Chuo Dori

Team B 3rd Stage ~Pajama Drive~

I am finally getting around to talking about the third, and quite possible the best of the three current stages.  And thank heaven for that.  Pretty soon this stage is going to be complete (Feb 1)  By the way…

Why did Team B have two “training” stages?  There are a few members with experience from other teams, and Team K only had one.  Then again, the writers do have to compose a lot of songs to accommodate all of the teams.  BTW, does AKB48 have songwriters on staff?  If so, how many?  Or do they just use “independent contractors”?

But whatever the reason, it worked out perfectly because Pajama Drive is a superior set, with plenty of fun performances.  I have seen four different versions: once live, once in the AKB48 cafe, and twice “on demand”.  One thing that particularly stands out for me are the awesome costumes they got to wear, most of the time.  These are my random thoughts about B3…

I never really saw the curtain open when I was in the theater because the strobes “blind” you during the Overture.  I have a feeling they do that on purpose.  Why are their backs turned to the audience?  Oh I get it, they are playacting.  Shonichi is about them being selected for team B!  The uplifting feel is appropriate for their first original song.  The striped Seifuku is so cute, and it is cut perfectly to show off their figures!  Man, the stage has a lot of give.  When they jump in unison you can see it buckling underneath them.

I never knew who the front girls of Team B were until I saw them perform live.  They really perform well as a team, although during Hissatsu Teleport Cute Rumi, Mayu and Kashiwagi Yuki get a lot of camera closeups  Gokimen Naname na Mermaid sounds like a a doo-wop song.  That explains the costumes.  They are either very skimpy nighties or very modest swim costumes.  It is about an angry mermaid!  What I don’t like is that some of the costumes are cut make the girls look chubby, and nobody is chubby in Team B.  Noguchi Reina’s outfit is a prime example.  On the other hand Hirajima Natsumi is not skinny, but her costume is cut perfectly!  BTW, why is it that whenever I look at Reina I think of David Letterman?  And when Oota Aika smiles she looks like Suzuki Airi.  BTW, this opening set is soooo cute!!!  I noticed it when I was in the theater, and again on demand, Saeki Mika is a great singer!!!  She stands out in Futari Nori no Jitensha.

On the video I watched for this, they all seem to be fascinated with the fact that this was going to be shown “On Demand”  During the MC there is a lot of “hamming it up” for the camera.  I had always heard that Mayuyu (at 14!!!) plays up the “sexy card”, but Haruka and Cindy are the sexy ones here.  “My name is Cindy, I love you.  I want you.  Prince, come on, come on come on!” OMG, so cute.  Cindy is great!  And I never knew Oota Aika was such a power player in Team B.

The set after the MC has some really good songs in it, and a couple that are just ok.  The funniest thing about Tenshi no Shippo…if you ever go to the theater to see this stage, look up!  There are a bunch of half-deflated balloons in the rafters from this song, LOL.  Pajama Drive doesn’t really do much for me, but Mayu sings just like Tomomi Kasai!  Junjou Shugi is great!  And boy do they look hot in those outfits.  Matsuoka Yuki does sexy very well she steals this from front and center Haruka, who is a little flat.  Nita and Kashiwagi Yuki are a power duo on Temodemo no Namida.  It’s not my favorite song, but I just like the way they perform.  Nito is a great singer.

Now this might be my favorite song of the stage.  With a song title and metalesque intro like Kagami no Naka no Jean da Arc, I half expected Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden to come out and sing this song!  AKB48 does a lot of hard rock style music.  And it’s usually pretty impressive when they do.  I don’t remember who replaced Kikuchi Ayaka when I saw this, but it was an awesome performance!  Rumi, Cindy and Miku, this song (and the following MC) has most of my favorite Team B members in it!  And I swear Cindy has to be related to Abe Natsumi, she looks so much like her.

The last couple of songs before the encore were just okay.  I don’t care for their singing in their lower registers on Two Years Later, they have trouble projecting that way.  There is a marked difference between the earlier and later performances of Inoki no Tsukaimichi, which reminded me a lot of Switch from A5.  Probably because of the dancing.  The first time I saw it I felt like like they didn’t have the power/confidence to pull it off.  But the November performance was much better!  But I guess even AKB48 can have an off night.

Matsuoka Yuki is a highlight of Kiss Shite Son Shichatta.  I really like her a lot, and always have.  I am sorry to see her graduate.  She is also the best on the team atr singing in her lower register, which is done on quite a few songs here.  Though I’m not sure if that really plays to the team’s strengths.  Boku no Sakura ends main set  The last few songs kinda dragged into the encore

encoree encoree

Wasshoi B! kicks ass!  This is the song where they sing their nicknames.  But who are Palms & Labskie?  Ahhh, clothing store.  They must be a sponsor.  I checked their web site, they have some cool stuff!  I could watch them perform this song over and over.  Team K’s 16nin song is cute, but this one is just so fun!

Suifu wa Arashi ni Yume wo Miru is okay, when I saw them the penultimate song was Oogoe Diamond.  There was a lot of pushing of that song this past fall!  Shiroi Shirt is Team B back to utilizing their strengths, being cute.  It’s a fitting end song for Team B, they are such a cute and fun team!

