Nathan (L4verra) and I have mainly bonded over two things: baseball and having underrated Nogizaka46 oshimen. He recently posted an appreciation article of his oshi, Wada Maaya, [It can be seen here] which made me decide that it was about time the world learns about my oshi. Kawamura Mahiro. For a long time I didn’t really have an oshi. I always gravitated towards Kojima Haruna from AKB48, but that was really only because it was decided (by others) that she would be the one who I would cosplay from AKB0048 (which was my introduction to idols). I decided that I was going to go through every page on Stage48 (A 48G wiki for those that don’t know. It can be found here.) to find the one girl I liked best. This is not the best way to find an oshi… but it worked. [Editor’s Note: I actually found my 48G oshi in a similar manner!] As I was looking through the pages there were a lot of cute girls, many of them had interesting backgrounds, but then I saw a picture of a girl that completely caught my attention to the point where I couldn’t get it out of my head. This is the picture I that made me fall in (platonic) love with Rottii. It’s not even the best picture of her but something about it kept it in my head. Ever since then I’ve been hooked. Everything I learned about Rottii just made me love her more and more. She is considered by many other Nogi members to be the best singer in the group [1]. As a singer myself, this solidified her spot in my heart. She even writes and composes her own songs! She has also been praised for her dancing skills, including being chosen as the best dancer/oshimen of a guest on an episode of "Nogizakatte, Doko?” [2]. I will always say she is the most underrated girl in the group talent wise, but I could be biased. Rottii is from the Kansai region of Japan (Osaka), which is where I studied when I was an exchange student back in high school (automatic brownie points!). She won an audition with the Up-Front Kansai Agency before becoming a member of Nogizaka, which just proves that she’s not someone who only succeeds in one audition. All of this and she’s still only been on 2 A-sides? I can’t even. As your reading this, you may be wondering where the nickname Rottii comes from. In all honesty, I’m not really sure. But I love it. I think ~technically~ it’s supposed to be the English name “Lotty" as she herself spells it “Rotty” when using romaji. For what I hope are obvious reasons, that is not my favorite way to spell her nickname, but she does it so I still support it 100%. I didn’t think I had maternal instincts until I became a Rottii oshi. I want her to succeed so bad sometimes it hurts. I get sad when she cries; I get happy when she smiles; if she were to get bullied in school I would call the bullies parents and have a stern talking with them. And for those that know me, you know that means she’s kind of a big deal <3. Peace out nerds! -marisuga Videos to prove my points! [1] Skip to 8:00 [2] Mahiro Dance from zannen shoujo on Vimeo. So how did I come up with the idea of a Franchise Four? Well...I didn’t. During this year’s MLB All-Star Game, the Franchise Four of every team was revealed. The Franchise Four are the four best players of respective teams, and when you think of these players, you think of the franchise. For example, the San Francisco Giants have Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Buster Posey as their Franchise Four. Other sports fans tried to find their Franchise Four for teams in other sports, such as the NFL and NBA. But as both a sports fan and a fan of the 48 groups, who would be in the Franchise Four of AKB48 and their current sister groups? AKB48 and their sister groups have had their history throughout the years, and many, many members have came and went. But every group has those four members who set the foundation for their respective franchises. This article points out who I might think make the Franchise Four for 5 groups in particular: AKB48, SKE48, NMB48, HKT48, and Nogizaka46. I won’t include groups such as SDN48, JKT48 or SNH48, as I am not too familiar with any of those groups. So if you are a fan of those respective groups, I am sorry. As for the newly announced NGT48 and Keyakizaka46, I cannot include a Franchise Four for any of those groups since they are both brand new and we don’t know a lot about all of the members and who would stand out (though Kitahara Rie would be a lock for NGT48’s Franchise Four). Also, keep in mind this is an opinion piece, so if you don’t feel right with my selections, my apologies in advance. Without further ado, here are my Franchise Four picks for AKB48 and their sister groups. AKB48: Maeda Atsuko, Oshima Yuko, Takahashi Minami, Watanabe Mayu Maeda Atsuko and Oshima Yuko are locks for the Franchise Four if you ask any AKB48 fan. Both of them won Sousenkyo elections and were center selections for countless AKB48 singles before they graduated. Takahashi Minami is also a lock because of just how much work she put in to bring AKB48 to where it is now. If there was a heart and soul of the AKB48 franchise, it’s Takamina. As for the last spot, this decision was somewhat difficult but having Watanabe Mayu as the fourth member of the AKB48 Franchise Four makes sense. The idol cyborg herself was the 3rd member of AKB48 to win Sousenkyo and has never ranked less than 5th on the election. Once Takamina graduates, the face of the franchise may belong to Mayuyu. There were a lot of members who had the chance to make the AKB48 Franchise Four: Shinoda Mariko, Kojima Haruna, Itano Tomomi, Matsui Jurina, Shimazaki Haruka, Miyazawa Sae, Akimoto Sayaka, and especially Kashiwagi Yuki. Overall, the four members I selected seem about right, unless someone plans to edge Mayuyu in the next three or four years. SKE48: Matsui Jurina, Matsui Rena, Suda Akari, Takayanagi Akane Obviously the WMatsui duo of Matsui Jurina and Matsui Rena are a lock for the Franchise Four. These two members are the faces of the SKE48 franchise, which makes Rena’s graduation all that more painful…but hopefully the SKE48 franchise does well with Jurina as the lead. Either way, both have to be included on the SKE48 Franchise Four. I had to go with Suda Akari as a member of the Franchise Four for a few reasons. She is the first SKE48 member to make Sousenkyo senbatsu without the surname Matsui. Now that Rena is graduating, she’s the new face of Team E. And yes, I will point out that she did drop a little bit during this year’s Sousenkyo, but when I think of SKE48, usually Akarin’s name comes up. Same thing goes with Takayanagi Akane, who I am selecting as the fourth member of the Franchise Four. She made Sousenkyo senbatsu this year and has always ranked pretty high during elections. Plus, she was also granted a kennin with NMB48, which means management probably wants to push you. Honestly, deciding the last two spots for the SKE48 Franchise Four was challenging. There were so many other members who I could have selected for the last two spots: Kizaki Yuria, Oya Masana, Shibata Aya, Matsumura Kaori and Furukawa Airi just to name a few. Like AKB48, someone new could climb up the ranks and possibly make it on here. NMB48: Yamamoto Sayaka, Watanabe Miyuki, Yamada Nana, Shiroma Miru It was really easy to select three members for the NMB48 Franchise Four. Obviously, just like the WMatsui duo, Yamamoto Sayaka and Watanabe Miyuki are obvious choices. Both have centered several songs, both sell out handshake tickets like mad, and both have made Sousenkyo senbatsu. As for Yamada Nana, she was always the 3rd most popular member of NMB48 (at least according to Sousenkyo votes) before she graduated, which means she will make this list. She was also allowed her very own single in “Don’t Look Back”, so that helps her case. The last spot could be anybody: Jonishi Kei, Sutou Ririka, Kinoshita Momoka, Yagura Fuuko, Shibuya Nagisa, or even Jo Eriko. But I am selecting Shiroma Miru as the last member of the Franchise Four. The only reason why I am picking Shiroma Miru over everyone else is because she is getting pushed like crazy from management. All the gravure, the AKB48 kennin, and the center position for “Rashikunai” help her case. Her push hasn’t stopped yet, and NMB48 management may rely on her should Sayanee or Milky graduate (let’s hope that doesn’t happen soon!). That last spot is wide open for anybody, but as of now, I believe Shiroma Miru takes the spot. HKT48: Sashihara Rino, Miyawaki Sakura, Kodama Haruka, Tomonaga Mio Even though HKT48 has been around for a little over 4 years, there is already a solidified Franchise Four. You can’t go wrong with selecting Sashihara Rino, Miyawaki Sakura and Kodama Haruka as three members of the HKT48 Franchise Four. Look at the handshake numbers and Sousenkyo vote numbers for proof. As for the last spot, I was kind of torn between Tomonaga Mio and Tashima Meru. I went with Mio since she has the management push (she is also a member of AKB48 Team 4) and has been center for several HKT48 singles. You could say the same thing about Tashima Meru, since she too has a management push. But I am going to lean with Mio for now, unless Meru surprises us in the next few years. If this were a Franchise Five, both Mio and Meru would be here. But since this is the Franchise Four, one member got the short end of the stick. Sorry Meru… Nogizaka46: Ikoma Rina, Shiraishi Mai, Nishino Nanase, Ikuta Erika
