SKE48 Team E 2nd Stage [Saka Agari] Shonichi

Today was SKE48 Team E's 2nd stage [Saka Agari]'s Shonichi. [Saka Agari] being originally Team K's 5th stage and  performed for the first by another Team.

Sad part was that there was still no promotions, Kenkyuusei's were still filling in the spot for the 3 members that graduated (Nakamura Yuka, Yamada Erika and Mano Haruka). That is indeed very disappointing. Now that Team E's 2nd stage has begun, we will see promotions in the near future? Hopefully.


SKE48 Team E 2nd Stage [Saka Agari]
SKE48チームE2ndステージ「逆上がり」
Kage-ana: Umemoto Madoka

M01 - Tenohira
M02 - Saka Agari
M03 - Hitei no Requiem
M04 - Sono Ase wa Uso wo Tsukanai
-----MC1-----
M05 - End Roll (Hara Minami, Umemoto Madoka, Saito Makiko (KKS), Isohara Kyoka)
M06 - Wagamama na Nagareboshi (Kimoto Kanon, Shibata Aya)
M07 - Ai no iro (Ueno Kasumi, Sakai Mei, Takeuchi Mai, Tsuzuki Rika, Iwanaga Tsugumi (KKS), Furuhata Nao (KKS))
M08 - Dakishimetararetara (Kaneko Shiori, Kobayashi Ami, Takagi Yumana)
M09 - Mushi no Ballad (Yamashita Yukari)
-----MC2-----
M10 - Furishite Maneshite
M11 - Umi wo Watare!
M12 - Machikado no Party
M13 - Fan Letter

-----ENCORE-----
EN1 - Fugiri
EN2 - Hanpa na Ikemen

-----MC3-----
EN3 - Aishiteraburu!
EN4 - to be continued

NMB48 Team M 1st Stage [Idol no Yoake] Shonichi

NMB48's Team M performed their 1st Stage [Idol no Yoake] on May 5th for the first time. [Idol no Yoake] was originally performed by Team B as their 4th stage from 2009 to 2010 and was also one of AKB48's Kenkyuusei Stages.

The setlist for this show was slightly changed from the original version. The Team B song  [B Stars] was cut and instead a medley was performed. For the Shonichi performance Kenkyuusei Azuma Yuki performed instead of former Team M member Kodakari Yuuka, who graduated last month.

Several costumes like the ones for  [Kuchi Utsushi no Chocolate]  and the ones for the background dancers in [Kataomoi no Taikakusen]  were changed from the original version.



NMB48 Team M 1st Stage [Idol no Yoake]


M01 - Idol no Yoake
M02 - Minna-san mo go Issho ni
M03 - Haru Ichiban ga Fuku Goro
M04 - Kobushi no Seigi
-----MC1-----
M05 - Zannen Shoujo (Jo Eriko, Yagura Fuuko, Murase Sae)
M06 - Kuchi Utsushi no Chocolate (Hikawa Ayame, Murakami Ayaka, Yamagishi Natsumi)
M07 - Kataomoi no Taikakusen (Yogi Keira, Takano Yui, Azuma Yuki)
M08 - Tengoku Yarou (Kinoshita Momoka, Fujita Runa, Kawakami Rena, Mita Mao)
M09 - Itoshiki Natasha (Tanigawa Airi, Shimada Rena, Ota Riona)
-----MC2-----
M10 - Joshikosei wa Yamerarenai
M11 - Suki to Ieba Yokatta
M12 - Sobakasu no Kiss
-----MC3-----
M13 - Tanpopo no Kesshin

-----ENCORE-----
EN1 - Yokosuka Curve
EN2 - Medley (Zetsumetsu Kurokami Shoujo->Junjou U-19->Oh My God!->Everyday Kachuusha)
EN3 - ARIGATOU

NMB48 Team N 3rd Stage postponed

The shonichi for Team N's third stage, originally set for May 12th, has been postponed to a date yet unknown. This was revealed at today's concert of NMB48's live tour [Osaka Juuban Shoubu] in the Orix Theater in Osaka.

