AKB48’s Oshima treated for appendicitis

Via Tokyograph.  I know this will upsetting for Cat from Aitakatta!  Team K’s Oshima Yuko hospitalized herself last week after experiencing abdominal pains.  She was later treated for acute appendicitis.  The good news is the appendectomy was successful, and her agency expects her to return to work as soon as this Friday.

I’m glad Yuko is okay.  Hey, it’s only her appendix…She didn’t need it anyway!

Where’s Natsuki?

This is great!  I was really hoping more AKB48 blogs would be popping up.  And if you have ever ventured over to Stage48.net, you’ll recognize the author, who goes by RocketStarLauncher!

So it looks like RSL’s blog will be a worship site for Team K’s Sato Natsuki…Kawaiiii!  Those bucktoothed smiles get me every time!  The blog just started this weekend, and already we have a report on the AKB48 rankings on Mixi, Nacchi’s bio, and a picspam post, very nice!  From what I know of RSL, this site looks promising.  Recommended!

Crystal Tokyo
Ohori Meshibe

I’m not sure where I found these…probably surfing around the Stage48 website.  But these two sites are dedicated to Maeda Atsuko and Ohori Megumi.  Neither blog is new, Crystal Tokyo has been around for two months and seems to be mostly a plethora of Acchan eyecandy downloads.  The Meetan site, hosted by Chou has been around for about four months.  She hasn’t posted too many entries, but since Megumi is my favorite member I thought I would include it in hopes that we get more frequent coverage!  And with the group’s growing popularity I thought it was about time we featured more blogs dedicated to the girls of Akihabara.

AKB Fashion Check! Yay!! K2
AKB Fashion Check!! Yay! K2 pt 2.
AKB Fashion Check!! Yay! K2 pt 3.
AKB Fashion Check!! Yay! K2 pt 4.

Ahhh K2, Seishun Girls!  Before I saw the new stages K2 had to be my favorite of all!  And Team K is Cat’s favorite too, so she had a blast going over the great costumes the girls got to wear.

The highlight of part one are those hot leather outfits from Blue Rose.  No, Meetan didn’t rip her clothes off here like she did at AX, but they still look sexy as hell!  On post #2 Cat gets to do a little fangirling over Oshima Yuko, who is her favorite member.  I love Yuko too, great smile and personality!  Then there are plenty of pics of the animal costumes from Ame no Doubutsuen, which have Cat wondering why Berryz Kobo’s monkey outfits couldn’t be this cute.

Part 3 is a mishmash of color, from the tropical dresses to those AKB48 Yukata’s.  To answer Cat’s query, those Yukatas were on sale at the AKB48 store.  And the highlight of the last post (and perhaps the entire entry) are those hot latin-flavored costumes from Cinderella wa Damasarenai.  Cat’s love for this stage shines through in this post.  And the girls look great most of the time.  And in true Aitakatta fashion, there is an endless supply of screencaps to enjoy!  Recommended!

AKB48 Fashion Check!! Yay!
AKB48 Fashion Check!! Yay! A1 Pt. 2
AKB48 Fashion Check!! Yay! A1 Pt. 3

In honor of the memory of Mr. Blackwell (OK, I’m making that up)  Cat has started a new blog series focusing on the many costumes of AKB48.  And what better place to start than at the beginning, with the First Stage of Team A!  Cat goes into great detail, with plenty of screencaps from each song.  She notes the good, not so good, and ugghh.  And Cat picks a winner for the girl who best wears each costume.  At the end of the third post, she also gives us a summary and overall winners of the stage.  Proving if nothing else, if Cat sees this all the way through, this is going to be a long series!

But to me the neatest thing is revisiting this stage, and how much younger all of the members look.  And it has only been what, 2 1/2 years?  It’s also nice to see some of the graduated members in action!  Recommended Eyecandy!

Relax! PV - Puppies! xD
PERSONA!!!!  3seconds!!!!!

