Yes, again!!! If you were wondering why I was conspicuously absent from International Wota’s Cake Day Festivities, Thursday (or is it Friday?) I spent a harrowing god knows how many hours making the journey from my humble San Francisco Bay Area apartment to the place known as “Awesome Island”. That’s right, I am back in Tokyo for another vacation full of idol fun! Unfortunately my first evening was blown by a 2 hour delay for my flight, plus extra heavy traffic from Narita Airport to my hotel. But I finally checked into my hotel at 7:30 pm. But what is in store for this trip???
The first weekend is going to be extra hectic…
Morning Musume Spring Tour. I don’t have a ticket yet, but I plan on heading out to score one tomorrow morning for the Sunday Matinee. Actually, there are a few H!P related shows while I am in town…Melon Kinenbi, H!P Eggs, and I believe Manoeri. But I haven’t decided whether or not to see any of them too as many of these events conflict with one another. We will see…
AKB48 2-shot Handshake Event at Tokyo Big Sight. This is going to be awesome. I am finally going to get that 2-shot with Ohori Megumi that I missed out on last year. I actually have tickets to take pictures with 4 girls, and I am working on more.
AKB48 Live at Yokohama Arena. Since AKB48 is getting so popular these days I figured I would plan my trip around one of their big shows. This way I was assured of getting a ticket instead of hoping for the lottery. This is the biggest venue AKB has performed at in their history, so I am sure all three shows will be super-special.
AKB48 Theater. Everyone says I have great AKB lottery luck. So far I have won a ticket for the only two shows I have applied for, and they are both tomorrow (Saturday) I am seeing Team Kenkyuusei in the afternoon, and SDN48 at night! I have an email in for SDN48 on Sunday night as well. I hope I win!
So that sums up the first half of my trip. I also have a ticket to an SKE48 handshake event, but I may not have time to get there…
The last 6 days have nothing definite, but I have a few possible events in the works. I don’t want to jinx it, as I haven’t figured out how to score tickets yet. But I just found out about a concert happening next weekend in Tokyo. Who are the performers???
Momoiro Clover!!!!!
Anyhow, I would add media to this post, except I am totally jetlagged. :( But please look forward to my reports, if for no other reason than to see if I survive this hectic weekend. And I promise loots of pics!!!
I remember a day long long ago, while watching the AKB48 Budokan Concert on a brand new Black & White Philco T.V. in front of the local F.W. Woolworth’s department store…AkiP’s henchman tgsk came out and announced that our beloved Teams would be reformed beyond recognition. The surprise announcement was met with anger and despair. Has Akimoto lost his freakin’ mind? How can he do this to the girls? How can he do this to us, the fans???
From dread, to anticipation, to frustrated impatience…The day has finally come.
This is the Team K. The new Team K that is. Sure there are a few key members left over. But after watching the premiere performance of “RESET” it is the addition of new members that is setting the tone for this team. That and the overall songwriting. K6 is filled with energy and fun, not to mention some great dance routines. To me it is the perfect Stage to open the new shuffles. And it again begs the question “Why do we bother second-guessing the decisions of Akimoto Yasushi”?
So who wins in this new Team K…
Tomochin Wins! Not that she wasn’t winning as a member of Team A. She is a Top 10 Senbatsu, she gets plenty of work outside the AKB48 Theater…But here she isn’t competing with the likes of Takamina, Acchan, Mariko and Kojiharu for front girl attention. In fact you can make the argument that in this stage she IS the front girl for Team K. I have long said she is one of my least favorite members. But over the last year she has repeatedly shown me that I should reconsider that opinion.
Miichan Wins! Miichan has been slowly fading from the spotlight as an original member of Team A. The mixi rankings back that up. And while she isn’t constantly in front like Yuko and Tomo, I haven’t experienced her this enthusiastic on stage since A4. So I think Miichan sees this as a new opportunity, and she is taking advantage of it.
