Suzuki Rika Graduates from AKB48

Suzuki Rika, a 12th Generation KKS, graduated from AKB48 on March 31st, 2012. She graduated from AKB48 because she wanted to focus on her studies.

On March 30th, 2012, she posted the following message on Google+:


Suzuki Rika  -  Mar 31, 2012  -  Mobile  -  Public

2012/3/31
I will graduate from AKB48 tomorrow.
This was a monumental decision in my life.

But I don't think this is the wrong choice.
Because the choices everyone else made have not been wrong.
When standing at the crossroads of life, people make different choices and no one knows if it's the right choice.
It would be boring, if I only lived one life - like how a mathematical question can only have one correct answer.

I'm sorry about saying these things.
I just want to think that I have not made the wrong choice.

Suziki Rika

NMB48 4th Single Titled [Nagiichi] + Senbatsu Members

NMB48 has announced the title and senbatsu for its 4th single, set to be released on May 9th. The single will be called [Nagiichi] (ナギイチ) which is short for Nagisa de ichiban kawaii GIRL!! (渚で一番かわいいGIRL!!/ the cutest girl on the shore/beach).

It was also announced that one of the couplings will be a solo song by Watanabe Miyuki. This will be the second solo for an NMB48 girl after Yamamoto Sayaka's Jungle Gym, which was a coupling on the last single Junjou U-19.


Senbatsu members for this single are:
Team N: Yamamoto Sayaka, Watanabe Miyuki, Yamada Nana, Fukumoto Aina, Ogasawara Mayu, Jonishi Kei, Shiroma Miru, Kotani Riho, Kadowaki Kanako, Yoshida Akari, Kondo Rina
Team M: Jo Eriko, Tanigawa Airi, Murakami Ayaka, Kinoshita Momoka, Yagura Fuuko

In: Yoshida Akari, Murakami Ayaka, Tanigawa Airi
Out: Kishino Rika, Kinoshita Haruna, Yogi Keira


On a side note, Arashi will release their new single Face Down on the same day as NMB48, which means it will be a tough battle for the girls to continue their Number 1 record.


The single is supposed to be a summery song and with that title, it just screams for a bikini PV. As for senbatsu, I am surprised Keira, Rikanyan and Haru are out but someone had to make room. On the other side, I am glad Airi is finally in. Anyways, summery is a new theme for NMB48 so I am curious how it will turn out.

[HONG KONG] Genki Japan in Hong Kong Event Report

Maeda Atsuko, Nakagawa Haruka and Masuda Yuka visited Hong Kong from March 26th, 2012 to March 28th, 2012, to attend the [Genki Japan in Hong Kong] event as the official cheering squad.

The trio arrived in Hong Kong on Monday morning. However, due to the number of fans waiting in the arrival hall, airport staff escorted them outside using the VIP route, away from the sight of fans. Some fans have been waiting since last night to welcome the girls.

The first event took place on March 26th, 2012 at 8pm. MC for the event is a comedian duo called Mukoangie. They briefly talked about the purpose of the [Genki Japan in Hong Kong] expo and introduced AKB48.


Setlist:
M00 - Overture
M01 - Aitakatta
M02 - Everyday, Kachuusha
-----MC-----
M03 - Dareka No Tameni

During the MC, the 3 girls introduced themselves. Both Acchan and Harugon simply said their names, Masuda Yuka used her group stage introduction, and to her surprise, most if not all of the audience knew her catchphrase!

A short Q&A session followed the introductions - the questions were fairly standard, such as "Is this your first time in Hong Kong?" and "What is your first impression?" It turns out Maeda Atsuko had stopped in Hong Kong before, but it was a short layover when she was on her way to Macau. They thought the city was beautiful.

Finally, they asked the 3 members to talk about the "Dareka No Tameni" Project, and that led to the last song of the evening.

The event ended with a surprise handshake session with the 3 members at around 8:30PM.

The second event on March 27th, 2012 followed pretty much the same schedule, and the questions for members were more or less the same, with the addition of "What is your favorite Hong Kong food?"  To which Masuda Yuka answered, "Pretty much everything...but if I had to pick one, it would be the fried rice!"  They were able to do some sight-seeing during the day, and they really enjoyed the city.  They also said the support from Hong Kong fans made them feel very energized, even though they performed for 3 days in a row just prior to this event.  They were happy to be here and be so close to passionate fans.

After the 3rd song, the 3 members came back on stage and took a photo with the audience.  There was also a handshake session with all 3 members.  They left on March 28th, 2012 to go back to Japan.


Overall I think the girls really enjoyed the visit.  They had a lot to eat, did some sight-seeing and went shopping for a little bit during the day on 27th.  The fans behaved very well, and showed a lot of support for all 3 members.  Most of the attendees were Acchan fans - there were many boards, posters, towels and robes with her name/photo on them.  Every time there was a conversational pause, the crowd chanted "Acchan!  Acchan!"  I think she found the support very heart-warming.

Nogizaka46 New TV Show [Nogizaka Roman] Will Start April 2nd

Nogizaka46 will be getting a second regular TV show [Nogizaka Roman] starting April 2nd, 2012 on TV Tokyo.

The new show is just 5 mins long and airs nationwide just past midnight, Monday to Thursday. It will feature the Nogizaka46 senbatsu members reading various Japanese literature. Image videos of the members will also be broadcast on the show.


