Chuo Dori

I left Saturday’s GM5 handshake event early. In fact I didn’t have any late handshake tickets at all because I was hoping another event might pop up worth seeing. It didn’t even have to be AKB-related.  But one never knows what make shake out on a Saturday night.  It turned out to be a great move since the event that “popped up” just happened to be…

Ohori Megumi DVD Release Event at Tower Records Shibuya 4/7

So it turns out graduations aren’t necessarily goodbye after all, eh? When this was originally announced, there were supposedly going to be a limited number of tickets, and they had to be reserved in person at Tower. Since I was still a couple of weeks away from arriving in Tokyo, I had to pool my resources, and ask a few favors in order to score a ticket. And I did! However, it turned out to be unnecessary after all as I found out they were letting people in who bought the DVD the day of the event. Oh well…

So my new friend and I got over to Tower around 2 1/2 hours early, bought our DVDs (2 copies each) and received our entry vouchers. For those of us who preordered, we queued up on the stairwell by number (I was #143) As we were let in we were greeted by one of the managers who gave us our autographed covers. One for each copy bought.  BTW, I was surprised that the manager was the same guy who ran Sato Yukari’s DVD release at Ishimaru a couple of years ago. He seems to be a nice guy. Anyway, there were no seats left when I got in, but I got a pretty good standing position on the left, behind three petite girls. So I had a clear sightline.

BTW, while we were waiting they were playing a medley of Meetan’s singing spots on the Summer Zoo show she appears on. The songs that she totally butchers. Half of the audience is just cracking up the entire time. They need to release THAT as a CD! Then a video starts..It is Meetan giving us the rules of the event in a way only Meetan could…totally pervy!

So far the show is totally awesome, and Meetan hasn’t even appeared yet!

Finally our girl comes out in a sexy beige one piece with pink flower trim that totally showed off her curves. And what does she open with? ZOMFGWTF!!! Amai Kokansetsu!!!! I was in utter disbelief that I was getting to see her perform her solo debut single. It was awesome! After that came the interview, where Meetan talked about her future. The grad concert of SDN48. Meanwhile, she of course kept flirting with the audience with her “fake embarassment”. Just too funny. Then came time for games…

can you spot me in the pic?

It was a quiz/janken. the winner of each round getting to go behind a curtain for a little private time with Meetan. When they got back there you could see the goings-on in silhouette, with pink backlighting.  Sexy Meetan getting pervy with the lucky winner. There were three rounds. I actually came pretty close to winning the first contest. I got knocked out the round before the final. On the last round it was between a guy and a girl, and I think everyone wanted the girl to win including the guy she was up against. But fairness won out, the guy beat her, and we got no girl on girl action.

We also got a few previews of the DVD, including one where the crew played a practical joke on her. Meetan is a great reacion queen. Anyway, this DVD seems to be filled with tons of sexy beach stuff. And judging by the back of the jacket, a bit of cosplay as well. Nice!

After all of that it was time for the handshake portion of the event. Now remember I said both me and my friend bought TWO copies of the DVD. That was because one DVD got you a handshake, two got you a two-shot! It all went went very fast because there were so many people to get through. So they lined you up for your photo as she was handshaking the previous person. then she leaned in for your 2-shot. Then you came around for handshake and talk for about 5-7 seconds. But it was an awesome experience nonetheless.  Ohori said something to me while posing for our photo, but I didn’t understand it.  Then she thanked me for coming while i congratulated her on her graduation, told her the SDN48 concert was great, and finished with a big “Meetan I love you!”…

It was a perfect day. Started off with nothing but Wasalove all morning, then Sexy Meetan for a nightcap. The first of three straight days of total idol bliss!!! I am so glad I got another chance to interect with Meetan post-graduation since I wasn’t sure I would ever have the chance again. But I guess it was fate!

And I have more to post later…

CK in Tokyo

So it isn’t like these trips I take never run into the occasional hitch.  The good news was that I had managed to win a Team K show for Tuesday night.  For those of you who pay attention to the goings on around AKB, you know how hard it is to win shows these days.  But a huge storm decided to hit hit Tokyo today, causing much of the city to shut down early.  That includes the AKB48 Theater.  So my win just turned into nothing.  According to the email I received there will be some sort of “compensation”, but I have no idea what that will look like.  (Update: looks like the compensation is an “automatic win” next week.  I hope it works, I leave next week.  So I basically have one opportunity)

And I was so excited to cheer for Moeno and Yui too!  Anyway…

Since I am basically riding out the storm in my hotel, I will post about a few things happening while I am here.  Beginning with this…

The answer to a question I posed on this blog was answered recently by the announcement of this event, and the announcement that Hatakeyama Chisaki, along with SDN48′s Mitsui Hiromi are forming a singing duo called ChaMin.  Unfortunately I wasn’t lucky enough to win a ticket to Chaki’s event tomorrow night.  But I still might head over there to buy goods.  She has a few cute little items for sale.  And one never knows, maybe I can weasel my way in.  I doubt it, but you never know, right?

What’s that?  Takamina announcing the stations for the Yamanote Line?  If you haven’t heard, one of the trains on the Yamanote inner loop (at least it was inner loop when I rode it) is completely adorned with AKB48 decor as a promotion for one of the local conbinis.  Forgive the crappy camerawork as it was basically the first time I was using it and I didn’t realize I was holding the camera sideways.  I will try to get better footage later this week.

Finally, a nice little report on that great SDN concert from last weekend.  I cannot wait for it to come out on DVD!

I am playing the rest of the week by ear, leading up to the big upcoming weekend.  I have a lot of handshake tickets, and one other little event in store.  One thing is for sure, I will defimitely be making an ass out of myself in front of many idols…

and what’s wrong with that?  As long as they remember me.

CK in Tokyo

Warning, this is going to be long. Oh, and another warning. I might be slightly mixing up the order of events. It was a long show, and a lot of emotional stuff happened…

SDN48 Final Concert at NHK Hall 3/31/2012

So yeah, I am in Japan again. You surprised? I said that I would be aiming for this concert since the day they announced SDN’s graduation. But I almost didn’t make it to the main event I came here for…

After months of worrying about being able to score tickets for SDN’s graduation, they finally announced the ticket lottery. I had a lot of friends applying, so I was reasonably confident about getting a ticket. However, they did announce a “random id check”, which all but ruled out obtaining one from a reseller. Anyway, we didn’t have any luck with the ticket lottery, so I had resigned myself to the fact that I was probably going to miss the show. It wasn’t until the wee hours of Saturday morning that my friend found someone with extra tickets. They weren’t the greatest seats, and they were quite pricey, but we went for it anyway.

I spent the entire morning and afternoon with Tenkun and friends at the Wasamin mini-live, then headed over to Harajuku to meet my friend and the girl wth the tickets. BTW, it was raining, windy as hell, and freakin’ freezing in Tokyo. The doors were supposed to open at 5pm, so we queued up around 15 minutes before. Doors opened almost 25 minutes late. By then I was totally numb. So I skipped the goods line and went to my seat in order to thaw out. Basically missed out on trading pics. The t-shirt had already sold out. But enough of my yappin…let’s boogie!

I am guessing many of you have alrady seen the setlist…and the stage setup since tgsk posted it during the show.  If not, then here ya go.  I didn’t get the jungle theme, along with the door to “Club SDN”. The vines actually blocked the monitor from my view. Show started with the standard SDN overture into Sado e Wataru, which was a curious opener. But they did a very cool rain effect over the stage. That was neat. So the opening set ended, and I figured “Okay, they will do most of their songs, then a tearful goodbye, and that will be it” But then, something strange happened…and I swear I am choking back tears as I write this…

Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring – J.S. Bach?

It was at this moment that I felt this concert was going to be special. It was like, wow, this is REALLY going to be graduation! The pipe organ played for a long time. I was waiting for something to happen Then suddenly two men appeared on stage guarding the door to Club SDN. And these guys were not Japanese. Three members, I don’t remember who was there other than CinDy tried to enter the club, but were blocked by the guards. Then Sayanee came out and asked the guards, in English, how they could get through the door. He responded that you had to knock three times. So the girls all knocked and went in. Next Konan showed up and asked the same question, but this time the guards yelled at her in the Kansai dialect!