Moeno Wins! She isn’t a front girl…yet. But she is right behind the leaders and a key member of the Team. She sounds great along side Itano in her unit song. She is going to get the opportunity to show everyone how great a performer she is. And of course she is adorable!
Ucchi Wins! She won the moment she started crying during her heartfelt opening MC. I always wondered how she felt being the last person promoted during the shuffle announcement last year.
Sayaka Wins! She wins because she embraced what it really means to be the leader of the Team. It isn’t about being the “front girl”, which she is totally capable of. It is about making your Team as great as possible. It is about knowing when to be visible, and when to be invisible. Everyone looked genuinely excited to be performing that night. Sayaka is the perfect team leader.
The fans win! Hehehe, lucky bastards! I wonder how many FC memberships they have???
Oh yeah….
9th Gen. RS Wins!Lemon no Toshigoro is growing on me with each listen. And getting the opportunity to perform as an opening act for Team K is great exposure for them!
Just because I didn’t mention certain people doesn’t mean they didn’t “Win” in my book. Those were just a few of the stand out performances to me. The only knock on this stage that I can see so far is that most of the songs maintain a similar rhythm and tempo, causing many of them to be less distinguishable. It is evident in the opening set, although I think it sets a tone for the entire show. Question: Will RESET replace Korogaru Ishi ni Nare as the quintessential Team K theme song? I hope so, frankly I was getting bored with the old one.
One thing is for sure, everyone is going to love Uhhouhoho. I love it too, but it isn’t all the “gorilla chanting” that I like. Musically it embraces my favorite elements in an AKB48 song, and I love the verse!
To me the unit set is an across the board win! The only song I hear getting a lot of criticism is Ashita no Tame ni Kiss wo. While I agree it is the least exciting song of the set, I actually do like it. It’s just that the other songs are full of awesome. I adore the Tomo/Ono/Nito unit. The three of them are perfect together! I love Sae’s unit as well. I’m having trouble deciding which is my favorite song of the set. Seeing Misato up there with Yonechan and Sae makes me smile…
I might be in the minority here, but I just love Kokoro no Hashi no Sofa! The song itself is in a genre I haven’t heard AkiP dabble in too much…Modern Country. And it’s so pretty. I am mesmerized by the melancholy bridge. Yuko dominates the song, but she is lovely in it! Surprisingly the song I was least enthusiastic about was Gyukuten Ouijisama, which to me sounded a bit generic. Not that I disliked it, but the other four were much more memorable. On the other hand, putting Chris and Uchi in the “cute” unit is good for their image IMO.
The songs leading into the encore are the most generic sounding, and to me the least exciting part of the show. I really like the uplifting feel of White Day ni… The encore is another story entirely. I like all three songs, and Yume no Kane will probably stand out for the intense and anguished performances.
By the end of the show I think it is safe to say Team K’s 6th Stage is a total crowd pleaser. Will it go down as one of AKB48’s “Best Ever” Stages? It might be a little to early to tell, but I think most everyone is going to love the show. It does a great job of whetting our appetites for A6 and B5. If those stages are as good as this, Akimoto’s shuffle idea may go down as nothing short of genius!
And that’s coming from someone who’s Oshimen is Ohori Megumi!!!
I am having a tough time picking a “Top 5″, and I am sure I will go back and edit this later. But here goes…
5. Lemon no Toshigogo (Yes! Haha!!)
4. Seifuku Resistance
3. Uhhouhoho
2. Kokoro no Hashi no Sofa
1. Kiseki wa Ma ni Awanai
The Top 2 are interchangeable as I love both of them so much. But yeah, it is safe to say the “Unit Set” was my favorite
Everything about this is no less than 100% total WIN! The song kicks major major ass. Both of the Tomo’s are totally freakin’ hawt…not to mention the bevy of schoolgirls dancing around them. And the video is pretty funny too. You gotta love the fight stopping when the girls pass by (Hehehehe)
Jeez, this video has everything! I’m not even going to bother recommending that you buy this CD/DVD. I swear to god, one look and you will be sold. Promise!