Nogizaka Roman
乃木坂浪漫
Official Website: -
TV Network: TV Tokyo
Air Time: Monday ~ Thursday, 24:53 ~ 24:58
Broadcast starts: 02 April 2012
Cast: Nogizaka46


Ooh yeah new TV show for Nogizaka! But if it's just reading literature then I don't thing I will be watching this. my Japanese is not good enough to understand it. It's only 5 mins, shorter than AKB48 no Gugutasu-min too (8 mins)

Mitsumune Kaoru to Act in Drama [ATARU]

AKB48 13th gen Kenkyuusei Mitsumune Kaoru will be acting in a new spring drama titled [ATARU], starring Nakai Masahiro of SMAP. The drama will air every Sunday, 21:00 JST, on TBS starting from 15 April 2012.

Kaoru will be acting as Ishikawa Yui of Police Forensics Department, Mobile Forensics Squad. She graduated from Police Academy with excellent results, and was picked for the Mobile Forensics Squad. But as she loves goukon (joint party), the moment the clock strikes 5, she will start trimming her nails and playing with her mobile phone.

Kaoru said, "It's my first time acting, so I'm not very confident. I hope I will be able to grow accustomed to the atmosphere there." and seemed to be fired up to take on the new challenge.


ATARU
Official Website: http://www.tbs.co.jp/ATARU/

TV Network: TBS
Air Time: Sundays 21:00
Broadcast starts: April 15
Main cast: Nakai Masahirio
AKB48 members: Mitsumune Kaoru


Kaoru continues to get pushed. I wonder how long that will last though. Will all this pushing help her secure a spot in the senbatsu elections on June? That will be interesting to see.

SKE48 9th Single to Release on May 16th

Announced during Team S's Theater show on March 26th, SKE48's 9th single will release on May 16th, 2012. The single will come in the usual TYPE A, B, C and Theater versions, no title as of yet.


SKE48 9th Single
untitled
16 May 2012


May is looking to be an expensive month for releases. We have Nogizaka46 and Sashihara Rino releasing on May 2nd, NMB48 on May 9th, SKE48 on May 16th and most importantly AKB48's election voting single on May 23rd. I just hope that the wotas saving up for the election single will not hinder SKE48's sales.

[SKE48 no Magical Radio 2] Will Start April 3rd

SKE48 fans rejoice! There will be a new season of [SKE48 no Magical Radio] starting next week!

Although there has not been any official word about the new season, it was shown on the TV guide for next week. Magical Radio 2 will start on April 4th on Nippon TV, 01:19 ~ 01:49. (though for this blog we will use the extended 24-hr timing because it is more commonly used for TV schedules)


SKE48 no Magical Radio 2
SKE48のマジカル・ラジオ2
Official Website: http://www.ntv.co.jp/magical/
TV Network: Nippon TV
Air Time: 25:19 ~ 25:49
Broadcast starts: 03 April 2012
Cast: Yagam Kumi, Kizaki Yuria, Hata Sawako


The cast for this season will change

The first season of SKE48 no Magical Radio ran from October 11 to December 27, 2011. The main cast included Matsui Jurina, Matsui Rena, Takayanagi Akane, and comedian Wakabayashi Masayasu and actor Sato Jiro. This year the main cast has been changed to Yagami Kumi, Kizaki Yuria and Hata Sawako.


At last a new season! Majiraji (short for Magical Radio) is one of the best shows from SKE48.All those golden moments of Jurina personality switching, Rena's delusions and Churi's wackiness.
Now if only they would bring back Naniwa Nadeshiko for NMB48 too, then everything will be complete.

Deciphering the AKB48 Official Diary 2012-2013

AKB48's [Official Diary 2012-2013] book was released on Friday, March 23, 2012. In the diary were profiles and more information of all AKB48, SKE48, NMB48, HKT48, and even JKT48 members.

Also in the diary was a calendar that showed all the birthdays of those members and other important dates. But upon closer inspection, they have also included a number of strange codes with possible hidden meanings. The dates and codes of some of these matches with important dates in AKB48, like their 7 year anniversary on 12/8.

Most of the rest though were not so easy to figure out, and that's where you come in! See if you can help decipher those codes.

DATE	SUBJECT	POSSIBLE MEANING?
4/7 4/8 4/17 4/28 5/2 5/18 5/22 6/10 6/11 6/23 6/26 7/2 7/7 7/14 7/18 7/20 8/11 8/14 8/18 8/25 9/5 9/10 9/24 9/25 10/6 10/19 10/28 11/4 11/23 11/26 12/5 12/8 1/15 1/18 1/20 2/8 2/16 2/24 3/2 3/13 3/30	BS剥強 BS剥弱 神KK WT4IKE 指スラカルタ 17GK涙 XYZ no3巣鴨 SR決定 ?おやつ NYT豪徳寺 MS五反田 ウチハナヤム 苦役PRE yssB 25:47 -3 365m -2 再検討 BBAスラカルタ ▲サズヒレ -7 +38 ? ggrHKT CAP29 2×2=5 くす玉とニョッキ JL401 TH6648 6+1=red  ♪レソミドドレ tgsk65再漏 姉諾威鴨涙 △カカスミエエサ 白白赤黄 ラグランジュ 神ＫＫ ウッホＨＷ けん玉126	BS = Big Sight? KK = Kobayashi Kana. Kami Kobayashi Kana? WT4 = Wota4? IKE = Ikebukuro? SR = Sony Records? Inoue Yoshimasa (Yosusu)'s birthday 365 meters from AKB48 Theater? There's kanda shrine BBA = Katayama Haruka, Surakarta = solo ggr = Guguru (to google). 29th birthday of SDN captain Noro Kayo International flight from Tokyo to London TH = Thailand? 66 = Country code of Thailand, 48 would mean a new 48 group? 7 year anniversary of AKB48, every year they add one more pink tape to the theater re-so-mi-mi-do-re = 253112? Ka-ka-su-mi-e-e-sa?

