AKB 48 thread

[Undertaker]

Lucky you, if not because I'm taking a long oversea trip next week, I would have used my vacation this week.

BTW, have you read my comment on the codes yet?

any thought? and where did those codes from anyway?

[mochichan]

Sorry I was still tired from the concert...:P Yeah honestly I have no idea either. I agree that the codes don't make sense with all that mass graduation. Other than that no ideas lol The code came from AKB planner that AKB fans found...and then leaked...and then I posted on tumblr but I didn't realize so many people would pay attention since my tumblr don't get that much attention anyway XD But now some fans are freaking about it lol......I don't understand these -7, -3 things...maybe solo activities maybe?

anyway this is from ZIP. OMFG I recognize some people there since they were in lines at the concert too

http://vid48.com/watch_video.php?v=47A52YNXXY19

[Undertaker]

Sorry, didn't take that into consideration, but when you got time after some rest, tell us about the performance, I'm dying to know how it goes.

[sa547]

Originally Posted by mochichan

I WENT TO THEIR DC SHOW!!
And yeah some fans congrat them on Tokyo Dome too. It's awesome lol

Takamina was so typically Takamina. She did alot of weird/cute things. Some fans printed giant Sae, Taka, and AkiP head and when Taka saw AkiP, she said AKIMOTO SENSEI!! lol

Yep, they're the Krackheads. Lucky you, congratulations!

And boy, they have it so good (nice that they had Hirata onboard as a go-between, who once lived in Arizona):
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifest...ReS_story.html

----------
This had to be one of the funniest pics I ever seen:

"Edward, is that really you?"

[mochichan]

eww i hate that washington post..it sound really condescending...

ok after i waited like 2 hrs in the line outside in the cold…<_< The line waiting outside before going in was pretty long. There was alot of fans there for the first showing and it almost fill up all the seats except a few on the balcony. I didn't go to the 2nd showing but I stick around for 30 min waiting for my ride talking to my friend who lined up again for the 2nd show, and IT WAS FILLED UP! The line this time was twice as big as the other line. There were alot of kids there too with their parents who were AKB fans (take that people who say AKB only have male fans!). It's kinda cute There's also this group of kids that look like they're on a field trip. Probably from when AKB visited the kid school the other day. During the 1st show, the ratio was like 40:60 girls to guys...but at the 2nd concert it's close to 50:50 even. I remember seeing alot more kids the 2nd show around.

We got inside the theater for the 1st show and I got center, 5th row so I was pretty close to see the members….tho I should've wore heel since some of the people there were pretty tall……Anyway they handed out glow stick in the theater and the fans even know the fanchants and stuffs.
Song orders Flying Get, Everyday Kachuusha,Takamina's Bird, Sae's Kiseki wa, Miichan's Gyoten Ojisama, Kioku no Dilemma tho their voice was too quiet for me to hear over the loud speakers. Then they did Kaze wa Fuiteiru, Beginner (OMFG!!!), Ponytail, sakura no ki ni narou. Then they went off stage but fans called for Encore so they did Heavy Rotation, and Sakura no hanabiratachi, they said the song was special to them. Fans yelled ENCORE for like 5 min before they came back but it was worth it because HR performance was really cheerful and lot of fans sang along with it.

There was alot of cute moment like the girls try to speak english….except they suck so the most they know is "Are you happy?" "I'm happy" or one of the girl tripped up and couldn't pronounce it right so she said "I'm hahahaa- Happy" XD. Umeda asked the fan to follow her and said "when I say ton ton ton, you say washington" lol I like how she tried to be original. Hilary was the only one with proper english tho she was struggling trying to put words together when talking about the symbol of sakura trees lol The girls said they went to see the white house, and they took pictures. Takamina then did this taking picture pose to show what they're talking about.

https://plus.google.com/113175170244...ts/dU9wmuRe1xy

Some fans screamed out TAKAMINA DAISUKI~ and she said back Aishiteru I already mentioned the giant heads lol. Pretty sure it might appear in news coverage since everyone attention was on it when Sae pointed it out.

