s everywhere really, and she was great in her unit song, Himawari, but she totally pwned Lay Down! In case you want to check that out…

Itano Tomomi - Team A: Ok, I’ve already profiled her, so you must have a vague idea of who I’m talking about here I used to be a much bigger Tomochin fan than I am these days, but she’s still a very good idol and performer. She’s the ultimate Lolita of AKB48, being so young and given the lead role to some of the sexiest songs of the collective. She wasn’t really featured a lot in H1, which makes me sad because I like her voice a lot and I also love her energy whenever she’s performing

Highlights: It has to be her unit song, Itoshisa no Defense. It was kind of wrong, but her lower voice range made her a great addition to the higher pitched duo of Sae and Nacchi.

Oshima Mai - Team A: You all know how much I love this girl by now, right? Well, I was sad because of the lack of Maimai here, and if something hurt the Team 1 part of the concert was the fact that these girls ALL get so much screentime in their Team’s stage DVDs, that all of them appear to be featured less than usual in this one. Anyway, all of that aside, Mai is always a very solid performer, this is noexception of course, and her ability to get so much into the songs she is performing made for a great range of emotions displayed in her performances. Still, she wasn’t to be seen in many songs, which is a shame for the rabid fans such as myself…

Highlights: Her unit song, Himawari, is very nice, and she did a great job with her cheerful performance of that. I loved her in Déja vù, and she was very good in Lay Down as well.

Oshima Yuko - Team K: My God that picture sucks… Still you will know who Yuko is if you’re even a casual fan of AKB, because she’s one of the most featured girls in PVs, along with Acchan and Takamina, and definitely the face of Team K, so to speak. Yuko is my favorite member along with Mai, and I like one of them more than the other depending on the day. Yuko impressed me so much more than Mai in this particular DVD, but it might be due to the fact that I’ve been looking at Team A stuff more lately because I have to finish the remaining profiles. Anyhow, there’s something very special about Yuko, she’s an incredible dancer, has a very distinct voice, a good range, lots and lots of energy for performances and there’s something extra: Yuko is more an actress than an idol, and she’s said it herself, so nobody can top the way in which she is able to convey emotions when she sings.

Highlights: Her unit song, Boku to Juliet to Jet Coaster, probably the finest performance of the whole concert, and a lot of it was because of Yuko’s flawless dancing and singing. She impressed me in Déja Vù, and was pretty cute in Takeuchi Senpai and Yuuhi wo Miteiru ka

Erena Ono - Team K: Erepyon used to be my second favorite member just a few centimeters below the Oshima girls, but something happened… I don’t really know what, because I still think that she’s believably cute and adorable and a very good idol for someone her age, but I guess that when you have so many stars on stage at the same time, it’s very hard to stand out, and poor Erena didn’t stand a chance here. She was overshadowed even in her own unit, which made me sad, but I also think that because many of the songs of this stage were kind of grown up, she probably didn’t get many lines.

Highlights: IDOL Nante Yobanaide is her unit song, and even though she contributes a lot to the cuteness overload that is the song (and there’s nobody else in team K who could’ve replaced her there) she doesn’t really POP or something. I noticed her a lot in Sonna Konna Wake de, but saying such a thing is a sin so I’ll shut up

Kasai Tomomi - Team K: Kasai is somewhat of a yo-yo member for me, I can either love her to death or love her a bit less depending on how she performs. Lots of people hate on her because of her super high pitched moe voice, but I think that it fits her personality perfectly, and that she’s actually not a bad singer at all in spite of her very particular voice. That said, I have to give credit where credit is due, and Kasai somehow manages to be a very solid performer, even though one might think that her cute character doesn’t really fit with team K, she can be FIERCE! I think that’s what I like about her… Anyway, she was incredibly good in this DVD, and she was actually one fo the girls who I noticed the most in almost every performance!

Highlights: IDOL nante yobanaide was the Kasai show. She totally stole the show from the other three, and was appealing and just very awesome in that song. She was the dirtiest piece of loli in Lay Down, with her hand in Tomochin’s crotch and making out with Miichan and other generally filthy deeds…

Kojima Haruna - Team A: I do have a love-hate relationship with Haruna, and I think that she’s the member that puzzles me the most in AKB. She’s a very good singer, she dances well, and there is something terribly compelling about her! It might be her beauty, or her confidence, but even though I don’t find Haruna to be the greatest or most impressive member, she has like a superpower that makes me notice her everytime I’ve decided to give up on her… weird… Anyway, more of that Haruna power comes with the DVD, she is preobably one of the girls who gets more screentime, and trust me, I’m not complaining. It might be something she was born with, but the camera loves her *scratches head* maybe I should stop trying to figure it out and just enjoy it without overanalysing everything

Highlights: If I said that Sayaka was everywhere, Haruna is everywhere everywhere everywhere… or something. I loved her in Boku to Juliet to Jet Coaster, but she was also cute in Mirai no Kajitsu, Takeuchi Senpai, Sonna Konna wake de… Oh well, she was great during the whole thing, damn talented beautiful Haruna

Sato Natsuki - Team K: Nacchi FTMFW! I’m a HUGE Nacchi fan, really. She’s a very funny girl and has a great personality, always very natural and honest. Also, I love how commited to her work she is, she was completely into every single song of this Stage. She is a very good singer and dancer and has lots of attitude (like almost everyone in Team K) which works great for this upbeat stage!