 　

[Gyoumu Renraku] Concert Agency Promotions

During the last day of the AKB48 [Gyoumu Renraku] concert in Saitama Super Arena, several agency promotions were announced.

AKB48
Iriyama Anna, Yokoyama Yui → Ohta Pro
Yamauchi Suzuran → Hori Pro
Ichikawa Miori → Production Ogi
Nakamata Shiori → Watanabe Pro
Oba Mina, Abe Maria → Japan Music Entertainment
Shimazaki Haruka → Big Apple
Shimada Haruka → office48
Nagao Mariya → Irving
Nakamura Mariko → Shinei Production
Takeuchi Miyu → Oh Enterprise

SKE48
Yagami Kumi → Watanabe Pro
Matsui Rena → Grick
Takayanagi Akane → Avex Entertainment


These girls will transfer our from their parent agencies AKS, Signing with the agencies are not final, they have merely expressed interest in the girls.

Agency transfers is a good thing BTW, it gives the members more opportunities in singing, acting, tv show appearances and more. For example Ohta Pro is one of the biggest talent agencies in Japan, and has helped Maeda Atsuko get a solo single. The same for Hori Pro and Itano Tomomi, and Nagara Pro, a talent agency for enka singers, helping Iwasa Misaki get her solo enka single.

Often, the members in the same agency would also create a subgroup. Ogi Pro is the talent agency for No Sleeves and Watarirouka Hashiritai 7, and Watanabe Pro/Ent is the agency for French Kiss.

AKB48 4th Senbatsu Election (27th Single) Decided

The AKB48 4th Senbatu General Election was announced during the final day of AKB48's [Gyoumu Renraku. Tanomu zo, Katayama-buchou!] concert.

The 4th Senbatsu General Election will be choose the senbatsu members for the 27th Single, tickets will most likely be included in AKB48's 26th single [Manatsu no Sounds good!]. The final event will take place in the Nippon Budokan on June 6th.

This time, the Election will have 64 ranks, divided into 4 equal groups.

01~16 Senbatsu
17~32 Under Girls?
33~48 Under Girls 2?
49~64 Under Girls 3?


This means there are more spots this year, giving chances to more girls in the ever growing 48 family. A total of 243 members from AKB48, SKE48, NMB48, HKT48 will be taking part in this year's election, a big increase from 150 last year. However the number of senbatsu members is decreased from 22. Each of the 4 groups will have it's own center at least.

It has not been mentioned if Maeda Atsuko will be participating in the Senbatsu Election this year or not
http://melosnomichi.blogspot.com/2012/03/maeda-atsuko-announces-her-graduation.html


If Acchan does withdraw from the election, then the top position will go to Yuko for sure. Will the rest of the top 10 change drastically? And with senbatsu cut off, members who will below 16 will be under girls. I don't know, this new formation is good but has its flaws as well. This year's election will be very interesting indeed with many members popularity growing while at the same time some members popularity have been decreasing. There will be changes there is no doubt about that.

Maeda Atsuko Announces Her Graduation

Maeda Atsuko, the face of AKB48, has announced her graduation tonight on the final day of AKB48's [Gyoumu Renraku. Tanomu zo, Katayama-buchou!] concert in Saitama Super Arena. No graduation date has been announced at this time.


Maeda Atsuko's graduation speech

I am a first-generation member and have been here since I was 14. This was my life. It was a big decision. And I will make a second important decision. I am going to graduate.

I have caused some troubles because of my mood swings, but thanks for everyone's help, I am here today. To perform in Tokyo Dome was a dream since I was 14.

Now this dream has come true, at 20 years of age, I have to work hard towards my next dream.

I have worked hard for the past 6-1/2 years. I have to move onto my next dream at the age of 20.  I am anxious and worried because I don't know what will happen. But for the kouhai, I have to take the first step towards this.  No details have been decided.

No graduation date has been announced, but it will most likely be at the end of the AKB48 Tokyo Dome Concert since she said it was her goal. The date for that has not been announced either. It was not mentioned if she will still take part in the AKB48 Senbatsu election this year, but she will still be part of the 26th single [Manatsu no Sounds good!]

Update: Akimoto Yasushi finally posted on G+ about this.  You can see the translations on Bilingual48.


I am just at a loss for words. I didn't expect Acchan to graduate yet. She's only 20, and still has a lot of future for her in AKB48. I was expecting one of the older members like Mariko to graduate first because of her age, but definitely not Acchan. I guess it is inevitable, graduation is part and parcel of idol groups. But AKB48 will be very different without Acchan. She might not be my oshi, but she is among the people I respect the most in my life.


