One of these days I will have one of these posts without a graduation announcement in it. But sadly this is not one of those days.
Mitsumune Kaoru from AKB48 has announced that she will be graduating from the group. She cites that she has been suffering from health issues since August 2012.
I am willing to believe her as she was only just promoted to a team and seemed like she would have been one of the main up and comers of the group if she could stay. She definitely benefited from being a member as she had acting roles in a couple of dramas like Ataru and Shiritsu Bakaleya Koukou.
Very rarely does a member from AKB48 catch my eye or attention but Kaoru did just that with her performance in Bakaleya. She has the talent to be a good actress and I hope that her short time with AKB48 will help her out if continues to pursue that career choice.
~*
In good news NMB48 will finally be added to the Live On Demand (LOD) service by DMM.com. This means that people can pay to see video of a live show for a fee, so those who cannot make it to the theatre or could not get a ticket for a performance can still watch it.
Melos no Michi article (English)
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
AKS Master Post 006
Well I have to say I am loving Kitagawa Kenji from NMB48. It is such a fun and catchy song to listen to and the PV is a joy to watch. Definitely better than their last single, Virginity. Cannot wait to get this with my November pre-orders.
~*
NMB48 members Yamamoto Sayaka and Watanabe Miyuki will be releasing their first photo albums on November 21st. Since they are being released on the same day they are going to be pitted in a sales battle between the two with the winner getting to star in their own solo commercial.
~*
It looks like the rash of graduations from NMB48 did not end after the creation of Team BII. Since then we have had two graduation announcements. First from 3rd gen KKS Togo Sora, which was only a day or two after the team announcement. Then on October 18th Team N's Matsuda Shiori announced her graduation from the group.
As for reasons why they left most of it is speculation from what can be picked up from their final posts.
Sora's final message does sound like she was getting discouraged with being in the group and it seems like not being picked for Team BII was the final nail in that coffin for her.
While with Shiokichi she talked about wanting to return to being a normal teenage girl again. I think though with her it could be guessed a part of it is that she was one of the least pushed members of Team N and was one of the girls caught up in the group's early scandals. While the other girls in that scandal have had various levels of success with bouncing back from it she was the least successful, with barely appearing in the singles and such. And with a new team created the chances for her to become more prominent again were looking pretty slim.
It will be interesting to see who gets promoted to Team N after Shiokichi leaves. Whoever they will be they will be the first none 1st gen KKS to be included into the group. I cannot help but think that it will probably be a 2nd gen KKS, especially since Team BII was nothing but 3rd gen KKS.
In any case I do hope we get a break from the NMB48 graduations for a while. It is disheartening to see so many girls leave all around the same time even though there is a lot of positive things happening with the group at the same time.
~*
NMB48 members Yamamoto Sayaka and Watanabe Miyuki will be releasing their first photo albums on November 21st. Since they are being released on the same day they are going to be pitted in a sales battle between the two with the winner getting to star in their own solo commercial.
~*
It looks like the rash of graduations from NMB48 did not end after the creation of Team BII. Since then we have had two graduation announcements. First from 3rd gen KKS Togo Sora, which was only a day or two after the team announcement. Then on October 18th Team N's Matsuda Shiori announced her graduation from the group.
As for reasons why they left most of it is speculation from what can be picked up from their final posts.
Sora's final message does sound like she was getting discouraged with being in the group and it seems like not being picked for Team BII was the final nail in that coffin for her.
While with Shiokichi she talked about wanting to return to being a normal teenage girl again. I think though with her it could be guessed a part of it is that she was one of the least pushed members of Team N and was one of the girls caught up in the group's early scandals. While the other girls in that scandal have had various levels of success with bouncing back from it she was the least successful, with barely appearing in the singles and such. And with a new team created the chances for her to become more prominent again were looking pretty slim.
It will be interesting to see who gets promoted to Team N after Shiokichi leaves. Whoever they will be they will be the first none 1st gen KKS to be included into the group. I cannot help but think that it will probably be a 2nd gen KKS, especially since Team BII was nothing but 3rd gen KKS.
In any case I do hope we get a break from the NMB48 graduations for a while. It is disheartening to see so many girls leave all around the same time even though there is a lot of positive things happening with the group at the same time.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
AKS Master Post 005
All the announcements for NMB48's anniversary have been made so I figured it would be a good time to make one of these posts, especially as we do get a new team.
 |
| The New Team M |
Before we get to the new team a quick look at the changes with Team M. And thankfully the changes are nothing as great as fans were speculating. They just announced the three KKS that will join the team to fill the empty spots left with the three recent graduations from the team. The KKS graduating are the remaining 1st gen KKS, Koyanagi Arisa and two of the 2nd gen KKS, Azuma Yuki and Yamamoto Hitomi.
