Single Hinatazaka46 1st [Kyun] [2019/03/27]

This statement is unacceptable. I do in fact respect your opinions, and I do get your points, which make sense even if I feel differently. Your telling people to get out, however, is quite wrong. It does not help the discussion at all.

This is part of a larger problem: there are Hinata fans here who are Keyaki fans and Hinata fans who do not like Keyaki. To make a good atmosphere for discussion, slamming Keyaki or finding ways to put them down is not constructive. In this thread, we should be discussing Hinata, not rehashing our disagreements over Keyaki. We can mention them, and make points, and disagree, but people should show decent respect for Keyaki and its fans' opinions -- as Keyaki fans should show respect for Nogi. Putting down each other's favorites just causes trouble and leads nowhere. Let's do our best to avoid it, eh?

As for "debut single" or "1st single," who cares? In fact, from a Keyaki/Hinata fan's perspective, I get both of my groups to have distinctions: best-selling debut single for Keyaki and best-selling first single for Hinata. Thanks to kojirabu0419 on Twitter for actually reading the Oricon story notes I ignored, lol.

@plus1plus1 -- I'll have to take another look at the Playboy series, which I only read bits of when it first came out. Despite being a Keyaki and Neru fan, I have always felt that the relationship between Keyaki and Hiragana was not as close as it should have been. I have been called out in Neru's thread for criticizing Neru for not meeting the Hiragana members for weeks after they joined, and not fighting to make time to rehearse with them more. She herself has expressed guilty feelings about this. But I still love Neru. And the Hiragana members seem to love her, too. Some Hinata-chans' feelings about being "Hiragana Keyaki" were obviously quite positive, as shown by Memi's and Miho's and others' first reactions to the name change.

 

Congrats to them tho. That sales number is huge.

As for the issue of debut single or not I get it. I get what Oricon means. It makes sense tbh. Hinata had an advantage "debuting" separately as they had years to build their own fandom within a big group already. Literally only recently they changed their name too. Doesn't diminish their hard work or what they accomplished, but I can see the issue at hand since it's not a debut technically in the sense of "real" debuts.

 

They were not planning the split for years. There's no evidence to believe that was the case.
You're giving management way too much credit of you think that they were planning this Hiragana/Hinatazaka concept from the beginning.

The reality is that Hiragana was supposed to be an Unders group but then the "Forever 21" no senbatsu concept was working for Keyaki and management had 11 girls that they didnt know what to do with. If management had planned the separate group from the beginning then why did they sit around doing basically nothing for a year?

Hinatazaka46 exists because of the hard work and willpower of the girls. Supposedly several of them threatened to quit if management didn't do something.

 

"Years". Bit of an exaggeration, I admit. Didn't mean to imply that it was their plan from the beginning.
2015 - Introduced as Kanji's unders.
2016 - Still unsure whether or not they were going to be unders. Sawabe mentioned during the 3rd single senabatsu announcement that Hiragana could potentially replace Kanji members.
2017 - Management refused to sub a Hiragana in for Zuumin when she went on hiatus. Hiragana 2nd announced at Keyaki's birthday live.
^ It was probably somewhere around that time when they decided that they were going to split the two groups. Their push started later into the year, 2nd gens formally introduced + Re:Mind.
The fact that they had their album announced at the Budokan concerts so early into the year shows that management had huge plans for them in 2018. That combined with their variety show and Keyabingo!4. These definitely didn't happen on a whim post concert success, they were all pre-planned.

 

Let's not turn Hinata threads to another Keyaki general thread please.

Personally I am very happy with their Kyun sales. Their journey as separate independent group has just started. I remembered the concert venue size difference between Nogi and the then Hiragana Keyaki, when I attended both their concerts last summer. One day, Hinata-chans will perform to such similar sized crowds...

One thing I can say for certain is that Hinata fandom is definitely growing rapidly. Last summer, tickets were still available for purchase about 30 mins post opening of sale. Their debut countdown this time was sold out almost immediately. I never got the chance to even log into Rakuten Ticket because of the traffic overload. By the time I managed to log in, all sold out..

 

When they announced Hiragana 2nd gen audition Mirei said they should all quit. They had a discussion with management. Around this time I believe they assured them that there were plans for a big push. This was the end of 2017. So, I agree with the timeline.

But I do not know when they planned to make them a third sakamichi group. In 2018, they seemed to want to split Keyakizaka in two but could not make it work. I think we'd need to know more to know for sure.

I read the Kyoko/Memi interview in Ex taishu. Memi was talking about feeling happy to work together and relatively carefree. But she's only 17 years old and 2nd gen wasn't there. Most members of first gen wanted modeling contracts, wanted to be on tv/cms, etc. They did not have as much fun. They all had fun working together no one argues that (I think). But there were/are mixed feelings.

Kyoko didn't say this in the interview but most fans fully expected her to be promoted as she was promised. That would explain why she was much happier to change the name.

 

"Forever 21" every Keya fan know what this means - 4 gone, 5 to go! - Personally as a UNDER fan I do not like this concept. Being UNDER is a time to grow and to prove yourself and with members like Eto, Asuka, Hori and many more every UNDER member knows they can make Senbatsu. The different between Nogi, Keya and Hinata is Nogi had used the UNDER system from the beginning. Keya had a UNDER system and never used it. If Hinata starts using an UNDER system I wish for a modified Nogi system, because one thing is for sure: Nogi fans love UNDER. You can see and feel it at all Nogi concerts.