Quoting a line from her solo single Flower

一番美しいFlower
(The most beautiful of all flowers)

AKB48 Concert [Gyoumu Renraku] Set List

POST WILL BE UPDATED AS WE GO ALONG

Skip to Day 1

Skip to Day 2

Skip to Day 3

Gyoumu Renraku. Tanomu zo, Katayama-buchou!
業務連絡。頼むぞ、片山部長！

Date: 23 ~ 25 March 2012
Venue: Saitama Super Arena


DAY 1 (23/3)
Kage-Ana: Katayama Haruka

M00 - Overture
M01 - GIVE ME FIVE!
M02 - First Rabbit
M03 - Shoujotachi yo
M04 - Everyday, Kachuusha
-----MC1-----
M05 - Shonichi (Team A)
M06 - Only Today (Team A)
M07 - Bacchikoi K (Team K, under: Omori Miyu)
M08 - Korogaru Ishi ni Nare (Team K, under: Omori Miyu)
M09 - AKB Sanjou (Team B, under: Izuta Rina)
M10 - Team B Oshi (Team B, under: Izuta Rina)
M11 - Hashire Penguin (Team 4)
M12 - Junjou U-19 (NMB48)
M13 - Kataomoi Finally (SKE48, under: Yakata Miki)
-----MC2-----
M14 - Lost the way (DiVA)
-----MC3-----
Heavy Rotation (Ultraman Saga cast)
M15 - Nagisa no Cherry (Shimazaki Haruka, Oshima Ryouka, Shinozaki Ayana, Takashima Yurina)
M16 - Mujineki (Iwasa Misaki)
M17 - End Roll (Kashiwagi Yuki, Shimada Haruka, Nito Moeno, Yamauchi Suzuran)
M18 - Yokaze no Shiwaza (Kojima Haruna)
M19 - Junjou Shugi (Takahashi Minami, Kasai Tomomi, Matsui Rena)
M20 - Kuchi Utsushi no Chocolate (Shinoda Mariko, Takajo Aki, Minegishi Minami)
M21 - Naminori Kakigoori (Not Yet)
M22 - Dear J (Itano Tomomi)
M23 - Flower (Maeda Atsuko)
M24 - Shonen yo Uso wo Tsuke (Watarirouka Hashiritai 7 w/ Urano Kazumi)
-----MC4-----
M25 - Heavy Rotation (JKT48)
M26 - Namida Surprise (HKT48)
M27 - Seishun no Lap Time (NMB48)
M28 - 1!2!3!4! Yoroshiku! (SKE48)
M29 - Makeoshimi Congratulation (SDN48)
M30 - Kodoku na Runner (SDN48)
-----MC5-----
M31 - Oogoe Diamond (10th~12th gen Kenkyuusei)
M32 - Beginner
M33 - Kaze wa Fuiteiru
M34 - RIVER (13th gen Kenkyuusei)
M35 - Iiwake Maybe
M36 - Flying Get
M37 - Ponytail to Shushu
M38 - Hikoukigumo (all)
-----MC6-----
M39 - Dareka no tame ni (all)

-----ENCORE-----
EN1 - Gugutasu no Sora (Google+ Senbatsu)
-----MC7-----
EN2 - Aitakatta (all)
EN3 - Anata ga Ite Kureta Kara (AKB48)
EN4 - Heavy Rotation
------END------

MC1:
MC2:
MC3:
MC4:
MC5:
MC6:
MC7:

---

DAY 2 (24/3)
Kage-Ana: Matsui Sakiko

M00 - Overture
M01 - Ue kara Mariko
M02 - Kimi no koto ga Suki Dakara
M03 - First Rabbit
M04 - Oogoe Diamond
M05 - Everyday, Kachuusha
-----MC1-----
M06 - Ame no Doubutsuen (Yogi Keira, Fukumoto Aina, Kimoto Kanon, Kodama Haruka, Kizaki Yuria, Matsuoka Natsumi, Sasaki Nanami, Oba Mina)
M07 - Seifuku Resistance (Matsui Jurina, Watanabe Miyuki, Kato Rena)
M08 - Pajama Drive (Shimazaki Haruka, Kawaei Rina, Takahashi Juri)
M09 - Candy (Itano Tomomi, Takajo Aki, Yokoyama Yui)
M10 - Synchro Tokimeki (Watanabe Mayu)
M11 - Enjou Rosen (Kashiwagi Yuki, Miyazawa Sae)
M12 - Pareo wa Emerald (SKE48)
M13 - Banzai Venus (SKE48)
-----MC2-----
M14 - Zetsumetsu Kurogami Shoujo (NMB48)
M15 - Oh My God! (NMB48)
M16 - Soredemo Suki da yo (Sashihara Rino)
M17 - Kagami no naka no Jeanne d'Arc (Takahashi Mianmi, Kitahara Rie, Sato Amina, Oya Shizuka, Kuramochi Asuka)
M18 - Temodemo no Namida (Shinoda Mariko, Kojima Haruna)
M19 - Dear J (Oshima Yuko)
-----MC3-----
M20 - Hatsukoi wo Minoranai (Team 4)
M21 - High School days (Team 4, 10th~12th gen Kenkyuusei)
M22 - Honest Man (Team B, under: Izuta Rina)
M23 - Minna-san mo goisshoni (Team B, under: Izuta Rina)
M24 - RESET (Team K,  under: Omori Miyu)
M25 - Kanojo ni Naremasuka (Team K,  under: Omori Miyu)
M26 - Tadaima Renaichuu (Team A)
M27 - Kurumi to Dialogue (Team A)
M28 - Te wo Tsunaginagara (HKT48)
M29 - Aitakatta (JKT48)
-----MC4-----
M30 - Yuuhi wo Mite iruka? (speech: Sashihara Rino)
M31 - Kataomoi Finally (SKE48)
M32 - Junjou U-19 (NMB48)
M33 - Boku no Taiyou
M34 - RIVER
M35 - Kaze wa Fuiteiru
M36 - Beginner (13th gen Kenkyuusei)
M37 - Iwake Maybe
M38 - Flying Get
M39 - Ponytail to Shushu
M40 - Hikoukigumo (all)
-----MC5-----
M41 - Shoujotachi yo (all)


-----ENCORE-----
EN1 - NEW SHIP (Special Girls A)
EN2 - Manatsu no Sounds good!
EN3 - Dakishimecha Ikenai (under: Kobayashi Kana)
EN4 - Dareka no tame ni
EN5 - Heavy Rotation

-----Double Encore-----
-----MC6-----
WEN6 - GIVE ME FIVE!