The stage setup then changed to inside the club, with a bar, lounge, pool table and dancer poles. Then we got the standard show open with Saturday Night Party, Never, and Black Boy. Both gen’s teams were onstage for this. Then after the first verse of Black Boy, just as the crowd started the 2nd mix, the music changed. They began to intro the members in small groups, each doing a mini-performance while a VTR played above. There was hip-hop, ballet, bubble gum pop, you name it! To me the ballet one was the best. I don’t remember what everyone did, except that Meetan was in a group that did pole dancing ala Dump Show, and Chaki was in the hip-hop group. It was the greatest version of Black Boy ever! Too funny! Onto the next skit, and the first guest star of the night…

Cut to the bar, and some of the girls were hanging out, drinking with the bartender who was curiously “tounguing” a highball glass…Yama-chan! If you don’t know who I mean, he is the ref from the Janken. Masamin sort of led the skit, but Miray and Serina were also there. At one point Yama-chan started making fun of Serina’s voice. That led into the next set of songs…

Now the way they did the units, both team’s units were onstage simultanously. In the case of I’m Sure they were on each side of the stage. As for Yuuwaku no Garter (which was later in the show) the girls shared the same chairs, but on the final verse half of them performed on the stripper poles. At one point Mamitan did an insane split on the pole!!! Full crotch shot for everyone!

There was also a skit before all in, with the girls playing pool. At one point Nonti decided to try a “trick shot”, but failed miserably…TWICE! Didn’t even hit the ball. Then she just threw the cue ball across the table.

FYI, they did the PG-rated version of Futsuu no Anata, and it was about this point in the show that it became apparent the entire catalog was going to be performed.

Queue our next special guest, Mino Monta, who got an amazing reception from the crowd. He had some nice things to say about SDN, then he sat on the couch with the girls from the single. Meetan was totally perving out on Monta-san. They poured him a stiff drink as well. In fact, there seemed to be a lot of alcohol onstage throughout the show. I would like to think it was all real! But before they could perform the song, Rachel came out for her solo while Monta and the girls watched.  Oh, and when they sang Monta-san’s single, the fans’ call for him was louder than the girls!

In the next segment we got Kazue and Cha-min’s new songs. I was so excited to hear Chaki’s new song! I love Kazue, but I thought her song was just okay. Some great moments from the next segment…

Meetan chasing Yamachan around the stage with her whip during Jaujama Lady, the champagne pouring going on behind Onedari Champagne. And of course seeing everyone doing Tamanegi!! Next was the Nachu MC, where she did her impressions. We got to hear a little Daruma, Natsuko/Akiko, Chaki, a few others I can’t remember. The Natsuko/Akiko one was classic, with Natsuko sounding like an airhead and Akiko sounding dopey! And of course her big finale, Takamina.

I think it was at this pont when the speeches started between songs. Various members, featuring the former AKB girls talking about what the graduation meant to them. But then things would lighten up and they would go into the next song. They did both of their AKB covers, whh pretty much sealed that all of their songs would be performed. Oh, and I absolutely loved “1 Gallon no Ase“. Very cute song! When they performed Aisureru Tame ni, each gen’s members shared their respective lines. And since they had so many members on stage, the spelled out SDN simultanously instead of the letters one at a time. With that, the regular set had finished.

It had been predetermined, and communicated by a note on a white glowstick that the graduation committee would lead the encore, and it would be done as SDN…FORTY-EIGHT! It was deafening! At points it was so loud that you couldn’t hear the words anymore.

The first encore finished up all the songs remaining, with tearful goodbye’s from select members. The cameras would often cut to the girls that were crying the hardest. My poor little Chaki! At one point I thought she was going to fall over she looked so distressed! Also, one of Nonti’s MCs was a rundown of chart positions for all of the singles and the album, and a big thank you to the fans for supporting them. But when Kodoku finished and the girls left the stage it was obvious the show wasn’t over since they hadn’t done their official graduation song yet! Cut to the longest and loudest ever “Encoree” I have ever experienced. And then…

Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring. The Bach music returns?  OMG, it is really graduation time!

I forget the order that everything happened. But at one point Nonti was beside herself crying. Pretty much everyone was crying onstage. I think it was this point that the girls went silent and all you could here was pretty much the entire audience sobbing. It was freaking amazing! I wondered what tgsk thought when this happened. Perhaps he was crying too?  Oh, I forget. He was busy Google Plussing. Anyway, the girls came out all dressed in white. First they performed their new single. Then came the “final call” Nonti asked that all of the girls say their name one last time onstage, and the crowd call it back. It was so hard, I was so choked up that I was even having trouble speaking. But I muscled it up when my favorite members’ turns came.

Finally, they performed Owaranai Encore, and we all lit our last white glowstick. Although the effect from where I was sitting was slightly dimmed because the stage was fully lit at the time. Then, for the fans, a second dose of Kodoku na Runner. After a tearful double-bow with a huge SDN chant in the middle, they left the stage. Meetan being the last one to go. They did a closeup on her face…she was crying her eyes out.

As you left NHK there was a beautiful collage with messages from all the members. It was really hard to get close to it, but I did get a side shot to give you an idea…

Final thoughts…

At first I was thinking that management really “phoned in” the planning for this concert. It seemed kinda hokey in the beginning. But as the show progressed I started to see how perfect it really was. Pretty much all of the MCs and skits were unscripted. Tons of goofy things were happening as the show worked up to it’s emotional finale. At the end I think everyone in the audience had to be satisfied. It was a fitting goodbye. Perfect in it’s imperfection. The girls being completely authentic. It was everything SDN is all about, as far as I am concerned. And when you make an entire audience cry, you are doing something right.

And I think about the select few that called SDN a “failure”, and that their concept was “off the mark”, “too sexy”, and whatever else. I don’t think those people truly saw what SDN48 was really about. Sure, they had a sexy side. But in truth that was just a small piece of SDN. they were about fun, they were about authenticity. And more than any other spoke in the AKB wheel, they were about a true comeraderie with their fanbase. Perhaps it was because they are more mature, but the bond they had with their fans was very strong. The manifestation of that was this unbelievable concert that I will remember forever.

And suffice it to say, I will never again be able to listen to that Bach piece without thinking of SDN.

I did a couple of other neat things this weekend, I will post about them later.

CK in Tokyo

Check out the new billboard outside of Akihabara Station, and very close to the AKB48 Cafe.  AKBaby…LOLZ!

As I mentioned in my previous post, I finally won a show at the AKB48 Theater.  SDN48, and Chenchu’s birthday celebration.  I have never won fewer than 2 theater shows on a trip, and I didn’t win anything for SKE.  So I have a week left to try to win at least one more.  But before that…

When I reported on my last trip in June, I had promised to post all of my “Gets”.  However, I completely bricked on it.  So let’s get this out of the way early.  I have actually purchased a few more things that I have yet to take photos of.  I picked up the new releases from Not Yet and SKE48.  I have also gotten a few DVDs, and a bunch of random photos.  And here are a couple of items I am particularly excited about…

SKE Halloween photosets.  Ooh, scary…but cute!  I got Masanya and Churi

The DumpShow DVD was high on my priority list.  I was happy it wasn’t sold out when I got here.  Also, I finally found an autographed version of Wasamin and Komorin’s DVD, for about one-third of what they go for on Yahoo Japan Auction.

Anyhow, back to the action.  I won a show, and even I didn’t know how special my evening was about to be…

SDN48 Yuuwaku no Garter Performance 11/17

Finally I won a show this trip!  My 28th theater show all time, and 11th SDN show.  I was beginning to get worried.  But fate somehow works in mysterious ways.  Remember last weekend I lost out on a bunch of Ohori Megumi handshake tickets because she cancelled for the event…

I won via Ippan , which I like a lot more than Enpou because you have the chance to get a really good seat via the lottery.  Enpou is always last seated row center.  That said, I have ALWAYS had horrible lottery luck when it comes to the AKB48 theater.  I have only once been as close as the 4th row, and that time I had one of the pillars blocking about 75% of the stage view.  Twice I have been the last person into the theater.  I went upstairs around an hour before the show because I wanted to see the birthday committee and their flower arrangement.  I have been to every Chenchu birthday show for SDN, so I actually know a few of the committee members.  Anyhow, the flowers were beautiful, and I was glad to see a few friends there for the show.