But first let’s talk about the budding friendship between our anti-hero Maeda and the enigmatic Yuko-senpai. Yuko goads Maeda into ditching the hospital for a little outdoor fun. While doing so Yuko attempts to learn what makes Maeda tick. At the same time Maeda learns a little more about herself.
On the surface it would seem Yuko is merely trying to be friendly and helpful. She sees this pretty girl all wrapped up in a shell, and she wants to open her up a little. Make her smile. Which by the way isn’t the easiest exercise for her either.
The tough but caring Sado overhears the bad news that Yuko is a bit worse off than she originally thought. Watching this scene, and this entire episode for that matter gives us a few clues on how this is all going to turn out. But hang on a sec…
Not to go on an unrelated tangent, but I hated Takoyaki the first time I tried it in Japan! Just hated it, and I got an upset stomach too. I hated the consistency, and they seemed to disintegrated in my chopsticks. So why do those Octopus Balls look so round and firm? Maybe I got a bad batch the first time around. Most of my friends in Tokyo think so, and they promised to take me for good Takoyaki when I return next month. Anyhow, sorry for that interruption. Back to the story…
By the way, it was nice to have the four “shadows” of Rappappa make an appearance. And they had lines too! Poor Tanamin gets tortured by Sado. She was just trying to be nice
Sado is less than pleased that Yuko is out gallivanting around town in her condition. Yuko feels her displeasure right across the face. However it doesn’t take long for Yuko to get there was something more serious than general frustration behind that slap.
Oh yeah, we almost forgot about “Black” and her magical Crucifix didn’t we? Daruma certainly didn’t, and she has a little plan. Yes, it’s time to redeem a few past characters…
Nachu has herself a crew! When I saw this my jaw hit the floor, for it dawned on me how this series might end. And no, I’m not talking about Yuko versus Maeda here. In fact the more those two hang out together, the less likely that’s going to happen, at least as the climax to the series.
Like with all good WWE wrestling scripts, the good guys have to take a little bit of a beating before finally winning the match. And Black’s ninja-like moves are proving to be too much to overcome. If only they could….
GET THE FRIGGIN’ CRUCIFIX!!!
Damn that was awesome! Yukirin got “smoked” by Sae and Tomo! Nachu throws in her patented headbutt move for good measure. Yep, everyone’s favorite sidekick is beginning to own her power!
Did somebody say symbolism?
***
To quote the immortal Billie Thomas, “Fried Chicken for everybody!”. Yatta! Seeing everyone getting along even brings a tiny smile to Acchan’s face! (hence the Allen Funt reference, get it?)
In my reviews of the first six episodes I have drawn comparisons to quite a few gang and crime films. And watching this installment reminded me of an old film called “The Wanderers”, which was about a bunch of New York City High School Gangs circa 1963. It was a typical coming of age, high school rivalry type of story. But by the end of the film all the gangs in school team up to take on an even bigger threat.
Like the above touching Yuko-Sado flashback scene, now we have olive branches being extended all over Majisuka Academy, while Yabakune lies in wait on the outside with their little “Mayuyu-mole” doing their dirty work. Who’d have thought that Nachu would be the one to bring everyone together???
But before we get there we’ll have to deal with the insanity also known as Gekikara!
I can draw quite a few comparisons to famous old “gang style” films. In fact the 7th episode really brings one to mind in particular. But watching Rappappa’s resident hothead Shibuya take her starring turn at challenging Maeda, the character she brings to mind is Santino Corleone.
Yes, Don-Yuko is the leader of the gang, but she’s in hospital with the cool and reserved Sado (Michael Corleone?) standing guard. So then who is Enzo the Baker? Maybe he’s the gay character in the hospital?
It turns out Daruma has a past with Shibuya. She didn’t realize this when she got her butt kicked in episode one? (Nachu must be portraying the “Fredo” character) In any case, she leaves a note to her new “Hormone Buddies” to take care of Maeda while she goes off to train…
Hahahaha. Someone forgot to cue Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger”. Nachu’s training sequence could have been the funniest thing so far to happen in this series if it wasn’t for another little part of the story…
Kuumin!!!