No real challenge here. When you think of Nogizaka46, these four ladies come to mind. Every single member here has been center for at least one single and every member here has handshake results that sell out quickly (no idea about Ikoma Rina however). Even if I do have second thoughts about putting someone else here, like Hashimoto Nanami, Sakurai Reika, Hori Miona or Hoshino Minami, I don’t think any of them can edge this Franchise Four. There’s really nothing wrong with this selection. In closing, those are my selections for the Franchise Four of AKB48 and its sister/rival groups. I will admit that I am more knowledgeable with some groups over others, such as Nogizaka46 over SKE48. Thus, my picks may be a little problematic. If you disagree with my selections and have a more suitable Franchise Four, let me know in the comments below. -Nathan (L4Verra) Has there ever been a time where you submerged yourself into an idol group, and then you found someone who seems rather under-appreciated and underrated? That’s my oshi right there. Yes, this is a post that tells the world how awesome my oshi, Wada Maaya, really is. Before I get started, let me tell you the back story and how Maaya became my oshi in the first place. First of all, when I ran into some photos of some girls on Tumblr, namely Shiraishi Mai, Ikuta Erika, and Eto Misa, I found out all of them were from the group Nogizaka46. Since my other favorite idol group, the Ebisu Muscats, was disbanding, it became time to find another one to focus on. Keep in mind that I was on the fence about AKB48 and this was in the Fall of 2013. When I heard they were “AKB48’s First Rival Group”, I was curious. Then I found out about all sorts of personalities and characters among the members. You have the fashion-model-to-be Shiraishi Mai, the little sister-esqe Hoshino Minami, the older sister-esqe Fukagawa Mai, and the otaku-esqe Ikoma Rina. All of these idols seemed pretty awesome, and of course it was hard to pick an oshi. Usually when it comes to selecting an idol as your oshi, the first one who comes to mind is the one who got you into the group in the first place. By that definition, that means Shiraishi Mai technically should be my oshi. However, that would not be fair to the other members, especially since this was the first time I had seen every member of Nogizaka46. Then someone at the end of the list caught my eye. This girl at the very end of the member page with a Shinoda Mariko/Mankanshoku Mako/Coconut Head based haircut caught my attention. Her name was Wada Maaya. She changed my idol fandom life forever. Throughout 2013, I started to learn a bit more about whom Maaya was and where she came from. She was born in Hiroshima and was a cheerleader before she became an idol. She also moved from Hiroshima to Tokyo all by herself, despite still being a high school student. Keep in mind, when she started out with Nogizaka46, she didn’t have the hairstyle most of her fans know her by. Yes, she had long hair at one point in her life. Because I found out about her when her hair was cut shorter, there is no way I am going to get used to this look. I wasn’t there when Nogizaka46 first appeared in 2011 (I just started getting into Ebisu Muscats at the time). If she grew her hair this long today, it would take a whole lot of time for me to get used to it. But this was a few years ago, and if Maaya wants to grow her hair at this length, it is going to take a few years to do so. But besides talking about Maaya’s hair, let me tell you about how interesting Maaya is as an idol. There was one episode of Nogizakatte, Doko?, all of the members took an exam to determine who is the smartest member, as well as the #1 dumbest member of them all. While Maaya ranked higher than some members on this exam (she ranked higher than Shiraishi Mai, which of course, shocked everyone), that didn’t mean she was free from the competition to determine who was the #1 dumbest member of them all. In this competition, select members would answer questions in a game show-like setting, and those who could answer any of these questions correctly would escape the title of #1 dumbest member. Maaya was one of the contestants, and yes, she did not do so well in this competition. She answered each question with a cockiness that I had never seen before, and even though she got several questions wrong, I certainly appreciated this side of Maaya. I mean any footage of Maaya on Nogizakatte, Doko? was rare, given that she is not the most popular Nogizaka46 member. Eventually Maaya got so many questions wrong that she became the #1 dumbest member of Nogizaka46. She certainly had a lot of confidence in her abilities however. Even though this may just be a performance to woo new fans, Maaya’s act on Nogizakatte, Doko? was hilarious. I certainly don’t think that Maaya really is as dumb as she made herself look on the camera, She’s certainly a funny girl whom, if given an inch, she can go a mile. Among Nogizaka46 fans, many say that, despite her small handshake numbers, she has some amazing handshakes if you do stop by her lane during said event. Her singing voice is tremendous and very distinguishable amongst some Undergirls songs, namely Hatsukoi no Hito wo Ima Demo (one of my personal favorite Nogizaka46 tunes). Maybe this post is straight up oshi bias, but I really like Maaya and all that she has done on Nogizaka46 to make my stay as a fan worthwhile. I already mentioned that she is by no means the most popular member of the Nogizaka46 franchise. She is not at the level of a Shiraishi Mai, of an Ikuta Erika or of a Nishino Nanase. But you know what? That’s okay. She only has a small niche of fans and the fans that she has are incredibly supportive. Hell, I have seen one fan line up hundreds of single CDs to form the kanji of Wada Maaya’s name. That’s an overall impressive feat. But I digress; Maaya has a small yet very supportive fan base, and I do intend to meet some of the other people who picked Maaya as an oshi one day I fly to Japan for a handshake event. Maaya is still young (she is the same age as Miyawaki Sakura), so she has plenty of time to make a name for herself amongst fans and management (she did score a few gigs on Nogizaka46-based shows, NogiEigo and NogiGolf). I am proud to be the only Wada Maaya oshi, as I know no one else who is a Wada Maaya oshi (I am the only one among my friends who are into idols). I think I may be the only Wada Maaya oshi in all of North America, and yes I am going that route. Because honestly, if you too are a fan of Maaya and have called her your oshi, please stand up! We Maaya oshis need to stick together! That’s all I have to say. In short, Maaya is a very funny idol with a can-do attitude on things in life. If you see her on Nogizakatte, Doko?, you’re in for a lot of laughs. I hope this article sparked an interest in this amazing young lady, especially since she does not get a lot of chances to shine. Now it’s time for me to watch some NogiEigo, and cheer on my girl as she tries her best at English sentences. -Nathan (L4verra) The months of August and September will introduce a wave of photobooks coming your way. Takayanagi Akane out of SKE48 has one coming up, Kotani Riho of NMB48 has some sort of photobook coming up, and Hashimoto Nanami has one out at the end of this month. Get them while they’re hot! As you’ve noticed, I do have a fancy for photobooks when it comes to the 48G and Nogizaka46ers. I’ve been a fan of collecting photobooks since I received my first one: Nogizaka Ha, the first group photobook of Nogizaka46. Since then, I have solo photobooks from members such as Kizaki Yuria, Yamamoto Sayaka, Watanabe Miyuki, Shiraishi Mai, Nishino Nanase, Yamada Nana, and Miyawaki Sakura. And yes, there are some photobooks I would like to pick up in my life, such as ones from Minegishi Minami, Sashihara Rino, Kojima Haruna, Shimazaki Haruka, and Tanaka Mirei. But then I was wondering this question: who has not released a photobook yet? This is a Top 10 opinion-based piece where I decide on 10 members, either from 48G or Nogizaka46, who should have a photobook released. I take all the gravure photos I’ve seen from as many 48/46 members as possible, and give reason as to why they should have a solo photobook. The rules for this list are: · If the 48/46 member already had a solo photobook released, they are not on this countdown. · This is about potential solo photobooks, not UTB or Young Animal cover shots. · All of these members have to had had at least one gravure photo released somewhere. · If members were somehow rumored to have a gravure book in the works, they are not counted (e.g. Jonishi Kei, etc.). · If members had photobooks that were never released, then they may be on this countdown. I will give my sincerest apologies for sounding a tad too lewd when making this countdown. Yes, there will be times where I explain why a certain member should have a solo photobook and the reasons may be too lewd for a PG-13 rating. So, if you do get offended or uncomfortable with what I may write, then a thousand apologies in advance. You ready? Here are my picks for the Top 10 48/46 girls who should release a solo photobook. #10 Kojima Natsuki Let me point this out there: when someone makes it on the AKB Shirabe list for “Top 10 Breasts”, you probably should have a solo photobook. Is it going to sell because of breasts alone? I would say possibly. But Kojima Natsuki has some pretty stellar gravure shots around the interwebs, and I must say she does have the body for it when it comes to gravure. If the entire photobook is going to be filled with Nattsun in two-piece swimsuits, I still may consider buying it. The only reason why Nattsun ranks so low is because she isn’t the most popular member among the many, many girls and women of AKB48. She has not ranked in any of the elections she participated in, but I would still pick up her photobook if she released one. I also know a certain someone who would love to pick up a Kojima Natsuki photobook (maybe even 3 or 4) but that’s a story for another day. #9 Yoshida Akari I don’t know about you, but Yoshida Akari has all of the makings of a model. She may not have the biggest breasts among her NMB48 colleagues, but she still has legs that can