I wouldn’t call it my all-time favorite stage.  But the girls did a damn good job!  It starts out really well, but loses steam about halfway through.  It is redeemed with the energetic and fun encore.  But that isn’t a knock on Team B.  They are a really great team.  And they play as a team, although there are a couple of individuals beginning to emerge…

Personality wise, Mayu, Rumi, and Kazumi really stand out.  But I really admire the singing abilities of Moeno and especially Mika.  And Noguchi Reina really interests me.  There is just something about her.  She is cute, but slightly strange looking.  And she has an introverted aspect to her personality.  But I love Tanabe Miku.  She is so pretty!

So there ya go, all three stages.  Although A5 is now being performed with a full team.  So I may do an update on that one.  And before ya know it, B4…I can’t wait!

CK in California

I have said it a thousand times.  And most every AKB48 fan will say the same thing.  Until you have seen the stage shows, you know very little about AKB48…

Like most everyone else, I learned of AKB48 by experiencing the singles.  I don’t remember how I was introduced to the group, or who did the introducing.  I just remember seeing the PV for Aitakatta, and I was in love instantly.  Acchan was obviously the first girl to catch my eye, as she is one of the stars of the video.  I immediately purchased the CD single, and my fandom for the group had begun.

It wasn’t until much much later that I started to learn about the group dynamic.  In fact, when I saw AKB48 at Shibuya AX, I had no idea what the concert even was.  I merely thought it was “a concert outside of their normal venue” much like 1st Concert Aitakatta! I knew they had “stages”, but I had no idea what that even meant!

So over the past year I have learned a lot.  I have seen many of the past stage shows.  I got the chance to experience the theater in person and see all of the current stages.  I got an example of what it is like to be an AKB48 fan in Japan.  And now I love them even more!

I was reading Cat’s post about the ABC’s of their stage songs, and it inspired me to do a post of my own.  The stage songs can never get enough love!  So here we go (the links are to YouTube performances)…

Team A 1st Stage ~PARTY ga Hajimaru yo~
You probably know: Dear My Teacher. You know, the “do it baby, kiss me baby” song?  They are singing about their teacher, hawt!

Doku Ringo wo Tabesasete

Awesome stage song: Doku Ringo wo Tabesasete. The song is a great mix of sophistication and cuteness.  It has a modern electronic music style.  I love the “chu chu chu” part.  And the song is an homage to Snow White!

Team A 2nd Stage ~Aitakatta~
You probably know: Aitakatta! If you know any song by this group, it would be this one…
Awesome stage song: Glass no I LOVE YOU.  I wanted to pick a song other than Rio no Kakumei, which is my favorite of the stage.  But “Glass” is really good too.  It’s the hook that gets me, the way they end the chorus with “I love you” sounding like “ee love you” is so cute!

Team A 3rd Stage ~Dareka no Tame ni~
You probably know: Seifuku ga Jama wo Suru.  The poster song for AKB48 detractors.  I have never totally gotten the allegation that the song is about underage prostitution, but promiscuity, sure!
Awesome stage song: Nage Kissu de Uchi Otose.  I love when Acchan fronts “cute songs”, I think it is when she is at her best!  This really stood out in my memory at Shibuya AX.  I also remember how cute and enthusiastic Miichan looked while performing it.

Team A 4th Stage ~Tadaima Renaichuu~
You probably know: Bingo! AKB48 were really hitting their stride when this single was released.  And it’s a fun song!
Awesome stage song: Kimi ga Oshiete Kureta.  A4 was the first Stage DVD I ever purchased, so it holds a dear place in my heart.  Only Today is actually my favorite A4 song, but it is the c/w track to the Bingo! single so I wanted to go with a lesser known song.  And I am glad to see my beloved Oh-yay getting some face time!

Team K 2nd Stage ~Seishun Girls~
You probably know: Virgin Love.  For some reason I’ve always thought this song sounded really “Japanese”, especially with those “doobie doo-waa” lines in the chorus.  And the lyrics are just as risque as the title suggests.  I love when J-Pop idols sing about being with “more than a handful of guys”

Cinderella wa Damasarenai

Awesome stage song: Cinderella wa Damasarenai.  Man, this is such a sexy stage, AKB48 goes latin!  The costumes are awesome.  I have always felt Sayaka pwns this song, and it is perfect for Meetan.  But what really surprises me is how Kana and Tomomi pull off “mature and sexy” so well.  This song, and the title track Seishun Girls are two big reasons why Team K is my favorite.

Team K 3rd Stage ~Nounai Paradise~
You probably know: Honehone Waltz.  There really isn’t an easily indentifiable track here for the casual fan, although this stage is one of my favorites.  Honehone is so cute.  Take the yougest, most petite members, dress them up in black skin-tight tutus, and have them sing a childlike waltz?  I really like it because it’s so “against the norm” for AKB48.  Then again, their catalog is all over the map.  So what is the norm, anyway?
Awesome stage song: Christmas ga Ippai.  AKB48 has done a few Christmas songs over the years.  I really like the new one on A5.  But this one has to be my favorite.  It sounds so festive and is the most traditional.  K3 is so awesome!  Hana to Chire and Ki ni Narou Tenkousei are both great songs too, but I promised to feature songs that Cat didn’t cover.  Good thing this is such an exceptional stage!

