Hi everybody! I promise you all that A2 fashion show is coming soon, but right now I had another idea for the update, so I just had to go with it. I know that many of the people who visit this blog do it out of curiosity, perhaps knowing only AKB because of their singles or because some cute girl caught their eye. But, I happen to think that AKB48’s best songs sometimes aren’t the singles, but the Stage songs, which so many casual fans are totally unfamiliar with! A crime, I tell you. But don’t worry people, I have decided to take on the best stage songs, and I’ll do it in alphabetical order. Of course, I’m not leading you to watch 160+ videos or your head might explode XD Just my favorite song that begins with said letter. You know this will be long, but you also know you’ll love it, right?

Disclaimer: All lyrics taken from AKB48 Lyrics Paradise. Credit goes to those who romanized and translated these songs.

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7ji 12fun no Hatsukoi (First love at 7:12) “For only 20 minutes, in such a short time, it was a fun date!”: Ok, Acchan lovers, rejoice! This one here is taken from A4, and it features Maeda Atsuko, Ohe Tomomi, Narita Risa, Masuyama Kayano and Komatani Hitomi. Acchan is the only remaining member from this unit, which is very very sad Anyway, I was going to pick 109, but nobody has upped that performance in Youtube so I chose my second favorite. This is a romantic lovey dovey ballad about unrequited love, it’s very cute and so are all of the girls who sing in it, so don’t miss it!

A

Aisareru to Iu Koto (To be Loved) “Even if all freedom is lost, such things as joy and sadness won’t be controlled”: Aww! Cute postapocalyptic love ballad, this one. The ICE subunit of Team K (Oshima Yuko, Ono Erena, Kasai Tomomi, Sato Natsuki and Imai Yu) was created only for the sake of singing this as the theme song of a crappy anime Akimoto made. However, this is probably one of the most beautiful AKB ballads, and it’s definitely a MUST watch if you haven’t already.

B

Bird “I am a sad bird that’s forgotten how to fly. In the place I am now, I can only bend down”: Yeah, excuse the crappy quality of the video, but really, my favorite part of this song are Mai’s lines so I had to include them. She’s so underrated as a singer, and she’s very good IMO. Anyhow, if you haven’t seen/heard this already, you’re probably a real n00b to AKB, but that’s ok! Just… go and watch it right now. This song is very dramatic and rocking, I really wish Team A got more songs like this one lately… Takahashi Minami, Shinoda Mariko and Oshima Mai are in this, BTW.

C

Confession “You cast your depending eyes one me, I’m not your mom!”: Himawari-gumi was such a great idea, and songs like this prove the fact that mixing A with K equals win. Oshima Yuko, Shinoda Mariko, Akimoto Sayaka and Itano Tomomi rock out and play the “tough girl” role amazingly in the most hardcore AKB unit song! I really like how the lyrics are nothing idol-like, and the headbanging performance is a great bonus too!

D

DARUIKANJI (Dull Feeling) “If you’re watching from far away, we’re like insects”: From A4. This is the first group song in the countdown, and it’s one of my favorites! The lyrics are very depressing, however, the song has a really catchy melody and great bassline. Not to mention a LOL choreography that I adore. This song is a masterpiece of idol music, and it greatly symbolizes what AKB is about. Cute schoolgirls singing somewhat disturbing songs at times XD. Especially recommended if you’re a fan of Miichan or Tomochin

E

Erai hito ni Naritakunai (I don’t want to be a big person) “None of those difficult books have real happines isn’t written in them” Aww… No performance of this one in Youtube either However, there’s a preview, so you can at least get an idea of what this song is like. I really like it, especially because I’m constantly surrounded by people who praise intelligence above everything else, they even idolize those who they deem smart regardless of how much of a bad person they might be. Being smarrt isn’t all there is to life, it’s better to be happy and have friends

F

Faint “I don’t need an eternity because just one second is more than enough to make me faint”: Another A4 song (can you tell I really love that stage?) Itano Tomomi, Tojima Hana (<3<3) and Kawasaki Nozomi perform this super sexy love song. No words are enough to describe the coolness and hotness of “Faint” so just go watch it already!

G

Gokimen Naname na Mermaid (An Ill tempered Mermaid) “I won’t be kept waiting, I want to go closer to you”: Team B makes its debut in the ranking with this ultra adorable song! Ok, I honestly wanted to put Gomen ne Jewel instead in this position, because I totally love that song and unit, but there was no available video either Ok, so back to Mermaid, this is a fun summery song, and it’s a shame that I can’t show you the Stage Version itself (this one is from the Hibiyayaon Concert) because they have little cameras, and beach balls and beach stuff, which makes it even cuter! A great song to warm up to the awesome Team B!

H

Hana to Chire! (Go Down Gloriously!) “Without considering a thing, strike the iron while it’s still hot!”: This song is so cool it makes me want to go out there and find a cause to die for and go for it no matter what… or something. That’s basically what the lyrics are about, and make no mistake, this song is the definition of POWER! Obviously a Team K song, like everything else cool in this world should be

I

Itoshisa no Defense (Affection’s Defense) “Overbearingly snatch away this lips that won’t obey”: The Hana version, of course, because all other versions aren’t half as sexy/cool/fierce/Hana. Tojima Hana, Komatani Hitomi and Masuyama Kayano deliver a very sexy song, kind of a follow up to Confession, this is about a tough woman, but one who wants to stop being so unreachable and become closer to someone. Nice stuff.

J

Junai no Crescendo (Pure Love’s Crescendo) “This evening it’s okay if I’m held, as I’m dripping wet”:  Yeah, one more great song from A4 XD For all of you Men-dol and No3b (no Sleeves) fans, here’s the unit that started it all. This is a fantastic song, reminiscent of dramatic idol classics from the 80s, complete with flashy dresses and great vocals.

