NGT48, “Green Flash” and More!

    The 2015 Request Hour has finally come to a close. With all sorts of guest appearances from some of your favorite former AKB48 members (like seeing former ace Maeda Atsuko) and emotional moments (did you cry when you saw Takamina break down before she performed her “Jane Doe” solo, especially when her no3b buddies Miichan and Kojiharu comforted her at her time of need?), this was a request hour for the ages. At the end of the day, “Suzukake” takes the #1 spot.  Congratulations to Matsui Jurina for her janken single to reach the top! But, at the end of the request hour came new reveals for new sister groups and senbatsu lineups.

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    Niigata Prefecture gets their very own sister group. NGT48 will have auditions and announcements in March, with their theater open in October. Announcements will include possible kennin members or even transfers. There’s no idea who might get sent up to Niigata. Maybe Sato Shiori from AKB48’s Team 8 lineup could lead the new squad? She is from the area, so that’s someone to keep in consideration.
     But other than new sister groups, here comes a new senbatsu lineup! The new AKB48 single, “Green Flash”, will do something that has never been done before, and that is have Kashiwagi Yuki at center. She will center alongside Kojima Haruna, who hasn’t been seen at center since “Heart Ereki”.  Also gone are the massive senbatsu lineups, seen on “Kibouteki Refrain” or “Labrador Retriever”, in favor of a traditional 16-member senbatsu. The lineup is nearly identical to “Kokoro no Placard”, with only Kojima Mako, Kizaki Yuria and Iriyama Anna replacing Miyazawa Sae, Shibata Aya and Suda Akari. No real surprises here. The only surprise is who got booted out. So to all the Miichan, Milky, Tano, Rie, Naanya, Mocchi, or “insert-your-oshimen-who-didn’t-make-senbatsu” fans, I’m sorry. My oshimen in Minegishi Minami didn’t make senbatsu either, but hey there’s always sousenkyo!
     But I digress, even though Aki-P hasn’t revealed any sort of news on new Stages for some of the teams, there’s still plenty to get excited about for the upcoming few months. Do you like the idea of a new sister group to north of Japan? Do you like having Yukirin and Kojiharu to bolster the new single? Did you like Jurina’s janken single making the Top 2 for 2 years straight?

Let us know what you thought.

-Nathan (L4verra)