I hope that with things settled down for the group now they can figure out how to promote this group so it is not left in the shadow of Team N. I think Yagura Fuuko is getting set up to be the new Ace of the team as she has had pushes in the past and will be the center of the new sub-unit in the upcoming single. So I wish her the best of luck and hope that more Team M members find a way to get noticed.
I am really happy to see that there are no more 1st gen KKS now, especially with the new Team BII it would have seemed too sad if the last girl of that generation was not promoted to be on a team. It is interesting though that this means Team N is 1st gen only, Team M is 1st gen and 2nd gen and Team BII being 3rd gen girls. I wonder if next year they will do a team shuffle, as with AKB48 dropping their Team 4 I doubt the other groups will be creating any of their own.
Moving on to more exciting news, the formation of Team BII. I think it surprises no one that Yabushita Shu and Kato Yuuka are on this team. Both girls have been in the senbatsu roster for both the last single and this upcoming one so management clearly want to push them. Especially Shu who gets more pushing than Uuka (can't believe this is her official nickname).
The full list of team members is; Akazawa Hono, Ishizuka Akari, Ijiri Anna, Ueda Mirei, Umehara Mako, Ota Yuri, Kato Yuuka, Kamieda Emika (captain), Kusaka Konomi, Kushiro Rina, Kurokawa Hazuki, Kono Saki, Kobayashi Rikako, Muro Kanako, Yabushita Shu and Yamauchi Tsubasa.
Probably the biggest surprise is that Yokoyama Yui was not placed on a team. I guess it may be because she is coming from the main group, AKB48 and that she may not be with the group for the long term. I guess we shall see about this in time.
 |
| Team BII |
The full list of team members is; Akazawa Hono, Ishizuka Akari, Ijiri Anna, Ueda Mirei, Umehara Mako, Ota Yuri, Kato Yuuka, Kamieda Emika (captain), Kusaka Konomi, Kushiro Rina, Kurokawa Hazuki, Kono Saki, Kobayashi Rikako, Muro Kanako, Yabushita Shu and Yamauchi Tsubasa.
Probably the biggest surprise is that Yokoyama Yui was not placed on a team. I guess it may be because she is coming from the main group, AKB48 and that she may not be with the group for the long term. I guess we shall see about this in time.
There is some new news about the new single Kitagawa Kenji. First we have the short version of the PV, which looks like it will be a fun one. It also looks like they are making this single to be the opposite of AKB48's UZA with using a cuter sounding song and a bright and colorful PV.
Also we have a sub-unit for this single. It is actually a continuation of the last sub-unit, Namba Teppoutai Sono Ichi, as it is called Namba Teppoutai Sono Ni. Kotani Riho is no longer in the group, as she had her big break with becoming a co-AKB48 member, and the center position has been given to Yagura Fuuko (Team M). The other members of the unit this time are; Kato Yuuka (Team BII), Kushiro Rina (Team BII), Matsuda Shiori (Team N), Yabushita Shu (Team BII), Yamagishi Natsumi (Team M), Yamamoto Hitomi (Team M) and Yogi Keira (Team M).
I rather like the idea of this group, one that has all the girls that the agency wants to give a push to so they can become popular. And having it be mostly Team M and Team BII is nice, especially as it is a much smaller group than the Akagumi and Shirogumi subunits so the girls in this group have a chance to get decent screen time. Also having the girls that do reach a point where they do not need the extra help, like with Ripopo getting the promotion of being a part of AKB48 as well as NMB48.
I rather like the idea of this group, one that has all the girls that the agency wants to give a push to so they can become popular. And having it be mostly Team M and Team BII is nice, especially as it is a much smaller group than the Akagumi and Shirogumi subunits so the girls in this group have a chance to get decent screen time. Also having the girls that do reach a point where they do not need the extra help, like with Ripopo getting the promotion of being a part of AKB48 as well as NMB48.
To speak a bit on the recent graduations with Team M, I think it really should not have been surprising. Shortly before Team M was created we had a few girls decide to leave so I think when something like a team formation looms it probably forces the girls to really look at their idol careers. With a new team it means more competition for the top spots in the group and makes it easier to get lost in the background of a group.
For Fujita Runa I think she must have felt that with her injury continuing her idol work would have been difficult and it would be a good time for her to bow out with a change to the group coming.
