Team N dominates NMB48’s 5th single senbatsu

Well the announcement of the senbatsu (the NMB48 members that will be in the title track of the single) has been announced. It will consist of 16 girls:

Team N: Osagawara Mayu, Kodawaki Kanoko, Kishino Rika, Kinoshita Haruna, Kotani Riho, Jonishi Kei, Shiroma Miru, Fukumoto Aina, Yamada Nana, Yamamoto Sayaka, Yoshida Akari & Watanabe Miyuki

Team M: Jo Erika & Tanigawa Airi

3rd Gen KKS: Kato Yuka & Yabushita Shu

Compared to Nagiichi’s line-up we have Team N’s Kondo Rina and Team M’s Kinoshita Momoka, Murakami Ayaka and Yagura Fuuko out of the senbatsu.

Overall I am disappointed with the line-up. I do love Team N but I have been warming up to Team M and my favorite member of Team M, Yogi Keila, is not in the senbatsu, even though she has been before. That and it feels like Team M is really getting shafted.

I understand that Team N has the more popular girls, but a big part of why they are more popular is because they have been around longer and have had the most promotion because of this. And while Jo gets pushed a lot as Team M’s Ace, not many other Team M members get as promoted. Not only that but with the past NMB Seven group having only Jo and Airi in it there is a good chance that they will be in the group again with this single, which means they are the only Team M members that will be on the covers of the single, with the rest being stuck in either Under Girls, Shirogumi and Akagumi groups. And with 3rd Gen KKS in the senbatsu then that means there is a good chance we will be seeing some in Shirogumi and Akagumi which could mean some Team N and Team M members could end up only in the Under Girls group which does not get a PV like the senbatsu, Shirogumi and Akagumi. And honestly I am more worried about the Team M members than Team N because of the reasons stated.

That said though, I do not mind having a couple of the 3rd Gen KKS in the senbatsu line-up, as this is a good time to start promoting a couple members anyway. By the end of the year we should have Team BII announced so it makes sense that they start promoting any potential Aces, much like they did with Jo prior to Team M’s formation. Plus Shu interests me so I welcome the chance to learn a bit more about her as I have yet to watch anything with her in it. And having them in Shirogumi and Akagumi is okay too, as it should hopefully give some other 3rd Gen KKS a bit of promotion, which they will need if they are to eventually be a part of Team BII. I do worry though if they will end up as overshadowed by Team N as Team M is.

Overall I think NMB48 is already in need of a team shuffle if those managing the group are not going to make way for the newer teams/girls. I do not think we will see one until all three teams are formed and have been around for a bit, but if next year the group is still Team N heavy then a shuffle would only be for the best, IMHO.

Other than that my hopes for this single is that hopefully the title track will be as good as Zetsumetsu Kurokami Shoujo or Junjou U-19, and that the Shirogumi and Akagumi groups will make up for the lack of Team M girls in the senbatsu. It would also be awesome if the theater edition continues to have a solo song for its bonus track. But there is still a good amount of time between now and August so I am sure it will be a while before that kind of information is announced.