MC1:
MC2:
MC3:
MC4:
MC5:
MC6:

---

DAY 3 (25/3)
Kage-Ana: Ishida Haruka

M01 - Heavy Rotation (Baby Blossom)(all)
M02 - GIVE ME FIVE (Baby Blossom)(all)
M03 - Aitakatta (all)
M04 - Only Today (all)
-----MC1-----
M05 - RUN RUN RUN (Team 4, 10~12 gen Kenkyuusei)
M06 - Ougon Center (Team 4, 10~12 gen Kenkyuusei)
M07 - Junjou U-19 (NMB48)
M08 - Seishun no Lap Time (NMB48)
M09 - Uhho Uhoho (Team K,  under: Omori Miyu)
M10 - ALIVE (Team K,  under: Omori Miyu)
M11 - Mujineki (Watanabe Mayu)
M12 - Soredemo Suki da yo (Matsui Jurina)
M13 - Synchro Tokimeki (Sashihara Rino)
M14 - Pedicure Day (No Sleeves)
-----MC2-----
M15 - Shonichi (Team B, under: Izuta Rina)
M16 - Theater no Megami (Team B, under: Izuta Rina)
M17 - Heart gata Virus (Matsui Rena, Fujie Reina, Kato Rena)
M18 - Bird (Takahashi Minami, Takayanagi Akane, Yamamoto Sayaka)
M19 - Kuroi Tenshi (Shinoda Mariko, Akimoto Sayaka, Miyazawa Sae)
M20 - Tenshi no Shippo (Kasai Tomomi, Ishida Haruka, Kikuchi Ayaka)
M21 - Saisho no Mail (French Kiss)
M22 - Mushi no Ballad (Itano Tomomi)
M23 - Kinjirareta Futari (Maeda Atsuko, Oshima Yuko)
-----MC3-----
M24 - Skirt, Hirari (Iwata Karen, Iriyama Anna, Tano Yuka, Mitsumune Kaoru, Shimazaki Haruka, Kojima Haruna, Takeuchi Miyu)
M25 - Kimi no Koto ga Suki Dakara (JKT48)
M26 - Chime wa LOVE SONG (HKT48)
M27 - Pioneer (Team A)
M28 - BINGO (Team A)
M29 - Kataomoi Finally (SKE48, Kimoto Kanon center, under: Yakata Miki)
M30 - Pareo wa Emerald (SKE48, Kimoto Kanon center, under: Yakata Miki, Ono Haruka)
-----MC4-----
M31 - Yuuhi wo Mite iruka? (speech: Maeda Atsuko)
M32 - Oogoe Diamond (10th~12th gen Kenkyuusei, Kato Rena center)
M33 - Boku no Taiyou
M34 - Beginner
M35 - Kaze wa Fuiteiru
M36 - RIVER (13th gen Kenkyuusei)
M37 - Iiwake Maybe
M38 - Flying Get
M39 - Ponytail to Shushu
M40 - Hikoukigumo (all)

-----ENCORE-----
EN1 - Heavy Rotation
EN2 - Everyday, Kachuusha (all)
EN3 - Dareka no Tame ni (all)
EN4 - Aitakatta
-----END-----


MC1: all members
MC2: Team A
MC3: Minegishi Minami, Kashiwagi Yuki, Sashihara Rino
MC4: Team B



[BREAKING NEWS]
Maeda Atsuko Announces Her Graduation

[Gyoumu Renraku] Concert Member Promotions and Transfers

Some really crazy things happened during Day 2 of AKB48's [Gyoumu Renraku] concert. Well let's start with the good news. First up, the remaining 5 members of AKB48's Team 4 have been decided, and were announced at the end of the concert.

Promoted to Team 4
Kato Rena
Kawaei Rina
Iwata Karen
Tano Yuka
Takahashi Juri

They join the 11 current members of Team 4, bringing the total to 16
Abe Maria, Ichikawa Miori, Iriyama Anna, Oba Mina, Shimazaki Haruka, Shimada Haruka, Takeuchi Miyu, Nakamata Shiori, Nakamura Mariko, Nagao Mariya, Yamauchi Suzuran


Then now for the really whacky part. To fill up the empty spots in Team A and Team B left by Yonezawa Rumi and Hirajima Natsumi:

Transferred to Team K
Matsui Jurina

Transferred to Team B
Watanabe Miyuki


These were termed "rental transfers" and are temporary, but nobody knows how long it will be; like how Watarirouka Hashiritai 7 was "temporary" too, and same for CinDy in Warota7. The two of them will still perform in Team S and Team N respectively.


Just what is Akimoto Yasushi thinking? Transferring SKE48's and NMB48's top members to AKB48? This is just crazy.