K

Korogaru Ishi ni Nare (Become a Rolling Stone) “A hidden enthusiasm. We’re the Team K!!”: Yup, my favorite AKB48 song of all times just HAD to be on the list. This song is very cool, and it really pumps up the audience with its rock tune and fierce lyrics! AKB Sanjou! from recent A5 might be the only song to rival it in the cool department, but it lacks the strong spirit of Team K’s performances of this. Please watch it. You know you’ll love it!

L

Lay Down “Like a Doberman chained by the neck, with ferocious eyes I tame you!”: Nosebleed alert. This performance includes Sayaka, leather and girls being overly friendly with each other. It’s really cool, and just pure fanservice, so do yourself a favor and click the link already.

M

MARIA “In a forest of seduction, I won’t stray”: Ok, so in order to avoid overheating ourselves with Lay Down up there, here’s one of the best songs of AKB48, MARIA. Gothic Lolita dresses, a rock tune and the lyrics of a prayer are a very cool mix. Plus, vocal powerhouse Masuda Yuka is here, along with great performer Umeda Ayaka and Moeeeee Kasai Tomomi, nothing can go wrong with such a combination!

N

Nakinagara Hohoende (As I smile, I cry) “Until I grow used to be alone, I won’t move from here”: You all saw this coming, right? This is Yuko’s solo from K3, and it’s definitely one of my favorite songs ever! It’s a ballad, and Yuko’s husky voice is perfectly fitting for it. She looks like an angel in those white clothes, and sings like one <3

O

Oshibe to Meshibe to Yoru no Chouchou (The stamen, the pistil and the evening butterfly) “What’s hidden is the taste of honey, right?, right?, a naught secret”: I didn’t include KinjiFuta here, but here’s the reloaded amped up fanservice version XD See how Meetan shamelessly hits on Tomo-mi, I quite like this song, musically speaking, it’s very sultry!

P

Party ga Hajimaru yo (The party begins!) “Quietly close your eyes, be quiet! Can you see the entrance to the dream?” O_O I don’t really like this song, but there isn’t a single video of Pajama Drive in youtube, so you’ll have to conform with this one. Here’s the SKE48 version, just for a little more variety…

R

Rider “Even though we can’t meet, without feeling sad, I sing, I hope that somewhere you are getting along well”: OMG! I’m crying I can’t believe it T_T. This is a very special song to me, for many reasons. This is originally from A3, and the unit members were Komatani Hitomi, Watanabe Shiho, Orii Ayumi, Ohe Tomomi, Kawasaki Nozomi, Sato Yukari, Hoshino Michiru and Tojima Hana. The song was written for one of the original AKB fans who passed away, and it’s a very sweet song, really heartfelt too. Whenever I listen to this song, I immediately think of Hana, giving her best smile always, and she’s just so great, I hope she does well in whatever it is she wants to do with her life now, I’ll always support her no matter what! 

S

Saishuu Beru ga Naru (The last Bell Rings) “The light amidst the hesitation let’s out an answer from here”: Sorry about the sapfest up there, but I just… get so emotional when it comes to Hana, I have to get over it! Anyway, this time it’s another Team K song, the namesake of their 4th Stage, this is very cool and K-ish, and it has a very memorable tune that sticks in my head really easily! Great choreography too, and a guitar interlude that I really like (it’s quite short though)

T

Tomo yo (My friends) “On top of the desk I sit down, as a dream harmonizes”: People always mock this song, but I adore it. It’s a very cute “feel good” kind of song, and the catch is that Team K girls play their own instruments for this! (well, sorta) I find it very very cute and endearing, it’s a classic IMO, so you should totally watch it!

V

Viva! Hurricane “Recklessly, naughtily, rush rush rush, My heart rages!”: More Himawari goodness! This song is so random it’s amazing. It starts like a sentai theme song from the 70s, then turns into idol pop, has its hot latin flavor moments and there’s rap to boot! The dance is manic too, this makes you want to get up and shake your body, for sure.

W

Wasshoi B! (Heave-ho B!) “With love, respect and courage I’m succeeding!”: No video again, but there’s a compilation of cute Team B pics in the one I’m liking to. And it has the song in good quality, which is the most important thing. Team B are amazing, and it sucks how neglected they get in many ways… I hope that this great song and cute video can help make you a fan, because you know, “The best team is B! B! B! B!” as this song says XD

Y

Yume wo Shinaseru Wake ni Ikanai (We must not let the dream die) “Where is the sun rising? There’s no light to guide my raising hand”: H2 was a very good stage, and this song right here is one of the best! It’s very dramatic, musically speaking, but it carries a message of hope and courage in the lyrics that works very well with the mood of this stage. I really like the choreography too, which is a plus

 

Ok, so there you have it! It’s the ABC, AKB Style!! I hope you liked it, but mainly, I hope that watching some of this great performances sparked your interest in this great group and that you will become a fan and a supporter Comments are always welcome, as you know, you can say anything you want to, from “Screw you biatch! How come there’s only 2 freaking Team B songs in your lousy ranking” or “Ohai, wheres bingo cuz that song is so lulz” to “I really admire your refined taste in idol music, and look up to you” XD I kid, I kid, just, you know, comments make me happy

Oh, and there is a reason why I didn’t embed the videos but decided to link them, first of all, my posts are usually super long as it is, and I’m trying to do my best to make them shorter without having them lose their “aitakatta” essence XD Plus, it’s a matter of personal choice (like pre marital sex lol) but I prefer having all videos open in their own separate window because I have a bit of an OCD issue, so bear with me.

