AKB48 New CM for Glico's Ice no Mi Candy

AKB48 will be in a new CM for Glico's Ice no Mi candy product. Last year, the CM gave us 12.5th gen member Eguchi Aimi. This time the CM will be sort of case files series. All the 89 members will be suspects with Acchan as in a detective dress, shouting "Leave it to me!". The story line for the CM is by Aoyama Gosho, the famous Mangaka of Detective Conan.

The murder victim is played by Kato Rena, who leaves a dying message "N" and a cell phone as clues. The Ice no Mi site will also showcase each member's testimony and hint to solve the mystery.

The first CM "File 1" will start airing from June 25th.

Majisuka Gakuen 3 Starts Airing From July

Majisuka Gakuen 3 starts airing from July 13th. The drama series is about "Yankee Youth", first Majisuka Gakuen being aired on January 2010 and it's second season in April 2011. Majisuka Gakuen 1 and 2 had their setting on an all girls delinquent school. But this time, the story of Majisuka Gakuen 3 is not in a yankee school but is set in a prison.

There has been other no details beside the fact that this time there will be AKB48 members as well SKE48 members in the drama.

Peoples are speculating NMB should be there as well along with Nogizaka46. We will just have to wait for the drama to start to know further details.

Shiritsu Bakaleya Koukou to get a Movie Adaptation

The drama [Shiritsu Bakaleya Koukou] which starts the members of AKB48 and Johnny's Jr will get a movie adaption which will is scheduled to be released in October this year.

The drama that started from April and airs every Saturday on Nippon Television is about a yankee boy's school which merges with girls school. As of now, the cast for the movie is same as the drama.

AKB48
Shimazaki Haruka
Shimada Haruka
Oba Mina
Nakamura Mariko
Nagao Mariya
Kobayashi Marina
Mitsumune Kaoru

Johnny's Jr
Morimoto Shintaro
Matsumura Hokuto
Kyomoto Taiga
Tanaka Juri
Jesse Lewis
Kochi Yugo

AKB48 Kenkyuusei Mitsumune Kaoru to Star in a Movie [Joshi Camera]

AKB48's 13th gen Kenkyuusei Mitsumune Kaoru will be starring in a new movie Joshi Camera as the lead role. The movie is set to be released in winter.

The plot line revolves around four college students who return back to their hometown and through photos, they realize the importance of family. Kaoru is also currently starring in the J-dorama ATARU and the AKB/JE Dorama, Shiritsu Bakaleya Koukou.


I've come to accept the fact that Kaoru will be pushed a lot, as she has prior experience, hence why the sponsors want someone like her. The article of this movie also said, that she might be the future ace which I think is a bit too much because let's face it, Kaoru is over experienced to be a member of AKB, and she's still a kenkyuusei who has yet to prover herself as a member. The elections are coming up and no doubt Kaoru will rank but which number will she rank in is the question.

Maeda Atsuko Starring in a new Movie [Kueki Ressha]

Acchan will be starring in an upcoming movie [Kueki Ressha] which hits the theaters on July 14th. The movie stars Acchan alongside Moriyama Mirai and Kora Kengo. She's the heroine of the  movie and her character's name is Sakurai Yasuko who works in a bookstore.

The story revolves around Moriyama's character who is a labor worker and has only passed till middle school which eventually leads him to be an alcoholic. He starts to have feelings for Yasuko (Maeda's character) but has no experience with girls or had any friends before. He becomes friends with Kora's character who also happens to fall in love with Yasuko. This leads to their friendship being threatened by jealousy

Trailer: 






The movie seems interesting according to the trailer. What do you think?

HKT48 and NMB48 as regulars in new TV show [Aru aru YY Terebi]

HKT48 and NMB48 both became regulars on a new TV show called Aru aru YY Terebi and broadcasted by TVQ, a local broadcasting station from Fukuoka, HKT48's home town. The show started April 23 and is broadcasted every week from Monday to Thursday night. HKT48 will appear every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, while Tuesday will feature NMB48 together with the comedian duo Bad Boys, the hosts of AKBINGO!. Every weekday a different comedy duo from Yoshimoto appears as hosts.