Jurina worked really hard for SKE48 to catch up to AKB48. Many times she injured herself or overworked herself so much that she had to be sent to the hospital to recover. During Team S's performance in the HKT48 Theater last month, she nearly died because she still performed even though she had an injury.
http://sakaeandfrog.tumblr.com/post/19484225065/just-after-reaching-the-goal-jurina-is-down-in

I don't know too much about Milky though but I do know that she is a hard worker too. A star performer. I can say after watching her perform.


None of the members were informed beforehand, not even the managers of SKE48 and NMB48. I'll just leave you with this image from Scramble-egg to show you the shock.

Oh and this was announced during DAY TWO of the concert. You don't announce big announcements like this during Day FREAKING 2. What other announcements does AKiP have in store for us on Day 3?

---

Google+ translations about Matsui Jurina and Watanabe Miyuki: 



Akimoto Yasushi  - 9:09pm - Mobile - Public

Matsui Jurina will do double-duty with SKE48 Team S, and AKB48 Team K.
Watanabe Miyuki will do double-duty with NMB48 Team N and AKB48 Team B.

This is for a limited time only.
It's like studying abroad.
We'll make sure they stay in good health.

Please send her your warm thoughts.

Yuasa Horishi  - 9:49pm - Mobile - Public

Manager Togasaki had a surprise announcement today.  Matsui Jurina will be doing double duty and perform with AKB Team K for a limited time.

We will monitor Jurina's health before going ahead with each step of this project.

She is still the center of SKE48.  This will not change.

Please understand this and keep supporting us.

Kaneko Takeshi  - 10:13pm - Public

Sudden Announcement: NMB48 Team N's Watanabe Miyuki will be doing double duty with AKB48 Team B.
We are sorry that so many of you were worried.
As mentioned by AKB48 Manager Togasaki on his google+, this is a good chance for members to work together and learn from one another.
We will be fortunate if you would send us warm thoughts and continue to support us.
Health will be a priority and we will never let her overwork.
Thank you for your continued support.

We will post more about future activities when details become available.

Akimoto Sayaka  - 10:46pm - Public

Please count on me to take care of Jurina.  We're happy but a bit worried about her health.  We're also happy that SKE fans will support us.

Kashiwagi Yuki  - 9:16pm - Public

End of Day 2!

SaeYuki Enjou Rosen(^-^)/♪

Happy to hear surprise promotions!
We're happy about Milky as a temporary Team B member,
and we'll make sure she gets to shine here. Please make yourself comfortable, Milky.

Tomorrow is the last day! I am going all out!

AKB48 26th Single Announced [Manatsu no sounds good] + Senbatsu

AKB48's 26th Single was revealed on Day 2 of the [Gyoumu Renraku] concert in Saitama Super Arena. The title of the single is [Manatsu no Sounds Good] and will release on May 23rd, 2012.

The new AKB48 single will have a staggering total of 36 senbatsu members, a first for them. Previously the most number of members in senbatsu was 26 in Everyday, Kachuusha. The last time there was this many members singing in the A-side of a song was back in 2007 with BINGO!.


AKB48 26th Single
Manatsu no Sounds good!
真夏のSounds good!
23 May 2012

Team A: Kuramochi Asuka, Kojima Haruna, Sashihara Rino, Shinoda Mariko, Takajo Aki, Takahashi Minami, Maeda Atsuko
Team K: Itano Tomomi, Oshima Yuko, Minegishi Minami, Miyazawa Sae, Yokoyama Yui
Team B: Kasai Tomomi, Kashiwagi Yuki, Kitahara Rie, Watanabe Mayu
Team 4: Abe Maria, Ichikawa Miori, Iriyama Ana, Shimazaki Haruka, Shimada Haruka, Takeuchi Miyu, Yamauchi Suzuran
Kenkyuusei: Iwata Karen, Kato Rena, Kawaei Rina, Takahashi Juri

SKE48: Kizaki Yuria, Matsui Jurina, Matsui Rena, Takayanagi Akane, Kimoto Kanon
NMB48: Yamamoto Sayaka, Watanabe Miyuki, Jo Eriko
HKT48: Kodama Haruka


Manatsu no Sounds good! will most likely contain the voting tickets for AKB48's 4th Senbatsu General Election on June 6th. So start saving up and get ready to spam those preorders once the order links are up!


Now someone tell me why SKE48's Mukaida Manatsu isn't in this single?
んんんんんんんまなつぅううううううう no sounds good!

AKB48's Tokyo Dome Concert Announced!

At the beginning of yesterday's AKB48 [Gyoumu Renraku] concert in Saitama Super Arena, it was announced that AKB48 will hold a concert in Tokyo Dome.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV5LU0UuZSw

The announcement VTR started with the numbers "1830M", and Takahashi Minami, the de facto leader of AKB48, was shown walking out of the Don Quixote building that houses the AKB48 Theater.

As the number counted down, important scenes of AKB48's history were shown. The first AKB48 performance, AKB48's big break with RIVER, the senbatsu elections, the team shuffle, their Kouhaku performance, the janken tournaments, just to name a few.

Takamina continued walking.

The counter stopped for a while at '1', and Takamina was shown letting out a tear while smiling. Slowly the Tokyo Dome came into view and the counter finally reached '0'. Takamina was standing outside the Tokyo Dome. The "1830M" was the distance from the AKB48 Theater to Tokyo Dome, 1,830 meters.

Flashed on screen were the words "AKB48 Tokyo Dome Concert decided"  "distance between 'AKB Theater' and 'The place we've dreamed about' ". The dates of their Tokyo Dome concert has not been revealed at this time.