I got ticket #46, and went to queue up.  I passed the time by filling out a Yui birthday card and figuring out how the birthday glowsticks were going to work within the show.  By the way, they are now playing SDN songs on the sound system before the show. I know that sounds appropriate. But in the early days of SDN they used to play soft jazz, which I always thought was a totally cool move, not to mention fitting for the theme. Some sexy Jazz, YEAHHH!  They eventually started the seat lottery, #160-169 were called in first.  Oh well, this will surely be another horrible seat for me…

2nd call, #40-49.  OMFG!!!!  I am going to have a great seat.  I hustled in as quickly as I could (you aren’t allowed to run in the theater)  Most of the front row was taken, but 2nd row center was available.  Just as I was about to sit down I noticed the two guys front and center were sitting on 3 seats.  So I jumped up there and grabbed the seat in between.  Front row freakin’ center baby!!!  I didn’t care that I was sandwiched in between these two guys.  This show was going to be awesome!!!

So rule #1:  When big gaijin is sitting front row center, he is going to get plenty of attention from the girls.  Now I know this might be a very silly time to complain, but being in this position actually made things complicated.  Meetan is my oshimen, so obviously I am going to pay attention to her.  But Hatakeyama Chisaki was there, as was Akiko and of course Chenchu.  I have developed “relationships” with all of them.  Who do I pay attention to?  Who do I scream for?  Will Chaki be unhappy if she is looking at me and I am paying attention to Tan?  Or vice-versa?  Not to mention it seemed as if Akita Kazue and Kohara Haruka were fixated on me through the entire show.  Same with Kondo Sayaka…and Kato Mami.  My head was on a freakin’ swivel!

But I’ll tell ya, with the girls practically performing on top of me, it made the show even more amazing.  I twas also great doing the hand gestures with members doing them right back at me.  A few highlights…

Meetan had her antics in overdrive tonight.  First lusting after Mana Ito during the MC with Nachu.  Then during the late MC having to be held back from attacking Chen when she layed on the floor.  Chen actually kissed the stage, lied down, then Meetan went after her doing “The Pantsu Dance”  You had to see it.  It was so silly!  Later during Vampire, Meetan winked at me and stuck her tongue out, then she licked Yukarin!  By the way, I didn’t see this but apparently Meetan’s bra snapped during “Best By”, and she had to run offstage before her top fell off.  She talked about it on her blog right after the show.  If only…

Here is a link to her blog post with a couple of pics of her “wardrobe malfunction”.

“I’m Sure” was done by Mamitan and Kohara.  I had never seen that pair do that song before.  Also, this was a U-18 show, although I didn’t really see anyone under 18 in the audience.  But that meant I got to see the PG-rated version of “Futsuu no Anata”.  I actually did the crossed-arm “X” along with the girls.  I don’t know if the fans normally do that, but it just felt like the thing to do.   Chen did “Yuuwaku no Garter” with Yukarin and Kazue.  I was hoping this would be my chance to get a garter.  But it wasn’t even close.  Chen came down the middle and heaved her garter about 4 rows back!

High-Touch was great, although they were pushing us through very quick.  I got the best reactions from the girls I mentioned above…Kazue, Kohara, Akiko, Sayanee (finally!), Chaki, Yukarin (who might have remembered my antics at her DVD event last year) and finally Meetan, who like usual gave my hand a quick squeeze.

So it’s funny how things work out.  Here I was all bummed out that I didn’t get to do handshakes with Meetan last weekend, and today I probably got more Meetan facetime than I would have gotten with all of the handshake tickets combined!  Go figure.

Without a doubt, and to no surprise for obvious reasons, that was the best SDN48 show I ever saw!

CK in Tokyo

Time to get this party started.  Yep, I am back in Tokyo…Yatta!!!

Just off the plane, totally jetlagged and slightly hungover…I made it over to the venue for the 12+ hour Kaze wa Fuiteiru handshaking extravaganza. I had 29 tickets, but only 25 were usable since my precious Tan decided to play hookie from the event. MEETAN!!! Actually, I think I heard a rumor that Meetan was doing a gravure photoshoot, but I’m not sure for what.  Maybe a DVD?  Don’t quote me on that.  Just something I heard.  By the way, they decided to do this event in the larger part of the convention center. Problem is that it is on the opposite side of the property, FAR from any restaurants and the train station. All they had were two drink vending machines for what seemed like a million people!

So without Ohori Megumi I stll had 25 usable tickets for 12 girls. Almost all of which I had previous handshaking experience with. At this point pretty much all of the girls that I get tickets for know me because I stick with my Top 6 AKB members, Top 3 SKE and Top 5 SDN. Makes it easier with my limited Jp skillz. Unfortunately I got shut out on Churi tix. But that’s okay since I will see her next week at another event.

AKB48 Kaze wa Fuiteiru HS Event at Makuhari Messe 2011/11/12

MORNING SLOTS

Anna Ishida (SKE) Poor Anna, she had the shortest line of anyone I went to all day. In fact there was no line. What’s up with that? She is super-adorable and super-genki! She was waving to me as I walked down to her station. She s so cute. I told her that I loved Bowling Ganbou and her “woof woof” song (I couldnt remember the name of the song she does the dog imitation in, LOL). She is just so cute and enthusiastic.

Nito Moeno: Most all of the girls were wearing very fall-like outfits. Moeno looked very pretty, her dress was reminiscent of the Kazefui PV. I told her I was happy to be in Japan and was happy to see her. On my 2nd ticket I tried to tell her that she was funny in Bimyo, but I got all jumbled up trying to explain which skit I liked (hehe). Anyway, I got out that she was funny. Hopefully she didn’t take it the wrong way

Komori Mika: I had morning and late afternoon tickets for Mikapon. Wow, Komori now remembers me. That is awesome. She always seems like such a blank slate, that I can never tell. But this time she knew me for sure! We talked alot about Himechi (her adorable cat) I told her that Watarirouka Seven is THE BEST Watarirouka! She liked that. She wore a red one-piece dress, but she had on a black Satin Jacket over it which looked very cool. In fact at one point I told her she looked Kakkoi! Funny thing was, Amina was next to her and had on almost the same outfit! At the end of the day, I am happy I have taken the relationship with my #2 AKB girl to the next level!

Katayama Haruka: Wearing an off-white flowing dress, with hair extensions and a cute hat. Haa looked very pretty. With my first ticket I went up one of her regulars. He introduced me as one of his friends. Haa told him that she has seen me lots of times. WIN! Anyway, I pretty much told her how pretty she looked, and everytime she gets to be on AKBingo! she is very funny, and they should put her on more TV shows!

Tanabe Miku: She had her slot switched from evening to morning because she was flying to Singapore that afternoon. First of all, I barely recognized her! Tanamin is such a chameleon. Her hair was dark, styled differently and she was wearing Prince of Tennis cosplay. I guess she wanted to have on comfortable clothes for her flight. But the result was totally adorable. Which I told her. I also congratulated her on Baby Gamba, and asked her to say Hello to all of my friends in Sgp. So Sgp people, feel free to mention me if you guys see her! BTW, end result…I get a brief mention on her blog

http://ameblo.jp/tanabe-miku/entry-11076233056.html#main

I have mentioned before that I originally had a hard time connecting with Tanamin. Usually when this happens I sort of give up on handshakes with that member (See Harukyan, Nakayan, Sasshi) But I have always stuck with Tanamin because I have liked her pretty much since the beginning of Team B. She is just so quirky-cute. Just my type!

AFTERNOON SLOTS

Yokoyama Yui: Was dressed very business-casual. Too cute! I’m not sure if she remembered me from before, but I have only met her once before. She likes to try and interview me when I come see her, which is fun but hard! This time she asked me where in America I am from. I told her that I really like Not Yet, and I complimented her on her outfit. On my first ticket I thought she looked tired. But she always seems energetic and enthusiastic during handshakes. I am so happy I decided to start going to her. She is an extremely sweet girl.