Fans had been expecting the yet unnamed third (and first original) stage on May 14th as part of the  [Minogashita Kimitachi e 2] revival concerts. Instead, Team N will be performing a spinoff to their currently ongoing tour "Osaka Juuban Shoubu" in TDC Hall.

NMB48 3rd Generation Kenkyuusei 1st Stage [Aitakatta] Shonichi

NMB48's 3rd Generation Kenkyuusei performed their 1st Stage [Aitakatta] on April 29th for the first time.  [Aitakatta]  was originally performed by Team A in 2006 as their 2nd Stage, and later redone by Team B and Team KII. For NMB48's version, 16 out of the 22 3rd Generation members were selected to perform the Shonichi show.

An important position to watch out for in the [Aitakatta] Show is the lead girl for [Nagisa no Cherry] . This song is almost a solo and the lead part has been performed originally by Maeda Atsuko and later by Watanabe Mayu and Mukaida Manatsu. This time the position was assigned to Katou Yuuka, an indication that she will be among the front girls of the 3rd Generation.


NMB48 3rd Gen 1st Stage [Aitakatta]
Performing Members: Akazawa Hono, Ishizuka Akari, Ueda Mirei, Katou Yuuka, Kamieda Emika, Kusaka Konomi, Kushiro Rina, Kurokawa Hazuki, Kono Saki, Sasaki Nanami, Takayama Riko, Hisada Riko, Miura Arisa, Muro Kanako, Yabushita Shu, Yamauchi Tsubasa


M01 - Nageki no Figure (Sasaki Nanami, Kato Yuka, Muro Kanako, Yabushita Syu)
M02 - Namida no Shounan (Kamieda Emika, Ueda Mirei, Kushiro Rina, Hisada Riko, Yamauchi Tsubasa)
M03 - Aitakatta
M04 - Nagisa no Cherry (Kato Yuka, Kono Saki, Kusaka Konomi, Takayama Riko
M05 - Glass no I LOVE YOU (Yabushita Syu, Akazawa Hono, Hisada Riko, Kushiro Rina)
M06 - Koi no PLAN (Kamieda Emika, Yamauchi Tsubasa, Kurokawa Hazuki, Takayama Riko, Kusaka Konomi, Ishizuka Akari, Kono Saki)
M07 - Senaka kara Dakishimete (Yabushita Syu, Kushiro Rina, Akazawa Hono, Muro Kanako, Kurokawa Hazuki, Kato Yuka, Sasaki Nanami)
M08 - Rio no Kakumei (Yabushita Syu, Kushiro Rina, Akazawa Hono, Muro Kanako, Kurokawa Hazuki, Kato Yuka, Sasaki Nanami, Hisada Riko, Ueda Mirei, Miura Arisa, Yamauchi Tsubasa, Kamieda Emika)
M09 - JESUS
M10 - Dakedo...
M11 - Sakura no Hanabiratachi

-----ENCORE-----
EN1 - Mirai no Tobira
EN2 - NMB48
EN3 - Skirt, Hirari
EN4 - Medley (Junjou U-19 · Flying Get · Seishun no Lap Time · Heavy Rotation)

SKE48 Team E 2nd Stage [Saka Agari] Shonichi Announced

Team E's first performance of their second stage will come in less than 3 weeks on the 14th of May. E2 will be a revival of original-Team K's 5th stage, which was performed more than 2 years ago from February 2009 to February 2010. Team E just wrapped up its first stage [Pajama Drive] at the end of March, and the girls are quickly preparing for their comeback.

With the graduation of 3 members from Team E, I wonder whether management will rotate research students in and out of performances, or just directly promote them to the team.

I'm especially interested in who the unit members will be, especially for the solo song, Mushi no Ballad. Since Team E has a cute image, I wonder how they will pull off cool songs like Dakishimeraretara and End Roll.

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.

SKE48 Concert Titled [SKE48 Haru con 2012]

SKE48's two day solo concert at the Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya now has a title, [SKE48 Haru con 2012 [SKE Senyou Gekijou wa Aki made ni dekiru no ka?]]