The girls ask the fans question like have you been to japan, have you seen akb, have you seen them at their new york show? etc. And since they are the representative of tourism, they kinda try to tell fans to visit them in Japan lol. Some fans congrat them on Tokyo Dome and they seem really happy about it.
Oh and Sae was really nice, she have a really cheerful smile. There was alot of miichan fans…or her fans are just loud because you can hear them yell her name out alot. Lemon is SUPER SMALL! like her head is two time less than the size of other member head D: Umeda was really pretty, I noticed her the whole time

BTW~ I notice some fans who were going crazy and jumping up in their place...the weirdest was this white guy with preppy styles clothes, huge muscles, kinda the jock type, acting like a total fanboy and going crazy at the concert XD I thought that was kinda funny lol.
When we left the 1st show, some interviewers were talking to this small blond girl, around...5, 6 maybe? and they asked her what does she think of the concert and she said "I like AKB" >w< There're fans came from places like Cali and Arizona and they're AKB fans for 6 yrs. It's really cool...:O

[sa547]

That was one helluva experience you got there.

The Post article do miss a few things and more facts that could've cleared things up for the non-fans, and commentators below the article put those up for the sake of clarification.

If anything, I think they're pretty much astonished just how far they've become well known (at least through the Internet and the fandom), but as representatives of a pop music genre, it's a matter of time before they could very well challenge the dominance of k-pop (aggressively promoted by their government) on a global scale.

Anyway, earlier this morning, a naysayer posted up a small scathing and possibly trolling comment, but nevertheless as a defense I replied at him at length:
http://www.japanator.com/akb48-celeb...ws-22612.phtml

Some people really do need to be open-minded and understanding; ignorance is one of the sources of hatred.

OBTW, there will always be some fucking trolls like this dick.

[Undertaker]

Damn, they actually did 12 songs?!! Now I'm really regret for planned that oversea trip of mine way too early. With this type of event, I'd thought they'd sing like 5-6 songs max. Not to mention it it includes rare ones like Bird and Sakura no Hanabiratachi that you only get to see in a full concert or the yearly AX.

But happy to know their fan also grows in U.S. maybe NYC48 or LA48 is not far off...

As for Washington Post, went to check. The got Sae and Akicha mixed up in their gallery.

And yeah, the article is condescending.

I don't have problem with them saying that the group's main target crowd is male or even otaku because that is truth. But they should also mention that at this time are are appealing to all age group from 3 year old to 60 years old. And they did more in relief effort than majority of other organization in Japan as well. They are now at a level and referred to as National Idols.

There really is no need the phrase it the way they did. It's like saying don't get fool by Halle Berry or Natalie Portman's acting, they are really just two hot piece of a@@ that is flirting with male movie goers. Come on...

[mochichan]

LOL people calling AKB using "dirty tricks" to be popular?
Marketing is marketing. There's no such thing as dirty tricks since the point is to grab people attention however you can. <__<

Even tho AKB is at a higher advantage since they have their own channel as well as adding english on the video...when it come to their image, I don't think westerner...ie the reporter on that article...get it. Well when it come to western hemisphere, I doubt that any asian music will be able to get into mainstream US/EU music scene. I don't believe in any of these hypes lol.

[sa547]

Originally Posted by Undertaker

Damn, they actually did 12 songs?!! Now I'm really regret for planned that oversea trip of mine way too early. With this type of event, I'd thought they'd sing like 5-6 songs max. Not to mention it it includes rare ones like Bird and Sakura no Hanabiratachi that you only get to see in a full concert or the yearly AX.

Damn right, and even an encore. To an SRO crowd.

Originally Posted by Undertaker

But happy to know their fan also grows in U.S. maybe NYC48 or LA48 is not far off...

Not sure if Akimoto's "business model" could work well in the West, as the showbiz scene is very much different in America, that entertainers are very individualistic, and the mudslinging is considerably vicious.

Originally Posted by Undertaker

As for Washington Post, went to check. The got Sae and Akicha mixed up in their gallery.