For Ota Riona I would not be surprised if she figured that she may be better following her dreams through a different course. She had previous experience in the entertainment industry before going NMB48 and I can understand if she felt frustrated that she was getting little promotion and that soon there would another sixteen girls she would have to compete with, with one of them being an AKB48 members as well.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
AKS Master Post 004
I made a post for the Johnny's that will be on the upcoming NTV program that will have various talents that are popular in their shows but there is an AKB48 member on the list as well, Akimoto Sayaka. The special will be airing on October 6th and runs for 3 1/2 hours.
NTV OHP (Japanese)
While I am not really an AKB48 fan I do like some of the girls, and my favorite among them is Akimoto Sayaka. So I am really happy that she will be in this program as it is one more person to look forward to watching.
In sadder news NMB48 will be losing another member and from Team M again. Fujita Runa has decided to graduate from the group because of hip and back pain. She had already reduced her work load to try heal but since it is still uncertain what will come of it she decided to quit.
Official blog announcement (Japanese)
It is always sad to see an idol have to quit because of medical reasons, though it seems to happen much more frequently with the female idols. I cannot help but wonder since much of it is back, hip of knee injury if it is because they have to perform in high heels that is the cause. Because these girls are usually still in their teens so these kinds of pains and injury do not seem normal. And high heels are bad to wear for just everyday use, I cannot imagine how much worse on the body they are when you are doing something like dancing that put more stress on the body naturally.
In any case Ruutan will be missed by me. I rather liked her though she did not get much screen time. But I did like she was one of the girls that had no problem standing up for herself on programs where they would tease her.
I guess this means instead of the seventeen open slots for girls that was before with Jo Eriko's graduation and the creation of Team BII there will now be eighteen. Or perhaps it should still be counted as seventeen as I am sure Yokoyama Yui will have one of those slots.
NTV OHP (Japanese)
While I am not really an AKB48 fan I do like some of the girls, and my favorite among them is Akimoto Sayaka. So I am really happy that she will be in this program as it is one more person to look forward to watching.
In sadder news NMB48 will be losing another member and from Team M again. Fujita Runa has decided to graduate from the group because of hip and back pain. She had already reduced her work load to try heal but since it is still uncertain what will come of it she decided to quit.
Official blog announcement (Japanese)
It is always sad to see an idol have to quit because of medical reasons, though it seems to happen much more frequently with the female idols. I cannot help but wonder since much of it is back, hip of knee injury if it is because they have to perform in high heels that is the cause. Because these girls are usually still in their teens so these kinds of pains and injury do not seem normal. And high heels are bad to wear for just everyday use, I cannot imagine how much worse on the body they are when you are doing something like dancing that put more stress on the body naturally.
In any case Ruutan will be missed by me. I rather liked her though she did not get much screen time. But I did like she was one of the girls that had no problem standing up for herself on programs where they would tease her.
I guess this means instead of the seventeen open slots for girls that was before with Jo Eriko's graduation and the creation of Team BII there will now be eighteen. Or perhaps it should still be counted as seventeen as I am sure Yokoyama Yui will have one of those slots.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
AKS Master Post 003
Figured it was time for another one of these as there is quite a bit of NMB48 news to talk about.
First off none of the NMB48 members in the janken tournament made it into the senbatsu. Honestly I do not think I can feel too heartbroken about that as it means there will be one less AKB48 single I feel that I need to buy because of any NMB48 members in it.
That said there is more information about NMB48's upcoming single that will be released November 7th. The title of the single is Kitagawa Kenji, which seems to be a nod to one of the main men behind AKS as well to the lyrics of the song. The lyrics this time are from a guy's point of view and how he realizes that the girl he loves is so lovely to him because she is in love with this guy, Kitagawa Kenji.
While there is not a complete track list out there is some track listing information out. Like all their releases the single has three versions sold in stores. All versions will have the same title track and a B-side, then the Type A has the usual Shirogumi song, the Type B has a Akagumi song and the Type C will just have another group B-side not on the other versions. There of course is a theater version but the details for that are not out yet.
Also on the final Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ episode NMB48 performed the new single song. Going from the performers in that the senbatsu looks to be; Ogawasara Mayu (Team N), Katou Yuuka (3rd Gen KKS), Kadowaki Kanako (Team N), Kishino Rika (Team N), Kotani Riho (Team N), Jonishi Kei (Team N), Shiroma Miru (Team N), Tanigawa Airi (Team M), Fukumoto Aina (Team N), Yagura Fuuko (Team M), Yabushita Shu (3rd Gen KKS), Yamada Nana (Team N), Yamamoto Sayaka (Team N), Yokoyama Yui (team unknown), Yoshida Akari (Team N) and Watanabe Miyuki (Team N).
