Profile on AKB48 Website seems to be updated! Pick your 18ki oshi: https://www.akb48.co.jp/about/members?team_id=34 More details that I got from the reveal video: Kasumin - Kudou Kasumi (17) From Oita Likes collecting 御朱印 (goshuin) from temples/shrines, has more than 120 collected. Hiichan also likes it, might go togethre one day? Yuichi - Yamaguchi Yui (14, youngest in AKB) From Nagasaki Likes dancing to KPOP songs. Likes TWICE's Fancy. Azu - Yagi Azuki (18) From Tokyo. Likes watching Youtube. Especially Food channels and AKB48 senpai's channels. Sae-chan - Arai Sae (17) From Tokyo. Good with English. Has English certification EIKEN Grade 1 (highest fluency, comparable to 600 on TOEFL PBT or 100 on TOEFL IBT) EDIT correction from @mae813 Yuna-chan - Akiyama Yuna (17) From Chiba. Likes singing on Karaoke. Usually get 90 - 95 scores. Favorite song to sing is 366 Nichi by HY. Kohi - Narita Kohina (19) From Hokkaido. Likes singing. Usually get 90++ on Karaoke too. Yumemin - Sako Yumemi (17) Likes listening to music. Good at Dodgeball, was in Volleyball club. ChanHina - Kubo Hinano (17) From Nagano. Good at tonguetwister, especially "aburikarubi" Well idk if they were using same names but seems no one made it from the showroom part. ================ Update: Continuation of the reveal, on NicoNico: Light Summary: Yukirin and Hiichan gave them some feedbacks regarding 18ki's catchphrases. Also testing their knowledge: Math question : 3x strawberry 480 yen/pack 2x Melon 830 yen/fruit Plus 8% tax What's the total? English question : write the 9th month in English After that, some Comedic sense test, and Honda-Police corner, checking their Nemohamo Rumor dance moves. Amazingly, no big errors were found! Only that Yunachan's nametag keeps falling down. Recommended watch!
Saechan really stood out to me! I’m looking forward to seeing more of her and all the 18ki. She’s got great energy and did awesome as Iiwake Maybe center. I’m also curious to see her demonstrate her English skills!
Pics from News Outlets New Youngest-Oldest AKB48 combo Group photos Spoiler: Full Sizes sources and more photos https://www.wws-channel.com/girls2/411362.html https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2274796/ https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/akb48/photonews/photonews_nsInc_202304090000611-1.html
18ki is obviously more talented than 17ki at the beginning. The opening with Nemo Hamo Rumor just made me goosebump, their dance is no joke. Then I figured out their vocal is amazing either, can't wait to see 18ki in Tadaima Renaichuu soon. You can find more TMI of 18ki here. For example, Yamaguchi Yui also auditioned for HKT48 6th generation.
Watch for the potentialy kenkyuseis promoted the fastest ever. They displayed an impressive show for beginners. DH has raised the level quite a lot with this recruitment, and seems to have change their choice criterias. They can make a Team from the get go with these girls if they want to. Looking forward to how they evolve.
AKB48 18th gen Showroom Special Livestream: https://ameblo.jp/akihabara48/entry-12797370393.html April 10, 19:00 - 20:30 JST on AKB48 official showroom : https://www.showroom-live.com/akb48_official Theme is knowing more about them plus we might hear some backstage story about the reveal.... 18ki pose? https://news-img.dwango.jp/uploads/medium/file/000/451/812/451812/emflurzpvi1lgrjdrkv.jpg https://news.dwango.jp/idol/88827-2304/photos/451812 They managed to find something different from Eito's More pics Official pic from twitter https://twitter.com/AKB48_staff/status/1644947190803206145
Arai Sae joined the new actress show season 2 produced by Aki-P. And Kubo Hinano took part in final round of NMB48 9th generation audition but didn't pass.
An impressive reveal for an impressive gen. I don’t think we’ve ever seen girls so senbatsu-ready since…ever? Definitely a bunch of aces in there, and I wouldn’t be surprised of some made it to the 62nd single senbatsu. Looks like the time for the Honma Mais of Japan making it into AKB is over.