Well, that’s all for now, I really have to go study for my monster final of monday! Bye bye!

9. Yakusoku yo - Korogaru ishi ni Nare

Ok, so for this two songs, we return to the classic AKB girl next door look, but instead of jeans, the girls are wearing khakis (is that the right term?)

I like how for Team K it isn’t cute jeans and mini skirts, but something more… fierce? Team K aren’t girly girls, they are COOL, man

The Tshirts don’t advertise AKB (but we all had enough advertising with the ukatas anyway, right?) but they are from Palms and Labskies which is a clothing brand, I suppose (kind of reminds me of SweetS and Pentys… Damn I miss SweetS)

Ohai girls! Looking fierce as always!!

Yuko in white!! She looks like an angel!!

Sayaka stands out from the rest so much, even in this simple outfit, that’s pretty amazing. Sayaka is definitely the queen of the stage, that’s undeniable

I’m not really feeling the golden trimmed hat thingies… they are ugly

More Yuko = more happiness for the world <3<3

Sayaka greatness… She’s the coolest person on the face of the Earth

Kana! That shirt is pretty tight on her :O maybe she was mistaken and wore Erepyon’s shirt instead of hers? XD

We’re the Team K!!!!! Yeah, Korogaru Ishi ni Nare just so happens to be my favorite AKB song ever.

And of course, the best part of Team K, YUKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! (fangirling much?)

Best looking girl in this costume: Sayaka, of course. Just… wow

10. Cinderella wa Damasarenai:

I’ve already discussed this costume before, i believe. I love it to pieces, and it’s refreshing to see how similar it is to the original flamenco dresses

So, we have 2 different costumes, the backup girls have purple and black polka dotted dresses, which are slightly more simple looking than the ones the front girls wear

The front girls (like Erena here) have red and black dresses, which are even more similar to the original flamenco ones. They also have flashy golden trimmed ruffles in the neck/shoulder area

Backup girls! To be totally honest, I would’ve rather had Ayaka in there with the front girls instead of Kana… You know, no dissing Kana, as I love her, but Ayaka fits so much better into a song like this one… ok, I’m rambling now

I like how backup girls having darker dresses make the front girls stand out (I mean, that’s the purpose of backup girls anyway…) And yeah, that’s Meetan there, just being Meetan…

The ruffles in the other dress don’t have a golden trim, and they’re red instead of black

Yuko hotness, of course. The skirt is layered and of a light material, so when they swing it around it creates a pretty good effect

Tomomi and Yuko are a great pair, they should have shared lines more often… Look at the flower on the hips, that’s a nice detail!

Sayaka!!!

Look at the pretty shoes! High heeled mary janes (very flamenco like) and small red roses on the strap, beautiful

A closer look at the beautiful shoes (and Yuko’s legs *whistle*)

Ok, a final full body shot, so that you can see all of the dress

And a final shot of Yuko, of course!

Best looking girl in this costume: Yuko, she looks very elegant and sexy!

So, now, the review!

Costumes I loved: 5 (Blue Rose, Kinjirareta Futari, Ame no Doubutsuen, Virgin Love, Cinderella wa Damasarenai)

Costumes I disliked: None, actually (:O)

Costumes I didn’t like nor dislike: 5 (Seishun Girls/Beach Sandal/kimi ga hoshi ni naru made, Fushidara na Natsu, Don’t disturb, Virgin Love, Yakusoku yo/Korogaru Ishi ni Nare)

Best looking girl in the stage: Yuko, with Sayaka being a very close second! It may be my bias talking, but I think not, Yuko is very lovely in her own right!!!

Ok, so here ends the review of the costumes for K2!!! A great stage costume wise, and yeah, I’ll shut up, I’ve fangirled enough already, see you next time, for some A2 reviewing!!!

5. Fushidara na Natsu

This song has a very special place in my heart, it tickles my latina bone lol I love to see the girls have a go at salsa, and while some of them fail at it (like Tomo and Natsumi) some are amazing (Yuko, Sayaka, Sae, Yuka, Nontii…)

Woo! Sexy “Indecent Summer” song… Anyway, for this tropical sounding song, we have a tropical dress to go with it! It resembles the kind of thing that people wear to go to beach parties!

Here we can have a closer look at the dress. It’s hot pink, and the fabric has a palm tree print that’s very tropical (albeit a bit tacky IMO)

Sae looks like a mannequin in this screencap, but still, that flower in her hair is very pretty, and it matches the dress well. Also, not the bracelet she’s wearing in her arm, all the girls have it, and they also have another bracelet in their wirsts

A little snap at the back of the dress… It’s the Virgin Love dress underneath! I love this modular dresses!

One more full body shot, the hot pink is perfect for the mood of this song!

A little Yuka love is always a good thing! In this close up we can see the big flower in the front of the dress, that matches the one they wear on their hair. Plus, there’s a nice lacey ruffle detail in the dress, which looks very good

Umechan is fierce in this song! Look at all the bracelets! They’re a bit overboard, but for a flashy song like this, they fit in pretty well

Look at the print… It’s so damn tacky! That’s my main objection about this dress, however, I suppose it fits the song and stuff… I’m willing to overlook this detail because the outfits are pretty much flawless otherwise

In contrast with the colorful front, the back of the dresses, in solid pink, looks kind of dull. Also, the way the dresses are shaped makes the girl’s butts look really big XD

Gosh! Look at the naughty look Yuko’s giving! HOTT!!! So, having the Virgin Love white dress as a base, this one consists pretty much on a wrapped cloth over the onther one. Hence the beach party dress feeling

More Yuko goodness, there’s never enough Yuko spamming, especially not in my blog! Hell, people don’t even know that she’s my favorite member That’s sad…

So from now on, I’ll spam this blog with Yuko pics!!! I vow to that!!! Eh… ok, so here’s one more Yuko screencap

Best looking girl in this costume: I declare it a tie between Yuko (ofc) and Umeda Ayaka, who looks amazingly fierce in this outfit.