Hinatin has the full PV of Relax!, the first single of AKB48 sub-unit No Sleeves and the theme from Mendol!  Hinatin loves the puppies in the PV, I really like that the song has more of a techno sound than the TV show opener indicates.  It almost sounds like a song Perfume might record.  There are also a few screencaps here as well.  Kojima Haruna looks absolutely gorgeous!

Hina also has the full version of 3seconds, which is the song the mythical Mendol group Persona has recorded as their first single.  It is available here via YouTube and mp3.  It is also a pretty cool song.  I still think they sound like girls on it, even if they are supposed to be males.

And if you haven’t had the chance to catch this show, I highly recommend it.  It is really good!

AKB48 goes international!

Yes, you heard that right.  The folks at AKB48 have started constructing a website to cater to English speaking fans.  This comes on the heels of the recent NetCinema LIVE ON DEMAND, where you can download the latest stage show for a fee.  Management is apparently thinking big and reaching out to their fans from across the globe, cemented by this quote from Akimoto Yasushi…

“From now on, I want a service in English, Chinese and Korean, so it can quickly
reach overseas.”

Obviously the ladies a SaeYaka Paradise are ecstatic, as I am too.  Although I had just begun figuring out how to read their Japanese website!

CK’s Japan Tour, Fall 2008 Day 1 ~Hello Ayaya!~
CK’s Japan Tour, Fall 2008 Day 2 ~An Unexpected Trip to the Don Quixote Theater~

Recommended reading. CK is currently living it up in Japan, and in the midst of his hopping around from place to place, he’s giving us updates with a Japan Tour journal.

On Day 1, he had quite a hectic day, seeing as a few hours after landing he was off to see Matsuura Aya in concert. I have to say that I am absolutely jealous that he went to see Aya, and his description of the concert makes me really want to see some footage. The concert was at a Jazz club dinner theatre, which made for quite an intimate setting. Oh, how I wish I could go see Aya in concert like that…

On Day 2, it looks like CK’s settling into being in Japan quite quickly. He describes a stop by an official H!P store and took a photo of some of Berryz Koubou’s battle concert outfits in the store window. He then goes on to explain his quest to get in to see an AKB48 show… It’s definitely something else. I don’t think I’m a big fan of their system of getting in to the show. “Your ticket has a number on it, but then they call you into the theater randomly. So ticket #1 has the same chance as ticket #250 to be in the front row!” … How odd.

Oh Sup AKB48

Amy of Merry Go Round shares with us one of the best AKB48 performances I have ever seen. The stage is pretty good compared to their others and…Oh, wait! It’s the Hello! Project Eggies, not AKB. Honestly, Amy said what I’ve been thinking for the longest time; the Hello! Project Eggs are H!P’s answer to AKB48. I wonder if their school uniforms are getting in the way, too. SB sure hopes so.

REVIEW: MESHIBE (MEGUMI) OHORI (AKB48) “Amai Kokansetsu” single

Actually, it’s 9,998 to go after watching Megumi purchase a copy for her grandmother (?) on yesterday’s episode of AKBingo.

CJ already has a copy of Meshibe Ohori’s brand new single.  We get to see pics of the cover and messages from her teammates included in the CD/DVD.  He has also uploaded the PV, and what a PV it is!  Believe me CJ, your jaw isn’t the only one on the floor!  5 stars out of 5 from CJ…Sexy eyecandy to the max!

Meetan is so awesome I can’t stand it!!!  Must…watch…PV…again!

THE NEW RESEARCH STUDENTS: HOW DID THEY DO?

I am so jealous of Samantha.  She got her laptop back from repairs just in time for NetCinema’s announcement that they would be offering two AKB48 stage concerts for free.  Samantha gives a short report on each stage (B3 & K4), noting the lack of certain team members and the addition of MC segments which are usually deleted from the DVD’s.

She then goes on to give her impressions of six new team members and Research Students, who got a lot af screen time because of the absence of quite a few lead girls.  Ya know, we better get used to this because we are going to be seeing a lot more of them with all of the recent graduations.  Samantha goes into great detail on dancing skills, vocal talent, and overall stage presence.  She was most pleasantly surprised with the performance of Fujimoto Sara, who at 4′ 6″ (!!!) held her own with the rest of Team K.  It’s a very informative post for anyone looking to learn more about AKB48.  Recommended reading.