Himawari Gumi 1st Stage ~Boku no Taiyou~
You probably know: Boku no Taiyou.  This is not one of my faves.  Granted, it has an uplifting feel to it.  But it is a great example of how the songs you never hear are so much better!
Awesome Stage Song: Dreamin’ Girls.  AKB48 a cappella?  Gee, I guess they can sing.  This song is “win” for so many reasons.  The gospel-style is a musical genre AKB48 has visited on more than one occasion.  It’s another example of the group’s versatility.

Himawari Gumi 2nd Stage ~Yume wo Shinaseru Wake ni Ikanai~
You probably know: Romance, Irane.  This was released during my first sojourn to Japan.  The funny thing is I didn’t initially like the song, so I didn’t buy the single.  Instead I purchased the LE CD of “Set List”.

Mori e Ikou

Awesome stage song: Mori e Ikou and 50%.  I picked two songs here because I love them both so much.  In fact, H2 is an incredible stage.  I highly recommend it for any newbie looking to familiarize themselves.  50% is your standard pop-song.  But I love the outfits, and Tomomi and Yuko are so cute in it.  I love the “Yes ga hanbun de, no ga mou hanbun” part of the dance, so cute!  What can I say about Mori e Ikou other than “amazing”!  It is so mature and intense.  I was so surprised the first time I heard it.  The way they harmonize the backing vocals in the chorus is great!

And as an added bonus, the new stages…

A5, K4, and B3
You probably know: Oogoe Diamond.  It’s the current single, and closing theme to Men-dol.

Tsundere!

Awesome stage song (Team A): Tsundere! is so freakin’ cool!  Don’t let the strange costumes fool you.  And I love the “attitude” radiating from Tomoni and Rie!
Awesome stage song (Team K): Erai Hito ni Naritakunai.  My favorite part of K4 is the opening set before the intros.  This is the fourth song.  It is so energetic that the girls are drenched in sweat for the introductions.  I love the way Ono Erena dances in this.
Awesome stage song (Team B): Shonichi.  A review of B3 will be my next post, but here is a preview.  This is the opening song of the stage.  So cute!!!

Shonichi

I was attempting to explain to one of my clients why I love this group so much.  She didn’t totally get it, but she was fascinated by the uniqueness of it all.  And when I say unique, I am talking about the entire J-pop/Wota phenomenon.  But the point of this post is that AKB48 has such a huge and versatile catalog, I feel people are missing out if they are judging the group by a few singles.  When you dig a little deeper, you just may discover how awesome AKB48 really is!

CK in California

Team K, 4th Stage  ~Saishuu Bell ga Naru~

When I arrived in Japan last October, I had no idea whether or not I would be able to win a ticket for any shows.  But given a choice, all three of the current Team stages have something that appealed to me.  A5 is a brand new Stage, and I was excited to hear the fresh material.  Team B’s was their first with original material, and the scuttlebutt was that it was very good.  But if I could only see one performance, it would have been K4.  First of all, everyone says it is an amazing Stage.  But more importantly, Team K has Meetan in it!  And I was dying to see her in person again.  When I didnt get in on Monday I was disappointed, but I realized it was Noro Kayo’s birthday, and it was a sought after ticket.  I did get a chance to listen and for a brief moment watch the rehearsal through an open door.  (It wasnt my fault, and I wont get banned.  I was just standng there looking at the pictures on the wall, and someone opened to door!)  I stuck around and watched the monitors at Cafe 48.  Luckily I got in with a cancel machi ticket on Thursday.

As this was my first time ever inside the theater, I was enthralled.  So I guess it is natural that I would walk out of the show thinking it was the greatest thing I had ever seen.  The first thing I did when I returned to my hotel was look up the NetCinema performance on the internet.  The cool thing is the show I stood outside the theater doors for was used for On Demand.

So after repeated viewings, is K4 really as great as everyone says?

If the beginning is any indication, it absolutely is!  It is a great four song set, utilizing four different moods.  Mammoth is totally intense.  The grey outifts they are wearing have an understated sexiness to them.  And as much as I think Umeda Ayaka is sort of plain looking, she is a really great singer and dancer!  It is something i noticed time and time again throughout the show.  Saishuu Bell ga Naru totally rocks out!  The verse is great, making it one of my favorite songs of the entire performance.  Boyfriend no Tsukurikata is the cute song, one of many in this stage.  I love when AKB intergrates acting into the performance, which they do a few times in K4.  And then we have the amazing and fun Erai Hito ni Naritakunai.  I love the dance, and you can really hear Tomomi Kasai on the first verse.  By the way, look at how close the audience is to the members!

Two things I remember the most about the MC segment is how the audience kept screaming “Kawaii” after everything Tomomi said.  She is just too adorable.  The other thing I remember is Erena making fun of Megumi’s age, which seems to be a recurring theme in Team K.  Question…Is Hatano Kaoru for real?  Why does she sound like a cartoon character when she talks?  She makes Tomomi sound like a baritone!

Uh oh, I’m not “feeling” the first two songs after the MC.  Especially Return Match, where everyone sounds offkey!  It’s the only song I really don’t like in the whole show.  Another surprise is how many 50’s style songs AKB48 has in their catalog, and Hatsukoi Dorobou is one of them.  This song would fit perfectly in “Bye Bye Birdie”.  But as cute songs go, there are better ones in this stage. Oh, and now I’m ready for everyone to tell me Return Match is their favorite song in the stage, LOL!