That gives us eleven Team N members, two Team M members, two 3rd Gen KKS and Yokoyama Yui. The last three should have teams by the time the single is released but this is still a very Team N heavy senbatsu as not even half of it are from the other two teams. Not that I do not love Team N but I think it is time that the spotlight is spread out a bit more with the other teams.
I just hope the Shirogumi and Akagumi units are more balanced between all the teams for this single.
NMB48 will be celebrating their second anniversary, the date their first single was released, on October 9th. On the 8th Team N will have a new stage they will start, October 9th will have a new Team M while on October 11th Team BII will debut.
Staff blog (Japanese)
There is speculation that the new Team M means that there will be a mini shuffle between the members in that team and the one being newly created, Team BII. Apparently this is something that happened with SKE48 when they created Team E, shuffled some of the KKS into Team KII while moving some to Team E. Though they also made some back into KKS, which I hope is not going to happen with NMB48.
But with Jo Eriko graduating Team M is losing its Ace, plus they already have an open slot because of that so it would make sense to do a bit of a shake up. Not to mention they need to place AKB48 exchange member, Yokoyama Yui in a team and the up and coming KKS Yabushita Shu seems destined to be an Ace for whatever team she is placed in. And with the debut of a new team it sounds like a good time to do a small shuffle like this, and hopefully this will make Team M stronger and help give Team BII some early support so they are both not stuck to be eternally in Team N's shadow.
In other news Jonishi Kei will be in an upcoming drama. The drama is named Poison and will air on YTV in the midnight slot starting on October 4th. Not much is known about Keicchi's role, other than the character is reoccurring as she is listed with the other actors on the official home page of the drama.
Poison OHP (Japanese)
Congrats to Keicchi for getting a drama role. I have not really seen her act so I cannot say if I have any hopes for her. But if anything it could be helpful if she is going to continue pursuing acting as a career.
And on a final and much less exciting note, the date for Jo Eriko's graduation stage has been announced. She will graduate from the group on September 28th.
Staff blog (Japanese)
I am still bummed out about her leaving but I can understand her reasons. I wish her the best and NMB48 is not going to be the same without her.
First off none of the NMB48 members in the janken tournament made it into the senbatsu. Honestly I do not think I can feel too heartbroken about that as it means there will be one less AKB48 single I feel that I need to buy because of any NMB48 members in it.
That said there is more information about NMB48's upcoming single that will be released November 7th. The title of the single is Kitagawa Kenji, which seems to be a nod to one of the main men behind AKS as well to the lyrics of the song. The lyrics this time are from a guy's point of view and how he realizes that the girl he loves is so lovely to him because she is in love with this guy, Kitagawa Kenji.
While there is not a complete track list out there is some track listing information out. Like all their releases the single has three versions sold in stores. All versions will have the same title track and a B-side, then the Type A has the usual Shirogumi song, the Type B has a Akagumi song and the Type C will just have another group B-side not on the other versions. There of course is a theater version but the details for that are not out yet.
Also on the final Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ episode NMB48 performed the new single song. Going from the performers in that the senbatsu looks to be; Ogawasara Mayu (Team N), Katou Yuuka (3rd Gen KKS), Kadowaki Kanako (Team N), Kishino Rika (Team N), Kotani Riho (Team N), Jonishi Kei (Team N), Shiroma Miru (Team N), Tanigawa Airi (Team M), Fukumoto Aina (Team N), Yagura Fuuko (Team M), Yabushita Shu (3rd Gen KKS), Yamada Nana (Team N), Yamamoto Sayaka (Team N), Yokoyama Yui (team unknown), Yoshida Akari (Team N) and Watanabe Miyuki (Team N).
That gives us eleven Team N members, two Team M members, two 3rd Gen KKS and Yokoyama Yui. The last three should have teams by the time the single is released but this is still a very Team N heavy senbatsu as not even half of it are from the other two teams. Not that I do not love Team N but I think it is time that the spotlight is spread out a bit more with the other teams.
I just hope the Shirogumi and Akagumi units are more balanced between all the teams for this single.
NMB48 will be celebrating their second anniversary, the date their first single was released, on October 9th. On the 8th Team N will have a new stage they will start, October 9th will have a new Team M while on October 11th Team BII will debut.
Staff blog (Japanese)
There is speculation that the new Team M means that there will be a mini shuffle between the members in that team and the one being newly created, Team BII. Apparently this is something that happened with SKE48 when they created Team E, shuffled some of the KKS into Team KII while moving some to Team E. Though they also made some back into KKS, which I hope is not going to happen with NMB48.