6. Don’t Disturb!

This is a bit of cheating, since it is the same costume in a different color, but, you know, the song is different also so I figured I had to give it a different category

Nacchi! She was so damn neglected in this stage!! Anyhow, the dress is light blue for this song, which fits the gentle flowing pace of this ballad perfectly

The hot pink dresses look very different under the soft lights, they look pretty and girly here

Look at how freaking lovely Kana looks in here! In this light blue color, the print of the dress doesn’t bother me at all, it fits somehow

Graduated members Imai Yu and Takada Ayana looking quite lovely there as well!

Erepyon! Ok, I’m running out of things to say about this cosumes, so I’ll shut up now, just… you know, they’re the same as the other dress, only blue instead of pink…

Best looking girl in this costume: Kana, she looks so damn cute and sweet!

7. Virgin Love - Hizukehenkousen:

So the girls leave the stage for a while, and then return changed into the dress that was under the previous ones.

Those are the sandals the girls wear with the Fushidara/Don’t disturb and Virgin love dresses. They are pretty simple and summer-y

The VL dresses are rather simple white ones. But I really like them, especially the shape of the skirt and the cute ruffles in the hem and shirt

That’s the ruffle thing I was talking about, it’s a nice detail. Plus, the pink and blue flowers and bracelets are great accesories and compliment the dress nicely

The fabric is kind of shiny too, which helps making the dress less dull and simple, plus, it has little crystals in the hem and straps, so it’s very pretty

So yeah, that’s all I can say about this dress, it’s pretty simple, but it works just fine

Best looking girl in this outfit: Yuko, hands down! She’s graceful and sexy all in one while wearing this. An honorable mention goes to Nontii, her curves are amazing!

8. Boku no Uchiage Hanabi:

Ok, so here we have this lovely, matsuri themed song, and of course, what do you wear for those nice festivals? Yukatas! but of course!!

And if you’re a member of an idol group named AKB48, well, then you just have to pimp your group while wearing the yukata, of course! Bleh, I find these to be quite ugly, actually, especially because of the loud colors of the print, I’d much rather see the girls in beautiful regular yukatas!

However, I have to admit that the outfits do fit with the song, recorded firework sounds and all. It must be the girls attitudes, they look up like they are watching the fireworks and wave and smile at each other…

YUKOOOOO!!! Now, pay attention, not only do they over advertise the group in the yukatas, the fans they hold also say AKB48 (I believe they were promotion for an event, perhaps the concert that took place in 06?)

So, other than that, the girls are also wearing the usual hair ornaments worn with yukatas for festivals, those are cute, but I still hate these yukatas

Look at Tomo!! She looks so cute, I want to hug her!!

So yeah, there you go. I remember reading on Santos’s blog that these yukatas were on sale (I mean, not the ones the girls wear, of course) in case the fans wanted to buy them and wear them… Maybe it was a joke, who knows…

Best looking girl in this costume: Kasai Tomomi!! She looks soooo cute and adorable!!!

Ok, that’s all for now, only 2 costumes left!!! Don’t miss the next entry

 

3. Kinjirareta Futari:

OMG! It’s KinjiFuta!!! this song is a legend, I swear… It also has some of the best costumes ever!!!

First off, we get to see Yuko’s lovely dress, or at least the back of it! The big bow in the back of the neck it¡s a great detail, very cute and a bit different from the usual bows that are in the waist area

Dark screencap, but any screencap of Yuko is amazingness <3

I love the white flower in her hair, it’s a very feminine touch, which works great with the dress and the feel of the song

The dress goes also with two bracelets in the left arm and wrist and a glove in the right hand. I like the glove, it has little crystals and a pretty bow

Look at the cute bow!!! (no, it’s not an excuse to post Yuko pics)

This close up is great because we can see the beautiful earrings and the necklace, both are very feminine and elegant, and therefore fitting for her character in the song

Look! Yuko’s wearing a ring too <3 (yeah, I’m a hopeless fangirl) On a side note, this song reminds me of the concept I have of yuri (I say the concept because I’m not a fan of that genre, so take all of this with a grain of salt, please), there’s a girl who is like the perfect girl, excels at everything and is gentle and loved by everyone (that would be Yuko) and another who is the new girl, kind of shy and clueless (that would be Tomo). So their outfits fit their characters perfectly

So now that we’ve taken a look at Yuko, let’s look at Tomo-mi! She has a glove with a bow in it too! Cuteness!

The details of her dress match those of Yuko’s dress as well, only the bow in the back of her neck is smaller

So now you can see that Yuko’s dress is long, while Tomo’s is short and poofy, again, very fitting

YUKOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

The other significant difference is that Tomo’s dress is pink, while Yuko’s is white. What I like about this outfits is that they’re very different from each other in some ways, but they also seem to go with each other perfectly

Yukoooooooooooooooooo!! <3 <3 <3 <3

The dresses are al shiny and pretty…

Tomo’s hair ornament is also a flower, like Yuko’s, only pink instead of white

Look at the crystals in Yuko’s dress, very pretty

So the pink dress is a bit more girly and cute while the white one is elegant

It’s a nice contrast, and the best part is that with the dance, Yuko’s dress sways and he shiny fabric reflects the lights, it’s quite pretty (I’ve totally overused that word in this review but whatever)

Look at the detail in the white dress: Another bow!!!! lol

The shoes can’t be seen all that much in any of these screencaps, but they are high heeled sandals. Hot pink for Tomo and silver-white for Yuko

Just a closer look at Tomo’s poofy skirt, very idol-like!