AKB48 member holds ‘Hug-meeting’

Santos has managed to combine two of my favorite things he has written about on his blog lately.  The wacky marketing tactics of AKB48, and the hentai comic “Shining Musume”

As you have probably heard, 25 year-old Ohori Megumi has been given the following challenge…Release a solo single, and sell at least 10,000 copies or you will be forced to “graduate” from AKB48.  Now personally I think she will have no problem hitting the 10K mark with this kind of promotion.  But to be sure, Megumi will be doing four “meet and hug” events to promote the single.  That’s right, buy a CD, get a hug!  Santos sees this as one step closer to the AV idol industry for Megumi, and likens it to a Shining Musume comic episode where “Chamigawa Rika” (LOL) had a similar event where she shook male fans genitals for buying her CD.  Once again, I have to read this comic!!!

Interestingly, Santos sees this as a morally reprehensible event.  But I don’t know.  Carnivals have had “kissing booths” for years.  And is a hug really that morally corrupt?  Obviously it promotes Megumi’s sexual undertones.  But IMO that is what makes her stand out!  Whatever the motivation, I really hope Meetan-hime surpasses ten-thousand singles as she is my favorite member of AKB48.

My only complaint is that I will be arriving in Japan ten days after this promotion…drats!

Oogoe Diamond from the PoV of an AKB48 newb

Usa-Chan was originally going to do a serious view of this PV.  But being unfamiliar with so many members names, instead she gives us a totally snarky “train of thought” with screencaps.  Usa-chan spends most of the review making fun of Acchan and Watanabe Mayu, and trying to figure out who the new “mystery girl” is fronting the group (11 year-old SKE48 member Matsui Jurina!).

This an example of the types of PV reviews I love.  And it reminds me of Woody Allen’s “What’s Up Tiger Lily?”, Spike TV’s “MXC”, and American Wota’s “Berikyuu” reviews.  If you aren’t sure what the plot or dialogue is, just make it up!  The result here is even more entertaining than the actual video!  Very funny, and some great screenshots.

It’s the final countdown (doo doo doo doom doo doo doo doo doom)

NO!!!!  Not Reinyan, she is so cute!  Actually that is part of the reason Cat has Fujie Reina at the bottom of her list.  Not just because she’s cute, but because she is so popular only because she is cute.  And according to Cat, Reina hasn’t distinguished herself as a performer to earn the popularity she has enjoyed since her recent promotion into AKB48’s Team A.  As an example, Cat has embedded a performance of Honehone Waltz illustrating Reina’s lazy performing.  Although I personally enjoyed that performance, I must agree that overall it had an amateurish feel to it.  Reinyan’s antics were a big part of that.

But we all know how difficult it is for Cat to say something negative about an AKB48 member.  She finishes the post with hope that Reina improves with experience.  I hope so too, she is adorable!

Graduated: Narita, Ohe, Tojima, Komatani, Nakanishi (Stage 48)
I… feel.. too… sad… (Aitakatta!)

Recommended reading. Five members from the most prominent unit in AKB48 are graduating. There’s some very strong reactions on the Stage 48 forum, and Cat of Aitakatta! is also struck hard by the news. The graduates  - Komatani Hitomi, Nakanishi Rina, Narita Risa, Ohe Tomomi, Tojima Hana - will have their last performance at November 23 at the NHK Hall Concert. It looks like some have signed on with agents, the future careers of others is not so clear.

It’ll be very interesting to see how the different main units - Teams A, K, and B - will reconfigure as a result of this. It’ll also be worth watching further fan reactions and if any more graduations may occur in the wake of this development.

SaeYaka in Oogoe Diamond PV

Heiwa and Ange love the new song and PV, especially because of Miyazawa Sae’s omnipresence throughout.  The Twin Towers have loaded up a few screenshots featuring their favorite members, and my favorite scene in the PV with a very unhappy Acchan.