But with Jo Eriko graduating Team M is losing its Ace, plus they already have an open slot because of that so it would make sense to do a bit of a shake up. Not to mention they need to place AKB48 exchange member, Yokoyama Yui in a team and the up and coming KKS Yabushita Shu seems destined to be an Ace for whatever team she is placed in. And with the debut of a new team it sounds like a good time to do a small shuffle like this, and hopefully this will make Team M stronger and help give Team BII some early support so they are both not stuck to be eternally in Team N's shadow.
In other news Jonishi Kei will be in an upcoming drama. The drama is named Poison and will air on YTV in the midnight slot starting on October 4th. Not much is known about Keicchi's role, other than the character is reoccurring as she is listed with the other actors on the official home page of the drama.
Poison OHP (Japanese)
Congrats to Keicchi for getting a drama role. I have not really seen her act so I cannot say if I have any hopes for her. But if anything it could be helpful if she is going to continue pursuing acting as a career.
And on a final and much less exciting note, the date for Jo Eriko's graduation stage has been announced. She will graduate from the group on September 28th.
Staff blog (Japanese)
I am still bummed out about her leaving but I can understand her reasons. I wish her the best and NMB48 is not going to be the same without her.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
AKS Master Post 002
The big news of this post is of course the graduation of NMB48 member Jo Eriko. I think like other NMB48 fans I am understandably shocked by the announcement as it seems to have come from nowhere. That and Jo held the status of Ace for Team M so to have her leave is definitely going to make a difference with the group.
In her graduation statement she cites that she feels as someone entering their third year of junior high that she would not be able to handle both work and school. So she has decided to graduate from NMB48 to concentrate on her studies.
I honestly do not think that there is any hidden scandal with her debut. Usually the rumor of the scandal breaks out before this kind of announcement and Jo has always come off as honest so it does not seem to fit her image. So I do believe that her reason to concentrate on her school work more is sincere unlike with most cases when it is used as a reason for graduation.
It is known that she is a big fan of Maeda Atsuko and many speculate that with her graduating Jo may have lost some interest in continuing being a part of the AKS family.
What is known is that she will leaving a big hole in Team M and the NMB48 senbatsu line-up. She was the one constant member of Team M that got pushed.
Her graduation has hit me harder than I thought it would. Probably because I actually had the chance to know her. But I can sympathize with wanting to put school first and not feeling up to being able to balance the two well. So I wish her the best in whatever her future brings and I want to enjoy the remaining time she has with the group, as I will miss be missing her brilliant smile when she is gone.
In her graduation statement she cites that she feels as someone entering their third year of junior high that she would not be able to handle both work and school. So she has decided to graduate from NMB48 to concentrate on her studies.
I honestly do not think that there is any hidden scandal with her debut. Usually the rumor of the scandal breaks out before this kind of announcement and Jo has always come off as honest so it does not seem to fit her image. So I do believe that her reason to concentrate on her school work more is sincere unlike with most cases when it is used as a reason for graduation.
It is known that she is a big fan of Maeda Atsuko and many speculate that with her graduating Jo may have lost some interest in continuing being a part of the AKS family.
What is known is that she will leaving a big hole in Team M and the NMB48 senbatsu line-up. She was the one constant member of Team M that got pushed.
Her graduation has hit me harder than I thought it would. Probably because I actually had the chance to know her. But I can sympathize with wanting to put school first and not feeling up to being able to balance the two well. So I wish her the best in whatever her future brings and I want to enjoy the remaining time she has with the group, as I will miss be missing her brilliant smile when she is gone.
Friday, August 24, 2012
AKS Master Post 001
Okay, I figure since I don't follow the non-Johnny's idols as much I would instead of doing the usual update posts I do for Johnny's I would just wait until I have a few different bits of news for the groups and do a master post for them. If anything this will make skipping non-Johnny's posts a bit easier for the Johnny's only fans and it will make things easier for me.
I will start off with rounding up the latest news for the AKS group I do bother to actually follow, NMB48. They have already announced their next single that will be released on November 7th. Like usual for their single announcements there is no other information about the single out.
Ameblo article. (Japanese)
NMB48 will also be releasing a DVD of Team N's second stage, Seishun Girls. The DVD will be released on September 25th and is already up for pre-order.
They also will have their first photo book released on September 16th, title Kyun to Doki. It will feature NMB48 members; Mayu Ogasawara, Haruna Kinoshita, Riho Kotani, Rina Kondo, Kei Jonishi, Miru Shiroma, Aina Fukumoto, Yuki Yamaguchi, Nana Yamada, Sayaka Yamamoto, Akari Yoshida, Miyuki Watanabe, Eriko Jo, Airi Tanigawa, Ayame Hikawa, Ayaka Murakami, Sae Murase, Fuko Yagura, Keira Yogi, and Shu Yabushita.
