AKS Master Post 013

This post will mainly be just going over the upcoming NMB48 single, Bokura no Euruka, which will be coming out June 19th. The single has the usual amount of versions, three store versions and one theater version. The type A has the Shirogumi song, type B has the Akagumi, while type C has a Namba Teppoutai Sono San song.

The theater version will have the title track, the Akagumi and Shirogumi songs, and Yamamoto Sayaka's (Sayaka) second solo song, Sayanee.

NMB48 OHP (Japanese)

The senbatsu for the title song is: Ogasawara Mayu (Team N); Kotani Riho (Team N); Jonishi Kei (Team N); Ichikawa Miori (Team N); Shiroma Miru (Team N); Yamamoto Sayaka (Team N); Yoshida Akari (Team N); Watanabe Miyuki (Team N); Shimada Rena (Team M); Takano Yui (Team M); Tanigawa Airi (Team M); Yagura Fuuko (Team M); Yamada Nana (Team M); Yogi Keila (Team M); Kato Yuka (Team BII); Yabushita Shu (Team BII)

Shirogumi is: Kishino Rika (Team N); Ogasawara Mayu (Team N); Kinoshita Haruna (Team N); Yamaguchi Yuki (Team N); Kadowaki Kanako (Team N); Yamamoto Sayaka (Team N); Azuma Yuki (Team M); Yamagishi Natsumi (Team M); Yamada Nana (Team M); Murakami Ayaka (Team M); Kusaka Konomi (Team BII); Kamieda Emika (Team BII)

Akagumi is: Ichikawa Miori (Team N); Koga Narumi (Team N); Kondo Rina (Team N); Watanabe Miyuki (Team N); Mita Mao (Team M); Okita Ayaka  (Team M); Kawakami Rena  (Team M); Yagura Fuuko (Team M); Kinoshita Momoka (Team M); Kurokawa Hazuki (Team BII); Muro Kanako (Team BII); Kobayashi Rikako (Team BII)

And Namba Teppoutai Sono San is: Shiroma Miru (Team N); Nishimura Aika (Team N); Murase Sae (Team M); Yogi Keila (Team M); Akazawa Hono (Team BII); Ota Yuuri (Team BII); Shibuya Nagisa (Kenkyuusei); Yamao Rina (Kenkyuusei)

Looking at the lists it does look like they are trying to promote Team M more than they have been, though it helps that Yamada Nana (Nana) is now Team M.

I already am favoring the Shirogumi for this single as it has Yamaguchi Yuki (Yuppi). It also helps that it is the group with Sayaka and Nana as well. If it was not for the theater version having a Sayaka solo I would have easily decided to have gotten the type A but instead I will be getting the theater edition of the CD. But I will make sure to buy the PV of the Shirogumi song off of the Japanese iTunes for those three.

The Namba Teppoutai Sono San of course is just a continuation of the unit from the past two singles. With Yogi Keila (Keila) and Shiroma Miru (Mirurun) in the senbatsu for this single I have the feeling that they are next to leave this grouping with the next single. And I would love to see that as I like them both and want to see them do more.

The full version of the PV is out already as well as a look at the bikini version. What interests me the most is that the full PV ends with a "to be continued", so I am wondering if the next single is already planned to at least have its PV linked to this one. I hope so, as I am a sucker for that kind of thing when it comes to PVs and the story line is one of the strongest things for it as the song is just so bland.

And Nana is indeed back to her position as the group's number three after Sayaka and Watanabe Miyuki (Milky). Ichikawa Miori (Miorin), the AKB48 concurrent member, was placed with the second tier girls instead of getting placed up with the top three like Yokoyama Yui was, which seems to have been more a reflection of general popularity of the two then to simple use NMB48 as a vehicle to promote them more.

I would like to note that I do appreciate the fact that for the bikini version of the PV the youngest girls in the senbatsu, Keila (13) and Yabushita Shu (14) are not in bikinis. I feel I should at least give some props to AKS for at least keeping with giving the younger girls more to cover themselves up with for these kinds of PVs. Especially when they have plenty of older girls that do not mind being in the skimpier outfits.

And I think I have rambled on long enough for this for now.

AKS Master Post 012

Well there have been various changes for NMB48 recently so this is probably long over due.

First up at the NMB48 Request Hour it was announced that Yamada Nana will be transferred to Team M from Team N. It was also announced that Kenkyusei Koga Narumi and Nishimura Aika were to be promoted to Team N.

Melos no Michi post (English)

Then at the AKB48 Budokan concerts we had some intergroup shuffling.

The cancellation of concurrent memberships included that AKB48 member, Yokoyama Yui is to be taken out of NMB48 to return to be only a member of AKB48. Kotani Riho of NMB48 is being taken out of AKB48 to go back to only being a NMB48 member.

New concurrent members from AKB48 to NMB48 is Team B member, Ichikawa Miori, who will now also be a member of Team N.

Then from NMB48, Team M's Yagura Fuuko will now be also a member of AKB48's Team A.

Melos no Michi post (English)


I feel these little line-ups shuffles for NMB48 deciding to start correcting the imbalance of popularity with NMB48's teams. Since the start Team N has been the most popular team as they got to enjoy being the only team and getting special focus for that. Yet because of that the other teams have not really been able to rise up to close to their level. It was not so bad at first for Team M because the had Jo Erika who got massive pushing from the agency but when she graduated it felt like Team M lost any steam it had. Of course it was not like they had nothing to offer as there are some true gems in Team M, but they no longer had that Ace to pull people in with. So in that sense moving Yamada Nana (Nana) to the team fixes that problem as she is going to bring a good chunk of fans with her. Not only that but the rising Ace of Team M, Yagura Fuuko (Fuuchan), is getting strong pushes, and her also being in Team A of AKB48 could do great things for her. And as she rises so should the rest of Team M.

Team BII probably was left alone from the shuffling as they are the newest team so it is hard to tell if they will end up in the same situation as Team M or not. If anything I think it is telling that they do not have a strong main Ace like Team M did starting up. And Yoshimoto probably wants to see if their plans will work for Team M before taking a look at Team BII.

Personally I am fine with the shuffling. It will be strange to see Nana not with Yamamoto Sayaka (Sayaka) and Watanabe Miyuki (Milky) on Team N, but with Yokoyama Yui (Yuihan) leaving she stands a good chance of returning to the top 3 again. I do not see Ishikawa Miori (Fresh Lemon) displacing her, but perhaps being in the top 4 just to remind fans they have a AKB48 member in the group. But then again I know next to nothing about Lemon, just that she is one of the newer AKB48 members.

I still think the group is in need of a complete shuffle, but until then this is at least a start and hopefully Team M will end up benefiting from these changes.