The show begins to pick up steam again with Gomen ne Jewel.  Another reminder of the talent of Umeda Ayaka.  She and Sae are on lead, with Asuka and Yuka getting a lot of face time as well.  Like many songs here, this has a classic pop feel to it.  In the theater I was fixated on Sayaka’s navel pierce in this costume.  I kept thinking it was part of the outfit!

I was wondering…When Ohori Megumi takes a night off, who does the lead on Oshibe to Meshibe to Yoru no Chouchou?  Do they even perform it?  It’s a classic Meetan song.  It oozes sex, and Tomomi as the lolli girl?  How awesome is that?  Mendol has nothing on this.  It is four minutes of pure fanservice!

With 16nin Shimai no Uta, we get AKB48 in yet another genre.  Classic Country?  Kana, Natsuki and Natsumi poke fun at all of their team members ala Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari.  It is really cute, although Kana seems to be screaming some of her lines.  You don’t hear too many country-styled J-pop songs, even from Country Musume.  there is an MC segment after this song.  And in the show I attended Nacchi got into a dialogue with one of the audience members.  She gave the guy a pointed retort, and had the cutest sassy look on her face after she said it.  I’m not sure what was said, but the audience seemed to be surprised by it.

It’s time to give Noro Kayo a little love.  You know, the other 25 year old member of AKB48.  I wonder how she would have done has Akimoto issued her the 10,000 CD challenge?  By the way, so far this stage has been exceptional!

Stand Up brings us back to a more contemporary pop sound.  Coolgirl is exactly that…girls being cool in a sexy rock song.  I am always impressed how versatile the group is with so many different musical styles.  And I will say this once again, until you have watched the stage performances, you have much to learn about AKB48.  The dancing here is energetic.  Meetan gets a little carried away.  Nice butt shot!

I love the chorus of Kaiyuugyo no Capacity.  That is followed by Ai ni Ikou, which is cute, happy and fun.  Look at the adorable outfits!  However that “rap” interlude in the middle of the song comes out of nowhere.  Definitely a “WTF” moment.

encoree encoree

In Shamu Neko I noticed that sometimes Noro Kayo looks chubby, and other times she looks totally sexy.  I really like her.  But sometimes when I watch her I think “Jeez, she really doesn’t look that good.”  Another little note, I noticed Naruse Risa doesn’t get a lot of camera time on the video.  But she is really impressive live!  I had never noticed her before.  She is very energetic, and seems like she’s a lot of fun!

I thought I was hearing a reprise of Kaiyuugyo no Capacity when I heard the beginning of Melos no Michi.  But this song is more intense, and sounds more like a classic AKB48 song.  After the obligatory performance/plug for Oogoe Diamond, the show ends with a beautiful ballad…

I am always tough on slow songs, but Sasae is total win!  I remember getting choked up listening to it.  Hey, it was the last song of the first stage performance I had ever seen in person!  And the way they roll-called their names toward the end of the song was adorable!  Kayo screws this part up during the On Demand performance.  But it was her birthday, so we’ll give her a pass!

So to answer the question…Does this Stage live up to the hype?  I think it does.  I would classify almost half of the songs in it as great.  Most of the rest are good.  I don’t like Return Match.  But that’s only one song.  But here is another question that comes to mind…

Why do they cut out the MC segments on the commercially sold DVD’s?  It’s not like they are running out of space on the disc.  The girls are great live, and I am sure the audience would love to see more of their personalities.  This is the idol business, and we want to hear as much of our favorite idols as possible!

That said, K4 is a total winner!   As good as everyone says.

CK in California
(YouTube clips by Kyobu)

One thing that makes Stage48.net so special is there are quite a few members who spend considerable time at the AKB48 Theater.  So when an announcement like this is made during a show, it spreads to the fans on the internet rather quickly.  RSL from Where’s Natsuki? reported this on his blog a mere hours after the show ended.  Matsuoka Yuki will graduate from AKB48 on February 1st, the final performance of Team B’s 3rd Stage.

This is news I feel particularly bad about, and I will explain why in a moment.  For the casual fan, Yuki was never one of the most recognized members of AKB48.  However, she apparently has a decent comprehension of the English language which is nice for any “Japanese lacking” AKB48 fan who is going to a handshake event.  She made an impression on me during Team B’s performance of Rio no Kakumei on the Shibuya-AX DVD.  Yuki is the one who does the English part of the song…

I want to relate three stories about Yuki.  The first is “third party information” told to me by someone at the theater, and it is one example of Idols being possessive about their fans.  And forgive me if a mess up the details of the story.  It seems that there was a fan in particular who really liked Yuki, and would show up to see her at the handshake events and photo-ops on a regular basis.  For some reason this fan began taking a liking to another member, and started visiting with her.  Allegedly this upset Yuki, and the next time he attended a show she refused to look his way the entire time.  I also remember him telling me there was some backlash by the fans because of it.

The second story happened to someone I know at a recent handshake event.  Once you get into the event, the participating members are all sitting at separate tables.  You then queue up to meet the idol of your choice.  When my friend got in there were long lines for the other girls, but nobody was lined up to see Yuki.  She was just sitting by herself and looking sullen.  So my friend decided to shake her hand, and she was so gracious.  According to him the management was trying to get him to move on, but Yuki wouldn’t let go of his arm.  He then used another ticket to go back in and shake her hand again because she was so sweet.