Masana Oya (SKE): Yayyy! My SKE Oshi had the cutest little shorts on, showed off her butt very well. BTW, Masanya has a legion of dedicated fans that circled her line ALL DAY! Her queue was always huge! Anyway, I wished her a happy birthday, and I told her I was making my first ever trip to Osaka for the Okie Dokie handshake. The coolest part? At the end of my second ticket with her she said she would see me in Osaka. That meant she understood what I was telling her, and remembered it for later. AWESOME!

Nachu (SDN): Her line, and everything around her is a raging party. She even had Wasamin (who was next to her) cracking up. Anyway, I barely had to say anything to Nachu since she decided to put on a show from the moment I got to her. She even got the OJS security guy involved with talking to me. I highly recommend going to see Nachu if you ever want to have fun during an event. Nachu is great!

Iwasa Misaki: My love fest with Wasamin continues…Of course I had the most tickets for her (five). I would love to get more. But the good news is her line was pretty long for her entire 5 hour shift. Wasamin had a few fans looping her line all day too. She had on a very fall-like dress with huge heels. On my first session I asked her how she got so tall all of a sudden, so she showed me her shoes. (LOL) I got pretty much everything I wanted to say to her out during my five tickets. And the best part? Wasamin did her best to speak English to me the entire time! I thanked her for that. The other best part? How many “I love you’s” I got. One per ticket. And on the last ticket I told her again how much I loved her, how happy she makes me and she would always be my oshimen. She leaned forward and said “I love you too” That’s my baby!

Oh! The Minarun moment!!! Just when I was going to queue up for Wasamin, Togasaki came out in his tux on a riser behind the handshaking lanes. The entire venue froze. He then introduced Oba Mina who came out with tears in her eyes to make her announcement, and ask the fans to allow her back into AKB.  It was such an adorable moment. Watching her apologize and requesting permission from the fans. I was in the audience for the Yokohama “agency promotion” announcements last year. Moments like these are just priceless, and unforgettable!

EVENING SLOTS

By this time I was beyond exhausted…and hungry. But I had 5 SDN tickets to get through. Since my friends also had evening tickets I would tough it out!

Hatakeyama Chisaki (SDN): I love Chaki, but I really fumbled what I was trying to say to her. But it’s okay since i have seen her so many times. I was trying to tell her how happy I as about the SDN concert being on the box set DVD, so I could finally watch SDN at home in America. But I just couldn’t get it together (CK fail!) I also told her that I will cheer for Chaki after SDN 1st phase is over! Oh, and I wished her a happy birthday as well. \o/

Akiko (SDN 2nd Gen): My first time actually talking to Akiko, although I have done a few high-touches with her. I told her how cute she looked, anthat she was my favorite in “Tamanegi”. Her response was amazing! She slowly responded “Hontoni???” and put her arms over her head like in the PV. I of course followed suit. Great first handshake experience! Finally…

Chen Qu (SDN): I always greet her with “Niihau”. I wonder how good her English is, since she spoke it to me the entire time. I forget what I said to her since I was so exhausted, but she is always very nice, and beautiful as ever! BTW, Machiko was next to her, so I spent my queue time spying Machipai’s bewbs (hehe).

After that is was tome for the 20 minute walk back to the station and the 40 minute ride back to Tokyo. It was an awesome, yet exhausting experience. And of course unforgettable. This was just my first day in Tokyo. I am here for two weeks. Hopefully I will have more fun stuff to report.

That reminds me…

I received an email from someone with an interesting question.  How can the big fans afford to buy so many CDs over and over again.  Personally, I do it twice a year.  But many fans in Japan do it for every single.  This was my response…

I dont do it every time since I don’t actually live in Japan. I just travel here for the occasional handshake event. This trip is my 7th and 8th such event. ( 29 CDs foir AKB-Kazefui and 13 SKE-OkieDokie) Plus I have been coming here to see AKB for 4 years now. Last trip I had 24 copies of Sakura no Ki ni Narou and 5 copies of the album. I actually threw away 19 of the singles. I’m not sure hany copies of these particular cds I will actually keep, but they are hell to carry so I doubt too many.

I give away some to friends. Sell some of them online, plus I sell some of the photos. It doesn’t take much to make a portion of the money back, but not all. A small price to pay to go to the events. Think about it, is it worth it to pay $300 to have Wasamin tell me she loves me all day? Not to mention getting good facetime with a dozen members? At the end of the day it really isn’t about the CDs at all.

You see all sorts of people at these events. Some of them buy 1 or 2 CDs, see their favorite member, and go home. Some buy hundreds! You see them with these HUGE stacks of tickets.  How can they afford it over and over again?  To be honest, I haven’t got a clue!

CK in California

A friend of mine posed that question to me yesterday morning.  It’s a good question.  All things must come to an end eventually, right?  When it comes to SDN48, is this “graduation” a premature move by AkiP?  Or is this precisely the right time.  Would it have been better to say they are graduating tomorrow?  Or is the 6 month farewell a more fitting ending?

I suppose the proverbial “writing on the wall” was there, but most of us didn’t see it.  And why would we?  The mass-graduation of an entire unit is an unprecedented event in the world of XXX48, even if it isn’t unprecedented in the history of AkiP.  But here we are, and the announcement has been made.  In less than six months the SDN48 unit that I love enough to call my favorite of all the “48″ acts will be no more.

Or will they?

There have been tons cryptic comments coming from management, and the girls themselves.  We have seen phrases like “The members will be embarking on “A New Stage” in their careers.  New Stage, eh?  Even a casual AKB fan can see the double-meaning in that statement.  We have also been told that the details will be explained on the upcoming episode of Suppon no Onnatachi 2.  Details?  The initial announcement was pretty clear.  So I can’t imagine what details could make this announcement any easier to swallow.  Could it be that management is effing with us???

Lord knows, but I am sure all will be revealed in time.  Once again, this is just part of being an idol fan.  So how do I feel about this recent turn of events?  I have probably seen SDN48 live more than any other Western fan, and my love of Ohori Megumi has been well documented on this blog.  Despite all that, I am not sure how I feel about it.

On one hand, I am sad.  Of course I am!  I am sad because I always looked forward to seeing SDN during my many trips to Japan.  With AKB48′s growing popularity, there was always a good chance I would win at least of couple of SDN shows, even if I got shut out on the core teams.  In a way SDN48 was a sanctuary from all the AKB-craziness.

Not to mention the camaraderie I had developed with my fellow SDN fans.  We knew from the start that ours was an underdog team.  And while the masses pushed and shoved their way into every Team A, K and B show on the schedule, we knew we were experiencing the “best kept secret” at the theater.  We were not obsessed with the loli factor.  We had abandoned the illusion of idol chastity.  Not that it was all about the “sex” factor.  We related to these women on a more equal level because they were our peers.  We saw them for what they really were, adults.  Psychologically it freed the girls up to be themselves onstage.  At least I feel it did.  As a result every SDN show felt more like a party where everyone was involved and having fun.  The fans and the idols alike.  We were all partying together.

What about the girls?  Especially my favorite members?  Will this be the last time I get to say hello to Meetan?  Shake hands with Chaki?  Tell my favorite members how much I support them and am cheering them on?  I don’t know.  Maybe, maybe not.  But I will miss the opportunity I had to do that because it is an important part of the AKB experience.  I know on some level it sounds silly.  They are idols, and I am just one of many fans.  But when it comes to SDN, they have always been underdogs, and I think they really did appreciate the fans who came to see them.  I have been to many AKB-related events, and have shaken hands with many idols.  There is no better feeling than when you feel your support is being truly appreciated and even reciprocated.  Most of my favorite idols hold that position because I got that they appreciated me as much as I appreciated them.