Shibuya sends her flighty little soldier off to find Maeda for the big challenge. By the way, I love the entire sequence with Dancu and her kawaii little friends. They even threw a token ganguro in the mix!
Oh no, Tessio…errr, I mean Mayuyu is weaving her evil spell over Tomochin now! Ya know…she is clever and cunning, but I think it’s a given she is going to get her her little butt handed to her before all is said and done.
Nachu accepts Shibuya’s challenge in Maeda’s place. It’s time for Daruma to exorcise a few demons in her past, which is a theme that is going to carry over into episode 7. Shibuya is none too happy about the turn of events, but she accepts the challenge as sort of an “appetizer” to the main course. Which means it’s time for yet another Daruma ass-kicking…
By Daruma’s own admission she isn’t much of a fighter. But you can’t say that she is unable to take a punch. No matter how hard she falls, she is always ready to get back up and fight another round. Which brings us to Maeda. Where has she been for half the episode???
She has been off taking life lessons from Don-Yuko at the hospital. By now Yuko knows who Maeda really is, and she is obviously intrigued by her. We still aren’t sure why, but all will revealed in time. As a result Maeda is off to rescue her newly acknowledged friend. And in so she cannot avoid Shibuya’s challenge. This is perfect!!! Maeda has a new move she wants to try out…
Wait for it…
HEADBUTT…GOODNIGHT NOW!!!
“That’s a Sicilian Message…Shibuya sleeps with the fishes.” Oh yeah, doesn’t she look cute when she’s unconscious? I half expected Maeda to kick her in the face while she lay there.
To the victors go the spoils…and of course the victory wings!!! Maeda gets another life lesson about true friendship
You could call it an “ass-kicking of love” Daruma was certainly touched.
I love Shukan AKB! I think I got hooked on it when they did that spicy food challenge. I really need to put in my regular “viewing schedule” along with AKBingo! And Majisuka Gakuen because I am probably missing out on some good stuff. But when I saw than Mikapon was the star of last week’s episode I just couldn’t pass it up! The girls played a fun little game, filled with cruel little stunts. Standard idol fare, but it had a catch. In order to advance to the next round you had to lose. So the object was to get eliminated as soon as possible. As long as you lost, you had to keep playing. I’ll spare you the suspense because the result is in the above title.
The adorable and aloof Mikapon went the distance in this episode. Now in one respect she totally won because it meant she got to be the star of most of the show. It’s funny, I have a feeling Komori probably “blundered” her way into AKB much the same way. But on this day she won in more ways than one. Let’s see how she did it…
Round One: The girls must choose a tasty cream puff in order to win the round. Choose a sour one and you must advance…
Awww, look at the sour face
***
Round Two: A variation on the classic 40 meter dash. One catch, you can’t finish the race without slipping into a pair of shoes that are placed in front of the finish line. Unfortunately for the girls, some of those shoes are nailed to the floor…
Jeez! That’s a great way to break an ankle! Aren’t these girls dancers? If I were their agent, I would have put the kibosh on that contest so fast. The good news is, nobody was hurt. Oh, and of course Komori face-planted her way into the next round.
***
Round Three: The ole’ Electrocuting Pen trick. Are they kidding? I hope nobody has a weak heart…
Is Mika a robot? I’m not sure. She barely flinched when it supposedly shocked her. Some of the other girls went flying! Now at this point I started rooting for her to “lose”
***
Round Four: Russian Roulette??? Is anyone else having flashbacks of The Deer Hunter? Man, these AKB producers are wild…
Ya know, the effect isn’t as cool when you hold the gun 2 feet from your temple. I said I was rooting for her to lose before. Now even Komori is getting into the spirit.
***
Final Round: I like to call this one “Tribute to the Three Stooges”. Cut the strings…have a turkey pan (or whatever the hell that is) fall on your head. The tension was mounting. Would it be Komori…or Ayarin? Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk…
It went all the way to the final string! These girls should buy a lottery ticket!!!