Highlights: Itoshisa no Defense, she was HOT there! She had the most beautiful solo line in Takeuchi senpai and she was awesome in Lay Down.

Shinoda Mariko - Team A: Mariko is always good to see live, she’s a very good performer. This is no exception, but she tends to be a little lacking in the bubbly department in this particular Stage, but is amazing in the sexier or more dramatic songs! I liked her in Himawari too, although it was really obvious that she was lipsinchyng there.

Highlights: Himawari, Sonna Konna wake de, Lay Down

Takahashi Minami - Team A: This was Takamina’s best stage to date, without a doubt! She’s always been a great singer, but she’s beyond amazing here! She is supper happy in the cheerful opening songs, is a great match for Yuka in Higurashi no Koi, is adorable in Takeuchi Senpai, sexy in Sonna and Deja vu… And wraps it up being a scary dominatrix in Lay Down, only to go back to being all cute and hyper in BINGO! and Boku no Taiyou. If anyone had a doubt about her talent (is that possible?) they will instantly understand why she is the front girl of all of AKB (well, practically)

Highlights: EVERYTHING!

Nakanishi Rina - Team A: I’m a HUGE Rinatin fa, so I was sad to see her missing from H2, however she was great in H1, so I could get over the fact that she’s not going to be in the next DVD and bask in all the badass Rina moments in H1. I couldn’t believe that that was Rina at first, she’s always so sweet and gentle, but here she’s totally evil! I mean it in a good way of course, I love it when my idols can be bad girls…

Highlights: Boku to Juliet to Jet Coaster, without a doubt! Sonna Konna Wake de, Deja Vu, Lay down (please don’t miss the part when she is totally hitting on Nacchi! I don’t blame her, I probably would too!)

Noro Kayo - Team K: Nontii is a great performer as well, a very powerful vocalist and a great dancer. I was pleasantly surprised to see her make it to Team 1 because she gets totally neglected in singles, so I was afraid that she wouldn’t make it, but she did! yay! She got paired with Nacchi a lot for their lines, which is understandable since they are renowned as the “Nacchinon” duo, they do MCs and jokes and are just awesome XD

Highlights: Again, Sonna Konna wake de, Himawari and Lay Down 

Maeda Atsuko - Team A: You all came here for the Acchan, right? Well, I’ve never been a big fan of hers to be honest. She’s very camera friendly but has 0 stage presence, so I never really expect anything from her in Stages, but this was an exception, because in the H1 previews Acchan looked HOT. Not her usual super pretty and oddly fascinating self, but HOT HOT HOT. I was shocked, of course, and I thought to myself “Well, maybe Acchan has decided to become hot, and now I have a reason to become her fan!” And so I was looking forward to see Acchan for the first time in my life, and here is what happened: I watched the entire DVD, I was super impressed and happy and proud of my girls and then it crossed my mid “Wait a minute… where the hell was hot Acchan?” And the answer is: Hot Acchan performs only in H1 previews I was disappointed in her for the first time, she was completely outshined in IDOL nante yobanaide, she was the only girl who acted like a dead fish in Lay Down… :(:(:( I will never expect anything again, and that way I’ll be pleasantly surprised sometimes

Highlights: See, the thing is that Acchan is (as usual) the most filmed girl in the whole DVD, so it’s impossible to miss her (well, not THAT impossible considering how the other girls outshine her a lot of times) IDOL nante Yobanaide is a must see for Acchan fans, though, so check it out.

Masuda Yuka - Team K: Yuka adds 1000 points of awesome to Team K, so I was ecstatic to see he in H1 (she also tends to get majorly shafted in singles, sadly) In my not so humble opinion, Yuka has the best voice in AKB48, and not only that, but she’s also a very energetic dancer and has a WHOLE LOAD of stage presence. It’s amazing! That’s why I wrote earlier that Takamina should be proud to be on a duet with Yuka and hold her own. Anyway, when you have such a great singer, you can’t go wrong!

Highlights: Other than the obvious choice of Higurashi no Koi, she is very upbeat and happy during Mirai no Kajitsu and RUN RUN RUN, she also is super badass in Lay Down (like almost everyone, except for Acchan)

Minegishi Minami - Team A: Cute little Miichan! Yay, let’s watch her and die of cute overload! Ehh… that’s what I though when I first watched the DVD… let’s just say that by the end I had a feeling that Miichan was not such a little girl anymore XD As always, superb dancing, she’s a little ball of energy on stage! And of course, lots and lots (and I mean LOTS) of fan service… Oh, I love me some Miichan!

Highlights: Viva Hurricane!, Idol nante yobanaide (she’s the only one who matches Kasai appeal in that song), Sonna Konna, Lay Down, Boku no Taiyou.

Miyazawa Sae - Team K: Sayaka opens the intro, Sae closes it, very fitting. Sae and Sayaka get paired a lot, and they are very good friends, so much that fans call them Saeyaka! I like Sae a bit more than I like Sayaka, because even though Sae has a less powerful voice she has SO much attitude! And I like that, I also like her carefree personality and find her very funny and likable! And yes, she was the girl who impressed me the most in this DVD! Like Takamina, every frame Sae is on is amazing! And that is the end of it.

Highlights: EVERYTHING! Especially Lay Down, her line was the sexiest one!

So that was Team 1 for all of you, people! I’m terribly tired right now and haven’t finished screencapping Team 2, so I’ll probably do that entry later tonight or tomorrow morning

 

Remember! BUY BUY BUY!