The subtitle literally means [Can we get the SKE Exclusive Theater by Autumn?].

The SKE48 Theater, officially called the SUNSHINE STUDIO, is currently rented out from Canaria. Although SKE48 has pretty much taken over the studio, unlike the AKB48, NMB48 and HKT48 Theaters there is no big "SKE48 Theater" sign (AFAIK).


The SKE Senyou Gekijou wa Aki made ni dekiru no ka? concert will take place on April 14 and 15, less than a month away.




SKE48 Haru con 2012 Senyou Gekijou wa Aki made ni dekiru no ka?
SKE48春コン2012 SKE専用劇場は秋までにできるのか？

Date: 14 ~ 15 April 2012
Venue: Nippon Gaishi Hall, Nagoya


I really don't know what to say about the title, I mean is it just for the sake of a title or is SKE48 really getting a new theater. If they are really getting a new theater, it's about time because the current one is too small, and has resulted in members falling off the stage a few times. But where will the new theater be located?

NMB48 Announces 3 New Stages

On February 29th, 2012, NMB48 has announced three new stages starting in spring.

First of all, Team N will get its first original stage, and it's 3rd overall. It will start on May 12th. Nothing else has been announced yet.

Second, Team M will also get its first stage. Scheduled to start May 5th, NMB48's newest team will perform [Idol no Yoake], formerly performed by Team B as their 4th Stage from 2009 to 2010.

In additon NMB48's 3rd Generation will make their theater debut on April 29 with [Aitakatta], Team A's 2nd Stage, which also has been done by Team B and Team KII.

All this is happening right during the NMB48 Osaka Juuban Shoubu Live Tour, which runs from April 19 to May 31st.


I am really excited about this new announcements. especially about Team N finally getting an original stage. Also, it is great that they picked B4 for Team M, because this stage hasn't been redone yet (except for AKB48 Kenkyusei) and I really like it. In contrast to that, the 3rd Generation members will get to do A2, one of the most rehashed stages. At least it is an easy stage to learn for the new girls.


Now NMB48 only needs LODs for us overseas fans to enjoy the new stages. April and May will certainly be a busy month.

SDN48 [Yuuwaku no Garter] CD and DVD to release on 28 March

After 2 years since SDN48 started performing their [Yuuwaku no Garter] stage, it has finally been decided that they will release a Studio Recording CD and DVD for the stage on March 28th, 2012.

For both the Studio Recording CD and DVD, SDN48 will be separated into 1st generation members, and 2nd + 3rd generation members. The tracklist is the same for both CD and DVD.

Yuuwaku no Garter is SDN48's first, only, and last stage, which they have been performing since they first debuted on August 2009. All of SDN48 will graduate on March 31st at NHK Hall.


SDN48 1st Stage
Yuuwaku no Garter
誘惑のガータ
28 March 2012

CD [cover] Price

[CD] 01. overture (SDN48 ver.) 02. Saturday night party 03. Never! 04. Black boy 05. Yuuwaku no Garter 06. I'm sure. 07. All In 08. Jajauma Lady 09. Ganbariina 10. Futsu no Anata 11. Best by... 12. Aisareru tame ni 13. Kodoku na Runner 14. Touhikou 15. Vampire Keikaku

Well about time. Finally I can hear Yuuwaku no Garter in high quality. Wonder why it took them so long? Also will the CD and DVD show the 18+ version of the songs or the full version? I hope it's the full version.

HKT48 announces formation of Team H + 1st stage

Today, HKT48 announced in their official blog that on March 4th, Team H will be formed and also will be performing their first stage on the same day. At the moment, no details have been given beside the official announcement and date.

The 16 members who will be chosen for Team H will be announced on the same day as the stage performance. Currently the 1st generation members are doing Team S' 2nd Stage [Te wo Tsunaginagara] in their theater since November of last year.

Its great that they have decided to form Team H because it is good to know that it won't be far behind the other groups now. This might also mean a debut single from HKT soon. The new stage will likely be a revival of an old stage too, which one is the question. Which stage would you like to see them perform?