When I saw Team B Live, I swear I heard a smattering of “boos” when she introduced herself in the first MC segment.  And given all of the stories related to me about her lacking popularity I felt really awful for her.  So when I hear that she is graduating, I kind of get the same vibe I had when Mutou Mika graduated from Ongaku Gatas and Hello! Project.  Why is she leaving?  Did a lack of popularity have anything to do with it?

So I hope that whatever has Matsuoka Yuki leaving AKB48 is a good thing for her, and the fans will give her a wonderful sendoff at Shibuya AX and the final B3 performance.  Personally, I think she is a great idol.  And I will miss her on stage enthusiasm.

CK in California

Although originally my blog at Vox was mainly about the groups of Hello! Project, I quickly began branching out and covering other groups.  If you read that blog, you might remember that I wrote about…

Ketchup Mania - This Japanese punk-pop group was the best part of Japan Nite 2008.
SCANDAL - Another Japan Nite act.  They recently signed a major contract, their first big single is great
Perfume - I wouldn’t call myself a huge fan, but I really like their full length CD, Game.
THE Possible - I loved when they strapped on the guitars and played rock band!!!

I have written about other groups as well (Whiteberry, Komatsu Ayaka, Idoling!!!).  And I have also done a few random film and dorama reviews.  But one of the first non-H!P groups I started blogging about was AKB48.  In fact, I have compiled quite a few posts about them over the last 10 months.  So instead of reposting all of those old articles here, what I thought I would do is post links to those articles so you can see how my fandom has developed over this past year…

Sakura no Hanabiratachi…A Lesson In Success  2/26/2008
This post after the release of the long form PV to point out how more effort and creativity AKB48 has been putting into their PV’s than Hello! Project lately.  And I admitted getting teary when I watched the PV!  It was also the first time I had ever seen AKB1ji59fun!

AKB48 and “The Call of the Wota”  4/05/2008
My first review of an AKB48 stage DVD, Team A Stage 4.  This was where I discovered how much I loved the song Only Today, and also learned what great performers Miichan and Takamina are.  But the best part is my little rant on the guy front and center screaming through the entire show.  It reminded me of some of the craziness I witnessed at Shibuya AX in January!

Ohori Megumi For The Win!!!  6/29/2008
I’m sure everyone remembers Meetan’s little “naked” skits in the beginning of AKB0ji59fun.  Well, those two episodes catapulted her to the top of my J-pop fandom.  I just love a slutty J-pop Idol!  This is when I named her my “favorite human on the planet” LOL!

Happy Birthday Meetan-hime!  08/26/2008
I fall a little harder for Ohori Megumi with this little picspam post, in celebration of her 25th Birthday.  Little did I know at the time what a big deal her turning 25 would turn out to be!  This was also when she was issued the infamous 10,000 CD challenge.

AKB48 Live at Shibuya AX, Nobody Told Me How Awesome This Would Be!  9/16/2008
The granddaddy of my AKB48 posts.  My review of the DVD coupled with anecdotes of my experience seeing the show firsthand!  The Shibuya AX DVD Boxed Set is the gem in my J-Pop collection!

AKB48 Takes Part In Tokyo 2016 Olympic Bid  9/30/2008
Just a random article I found when playing with the google desktop on my new computer.  I thought it was great that the organizers felt AKB48 was significant enough to include them in this event.

Oogoe Diamond  10/4/2008
Just a quick review of the song and PV.  Obviously I liked it!

The Day After…Devastation in the Don Quixote Theater  10/7/2008
It is announced that two of my three favorite members are among the five who are graduating, and my other favorite may be forced to graduate?  I took the practical approach and began naming new favorite members from each team.  Although I must say I was premature in these selections.  After spending a week and a half in Akihabara last month I finally found my princess of Team B (Tanabe Miku).  And of course Meetan is staying.  So the list at the bottom is sall we say…outdated?

With or Without AKB48,  メン☆ドル (Mendol) is a Great Show!  10/13/2008
Notice how much more frequent the AKB posts were getting!  Five minutes into the first episode I was already in love with Mendol.  This might be my all time favorite dorama!  It has everything Sex, Comedy, Romance, Intrigue.  The title of the article means that the show itself is great in it’s own right.

CK’s Japan Tour, Fall 2008 Day 5-6 ~The AKB48 to H!P transition~  10/31/2008
Actually if you read the entire 8-part series from my trip to Japan, almost every part has an AKB48 anecdote in it.  But this particular post has a bunch of pics taken inside the theater and a short synopsis of my experiences seeing Team A and Team K.  I saw Team B a couple of days later which was covered in this post.  If you didn’t read my October-November Japan trip articles, please check em out!  I loved writing them!

The AKB48 2009 Calendar:  I Feel Like Charlie Bucket  11/8/2008
All I can say is…Look what pic I found in my calendar!!!

So that was 12 or so posts out of 88 since I started my first blog.  And now I am here, with a blog dedicated to the girls of Akihabara.  I love it!  It’s the least I can do to promote the group I love so much.  Well, there is more I can do, and one little “surprise” is coming in a future post. 