And I must agree!  I really like this song, especially the chorus.  And the PV, complete with dramatic moments and location shooting is very refreshing.  It makes me wonder why H!P doesn’t do more PV’s like this.

Naru Inoue graduates from AKB48

Via Tokyograph.  Naru Inoue has announced via AKB48’s official blog that she is leaving AKB48 and will be working hard on her future career.  Apparently this sudden announcement comes after Naru was forced to miss several events due to poor health.

Good luck Narupon!

It’s doom time again!

This is the 3rd part in, I’m guessing a four-part series?  We’ll see.  Anyway, Cat gives us #30-50 of her favorite members of AKB48.  And it’s interesting to see some of their “heavy hitters” ranked so far down the list.  The amazing thing is Cat even has wonderful compliments for some of the lowest ranked members.  There is plenty of great eyecandy to check out, especially of Komatani Hitomi at #47!  And Cat’s Blog is always a great place to continue the daunting task of learning all of the team members’ names!

Lets compare: AKB to H!P
Mai Satoda scares the crap out of me.

Misa does a very quick job of comparing AKB48 with Hello! Project, using a few pictures to represent different aspects of both companies. There’s very little substance here, but the quick bursts of snark always help.

An earlier entry is full of screen captures from Ongaku Gatas’s Come Together close-up PV, and expect digs at everyone involved.

No Sleeves vs Men-dol: Who’s Hotter?

Recommended Reading. Let’s all open our minds a little here. Ray is excited about the new television drama starring three members of AKB48, although he doesn’t have very high expectations. C’mon, this premise has been done one way or another a dozen times or so! But it does has him wondering who is hotter? The members of No Sleeves or their Johnny’s-looking alter-egos?

Now this is Ray we are talking about here. So this type of analysis wouldn’t be complete without references to prosthetics and Caligula-like scenes in the Don Quixote Theater, ultimately turning my thoughts to the fantasy of having all six of them!

And the idea of the girls pulling a “Dirk Diggler” while whispering “I’m a star, I’m a star” would possibly be the greatest moment in the history of television!

AKB48 says, ‘You can’t leak a recording of this concert, right?’

Recently it was reported that a rough version of AKB48’s new single, Oogoe Diamond was leaked onto the internet.  Allegedly the producers were ready to take legal action against whoever was responsible for this dastardly deed.

Santos smells something fishy about the entire situation, especially in light of the title of AKB48’s November concert tour, “Will the recording of this concert be leaked?  Never!!”  Heaven knows the good people that handle the group have been known for their “unique” marketing tactics.  Santos draws parallels to the marketing strategies of the WWE, going as far as comparing Akimoto Yasushi to Vince McMahon!

This is coming right on the heels of the Meshibe Ohori-Ten Thousand singles sold or you’re out campaign.  So I don’t put anything past these guys anymore.  But I still love AKB48!  Recommended reading.

Three AKB48 members debut as male idol group in TV Tokyo drama

Via Tokyograph. The three members of AKB48’s new sub-unit No Sleeves will be starring in a late night drama called “Men-dol ~Ikemen Idol~”. The story is described as three failing idols who witness a serious crime are saved by a producer who allows them to debut as male idols. No Sleeves’ new single “Relax” will be the shows theme song.

So I am guessing the writers of this show are fans of Some Like It Hot, where Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis do the exact same thing? Anyhow it’s good to see the girls of AKB48 continue to get television exposure. The Tokyograph article also has a link to the official website. It debuts October 10th.

Of lots of Babies, a loud diamond, randomness and Meshibe Ohori

Cat gives us the details on the new singles and latest happenings in Akihabara.  First, we are finally getting a wide release of Baby Baby Baby on DVD.  The song has been out for a while, but some of the DVD extras really sound great.  I want the pink version!  On the new single Oogoe Diamond, Cat is hopeful that the new label it is being released on will mean greater accessibility.  After what I went through to get the Shibuya AX DVD, I am hopeful too.