The shows topic is 'subculture'. The girls are supposed to learn the 'fascination of subcultures' through several different projects. From May on the show will be filmed publicly in a theatre belonging to Kokura Aru Aru city, a kind of event mall for 'Manga, Anime & Subcultures' in Kitakyushu.

Aru aru YY Terebi is the first regular TV show for HKT48.


Aru aru YY Terebi
あるあるYYテレビ
Official Website: http://www.tvq.co.jp/variety/aruaruyytv/
TV Network: TVQ
Air Time: 24:53 ~ 25:23 (Mon/Tue/Thu); 25:08 ~ 25:38 (Wed)
Broadcast starts: 23 April 2012
Cast: HKT48 (Mon/Wed/Thu), NMB48 (Tue), Woman Rush Hour (Mon), Bad Boys (Tue), Pank Booboo (Wed), Chimonchochu (Thu)


Finally there's a regular show for HKT48, an opportunity to get to know the members better. The concept of the show sounds interesting too, so I am looking forward to this show.

AKB48 Creates Horse Racing Club for JRA New Campaign

On April 12th, 2012, it was announced that JRA (Japan Racing Association) will use AKB48 in its new "Smart! JRA" campaign.

A Horse-Racing Club was formed with 28 members, all of whom are above 20.

They will participate in a campaign called "Gachi Uma", where they compete against one another in predicting the winning horses for 5 Grade-1 races from April 29th, 2012 to May 27th, 2012, and the winner will be featured in JRA's fall commercials.

Starting from April 15th, 2012, new JRA commercials featuring AKB48 Horse Racing Club members will be aired.  The first commercial will show their reactions to the "Gachi Uma" campaign. 

The official JRA Campaign website can be found here - https://smartjra.jp/special/pc/

Naruhodo High School Being Replaced by [Gachi Gase]

[Gachi Gase], a variety show replacing [Naruhodo High School], will be airing from 20 April 2012, from 19:00 onward on Nihon TV.

And they are cutting down the number of AKB48 girls appearing on the new show, to just Maeda Atsuko, Takahashi Minami, Kojima Haruna, Takajo Aki and Itano Tomomi as the regulars for the show.

Oshima Yuko to Dub for [Merida to Osoroshi no Mori]

It was announced that Oshima Yuko is dubbing the role of Merida in [Merida to Osoroshi no Mori], also known as [Brave], a Disney and Pixar 3D computer-animated fantasy adventure film.

Merida, who loves freedom and is always inquisitive, grew and realized her position as a princess. Yuko was picked to dub this role as she is deemed to fit the character perfectly, Yuko said, "I will work my hardest to get into the role of Merida, and I hope to be able to cheer up the audiences watching and give them courage. I hope they look forward to this film."

When ask about her favourite characters in Disney/Pixar films, Yuko, who is a huge fan of their works, said, "There are just too many to be named. My favourite is [Toy Story 3], I'd cry every time I watch it."

[Merida to Osoroshi no Mori] will be in cinemas in Japan starting from 21 July 2012.

Trailer for the film is available at its homepage, http://www.disney.co.jp/movies/merida/

AKB48 Co-Hosted Music Show Titled [Kayou Kyoku]

Previously it was reported that AKB48 will co-host a new music show on TBS together with SMAP's Nakai Masahiro and Esumi Makiko.

The show is titled [Kayou-kyoku], which is a play on Kayou (火曜/tuesday) the day the show airs, and Kayokyoku (歌謡曲/popular song).

Kayou-kyoku will air nationwide on TBS every Tuesday, 21:00, with each episode will have around 3-4 artists. Nakai Masahiro and Esumi Makiko will both be present on all episodes, however the AKB48 member(s) will be swapped every episode. It is not known if the members of AKB48's sister groups will participate in the show as hosts.


Kayou-Kyoku!
火曜曲！
Official Website: http://www.tbs.co.jp/kayou-kyoku/

TV Network: TBS
Air Time: Tuesdays, 21:00 ~ 21:54
Broadcast starts: 24 April 2012
Hosts: AKB48, Nakai Masahiro, Esumi Makiko

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 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.