challenge that of Sashihara Rino. Excuse me for sounding too lewd. But I think if Yoshida Akari were to release a photobook, it may as well consist of half bikini photos, if not three-quarters of the book bikini or lingerie gravure photos. If you have seen her gravure photos, she looks really, really stunning in them. Yeah, it’s mostly because she is half naked in most of them, but hey, she does have that model look and model legs. A solo photobook by Yoshida Akari will turn out great. No, it won’t sell as much as Yamamoto Sayaka’s SY (Yoshida Akari is not at that level of popularity), but it will still sell, and I would gladly pick one up. #8 Shibata Aya This might seem like a strange choice, but the reason why I’m putting Shibata Aya on here is because, should she release a solo photobook, it may sell well since she made Sousenkyo senbatsu two years in a row. Only three members of SKE48 (Matsui Rena, Miyazawa Sae, and Takayanagi Akane) have photobooks released or will release one in the future. As for Shibata Aya, she does have the popularity to release one and she does have some pretty nice gravure photos here and there I must say. She looks primed to release one now if she wanted to. There is no guarantee if it will sell as well as Matsui Rena’s Hemeretto (37,000+ copies) or Miyazawa Sae’s Namida no Yukue (7,000+ copies), but when you make Senbatsu sousenkyo for consecutive years, fans are bound to pick up your solo photobook. Yes, I would be one of those fans who picked up a potential Shibata Aya solo photobook. I will admit that I do tend to stare at her eyes more so than anything else, whether she is wearing a bikini, if she is wearing a costume for a performance, or she is wearing casual attire. Her eyes are mesmerizing; don’t stare into them too long… #7 Eto Misa Yes, Nogizaka46’s most underrated senbatsu member should have a solo photobook released. If you didn’t know about Eto Misa’s career before the Nogizaka46 days, she had a lot of bikini gravure. I would go as far to say more than Shiraishi Mai and Nishino Nanase combined. The last time we saw Eto Misa in a bikini was with Nogizaka Ha, and she looked rather stunning in those photos. Look, as a Nogizaka46 fan, I do appreciate the conservative gravure touch that the franchise is known for. But I will admit that I would like to see a few members in a bikini once in a while. The only time we would see bikini gravure among Nogizaka46 members is when they have photobooks. Since most fans are familiar with the bikini gravure Eto Misa has out there, why not give a solo photobook a shot? I have no idea if it will sell as well as, say, Shiraishi Mai’s Seijun na Otona. But I am pretty certain that this photobook will be picked up by Nogizaka46 fans far and wide (possibly even some CHIMO fans if you’re into them). I too would gladly pick this one up. #6 Nagao Mariya Remember when I gave a thousand apologies for being too lewd regarding my reasoning? Well…if you have seen some of the photos that Nagao Mariya has when she’s modeling for Peach John underwear, you’d wonder why she hasn’t released a solo photobook yet. I will say this: she looks drop dead gorgeous. Like, when I see her bikini or lingerie photos, I’m taken aback for how stunning she is. Like, she is giving Kojima Haruna a run for her money. Why she doesn’t have a solo photobook yet is beyond me, but if she does manage to get one, it may be one of the best photobooks we’ve seen since Kojima Haruna’s Dosuru? Yes, I would imagine a mix of conservative gravure and bikini gravure, but I think the focus for Nagao Mariya’s solo photobook, should she release one, would be on lingerie. she does have a sizable fanbase among AKB48 fans, so I, as well as her fanbase, would gladly pick a solo photobook up if she ever wanted to release one. The Peach John photos she has are enough to make your heart palpitate. Imagine a photobook filled with them. #5 Ikuta Erika I never said that a solo photobook had to be filled with bikini gravure shots. As mentioned earlier, Nogizaka46 is not known for the bikini gravure shots, but rather a very conservative style of gravure that’s more or less family friendly. I could possibly imagine Ikuta Erika’s solo photobook to be filled with some shots of her practicing piano, relaxing on a train looking at the countryside, or burning food she’s trying to cook. A mix of all that plus the impromptu bikini gravy shot for the fanservice may make for a good photobook. Just look at Nishino Nanase with her photobook, Fudangi. It was filled with a lot of conservative gravure shots, but also had a very small handful of bikini gravure photos. Perhaps if Ikuta Erika wants to release a solo photobook, she should wait until 2016 or later to do so. If she does release one, I’ll be glad to pick one up since I’m a pretty big Ikuta Erika fan (she’s second on my Nogizaka46 favorites list behind only Wada Maaya). #4 Kodama Haruka The reason why I put Kodama Haruka on this list is because it’s not if she will have a photobook, but when. Just look at the last two members of HKT48 who have had photobooks released recently: Sashihara Rino and Miyawaki Sakura. You could argue that both of them are the respective aces of HKT48, but what about Kodama Haruka? She has been center in more HKT48 singles than Miyawaki Sakura, and was only one spot away from cracking senbatsu for the first time in her career during the last Sousenkyo election. Thus, the time is ripe for Kodama Haruka to release some sort of solo photobook. It’s going to be a quick seller just like Miyawaki Sakura’s self titled Sakura. Also, if Haruppi were to have the same risqué shots that Miyawaki Sakura had in her photobook, it would honestly be acceptable. Why? It’s because Haruppi is 18 years old. #3 Kitahara Rie Something I never noticed is that Kitahara Rie does not have a solo photobook released. Why? Why single out the new face of Niigata’s 48G team? I think Kitahara Rie is long, long overdue for a solo photobook. She doesn’t have to release one if she isn’t comfortable with gravure (as is the case for anybody on this countdown), but if she did, now would be a good time to get one. Kitahara Rie’s popularity has skyrocketed since the move to NGT48. No longer is she stuck among the high undergirls: the #11 spot during this year’s Sousenkyo election was the highest spot Kitarie has clinched, ever. You strike when the iron is hot. If Kitahara Rie would like to release a solo photobook, now would be the perfect time. I, as well as thousands of other fans, would love to pick one up. #2 Matsui Jurina If you look on CDJapan, you’d notice that there’s a photobook released July 2010: “SKE48 Jurina Matsui First Photobook”. This $30 USD photobook does not exist on Stage48 and you can’t even buy this photobook on CDJapan (it says “release postponed” on availability). Thus, the first Matsui Jurina solo photobook does not exist… …yet. Yes, Matsui Jurina is primed to release some kind of photobook in the near future. She essentially has the keys to the SKE48 franchise and no longer has to share the car with Matsui Rena. She’s in the driver’s seat now, and if Jurina wants to release a solo photobook, she can. No longer is she at the U-18 age where some risqué shots are too risqué for CDJapan to handle (I am looking at you, Miyawaki Sakura!), so everything is set up for her to release a solo photobook. I will admit that her gravure is pretty good, but she has the popularity to back up a potential solo photobook. I have no idea if I would pick one up, but I’m sure her first photobook would sell like hotcakes. #1 Shiroma Miru If you’re familiar with some of my articles, or you know who my NMB48 oshi is, you knew this was coming. Yes, if I’m going to put anybody at the top of the list for potential photobooks, it’s Shiroma Miru. Let me start things off by saying her gravure is some of the most risqué stuff I’ve seen in my entire life. She has matured in looks and body to the point where she looks like she’s in her early 20s if you put her next to Ichikawa Miori. She is somewhat of an internet meme among 48G fans simply from a segment of the “Durian Shonen” PV alone. If you search up Shiroma Miru on Google Images, you’re going to find so many bikini or lingerie photos that it may seem overwhelming. Basically, Shiroma Miru has some ridiculously risqué gravure photos left, right and center, and I will admit that she looks good in said photos. Really good, like Nagao-Mariya-modeling-Peach-John-underwear good. I say risqué a lot because she is not 18 yet. She turns 18 on October 14th of this year. So, if she is going to release a solo photobook filled with some risqué gravure photos, she probably should do it sometime in 2016. That way, she can go as risqué as she wants to and not a lot of people will bat an eye (I am still looking at you, Miyawaki Sakura!). Miru may not be the most popular among NMB48 members, since Yamamoto Sayaka and Watanabe Miyuki made sure of that. But since Yamada Nana graduated, the face of Team M can be Shiroma Miru if she plays her cards right. And yes, she is getting there faster than you think. Maybe this is just me boasting about how fantastic my NMB48 oshi really is, and how fantastic her gravure photos really are. But honestly, if Shiroma Miru would release a solo photobook, I would preorder and buy 2 copies without even thinking about it. And honestly, I am 100% certain Shiroma Miru will have a photobook in the future, filled with all sorts of lingerie photos, bikini photos, and the occasional silly stuff to show off Miru’s personality. Prepare yourselves, ladies and gentlemen. A Shiroma Miru photobook is coming. ~ So what did y’all think? Did you like this article? Is there a 48/46 member you would like to see release a solo photobook? Would you buy any one of the potential solo photobooks I mentioned? Let me know in the comments below. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to create a fund for idol photobooks…my poor wallet… -Nathan (L4verra) If you didn’t know already, Miyawaki Sakura, of HKT48 and AKB48, released a photobook this month. The self-titled Sakura photobook was so good that it sold over 60,000 copies, which means it’s sold out in Japan. Fortunately, the local Kinokuniya Bookstore in Los Angeles managed to have two copies for sale, so of course I did not hesitate to pick one up. But how good is it? Is the first Miyawaki Sakura photobook worth the price (1,500 yen in Japan and about $23 at Kinokuniya before tax)? Let’s take a look. Some photobooks can come with either a photo you can trade with others or even a two-sided poster. This one comes with different posters depending on which one you buy. You won’t know which poster you get until you take off the plastic wrapping. The one I have is of Sakura in a bikini in the forest. Yeah, I’m not taping that poster in my room mind you. As soon as you open the photobook, it’s a photo of Sakura sitting on a cherry blossom tree. Throughout the book, you see Sakura in normal casual clothes (or sometimes a seifuku) in various settings: sleeping inside a bus, relaxing on a boat, fishing in a harbor, running in a park, and playing at a playground. Of course, you get your fair share of bikini gravure shots, which are commonplace in 48G-related photobooks. Honestly, you see more bikini gravure in standard issues of Young Animal or Weekly Playboy, so if you expected a book filled with Sakura bikini shots, that’s not the case here. She’s still cute regardless, and you have an entire book filled with the cuteness that is Miyawaki Sakura! Who needs bikini shots anyway? One thing that bothers me about the photobook is just how much it skips from setting to setting. The pacing goes like this: two pages with Sakura in a Japanese metropolitan bus, then two pages with Sakura next to a cherry tree. Some photobooks, such Kizaki Yuria’s Peace and Shiraishi Mai’s Seijun na Otona, keep it consistent with the photo settings. For example, you get ten or so pages of Shiraishi Mai at the beach but they aren’t scattered throughout the photobook. Rather, they are all in one section. Miyawaki Sakura’s photobook doesn’t do that. All the photos seem to be shuffled around, so you get a new setting once you turn the page. This takes away from the experience the photobook is giving you. Other things you see in this photobook include a few shots of Miyawaki Sakura during concerts (such as the Young Member Zenkoku Tour), Sakura backstage, and Sakura in rehearsal with other HKT48 members. You also get a few pages that talk about Sakura’s life story, including pictures of her when she was younger. It’s a nice thing to read at the end of a photo collection. That is if you can read Japanese. There is also one part of the photobook that puts it in the “risqué” category, more so than anything in Weekly Playboy or Young Animal. There are some five or six shots in this photobook that consist of Sakura in a bed. The only problem with this is that Sakura is possibly not wearing any clothes and is covered with a white blanket. I say possibly because there are photos where Sakura’s back is exposed and it does not look like she is wearing a bra. To some this would be all fine and dandy, but the issue that arises here is that Miyawaki Sakura is only 17 years old. This issue was addressed on CDJapan (a popular import website) with Sakura’s photobook was pulled from the site. How you look at the photos is based on your own moral judgments as to whether or not it’s okay for Miyawaki Sakura to have photos like that. I will not post the photos on this review since that will spoil the “surprise”. But in my opinion, I can understand why CDJapan pulled the photobook. I can also understand why some people may find the photos too risqué for a 17-year-old. I wish Sakura waited until possibly April of 2016 to take photos like this so it would be a non-issue, but the photos are there. If you buy the photobook, all you have to do is just skip over those few pages. Overall, Sakura is a pretty decent photobook. This is not the best photobook released this year (so far I have to give that title to Yamamoto Sayaka’s SY), but this is still a good photobook for all you Miyawaki Sakura fans. I would put this photobook higher than Nishino Nanase’s Fudangi, but not higher than Kizaki Yuria’s Peace. Obviously for the Miyawaki Sakura oshi, it’s a must buy. For the individual who put Sakura in their Top 5 or maybe Top 10, it’s still worth a buy if you can find one. But for everyone else out there, your best bet would be to sit this photobook out and possibly purchase Mizugi Surprise 2015 once that comes out. I have a very strong feeling this is not going to be the last Miyawaki Sakura photobook. Give it at least five years and she’ll have a new one ready. -Nathan (L4verra) What a night. The Sousenkyo is over, and what a night it was, filled with surprises, broken records, and cameo appearances. A new 48G champion has been crowned the Sousenkyo pennant, and all sorts of new members ranked for the first time. This is an article based on the takeaways from this year’s Sousenkyo. It is a bit of an opinion piece based on my observations. So if I manage to anger a select few, my apologies. Let’s dive right in at the takeaways from a night filled with surprise. Welcome Back Suuchan I will admit that 2014 was not too kind to Sato Sumire until the arrival of the coupling song, “Ambulance”. She was transferred to SKE48 and she failed to rank in the 2014 Sousenkyo. This year, she has come back in a big way: as Future Girls center. I will also admit that I haven’t followed Suuchan as much as the average AKB48 and SKE48 fan, but I will say that she really blossomed at center in one of the best coupling songs in AKB48 history. Maybe it had to do with the nurse motif. Welcome back to Sousenkyo, Sato Sumire! A Round of Applause For Kojina Yui One of the biggest surprises, not only among HKT48 fans but also among HKT48 members, was the appearance of the punctual yet goofy Kojina Yui, ranking as high as Next Girls at #46. The thing is, the members who have no idea that they’ll rank end up with the best reactions (such as Tanabe Miku during the last election). Jiina was rather surprised ranking this high, evidenced by hyperventilation. All of her HKT48 comrades were rooting for her to start her speech. However, she needed the host to hold on to the microphone for a bit so she can take out a mirror to see if her makeup wasn’t smudged or anything. That alone was enough to capture the hearts of new fans. You go Jiina. Rock on with your goofy self! A Steady Vote Count Doesn’t Mean A Steady Rank Let’s look at the minimum amount of votes needed to rank this year: 13,116. Last year’s number was at 9,561. For some members, that meant if a certain member has a steady and consistent fan base willing to put in almost the same number of votes as last year, that certain member is very likely dropping a few spots. Even if the number of votes for a particular member has increased by a little bit (about 500-2,000 more votes than last year), that still does not mean that member is going to stay at the same rank as last year. Take into account Tano Yuka and Nagao Mariya, who received more votes than last year, however fell a few spots. This shows that the game is changing, and more votes are needed to allow a certain member to remain at a certain spot. SKE48 Fans Make A Statement Several members of SKE48 ranked for the first time, from Upcoming Girls (Kumazaki Haruka, Kitagawa Ryoha) to Undergirls (Tani Marika). You could also argue that the AKB48 vs. SKE48 rivalry has just heated up, given how more SKE48 members ranked this year compared to AKB48 members. Yes, SKE48 has 27 representatives in this election versus AKB48’s 23 representatives. And they did this without Matsui Rena. However, given that SKE48 had four members in senbatsu (just like last year), the group did not necessarily win this year’s election, despite the Sakae faithful voting in several new members. Home Field Helps This is the first time the AKB48 Senbatsu Sousenkyo took place in Fukuoka, where HKT48 is located. While SKE48 has more members rank in this election than anybody else, HKT48 members ranked but in a special way: three of them are centers for three lineups. Yes, Anai Chihiro is your Next Girls center while Kodama Haruka is your Undergirls center. Despite how only 15 HKT48 representatives made this year’s election, three of them are going to get the most screen time on the upcoming songs. Yes, I mentioned that three HKT48 members cracked the center spots, and one of them is Senbatsu center. Now it’s time to get into the Senbatsu takeaways, and there were plenty. Muto Tomu Is This Year’s Big Surprise In 2013, the big surprise ranking was when Shibata Aya made Undergirls center, beating Minegishi Minami to the punch. Last year, the big surprise ranking was when Matsumura Kaori made Undergirls center, beating Watanabe Miyuki to said spot. This year, Muto Tomu cracks the last Senbatsu spot, edging out Kodama Haruka for the spot. The reason I say this is the biggest surprise is because not a lot of people really predicted Tomu to make Senbatsu. This spot was usually predicted for members such as Kodama Haruka, Minegishi Minami, and Kizaki Yuria. Yet Tomu and her fans managed to edge all 3 out to clinch a Senbatsu berth. The Competition Is Way Too Fierce As predicted, Shimazaki Haruka, Yamamoto Sayaka, and Matsui Jurina all make senbatsu. All 3 of them received a whole lot more votes than last year, from 5,000 to 30,000. However, that did not translate to an increase in rank. Paruru fell down 2 spots out of Kami7 to 9th place. Jurina fell down a spot to 5th place even