And now for the massive news that is currently shaking up the AKS fandom is that AKB48 is having a member shuffle. What this means is that the group has been returned to be only three teams, A, K & B, with Team 4 now disbanded but the sixteen member limit of the teams has been changed. No word if there is a new limit of members for a team but two of the current teams are now 23 members big and the other has 22.
Here is the full list of the changes (taken from the aramatheydidnt post):
→AKB General Manager: Takahashi Minami
→Team A:
Captain: Shinoda Mariko
Takahashi Minami (ex Captain of Team A)
Kasai Tomomi (ex Team B)
Sato Sumire (ex Team B)
Sato Natsuki (ex Team B)
Watanabe Mayu (ex Team B)
Kikuchi Ayaka (ex Team K)
Nito Moeno (ex Team K)
Nakatsuka Tomomi (ex Team K)
Matsui Sakiko (ex Team K)
Yokoyama Yui (ex Team K) [Also a member of NMB48]
Iriyama Anna (ex Team 4)
Iwata Karen (ex Team 4)
Kawaei Rina (ex Team 4)
Nakamata Shiori (ex Team 4)
Takahashi Juri (ex Team 4)
Tano Yuka (ex Team 4)
Izuta Rina (Formerly w/o team)
Kobayashi Marina (Formerly w/o team)
Morikawa Ayaka (Formerly w/o team)
Oshima Ryouka (Promoted)
Kotani Riho [Also a member of NMB48]
→Team K:
Captain: Oshima Yuko
Akimoto Sayaka (ex Captain of Team K)
Itano Tomomi (No change)
Uchida Mayumi (No change)
Matsui Jurina (No change) [Also a member of SKE48]
Kuramochi Asuka (ex Team A)
Maeda Ami (ex Team A)
Matsubara Natsumi (ex Team A)
Nakata Chisato (ex Team A)
Nakaya Sayaka (ex Team A)
Chikano Rina (ex Team B)
Kitahara Rie (ex Team B) [Also a member of SKE48]
Kobayashi Kana (ex Team B)
Masuda Yuka (ex Team B)
Miyazaki Miho (ex Team B)
Sato Amina (ex Team B)
Suzuki Shihori (ex Team B)
Abe Maria (ex Team 4)
Nagao Mariya (ex Team 4)
Shimada Haruka (ex Team 4)
Fujita Nana (Formerly w/o team)
Mitsumune Kaoru (Promoted)
Muto Tomu (Promoted)
→Team B:
Captain: Umeda Ayaka (ex Team K)
Kashiwagi Yuki (ex Captain of Team B)
Ishida Haruka (No change)
Komori Mika (No change)
Oya Shizuka (No change)
Watanabe Miyuki (No change) [Also a member of NMB48]
Iwasa Misaki (ex Team A)
Katayama Haruka (ex Team A)
Kojima Haruna (ex Team A)
Fujie Reina (ex Team K)
Minegishi Minami (ex Team K)
Nonaka Misato (ex Team K)
Tanabe Miku (ex Team K)
Ichikawa Miori (ex Team 4)
Kato Rena (ex Team 4)
Nakamura Mariko (ex Team 4)
Oba Mina (ex Captain of Team 4)
Shimazaki Haruka (ex Team 4)
Takeuchi Miyu (ex Team 4)
Yamauchi Suzuran (ex Team 4)
Kojima Natsuki (Formerly w/o team)
Natori Wakana (Formerly w/o team)
Ishida Anna [Also a member of SKE48]
→SKE48: Kitahara Rie [Also a member of AKB48]
→NMB48: Yokoyama Yui [Also a member of AKB48]
→HKT48: Ota Aika (ex Team A)
→SNH48: Miyazawa Sae (ex Team K) & Suzuki Mariya (ex Team B)
→JKT48: Takajo Aki (ex Team A) & Nakagawa Haruka (ex Team A)
Of course not really being an AKB48 fan I do not feel too affected by the changes outside of the two NMB48 members now in the group and an AKB48 member joining NMB48. As well as the two AKB48 members that I do like, Akimoto Sayaka and Mitsumune Kaoru.
For Sayaka a part of me is not surprised at her losing the position of captain for Team K. Not because of anything she has done as she seems to be very good at the position but I feel like her time with the group should be coming to an end as I feel she could do just as well as a solo talent than being a part of this group. Especially as she seems to be rather neglected with the group and I just think it is time for her to move on. So I would not be surprised if being removed from that position is in preparation for a graduation later on in the near future.