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

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.

Shinoda Mariko Will Be a Seiyuu for Kami Usagi Rope Movie

Shinoda Mariko of AKB48 will be a seiyuu for the full-length movie version of [Kami Usagi Rope], a popular short animation in Japan. The movie comes out on May 12th, 2012.

She was a seiyuu for one of the short versions, [Kami Usagi Rope: Community Board], that aired during October 2011. It was her first time as a voice actor. In the movie version, she will be the voice of Chipmunk Akira's older sister. Her character looks like this: (right)

Other seiyuus for the movie include Baka Rhythm, Fukawa Ryo (first time as a seiyuu as well), Pierre Taki, LiLiCo, and more.

This movie is produced by ROBOT, the same company that produced award-winning movies such as [La Maison en Petits Cubes] ("The House of Small Cubes" in English, "Tsumiki no Ie" in Japanese) and [Always Sanchoume no Yuuhi].  The theme of this movie is "Local Mystery Adventure Story".

Comments from Shinoda Mariko:

I will be a seiyuu in the upcoming movie, Kami Usagi Rope.
My role is the older sister of Chipmunk Akira, who is always annoyed by having to look after my clumsy younger brothers; a hard-working sister that comes down on them all the time.
This is a rather surreal film with a lot of parts that make the audience chuckle.  It is a movie that everyone will enjoy, whether or not you have seen the animated shorts already.
Please some watch the movie!

Final AKB0048 Seiyuus Revealed

The last 3 seiyuus for AKB48's [AKB0048] anime have been revealed yesterday. They will be voicing the AKB48 members in the anime.


http://akb0048.jp/character/index2.html

Sawashiro Miyuki: 13th Generation Maeda Atsuko
Kawasumi Ayako: 10th Generation Akimoto Sayaka
Nakahara Mai: 10th Generation Miyazawa Sae

And the 6 previously announced seiyuus

Kanda Akemi: 9th Generation Oshima Yuko
Horie Yui: 6th Generation Kashiwagi Yuki
Tamura Yukari: Watanabe Mayu Type 3
Ueda Kana: 11th Generation Itano Tomomi
Shiraishi Ryoko: 5th Generation Takahashi Minami
Noto Mamiko: 8th Generation Kojima Haruna


So the rumours for the 3rd announcement were wrong, but that means that the 2ch poster who accurately predicted the 3 seiyuus in the 2nd announcement exact to their role is a genius.

I don't really know much about the final 3 seiyuus, been out of touch with anime for some time, I'm more active with mangas nowadays. Wikipedia shows these seiyuus have voice quite a lot of major anime roles, so this should turn out well.

The AKB0048 anime will be aired through various channels on various dates and times, but the earliest is aired on TV Kanagawa on April 29th, at 23:00. You can check out the other broadcast channels and their schedules here
http://akb0048.jp/onair/


Honestly at this point I am more interested in those 9 professional seiyuus than the 9 AKB48 seiyuuus for the anime. But I guess this means that the marketing is successful to bring more casual anime fans into AKB48. Does anybody else feel the same way? 

Oshima Yuko and Matsui Jurina Will Appear in TBS Special Drama [Blackboard]

AKB48's Oshima Yuko and SKE48's Matsui Jurina will be part of a three-episode special drama [Blackboard ~Jidai to Takatta Kyoshi-tachi~] about teachers dealing with different problems in different eras.

The whole plot line of this drama special show cases troubles and struggles teachers have at school, no matter even if times have changed. The first episode of the drama is set around the time immediately after the war, and stars Arashi's Sakurai Sho as the teacher. Oshima Yuko will play one of his colleagues in school., and also his love interest.

Episode two is set in the 1980s, among the time when school violence was the greatest. The teacher is played this time by Sato Koichi, and Shida Mirai will play a delinquent student.