And finally the ending pose of Team K, which is my favorite (In case you don’t know, Team A’s version ends with Rina leaning on Takamina’s chest while she holds her, and Team B’s ends with Yukirin reaching out to take off Nakayan’s glasses)

Best looking girl in this costume: Of course, it’s Yuko, she looks divine!

4. Ame no Doubutsuen

So, we start off with one of my favorite costumes ever, the adorable plushies of Ame no Doubutsuen!

As you can see, each girl is wearing a different costume, representing a different animal. Some of the costumes are admittedly quite inaccurate, or plain weird, but they’re still really cute!

So, as you can see, we have Kaorin as a penguin, Kana as a giraffe (?!) and Umechan as a zebra

On the other side of the stage, there’s Nattsumii as a lion, Erepyon as an elephant, and very blurry in the background Imai Yu as a camel or something like that

The costumes are basically a furry dress (it looks more like a sack, though) which has hoodies in the cases of some animals (panda, giraffe, lion, penguin, camel) or a headband with ears in the case of the zebra, elephant and chimpanzee. The huge paw-like gloves are common to all of the girls, but the shoes they wear vary a little, as we’ll see later on

Yay! Umechan (Umeda Ayaka) is the cutest zebra ever! (sorry Ayarin fans…) Those ears look more like a cat’s though..,

Ok, this is a blurry and sucky screencap, but there you have Kaorin penguin (Hayano Kaoru). She’s a cutie, but Nacchan admittedly looks better in this costume (I’m not screencapping that though, yes, I’m lazy as hell)

Waaah! How cute! Her hood has a beak and the eyes of the penguin, although those are harder to spot. I still don’t quite get how her paws are purple in the surface but yellow in the other side, it makes no sense, considering the anatomy of penguins, but whatever

Kana and Erena are the leads of this unit (yes, Kana was a LEAD in something at some point of her life… I’ll ramble about more resemblances between her and Narita Risa later on, but hopefully Kana won’t graduate like her Team A counterpart…)

Erena also happens to be the cutest elephant ever, only slightly rivaled by Tomochin (no, Mayuyu has no contest here, sorry fans!) And Nattsumii looks pretty cute as a lion, although the costume doesn’t fit her personality AT ALL (she’s the most gentle and caring girl to ever become an idol since Konno Asami) And of course Hana is the BEST lion plushie ever!!! <3

Oh yeah! Hana spam!!! She’s the best *cries*

More Hana spam, this time with the rest of Team A members that were in this unit in the shuffle version of the concert… Tomochin is the only survivor now O_O

Ok, so let’s take a closer look at Kana’s giraffe costume… She doesn’t look like a giraffe at all! Everyone I’ve shown this costume to goes “Oh, that’s a cute doggie suit” and I’m like “No, it’s a giraffe” and then they roll their eyes and laugh at me… You know, giraffes are one of my favorite animals, but I have to admit, this doesn’t look like one at all! Still, the hoodie makes it pretty cute

In contrast to the weird giraffe costume, the elephant is so freaking cute! Of course, Erepyon wearing it is part of its charm, but the huge ears, and the cute tie are irresistibly adorable!

Ok, so here the little Maachan chimp (Oku Manami) makes its appearance! That one is adorable as well, it has the huge ears that I so like!!

Nontii panda! (Noro Kayo) She looks so huggable XD Also, pandas are Nontii’s favorite animals, and she looked positively happy wearing this!

Look at the back of the costumes! Each one has a tail to go with it, and in the chimp’s case, a pink butt sewn into the costume XD Why couldn’t Berryz Monkey Dance costumes be like this? 

Finally, a shot of the rather neglected Yu camel. I have no idea of why they came up with such a costume, camels aren’t popular animals, and it doesn’t even appear in the lyrics (I think) They should’ve gone for the deers, which appear in the lyrics, BTW, and who could resist a cute Bambi costume with small antlers and all…

Here you can see how every girl has a different type of shoes/boots according to the animal they are disguising as. Kana (giraffe) and Nontii (panda) have the biggest ones, which makes me feel sorry for them as they must be really hot in the furry outfit PLUS the huge furry boots.

All in all, the costumes are colorful and playful enough to fit perfectly with the ight and lovey dovey atmosphere of this song, but I feel like they must’ve been kind of uncomfortable, seeing how hot they must be, and also, how hard it is to manipulate a microphone with those huge gloves, and dancing with the huge boots/shoes. That’s not to mention the big headpieces, that Erena had to keep adjusting during the latest performance of this song in the AX concert…

Best looking girl in this costume: Hana!! Ok, I’ll get a hold of myself, I promise! It’s Erepyon, I see her in that elephant costume and want to freaking adopt her!!

Ok, that’s enough pictures spam for now, so I’ll leave it like this. I’ll post the rest later, and I swear there won’t be as many pics, I’m just obsessed with the unit costumes of this stage <3

Hello! Have you missed me?? I’m extra happy today because now I can finally talk about my favorite team!!! So if you’re not a Team K fan, prepare to become a convert!!!

1. Seishun Girls - Beach Sandal - Kimi ga Hoshi ni Naru Made:  

So, we start off with another school uniform, of course! As you can see, the first thing the girls do is take off their dark blue vests to start dancing, which is an interesting tough, but I wonder why having a vest if they’re going to wear it only for like 8 seconds…

So the girls turn taking off the vest into a part of the choreography, as they swing it around in the air and then throw it away XD

So, now that we have lights we can see the uniform itself, which is pretty simple, really. Like something you could actually see in a real school.