Awww, poor Komori got all beat up this week. What did she win for being the “loser” of every round?
***
In the spirit of the Morning Musume “Crap Girl” sports extravaganza of a few years back, AKB gave her the same crown for having “rotten luck”. But at the end of the day the joke was on everyone else…
I could go for a foot massage right about now. Actually I would settle for massaging Mikapon’s feet. What a lucky guy!
I don’t know what the heck those coupons are, but she is sure happy about it. Way to go girl. You are a winner in my book!
Things are beginning to get a bit more “serious” over at Maji Academy. But that doesn’t mean the most recent episode of Majisuka Gakuen didn’t contain the silly and quirky moments we all laugh at on a weekly basis.
Nachu’s got herself a new scooter, Yay!!! But it doesn’t take long for the ever-faithful but slightly dimwitted apprentice to have it ripped off. And I thought there wasn’t any crime in Japan?
It turns out the Yabakune are a lot more “ambitious” than we thought. In addition to general thuggery, we can now add Grand Larceny and Prostitution to their resume. Amina and Yukari hang out in Tokyo’s red light district offering “massages” for 5000 yen a “pop” Maji’s school nurse just hit another level on the “creepy meter” with his fetish for cleaning the wounds of young girls. Too funny. Oh, and nice jacket!
In the meantime Yuko-senpai spends time at the local hospital toying with her adult buddies. But Maeda has had just about enough of this horseplay…
Yuko can tell there is something “special” about this girl, but before she can really pinpoint it she goes all “Sailor Venus” on us and gets dizzy. Oh, that can’t be good. I guess that means the “Four Queens” are like Endymion’s Four Guardians, eh? I am interested to see Yuko-senpai’s reaction when she finally finds out it is Maeda that Sado’s been talking about the whole time. She is obviously intrigued by Maeda. This is beginning to become the Sailor Moon plot, isn’t it? Acchan = Tsukino Usagi? Now enter the scariest character to appear in this series so far…
If you thought I was going to say Sayaka, you are dead wrong. Mayuyu is clever, ambitious and evil! Don’t let the “kawaii” clothing fool you. She is a master manipulator, and she has yet to flex any muscle to advance her little scheme. So far the Yabakune and this week’s guest villain Sayaka have fallen into her trap.
Oops, Yabakune may be ambitious, but they aren’t the sharpest knives in the drawer. This might have been the funniest moment of the show! Cardboard box is toast!!!
Mayuyu the puppet master begins pulling the strings on Maeda and Sayaka by spreading rumors and fueling Sayaka’s ambition. The ploy works, and Sayaka begins her quest to take out the new “big threat”. On the other hand, Maeda’s modus operandi is to ignore the issue as long as she can…
Unfortunately for Maeda her secret is out. Sayaka uses Maeda’s “keyword” to goad her into a brawl. However, before things got too out of hand the fight ends. But why?
I think they both realized how unnecessary this fight actually was. Sayaka obviously respected Atsuko on some level. At the same time they both realized they were being “played” by someone else. So Mayu’s scheme didn’t work…for the moment.
But if you think that’s the last we will see of Mayuyu, guess again. Like I said, she is the scariest character we have seen so far. And her plan to use others to advance her own ambition could be described as “Manson-esque”.
While rummaging through my picture file I came across this pic that someone sent me around the holidays. I thought it would be a crime not to share it…
That has to be the hottest picture of Nito Moeno I have ever seen! I don’t care if it Christmas has already come and gone. Would you look at that outfit? LOOK AT IT! Just don’t drool too much.
Ahhh, the mystery of the bracelets. Why is it that Maeda looks so longingly at them, as well as the pictures of Takamina. Was she betrayed, or perhaps (and more likely) the betrayer?
But that isn’t the only mysterious little plot point to arise in this episode. Yes, the next juicy “detail” was revealed with the arrival of Atsuko’s crazy mother.