The third and last episode is set in the present time, and stars Matsushita Nao as the teacher. The story revolves around her and one of her pupils, played by Kaminiki Ryonusuke, whom she teaches personally. Jealous of their close relationship, a student (rumored to be Jurina's role) spreads false rumors that the two are having an affair.

The episodes will air consecutively from April 5th till April 7th at 21:00 JST.


It would be great if Jurina really is that jealous student because I personally find roles such as these harder to pull off. Her acting has improved a lot since Majisuka Gakuen, compared to her acting in Kataomoi Finally's PV, so I am confident that she can do this.

Oshima Yuko to Star in [Kaeru no Oujo-sama]

Oshima Yuko will be starring in a Fuji TV Drama Series [Kaeru no Oujo-sama](Princess of the frog), which starts on 12 April 2012, every Thursday, after 22:00(JST).

Official Website: http://www.fujitv.co.jp/princessofthefrog/index.html

She will be acting as a female university student, Nonomura Mahiro, who is trying hard to get a job. Having a reserved nature, she is in the middle of 53 failed job interview attempts. However she really has a passion for singing that won't lose to anyone else and so she joined the chorus group organized by Kurazaka Mio, acted by Amami Yuki, and begins to develop herself through singing.

Yuko said, "When I was give this role, I wondered if I was able to live to the expectations. Though I like songs like Mahiro's, but I'm not very good at it. But I think my passion for singing won't lose out to anyone else".

This series will be similar to [glee] in the sense that it will involve lots of singing and dancing. And for that, the cast has been attending singing and dancing lessons in preparation for the filming. Yuko said, "The lessons were really fun, I shall cherish singing more".


Kaeru no Oujo-sama
カエルの王女さま
Official Website: http://www.fujitv.co.jp/princessofthefrog/index.html
TV Network: Fuji TV
Air Time: Thursdays 22:00
Broadcast starts: April 12
Main cast: Amami Yuki, Ishida Yuriko
AKB48 members: Oshima Yuko

Sashihara Rino Stars in [Fukuoka Renai Hakusho 7] Short Drama

Sashihara Rino will star in a new one-episode drama [Fukuoka Renai Hakusho 7: Hatsukoi no Uta]. The drama will air on March 24 2012, at 00:30 JST.

Official Website: http://www2.kbc.co.jp/tv/renai2012/


Fukuoka Renai Hakusho 7 is the 7th edition of the series, which has broadcasted once a year since 2006. All the content of the drama is entirely shot in Fukuoka, and the cast of the drama all originate from the Kyushu island of Japan.

[Hatsukoi no Uta] is a light first-love drama based on a local true story. Sashihara will play the role of Kaori., who in Primary School receives an eraser from Horiuchi of the same class and feel in love with him. Being a negative person, she wasn't able to get her feelings across and simply just wanted to stay by his side. They went to the same middle school, high school and university. And there's a shocking truth at the end of this 13 years one-sided love.

Joining her will be Ozeki Riku, who plays Kaori's boyfriend Horiuchi. Supporting casts include Hinami Kyoko, as well as Kodama Haruka and Matsuoka Natsumi from HKT48.

Sasshi is not the first AKB48 member to star in this drama series, Shinoda Mariko stared in the previous installment of the drama [Fukuoka Renai Hakusho 6: Hanabi No Kakehashi]

The DVD for the Fukuoka Renai Hakusho 7 will release on May 16th.

Maeda Atsuko Wins a Japan Academy Award

On March 2nd 2012, Maeda Atsuko was awarded the Popularity Award at the 35th Japan Academy Awards, for her role in the film [Moshidora].

The popularity award is given to the work and actor who were most supported by the young generation. It's the only prize that is voted by the general public, through the radio program All Night Nippon. Acchan won the award for the actor/actress category, while the motion picture category was won by the movie [Moteki].

In the film Moshidora which Acchan stars in, she plays the role of Kawashima Minami who becomes the manager for a high school baseball team.


Wow Acchan won an Academy Award! Congratulations! Though it's not the American Academy Award but the Japanese one instead. And with her National Idol popularity it's quite expected. Nevertheless an award is still an award.