Or in a magic school like Hogwarts? See, Sayaka is a Gryffindor!!! That was pretty obvious… XD

Ok, so we have different tie colors for the girls, and other than that all uniforms are pretty much the same

The only thing that makes this unifrom a bit different than a regular high school one is the small chain that hangs from the waist. It’s a nice and subtle touch and I like it

Oh, look, Sae is a Gryffindor as well! Ok, I’ll stop it. The pink ties don’t match the color scheme of the uniforms, which is more grayish green than anything else, but since this is an idol group after all, there just HAD to be something pink…

Lovely Yuko is lovely <3 That’s a funny face she’s making there though…

The shoes are normal brown shoes that would go with any uniform IRL. Not very creative, but I like how the whole feeling of this uniforms (especially in contrast with the pink and white ruffly ones from A1) point out how Team K are idols, but they’re not all about the hearts and lace, as they’re the “cool girls” (no pun intended…) of AKB!

YUUUUKOOOOOO!!! <3 <3 <3

Best looking girl in this costume: Hmm… that’s tough, because all of the uniforms look kind of the same, but I think it’s gotta be Sayaka, she totally rocked it!

 

2. Blue Rose:

Ok, this screencap sucks, but I have like 30 mor to make up for it XD It’s just to give you an idea of how amazingly cool and sexy ths outfit is!! 

Sayaka!!! Ok, so here we can see the leather coat, and if you look closer, the collar and cuffs are embroidered with some sort of sequins or something like that, very flashy and cool as hell

That’s Meetan, in case you’re wondering. Well, the difference in outfits here is very subtle, the leads (Sayaka and Yuka) wear leather skirts while Sae and Meetan wear leather hot pants, as can be seen in the pic.

And the other difference is that the leads wear only a necklace, while Sae and Meetan have a leather choker (pretty much like the one in KissDame, only black)

 

As you can see, all of the girls have a lace black garter, very sexy <3

Sayaka’s abs deserve a post of their own O_O

The girls have belts on their leather skirts/hot pants. I find this fact funny, but I don’t really know why, maybe it’s because I never wear belts, so I find it odd that they are everywhere in AKB costumes!

All of them have one biker glove, and the tops look like corsets, with laces and stuff (HOT) also, note how the tops of the leads are smaller than the ones Sae and Meetan wear (I think this was planned so that Sayaka could show off her abs and Yuka could show off her waistline lol)

This outfit is the definition of coolness, and it has become iconic of Team K (sorry team B fans, but this version CAN’T be beaten at all…)

Sexy Sae!!

Yuka’s HUGE silver cross looks pretty cool! It seems to fit her character somehow, especially now that we’ve all heard MARIA…

And, finally, the boots that go with the outfit! They’re shiny, like everything else and have a medium sized heel, which must’ve made them really difficut to jump around in O_O At least at first try…

Best looking girl in this costume: It’s a tie between Sayaka and Sae. Sayaka’s abs and perfect body made her look amazing in this, but Sae REALLY worked it, like alaways <3 So yeah, it’s a tie

 

Ok, I have to go now, but later today or tomorrow I’ll post the rest of this review! Don’t miss it! Bye bye!

Sakura no Hanabiratachi:

*sigh* Whoever dares criticize this outfit is not much of an AKB fan, I guess. It’s just soooo emblematic. Of course, I’m not going to be one to disagree, I love it to death

So, basically, they have a little jacket over a white satin dress. I don’t know what that symbol in the jacket is, or what does it mean, but I guess it’s a random thing, like it happens with most of AKB’s uniforms.

Waaah! Look how lovely they all look! And if you look closer, those boots they are wearing are the same “Kiss wa Dame yo” PVC ones. I bet they aren’t so comfortable, it must get pretty hot in there…

Ah close up so that we can see the collar and the single golden button. What I like the most about this outfits is that even though they look a bit like they are school-related, they aren’t typical school uniforms, which makes them original. Also, the satin and the petticoat thing under the dresses makes them flow in a very nice, almost dreamy way, very very pretty

Whoops! Blooper/wardrobe malfunction! Risa’s jacket isn’t supposed to be open lol. But it does help to see what’s underneath, which is the outfit for next song! *gasp* I’ll just comment that the light blue tie thing of the dress sticks under the jacket when they raise their arms and looks a bit out of place, but that’s all.

Best looking girl in this outfit: All of them look fraking adorable, but I have to give it to Takamina, she looks really sweet and tiny in this <3

Aozora no Soba ni Ite:

So the girls finally got rid of the jacket and now we can see their ultra lovely dresses. no matter how emblematic Sakura no Hanabiratachi is, I can’t resist hearing Aozora no Soba ni Ite, with its lovely recorder intro and sweet melody when it’s paired with this angelic dress <3

This dress vaguely reminds us of a school uniform, with its sailor collar and all, but the small ribbons on the sleeves and the boots give it a different feeling altogether

Look at the little ribbons in the sleeves!!! *hyperventilates out of cuteness* Takamina looks a bit like Yuko in this pic :O Or maybe I just love my Yuko so much that I see her everywhere

Random Hana pic # 2 <3 <3 <3

Mushroom hair Acchan cracks me up XD

Random Hana pic #3 (plus, there’s Nacchan in there! Go crazy all you Nacchan-ers!)

Rina and Risa look like angels <3 Ok, I’m clearly not talking about the dresses anymore, so I’ll shut up.