The big news (to me at least) is the whole Meshibe Ohori “drama”.  Personally I am not too sure what to make of this, and neither is Cat.  It sounds like yet another publicity stunt.  Would they really unceremoniously throw Ohori Megumi out of AKB48 just because she didn’t sell a prerequisite amount of singles?  The whole bit sounds pretty callous to me.  As Cat so eloquently puts it…

WTF???

Taiyo to Umi no Kyoshitsu ep 2

Recommended reading. Akiramike has some very helpful advice for drama characters trying to keep their friend from being raped. Granted, this isn’t a laughing matter in real life - but in a drama, even one featuring AKB48’s Acchan, this is actually pretty amusing.

We’ve been Bubka’d!

Recommended reading. This is pretty neat, as a Japanese magazine does a write-up on this blog, in a piece marveling about the existence of foreign wota. There’s a rough translation of that article, as well as a scan of the actual page. Congratuations to SaeYaka Paradise for getting noticed in such a fashion!

Muri na Renai (Impossible Love)

A lively review of the recent drama which featured AKB48’s Kojima Haruna (who’s also in Yasuko to Kenji, my current favorite), with some interesting notes on the music of the show. I like how hina admits the only reason she tried it out was Haruna, but how the show itself won her over - that’s always a good sign.

ON BLOGGING: Moving On
The Groove Music Life

CJ announces his move from Stuck in a Pagoda With Motoko Aoyama to the newly created The Groove Music Life. He details his decision to move and covers upcoming features and changes, then starts things off with AKB48 commentary and a SCANDAL review.

THE APPEAL OF NEWBIES

Samantha has taken the time to notice a few idols that not many people pay much attention to.  Now there is good reason for this.  I know quite a few people feel that there are so many idols to keep track of that they have no room to add any more.  In the case of AKB48, the amount of members is overwhelming.  Add 10-20 trainees to the mix, and your head just might explode.

But the H!P Eggs and AKB48 Research Students must have been picked by the producers for a reason.  Talent?  Maybe???  Samantha goes over a few idols-in-training who have caught her attention, and cites a few reasons why these girls should be on our radar as well. 

Ya never know.  As Samantha points out, this is exactly how a few of todays favorite idols got started!  Recommended.

-Sigh- (Aitakatta!)
明日の道 (Wings of My Heart)

It’s a sad day in Akahibara.  Well maybe not for a few delusional wota.  We found out earlier via Tokyograph that AKB48 Team B’s Kikuchi Ayaka has been fired from the group.  This seemed like it was inevitable for a little while now.

Cat takes a practical look at the situation, noting the difference between Japanese fans and fans from the outside.  She hypothesizes on what the future of the unit will be, and asks us to lend some needed support to Team B.

Julia took the news a lot harder, especially since it ruined what seemed to start out as a very good day.  Ayaka was one of Julia’s favorite AKB48 members, and she questions why she continues to be a fan when she is repeatedly disappointed by these scandals.  Not the scandals themselves, just the fallout.  And you know depression has really set in when you begin reciting Phil Collins’s lyrics.  Just thinking about Against All Odds is enough to make me slit my wrists.

Once again, good job wota…morons!

Ayaka Kikuchi dropped from AKB48

Recommended reading. It’s been decided, the suspense is over, and there you have it. More details at the link. (Much thanks to Tokyograph for linking to us and Aitakatta!.)

SaeYaka Paradise
Our favorite villain
HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY SAE-CHAN!

SaeYaka, Team K and AKB48 paradise (SaeYaka Paradise) is a blog run by Heiwa and Ange dedicated to two members of AKB48 - Miyazawa Sae and Akimoto Sayaka. Sae and Sayaka are the two Team K members from Chocolove. The blog is written in English, although the meta seems to be in Spanish (”Etiquetas” “3 comentarios”).

The “Our Favorite Villain” goes over how Akimoto Sayaka got a role as the main villain in some Al Gore-sponsored kids show. She is a hot villain! If the show is to promote silly things like global warming awareness and good environmental habits and she is the villain, let the waters rise!

