I'm trying to help one of my friends get into AKB48 so I wrote a guide for her It's got a history and member list and everything. Hopefully this can be helpful to some people, but definitely don't rely solely on this for AKB information xD The wiki here and all the other threads about AKB are probably more indepth than this ): I put some stuff in spoilers because it is really long without them ._. (most notably stages and history) Table of Contents 01: History and Concept 02: Members 02.a: Current Teams 02.b: Old Teams 02.c: Graduated Members 02.d: Kenkyuusei 03: Stages 03.a: Team A 03.b: Team K 03.c: Team B 03.d: Himawarigumi 04: Major Releases 04.a: Singles 04.b: Albums Okay 01: History and Concept Spoiler In 2005, Akimoto Yasushi decided to try his hand at another idol group, after his first major idol group Onyanko Club ended activities in 1987. He held an audition over the summer of 2005 and picked 24 girls to be AKB48, the "Idols you can Meet." After several months of training, they debuted as a 20 member group in December 2005. 72 people attended their first show. Over the next few months, fewer and fewer people attended their shows until they were soon performing to fewer people than were in the group. (Maeda Atsuko once said that the smallest number of people she saw in the audience was 7). They were constantly worried about whether the group would be able to survive, but eventually in 2006 they had a full theater for the first time. AKB48's Team A also released two indies singles, Sakura no Hanabiratachi (which reached #10 on the Oricon weekly charts) and Skirt, Hirari, which showcased the 'Sukahira 7', seven members who were supposed to front the group. Around the same time, Team K was formed, consisting of 17 girls ranging in ages from 11 to 23. At this point, AKB48 had a full theater of 250 people for every performance, of which they had at least one every day. Soon, both teams were performing original music regularly and they eventually released their first major label single, Aitakatta, in October 2006. At the same time as the release of Aitakatta, Akimoto held another audition, for Team B. He also moved three members of the original Team A (one of the 20 girls who were there at the theater's debut) to the new team, saying that they would be 'mentors' to the new girls. These girls, Hirajima Natsumi (14 at the time), Urano Kazumi (20 at the time) and Watanabe Shiho (18 at the time) were not particularly popular on Team A, so they were given room to shine in the new team. Soon, Team B debuted with an additional 13 members, and due to graduations over the years, AKB48 was finally at its goal number of 48 members. Each team performed different stages with different songs for a few more months, until Akimoto dropped a bomb on the girls of Team A and Team K. They would soon be performing the same stage with each other as 'Himawari-gumi,' and girls from both teams would be shuffled into two different casts to perform the same stage. At the time, this was a shock because it was unclear whether or not the teams would return to being the original Team A and Team K afterwards. Himawari-gumi performed two different shows with support from the newly added 'Kenkyuusei,' who replaced absent members during shows. Eventually, the Himawari-gumi era ended and Team A and K returned to their original states. However, after Team B's first stage, Watanbe Shiho graduated (not the first graduation from the group, but probably one of the most important), and Akimoto did something that no one would have guessed. He added Saeki Mika, a Kenkyuusei, to Team B to fill the gap in the 16 that Watanabe had left when she graduated. Soon, other graduated members started