Best looking girl in this outfit: Narita Risa hands down. She looks unbelievably cute in this. Honorable mentions go to Rina and Takamina (because she manages to remind me of Yuko here)

AKB48:

Sexy Maimai… Ok, it’s time for the last outfit of the stage!! As we can see, we’re getting ads up our butts with this song, not only is it called AKB48, and the chorus is almost entirely filled with the words “Akihabara 48″ but they also felt like they HAD to make the girls wear AKB48 T shirts, in case we didn’t get the message *rolls eyes* Very subtle indeed, Akimoto, just your kind of thing…

Oh well, they matched the T shirts with simple jean skirts, shorts and pants! It’s not that bad! It’s not like they’re wearing a silly yukata with AKB48 written all over it… Oh wait… they WILL actually wear that in the future *shakes head*

I associate this image of simple jeans and T shirts with AKB for some reason. I’ve heard people complain about it, and say that it’s kind of sloppy, not very idol like, and songs could have special outfits tailored for them instead of just throwing in some jeans and shirts for the girls to wear. However, I have to say that considering how AKB are “Idols that you can go and meet” the simple girl next door image really helps the audience feel closer to them, unlike the poofy dresses that are typical of the unreachable idol image, this is a somehow inviting image, like they are normal girls, they could even be your friends.

They are all wearing the same belts, to give an image of uniformity (is that even a word? XD) Also, while the jeans are plain, the skirts have little colorful patches which are very cute, they should’ve all worn skirts, or the jeans should’ve had a special detail like this.

Nobody looks better in jeans than Maimai (well, at least nobody in Team A does)

Random Hana pic #4 She got the lime green T shirt! I believe there were pink, blue, green and yellow T shirts.

Best looking girl in this outfit: Maimai, for sure. She’s too beautiful, it’s almost unfair <3

So, all in all, 

Costumes I loved: 5 (Classmate, Anata to Christmas Eve, Kiss wa Dame yo, Sakura no Hanabiratachi, Aozora no Soba ni ite)

Costumes I disliked: 2 (Party ga Hajimaru yo, Hoshi no Ondo)

Costumes I didn’t like nor dislike: 2 (Skirt, Hirari, AKB48)

Best looking girl in the stage: It’s a tie between Oshima Mai and Kojima Haruna, but I guess all of you don’t mind since they’re both so damn gorgeus!

So I guess that means that this was a good stage costume-wise. Also, it’s a great achievement considering how it was their first time! Jewelery was almost absent here, which is an element that will gain more relevance in further stages, as we’ll see. Also, the almost uniform unit costumes will change in order to give every girl a different feeling and also to state a difference between the lead of a unit in some cases, which was only subtly done here. Besides, we’ll see jeans and T shirts appear many many more times, so brace yourself if you’re a hater!

Don’t forget to comment! See you next time!!!

 

 

Hi!! Well, here I am, and we’re going to go over the rest of A1 costumes right now! Yay!

Anata to Christmas Eve: 

Yes, take a look at the lovely gloves please. They are made of lace and have furry cuff thingies with a golden button on them. I love how elegant this outfit is, even though it looks so simple

Ayu-nee! Ok, fangirling aside, look at the lovely satin shirt, with ribbons in the sleeves, the beautiful necklace and the delicate ruffles. This is a costume that was well thought out and it turned out lovely.

A pic of Chiru! I don’t know how that brooch/necklace is called in english, but I remember that my grandmother used to own one, and it really helps in the elegant mood of the costume.

A full body shot to see the long black skirt that goes with the outfit, and a bit of the shoes. The skirt does look a bit awkward on Chiru because she’s sitting, something doesn’t fit quite well there, maybe the boots look too short?

A close up of Ayu, so we can see the wine red rose in her hair. I love how it matches the rest and also is a nice touch of color in the outfit that’s otherwise pretty black and white

And finally, one last full body shot. I’m not sure if the shoes are boots, but I think they are. All in all, this was a great outfit and I love how well it matches the song.

Best looking girl in this outfit: Well they both looked lovely, but I think Ayumi looked slightly better, if only because she was standing up, which didn’t make the short boots look so awkward…

Kiss wa Dame yo: 

Ok, people, it’s time to take a look at the costume from the “sexy and grown up” unit of A1, KissDame. The ultra bright yellow lighting doesn’t help a lot with the screencaps, but this shot is just so you get a general idea of what the dresses look like. Shiny!

Maimai is <3. Well, other than that, you can see how this is the first time that jewelery gets involved in a costume so far. The white plastic earrings with golden crystals are something I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing IRL, but they work really well with the outfit. Also, note the belt-like choker and bracelet which match the rest perfectly too, especially because of the PVC gloves and boots.

Another full body look at the outfit. I like how it’s a sexy and sassy dress, but without being too revealing or slutty (take note Biyuuden, oh wait… nevermind…) Also, notice how this is the first unit in this stage that has a little change in the costumes of the girls. Mai is the leader in the unit so she has 2 gloves, while the other girls only have one.

Shiho! The dress consist of a layer of golden fabric, and a second layer made of sparkly golden plastic circles. I saw a dress like this a while ago, only with smaller sparkly thingies and I swear I was just about to buy it, until I remembered how bad I look in that color XD

 

Ok, this is probably not the best pic of Mai, but take a look at her bracelet! She was a Team B supporter even before it was formed!!! XD Go Team B!

It’s hard to tell from this pic, but the girls were wearing considerably more make up in this unit than in the rest of the stage. The red lipstick Maimai sported is something I’ve never seen again in a stage, and helped with the “grown up” feel of the song

Mai the proud Team B supporter XD and her partners, future Team B members Shiho and Cindy. Ah, the ironies of life… Look at the belt like chokers, somehow I find those kind of sexy…

Best looking girl in this costume: It’s got to be Mai. I mean, the girl could wear a potato sack and make it stylish and hot while she’s at it. 