And yeah, the article is condescending.

I don't have problem with them saying that the group's main target crowd is male or even otaku because that is truth. But they should also mention that at this time are are appealing to all age group from 3 year old to 60 years old. And they did more in relief effort than majority of other organization in Japan as well. They are now at a level and referred to as National Idols.

No doubt mochichan has seen that everyone of all ages went to watch and cheer.

Originally Posted by Undertaker

There really is no need the phrase it the way they did. It's like saying don't get fool by Halle Berry or Natalie Portman's acting, they are really just two hot piece of a@@ that is flirting with male movie goers. Come on...

No surprises that often, without further understanding, the media gets its facts or writings completely wrong as it tries to explain the system and make direct comparisons.

[Undertaker]

Originally Posted by sa547

Not sure if Akimoto's "business model" could work well in the West, as the showbiz scene is very much different in America, that entertainers are very individualistic, and the mudslinging is considerably vicious.

I was kind of joking on that, though I can see him try to have on in LA considering the Asian presence in California, NYC is a totally different beast though.


Anyway, some fun stuff, Kuramochi "Mochi" Asuka, AKB's resident pro-wrestling nut with a ear fetish post this lovely pic on her Google+


https://plus.google.com/u/0/10378792...ts/MyLP5ojqRz4


And looking through her pictures, once again I was reminded that my Oshimen is a really weird chibi...



Almost forgot, I was going to mention something about that Robert Pattinson picture. There is actually a follow up related to that meeting in a later episode of AKBingo.

BTW, where id you can those video/screenshots? The resolution is much better then the videos I've watched before.

[sa547]

Originally Posted by Undertaker

Almost forgot, I was going to mention something about that Robert Pattinson picture. There is actually a follow up related to that meeting in a later episode of AKBingo.

BTW, where id you can those video/screenshots? The resolution is much better then the videos I've watched before.

Most of them came from NihonGogo (where I also read much of the AKB49 manga).

(Sidenote: registered in their forum some days ago just to clarify issues about 0048 and bring in some additional news, as most of them -- being hardcore wota -- either watch anime casually or don't like it at all.)

[mochichan]

But Takamina is awesome for being a adorable weirdo lol XD During the MC, she made funny faces and expression too lol.

do you mean the AKBINGO where Acchan got busted for being having fangirl dream of Pattinson falling for her after they meet? Sub48 got the subs for that. I love acchan fangirl lol.

http://news.tv-asahi.co.jp/ann/news/...220328015.html

TV asahi covered the AkiP head
I remember that news man lol he was next to me and my friend in line when we passed by but he keep having to retake so thank god i didn't appear on national TV XD

[sa547]

Originally Posted by mochichan

do you mean the AKBINGO where Acchan got busted for being having fangirl dream of Pattinson falling for her after they meet? Sub48 got the subs for that. I love acchan fangirl lol.

*blinks*

That was... Aachan?

Edit: found the video... and I was freaking speechless. I mean, wow... worlds colliding.

[mochichan]

I think it was Shoujiki against Myao or someone? and Acchan got busted lol~ I think it's cute that acchan is such a fangirl and have fangirl delusions too :P

http://www.tokyohive.com/2012/03/akb...-relationship/

some akb haters piss me off. Even if I don't like someone, wishing bad things on them is just horrible.
anyway rumors so it won't hold up. Unless they got pictures of the actual couple activities but even so AKS can just handle it and sweep it under the rug. I wish people wouldn't freak out and start saying graduation everytime an AKB member get rumors/scandal. Tho I wish the agency synch up on their excuses :P

[Undertaker]

Yeah, that episode with Aachan was pretty awesome, actually all of the Shoujiki episodes are awesome and I also like the dodge ball and fast food episodes. And the episode where they cross-dress are weirdly interesting as well.


As for Tomochin, we'll see how it plays out. I mean she's state multiple time she would leave everything behind if there is a right relation, but with Aachan announces hers, I really don't want to see another original this soon. So let's see how it goes. Good thing that it's from "Shukan Bunshun" a tabloid magazine, while it did got the scoop on Takamina's right recently, the things on that magazine is still mostly just rumors and should be taken with grant of salt.