Guess what “Happy Birthday Sae-chan” is about. Ok, this blog entry isn’t saying this at all, but I got a kick out of the idea that this Miyazawa Sae girl is single-handedly preventing the world from further degrading into a pit of darkness and despair.

Shouldn’t these two AKB48 member be enemies then? One is trying to screw with the planet’s ecosystem and the other is kicking out chaos and communism.

No wai! Boyfriend scandal in AKB48? Oh noes!!1!! (Aitakatta!)

At Aitakatta, Cat first shares news of the latest AKB48 SEED member to have been promoted to the main group: Nitou Moeno, Team B’s newest member. She then goes on to share the news of 15-year-old Team B member Kikuchi Ayaka’s current boyfriend scandal, involving a purikura photo of her and a boy leaked to the internet. The picture isn’t suggestive in any way, but they wrote “3 months together” on it. Cat shares the picture and gives us an overview of the situation, and explains that such scandals were what drove her away from H!P, so she’s tired of them and not happy to see this happening in AKB48.

What Cat doesn’t mention about this scandal is the fact that Kikuchi has been absent from performances ever since the scandal broke. Her picture is still on the wall at the Akihabara48 theatre, and her profile is still on their official website, but there have been online announcements a few days before every recent Team B show that she would be absent from the performances. Just as I’d expected, another announcement was made today, and she will still be absent from the next set of Team B shows. We’re left hanging, wondering whether she’s going to be kicked out of the group or if she will, indeed, return. I feel like that’s the biggest blow - being made to wait, wondering what will happen, for this long. Goddammit, if she’s going to be kicked out, let us know already so we can deal with it.

It’s like the summer of 15-year-old idol boyfriend scandals. Lovely.

Sakura no Hanabiratachi ga saku koro…

Cat gives us an update on recent happenings for a few AKB48 SEEDS, including one moving to the new Nagoya franchise unit SKE48.  We also get a glimpse at the first girls to join the new unit.  I’m guessing this is Team S and Team K?

Cat goes on to talk about the new Morning Musume and AKB48 concert DVD’s, which coincidentally (?) were released at the same time.  She also gives us a little insight on why she hasn’t liked Morning Musume as much as she used to.  But she ultimately enjoyed the quality of both shows. 

And YOU TOO can have your very own local J-pop group!  For franchising opportunities, please contact Akimoto Yasushi.

Komatani Hitomi aka. Hii-chan, Hii-pinku

Cat is back to the profiles! This profile is on Komatani Hitomi. It is a gigantic post and full of screencaps, which I guess I’ve come to accept as a typical Aitakatta! post. Cat does a good job of pointing out memorable tidbits of this Hitomi girl early on - that she like Morning Musume and Michishige Sayumi.

桜の花びらたちが　はらはら。。。

No idea what the blog title entry says but aiwish472 talks about losing her H!P fandom. Well, aiwish hasn’t given up on Hello!Project entirely, as of yet, so it makes for an interesting perspective.

There is a clear sense that one day, who knows when, aiwish knows she will no longer be a fan of Hello!Project. Even if she stays to the bitter end, Hello!Project itself won’t last forever. So really, this introspective look is applicable whether or not aiwish gives up on H!P or not.

I like this approach. It may be too late for aiwish to consider it this way, but I think it is easier to appreciate what you appreciate knowing that it won’t be around forever. Personally, I look at Perfume this way. I know that they will not remain popular or active forever, so it makes what they do all the more valuable to me.

aiwish isn’t ready to give up on all Japanese music yet though, finding interest in the music from AKB48 and Johnny’s.

Happy Music

Julia shares her thoughts on the “happy” genre of music, sorting out what she likes from what she doesn’t. Then she shares some happy news of her own and the music that expresses her current feelings. Listen to every song that she mentions if you want to turn around a bad mood or feel like celebrating something, because this is a whole lot of happy all in one place. What makes me the happiest is that there is no mention of certain Morning Musume member’s third solo single.