I am really happy that Kaoru has finally been promoted out of KKS status and is a part of one of the teams. Team K is a good fit as it is the group known to have a more mature image which I think she fits well with. Hopefully this will just be the start for her and she continues to get solid drama roles as I think being a part of AKB48 will do her well to get her acting career established. Not to mention she is a part of the younger generations of girls that will have to step up and get noticed to keep the group popular.
And now onto thoughts about the NMB48 changes. Since Watanabe Miyuki actually has not had a change in her membership with either group there is not much to say about it. Kotani Riho being given the same kind of dual membership as her though is a bit surprising. Milky has always been a popular member of NMB48 while Ripopo has been mainly middle-tier. In fact her sub-unit Namaba Teppoutai was all about the fact that the girls in it were not the most well known but were trying to reach the level of the five members that placed in the general elections. But I guess management believes she is worth pushing and so will be bound to get some strong pushes now that she is also a member of Team A.
Since I do not really follow AKB48 I am not too familiar with Yokoyama Yui. I looked up her profile and it says she is from Kyoto so it does make sense for her to be placed with the Kansai group as it is in the same region.
I actually do not mind her being placed with NMB48 as one of the biggest issues I have had with NMB48 recently is the fact that they do stray from promoting the same girls all the time. With having an AKB member in the group than that will at least break that up a bit, in fact I am certain Yui will probably end up near the center position of the line up for the single they recently announced. And if Yui ends up in Team BII then it could help break the near monopoly of Team N when it comes to interest and attention. So I do see this as a positive thing for now at least.
Because I am not an AKB48 fan I do not think I can join in the fanwankage over this and actually look forward to what there changes are going to bring. Of course if this is the news AKS brings out for the first of the three days of the Tokyo Dome concerts I do not even want to guess what the next two days are going to bring.
I will start off with rounding up the latest news for the AKS group I do bother to actually follow, NMB48. They have already announced their next single that will be released on November 7th. Like usual for their single announcements there is no other information about the single out.
Ameblo article. (Japanese)
NMB48 will also be releasing a DVD of Team N's second stage, Seishun Girls. The DVD will be released on September 25th and is already up for pre-order.
They also will have their first photo book released on September 16th, title Kyun to Doki. It will feature NMB48 members; Mayu Ogasawara, Haruna Kinoshita, Riho Kotani, Rina Kondo, Kei Jonishi, Miru Shiroma, Aina Fukumoto, Yuki Yamaguchi, Nana Yamada, Sayaka Yamamoto, Akari Yoshida, Miyuki Watanabe, Eriko Jo, Airi Tanigawa, Ayame Hikawa, Ayaka Murakami, Sae Murase, Fuko Yagura, Keira Yogi, and Shu Yabushita.
And now for the massive news that is currently shaking up the AKS fandom is that AKB48 is having a member shuffle. What this means is that the group has been returned to be only three teams, A, K & B, with Team 4 now disbanded but the sixteen member limit of the teams has been changed. No word if there is a new limit of members for a team but two of the current teams are now 23 members big and the other has 22.
