[GENERAL] The AKB48 Thread

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I just randomly saw this old live again, this is the best KFC live ever!
Love the special outfits especially Sayanee (so cute), and then Mayuyu LOL
They should always have special outfits for songs that they perform a lot!

 

When members act in stage plays and musicals, they hardly have the chance to use the toilet while the play is in progress ? Also, if they sometimes forget the lines, what do they do ? If the play is quite long and has a number of different but similar parts, such as the Majisuka Gakuen stage plays, there can be moments when it is possible to mix up their lines and mess up their action scenes. Also, in plays like Majisuka, do the supporting and minor characters sometimes improvise their own combat scenes in the background during the fighting sequences ? I think it would be cool if they did, and it would make each session slightly different from the previous day .

 

No need to thank me, son.

04/20

Okada Nana 17/17
Murayama Yuiri 17/17
Okabe Rin 17/17
Mukaichi Mion 15/17
Yamauchi Mizuki 15/17
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Kashiwagi Yuki 15/15
Kubo Satone 9/15
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Oguri Yui 14/14
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Oda Erina 10/13
Asai Nanami 9/13
Muto Tomu 8/13
Omori Maho 3/13
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Kuranoo Narumi 10/11
Nishikawa Rei 8/11
Yamane Suzuha 5/11
Kato Rena 4/11
Sasaki Yukari 4/11
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Taguchi Manaka 8/10
Iwatate Saho 5/10
Taniguchi Megu 3/10
Komiyama Haruka 2/10
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Honda Sora 8/8
Inagaki Kaori 8/8
Sakaguchi Nagisa 8/8
Chiba Erii 5/8
Nagatomo Ayami 5/8
Onishi Momoka 5/8
Fukuoka Seina 4/8
Mogi Shinobu 3/8
Tada Kyoka 3/8
Yoshikawa Nanase 2/8
Shinozaki Ayana 1/8
......................................
Yoshihashi Yuzuka 4/7
Otake Hitomi 3/7
Shitao Miu 2/7
Furukawa Nazuna 1/7
Hashimoto Haruna 1/7

Spoiler

Ma Chia-Ling 0/7

......................................
Suzuki Yuka 6/6
Takahashi Sayaka 6/6
Kamachi Yukina 6/6
Shimizu Maria 5/6
Nagano Serika 4/6
Takahashi Ayane 3/6
Gyoten Yurina 3/6
Fukutome Mitsuho 2/6
Tokunaga Remi 2/6
Ishiwata Sena 1/6
Yokoyama Yui 1/6
Hattori Yuna 1/6
Sakagawa Hiyuka 1/6

Spoiler

Utada Hatsuka 0/6
Takaoka Kaoru 0/6

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Suzuki Kurumi 2/5

Spoiler

Omori Myuu 0/5
Hama Sayuna 0/5

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Muto Orin 3/4
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Okada Rina 3/3
Kobayashi Ran 3/3
Miyazaki Miho 1/3

Spoiler

Shimoguchi Hinana 0/3
Sato Minami 0/3
Michieda Saki 0/3
Ichikawa Manami 0/3
Yasuda Kana 0/3
Yumoto Ami 0/3
Nagano Megumi 0/3
Oya Shizuka 0/3
Takita Kayoko 0/3
Nakanishi Chiyori 0/3
Yamabe Ayu 0/3
Kurosu Haruka 0/3
Sato Kiara 0/3
Homma Mai 0/3
Hidaritomo Ayaka 0/3
Hirano Hikaru 0/3
Okuhara Hinako 0/3
Kawahara Misaki 0/3
Fujizono Rei 0/3

......................................
Onoue Mizuki 2/2
Kitazawa Saki 1/2

Spoiler

Saito Haruna 0/2
Kuramoto Myuu 0/2
Okumoto Hinano 0/2
Harumoto Yuki 0/2
Yoshida Karen 0/2
Yamada Kyoka 0/2
Uemi Sorano 0/2
Miyazato Rira 0/2

 

They are selling really well. is this for online meeting? For HKT's new single, they have a meet and greet event that is in person, there is like a glass between the member and the fan. it's pretty much the same as a handshake event except they don't shake hands. So now I wonder what is the reason for no new single for AKB, because they can very well do meet and greet event, and if all of AKB + all sister groups participate, their sales will be more than enough... Somehow I feel like sales aren't the reason that they don't have new singles but then I don't know what the reason could be. This is strange. Every other 48 and 46 group has released singles and digital releases too.