though she received over 14,000 votes more than last year. Sayanee received over 30,000 more votes than last year and still stuck at 6th place. This just begs the question: how many votes will it take to win the Sousenkyo pennant? Heartbreaking Yet Heartwarming This is Takahashi Minami’s final Sousenkyo election. Thus, a message to her fans was that she wanted to rank in first place, which would be a tremendous sendoff to one of the most influential AKB48 members in history. Unfortunately, while Takamina managed to crack the Kami7 lineup, she did not win the entire election; she placed 4th overall, her highest rank in Sousenkyo history. This is heartbreaking because Takamina does not have another chance at Sousenkyo center. While her rank was rather heartbreaking, there was a heartwarming cameo appearance right after. Maeda Atsuko, a former face of the AKB48 franchise, came to comfort Takamina right before she was about to sit down. For those of you who have been with AKB48 since its inception back in 2005, you would know that that was a big moment for fans of the franchise: this brings back the friendship between Acchan and Takamina (Atsumina) that has been around until Acchan graduated from the group. This was probably the most powerful moment of the entire Sousenkyo. While Takamina did not get her wish granted at the end of it all, it was nice to see Maeda Atsuko return to comfort an old friend. New Ways To Shock The World Since 2013, Watanabe Mayu has shocked people with her ranking on Sousenkyo. The 2013 year was the year most fans thought she would have won, but she ended up ranking 3rd behind Oshima Yuko and Sashihara Rino. In 2014, a lot of fans thought she would have lost to Sasshi, as evidenced by the preliminary results. Yet we all know how that turned out. This year, Mayuyu received about 15,000 more votes than last year, at 165,789 votes. This amount of votes was enough to win last year. This year, this amount of votes was only enough to secure third place. This also makes Watanabe Mayu the first ever Sousenkyo champion to rank lower than second the very next year. Even her fellow Team B comrade, Kashiwagi Yuki, beat Mayuyu by a little under 1,400 votes. Yes, Kashiwagi Yuki only secured second place with that ranking. That is just how fierce this competition was. Tough break Mayu… How to Break the Sousenkyo System
Remember when I said three HKT48 members managed to make the center spot for three separate units? One of them was Senbatsu, and Sashihara Rino once again claims the Sousenkyo pennant. This makes her the third 48G member to win twice and the first since Oshima Yuko. It also helps that this year’s Sousenkyo took place in Fukuoka, which means the HKT48 faithful came in droves. This was a lot better than 2013, where several 48G fans were leaving once Sasshi’s name was the last called. What makes this victory better than the surprise from 2013 was just how many votes Sashihara Rino received this time around: 194,049. Yes, one hundred ninety four thousand votes were given to Sasshi in order to win this year’s election. That’s almost one hundred thousand more than Yamamoto Sayaka. If you combine Matsui Jurina’s votes (105,289) and Miyawaki Sakura’s votes (81,422), those votes are still not enough to dethrone Sashihara Rino. This means that next year, a likely vote count of 200,000+ may be necessary to secure the #1 seed. This is how you break the voting system. Well, Sasshi did promise her fans a concert in a bikini, so... -Nathan (L4verra) As you may know, it is Sousenkyo season, which means it’s time to see the fans vote for their favorite member or members. For most fans, this is the time to show appreciation for their oshi and all the hard work they have accomplished throughout this past year. While some members may have more fans than others, there is always a warm feeling when a certain member ranks in Sousenkyo who hasn’t ranked for years. Remember when Tanabe Miku ranked for the first time, even though she has been on AKB48 since 2007? She felt amazed, shocked, but more importantly humble about ranking that she was brought to tears. If you’re a Tanamin-oshi, this gave you a sense of accomplishment and joy, seeing the member you support finally rank after all these years. Today, I wanted to share you a little story about my current AKB48 oshi, Minegishi Minami. This is an article explaining why she became my oshi in the first place, and a very important confession I have to make about her. Like Tanamin, Miichan has been a veteran for years now. She has been a part of AKB48 for almost 10 years, and she is the last remaining 1st generation member alongside Kojima Haruna and Takahashi Minami. Miichan is known for her skill on variety shows, her presence on the sub-units no3b (“No Sleeves” alongside Kojima Haruna and Takahashi Minami) and the now disbanded SONE (alongside Miyazaki Miho, Kitahara Rie and Sashihara Rino), and in recent years, she has been a captain for Team 4 and now Team K. She is also known for her spectacular dancing and singing skills. Basically, her resume on AKB48 is nothing short of amazing. However, let me tell you why she became my oshi in the first place. Besides the fact that she collects hats just like I do (I have 110+ New Era caps stuffed in my closet), there was something she did in the first quarter of 2013 that caught my attention. In January of 2013, Shukan Bunshun reported that Minegishi Minami was caught sleeping over at GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE’s Shirahama Alan’s apartment, thus breaking the “no dating” rule established by the management. She took the scandal to heart and, rather than shrugging it off, she shaved her head in penance. This in turn made news in media outlets not only in Japan, but around the entire world. The first time I spotted Minami Minegishi was after opening an article on Yahoo News titled: “Pop Star Shaves Head”. This was the first time I had seen a J-Pop star broken by one mistake. That said, to be 100% honest, the scandal is how she became my AKB48 oshi. Let me put it into perspective first. In early 2013, I was a die-hard Ebisu Muscats fan, and by no means an AKB48 fan. My oshi in that Muscats lineup was their youngest member, who was still one year older than I was. In early 2013, the only two AKB48 songs I knew were “Heavy Rotation” and “Aitakatta”. The Muscats just announced that they were disbanding at the end of March, so I needed a new group to pay attention to, or a new idol to pay attention to. While Kyary Pamyu Pamyu was helping me get through my J-Pop drought, this news story comes out and my first thought seeing Minegishi Minami was: “Even with the shaved head, this girl is still pretty cute”. Then I did a little research on who she was and what she has done on AKB48. That is when I started to like her even more. To be fair, the scandal came at a time where she had mental instability. With prior knowledge on the topic, I knew how Miichan felt at the time of the scandal. It didn’t help that when you searched her name on Google Images, the type of stuff some of the fans made wasn’t exactly kind. By late April, I was blasting almost all of the no3b set list. Miichan’s very own solo song, “Watashi wa Watashi” was something I played very often. I found myself enjoying her appearances while watching past AKBingo episodes and found that she was slowly becoming my 48G kami oshi. A year later, after being demoted to kenkyuusei because of the scandal, Minegishi Minami made it to the Team 4 lineup as captain, and became the only member in AKB48 history to be a part of every team (at the time), including Kenkyuusei. This was also a time where two groups were fulfilling my need for J-Pop: Nogizaka46 and NMB48. Then I meet a group of people who live in the Los Angeles area who like AKB48 and their related groups. When I started to collect photocards, whose did I collect? Miichan’s of course. 2014 was the year I paid attention to everything 48G. I found about and paid attention to members such as Watanabe Mayu, Watanabe Miyuki, Shiroma Miru, Miyawaki Sakura, Ichikawa Miori, Sashihara Rino, and the list goes on and on. Even up to now, I am paying attention to almost everybody in 48G, but the big question was: What about Miichan? Honestly, part of me forgot about what Miichan was up to. I was too busy paying attention to a whole lot of other members that I was close to smacking the oshihen button. This is what I meant by “important confession”. I was about to switch my all-time 48G kami oshi to someone who had several amazing gravure shots and had a knack for fishing her fans during handshakes. I was about to switch my 48G kami oshi from Minegishi Minami to Shiroma Miru. Don’t get me wrong, I like Miru an awful lot. In time, she became my NMB48 oshi, as I oshihenned from Yamagishi Natsumi to Miru. Really though, the entire reason she became my NMB48 oshi was because she was really, really damn attractive. Like, so damn attractive that she overtook Miichan for a while. Then Miru gets sent to AKB48 as a concurrent member, and then it was decision time: who is my kami oshi? After a week’s worth of thinking and with reasoning from my AKB48 SoCal friends, I eventually came back to my senses and stuck with Minegishi Minami. I mean, I was there during her darkest times back in 2013 and stuck with her then, so I probably shouldn’t give up on her now! So there’s my story about Minegishi Minami. Anything she does on 48G, from concerts, to variety show appearances, to the occasional Vine appearance, will sit well with me. But her election video for this year’s Sousenkyo struck a chord: Here, she claims that she wants to make the senbatsu lineup one last time. She also claims that some fans have been ashamed of having her as an oshi, and she wants the male fans to treat her like she is your girlfriend.