CK in California
(Meetan & Graduates photos from stage48.net)

Team A, 5th Stage - Renai Kinshi Jourei

I was reading Cat’s Aitakatta! blog last week, and she brings up an interesting dilemma when one is an AKB48 fan from overseas planning to book a trip to Japan.  Most of the time there is no guarantee you will get to see the group in concert, unless they are playing a special event at a big arena where the tickets are sold in advance.  But if you want to see them at the theater, there is no guarantee they will be playing while you are there.  Sure, they are usually performing.  But case in point, the week prior to my October arrival there were no shows the entire week due to a big handshake promotion for Oogoe Diamond.

Second, you have to win tickets to the show via email lottery.  So again, no guarantees.  Although if you are emailing for tickets throughout the week, I am sure you will see multiple shows.  I emailed for six, and got into three.  And two of those were “cancel machi”!

I had one opportunity to pick one show I was guaranteed to see.  And even though Team K is my favorite of the three, I chose Team A because being a brand new stage I figured it would be the toughest to get.  And I was right, I never won a ticket to Team A other than that one.  So I made a wise decision.

After I saw all three Teams perform in person, I concluded that Team A’s stage was my least favorite.  With the exception of one or two songs, it just wasn’t memorable to me.  And K and B’s stages were so much more exciting!  They both left a much stronger first impression.  But now that I am home I have had the chance to watch NetCinema’s broadcast of the three current stages, and my opinion of all three have changed dramatically.  Some of the songs I liked at first I don’t care as much for now.  And some songs I didn’t care for then I now love!  Go figure.

But still at Stage48.net I read more and more people are dissatisfied with A5 right now.  And I feel badly because the more I watch it, the more I love it!  But it does have some handicaps… 

Nagai Hikari ~ The opening song is one problem, in my opinion.  And it’s not that it isn’t a good song.  I really like it!  But you start the show with AKB48’s traditional Hip-Hop styled “Are You Ready” overture, and it trainwrecks right into a song that starts out as a ballad.  And it’s too bad because Amina’s solo at the beginning (I think that’s Amina) is stellar!  I just think this song would be a lot more effective somewhere else in the playlist

Squall no Naida ni ~ The funny thing is my first thought when I watched this song was that it’s bad luck to open an umbrella indoors.  Then again, Singin’ in the Rain has been done on stage indoors for decades without a hitch as far as i know.  This song is really cute, but it brings up another issue, and it’s not their fault either.  This is a brand new stage.  And I believe the NetCinema performance was one of, if not the first live performances of it.  So obviously the girls aren’t as comfortable with it as if they had been performing it for months.  At the end of the song the Kenkyuusei come out and dance.  It’s a cute albeit awkward moment.  But whoever the last girl was, she’s a really good dancer!

Now at this point I started to notice that I really didn’t recognize Team A at all.  Am I at the right theater?  I must be because I see Acchan.  But this is another reason why the show hasn’t gotten the best feedback so far.  I don’t think that the Ogie Pro girls (Haruna, Takamina and Miichan) have performed in it yet.  And when I was there Mai, Tomomi and Yukarin were missing too!  Double that with the recent graduation of five Team A members.  So the show was dominated by Kenkuusei and newbies.  I would be lying if I didn’t say it bothered me a little at the time.

JK Nemurihime and Kimi no Au Tabi Koi wo Suru, are mostly memorable for the wintery Seifuku they are wearing, very cute!

Kuroi Tenshi ~ Boy does Acchan look hot here!  I’m glad to see her getting in touch with her sexy side lately.  And just in time.  When does she turn 18?  I love the costumes here, and who is the Kenkyuusei that looks like Erepyon little sister.  She had my attention when I saw the show in person.  She is very energetic.  I was talking to someone after the show and I commented how impressive Maeda Atsuko is when you watch her up close like that.  And he agreed, saying that she wasn’t one of his favorites until he saw team A in person.

Renai Kinshi Jourei ~ To me, this is where the stage gets really good!  And yes I know I skipped Heart Gata Virus.  I have never given Amina Sato much thought, but this is the second time she has impressed me in this stage.  The newbie that impressed me the most when I was there was Kitahara Rie, but I kept thinking she was Miho!  Forgive me for being a relative AKB newbie.  But hey, I can name over 30 of the members by pic, I don’t think that’s too bad!

Tsundere! is far and away my favorite song of the stage, and those costumes are too funny! (see above)  This just rocks out!  The lyrics are great, and Tomomi has such great attitude up there (I forget who took her spot when I saw them)  They need a song like this for the beginning to frenzy up the crowd.  But obviously they save the smaller unit songs for the middle of the show.  This brings me to a little rant…

I hear a lot of dissing of AKB48 around the English speaking J-pop blogworld.  And to be honest, most of the complaints I hear are just dumb.  Hey, I’m not telling you to like AKB48.  But it seems to me that most of these opinions are based on seeing one or two PV’s.  I rarely hear anyone say they don’t like the songs.  I can respect that.  But until you have seen the stage performances, you know very little about AKB48…

“There are too many of them” - Last time I checked there are currently close to 40 members of H!P.  So what the hell are you talking about?

“They should do smaller unit songs” - They do…all the time.  Care to watch a stage performance?