So yeah, I am going to miss all that.  I am worried too.  Worried about what the future might hold for these girls…

Let’s face it, most of the members of SDN have turned the corner when it comes to being an idol.  In fact, that was part of the graduation announcement.  It is time for these women to begin realizing their dreams.  As far as AkiP is concerned, if that dream was merely to be in SDN it just wasn’t good enough.  He wants them to dream bigger, reach higher, go for the brass ring (and any other “ganbatte” phrase)

As for Meetan, she is much closer to 30 than 20.  I also realize that she is MUCH more talented as an actress than a singer.  AKB gave her a wonderful foundation.  Now it is time for her to fully spread her acting wings.  So far she has been doing a pretty good job.  She has acted in multiple stage productions, and she has appeared regularly on television.  She also has a damn good talent agency behind her in Horipro.  In a sense you could argue that being in SDN is holding her back.  The silver lining when it comes to “My Precious Tan”?  I feel confident she has the tools to have a fruitful post-AKB career.

When it comes to Chaki, I am not sure since I honestly don’t know what her future goals are.  She was a young gravure idol who sang in a small group pre-SDN.  She is a very good singer, and an even better dancer.  But is that the direction she wants to go in life?  I guess we will find out in due time.  I absolutely adore Chaki, and will truly miss her if I can’t see her anymore.

My guess is that we will see some of the girls acting, modeling, singing and “laughing it up” on variety shows (Hello Nachu!)  But sadly, for many of the members this will probably be the end of the line for them in show business.

So is this the “right time” to be graduating SDN?  I don’t know that I am qualified to make that call.  In the five years I have been an idol fan I have always said “trust the process”.  I don’t see this turn of events as being any different, even if it does involve a group I hold dear to my heart.  AkiP has chosen this moment for a reason.  Only he and the people close to him know what that reason is.  Although I doubt it was merely because “he doesn’t have time for SDN” as many have speculated.  This guy farts out idol units and concepts.  So it isn’t about time  And it isn’t about a lack of success either.  A failure???  Really?

To nobody’s surprise, this announcement brings out the self-titled experts who have deemed SDN to be a huge failure.  Per usual, most of these experts have never been within 5000 miles of the Donki.  They have never seen a show.  They have never met the girls.  They certainly have never been behind the scenes.  So how are they a failure?  Did AkiP call them that?  I don’t remember that blog post.  Was there an expectation that wasn’t met?  How do you know?  I don’t care how smart you think you are.  Unless you are part of AKB’s think-tank, you don’t know shit.  So thank you for your two-penny opinion.  Now stop talking out of your ass!

From where I am standing, the girls did exactly what they were asked to do when it came to SDN.  They worked hard, they put on a great show 2-3 nights a week at the AKB48 Theater.  They sold out every show, not to mention the fact that their tickets became harder and harder to win as time passed.   They put up respectable sales numbers for their singles.  They connected with their fans in a major way.  AND…they never had any scandals.  I fail to see the failure in that.  If there was some sort of goal that wasn’t being met, we as fans weren’t made aware of it.

There is obviously a lot more to be told in this story, and SDN’s management will reveal it in time.  We can all speculate about the future of the current members and the future of SDN48 as a brand.  But at the end of the day we are all just guessing.  In the meantime I plan on enjoying the group for at least another 5 1/2 months.  After that, we’ll see.

I will be heading to Tokyo next month for AKB48′s big handshake event, and I have plenty of Meetan, Chaki, Chen, Nachu and Akiko tickets.  So I will get to tell them how I feel in person.  Not to mention this farewell concert being planned.  I am definitely putting that on my calendar.

CK in California

I finally made it back to Tokyo after delaying my usual Spring trip.  Part of my original itinerary was to go to the AKB48 “Sakura” handshake events, which were postponed after the Tsunami disaster in March.  I was also going to hit MoMusu’s Spring Tour and if I could make the schedule work, the final Momoiro Clover concert at Nakano where Akari graduated…

But that all went out the window.  Well, almost all.  I was waiting for Togasaki to announce the reschedule dates of the Sakura Ki ni Narou handshake event.  Most of my pre-purchased tickets were for the final date, which got pushed back to June 19th.  So here I am.

The only problem was that there were no other events that I could see on the calendar for mid-June.  No special AKB concerts or events, no other idol groups playing in Tokyo.  This trip could turn out to be disastrous!  But hopefully it will all turn out okay, they usually do.  I am always surprised by what pops up at the last minute.  And I knew my luck would change when AKB48 announced the 19 day concert series at Tokyo Dome City Hall.

So here is the first set of reports (not in chronological order) or my escapades in Tokyo, starting with the SDN48 show I won at the Donki, and an SKE48 handshake event at Yomiuriland.  Fun Fun Fun!!!

SKE handshake event at Yomiuriland 6/12

This was rescheduled hs event at Yomiuriland for Banzai Venus. I got 5 tickets for 5 different pairs…

Sato Mieko (KII) / Furukawa Airi (KII)
Hiramatsu Kanako (S) / Hara Minami (E)
Yagami Kumi (S) / Yamada Erika (E)
Oya Masana (S) / Sato Siera (KII)
Ishida Anna (KII) / Hata Sawako (KII)

Other lanes I was interested in…

Matsui Rena (S) / Deguchi Aki (S) (sold out early)
Matsui Jurina (S) / Nakanishi Yuka (S) (sold out when we were getting near the front)
Tagayanagi Akane (KII) / Yamashita Yukari (E) (sold out shortly before we got to choose, dammit!)

I had never been to Yomiuriland before, and caught a wrong train which made me later than I wanted. that plus a certain someone’s insistence on going to the toilet (with a huge line) before we got our hs tix backed us up for 20-30 minutes, otherwise I wouldn’t have missed out on Churi. Might have even gotten Jurina. But that’s okay since I was happy with all the tix I DID get.

We got great seats (random) to the mini-live. 10th row, just off of center. They performed the tracks from the single (plus 1,2,3,4 Yoroshiku) and gave away a bunch of autographed stuff. Unfortunately I didn’t have a lucky ticket. Two funny things happened. First, there was a big bug on the stage which scared some of the girls during rehearsal. Then Airi picked it up and chased a few girls around with it before safely escorting it offstage. Second, one lucky fan won a 3-shot with one of the girls onstage and the Crown Records Guy. The rest of the girls were behind them (except for the Senbatsu, who were preparing for the final song) After looking at the girls on stage he asked if they would bring Jurina out for it, everybody laughed. He ended up picking Haruka, who was emceeing the live.

HS lines went very quick, so the lines were never too long, except for Rena’s which was a madhouse. All of these were first time meetings for me (except for Anna, who I talked to at the Beginner hs event last fall), so it was more of an introduction. Not like AKB/SDN where I have had handshakes with many of the girls before, so they know me. The best experiences….

Kanako! What a greeting! She is awesome!!! Amazing luck since she was my “replacement” ticket when Churi sold out. Grabbed both my hands! Tried to talk to me in English. I told her the S3 show was great. I think she remembered me from the TDCH show since I was in 1st row.

Sawako! Very cute, even with the funky teeth :silly: I congratulated her on ranking in UG. The also grabbed both my hands and asked me to come to SKE theater. She was pulling me back when the staff was pushing me away.

Anna! I think she might have remembered me from our previous meeting. I told her how awesome and cute she is, and that I love Team KII

Airi! I lied to her and told her we have the same birthday (actually we are a day apart). That got her excited. “Hontoni!?!”

Erika! I told her I hoped her back gets better. She thanked me. very nice girl.

The rest were all great! I told Masanya she was my oshi (well, she IS my SKE oshi) I have two hs tix for her next week in Chiba, along with a Churi hs ticket. That is why I wasn’t too bummed I couldn’t see her.

It was a great event! National handshakes are a lot of fun! I didn’t realize the lines would be so quick or I would have tried to get more tix. I had to leave at a certain time because I had won the SDN show too…

SDN48 Mixed Team Show 6/12

By the way, this was my 25th theater show (and my 10th for SDN), so I am a quarter of the way to MVP. Should hit it around 2025 at this rate

I guess they started mixing the teams shortly after my last trip. This was about half/half 1st and 2nd gen. I was bummed that Meetan wouldn’t be there, but at least my “secret waifu” Chaki would be performing. So without my precious Tan in the show I could put all of my focus on Chisaki.

I don’t think there is any real need to go into show detail, you have all heard it before. But I will note some special observations…

First of all, the new ticket system is interesting. It is all computerized now. No, they don’t have the “second mini-ticket” thing anymore. Instead they walk around the queue and “scan” your ticket with a hand-held. Then they begin paging the people who didn’t get scanned. They re-scan it again as you walk into the theater.

By the way, I have never noted this before. But why do 90% of the winners wait until 5 minutes before the deadline to queue for their ticket? I have always found this odd. It was a Sunday, so it wasn’t like anyone was at work that day.

I like the new configuration of the theater, especially since I usually win via regular enpou. The enpou section is about 4-5 feet closer to the stage. Also, they upgraded the seats (padded back) AND thicker cushions!!!!!!! So much more comfortable now. It is about time!

Just to note, they did the original version of Futsuu no Anata, and not the “clean” version they are going to be performing for the U-18 shows. Also, the choreography for Vampire Keikaku is much different from before since they don’t rise/drop the stage anymore.

Mana Ito speaks fluent English?????? She did the opening welcome/rules before the show, and ended it with “Here is my sexy voice”, and barely had an accent. When she does Chen’s lines in Touhiko she barely has an accent as well. Not to mention, she spoke to me in English during HT.

***Cool Moment, there was a “guest” in the audience who was heckling Nachu during her MC, and also LED THE ENCORE. Guess Who???

Hiichan!!!!

Hi-touch was great of course. So happy I could surprise Chaki. She was so happy when she saw me, as well as Nachu who always gives me a big greeting. But Chaki…yeah, I always have a great experience with her! Kohara acted shocked to see me, which I thought was odd since I have had HT with her before. Maybe she was shocked that I am a multiple visitor. I do get a lot of that during HT. I am starting to think that the shock is they are surprised they see me as often as they do.

But Akiko, WOW! Her reaction to me was the same as last time, just dreamy! I know she has a thing for “the twins” when she sees them too. Maybe she likes the gaijin? Anyhow, that reaction just dares me to fall in love with her. She is so adorable!

I have a week left on this trip, and I have won a Team B show for Tuesday. The bummer is that Wasamin isn’t performing in any of the A shows, but at least I have handshake tix for her at Chiba on Sunday. Meetan is ONLY performing this Thursday, which happens to be the first U-18 SDN show. That is going to be a tough ticket to win! So I am worried that I might not get to see her this trip Especially since some of the Singapore fans told her I was in Japan. Oh well, if I don’t get to see her I will drop off a fan letter.

More to come…

CK in Tokyo

Okay, the final night of the Shibuya AX setlist concert series is almost upon us.  So let’s see how accurate we can be with predicting the final 25.  Last year was pretty easy to predict, the only surprise being SDN48′s Kodoku na Runner getting in.  But I guess that wasn’t such a surprise for the SDN faithful.  Anyway, my predictions, so to speak…

Heavy Rotation
River
10nen Zakura
Beginner
Kimi no Koto ga Suki Dakara
Ponytail to Shoushou
Shonichi
Enkyori Poster
Oogoe Diamond
Namida Surprise
First Love
Ude wo Kunde
Pioneer
Team B Oshi
Candy
Yokaze no Shiwaza
Hatsukoi Konnichiwa
Itoshisa no Accel
Heart Gata Virus
Uhho Uhhoho
Kimi Shaka
Kareha no Station
Unknown SDN song  (hoping for something other than Kodaku na Runner)

So that’s 24 of the 25 I think are a shoe-in.  But hat about the last two?  I hope one of them is Oshi/Meshi, as Meetan has made it clear she really wants to perform it tonight.  But that would be one less spot for a lot of other good songs too.  So for the last two, I’m guessing they will come from this list…

Oshi/Meshi
Wasshoi B
Sabotoen to Goldrush
Ai no Stripper
100 Meter Conbini
Renai Kinshi Jourei
1,2,3,4 Yoroshiku
Nakinagara Hohoen de
Zannen Shougo

We’ll see how I do.  Show is about to start.  GO OHORI GO!!!

CK in California

Well…I guess you could say it is in my living room…in a way.  The AKB48 Shibuya AX Box Sets are some of the biggest Jewels in my J-Pop collection.  And for good reason.  The annual event holds a very special place in my heart as it was my first ever live J-pop experience.

My god, it seems like so long ago.  But actually it was almost exactly three years ago in 2008 that a made my first trip to Tokyo to experience this idol phenomenon firsthand.  On my second night in Tokyo I navigated the streets of Shibuya in the snow to see this concert series.  Heck, I didn’t even know that they were doing a countdown concert!  I was a total J-pop N00b, knowing only the music and pv’s I had seen over the past year on YouTube.  I probably knew about 10-15 of the members by name, my oshimen at the time being Ohe Tomomi. (hehe)  But that all changed that very night when I witnessed Meetan’s infamous “gold bikini” moment.  Ohori became my favorite idol that night, and I have adored her ever since.  Anyhow…

I began compiling this list a couple of months ago, and I figure this is a great night to reveal it since the 2011 Shibuya AX series begins in a couple of hours.  I ALMOST went to this concert, but Togasaki’s announcement that they were treating the concert ticket raffle similar to the chara-ani distribution (your name on the ticket, i.d. at the door) squelched that idea.  Instead I am heading back over to Japan in about 10 weeks for the 20th single handshake events.  And with 8 tickets for Wasamin alone, it should be a tremendous time!

Anyway, forgive my rambling.  It has been a long time since I posted on this site.  This is my “ever- mercurial” AKB and Family Top 100 songs.  Enjoy…

01. Oshibe to Meshibe to Yoru no Chouchou (K4)
02. Saigo no Seifuku (SnH c/w)
03. Warning (A3)
04. Rio no Kakumei (A2)
05. 100 Meter Conbini (B5)
06. Doku Ringo wo Tabesasete (A1)
07. 50% (H2)
08. Futsuu no Anata (SDN1)
09. Mori e Ikou (H2)
10. Nage Kiss de Uchi Otose! (A3)

Did you think anything other than Meetan’s tour de force would be #1 on my list?  No way!  A couple of AKB songs that I feel are totally under-appreciated are the totally cool Warning from Team A, and 50%, the second encore song from H2.  I am also glad to see that so many fans love Mori e Ikou.  Jeez, H2 is a great stage!  I wish I had gotten the chance to see it’s revival at G-rosso!  Oh, and to me Saigo no Seifuku is the most beautiful J-pop ballad ever written!

11. Black Boy (SDN1)
12. Love Wars (Q&E)
13. Tegami no Koto (S3)
14. 16nin Shimai no Uta (K4)
15. Seishun Girls (K2)
16. Cinderella wa Damasarenai (K2)
17. Ikirutte Subarashii (H2)
18. Amai Kokansetsu (Ohori Meshibe)
19. Seifuku Resistance (K6)
20. GAGAGA (SDN 1st single)

These are IMO some of the hippest songs in AkiP’s catalog.  There is plenty of Meetan represented here.  Love Wars is maybe the best rock song done by an AKB member.  From the goofy 16nin, to the Brazilian beats of Ikirutte Subarashii, AkiP has an amazing musical range.

21. Squall no Aida ni (A5)
22. Only Today (A4)
23. Vampire Keikaku (SDN1)
24. Tsundere! (A5)
25. Saboten to Gold Rush (A6)
26. Hajimete no Jelly Beans (H2)
27. Nakama no Uta (S3)
28. Wakage no Italian (Watarirouka c/w)
29. Let’s Get “Ato 1 cm” (H2)
30. Koi no Keikou to Taisaku (S2)

Nakama no Uta is the second song on this list from S3.  I really love SKE’s most recent stage, and would love to finally get a chance to see it live after a few failed attempts to win a ticket.  And who’d a thought my favorite Watarirouka song would be a B-side?  But that may chance with their new release coming out in 2 weeks.  Koi no Keikou to Taisaku is by far my favorite song from S2.  I am really growing a fondness for the girls from Nagoya.  Akimoto writes them some amazing material!

31. Kokoro no Hashi no Sofa (K6)
32. Gomen ne Jewel (K4)
33. Wasshoi B! (B3)
34. Touhikou (SDN1)
35. Junjou Shugi (B3)
36. Kagami no Naka no Joan of Arc (B3)
37. I’m Sure. (SDN1)
38. Zutto Zutto  (A6)
39. Itoshiki Natasha (B4)
40. Mango NO 2 (S2)

I haven’t mentioned it until now, but almost the entire SDN setlist (and single) made it onto my list.  And why not?  I think it is the greatest Stage anyone from AKB has ever done.  It is also the stage I have seen the most (nine times!)  The next closest is K5 (5 times)  Touhikou and I’m Sure are two of the sexiest songs in SDN1.

41. Nattou Angel (Nattou Angel)
42. Hikoukigumo (A5)
43. Minasan mo go Issho ni (B4)
44. Seifuku no Me (S3)
45. Rider (A3)
46. Gokigen Naname na Mermaid (B3)
47. Eros no Trigger (SDN c/w)
48. Yakusoku yo (K2)
49. RUN RUN RUN (H1)
50. Mangekyou (S3)

Back in 2009 just about every song from B3 made it onto the Top 100…except one!  And Mermaid is probably my favorite song from the stage!  Two more entries from S3.  If you haven’t picked that CD up yet, you are really missing out!  Yakusoku Yo will always remind me of the final scene from AKB Kagekidan Infinity.

51. Aisareru to iu Koto (ICE)
52. Confession (H2)
53. Kanpeki Guu no ne (Watarirouka single)
54. Christmas Present (No3b c/w)
55. Saka Agari (K5)
56. Aozora no Soba ni ite (A1)
57. 7ji 12fun no Hatsukoi (A4)
58. Locker Room Boy (B5)
59. Uhho Uhhoho (K6)
60. Kuroi Tenshi (A5)

Aisareru is so pretty, and probably deserves to be much higher on this list.  It is sort of a “forgotten song”  7ji 12fun makes it here because it is probably Oh-Yay’s finest musical moment in AKB, along with Aozora no Soba ni Ite because it always brings back memories of her graduation along with Rinatin, Hiichan, Risa and Hana.  As much as I didn’t care for K5, Saka Agari is an awesome song to see live!

61. Boku Dake no Value (Beginner c/w)
62. Blue Rose (K2)
63. Senaka Kara Dakishimete (A2)
64. Yuuwaku no Garter (SDN1)
65. Namida no Shounan (A2)
66. Ki ni Naru Tenkousei (K3)
67. Sobakasu no Kiss (B4)
68. Miniskirt no Yosei (Zenza Girls)
69. Kaze no Violin (Watarirouka c/w)
70. Akogare no Pop Star (A6)

61-70 features two songs that have grown on me over the years.  I always have my Ipod on shuffle.  Believe it or not, I find myself skipping over a lot of old tracks.  But not Namida no Shounan and Senaka Kara Dakishimete.  Sobakasu no Kiss is another song that I have developed a fondness for from multiple Ipod listens.  As for the Zenza Girls, I love all three songs and wish they were on a CD somewhere.  But Miniskirt is my favorite after seeing two of the three performed live.

71. Dear my Teacher (A1)
72. Keibetsu Shiteita Aijou (A4)
73. Ganbarina (SDN1)
74. MARIA (K3)
75. Kurukurupaa (K3)
76. Ashita wa Ashita no Kimi ga Umareru (Chocolove)
77. Kurumi to Dialogue (CnJ c/w)
78. Koike (A3)
79. Candy (B5)
80. Namida Surprise! (12th single)

Finally a couple of the singles make the list!  Yeah, I am a Stage Song Snob, which is part of what frustrates me about the AX countdown.  With the exception of 2009, the series is always flooded at the top with the single releases.  I am sure 2011 will be no different with the gigantic influx of new fans, most of which do not bother to scratch much beyond the surface of AKB.  It is too bad, because there is so much more to love beyond the singles.  The casual fans/listeners are missing out on over 90% of what makes AKB48 awesome.

81. Christmas ga Ippai (K3)
82. Kuma no Nuigurumi (A4)
83. Tobenai Agehachou (Iiwake Maybe c/w)
84. Iiwake Maybe (13th single)
85. Boyfriend no Tsukurikata (K4)
86. RESET (K6)
87. Honehone Waltz (K3)
88. Saturday Night Party (SDN1)
89. Tane (No3b single)
90. FIRST LOVE (NS c/w)

Two more totally awesome, but totally ignored songs are Kuma no Nuigurumi and Boyfriend no Tsukurikata.  I guess they get sort of “drowned out” by the rest of their respective stages, which are both amazing.  Same with the opening song of SDN1, Saturday Night Party.  I will always remember the first time I saw SDN’s Stage in person.  It took less than 2 minutes for Hatakeyama Chisaki to capture my heart that night.  It was too bad I was already a Meetan fanatic, otherwise I might be running a Chakl Worship Blog.  Hmmm, I kinda like the sound of that!

91. Hizukehenkousen (K2)
92. Tengoku Yarou (B4)
93. Enkyori Poster (SnS c/w)
94. Yume no Kane (K6)
95. Sado he Wataru (SDN c/w)
96. Erai Hito ni Naritakunai (K4)
97. Jajauma Lady (SDN1)
98. Manatsu no Christmas Rose (A5)
99. ALIVE (CnJ c/w)
00. Chuu Shiyouze! (AKBIdoling!!!)

Rounding out the Top 100…you may notice most every goofy song in the AKB catalog makes the list.  CinDy is great in Tengoku Yarou.  Yume no Kane from Team K’s new stage deserves to be higher than this.  And if you are wondering why I ended the list with the AKBIdoling!!! song?  Simple, anything that Yazapai is in gets to make this list!!!  A little breakdown of the list…

Team A – 22 (3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 3)
Team K – 20 (-, 5, 5, 5, 1, 5)
Team B – 11 (-, -, 4, 4, 3)
Team H – 8 (1, 6)
SKE48  – 6 (-, 2, 4)
SDN48  – 12
No3b    – 2
Watari  – 3
Zenza   – 1
Choco  – 1
AKBIce- 1
Shibe   – 1
Nattou  – 1
Q&E     – 1
Single  – 10

I am glad I finally got this thing posted as it has been sitting on my “todo” list for a while now.  I know there was a lack of graphics on this post, which probably made it tougher to read all the way through.  Oh well, I hope you like my list anyway.  And I recently updated my member rankers too, which you can click on at the top of the site.

Hopefully I will be posting my thoughts on the 2011 Setlists as they come in.  Talk to you then!

CK in California

You may notice that I skipped days 5-7.  That is because aside from one SDN48 show, I spent much of those three days doing non-idol related things like shopping, sightseeing and meeting friends.  I needed to save my energy because the weekend promised a whole bunch of activity beginning with Friday night at Tokyo Tower…

I make it a tradition to visit Tokyo Tower at least once per trip to see the Tokyo Tower girl Umeda Ayaka spin records for a couple hours.  It was at this event that I got a first hand look at how popular AKB48 is getting.  But first I stopped at Pizza-LA for a quick bite, and who did I see?  It was Pete from Hello!Online!  I had met Pete last year at the Tanaka Reina birthday show.  He had been in Japan for about a month with fello H!O-er Oroburous (sorry if I misspelled your handle).  They had been traveling around the country seeing various H!P acts, and had even found the time to catch AKB48 and Momoclo.  Anyhow, the three of us caught the elevator up to the observatory…

It is amazing how popular AKB48 is.  Two years ago I came to the Umechan event, and maybe there were 20 or so fans there.  Last Spring it was more like 50-60.  But this time?  Wow!  At least a couple hundred to see her spin records and chat for a while!  I could barely get close enough to see her.  But she was loose, and having fun with the fans.  I excused myself a little early because I figured the elevators down would be a madhouse after her show ended.  But still a fun time…

This was the first time I have gone to a release event like this for AKB. I did go to Momoclo’s CD release at the same venue the other day. I am so glad I went, it was so much fun.