Wait…what? For starters, this is not January 2013. Yes, she probably lost a lot of fans, but her true fans stuck by her through thick and thin and probably forgot all about the scandal at this point. Yes, there are a few people who bring it up, but it is nothing to be ashamed of if you and the fans moved on from it. Yes, I was guilty of paying attention to Miru and a hell of a lot of other members. But I was never ashamed to be a Miichan oshi. Not one bit. Not back then, and certainly not now. That’s like Stephen Curry saying it’s challenging to be a Golden State Warriors fan. Or like Kyary Pamyu Pamyu claiming it is difficult to like her songs. I, as well as the other Minegishi Minami fans, will support her. Hell I know a few Miichan fans that live in North America and will stand by her no matter what the nay-sayers may say. I am sorry that I fell into the trap of oshihening because of Shiroma Miru, but that’s on me and not on her. Because of this, I will give Minegishi Minami my only vote in senbatsu. Yes, I only have one vote because I only bought one vote. Although I would like to support my kami oshi, I am not a type of person who wants to keep 30+ copies of the same CD (If I did that, I hope Goodwill likes AKB48). Also, I can’t go to Japan for handshake events. Not yet at least. One vote may make a difference between Next Girls center and the last spot for Undergirls. Given that she wanted to make senbatsu one last time, this convinced me that she will either not participate in the 2016 Sousenkyo, or she will graduate sometime this year or next year since Takamina is graduating this December. I have supported her for this long and yes, I did view her like a girlfriend. That’s what she wanted right? But I will give her my vote this year so I know that I contributed something to help her out in her time of Sousenkyo need. I do believe that senbatsu is an uphill climb, but maybe her last wish on what seems to be her last senbatsu can be fulfilled this one last time. If she announces graduation that June night, or if she remains the last 1st generation member, I will still support her on her journey through AKB48 and onward. Minegishi Minami, can you please visit Los Angeles again? I can give you some of my snapbacks! -Nathan (L4verra) We just had our first day of AKB48 Sousenkyo results, and only one word can describe exactly what the fans and the idols just witnessed: What. While the preliminary round of Sounsekyo should be taken with a grain of salt, there are plenty of takeaways for this one night alone. The preliminary round will not guarantee the final senbatsu lineup nor will it guarantee the winner, but let’s take a look at a few of the takeaways from this one night. Tani Marika is This Year’s Moriyasu Madoka Last year, Moriyasu Madoka placed 11th on the preliminary round, securing a spot in Undergirls when all was said and done. This year, Tani Marika placed 11th on the preliminary round, with 14,324 votes. If you place this high on the preliminary round, it is easy to say that you have clinched a spot in this year’s Sousenkyo. Last year, the minimum amount of votes needed to rank was 9,500, so Tani Marika will make Sousenkyo for the first time in her career. Senbatsu seems like a stretch, however Undergirls seems more realistic. A Push from Management Does Not Guarantee a Spot This really pains me to write because I am a Shiroma Miru fan (she is my NMB48 oshi now that Yamagishi Natsumi is long gone). But I did notice that Miru wasn’t the only one who did not rank in the preliminary round: no Kojima Mako, no Kawamoto Saya, no Nishino Miki, and no Anai Chihiro. Even members who did rank the past two years didn’t rank this time around: no Nagao Mariya, no Umeda Ayaka, no Ogasawara Mayu, etc. This does not mean that members listed here won’t rank. There is plenty of time for some of them to crack the Sousenkyo lineup. But this goes to show you that even if members get a push from management, a Sousenkyo spot is not as solidified as one might think. Look at last year’s final rankings. One of my favorite Team BII members, Shibuya Nagisa, was the first member to be promoted from kenkyuusei to 2 teams at the same time. She had the push from management. She did not rank when all was said and done. SKE48 Wins the Preliminary Round A lot of SKE48 members ranked in the preliminary round, most of whom did not rank at all last year. In total, 27 members from SKE48 ranked this round, only one shy of AKB48’s 28. Yes, these 3 members, Kamata Natsuki, Hidaka Yuzuki, and Kumazaki Haruka, all ranked somewhere. After SKE48 saw several members graduate in a short period of time, it is good to see that the fan base is still holding up strong, essentially giving these 6th generation members a chance to shine in an otherwise competitive Sousenkyo field. Also, SKE48 has 6 members in the preliminary Sousenkyo senbatsu. When all is said and done, I would not be surprised if the Nagoya faithful kept at least 4-5 members there. NMB48’s Turnout is Alarming I say alarming because there are members who have made it somewhere in the Sousenkyo ranking, at least for the past 2 years now. While I may say that there is still plenty of time to bring some of your favorite NMB48 members into Sousenkyo, that does not mean NMB48’s preliminary turnout was not alarming. NMB48 had only eight members rank in the preliminary round. Members such as Yoshida Akari, Ichikawa Miori, Kotani Riho, Umeda Ayaka, Fujie Reina, and of course Shiroma Miru, did not rank this time around. By the time the final results are revealed, perhaps NMB48 will have more members to represent their squad come June 6th, but these first day of results do seem pretty disheartening. When Yamamoto Sayaka is crying in frustration due to how bad the preliminary results were, you know that something is wrong. One Day of Prelims Can Throw Predictions out the Window I wrote my predictions article nearly hours before the preliminary results were released. Then they get released and my prediction to have Kizaki Yuria at 16th overall was thrown out the window. While the preliminary round can end up being horse you-know-what when all is said and done, seeing Yuria, Takajo Aki and my AKB48 oshi Minegishi Minami this low on the prelims is pretty disheartening. Last year, Yuria was at a healthy 24th place in prelims, while Miichan and Akicha placed 41st and 64th respectively. On that rainy night of Sousenkyo, all three of them ranked in the Undergirls lineup, so not all hope is lost. Basically, I would not be surprised if all three did manage to make Undergirls, or even if one of them can crack Senbatsu. But I would not be surprised if one of them fell to Next Girls or Future Girls. That is just how unpredictable the Sousenkyo can be. This Year’s Sousenkyo is Wide Open
Like I said in my Sousenkyo predictions article, this year really has no favorite to take the Sousenkyo pennant. Last year, Sashihara Rino was the overwhelming favorite, with a 12,000 vote cushion against Watanabe Mayu, but still lost on the final result by 10,000 votes. This year, Sasshi is still #1 in the preliminary round for the third straight time, but this year is different: she has about a 5,000 vote cushion against the #2 seed, Kashiwagi Yuki. There is so much intrigue with this year’s sousenkyo because any of these 4 idols could take the crown. Yukirin could win Sousenkyo in the name of AKB48 (and maybe NGT48 too?). Sasshi could win and be the 3rd 48G member since Oshima Yuko to win two Sousenkyo pennants. Mayuyu could be the first ever back-to-back Sousenkyo winner. Jurina could be the first ever Sousenkyo winner to represent SKE48. This is anybody’s race, which is what makes this year so exciting. Again, preliminary results in a competition like this should not be taken so seriously. Members who ranked now may not rank later. For example, last year Hirata Rina ranked in the preliminary round but ended up not ranking at all during that Sousenkyo night in June. A lot can change in the span of a few weeks. June 6th is going to be one wild and crazy night. -Nathan (L4verra) It’s that time of the year again, where fans from far and wide (but mostly in Japan) vote in their favorite members to rank in the senbatsu lineup for the upcoming AKB48 summer single. Yes, it’s