HKT48 1st Stage [Te wo Tsunaginagara]

HKT48 performed their 1st Stage today, at the same time SKE48 did their Request Hour Concert! Coincidentally, the Stage that HKT48 performed is Team S 2nd Stage [Te wo Tsunaginagara].

Te wo Tsunaginagara was originally SKE48 Team S's debut stage, and was also performed by Team KII for their 2nd Stage.

I really don't know anything about HKT48 so I can't really say anything about them. There isn't any show documenting them like what Star Hime Sagashi taro did for NMB48. What I can talk about is that I really love S2 so I am really glad they choose this stage to perform.


Members performing (16)
Anai Chihiro, Imada Mina, Ueki Nao, Kumazawa Serina, Kodama Haruka, Komori Yui, Shimono Yuki, Sugamoto Yuko, Tanaka Natsumi, Nakanishi Chiyori, Tanaka Natsumi, Nakanishi Chiyori, Matsuoka Natsumi, Miyawaki Sakura, Muracshige Anna, Motomura Aoi, Moriyasu Madoka, Wakatabe Haruka

Members not selected (5)
Abe Kyouka, Etou Sayaka, Taniguchi Airi, Nakanishi Ayaka, Fukagawa Maiko

Do note that the members performing does not equal to the members of Team H. For NMB48, several members were changed between NMB48's 1st performance and Team N's 1st performance.

HKT48 1st Stage
Te wo Tsunaginagara
手をつなぎながら

M00 - overture (HKT48 ver.)
M01 - Bokura no Kaze
M02 - Mango No.2
M03 - Te wo Tsunaginagara
M04 - Chime wa LOVE SONG
-----MC1-----
M05 - Glory Days (Kodama Haruka, Nakanishi Chiori, Wakatabe Haruka)
M06 - Kono Mune no Barcode (Moriyasu Madoka, Shimono Yuki, Tanaka Natsumi)
M07 - Wimbledon e Tsureteitte (Motomura Aoi, Miyawaki Sakura, Sugamoto Yuko)
M08 - Ame no Pianist (Matsuoka Natsumi, Anai Chihiro, Kumazawa Serina)
-----MC2-----
M09 - Choco no Yukue (Murashige Anna, Komori Yui, Ueki Nao, Imada Mina)
-----MC3-----
M10 - Innocence
M11 - Romance Rocket
M12 - Koi no Keikou to Taisaku
-----MC4-----
M13 - Daisuki
-----ENCORE-----
M14 - Rope no Yuujou
M15 - Kayoubi no Yoru, Suiyoubi no Asa
-----MC5-----
M16 - Tooku ni Ite mo

Bokura no Kaze	Mango No.2	Te wo Tsunaginagara
Chime wa LOVE SONG	Glory days	Kono Mune no Barcode
Wimbledon e Tsureteitte	Ame no Pianist	Innocence
Romance Rocket	Koi no Keikou to Taisaku	Daisuki
Rope no Yuujou	Kayoubi no Yoru, Suiyoubi no Asa	Tooku ni Ite mo

Team KII 3rd Stage [Ramune no Nomikata] Review

SKE48 Team KII 3rd Stage
Ramune no Nomikata
ラムネの飲み方

M00 - Overture (SKE48 ver.)
M01 - Kizashi
M02 - Koutei no Koinu
M03 - Disco Hokenshitsu
M04 - Omatase Set list
-----MC1-----
M05 - Cross (Takayanagi Akane [center], Matsumoto Rina, Wakabayashi Tomoka)
M06 - Finland Miracle (Mukaida Manatsu [center], Yakata Miki, Akaeda Rina)
M07 - Manazashi, Sayonara (Ogiso Shiori, Furukawa Airi)
M08 - Usotsuki na Dachou (Ishida Anna [center], Goto Risako, Yamada Reika)
M09 - Nice to meet you! (Hata Sawako [center], Kato Tomoko, Sato Mieko, Sato Seira, Abiru Riho)
-----MC2-----
M10 - Kodoku na Ballerina
M11 - Ima Kimi to Irareru Koto
M12 - Winning Ball
M13 - Akushu no Ai

-----ENCORE-----
M14 - Bowling Ganbou
M15 - 16 shoku no Yume Crayon
M16 - Ramune no Nomikata
-----ENCORE 2-----
M17 - Medley

---

Overture (SKE48 ver.)