to be replaced by kenkyuusei such as Masuyama Kayano by Fujie Reina and so forth. During this time, AKB48 released several singles, including Seifuku ga Jama wo Suru, BINGO!, Yuuhi wo Miteiru ka? and Boku no Taiyou In 2008, AKB48 held their first 'Request Hour' concert, a 4 day event in with 100 songs all voted on by the fans. Soon, AKB48's contract with DefStar records was coming under some difficult times. AKB48 eventually ended their contract with DefStar, and released their next single, Baby Baby Baby, on the same indies label as their first two singles, AKS (the same agency that all members are initially signed to when they join AKB48). By the end of 2008, AKB had joined King Records, the same label they are on now, and released Oogoe Diamond. This was their best-selling single to date and reached #2 on the Oricon weekly charts. It charted for some time and sold a total of 92,000 copies. On this single was the face of SKE48, Nagoya's sister group to AKB48. The girl, Matsui Jurina, was just 11 at the time. 2009 was AKB48's 'coming out' year. Their singles started to sell more and more, and they started to get a more public name. Now, people on the street would know about AKB48. They held their first "Senbatsu Election", in which the members who participated in the single were voted on by the fans. Some girls made senbatsu for the first time, such as Urano Kazumi and Sato Amina. They held their biggest concert to date at the Nippon Budoukan, and at the last concert, Togasaki, the manager of the theater, announced that the members of each team were being moved. Some major players from each team, such as Itano Tomomi from Team A and Oota Aika from B were moved to different teams. It was announced that the changes would take place in October 2009, and to some extent they did, such as having the members of RIVER's senbatsu together by the New Teams for the story portions of the PV. RIVER was also the group's best selling single to date, selling over 232,000 copies. In 2010, the team changes have began, with Team K's 6th stage "RESET" being the first of the new team stages. The other teams have followed suit and AKB48's popularity has continued to grow. Their singles Ponytail to ShuShu and Heavy Rotation (the latter being the second with senbatsu chosen by the fans) became the first consecutive singles from a girl group to sell more than 500,000 in the first week. In September, AKB48 held a Janken tournament to choose the senbatsu for the 19th single, Chance no Junban. 02: Members The members are, of course, the heart of AKB48. Like any idol group, they would be no where without different members of varying personality. Part of Akimoto's concept for AKB is that it is like an all girl' high school, with different girls with different interests. Some members are outspoken, others are sweet and polite, some are good at sports and some are good at academics. a: Current Teams These are the teams that are currently performing each stage. Name/nickname/age/generation Spoiler Team A Iwasa Misaki / Wasamin / 15 / 7th Oota Aika / Lovetan / 15 / 3rd Ooya Shizuka / Shiichan / 19 / 4th Katayama Haruka / Haachan / 20 / 3rd Kuramochi Asuka / Mocchi / 22 / 4th Kojima Haruna / Kojiharu, Harunyan / 22 / 1st Sashihara Rino / Sasshi, Sashiko / 18 / 5th Shinoda Mariko / Marikosama / 24 / 1.5* Takajo Aki / Akicha / 19 / 6th Takahashi Minami / Takamina / 19 / 1st Nakagawa Haruka / Harugon / 18 / 3rd Nakata Chisato / Chiichan / 20 / 4th Nakaya Sayaka / Nakayan / 19 / 3rd Maeda Atsuko / Acchan / 19 / 1st Maeda Ami / Aamin / 15 / 7th Matsubara Natsumi / Nattsumii / 20 / 2nd Team K Akimoto Sayaka / Sayaka / 22 / 2nd Itano Tomomi / Tomochin / 19 / 1st Uchida Mayumi / Ucchi, Mayuchi / 17 / 5th Umeda Ayaka / Umechan, Kyura / 21 / 2nd Oshima Yuko / Yuko / 22 / 2nd Kikuchi Ayaka / Kikuji, Ayarin / 17 / 3rd->7th** Tanabe Miku / Tanamin / 17 / 3rd Nakatsuka Tomomi / Chris, Tomochan / 17 / 5th Nito Moeno / Moeno / 18 / 5th Nonaka Misato / Micha / 19 / 6th Fujie Reina / Reinyan / 16 / 4th Matsui Sakiko / Sakippe / 19 / 7th Minegishi Minami / Miichan / 17 / 1st Miyazawa Sae / Sae~, Genking / 20 / 2nd Yokoyama Yui / Yui / 17 / 9th Yonezawa Rumi / Yonechan / 19 / 3rd Team B Ishida Haruka / Harukyan / 16 / 5th Oku Manami / Maachan / 14 / 2nd Kasai Tomomi / Tomo~michan, Chiyuu / 19 / 2nd Kashiwagi Yuki / Yukirin / 19 / 3rd Kitahara Rie / Kitarie / 19 / 5th Kobayashi Kana / Kana / 19 / 2nd Komori Mika / Komorin, Mikapon / 16 / 7th Sato Amina / Amina / 20 / 4th Sato Sumire / Suuchan / 17 / 7th Sato Natsuki / N, N Nacchi, Nacchi / 20 / 2nd Suzuki Mariya / Mariyannu / 19 / 7th Chikano Rina / Chikarina / 17 / 5th Hirajima Natsumi / Nacchan / 18 / 1st Masuda Yuka / Yuttan, Takoyaki / 19 / 2nd Miyazaki Miho / Myao / 17 / 5th Watanabe Mayu / Mayuyu / 16 / 3rd *Shinoda Mariko was Added to AKB48 by petition from fans between the 1st and 2nd generation, thus her official generation is 1.5 **Kikuchi Ayaka was fired in August 2008 because she had a boyfriend, but rejoined in November 2008 as part of the 7th generation b: Old Teams These are the teams as they appeared before March 2010. Not all the members above are listed in this category, and there are some members listed here that are no longer in AKB48. I will not go into detail on these members here as there is a graduated members section xD Spoiler Team A Itano Tomomi Kitahara Rie Kojima Haruna Sato Amina Sato Yukari Shinoda Mariko Takajo Aki Takahashi Minami Nakata Chisato Fujie Reina Maeda Atsuko Minegishi Minami Miyazaki Miho Team K Akimoto Sayaka Umeda Ayaka Oshima Yuko Ohori Megumi Oku Manami Ono Erena Kasai Tomomi Kuramochi Asuka Kobayashi Kana Sato Natsuki Chikano Rina Noro Kayo Masuda Yuka Matsubara Natsumi Miyazawa Sae Team B Urano Kazumi Oota Aika Kashiwagi Yuki Katayama Haruka Kohara Haruka Sashihara Rino Tanabe Miku Nakagawa Haruka Nakatsuka Tomomi Nakaya Sayaka Nito Moeno Hirajima Natsumi Yonezawa Rumi Watanabe Mayu c: Graduated Members Name / Nickname / Team / Anything notable Spoiler Usami Yuki / Yukki / Team A / 1st graduation Uemura Ayako / Ayakko / Team K / only member never to appear in a DVD, currently working as a Seiyuu Orii Ayumi / Ayu-nee / Team A / Her graduation is why Masuyama Kayano wasn't added to Team B Takada Ayana / Ayanya / Team K / Her sister, Takada Shiori, is a member of SKE48 Team S Imai Yuu / Yuu / Team K / nothing i can think of Hoshino Michiru / Chiruchiru / Team A / currently a singer-songwriter named 'Michiru', graduated and auditioned with songs she wrote Watanabe Shiho / Shiho / Team A -> Team B / Still a talent in japan, occasionally shows up on other members blogs Masuyama Kayano / KayaPi / Team A / currently an actress, youngest original member (11 at debut) Inoue Naru / Naruppe / Team B / surprise graduation. Still hangs out with Team B members *Ooe Tomomi / Oh-Yay! / Team A / had her own call during concerts *Komatani Hitomi / Hiichan / Team A / Big morning musume fan, absolutely gorgeous *Tojima Hana / Hanachan, Gao / Team A / Known for her lips, compared herself to a lion *Nakanishi Rina / Rinatin / Team A / Yamaguchi Rico *Narita Risa / Risa, Narisa / Team A / currently a gravure model, originally in Sukahira 7 but pushed to the back after Mariko joined Noguchi Reina / Gussan / Team B / graduated because she was afraid of wota Matsuoka Yuki / Matsuyuki / Team B / Really good English speaker, in an idol group with Narita Risa Kawasaki Nozomi / Nozofisu / Team A / currently owns a fashion company called ANTIMINSS Ooshima Mai / Maimai / Team A / currently on avex trax, first main front girl to graduate Hayano Kaoru / Kaorin / Team K / signed to a great agency, really smart Naruse Risa / NaruNaru / Team K / currently in seiyuu idol group 'Nanairo Fantasy" Saeki Mika / Mikachii / Team B / Graduated due to a chronic leg disease Ohori Megumi / Meetan / Team K / moved to SDN48, known for molesting younger members Noro Kayo / Nontii / Team K / moved to SDN48 with Nacchi was a comedy duo 'Nacchinon.' Urano Kazumi / CinDy / Team A->Team B / moved to SDN48. Last 1st gen member to get senbatsu Kohara Haruka / Kyururun / Team B / originally meant to go to Team K, she was moved to SDN48 later. She really wanted to be on Team A but never made it Satou Yukari / Yukarin / Team A / has more DVDs than any other xxx48 member Ono Erena / Erepyon / Team K / first graduation since the new teams, currently studying acting in England *These 5 members graduated at the same time in a big concert. Their graduation was kind of a big deal at the time and was also a change of pace for AKB, since it was right before AKB changed to King records. Kenkyuusei There are a lot of kenkyuusei from over the years, so I'll link you to a complete list: HERE Here's a brief description: The Kenkyuusei are basically fill-ins for AKB48 members. They perform in absent members places during performances and sometimes sub into units when too many members are absent. They also are promoted to teams when old members graduate to keep the group at a solid 48 members. Some current notable Kenkyuusei are Yamauchi Suzuran and Shimazaki Haruka, who both made Undergirls in the 2nd Senbatsu election, as well as Takeuchi Miyu, who used to be in the idol group 'Fruits.' 03: Stages Stages are the heart and soul of AKB48. Each team performs a different set of 17 songs for a limited period of time before moving on to a new set. When stages are referred to, they are usually called something along the lines of 'A2, K4, B3 etc.' which would mean, respectively, 'Team A 2nd Stage, Team K 4th Stage, Team B 3rd stage' etc. Ever stage since H1 has followed this pattern: 4 team songs (songs that include all 16 members of the team performing), MC, 5 unit songs, MC, 3 team songs, MC, last team song, encore call, 3 encore team songs. There are a few exceptions to this progression, and I'll go into more detail on that in each stage. For each stage, I'll write a brief statement about the stage and then the front members of each stage, with their unit in parentheses after their name. a: Team A Stages Spoiler 1: Party ga Hajimaru yo This is the first AKB48 stage. The songs aren't that great but they're classics. FRONT MEMBERS: Maeda Atsuko (Skirt Hirari), Takahashi Minami (Skirt Hirari), Kojima Haruna (Skirt Hirari), Oshima Mai (Skirt Hirari, KISS wa Dame yo), Narita Risa (Skirt Hirari), Itano Tomomi (Hoshi no Ondo), Nakanishi Rina (Classmate) 2: Aitakatta This stage is the most interesting in terms of progression. It starts with units and has a 'snowball' 2nd team set, where it starts with 7 members and goes to a 14 member song and then finally a full 19 member song. The title should be pretty recognizable even to non-fans xD The front girls in this one have a lot of unit songs because of the snowball set at the end FRONT MEMBERS: Maeda Atsuko (Nageki no Figure, Nagisa no CHERRY), Takahashi Minami (Nageki no Figure, Glass no I LOVE YOU), Kojima Haruna (Koi no PLAN), Oshima Mai (Namida no Shounan), Nakanishi Rina (Nageki no Figure, Glass no I LOVE YOU), Itano Tomomi (Nageki no Figure, Glass no I LOVE YOU), Shinoda Mariko (Namida no Shounan) All front members participate in Senaka kara Dakishimete and Rio no Kakumei 3: Dareka no Tame ni This stage is one of the most beloved because of the meanings of the songs. Rider is dedicated to a dead fan, Seifuku ga Jama wo suru and Namida uri no shoujo are two of the most intense AKB songs, etc. FRONT MEMBERS: Maeda Atsuko (Nage Kiss de Uchi Otose), Itano Tomomi (Nage Kiss de Uchi Otose), Minegishi Minami (Nage Kiss de Uchi Otose), Takahashi Minami (Bird), Oshima Mai (Bird), Shinoda Mariko (Bird), Kojima Haruna (Shinkirou), Nakanishi Rina (Shinkirou) All front members participate in Seifuku ga Jama wo Suru 4: Tadaima Renaichuu This is beloved among a lot of western fans because of the music being pretty catchy. I like this one a lot, myself. When Hoshino Michiru graduated, she performed her song "Ganbare" which is included in the DVD. FRONT MEMBERS: Maeda Atsuko (7ji 12fun no Hatsukoi), Takahashi Minami (Junai no Crescendo), Kojima Haruna (Junai no Crescendo), Minegishi Minami (Junai no Crescendo), Oshima Mai (Haru ga Kuru made), Itano Tomomi (Faint), Nakanishi Rina (Kikyou) 5: Renai Kinshi Jourei This is the longest stage in AKB history. The DVD has members who were not part of AKB48 at the Senshuuraku (Oshima Mai, Kawasaki Nozomi) FRONT MEMBERS: Maeda Atsuko (Kuroi Tenshi), Oshima Mai (Heart gata Virus), Kojima Haruna (Heart gata Virus), Takahashi Minami (Renai Kinshi Jourei), Itano Tomomi (Tsundere!), Shinoda Mariko (Manatsu no Christmas Rose) 6: Mokugekisha The first stage from the new Team A. The team songs are really good but the units are mediocre. FRONT MEMBERS: Maeda Atsuko (Ude wo Kunde), Takajo Aki (Enjou Rosen), Sashihara Rino (Enjou Rosen), Takahashi Minami (SOLO: Itoshisa no Accel), Kojima Haruna (Hoshi no Mukougawa), Shinoda Mariko (Saboten to Gold Rush) b: Team K Stages Spoiler 1: Party ga Hajimaru yo Rehash of A1. Worse than the orig, actually FRONT MEMBERS: Akimoto Sayaka (Skirt Hirari), Oshima Yuko (Skirt Hirari), Miyazawa Sae (Skirt Hirari), Kobayashi Kana (Skirt Hirari), Umeda Ayaka (Skirt Hirari), Ono Erena (Classmate)*, Oku Manami (Classmate)*, Ohori Megumi (Kiss wa Dame yo), Kasai Tomomi (Hoshi no Ondo) Erepyon and Maachan shared the lead for Classmate, and thus shared most of their 'lead' parts for the rest of the stage. 2: Seishun Girls This is probably the most representative of what the original K was: Cute songs with some fierce songs thrown in. FRONT MEMBERS: Oshima Yuko (Kinjirareta Futari), Kasai Tomomi (Kinjirareta Futari), Akimoto Sayaka (Blue rose), Masuda Yuko (Blue rose), Ono Erena (Ame no Doubutsuen), Kobayashi Kana (Ame no Doubutsuen) 3: Nounai Paradise This one is pretty representative of K, too. Not quite as good as K2, but some of the units are really good. FRONT MEMBERS: Oshima Yuko (SOLO: Nakinagara Hohoende), Akimoto Sayaka (Kimi wa Pegasus), Miyazawa Sae (Kimi wa Pegasus), Masuda Yuka (MARIA), Kasai Tomomi (MARIA), Ono Erena (Honehone Waltz), Kobayashi Kana (Kurukurupaa~!) 4: Saishuu Bell ga Naru This is the first K stage after the Himawarigumi series and my personal favourite from old Team K. FRONT MEMBERS: Akimoto Sayaka (Return Match), Ono Erena (Hatsukoi Dorobou), Miyazawa Sae (Gomen ne, Jewel), Oshima Yuko (Gomen ne, Jewel), Ohori Megumi (Oshibe to Meshibe to Yoru no Chouchou), Kasai Tomomi (Oshibe to Meshibe to Yoru no Chouchou), Kobayashi Kana (16nin Shimai no Uta) 5: Saka Agari Team K's last stage before the new teams is generally considered the worst original stage by fans. It's not that great but there are some gems in it. The units are all awesome, too. FRONT MEMBERS: Oshima Yuko (End Roll), Ono Erena (Wagamama na Nagareboshi), Kobayashi Kana (Wagamama na Nagareboshi), Miyazawa Sae (Ai no Iro), Kasai Tomomi (Dakishimeraretara), Akimoto Sayaka (SOLO: Mushi no Ballad) 6: RESET This is my favourite overall K stage. The lyrics have a lot to do with the team change (RESET, Jigsaw Puzzle 48, Hikkoshimashita) FRONT MEMBERS: Itano Tomomi (Seifuku Resistance), Miyazawa Sae (Kiseki wa Ma ni Awanai), Minegishi Minami (Gyakuten Oujisama), Akimoto Sayaka (Ashita no Tame no Kiss wo), Oshima Yuko (Kokoro no Hashi no Sofa) c: Team B Stages Spoiler 1: Seishun Girls Rehash of K2. Better than the original because B had more finesse or something. idgi, tbh but it was definitely better. FRONT MEMBERS: Urano Kazumi (Blue rose), Inoue Naru (Blue rose), Kashiwagi Yuki (Kinjirareta Futari), Nakaya Sayaka (Kinjirareta Futari), Watanabe Mayu (Ame no Doubutsuen), Katayama Haruka (Ame no Doubutsuen) 2: Aitakatta Rehash of A2. Once again, really good, but only parts are legit better than the original. FRONT MEMBERS: Watanabe Mayu (Nageki no Figure, Nagisa no CHERRY), Oota Aika (Nageki no Figure, Glass no I LOVE YOU), Kikuchi Ayaka (Nageki no Figure, Glass no I LOVE YOU), Hirajima Natsumi (Glass no I LOVE YOU), Katayama Haruka (Namida no Shounan), Nakagawa Haruka (Glass no I LOVE YOU), Kashiwagi Yuki (Namida no Shounan, Koi no PLAN) All front members participated in Senaka Kara Dakishimete and Rio no kakumei, and all led Skirt Hirari 3: Pajama Drive This is the definitive B stage. The songs are epic and mean a lot to the B girls. Notable team songs are Shonichi and Wasshoi B. FRONT MEMBERS: Oota Aika (Tenshi no Shippo), Watanabe Mayu (Pajama Drive), Katayama Haruka (Junjou Shugi), Kashiwagi Yuki (Temodemo no Namida), Saeki Mika (Temodemo no Namida), Sashihara Rino/Kikuchi Ayaka* (Kagami no Naka no Jean D'arc) *Kikuchi Ayaka was fired between the start and finish of this stage, and was replaced by Sashihara Rino. 4: Idol no Yoake This is a pretty good stage. It's very front-girl based, so don't expect a lot of love for minor members. FRONT MEMBERS: Watanabe Mayu (Zannen Shoujo), Kashiwagi Yuki (Kuchiutsushi no Chocolate), Oota Aika (Kuchiutsushi no Chocolate), Nito Moeno (Kataomoi no Taikakusen), Urano Kazumi (Tengoku Yarou), Sashihara Rino (Itoshiki Natasha), Katayama Haruka (Itoshiki Natasha) 5: Theater no Megami The first stage since the change also has completely different members, so don't watch B stages in rapid succession unless you know the difference between old teams and new teams. FRONT MEMBERS: Watanabe Mayu (Hatsukoi yo, Konnichiwa), Miyazaki Miho (Arashi no Yoru ni wa), Komori Mika (Arashi no Yoru ni wa), Kasai Tomomi (CANDY), Kitahara Rie (Locker Room Boy), Kashiwagi Yuki (SOLO: Yokaze no Shiwaza) d: Himawarigumi Himawarigumi stages were formed into two casts, a 1st cast with front members and a 2nd cast with less popular members. I'll separate front members for each stage into the two casts. Spoiler 1: Boku no Taiyou Boku no Taiyou is the first stage to follow the current stage progression. The costumes are still pretty basic and not as flashy as the current costumes we see, and the music is about on par with what we saw in the early stages too. I like it a lot. RUN RUN RUN is love FRONT MEMBERS: Cast 1: Maeda Atsuko (Idol nante Yobanaide), Kasai Tomomi (Idol nante Yobanaide), Kojima Haruna (Boku to Juliet to JET COASTER), Nakanishi Rina (Boku to Juilet to JET COASTER), Oshima Yuko (Boku to Juliet to JET COASTER), Takahashi Minami (Higurashi no Koi), Masuda Yuka (Higurashi no Koi), Itano Tomomi (Itoshisa no Defense), Oshima Mai (Himawari), Akimoto Sayaka (Himawari) Cast 2: Narita Risa (Idol nante Yobanaide), Kobayashi Kana (Idol nante Yobanaide), Kawasaki Nozomi (boku to Juliet to JET COASTER), Sato Yukari (Boku to Juilet to JET COASTER), Sato Amina (Boku to Juilet to JET COASTER), Deguchi Aki* (Higurashi no Koi), Ohe Tomomi (Higurashi no Koi), Tojima Hana (Itoshisa no Defense), Naruse Risa (Himawari), Kuramochi Asuka (Himawari) Deguchi Aki was an AKB48 Kenkyuusei who graduated and later rejoined SKE48. She is currently a member of Team S. 2: Yume wo Shinaseru Wake ni Ikanai This was the first stage that has the traditional idol costumes we see now. It's one of my personal favourites, with my favourite units and my 2nd favourite team song of all time (Mori e Yukou) FRONT MEMBERS: Cast 1: Kojima Haruna (Bye Bye Bye), Minegishi Minami (Bye Bye Bye), Takahashi Minami (Bye Bye Bye), Maeda Atsuko (Hajimete no Jelly Beans), Ono Erena (Tonari no Banana), Kasai Tomomi (Tonari no Banana), Oshima Mai (Kioku no Dilemma), Masuda Yuka (Kioku no Dilemma), Oshima Yuko (Confession), Itano Tomomi (Confession) Cast 2: Tojima Hana (Bye Bye Bye), Hayano Kaoru (Bye Bye Bye), Miyazaki Miho (Bye Bye Bye), Narita Risa (Hajimete no Jelly Beans), Oku Manami (Tonari no Banana), Kobayashi Kana (Tonari no Banana), Kuramochi Asuka (Kioku no Dilemma), Kohara Haruka/Chikano Rina (Kioku no Dilemma), Sato Amina (Confession), Kawasaki Nozomi (Confession) 04: Major Releases This is a list of all the major releases, meaning singles and concert DVDs. If I included PBs and Trading cards it would be the AKB release thread so that's ridiculous. a: Singles 2006.02.01 Sakura no Hanabiratachi (Highest Rank: 10, total sales: 46,274) 2006.06.07 Skirt Hirari (Highest Rank: 13, Total Sales: 20,609) 2006.10.25 Aitakatta (Highest Rank: 12, Total Sales: 25,544) 2007.01.31 Seifuku ga Jama wo Suru (Highest Rank: 7, Total Sales: 21,989) 2007.04.18 Keibetsu Shiteita Aijou (Highest Rank: 8, Total Sales: 22,671) 2007.07.18 BINGO! (Highest Rank: 6, Total Sales: 25,611) 2007.08.08 Boku no Taiyou (Highest Rank: 6, Total Sales: 28,840) 2007.10.31 Yuuhi wo Miteiru ka? (Highest Rank: 10, Total Sales: 18,429) 2008.01.23 Romance, Irane (Highest Rank: 6, Total Sales: 23,209) 2008.02.27 Sakura no Hanabiratachi 2008 (Highest Rank: 10, total sales: 25,482) 2008.06.13 Baby! Baby! Baby! (Download Exclusive) 2008.10.22 Oogoe Diamond (Highest Rank: 3, Total Sales: 89,873) 2009.03.04 10nen Zakura (Highest Rank: 3, Total Sales: 106,975) 2009.06.24 Namida Surprise! (Highest Rank: 2, Total Sales: 145,157) 2009.08.26 Iiwake Maybe (Highest Rank: 2, Total Sales: 90,774) 2009.10.21 RIVER (Highest Rank: 1, Total Sales: 232,751 ) 2010.02.17 Sakura no Shiori (Highest Rank: 1, Total Sales: 383,062) 2010.05.26 Ponytail to Shushu (Highest Rank: 1, Total Sales: 649,169) 2010.08.18 Heavy Rotation (Highest Rank: 1, Total Sales: 689,214*) 2010.10.27 Beginner (Highest Rank: 1, Total Sales: 826,989*) 2010.12.08 Chance no Junban (Highest Rank: N/A, Total Sales: N/A) *Denotes that it is still charting b: Albums Stage Albums: 2007.03.07 Team A 1st Stage "Party ga Hajimaru yo" 2007.03.07 Team A 2nd Stage "Aitakatta" 2007.03.07 Team A 3rd Stage "Dareka no tame ni" 2007.03.07 Team K 1st Stage "Party ga Hajimaru yo" 2007.03.07 Team K 2nd Stage "Seishun Girls" 2007.03.07 Team A 3rd Stage "Nounai Paradise" 2009.08.11 Team A 5th Stage "Renai Kinshi Jourei" 2009.08.11 Team K 5th Stage "Saka Agari" 2009.08.11 Team B 4th Stage "Idol no Yoake" 2010.08.07 Team K 6th Stage "RESET" 2010.08.07 Team B 5th Stage "Theater no Megami" 2010.09.18 Team A 6th Stage "Mokugekisha" Best Albums: 2008.01.01 SET LIST ~Greatest Songs 2006-2007~ (Highest Rank: 29, Total Sales: 27,879) 2010.04.07 Kamikyokutachi (Highest Rank: 1, Total Sales: 412,843) 2010.07.14 SET LIST ~Greatest Songs Kanzenban~ (Highest Rank: 3, Total Sales: 100,557)
Nice history of AKB, but a little bit is kind of subjective, you know? But then again, you might be going for that.
^This is specifically to give her interest so i guess it is xD @todd i update it when i'm on it but i'm trying to keep Jpop stop's AKB information too xD
LOL! I actually thought u were serious. There have been AKB History Quizzes in AKBINGO!, which reveal events that weren't revealed to the general public (but then again, it was aired in the show, so it technically is now >_>). Some of which includes Actually, I'll just list them all out (the ones that you might want to add anyway): Team A - During the initial auditioning process, Takahashi Minami was elected because her date of birth was "April 8th (4-8)", and height "148.5". - Kojima Haruna wagged the first ever lesson (of AKB training), the reason being "I have work (today)". She revealed that she was dubious and suspicious of the fact that she was selected in audition. - Takashi Minami had little talent with dancing. - Initial stage performance had an audience of 72, 65 of which were related to members/staff/performers. As such, the real audience consisted of only 7 people. Team K - Initial stage performance was a success, with the theater fully booked. However, 3 days later, audience numbers fell to half. ([Unlike] nowadays, [where] each team's performance is met by full-bookings - 岩佐美咲) - When Maede Atsuko was told to take on the role of sole singer for 渚のチェリー, she broke down and cried saying "I don't want to be the only one!" (sorry, that's the best I can do with the translation...) - Upon Akimoto Sayaka's birthday, her father attended her performance at the theater. He was, however, drunk. This lead to him causing a disturbance and hence was kicked out of the theater and thereon after prohibited to enter. (not sure if this was a permanent punishment [doh] ) Sayaka witnessed this whole scene on stage. - Due to the concert at 日本青年館 finishing way over the original intended time, with each member's self introduction taking too long, introductions were since then taken out of all AKB concert programmes. Whole Team - On 2007, Dec 31, AKB performed for the first time, on a national-wide TV programme known as Kōhaku Uta Gassen (紅白歌合戦)*, with 43 members attending, which was and probably still is, the largest group that ever performed on this show**. Performed song was 会いたかった (Aitakatta). *: Kōhaku Uta Gassen (紅白歌合戦) is a show that has been running for 60 years (as of 2009-10), it is a fixed annual programme that airs on NHK on 12/31. It tends to feature the most popular artists (not always), ranging from JPop to enka. This show is culturally embedded (i.e. most Japs would stay home and watch this show every year). **: In the 2009-10 version of Kōhaku, AKB48 performed with 16 core members, but the entire crew on stage was 72. However, I can't tell whether the remaining 56 girls are from AKB or not. Performed songs were: RIVER SURPRISE - Kōhaku Remix (collaboration of RIVER & Namida Surprise). - On 2008, Jan 23, the 7th Single [Romance Irane] was released. It reached 6th place on Oricon's Weekly Singles sales figures.
↑ Also a lot of "kinda scattered" information can be found at the wikipedia article, at the "AKB48 wiki" japanese site... (and also s48 wiki ) ^^
^Jap site? [tmi] That's going to hurt both my eyes and brain......I'm not really all that proficient in Japanese to start off with (especially the grammar *horror*), and translating eats up a LOT of my time. xD
↑ I use google translator, WHICH IT'S THE WORST IN THE WORLD... ^^''' But sometimes it works... somehow... xD
^I hate using google translator...it gives me crap that is either incoherent, grammatically wrong, mixed in with english words, etc. or a combination of the above...*sweat* E.g. This is what I put in: Spoiler あの日から、もう三年半ぶりだ。 今の君は、何処にいるんだ？ どんなことをするんだ？ 彼がいるのか？ そしたら、幸せか？ This is what it gave me: Spoiler From that day, but three and a half years now. You now, where are we? What are you going? Are you him? Then, you happy? This is what it's SUPPOSE to mean: Spoiler Since that day, it's already been 3 and a half years. Where are you now? What kind of things are you doing? Have a boyfriend yet? If yes, (are you) happy? See how much it's off by!?
↑ I know!!!. Though when you get phrases like that, ingoogle translator you better "cut" them, works better. Not that better, but a little better. Though, the only one other alternative, would be THIS ONE: Spoiler あの日から、 もう三年半ぶりだ。 And what I see: A cat's eye, a butt, a midfield, a guy with a big stomach, a "b" with a jockey hat. a "t" with an extra line, a "c" in a mirror with the appendix of an " ñ ", 3 lines, a telephone pole with a guy, a telephone pole looked by the front side, a nose, a curve, and "t" with a child and 2 dog's whiskers. ... see why I prefer to use google translator? ^^'''
Thanks for the crash course on their history! Been listening to them for about 5 months and was a bit too busy to research on their history.
Interesting story, thanks for wrote it, now i know a few more little things about my dear japanese girls
this is interesting~...i never knew their history as details like this.. can i use this and copy into my AKB thread in other forum??