Sousenkyo season once again! Now, as you can see from the title, this is a prediction post for the upcoming senbatsu (#1-16) lineup. That means that this is an opinion piece based on my observation of these 16 members throughout the latter half of 2014 up to now, and yes, there are members on this 16 member list I do not follow on a daily basis. Based on these predictions, your favorite member(s) may or may not make my senbatsu prediction lineup, so if you get mad at my predictions, I apologize in advance. Let me reiterate: this is an opinion piece. You ready? Well here we go. For my picks, I am going to go from #16 down to #1 at the end. This time, four senbatsu spots are open for new members, as Kojima Haruna, Matsui Rena, Ikoma Rina and Kawaei Rina sit this one out due to personal choice, ineligibility, or for missing the deadline to turn in the application. Regardless, here are my picks. I will also list the amount of times said member made senbatsu in previous elections. #16: Kizaki Yuria (AKB48 Team B, 0x Senbatsu) A year ago today, the 48G fandom was shocked to see Kizaki Yuria permanently transferred to AKB48. Over a year has passed and Yuria has carved out a nice niche among the AKB48 lineup. Team B is hers to lead, she recently released a photobook, and she has had starring roles in Majisuka Gakuen 4 and Tatakau! Shoten Girl. She got a lot done this past year or so, which very likely translates to more votes and the 16th seed. If she does not make senbatsu this time around, she will have plenty of opportunities. I do predict that Kizaki Yuria will barely edge out Shibata Aya for the last sousenkyo spot, as Shibata Aya falls to Undergirls center. #15: Kodama Haruka (HKT48 Team H/AKB48 Team K, 0x Senbatsu) Yes, this is the first time Kodama Haruka will make senbatsu. Basically I am looking at this year’s Sousenkyo in this standpoint: HKT48 is rising tremendously, as last year’s Sousenkyo showing proved just that (several members jumped some 10-40+ spots in the rankings, and 2 HKT48 members made senbatsu). This trend will continue this year, and the arguably third face of the HKT48 franchise makes senbatsu. It also helps if you have centered the last 2 HKT48 singles. #14: Watanabe Miyuki (NMB48 Team BII/AKB48 Team B, 1x Senbatsu) Last time Watanabe Miyuki made senbatsu was in 2013, where she placed 15th. Then in 2014, a scandal somewhat weighed her down and she fell three spots to undergirls. This year, she has a clear shot to come back to senbatsu. She was the winner of the 2014 Janken Tournament, defeating Kojima Haruna to claim her very own single. There is not a lot that can stop Milky this time around unless she gets into another scandal. Besides, NMB48 needs one more member in senbatsu to represent the group, and no, Kashiwagi Yuki didn’t really count. #13: Matsumura Kaori (SKE48 Team KII, 0x Senbatsu) Last year’s surprise showing to give Matsumura Kaori the Undergirls center position was nothing short of…well, surprising. This time around, now that there are four spots available for members to move in, this trend may continue again and we may see the “forever 17”, “honorary Kenkyuusei” Matsumura Kaori in senbatsu. Whether you love her or hate her, I don’t see a lot stopping her from making senbatsu, especially when there are photos circulating around the interwebs of Kaotan fans and their stockpiles of CDs used for voting. Perhaps she will bring her camcorder with her again… #12: Miyazawa Sae (SKE48 Team S/SNH48 Team SII, 6x Senbatsu) Yes, Miyazawa Sae will make it for the 7th straight time. While I do not follow Miyazawa Sae (or SNH48 for that matter…) as much as I should, I am well aware of how big the Miyazawa Sae fanbase is, and it does not look like it will let up this year either. There is a reason Sae has never dropped out of senbatsu, and she will not drop out this time around either. She did release a photobook which will help out with votes as well. #11: Kitahara Rie (NGT48 Team NIII, 4x Senbatsu) Some of you may think that this ranking is way too high, but I have Kitahara Rie to clinch the 11th seed. I say that because of how much she is willing to offer to AKB48. After an emotional confession, revealing that she may not have a lot to offer to the franchise anymore, she was given the opportunity to move to the next sister group in NGT48. Basically, she is doing what Sashihara Rino is doing with HKT48 (albeit without a scandal). She is the leader of the franchise and will lead her fellow Niigata girls into the spotlight. Perhaps Niigata-based 48G fans can help vote her into senbatsu? #10: Yokoyama Yui (AKB48 Team A, 4x Senbatsu) Yokoyama Yui clinches the 10th seed. She got this far after years of hard work and determination, and time and time again such hard work has paid off. This will be Yuihan’s highest ranking in the Sousenkyo election, and it’s in part from a few things: having a major role in Majisuka Gakuen 4, releasing a photobook, and making every senbatsu lineup for every AKB48 single this past year. It also helps your votes if you are named the AKB48 Soukantoku (General Manager) after Takahashi Minami graduates. #9: Suda Akari (SKE48 Team E, 2x Senbatsu) Suda Akari makes senbatsu once again. From what I hear, Dasu’s handshakes are some of the best in all of SKE48, as she has a ton of energy and character if you do meet her for a handshake event. This translated to a rise in voting, as Dasu’s rank has gone higher and higher with every Sousenkyo, and this year that trend is likely to continue. Hopefully Suda Akari does not have an acceptance speech that is 30 minutes in duration… #8: Miyawaki Sakura (HKT48 Team KIV/AKB48 Team A, 1x Senbatsu) Oh boy, this is where the ranking will start to get difficult…but yes Miyawaki Sakura jumps up to the 8th seed. Think of all that Sakura has done this past year: she was a lead in Majisuka Gakuen 4, she was the first ever HKT48 member to dual center an AKB48-based single and she has a frequent line of gravure photos on your everyday Young Animal issue. Even with the impressive resume this past year, Sakura remains one spot shy of the Kami7 (#1-7 rankings). I say this because one could argue that any of the Kami7 members could win Sousenkyo, simply from their magnitude alone. I will say this: Sakura is still young. At age 17, she will have plenty of opportunities to crack Kami7, or maybe even win. She is still developing as an idol and is already this high. The future is bright for this young lady. #7: Shimazaki Haruka (AKB48 Team A, 2x Senbatsu) Yes, one of the faces of the beloved 9th gen of AKB48 makes it into Kami7 at the 7th seed. Being the center of the single used to vote (“Bokutachi wa Tatakawanai”) will help your cause, and being one of the leads for Majisuka Gakuen 4 helps as well. But we know that Paruru has her fair share of AKB48 fans, mainly because they have seen how she has grown from a rather shy and salty persona to someone who can open up to her fans and her fellow Team A members. She has become not only one of the faces of the 9th generation, but of AKB48 as a whole. #6: Yamamoto Sayaka (NMB48 Team N/AKB48 Team K, 2x Senbatsu) When I said this part of the predictions was difficult, this is what I had in mind. Yes, I have Yamamoto Sayaka at 6th. The truth is, I don’t even know where to put Sayanee… Yes, she will make Kami7 and there is no doubt about that. You can say that she released an amazing photobook. You can say that she outsold her handshake tickets in a single day. You can say that Yamada Nana’s votes have to go somewhere. But at the end of the day, there is a rhyme or reason for the members ahead of Sayanee to rank as high as they can. Don’t get me wrong, I love Sayanee: I think she is a fantastic musician, one of the funniest idols in the business, and she has amazing gravure photos (even though I know she doesn’t feel comfortable with the gravure). But again, there is rhyme and reason behind the 5 remaining spots of Kami7. I will say this: like Shimazaki Haruka, Yamamoto Sayaka could dark horse her way into the #1 seed, and I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if she did win. #5: Takahashi Minami (AKB48 Team A, 6x Senbatsu) This is what I meant by “rhyme and reason to win Sousenkyo”. Yes, I have Takahashi Minami at the 5th seed. What more can be