You just can't have an 48 performance without the overture. You just can't. It's a crime. Well, ARE YOU READY?!?!

Kizashi (兆し)

Until now, I had not been very impressed with many stage openers; I just can't foresee B3/E1's Shonichi being topped in my lifetime. A great song to kick off this long-awaited stage and work the crowd's excitement. The girls' dance formation is also very organized and clean. The choreography also had them spell "KII" as their final pose.

Koutei no Koinu (校庭の仔犬)

Not the greatest song, but it is quite memorable as Annyan and company make puppy sounds throughout their performance. This track is a tad generic, but still, it is without a doubt the one of the cuter performance of KII3.

Disco Hokenshitsu (ディスコ保健室)

One of this set's catchier tunes. True to its title, this song sounds similar to a 80's disco tune you can groove to. I quite like the choreography but the props they had put on the stage are kind of unnecessary; were they attempting to re-create a club? Because I feel that they were detractors.

Omatase Set list (お待たせSet list)

High energy song with an awesome choreography to boot. From the amount of times the girls mentioned "KII", I'm guessing that this, along with Kizashi, is one their new signature songs. Minna no Yume~ Yes, KII, I have been dreaming of an amazing inspirational song like this! This will be the first song to pop into my mind when Team KII is mentioned to me in the future.

Cross (クロス)

The Bird/Maria of KII3; this track just oozes cool. It's nice to see Churi, Ri~na, and Tomochan turn badass for this song. Though I can't say the same about the costumes because the shocking pink blazers look plain tacky. Hands down my favorite song of this stage.

Finland Miracle (フィンランド・ミラクル)

Another generic cutesy song. At least the hook "Finlando Mirakuru" does its job in making this song memorable. I actually ended up liking this song after a few listens.

Manazashi, Sayonara (眼差しサヨナラ)

Yeah! My KII oshi Airin is in a duo with Gomatan; the girl is really talented. The performance showcases the two's sensuality and singing abilities well.

Usotsuki na Dachou (嘘つきなダチョウ)

Tenshi no Shippo, version pink. The costumes… they remind me of those the SDN girls wore in Onedari Champagne. This is very cute, too cute for my taste.

Nice to meet you!

I love this song. It first starts out ballad-like and eventually, escalates into a pop tune; it then alternates back and forth between the two layers. I feel that the girls could've organized themselves a bit better; I hope that as time passes, their choreography will snap in sync.

Kodoku na Ballerina (孤独なバレリーナ)

Beautiful song and stellar performance! It's nice to see the girls demonstrate some amateur ballet moves. Shawako looks graceful as the main dancer; those pirouettes were performed so deftly. I'm not the biggest fan of Hata Sawako, but this performance really earned her some brownie points with me. I just wish her voice could be as awesome as her dancing. I also feel that this song could be much… sadder. Then, it would be perfect.

Ima Kimi to Irareru Koto (今 君といられること)

Frankly, I don't know how to describe this song. It just sounds like an odd old school idol track leftover from some demo tape that Aki-P finally decided to put to use. It seems that there is also a bit of Scottish influence exhibited in the composition. That aside, the costumes do look very nice; I especially like the yellow-green-white color motif.

Winning Ball (ウィニングボール)

Very uplifting, and the girls' dancing was spot on. I like that an actual ball was hit into the audience; I can't imagine what would happen if Gomatan actually missed. I like this song, and it doesn't hurt that I'm a fan of baseball.

Akushu no Ai (握手の愛)

This is another cute performance. I love the choreography because the girls actually interact with one another and the audience. I really don't have much of an opinion about the song itself. Still, I have to say that Eri looks great in her dress; she has a great figure.

Bowling Ganbou (ボウリング願望)

I love how the girls wore bowling alley uniforms and incorporated elements of the game into the song's choreography. Yeah Churi~ you knocked down all the pins at the end!