Hoshi no Ondo: 

I’ll have to prepare my flame shield here, everybody loves this song with a passion, and the outfit that goes with it as well, while I… well, I… I hate the damn outfit, really. I can’t believe they couldn’ come up with something prettier for such a lovely song

Here we see lovely Ohyay wearing the mostrosity that is this dress. (also, there’s something really wrong with her feet, not only in this pic, but throughout the whole performance… maybe she DOES have 2 left feet, which would explain her adorable dance moves <3) Sadly for me, Ohyay was the only one who looked good in it, so I’ll leave further comments for the rest of the girls.

Oh look, it’s Usami Yuki, yes, the graduated member nobody remembers T_T Ok, now you can see what I meant by shapeless. Also, satin makes a comeback, seems to be the fabric of choice in this Stage. The glove works well with the dress, and the bracelet is kind of random, but I guess it makes the whole thing a bit more elegant

You know, it’s not so much the shapeless dress I hate, but the totally random and hideous astronaut boots. I mean, WTF? Why couldn’t they think of delicate shoes to go with the dress?? Oh no, it’s gotta be the huge ugly silver boots…

I’ve got to give credit where credit is due, though. The design of the dress itself is good, but the execution is poor, or something XD Also, I’m not sure I understand the length of the dress. IMO it should’ve been shorter if they were going to pair it with boots (and NEVER those boots)

I like the attention to detail. The design in the back is a very nice touch. But come on, it doesn’t fit well! At all! I have to say, in favor of the dress, that in further appearances (like the first concert tour, or the more recent Shibuya AX concert) it seemed to fit way better. I don’t know, maybe they redid them? Or I’m just fooling myself?

 

Those boots are killing me. Other than that, look at the hem of the dress, it has a cute little frill that I like. Oh, and also, notice how Tomochin is the only one wearing 2 gloves. I guess that makes her the leader, but I didn’t really notice her the most or felt like she got more lines than the others *shrugs*

Blurry screencap FTW! Well, you all know what Tomochin looks like anyway, right? Her gloves are different from the other girl’s, hers are shorter and have satin bows on them, which I happen to find very cute and idol like. I approve.

Another look at the gloves, which are one of the few saving graces of this outfit…

So yeah, look how the rest of the girls (like Ohyay here) wear just one armwarmer thing and a bracelet while Tomochin wears both cute little gloves and she also gets to wear the bracelet, only not in her wrist but in her arm @_@ (and no, I’m not using this as an excuse to post more Ohyay pics…)

Random Ohyay pic #1  Erm… I mean, look at the little sequins/crystals in the collar! Very cute, I like these too

Best looking girl in this outfit: Well, in case you haven’t guessed yet, it’s obviously Ohyay! Her dress fits her perfectly and that bright red shade looks great on her!

 

Ok people, I’ll be right back posting the final costumes, I just don’t want to do it all in here because it gets pretty crowded with pics, I’ve just noticed XD

Hi everybody! I’m back from my horrible week of death and now I have a tiny update in store for all of you guys! This is a pretty pointless series, but I still really wanted to do it, so here we are!

Starting with A1, I’ll review all of the costumes that AKB48 girls have ever worn on stage, this is of course a very ambitious task (and considering how many projects I’ve left unfinished in this blog we’ll see how this one goes) but I’m kind of sick of not being able to update because of my computer crash and all the screencaps being trapped in the other HD so we’ll see.

So, without further ado, let’s get started! Our first victim is A1 Party ga Hajimaru yo, what’s interesting about the outfits that were used for this stage was their simplicity, which is a rare quality to be found in the idol world, but thankfully, AKB’s costumes are usually simple, cute and effective which is quite a relief, especially considering how Onyanko Club used to dress…

Party ga Hajimaru yo - Dear my Teacher - Doku Ringo wo Tabesasete:

So here’s the first costume of the concert, a school uniform (which is the most recurrent theme within AKB costumes) I happen to have a love-hate relationship with this outit, as I find the pink color to be quite cute, but the black socks kind of irk me (and so do the ruffles in the shirt…)

This is a classic image of AKB, however, and it certainly evokes nostalgia… I doubt that the long sleeves are a wise choice for an outfit that it’s supposed to be worn to jump around and dance, it must get pretty hot in there

Oh hai Cindy! (no, Hana being in the background of this shot has NOTHING to do with me posting it) I don’t really like the collar and ruffles, they look sort of… dated somehow.

Woot! My favorite gravure girls! <3 This is just to show the sleeves… and the ruffly (is that a word?) cuffs in them which are a cute detail, also, notice how the hem of the shirt has that same ruffle, I like these, they make the shirts look cute!

The tiny ties aren’t all that nice either, they should’ve been longer, but I can understand that making them that way would’ve probably led to them getting in the way with the arm moves in the dances

 

Yeah, the black socks are a no-no. I wish they had worn white ones with lace or something girly like that, to keep in the same style of the shirts.

 

I find it funny how the skirt lenght is different in the girls when you look at them as a group… I can’t help but wonder if that was intentional or not

Ugh ignore the transparent screencap, I was just trying to get a shot of their shoes. I feel like these don’t fit at all with the rest of the costume either… How about some cute mary janes instead? Sure, nothing beats how comfy sneakers are when it comes to dancing, but I’m sure they’ve worn more uncomfortable things before… Ok, I’m rambling now. The shoelaces of different colors are a nice detail, and I can’t help but find that bit cute…

Best looking girl in this costume: Well, they all kind of look the same… I think it fits Harunyan pretty well (what doesn’t?) Her creamy skin looks lovely matched with the pink and white of this, so I’ll give it to her

Skirt, Hirari: