[EVENT] 3rd Senbatsu Election (Final results: 9th June)

I think a lot of people are forgetting the constant pressure cooker that is AKB, their best friends are also their biggest Rivals, and to achieve their dreams they must go above and beyond their friends. The election is like a bunch of people you don't know picking who's the best between you and your friends and it will have effects on the rest of your life (potentially) So for Acchan.. everyone wants her spot. They may all love her, but secretly they all want her to falter so they can have that spotlight, whether they publicly admit it or not.

Yui.. how can anyone hate the girl for this? The pressure cooker effect, her first election. She struggled just to stand up straight.
Yuki.. again, why hate someone who's been successful this time, that's what this election is about.
Acchan.. once again, when Yuko was announced 2nd, her face detonated. Last year no one could have been happier for yuko. (Although I think it was more the fact that she didn't have to be the spotlight for once) You could read it on her face, she was happy to pass the burdon along, but this year being voted back in top again proves people love her, overwhelmingly so.

Feel for the girls, who were in last year and fell lower, or fell out. They must be crushed. The girls who at first glance were in the top 40, but then weren't on election night (Kuumin ) had their hopes dashed. Everyone will put on a brave face, show that Ganbare spirit, but I'm sure this is one night a year, most of the girls really wish didn't exist, because for a lot of them, especially the non top 40 it must make them feel worthless.

 

I was like that too, when we got to 25 I had a list of girls who had missed out in my head and Ume was on it, Well I was proven wrong on that one! (happily)

I agree with that, I wasn't expecting 3rd from her but definatly I was thinking top 5 or 6, as you said the casuals may not really have noticed it but the signs were there.....

 

3. Kashiwagi Yuki Team B 74252 votes

i think yukirin's speech has gotten a lot of criticism than it should have
am i the only one who thought of this as her expressing how unsure she was at first?
as she said, she was excluded from "kami7" activities
it's not like she had the same chances to shine as the usual 7 until french kiss
are some of you too old to remember moments when you weren't sure if you belonged when you had the spotlight on you?
or have you never had such an experience?

 

Will we get someone from Team 4 to be 4th place next year?

 

hk election result

 

HK election result (Rank in Senbatsu Election)
1. Maeda Atsuko Team A 156 votes (#1)
2. Watanabe Mayu Team B 87 votes (#5)
3. Oshima Yuko Team K 84 votes (#2)
4. Kashiwagi Yuki Team B 71 votes (#3)
5. Yamamoto Sayaka Team N 60 votes (#28)
6. Takahashi Minami Team A 59 votes (#7)
7. Suzuran Yamauchi Team 4 50 votes (-)
8. Kojima Haruna Team A 48 votes (#6)
9. Itano Tomomi Team K 47 votes (#8)
10. Minegishi Minami Team K 45 votes (#15)

11. Matsui Rena Team S 42 votes (#10)
12. Shinoda Mariko Team A 31 votes (#4)
　　Fujie Reina Team K 31 votes (#40)
14. Sashihara Rino Team A 24 votes (#9)
15. Takajo Aki Team A 23 votes (#12)
16. Miyazawa Sae Team K 17 votes (#11)
17. Kasai Tomomi Team B 16 votes (#16)
18. Kitahara Rie Team B 14 votes (#13)
19. Matsui Jurina Team S 12 votes (#14)
20. Miyazaki Miho Team B 9 votes (#27)

21. Sato Amina Team B 8 votes (#18)
　　Masuda Yuka Team B 8 votes (#20)
23. Ota Aika Team A 7 votes (#25)
24. Kuramochi Asuka Team A 6 votes (#21)
　　Komori Mika Team B 6 votes (#32)
26. Oya Shizuka Team A 5 votes (#29)
　　Sato Sumire Team B 5 votes (#34)
28. Nito Moeno Team K 4 votes (#31)
　　Chikano Rina Team B 4 votes (-)
　　Kimoto Kanon Team E 4 votes (-)

31. Iwasa Misaki Team A 3 votes (-)
　　Nakagawa Haruka Team A 3 votes (#24)
　　Nakaya Sayaka Team A 3 votes (-)
　　Akimoto Sayaka Team K 3 votes (#17)
　　Umeda Ayaka Team K 3 votes (#22)
　　Yokoyama Yui Team K 3 votes (#19)
　　Ishida Haruka Team B 3 votes (-)
　　Suzuki Mariya Team B 3 votes (-)
　　Ichikawa Miori Team 4 3 votes (#39)
　　Hata Sawako Team KII 3 votes (#33)

EDIT: Total number of votes: 1,045
http://www.akb48hk.com/?page_id=1513

 

Yeahhhh Mayuyu's 2nd! [clap] There you go, she beat her own expectations of 3rd place... at least in HK.
As someone who was born there, it's incredibly satisfying that your native fans think along the same lines.

Interesting voting numbers though; I'm guessing they don't have the same issues as with the real Japanese elections with regards to multiple votes (at least from my own understanding) because you vote in-store (I think). Otherwise, you'd probably be seeing a lot more than 156 for Acchan...

Speaking of 156, that's almost double Mayuyu, and only after her the differences become a lot more close. Acchan really is, then, the true face/image of AKB48 - the "mascot" if you like

And would you look at that... Sayamina besting Takamina?! Okay, 1 vote isn't that much, but that's an incredible minor achievement.

 

Just a thought about Maeda making it to no. 1.

Even though that I really want someone else other than Maeda to be first ONLY for the reason to have a non-Maeda center once in a while, I realize that it was really important that Maeda top this election. If she lost to Yuko, it would be a big blow to her and might really affect her confidence some more. Thoughts of graduation may even come to her. And of course, aki-P might give this some thoughts as well, Maeda losing her grounds. And in the end, even though I'm not really a Maeda fan, it will be weird not to have her in the group. Maeda graduating CAN be a turning point for akb. So I guess for the sake of akb, it was necessary for her to win this year. Though I'm hoping she won't win next year and that we'll have a Janken-like senbatsu this year.

A lot of this can be a lot easier if aki-p will implement a rotating center among the popular girls at least. I would love to see the kind of song Shinoda will center if ever.

 

I love Acchan to death, but i hoped Yuko would get #1 spot SIMPLE FOR ACCHAN´S SAKE:

She been told soo many times that shes the face of akb, she got alot of pressure being the front everytime, that she didnt decide. I think that if people would start seeing Yuko the face of akb as well, she would be a bit more relieved and the pressure would be less. Thats what i think [sweat]

 

I agree, I think that is why Yuki got so much hate. I was one of the Yuki haters but I've had a day to think it over and I feel a bit better about it. Yuki isn't my fav member, I don't hate her (I have a rule I don't hate anyone I have never met except Hitler and David Cameron) I didn't really like her speech but I am happy she has broken up the kami 7 and I will be happy when it is gone forever.

I think it is sad people hating Yuki because she broke tradition but I think it is unfair to lable people who are unhappy with her position in the top three as haters. Some people, like myself, may just be unhappy (well not unhappy that is an overstament but disatified) because she may not be their fav member and knowing she will get alot of screen time they know they will dislike the PV just that little bit more.

But I'm happy for all the girls who made it into the top 40!! Well done!

 

^
Well said. I think that, just like Yuko being 1st last year, Yukirin being 3rd is a nice and refreshing change. Change can help foster the imagination and continually improve innovation for the AKB brand as a whole. And look what change has done for us over the past year: continual sales growth, renewed and a swelling increase in popularity, as well as opening up new Asian markets.

I for one am glad, not just because I think Yukirin's awesome, that we've got a refreshed senbatsu lineup. It's part of how AKB can ensure it's in good stead for future opportunities in the long-run. Doesn't really matter who's 1st - regardless of your opinion of her, Acchan said it all: "you might hate me, but don't hate AKB48". That applies for everyone else too. In the end, it's all about a prosperous AKB48 flagship brand that can move forward and take the lead in the music market, by stimulating innovation and creating more value for customers/fans/society alike.

 

Haven't seen these posted elsewhere - group shots of the senbatsu from some of the sports papers:





Jurina is not in these shots because it was taken after the time she can legally work. (Thanks for Whistler for the tip)

 

• Is it only me or other people here think the HK ranking is way more interesting than the worldwide one ?
  
  And I'm not biased since my oshis don't have really high spots in this one xD But it's a way different ranking and I think it would be really good to have a single with a different line-up at least once in the year

 

^
HK vote represents about 1/1000th of the numbers of the official vote. It's about as interesting as the S48 vote : fun to read, but mostly anecdotical.

 

• ^
  Yeah, objectively, you're right xD
  Though I really think results like these ones are more interesting xD Especially for unpopular girls promotion~

 

^
^ I guess the only difference is that Aki-P would look at it (hopefully).

Maybe next time they can send some less popular girls to Hong Kong based on the chart:
5. Yamamoto Sayaka Team N 60 votes (#28)
7. Suzuran Yamauchi Team 4 50 votes (-)
12. Fujie Reina Team K 31 votes (#40)

They are high in Hong Kong ranking but much low in the overall one.

 

Completely agree. If every year there wasn't in someway a refreshed senbatsu lineup, then eventually everyone would get bored in some way or another. The AKB brand as a whole has to improve and change in some way or another.

I am looking forward to the new lineup and what the next part of this year will bring. It is going to be exciting I think. Sure I am sad that some people didn't make it, some people didn't gain positions how I want, but on the other end of things, some people are going to be happy that their favourites got the position they did. It works out for everyone in the general scale of things.

I wondered why on the newspaper clippings Jurina wasn't there. Well now I know.

 

You're right, it can be a tool for management when deciding how to promote AKB in HK.
I suppose this is partly at least how it was presented in the HK shop ?

(But .... Most of us aren't part of management nor frequently visiting Hong Kong XD )

 

The 3 highlights of this election to me is

1) Sae getting a respectable position albeit she could do better; 2) Yukirin's big jump; 3) Yuko

I've expressed enough about Sae and I wanted just to share some thoughts on Yukirin. Although I don't find her particularly attractive nor interesting I'm still pretty much neutral to her, mainly because she's (supposedly?!) close to Sae and I couldn't bring myself to dislike any member whom Sae is a friend with lol.

In any case, I feel her position is really a result of crazy wotas doing crazy things, which is all good but I hope she can step up to be more entertaining and make an impact on stage, coz I generally find her a bit boring to watch compared to the rest of the top senbatsu members. I know she's going the classic idol route which probably explains why i feel her performance to be more subdued.... The only thing which amuses me about her is her wink, she winks a lot, but I always think she can't wink properly and whenever she winks it makes me laugh

On Yuko, again I'm sad how some of the more entertaining members all dropped this year, and Yuko is like, THE most entertaining member and THE best performer of AKB48 to me. She's always lively, giving her best on stage, has such a bubbly personality that I can only dream to have in my next life.