Chuo Dori

Not that there’s a chance in hell I am winning this, but I figured I would link my Google+ AKB48 Grand Prix entry.  Another love letter/appeal for Wasamin.  What else is new?  Please click the link and +1 my entry.  Hey, you never know, right?

My Google Plus Grand Prix Entry

By the way, here is the entry…

Wasamin has been proving to me, over and over, for over three years how wonderful an idol she is and so deserving to be in AKB48 senbatsu. Fom the first time I saw her perform back in March 2009 I knew this girl was special. That glorious smile, hardworking attitude with a hint of insecurity was such a wonderful combination. I could go on for days about what an amazing girl she is, but I will sum it up with three points…
1) She is an amazing singer, arguably the best in AKB. Also arguably the most vocally talented idols in the history of J-pop. She has proven this time and time again. Just watch any recent televised performance of Mujin-eki to see what I mean…
2) She is a hardworking/dedicated member of the AKB family. She may not be the most outgoing member, but she has been quietly waiting for her chance to shine for a long time. She approaches every opportunity with enthusiasm, and is genuinely excited about every opportunity she gets as an idol. She has a great attitude about her work, and her fans. Oh, her fans…
3) If you have ever had the pleasure to meet Wasamin, it was surely an unforgettable experience. She is humble, enthusiastic, genuine, and absolutely adorable! She makes her fans feel so appreciated and loved. I have met so many AKB48 members over the years, and they are all great. But Wasamin…she is something special. Just look into her hypnotically beautiful eyes and adorable smile and you will know what I mean.

I know Wasamin badly wants to do well in this year’s election. And I for one do not want to let her down. She would be so grateful for a great placing in this year’s Senbatsu Election. So please join me in voting for her. Thank You.

Wasamin…I love you!!!!

So we are in the middle of AKB48 Election Season.  Or perhaps I should say AKB/SKE/NMB/HKT Election Season?  Yeah, that would be more appropriate since everybody is participating.  I would love to say that I find this big popularity contest exciting.  But the truth is that I really don’t.  The way I see it, it is pretty much a foregone conclusion of which members will end up in Senbatsu.  Sure, some girls might go up a few spots, and some might drop.  But essentially the results are the same.  We can safely predict at least 90% of the Senbatsu before a single CD is sold.

Not to mention the fact that I choose to root for lesser popular idols.  Of course I hope they do well ithe elections, but I know there chances of making it into Senbatsu are very slim.  This is why I much prefer the Janken contest.  Everyone starts off with the same chance, and the result is always going to be a surprise.  That said, every year I get annoyed with the attitude of a few fans around the net.  This year is no different.  Frankly I lot of what I see and hear makes me want to sit out the election.  But I do want to support Wasamin, and of course I am going to buy at least a few copies of the new single.  So I am going to vote.  But yeah, seeing how douchey so many fans get makes me want to bail on the entire scene.

With that in mind, I present you with

My Top Five Annoying Aspects of the Senbatsu Elections

1. You don’t make the friggin’ rules, so STFU!

First and foremost, I am sick and tired of people bitching about the sister groups being in the election.  They are here, They are participating, so get used to it.  It has been this way every year!  By the way, who ever said that the elections are supposed to be AKB-exclusive?  Some fans have this unwritten set of rules in their head on how AKB48 is supposed to work, and it is all a bunch of crap.  AkiP and friends are making the rules, and they will do as they see fit to ensure the success of all the groups.  Not just one.  Besides, I kinda like the idea of all the girls competing.  Anyway, the elections are for everyone…period!  And by the way, after four years this rant is beyond OLD!

2.  Life isn’t fair, but the elections are.

I never again want to hear about members “deserving” to be higher ranked than they are.  Nobody, I mean NOBODY deserves any more votes than the votes they have received.  Traditionally it was always the Akimoto Sayaka brethren pulling the “deserve” card.  But this year I am hearing it about other members too.  I’m not knocking Sayaka, or anyone else.  I’m just saying that all the girls are deserving on some level.  You say that certain members are hardworking?  I have news for you, there are a lot of hardworking members that never get a sniff of Senbatsu…or Undergirls for that matter.  With that in mind…

3. All antis need to grow the hell up

It is equally lame to be crowing how certain members DON’T DESERVE to be ranked where they are.  I remember when I was 13 and I would have a bunch of energy about music groups I didn’t like.  I liked rock, and thought pop groups were lame.  Yeah, I was just like every other dorky kid.  But I grew out of it.  This election is essentially a popularity contest, and is decided by votes, not by individual assessments of a certain member’s talent…or lack thereof.  This year Sashi and Yui antis have been particularly vocal.  To be honest, they sound like a bunch of bitter H!P fans.  I have news for you, every single girl in AKB was selected because they have some measure of “idol appeal”.  If they don’t appeal to you, that’s fine.  But that doesn’t mean you get to piss on everyone else’s parade.  If you choose to do that anyway, than you are a jerk.  I could tell you a lot of great things about those members.  Does that make me more “right” than you?  No, and that’s the point.  The antis state their opinions like they are fact.  Ya ever heard the one about opinions being like assholes?

Just root for your favorites.  You don’t need to knock everyone else’s to prop up your own.  Because when you do, you make your own oshi look bad.

4. Lying & General Dickishness

Hey everybody, stop lying about how many CDs you bought.  We aren’t buying into it.  I see countless people coming out of the woodwork saying they bought 20-30 copies of this CD.  Really?  Is everybody here Bill Gates?  I make a pretty decent salary and there is no way I could afford to buy nearly that many.  I ha a pretty good grasp of AKB’s overseas demographic, and it is not filled with business executives.  So the statistics don’t add up.  I’m not saying nobody bought that many.  But the amount of people claiming it has me calling “bullshit” on a lot of you.

Also, anyone who tries to steal other people’s tickets by putting random numbers into the vote counter needs to go jump off of a freakin’ bridge.  I haven’t heard any reports of this happening yet this year, but I know of a couple instances last year.  This the “Classic Senbatsu Dick Move” People who do this are not fans, they are thieves.

5. If you are a frontrunning fan, don’t be greedy!

For someone who’s oshimen has NEVER ranked before, I find it offensive when frontrunning fans thow tantrums about their oshis dropping a few spots.  Waaah, she fell to 9th, Waaah, she fell to 11th.  They are still popular members, what the hell are you complaining for?  Do you know how many members would kill to be in Senbatsu, and will most likely never get the chance?  What really bothers me is that so many of these fans never even look at the group beyond the Top 15 or so.  It’s like the rest of the members don’t even exist.  Try rooting for a mid-pack or lower ranked member for a change.

At the end of the day, I just wish for everyone to root for their favorite members and vote accordingly.  This is the real spirit of the Google+ Grand Prix.  Show your dedication to your oshi.  In the end the results will be what they are.  Be supportive of your oshimen.  Vote for them as much as you can.  This is supposed to be fun for all.  Just don’t act like a dickhead.

That’s all I’m saying.

CK in California

Tags: AKB48, Iwasa Misaki