“They are too dirty” - Oh please, would you stop basing your entire opinion on Seifuku ga Jama wo Suru?  AKB48 has close to 200 songs in their catalog!  And like H!P has never done a risque song, right? 

If you don’t like them, fine.  Just don’t sound like an ass!  Okay, rant over…

Manatsu no Christmas Rose ~ AKB48 has done a few Christmas songs over the years, and this is probably my favorite!  It seems like the Research Students play a big part here, and I love the cheerleaders and the pom poms!  Which leads into an adorable MC segment.  Yukarin has written her script on her hand, and keeps forgetting what to say…so cute!!!

Switch ~  Very sexy, and I love the robotic dance at the beginning.  Nice euro-techno beat.  Now at this point in the show I understood why I paid 500 yen for the little red flag as they are all wearing them on their outfits.  But what am I supposed to do with it???  By the way, it’s time to point out another problem.  The camerawork here is horrendous.  I don’t think they had the camera on the lead singers once for the entire first verse.  Isn’t that supposed to be the focal point?  Again, the disadvantage of this being a brand new stage!  Although it sort of brings home the experience of being at the theater with those crazy pillars.  Unless you are front and center, sometimes you can’t see the main singer.  So you focus on the girls closest to you. 

After Marukyuu which is just okay, we get my other favorite song of the night, which is Hikoukigumo.  I picked it as my fave that night, and it holds up to repeated viewing and listening.  So that’s what we’re supposed to do with the flags!  I’ll bet this song gets a few votes for Shibuya-AX 2009.  The audience participation factor is a lot of fun, as is the song!  I didn’t care much for the last song of the set, Ano Koro no Sneaker.  But that’s me, I am always tough on ballads.

Encoree, Encoree

Another thing I learned is there is an actual person assigned to start the encore at each show.  It’s another priviledge you can win!

AKB Sanjou! ~ Aahhh, I have found it!!!  This is the song that they should open the show with.  It is full of energy and attitude.  And I believe it will be even more powerful once Team A is back at full strength!

After Namida no Shinkokyuu, it is the final MC segment.  If I can make one complaint about their MC’s, many of them seem to go on forever!  But maybe that’s not a completely fair statement because I am struggling to comprehend the conversation most of the time.  But this was very sweet as it was the surprise announcement of Chisato Nakata’s promotion to Team A.  Aww, she cried really hard.  But then got to lead off Oogoe Diamond.  By the way, every Team did that song when I saw them.  It is Team A’s song, but having all of the Teams do new single is a common practice. 

So what is wrong with A5?  I say NOTHING is wrong with it!  It’s not a perfect stage.  I still say it’s a little slow going.  But overall it is filled with fun and pretty songs.  And I’m sure with practice and a complete Team A performing it the show will get better and better as time goes on.

CK in California

I learned a long time ago that in order to succeed, you sometimes have to think “out of the box”.  And sometimes what “success” looks like is quite different from what you first imagined.

When I came home tonight, I was debating whether to do a few IW writeups or complete the review I am doing for AKB48 Team A’s 5th stage.  But I realized I hadn’t yet watched this week’s episode of AKBingo!  And this is the week we are supposed to find out the results of the Ohori Meshibe experiment.  Would Megumi sell 10,000 copies of her debut single by the deadline?  Would she be forced to graduate from AKB48 if she failed in her assigned task?

I don’t want to say that I am speechless.  But I am really having a hard time finding the words to describe my feelings about what I just witnessed.  This was without a doubt the most heart wrenching moments I have experienced when it comes to J-pop.  I’m sure there will be many people who will say that I am totally gullible, and this was all a bizarre skit.  But I really don’t think so.

We all raised our eyebrows and made jokes when this was first announced.  And after the first week when the sales were around 4000, we all figured she was doomed.  It really felt as if Megumi had painted herself into the proverbial corner.  But of course the producers were going to help her along by heavily promoting the single within their weekly television program.  And of course they were going to make it entertaining…

But what started to unfold…what started to be revealed was that it was the producers in that proverbial corner, not Megumi.  The master plan had started to become embarassing and downright humiliating for her.  And that became glaringly obvious when she started uncontrollably hyperventilating at this final promotional event.

I cannot imagine what was going through her mind on that day.  But after all she had been through, she was facing the prospect of public failure and termination from a job she obviously loves.  And failing would also be feedback on how popular an idol she really is.  After all of that, what we were left with was a beautiful but helpless young girl reduced to uncontrollable sobbing and convulsions.  I don’t know how anyone could not be affected by the reality of that moment.  Just look at the expressions on the faces of the hosts of the show.  I was amazed that she was ultimately able to regain her composure and appear in front of the audience yet again.

And then almost at zero hour we have the appearance of her groupmates there to offer moral support, or a shoulder to cry on.  The looks of fear, concern and utter sadness were pronounced.  Poor Erepyon and Tomomi were immediately reduced to tears.  And you could tell many others were just seconds away from breaking down.  The reality that was unfolding in front of everyone’s eyes was just too much.

After all of that, there was no way the producers could callously come out and say “Sorry Ohori-san, you missed it by 500 CD’s.  We’ll set up a nice graduation ceremony for you at Shibuya-AX this year”.  Could they?