Tokyo Dome is the goal of AKB48, A goal that took 7 years to reach since December 8th, 2005. The AKB48 Official Blog is titled "~AKB48 TOKYO DOME made no Kiseki~", or "AKB48's Miraculous Path to Tokyo Dome". However, officials have stressed that "Tokyo Dome is not the final goal for AKB48, just a passing point". which makes us wonder what Akimoto Yasushi has in store for the group after the concert.

Minegishi and Watanabe will appear on VOGUE JAPAN

Minegishi Minami and Watanabe Mayu will be appearing in the May issue of VOGUE JAPAN which will go on sale on March 28th.

Official Website: http://www.vogue.co.jp/


Miichan and Mayuyu will be endorsing Dior's new lipstick line. For this photoshoot, these two AKB members will shed off their usual self and take on a whole new different persona, showcasing their "adult" side. Dressed up in pink beige clothing to emphasize the lipstick, they will appear on 10 pages of the magazine

There will also be a making of footage of this photoshoot along with interview in VOGUE JAPAN's official website.


They look so different. While they definitely look more mature, I'm not sure with the hairstyle but then again models for such endorsements usually have short hairstyle like these. What do you think?

AKB48 Concert [Gyoumu Renraku] YouTube Stream Announced

AKB48's concert at the Saitama Super Arena will start tomorrow! Good news for those who can't make it, it will be streamed live on YouTube and Google+!

Currently only streaming of Day 1 of the [Gyoumu Renraku Tanomu zo, Katayama-buchou!] concert has been announced. The streaming will start at 18:00 JST on AKB48's Official YouTube channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/AKB48

It will also be streamed on the members Google+ pages, most likely with different cameras like the previous concert streams.
http://www.google.com/intl/ja/+/project48/

Iwasa Misaki's First Regular Radio Programme [Iwasa Misaki no Konbanwasamin]

Iwasa Misaki got her first regular radio programme on TBS Radio, [Iwasa Misaki no Konbanwasamin]. This programme is part of the [Music Navigator ~Kinou to Kyou no Kousaten~] which starts in April 2012 and airs 3:00 ~ 4:00 daily from Monday to Friday.

During the programme, Wasamin will talk about her favourite pets, share late-night snack recipes, and do some challenges.
.
[Iwasa Misaki no Konbanwasamin] will be aired on Tuesdays at 03:00 ~ 04:00, starting from 03 April 2012.


Iwasa Misaki no Konbanwasamin
岩佐美咲のこんばんわさみん
Official Website: http://www.tbsradio.jp/navi/
Network: TBS Radio
Broadcast time: Tuesday 03:00 ~ 04:00

SKE48 Team E 1st Stage [Pajama Drive] Senshuuraku Announced

Today at Team E's stage performance, they announced the Senshuuraku (closing of the stage) of their 1st stage [Pajama Drive] to be on March 28th.

[Pajama Drive], originally performed by AKB48's Team B, was performed by Team E for their 1st Stage since January of last year. The title of the new stage, as well as the Shonichi (opening of the stage) will be revealed later.

March 28th will also be the last stage performance for Mano Haruka and Yamada Erika, who announced their graduation for the end of March. They will still perform at the SKE48 concert on April 14~15 at the Nippon Gaishi Hall.


Including Nakamura Yuka who graduated last year, there will be 3 vacant spots in Team E, which could mean that for the new stage, there will be promotion for some Kenkyuuseis. The probability of Team E doing a previous stage again for their 2nd stage is highly likely and I hope the Shonichi date will be announced soon, otherwise the Team E members will be without a stage for quite a while. I hope it won't be a repeat of KII 2nd stage revival.

Sashihara Rino [Soredemo Suki da yo] Covers + PV Preview

The covers for Sashihara Rino's debut single [Soredemo Suki da yo] were released today. There are 4 different versions, TYPE  A, B, C, D. Check them out below, click the images to view the full sizes.

TYPE A, TYPE B

TYPE C, THEATER VER
A preview of the PV has also been released on Avex's YouTube channel. Quite a lot of details already released this early on. In the PV, Sasshi will play 3 different characters, each showing once side of her personality.
Sashihara Rino: Royal-type idol (TYPE A, TYPE B covers)
Rino: Negative schoolgirl (TYPE C cover)
Sashiko: Plain freeter (TYPE D cover)

The PV was filmed in the Oita prefecture, Sasshi's hometown, and during the bicycle scene you can see the 'natural' Sashihara.





Soredemo Suki da yo will release on May 2nd, the same release date as Nogizaka46. It will also be up on Chaku-uta from March 28th. Now that Sasshi has shown her guns, now lets see what Nogizaka has to counter with.

DiVA [Lost the way] 1st (and 2nd) Day Sales

DIVA's 3rd Single [Lost the way] released today... well yesterday actually for reasons I do not understand, and sold a total of at least 33,896 copies.

Oricon sales: http://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/js/d/2012-03-19/

Probably due to the national holiday in Japan, Lost the way was released on the 20th instead of the 21st. It managed to achieve 5th place on the charts, with sales less than 12k (Oricon only reveals daily sales for top 3 positions). My guess is this number doesn't include pre-orders which are counted in on Wednesdays, that's why the sales are so low. So this is as close you can get to a pure public sales.

2nd day sales (or 1st since I want to call Wednesday the 1st day) were much better, at 33,896 copies sold and ranking 2nd on Oricon. However it looks like they will lose 1st place to Kis-My-Ft2, and 2nd place will be a challenge if they can keep up sales against KARA.