[sa547]

Priceless. That racist got fucking told.

[mochichan]

I saw that~ SAYAKA IS SO BOSS!! <3
I kinda hate Uhho after the whole gorilla jokes.........I feel bad for her :\



Look closely at that perv hand :P

lmao....XD



interesting XD

[Undertaker]

I won't think too much about it, Itano was out of the Kami-7 and you can tell she was a bit pissed about that in her speech even then.

As for second picture. Well, from the later blogs Itano mentioned that like Takamina, Aachan have talked about this with her before. If you look at the face of other 1st gen members during the cuts while Aachan was talking, they all had this deep thought face rather than shocked faces compare to say Yuko, Mayuyu, and others. So I'm leaning toward that those people already know about it, or at least like Takamina mentioned later, they know she's seriously thinking about graduating, just didn't know that she made the decision and it was THAT day she is announcing it.

Also if you look closely at actual footage, by the time "Aitakatta" started Takamina is already back to form and leading the song. Also n addition to Itano, the footage also shown that both NyanNyan and Mariko are approaching her in a similar manner as well, approach with smile with quick embrace and then quickly rejoined the song. Personally I think that 1st gen group all know about her decision at some level and they history together also prepared them for this compare to other member who either in a state of shock, or not close enough to feel anything.

I mean Itano is not stupid, she might be a bit airhead, but like Kojiharu of Mariko, there's a thinker underneath. Aachan leaving won't make her the center, and I refuse to think that she didn't notice herself that her fanbase has already started to diverge from the general AKB fanbase and image. (ie, she is arguably the least approachable among the top members and is heading that road further and further.)

[mochichan]

LOL yeah but I always got this "i'm a bitch" kinda feel from Tomochin..i dun know why..+ some fans told me how when Tomochin forgot to introduce some KKS member, she gave a w/e look and just moved on XD
It would be funny if Tomochin is kinda a secret bitch inside. I want to see that image from her more :P

I feel like Tomochin will graduate too. She doesn't fit that AKB thing anymore and the election kinda proved that since the voters that determine the ranking usually tend to be the fanbase, not the casual fans. I remember too that after the fall in ranking, she went on AKBINGO and did those fat sumo suits when her image doesn't fit with that kind of activities. I think she should just graduate except idk...what she...would...do...like model? I mean she's kind short even tho her face do look like those ViVi models.

[Undertaker]

Understandable, Itano does got that bitchy look even though it not her fault. I think it's the combination of both her pouting lips and slim long eyes. Kind of like Angelina Jolie, except in latter's case she had a personality to match it while Itano is completely opposite from it.

But yeah, the only style I can think of that fits her current style is something similar to Kuroki Meisa. Granted she can't act lie Kuroki (not that she is a great actress to begin with) but I do think Itano is a better dancer and has better control of stage. On the side she'll continue to do CMs and pin-ups which is pretty much her primary job now anyway.

Itano is a hard one to figure out though, she's more introvert than Takamina, but unlike Takamina, she won't try to initiate contact even when forced into a group. In that way she is kind of like Kojiharu, but Kojiharu will respond back when approached but Itano might not even respond.

I mean if anything her image is a complete opposite of her personality, even more extreme then her fellow original members and you can't even tell what she is thinking from the her face. Her face is either in "bitch" or "Kojiharu" mode.

Her problem was that before recently her real self slips out during those variety shows and got that gap moe working for her, now as the works starts to pile up she in on less and less variety show and even when she is on, she is the more quite one and that slowly takes way her moe factor leaving only that thick outer shell of hers which pretty much scream "get away from me"


On side note, speaking of secret bitch (well not really bitch, but scheming haraguroi) Yukirin is the master on this, which make her pretty funny. I still love out loud when ever she was referred as "Black Marimokkori" or "Black Kashiwagi". And surprisingly MaiMai after her graduation is making a her for herself as a haraguroi.