Here is the full list of the changes (taken from the aramatheydidnt post):
→AKB General Manager: Takahashi Minami
→Team A:
Captain: Shinoda Mariko
Takahashi Minami (ex Captain of Team A)
Kasai Tomomi (ex Team B)
Sato Sumire (ex Team B)
Sato Natsuki (ex Team B)
Watanabe Mayu (ex Team B)
Kikuchi Ayaka (ex Team K)
Nito Moeno (ex Team K)
Nakatsuka Tomomi (ex Team K)
Matsui Sakiko (ex Team K)
Yokoyama Yui (ex Team K) [Also a member of NMB48]
Iriyama Anna (ex Team 4)
Iwata Karen (ex Team 4)
Kawaei Rina (ex Team 4)
Nakamata Shiori (ex Team 4)
Takahashi Juri (ex Team 4)
Tano Yuka (ex Team 4)
Izuta Rina (Formerly w/o team)
Kobayashi Marina (Formerly w/o team)
Morikawa Ayaka (Formerly w/o team)
Oshima Ryouka (Promoted)
Kotani Riho [Also a member of NMB48]
→Team K:
Captain: Oshima Yuko
Akimoto Sayaka (ex Captain of Team K)
Itano Tomomi (No change)
Uchida Mayumi (No change)
Matsui Jurina (No change) [Also a member of SKE48]
Kuramochi Asuka (ex Team A)
Maeda Ami (ex Team A)
Matsubara Natsumi (ex Team A)
Nakata Chisato (ex Team A)
Nakaya Sayaka (ex Team A)
Chikano Rina (ex Team B)
Kitahara Rie (ex Team B) [Also a member of SKE48]
Kobayashi Kana (ex Team B)
Masuda Yuka (ex Team B)
Miyazaki Miho (ex Team B)
Sato Amina (ex Team B)
Suzuki Shihori (ex Team B)
Abe Maria (ex Team 4)
Nagao Mariya (ex Team 4)
Shimada Haruka (ex Team 4)
Fujita Nana (Formerly w/o team)
Mitsumune Kaoru (Promoted)
Muto Tomu (Promoted)
→Team B:
Captain: Umeda Ayaka (ex Team K)
Kashiwagi Yuki (ex Captain of Team B)
Ishida Haruka (No change)
Komori Mika (No change)
Oya Shizuka (No change)
Watanabe Miyuki (No change) [Also a member of NMB48]
Iwasa Misaki (ex Team A)
Katayama Haruka (ex Team A)
Kojima Haruna (ex Team A)
Fujie Reina (ex Team K)
Minegishi Minami (ex Team K)
Nonaka Misato (ex Team K)
Tanabe Miku (ex Team K)
Ichikawa Miori (ex Team 4)
Kato Rena (ex Team 4)
Nakamura Mariko (ex Team 4)
Oba Mina (ex Captain of Team 4)
Shimazaki Haruka (ex Team 4)
Takeuchi Miyu (ex Team 4)
Yamauchi Suzuran (ex Team 4)
Kojima Natsuki (Formerly w/o team)
Natori Wakana (Formerly w/o team)
Ishida Anna [Also a member of SKE48]
→SKE48: Kitahara Rie [Also a member of AKB48]
→NMB48: Yokoyama Yui [Also a member of AKB48]
→HKT48: Ota Aika (ex Team A)
→SNH48: Miyazawa Sae (ex Team K) & Suzuki Mariya (ex Team B)
→JKT48: Takajo Aki (ex Team A) & Nakagawa Haruka (ex Team A)
Of course not really being an AKB48 fan I do not feel too affected by the changes outside of the two NMB48 members now in the group and an AKB48 member joining NMB48. As well as the two AKB48 members that I do like, Akimoto Sayaka and Mitsumune Kaoru.
For Sayaka a part of me is not surprised at her losing the position of captain for Team K. Not because of anything she has done as she seems to be very good at the position but I feel like her time with the group should be coming to an end as I feel she could do just as well as a solo talent than being a part of this group. Especially as she seems to be rather neglected with the group and I just think it is time for her to move on. So I would not be surprised if being removed from that position is in preparation for a graduation later on in the near future.
I am really happy that Kaoru has finally been promoted out of KKS status and is a part of one of the teams. Team K is a good fit as it is the group known to have a more mature image which I think she fits well with. Hopefully this will just be the start for her and she continues to get solid drama roles as I think being a part of AKB48 will do her well to get her acting career established. Not to mention she is a part of the younger generations of girls that will have to step up and get noticed to keep the group popular.
And now onto thoughts about the NMB48 changes. Since Watanabe Miyuki actually has not had a change in her membership with either group there is not much to say about it. Kotani Riho being given the same kind of dual membership as her though is a bit surprising. Milky has always been a popular member of NMB48 while Ripopo has been mainly middle-tier. In fact her sub-unit Namaba Teppoutai was all about the fact that the girls in it were not the most well known but were trying to reach the level of the five members that placed in the general elections. But I guess management believes she is worth pushing and so will be bound to get some strong pushes now that she is also a member of Team A.
Since I do not really follow AKB48 I am not too familiar with Yokoyama Yui. I looked up her profile and it says she is from Kyoto so it does make sense for her to be placed with the Kansai group as it is in the same region.
I actually do not mind her being placed with NMB48 as one of the biggest issues I have had with NMB48 recently is the fact that they do stray from promoting the same girls all the time. With having an AKB member in the group than that will at least break that up a bit, in fact I am certain Yui will probably end up near the center position of the line up for the single they recently announced. And if Yui ends up in Team BII then it could help break the near monopoly of Team N when it comes to interest and attention. So I do see this as a positive thing for now at least.
Because I am not an AKB48 fan I do not think I can join in the fanwankage over this and actually look forward to what there changes are going to bring. Of course if this is the news AKS brings out for the first of the three days of the Tokyo Dome concerts I do not even want to guess what the next two days are going to bring.
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