Very well surprised by this new generation full of talent! my two favorites: - Sae-chan - Arai Sae (17) - Future Senbatsu - Yuichi - Yamaguchi Yui (14) Future senbatsu too !! I hope that for the 62nd single we will be entitled to many more MV's in the DVD! I would like to have a 17th and 18th generation MV!
Well they also older than AKB usualy recruited that's why they are more polish Hope to see 17&19 gen tohether in one team! Do not mix them with old gens.
I'm very impressed by all 8 members - I'll certainly start to take an interest in Sae with her English-language proficiency but I'm sure that a definite oshimen will eventually emerge (same as it took a while for Yukinee to become my favourite in 17ki). It's a huge shame that 'Sayonara Mouri-san' has finished as they'd all be good on that show. The Twitter account which @Izzy Trinh mentioned has just posted a long thread of photos of Yuichi, it seems that she was a model under the agency Starlight in her hometown: https://twitter.com/For18ki/status/1644975121118154752
A reporter asked for their respected member, that they aim for to be in AKB48: (EDIT: Click to watch on youtube, seems like embed was disabled by uploader) if the video does not show watch the video here Yunachan - Hiichan Saechan - Erii, Aichan Kasumi - Erii ChanHina - Rinrin Yumemin - Erii Kohi - Hiichan Azu - Erii, Hiichan Yuichi - Yukirin, Hiichan Erii seems popular! Management must be happy her center song worked. some more details (like hobbies that are different from the mentioned ones on video): https://thetv.jp/news/detail/1132553/p2/
I'd love to see 17&18ki active together as a Team (maybe Team KKS) like what they did with 13&14ki. Then Mion can make an original set list for them just like Yuiri's Let's go KKS for 16ki, she's an eternal AKB48 wota and GM now so I'm sure she can handle it well. But to be honest, with the team situation now, 17ki will be promoted soon, my prediction is 6 of them (Aichan, Sorara, Mizumin, Yukinee, Erichan and Mayuu) will be promoted in upcoming Spring concert. The KKS will have 12 members after that. My eyes are on Akiyama Yuna and Arai Sae. Since most of 18ki are around 17 years old, if one did well in the HS this time, she will certainly make senbatsu in 62nd although I'm waiting for my 17ki's SR Queen Mizumin and HS Queen Erichan's turn but I can't deny the fact that 18ki is full of senbatsu-ready girl.
Oricon News has published transcripts of each of their introductions which I've put through DeepL Translate: https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2274796/full/ Oricon has also published this video: if the video does not show watch the video here
Slight correction, her first name is Yuna. The Kanji is 由奈, and 由 is always short. On AKB's website it's also transcribed as アキヤマ ユナ in Furigana
Love them all, I can't wait to see more of them, but thb is hard to think about these girls as kenkyuuseis after seeing todays performance. As some of you said, these girls are almost promotion-ready. For sure want to see more of them, but I'm also worried for the 17ki girls, this will put a lot of pressure on them, and the same for 16ki dora3 girls
Also, screaming at half of them being born after AKB was formed and the rest being from the year before fff making me feel ancient
18ki Profile Pics are already on the theatre wall Corrected, thanks! ======================= No wonder they spent almost 2 months after the last interview, they must've been training a lot for the mini-live, plus they said they could only practice together on weekends due to school/some living faraway. Well I'll say they left quite a strong impression for being able to do Nemohamo Rumor, one of AKB's difficult song, on their reveal day, so it's a success for whoever planned this. Hopefully they can pull a lot of new fans for AKB!
Just some thought I'm assuming with covid restrictions more or less completly lifted, AKB48 will have to return to 16 nin performances a day or another, and surely before the end of the year Team A has 17 members Team K has 16 members Team B has 16 members Team 4 has 18 members And that's without counting the upcoming graduations. the roster is definetly short to hold regular shows at the theater. When these days will come, the management will need some girls ready to perform as sub. I suppose it's why they came up with such level. Also, with this in mind (the need for minimum training), it may explain the lack of SHOWROOM favorites. after this part of the audition process isn't exactly suited to display abilities, it focuses more on personnality.