I got there late, and everyone was lining up to go up to the room. I asked the guy running it if the show was sold out, he said no and quickly grabbed a copy of her DVD for me to buy. Cool, although I think there was some sort of screw-up as I didn’t get the ticket for any of the goodies. That would end up being a cool story later…

Yukarin came out in a cute little outfit wearing this silly thing on her head. It looked like a triangular pillow with masking tape on it. The moderator interviewed her about the photoshoot for the DVD, all the while with SDN48 songs playing in the background. It went on for 20 minutes or so. Then it was time for the first photoshoot….

You had to bring a regular camera (not a cellphone) and you could take from one to four shots with her posing for you. They said the ticket I had was good for one shot, but when I got to the front they asked where my other ticket was. I said this was all I was given. I told them it was okay and turned back to my seat when one of the other fans ran up and handed me a ticket. So I got to take one shot. When I got up to her she said “Oh, hi!” which got a laugh from the crowd. There were about 100 people there in total…

From my own camera Yayyyy!

Ofter another short interview segment it was time for handshakes and autographs. She had pre-signed the CD covers. And when it was my turn I was determined to talk to her in Japanese. Once again as I shook her hand she said “Hello, thank you!”. I said in my best Japanese “Thank You Yukari-san, I think Gagaga is really great! I love SDN!” She thanked me and asked me something. But I didn’t know what she was asking me. I just said “Hai” and she said “Okay” Once again, giggles from the audience.

When I got to the goods table once again I didn’t have the right ticket, but her manager gave me one autograph sheet. That was fine, it was all I really came for anyway. To be honest I don’t know why I wasn’t given that other ticket. I did everything the sign said in order to get the goods from the event. But whatever…

Finally at the end it was time for 2-shots. I had already played my “gaijin-card” twice, so I decided not to push it and skipped this part.

At the end she thanked everyone as she left. But at the last moment she stuck her head back out and looked for me. When she spotted me she said “Thank You!” and waved which was too funny. Got a laugh from everyone, including her manager!

I was really happy because of all the SDN girls, I have never really “connected” with Yukarin during all of the High-Touches I have been through. So to connect with her at this event made me really happy. I’m sure the next time I do High-Touch with her it will be a totally different experience.

Makuhari Messe “Chara-Ani” Handshake Event 11/14

Let me start by saying my legs and feet are killing me after spending 12 hours in that place meeting idols. But it was well worth it. Got on the train at 6:45 to make it down to Chiba for doors. The goods line was already huge! I had no idea how long the handshake lines would be, so I blew off goods for the time being. Although the line was pretty short to exchange unwanted beginner pics for Suuchan and Lovetan, so I did that. I had 23 tickets for 10 different members, I also had a few exchanges with members I didn’t have tickets for. My god there were soooo many people there, tons more than the 2-shot event at Big Sight in the Spring.

They were playing a loop of videos on the monitors, including the Yoyogi DVD, the latest Shukan DVD, K5, Beginner PV, Hebirote PV, Yokohama DVD and the 19th single Chance no Junban!!! Also, my name on the chara-ani sheet was a Katakana version of my “not Japanese” name, which got many chuckles from the staff.

I did manage to pick up three of the microfiber towels (Wasamin, Moeno and Mikapon) and the Shukan DVD when the goods line died down. Also, the birthday committees for Yukarin and Suzuran both came up to me and specifically asked me to write a birthday greeting in English for their oshis. Yukarin’s fans remembered me from the Ishimaru event.

Keep in mind that most of my convos were in my horrific Japenglish, and for every girl below I had at least two tickets. Also, each interaction was about 5-10 seconds. It might seem short, but for a moonspeak-challenged gaijin like me it is a godsend!

Wasamin: I had four tickets. I spaced them out for one each hour she was there. All of my interactions with Wasamin are always pure heaven. I showed her the 2-shot we took in the spring. We talked about the Singapore show (she said she liked Singapore). I congratulated her on her Karaoke win and told her I saw her Ude wo Kunde performance. And of course I told her how much I adore her. I got two seperate “I Love You”‘s from Wasamin. And everytime she would see me soming up her line she would turn to me and smile. Yatta!

Next to Wasamin was Anna from KII, who smiled and waved to me a couple times. I also ran into Shiichan as she entered her booth while I left Wasamin the first time. Apparently they were fiming Shiichan as a follow up to that recent Shukan episode. Also, Nakatsuka Tomomi was in the end slot, and leaving that area always brought you within two feet of her, so I saw a lot of Kurisu

Haachan: I am pretty sure Haa remembered me from the Spring. I commented on how cute her haircut is, and that Gold Rush is my favorite song from A6 (well, that and Zuttox2). I think I mentioned that I think she gets the best units. Just goes to show, the last time I met her it was kind of awkward since I had never spoken to her before. But this time was better.

CinDy: Had her cute little Tiara on. I imitated her Suppon no Onnatachi narration voice. And told her how much I like Gagaga. She asked me what my name was and where I was from. Not that she didnt remember me, but I guess I had met her enough that she decided she wanted to know. CinDy is always great!

Komori: My first time seeing Komori. She is sooooooo sweet, and had the hottest pair of shorts on in the place. She listened intently as I said the Komori version of Hebirote is the best, and she should come perform in the USA. (Just stretching to come up with stuff to say). I said I love watching Komori. For a first time meeting I thought it was great!

Moeno: I wasn’t sure if she remembered me from LA, so I asked and she said she did. Okay, so maybe. I got sort of tongue tied but I did manage to tell her that Bungee was kakoii! She asked me my name as the guard pushed me out, and she stretched her arm out like to say “No, come back!” Cute!

BTW, I walked right past Miichan and Mayu coming back from break as I left Moeno. But the security was there so I just kept walking…

Chaki (SDN): I have seen a lot of Chaki this trip as I have won quite a few SDN shows. I told her I loved her sexy scene in Eros no Trigger, and she went “Yeahhhhhh!!!!!”. And of course I mentioned how much I love SDN, which I’m sure she already knows. Chaki is adorable.

Chenchu was next to Chaki, and didn’t have much of a line. She waved to me while I waited for Chaki and gave me a sad little frown.

Tanamin: First time I have met Tanamin. Her little hippy “Batman” outfit was too cute! I have to admit my conversations with her were slightly awkward. I was trying to say I had wanted to meet her for a long time, but it just didnt come out right.

Harukyan: Poor Harukyan looked exhausted. She isn’t used to having six slots at these events. She stayed seated throughout the slot I saw her in, and repeatedly put her head down. I believe they shut her line down early to give her an extended rest. I was attempting to mention how much I love the phrase “Harucan Doit”, but then she proceeded to tell me her name was Haruka and asked me my name…Huh? Yeah, she was tired. Still, Harukyan is so cute!

Nakayan: First time actually talking to Nakayan, I met her very briefly last year, and did High Touch with her last week. I was attempting to tell her that I love coming to Japan and seeing AKB48. She asked where I was coming from. I basically told her it was nice to finally meet her.

Ahh, too funny…While I waited for Nakayan the first time Nonti was in the next booth with nobody coming. She kept daring me to jump the rope and come to her instead

Last but not least…

Meetan: I had three Meetan tickets. The first thing she said was that now she knew what I was saying to her at High Touch last week. (I said I would see her this weekend) Meetan always asks me if I am coming back around again to see her. Whe I came around again she said (in Japanese). Wow, this is third time right? We talked about Gagaga. I told her I saw her Music Japan appearance live. I told her how cute her outfit was. Meetan does that happy noise she makes when she gets excited. I loved every minute of it. Once again, it gets easier to communicate (even with the language barrier) when I meet people like Meetan multiple times.

Oh, later on while I was waiting on my last Nakayan ticket, Meetan went full “Hug/Kiss Attack” on Chikarina in front of everyone! Gotta love her!

I also got closeup looks at Sae, Tomo-mi, Kitarie, Natsumin, Sakippe, Suuchan, Sayanee, Kato Mami, Machiko, Amina, Aamin, Yuko, Maachan, Umechan, Uchida, Reinyan and Myao since they were all in booths close to the girls I had tix for.

It was an awesome event and a total reminder of why I am an AKB48 fan! And I sa a lot of old friends I had met on previous trips over. Now I need sleep!

CK in Tokyo