We learned in the first episode that the school principal once had a romantic tryst with Maeda’s father. So it stands to reason that she and Maeda’s mom would be rivals. By the way, this flashback scene was too awesome!
Things were a lot tamer back then. The leaders of Rappappa and Yabakune settled their differences with a bicycle race? Nice outfits by the way. This was the Japanese style of the early 80’s? Is that a Ton Sur Ton sweatshirt? And why is Maeda’s dad dressed like Elvis???
“V” is for Victory, even if you are half buried in a puddle of crap!
***
This is not good news, not at all! The principal is jealous of Maeda’s mother. But she obviously still has a bit of a “thing” for her dad. How is this little drama going to play out. Yet another reason for Acchan to watch her back.
REVELATION #1: Hold on just one minute, didn’t Team Hormone say the rivalry between Yabakune and Maji started with a battle over a guy? Could this be that battle???
But first things first, back to present day matters…
Sanshou Shimai!!! At the urging of Shibuya (Tomochin), Acchan now has “Team Loli” on her back. By the way, is there ever any learning going on in this school? Let’s see, Rappappa spend the entire day in their clubhouse. Team Hormone does nothing but eat. The Kabuki sisters hang out under the overpass. Even the Sanshou Sisters have their own little room, complete with pictures of all their victims.
Another interaction between Maeda and Yuko. This should complicate matters once Yuko returns to school. But it is what Yuko says in passing that get Maeda thinking…
Maeda isn’t too keen on having everyone in school coming after her one by one. Maybe if she gets her butt kicked everyone will leave her alone.
Yeah right, Sado isn’t buying into that trick one bit.
As dedicated as Daruma is, she isn’t helping matters. Maeda is very reluctant to have friends for some reason. When is Takamina entering into this drama? Much of Atsuko’s personal motivations are still a mystery. And since she isn’t the outspoken type, that mystery won’t be solved until we learn more about her past.
If at first you don’t succeed…If Sado didn’t buy into their first ass-kicking, the Loli Sisters will just beat Maeda harder.
That is until the undeterred Daruma comes to the res…errr, to take her beating. One problem, Maeda is still handcuffed.
That doesn’t matter, it doesn’t take much to stop a Lolli…
Boot to the head…GAME OVER!!!
Ehhhh??? Watching Mayuyu giggle when Lovetan and Maachan ran away from the fight was too funny!!!
The Victory Wing. Maeda learns a little bit about true friendship.
Next week, the series debuts of Sayaka, Amina, Yukarin, Miichan and we learn a bit more about Mayuyu. Judging by the preview, Mayu is a Yabakune member.
It’s time for another episode of the AK-fail-Rangers!
***
Our heroes are enjoying another uneventful day in their secret cave below the Donki building. What is that they are reading? Perhaps some putting tips from Tiger Woods? (Oh no!) But somewhere nearby White Saturn (or is it Satan?) is continuing his quest to turn Japan completely white…
That is Yuko’s book? Is she a 3rd grader??? At this rate it will take forever for our villian to fully realize his evil plan.
Then again, the AK-Rangers are the only folks trying to stop him. So I guess he can take his sweet time. Checking the scoreboard, the girls have lost two of three against his evilness. Undaunted, they return to battle White Saturn once more.
Jeez, Yuko doesn’t even know what the challenge is yet. Just the site of the AK-Rangers has her screaming in horror. The challenge for today???
Basketball? Give up girls, you don’t have a shot! No way…no day!!!
In what was quite possibly the worst free throw shot in the history of sports, Mayuyu clears the entire backboard and seals Yuko’s fate. In the immortal words of Coach Reeves on The White Shadow, “It’s a FREE throw for crying out loud!” Oh well, no surprises here. AK-Rangers fail their task yet again.
Sweet Revenge!!! Better luck next time Rangers.
It occurs to me that the AK-Ranger-lolis haven’t won since they got rid of Mikapon and Suuchan. I think this might go down as the worst “trade” since the Boston Red Sox dealt Babe Ruth.