Dariya Oki Cosme Lip Treatment Review

How adorable is this packaging design?? 
I'm such a sucker for well packaged/designed goods and this Dariya Lip Treatment was no exception. The polka dot bow and teal, rose, and white color combination won be over in a seconds after spotting it at Mitsuwa marketplace a while back.

Who wouldn't want to be caught carrying this around in their purse? Haha.

Design makes it easy to dispense onto lips.

Unfortunately, my likening for the lip gloss itself did not live up to my intense likening for the design. The floral scent was difficult to ignore when on my lips and the tacky/sticky texture was a huge turn off. I really dislike tacky lip products because it makes my lips stick together and strands of hair stick to my lips. It's too bad. I still can't get over the cute design, hah. Onward to other lip balms! :)
Dariya Oki Cosme Lip TreatmentPrice: ~$9Pros: Adorable designCons: Texture and scent

[Hong Kong] AKB48 will be part of Genki Japan Expo

AKB48 will be performing two mini-concerts at the Genki Japan Expo in Hong Kong, which is held from March 23rd, 2012 to March 27th, 2012.

Official Website: http://genkijapan.jp/jp/index.html

The Expo has two purposes - to express gratitude for all the earthquake recovery help Japan received from Hong Kong, and to encourage more people to visit Japan by showcasing the newest trends/attractions of Japan. The most anticipated attractions of the Expo are the two mini-concerts held by AKB48, on March 26th and March 27th. 700 tickets for each show were allocated, and they were gone within 15 minutes.

On Monday, the organizer for the Expo announced that Maeda Atsuko, Nakagawa Haruka and Masuda Yuka will be sent to Hong Kong for this event. However, they will not be attending any promotional event held by the Official AKB48 Shop in Hong Kong.

The same event was held in Beijing and Shanghai in February.  The former featured Umeda Ayaka, Fujie Reina, Nito Moeno, Kawaei Rena, Natori Wakana, and Morikawa Ayaka; while the latter was attended by Itano Tomomi, Yokoyama Yui and Umeda Ayaka.


I really hope fans in Hong Kong won't scare Acchan too much. Ticket distribution was changed from lottery (same with Beijing and Shanghai) to first-come-first-serve at the last minute, and this resulted in many fans unable to attend. A large portion of those are Acchan fans, so their only chances to see her are arrival and departure at the airport. I hope they can refrain from the rude behavior they exhibited in previous visits.

Majisuka Gakuen 3 to start in July?

Akimoto Yasushi published one of his indirect announcements on Google+ last night, mentioning a secret meeting possibly for Majisuka Gakuen 3 today.


Akimoto Yasushi  -  10:04 PM  -  Mobile  -  Public

There will be no announcements at 11pm today.

I have many things that I can't tell yet, like that the new Google+ senbatsu song will be performed on the first day of the SSA (Saitama Super Arena) concert, or that the Google commercial will be shown on the evening of the 22nd in Google+ faster than anywhere else, or that Majisuka 3 will be scheduled for July, and the thing we'll have a meeting tomorrow for.

AkiP has mentioned making a sequel to Majisuka 2 a few times this year, but this is the closest we have to a confirmation of the series.

On January he posted on his Google+ that if he were to create Majisuka Gakuen 3, the storyline would be completely new and not related to that of the previous seasons. Then on February he mentioned on AKB48's weekly All Night Nippon radio program another of his indirect announcements "I am not allowed to say that we are making Majisuka 3".


So what do you think about a third season for Majisuka Gakuen? Honestly the 2nd season was too troll for me. Them bringing Takamina back into the story was crazy, and the ending especially was extremely disappointing.  Come on all the build up and the two didn't fight at the end? Hopefully for the Majisuka3 it will be more serious.

SDN48 [NEXT ENCORE] Weekly Sales + Review

SDN48 has grabbed their first ever weekly #1 with their album [NEXT ENCORE]. This will be the group's final release as all 39 members wit ll be graduating at the end of this month. The album sold 48,085 and won them their first ever #1 which they have been trying to to achieve with all their previous singles.

Since this is a best album and there was only one new song, I'll just give the review for that.

1 Gallon no Ase (1ガロンの汗)
[1 Gallon no Ase] isn't your traditional SDN song, instead its your typical Under Girls song. Even though its like a UG song, it is a very nice lively song. In my opinion, this is a beautiful song.


Congrats SDN! Finally, they got #1. They deserve this, they have been deserving of this for a long time now. It's still sad to know they will be graduating but at least they finally achieved the #1 weekly goal.

AKB48 CAFE & SHOP HAKATA Opens

AKB48 opened its third CAFE&SHOP outlet in Hakata, Fukuoka yesterday on March 20th.

Official Website: http://akb48cafeshops.com/wp/hakata/

The opening ceremony was held the day before, on March 19th, with Katayama Haruka, Sato Amina, Kitahara Rie, and Nakamata Shiori attending. HKT48 members Kodama Haruka, Matsuoka Natsumi, and Sugamoto Yuko were also present at the ceremony.

The AKB48 CAFE&SHOP Hakata is actually located in the Chuo ward, and is quite some distance from the HKT48 Theater. It is the third such outlet following Akihabara and Harajuku, which opened last year in July and September respectively. Another AKB48 CAFE&SHOP is planned to open in Namba,  Osaka on April 4th.

At the shop, one can buy both AKB48 and HKT48 original goods sold exclusively at that branch.