16 Shoku no Yume Crayon (16色の夢クレヨン)

The third "KII" representative song in the set, tied with Cross as my favorite KII3 song. This is so Washoi B/E; I love performances that show off the girls' individuality. It really makes a fan want to get to know the girls a little better. I really hope that this song will rank high in this year's countdown event, and be as popular as Team B Oshi.

Ramune no Nomikata (ラムネの飲み方)

I did not expect the title song to be a ballad; real mellow and heartfelt. The girls also pass around a ramune bottle during the performance.

Medley

A medley of SKE singles; love some songs, hate some songs. The orange costumes are horrible. 'Nuff said.

---

Verdict

I know that many fans have been hyped for this new stage ever since it was announced a few months back. This is Team KII's first original stage and I have to admit: my expectations were high. After watching the full performance, I can say for sure that it missed the mark. Usually, I would have more than 4 favorite songs to a stage, but KII3 only produced about 2-3 that I really like. Aki-P, I appreciate the fact that you actually headed Churi's request, but I think you should really spend more time selecting quality songs for stages, rather than going off and creating new sister groups left and right across Asia. The girls will probably be performing this set to next year, so as a fan, I'll just learn to love it.

images from natalie.mu

Team 4 1st Stage [Boku no Taiyou] Shonichi

After 4 months of wait, AKB48's Team 4 finally had their first stage [Boku no Taiyou]'s opening day on 10th October 2011, and it was revealed which girls take which spots in the units.

As Team 4 officially only has 11 members and a usual stage needs 16 girls, four 10th generation and one 11th generation kenkyuusei member performed with them. In addition, since Oba Mina is currently under suspension, 11th generation kenkyuusei Kawaei Rina took her position.

Furthermore, it was announced during the performance that Shimada Haruka would be the temporary captain of Team 4 until Oba Mina, former captain, comes back.

Performing members
Team 4: Abe Maria, Iriyama Anna, Shimada Haruka, Shimazaki Haruka, Ichikawa Miori, Takeuchi Miyu, Nakamura Mariko, Nakamata Shiori, Nagao Mariya, Yamauchi Suzuran
10th Gen Kenkyuusei: Izuta Rina, Kato Rena, Kobayashi Marina, Fujita Nana
11th Gen Kenkyuusei: Kawaei Rina, Kojima Natsuki


AKB48 Team 4 1st Stage
Boku no Taiyou
僕の太陽

M00 - Overture
M01 - Dreamin' girls
M02 - RUN RUN RUN
M03 - Mirai no Kajitsu
M04 - Viva! Hurricane
-----MC-----M05 - Idol Nante Yobanaide (Shimazaki Haruka, Ichikawa Miori, Kato Rena, Kojima Natsuki)
M06 - Boku to Juliet to Jet Coaster (Shimada Haruka, Abe Maria, Izuta Rina)
M07 - Higurashi no Koi (Takeuchi Miyu, Kawaei Rina)
M08 - Itoshisa no Defense (Nagao Mariya, Yamauchi Suzuran, Kobayashi Marina)
M09 - Himawari (Nakamura Mariko, Iriyama Anna, Nakamata Shiori, Fujita Nana)
-----MC-----M10 - Takeuchi Senpai
M11 - Sonna Konna Wake de
M12 - Deja Vu
-----MC-----M13 - Yuuhi wo Miteiru ka?
-----ENCORE-----M14 - Lay down
M15 - BINGO!
M16 - Boku no Taiyou

In addition to this setlist, they also performed AKB48's latest million-selling single, Flying Get.


Honestly, I never really liked this stage but I am interested to see my favourite girls Maria, Marinchan and Naana in the units. I really hope the 10th generation kenkyuusei will get promoted soon!

As for the temporary captain arrangement, I'm not actually sure there's any real role for the captain since Team 4 is still so new, so I don't know why there needs to be a temporary captain. However, I feel glad that there's some assurance Minarun will still get her captain title back in the end.

Check out pictures of the performance, courtesy of Oricon.