Aki-P once said, being a Star is 1% Talent and 99% Luck. I think the Gana concert series 2017 showed management, that the group urgently needed their own songs, like UNDER from Nogi. At that time I do not think there were plans to split the groups but then luck strikes and they had this beautyful first concert at Budokan and with it they were high in the media. The seed to seperate the groups was planted at that time. KeyaBingo! and Hiragana Oshi may have not so much influence on the separation than you think, these two shows were only platforms to give them more popularity like AKB Nemouse or Team 8 no Bunbun. I think management started to really discuss the plan to seperate them in the 2nd half of 2018 with the successful cooperations with the high praises and nominations for music awards and so on. I think the final decision was made after the Christmas LIVE and the rest was decided by the cards. (Management does not believe in astrologie but someone was taking notes and it adds to the marketing)

 

^ That all sounds plausible. I feel like Sakamichi graduations and unexpected Hiragana album sales played a part as well. They could have been more confident that they could accelerate things this year for Hinata.

 

Lol I didn’t mean get out literally although I wouldn’t mind. It’s just a phrase

 

You make some good points but this part, no, I can't agree. Do you have any idea how much Audrey and Sandwichman cost? They're both in the Top 10 geinin for a few years now. They cost a lot more than Sawabe and Tsuchi. If they just wanted to give the unders a push, there are literally thousands of cheaper MCs they could have chosen from.

 

They've posted a page of goods for Kyun, to be ordered online and picked up at lives, etc. Here's a photo (click to enlarge), but the link its the best way to see them:

 

From what I know management planned a obnoxious revenge when Kanji Keyaki's "Forever 21" senbatsu started to collapse with Shida's absence, Zuumin thinking about her graduation, Yone too, and Techi was in bad condition.

That's when I think Aki-P and management started to think about splitting up Kanji and Hiragana. Someone said Sakamichi Joint Audition was a response to panic. Nine new members of 2nd gen Kanji. One 3rd gen member to Hiragana to make them the strong 21 senbatsu group with Kageyama coming back soon.

Kanji proved for management they can't handle all same 21 members for every live performance with their condition. So changes have to be made. A third Sakamichi group to rival 48G was just more money for Aki-P.

And unlike 48G all Sakamichi groups are based on streets in Tokyo. Nogizaka Station and Keyakizaka street in Roppongi, Shibuya. Hyugazaka street in Minato. None of them have the problem to gain their own fandom like we see with 48G which the sister groups are living in AKB48's shadow with low sales after all these years and are based in other prefectures.

 

The 7th round for this single IHS has been out. Zero change compared to 6th round.

 

Verging on off-topic but — Nogi is not in reference to the Nogi station but the Nogi street (which goes up the actual Nogi hill), where the Sony Music building is. It's true they've done activities with Nogi station before (as well as Nogi Shrine), but their home base is the Sony building.

 

Hinata will be on NTV's Buzzrhythm2 late Friday night (1:30am). The show presents recorded studio performances by well-known artists. Friday's show will include UVERworld, Kuraki Mai, Superfly, Da Pump, Nishino Kana, Nogizaka46, Perfume, V6, Brahman, Yuzu, Nakamura Emi, Gang Parade and...Hinatazaka46. The promos says something about looking for the group that produces the most audience excitement. source



There's also a video promo. Hinata comes last, but gets featured:


if the video does not show watch the video here

I doubt the groups are in the studio together, but this would be the first time Memi was on the same show as UVERworld, the group she said early on was her favorite, and to whose concert she and Tomita Suzuka once went.

 

Looks like we’re not getting to watch their debut countdown live anytime soon

 

This is no substitute for Countdown Live, but it's pretty interesting, in a surreal sort of way: young announcer Matsuyama Koudai (松山航大, male) of Nagano Broadcasting (FujiTV) does his own version of the Kyun MV, dancing/singing in the same places at Suwa Tokyo University of Science (in Nagano Prefecture) where the indoor scenes in the MV were made. He calls himself "Naganozaka01":


if the video does not show watch the video here

Depending on your gender and/or inclinations, the bum-wiggling part of the dance (wearing fitted slacks) might be interesting, lol.

From the 5ch Memi thread. In his Instagram, he notes that Memi is from Nagano Prefecture, and hopes she will be there some Saturday (I guess he has a show then?). Posters in the Memi thread want management to set up an appearance right away.

 

Great news.

Japan Records Association (RIAJ) has certified that Hinatazaka46 got double platinum with their debut single 'Kyun'. They surpassed the 500k copies sold.

Oricon news article.

 

I'm primarily a Nogi fan but recently I can't stop replaying Kyun when I get the chance.

Cheers!

 

This second Oricon article says they had 2nd week sales of roughly 35,000 disks (approximate figure given), for a two week total of ~511,362. This is a better second week than Futari Saison (25,523; Keyaki's 3rd single), and almost as good as Fukyouwaon (36,558; 4th). Also just above Hadashi de Summer (33,241; Nogi's 15th single) and below Sayonara no Imi (38,592; 16th).

Note: I am not comparing quality or popularity between groups, just establishing benchmarks to ground our pride in Hinatazaka46. Many things can affect sales in a particular week, including national handshake schedules and competing singles. And Hinata sales are built on a high foundation established by both Nogi and Keyaki.

I felt great pride in the group for its performance on Utacon. They sang live and not to their recording but to a live orchestra. They sang well and danced well. They were very responsive in talk portions and in performing with older singers, and were polite, quick, cute and neat/pretty (I'm thinking of the word seiso 清楚, which I've seen used to describe Nogi). And they gave off a wonderful Happy Aura. The host of the show said he had become an Ohisama.

I and the host were both impressed, when Nao was demonstrating the KyunKyun dance, at the way the other half-dozen members in that interview just naturally sang the song softly and beautifully behind her. The three years this group has been developing may seem long, but they were not wasted: the group bursts onto the scene already at a high level of competence. Link to Utacon video (four short videos will play one after the other).