said of the current general manager of AKB48: she is the heart and soul of the franchise, she is one of the 3 remaining 1st generation members, and she shows support towards her fellow members whenever they need a helping hand. She is the true definition of a leader. Why she ranks this high is because this is her last Sousenkyo, and she wants to end her final run with a center position. Normally she would be okay with a Kami7 spot while her fellow members all aim for the top, but this year is different. She is calling for her fans to help her out this one final time. However, Takamina has never ranked higher than 5th overall. Winning it all is going to be a challenge, but wouldn’t it be a perfect sendoff to one of the most powerful leaders of the franchise? #4: Kashiwagi Yuki (AKB48 Team B/NGT48 Team NIII, 6x Senbatsu) The “idol of idols” makes the 4th seed on this year’s Sousenkyo, dropping one spot from last year. Yes, every year, Kashiwagi Yuki ranks high and sells out handshake events with a drop of a hat. Management may not like her, but the fans sure do. She has had a few solo concerts, she has amazing gravure photoshoots, I mean, what’s not to like? I do find the NGT48 kennin rather questionable, but that’s just me. Like Kitahara Rie, maybe the Niigata-based AKB48 faithful may chip in a few votes? More votes do not hurt especially how Yukirin is likely to receive over 100,000 votes like last year. #3: Watanabe Mayu (AKB48 Team B, 6x Senbatsu) It pains me to put Watanabe Mayu this low on my prediction list, because she is one of my favorite AKB48 members (third to only Minegishi Minami and Shiroma Miru). But I have a specific reason why Mayuyu ranks at 3rd. Simply put, she won already. She took down the metaphorical Goliath in Sashihara Rino last year, and Mayuyu really doesn’t have much to prove with Sousenkyo anymore. She could win again and that would be fine and dandy with me, but I have a very strong feeling that her fans have accomplished what they wanted to accomplish: seeing Mayuyu clinch the center spot. Yes, she has had an exhausting, busy past few months, with her Tatakau! Shoten Girl drama and with her AKB48 based activities (such as handshakes). There’s also the fact that no one has ever repeated as winner of Sousenkyo, so Mayuyu has odds to defy. Because of this, her votes may be lower than what they were last year, but she’ll still crack 100,000. #2: Matsui Jurina (SKE48 Team S/AKB48 Team K, 6x Senbatsu) Originally I had Matsui Jurina to win the whole thing this year, but due to what I have seen from the last member, I could not do that. Simply put, those of you who were used to seeing WMatsui (Matsui Jurina and Matsui Rena) in the Sousenkyo lineup will be disappointed, as Matsui Rena decided to sit this year’s election out. Thus, a surplus of votes is available, and SKE48 fans may go with the other Matsui of that lineup in Jurina. She holds the record for most Senbatsu appearances across AKB48 and SKE48 singles, her Janken single got #1 in the 1035-song request hour, and she is still only 18. Even though she is a veteran of SKE48/AKB48 for some 6.5 years, she still has a bright future ahead. She will crack at least 130,000 votes this year, and like every member I named in my Kami7, it would not surprise me if she clinched the #1 seed. #1: Sashihara Rino (HKT48 Team H, 5x Senbatsu)
So you might be wondering, why do I have Sashihara Rino as the potential #1 seed? One simple reason: This is a revenge year for Sashihara Rino and her fans. Why I say that is because, well, Sasshi lost to Mayuyu by a margin of 10,000 votes. Given that I predicted Mayuyu’s votes to drop off a little bit compared to last year, all Sasshi needs now are over 140,000 votes to secure the #1 seed. You might see a Mayuyu/Sasshi rivalry spring in the future (much like how Maeda Atsuko and Oshima Yuko went back and forth during past Sousenkyo elections). I have Sasshi beating Jurina by a large margin of votes (about 5-6,000) to secure the Sousenkyo pennant. Plus, it also helps that Sasshi would do a concert in a bikini should she win this year. These are my predictions. By the time you read this, the preliminary results for voting should be out, and while those results will give us a good indication on who will make senbatsu, it does not mean that the #1 seed in the prelims will be the #1 seed when all is said and done. Last year, Sasshi went over 10,000 votes over Mayuyu in the preliminary round. Look what happened there. Overall, these are predictions I made that are rather safe and free from oshi-tinted glasses. Because if I really wanted to make predictions, I would have Minegishi Minami and Shiroma Miru in senbatsu, Ichikawa Miori and Tani Marika in undergirls, and Watanabe Mayu winning it all with 250,000 votes. It is likely that none of this will happen. So who do you predict will make senbatsu? What are your thoughts on my predictions? Let us know in the comments below. See y’all June 6th! -Nathan (L4verra) Today, the senbatsu lineup for the 12th Nogizaka46 single has been revealed. There are some good things about the lineup and some bad things about it. Matsui Rena is no longer a part of the lineup, which means a senbatsu spot for a new member is open. Who will be the one who takes it? Who is your 12th single center? Who falls out of senbatsu? Let’s take a look. This is what your back row looks like. Just like last time, a new 2nd generation member gets a spot at senbatsu. This time, it’s your office-lady/barista/model idol Shinuchi Mai! Big ups to Maichun for securing a senbatsu spot! As for the rest of the lineup, fan favorites from the undergirls lineup, such as Saito Yuuri and Inoue Sayuri come back to senbatsu. Overall this back row lineup looks the same as the 11th single, with someone missing. This is the first time Hori Miona did not make senbatsu. This is a bit of a problem because this shows that just because you have been center for a single before, doesn’t mean that you are guaranteed to be in senbatsu forever (see “Barette”). I personally did not like seeing Miona gone. Yes she did not start as one of my favorite members when she became center (At the time I was like: “Wait, who’s that? Why are you center?!”). As time went on though, she somehow grew on me and has become a member that I like. I am probably not the only one like this; Miona has been well received by a lot of Nogizaka46 fans. To see her fail to make senbatsu is pretty disheartening, but she can lead the undergirls lineup alongside Nakamoto Himeka and continue to do amazing things. This is the 2nd row. This looks nearly identical to the 11th single, but this time Takayama Kazumi makes the 10-member Fukujin lineup, rather than the back row. So if you are a Kazumin fan, you’re in luck. Here’s your first row, which consists of the five faces of the franchise. There are some interesting points to mention though. First of all, Shiraishi Mai is not your center; she got moved to the side of the 1st row. After getting snubbed several times for center, now she just got moved to the side; you can’t help but to feel bad. Shiraishi Mai WANTS to be center and this is yet another round where management chooses otherwise. But maybe she can be center for the 13th single. There is always next time.
Yes, Ikoma Rina is your 12th single center. After her stint on AKB48, I see this more as a test from management to see if she learned anything during said stint. She has been center before, so let’s see if she can make this 12th single really sparkle. She’s done it before (see “Seifuku no Mannequin”) so I believe she can do it again. Also, big ups to Hashimoto Nanami for making the 1st row! So there you have it. This is your senbatsu lineup for the 12th single. Yes, it does look more solidified if anything, and it doesn’t seem like much will be changed in the 13th single (maybe Sasaki Kotoko replaces Shinuchi Mai, but that’s really all I can say). This isn’t a bad lineup by any means. But maybe this is just me, a Wada Maaya fan, being rather salty about another senbatsu lineup she didn’t make. I guess, so long as Saito Asuka is in senbatsu, Maaya has no chance. Oh well. At least Maaya can teach her fellow members English or something. -Nathan (L4verra) |
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