I said a long time ago that there was no way that Lord Valdemort would live beyond the 7th installment of the Harry Potter series.  It would make no sense.  And the same goes for the fate of Megumi, booting her would make no sense either at this point.  Frankly, it would have pissed off the fans.  And what about the rest of the girls in AKB48?  Might they have been wondering if the same thing could happen to them?

Yes, we finally got the happy ending we were all hoping for.  Megumi will continue on with AKB48.  Of course she is!  Didn’t they just announce an “adult show” on Saturday nights beginning this Spring?  I’m positive that concept was designed with her in mind!  She will definitely be one of the major players in it.

So congratulations to Meetan on 10,000 CD’s sold.  I’m glad I got to contribute to your success.  And thank you for showing the world what a sweet and beautiful young lady you are.

“No man is a failure who has friends” - Clarence Odbody (Angel, 1st Class)

CK in California

(here is a link to the YouTube version of this episode, thanks to AKB1ji59hun)

Oops, using this domain to write a post is just like doing writeups for International Wota!

Okay, it’s time to take this new blog for a spin. Welcome to Chuo Dori, my new site. I have been posting for the past nine months on Vox at CK’s H!P Blog. This past Summer I as invited to contribute to IW. More recently I as promoted to editor, which means I get to have some input on decisions made regarding the site…cool! Let me start by thanking Ray for inviting me to his domain. All of the admins at IW have been so helpful and friendly. Thanks to Broomhead for recommending me. To pengie and Maize for helping me figure out the site. For so long I wanted to be a contributor to that site. And I love doing it.

Now about this blog…I named it Chuo Dori because of AKB48. I know that street runs through Akihabara, and I was under the impression it was where the Don Quixote Theater was located. But alas, I believe I was mistaken (LOL!)  As a result the focus of this blog will be…you guessed it, AKB48!!! I’m not sure what I am going to do with my Vox site. One thought was to continue to do Hello! Project posts over there, and everything else here. Then again, I don’t know if I post often enough to need two blogs! If I leave Vox it will be bittersweet as I have a love/hate relationship with it. But it is where I got started, so it holds a soft spot in my heart.

So building this site will be a slow process. I need a banner, add some widgets, and figure out how the hell it all works. The first posts I have planned are reviews of the latest AKB48 stages. I finally figured out how to screencap. So I am looking forward to that enhancement.

Alright, let the fun begin!!!

CK in California

I just read this in my email from CD Japan.  Then again, the old Tokyograph article did say Fall, didn’t it?

It is being released this Wednesday, CD Japan has the CD/DVD Limited Edition for about $14, great buy!  But I think I will stop by Tower Records when I get to Japan next week and pick it up. The song sounds great! The girls look great, and it is a well put together PV. Doll Kicks Ass!!!

CK in California

If you know my last name, you will get that joke.

We all should have been clued in when it was announced the 2009 Elder Club tour was titled Thank you for your LOVE!  The big announcement has been made.  The announcement that I have been “expecting” for a long time now.  The entire Hello! Project Elder Club will be graduating in March 2009.  Not to say I told you so, but I did “sort of” predict this back in April of this year… “Trusting The Hello! Process” 

In that post I said that H!P and UFA would most likely be doing a lot of “pruning away” of the elders in order to stay contemporary and profitable.  Specifically, I predicited the extinction of the Elder concept, and the graduation of most of the Elder members before the year end.  I didn’t think it would be everyone, but the obvious move has been in the air for a long time now.  This is most likely going to be “the end” for many idols, though obviously not for all.  For some this is merely the long overdue next step in their careers…

Abe Natsumi, Nakazawa Yuko, and Yaguchi Mari have already been doing a lot of acting and television outside of H!P.  That will obviously continue.  And I’m sure we will see some singing in their futures as well.

Maeda Yuki always been a “fringe” H!P member at best anyway.  Will her enka career continue?  Probably.  I don’t think the H!P banner helps or hurts her career either way.  As for Iida Kaori and Sugiura “Tsuji” Nozomi, they have already moved on to parenthood.

Matsuura Aya is beyond H!P, and has been for a while now.  I doubt her career will skip a beat!

Yoshizawa Hitomi and Ishikawa Rika.  We just got a glimpse of what’s next for them, Hangry & Angry.  So obviously their careers are moving forward.  And I am sure this new unit won’t be their swan song.

Fujimoto Miki has already moved on in a way, judging by the style and promotion of her most recent single.  Then again, that single didn’t take the J-pop world by storm…

As far as the H!P Eggs that are also members of Ongaku Gatas, my guess is they will continue to be Eggs.  I would be really surprised to find out that Noto Arisa is part of the graduating class.  I know all of the reports are saying “all of Ongaku Gatas”, but I still hold out hope since the Eggs weren’t mentioned.

As for the rest, this may possibly be the last time we see many of them in a performance medium.  That’s not to say all of their performance careers are over.  I am just saying that there is nothing presently on the horizon for any of them.  But I really don’t know.  Only time will tell.

It’s a sad and happy moment at the same time.  Now if I can be selfish for a minute…Now I am in a quandry about the Jan/Feb concert at Yokohama Arena.  As many of you know I will be in Japan next week to see Morning Musume, Berryz Kobo and Matsuura Aya.  And I was seriously considering returning for H!P Winter 2009.  This announcement definitely makes me want to go.  But now the tickets will be hard as hell to get a hold of!  What to do?

Only time will tell…

CK in California