Anyway it's nice to see girls like Satopii, Rei and Manaka selling very well! and Renacchi sold 4 slots, that's good for her

 

The figures posted by @Aka are for the AKB48 online meetings next week on 4/28-30. The schedules for each of the sister groups are each very different. The HKT48 talk schedule for the new single has mainly in-person meet and greet events but there's one online one on 7/11. SKE48's current schedule has only in-person events whereas NMB48 has only online ones so it's rather strange to see the different approaches by each group's management. I think for AKB48 they're simply too scared of any negative publicity if the million streak comes to an end and they're just holding on until the pandemic situation is under control. Looking at the figures posted above for the AKB48 online talks they do seem good and maybe a 58th single would sell a million just with online talks, but who knows?

Meanwhile the pandemic continues and because of the new state of emergency declared today, all theater performances have been cancelled from 4/25 and the venue closed until 5/11:
https://ameblo.jp/akihabara48/entry-12670335095.html

 

Do you think this closure will have an impact on Miichan Grad/other concerts? I hope it won't be cancelled/postponed again

 

At present there's no state of emergency in Kanagawa Prefecture which includes Yokohama where the 3 concerts on 5/22 & 23 will be held, there's just 'priority' measures which includes all businesses having to close at 8pm. However who knows what might happen in the next few weeks, the situation could worsen but also it could improve.

 

That live Wimbledon was gorgeous!!

 

Quoting from a conversation about disbanding

I wouldn't mind a team disbandment if they put every member in a unit and actually pushed those units. The point of the teams was to have a theme, and while I love those themes, I don't really think they're true about current members. At least not necessarily. I love Komiyama Haruka and I think she's really pulled her weight as a team captain, but strong and powerful dance isn't the first thing I associate with her. Image-wise, she seems better suited for B or 4, yet here we are.

You also seem to forget STU doesn't have a team system in the first place. They list the members by generation, most of the time (1st, 3rd Draft and Kenkyuusei).

 

While I wouldn't mind a small unit system, it can quickly fall due to shortage of members.
Just look at NMB48 who barely started performing with their new formation, and they have 4 pending graduations.
From the Nambattle challenge, I find that this system makes for clearer performances, where you can notice each indivudual better, and on the other side, in case of big turnover, it can kill the said units.
I will just put the exemple of Last Idol who can't really use their units anymore.

As for Teams identity, this is why new damn stages !! are more than needed, with strong songs. This is how the original teams image were forged. Team 8 formula still work thanks to their unique songs they are almost the only ones performing.

 

That reminds me, about time we have another team shuffle.
Though I prefer a minor one rather than a big stirup again.

 

I have to say I disagree that teams need new stages to have an identity, I don't think this is what made the old teams have an identity... and Team A did get a new stage a few years ago but that didn't make the team (at that time) look any different than the other teams, it didn't give them an identity or anything... I think with original teams (all originals teams, including the 2 original Team 4 and the original Team 8), the reason they had an identity is because the members in the team were all close and at the same "level". They debuted together, same generations, worked together to get popular etc. This is what make a team special and then it gives them an identity depending on who are the front row members in the team. it's same when they did the first team shuffles, it worked great because at that time AKB didn't have a lot of generations and all the members knew each other, the seniority also wasn't so big, the first 5 gens of AKB debuted in a period of time of only 2 years (the first 9 gens in a period of time of 4 years) overall they all knew each other well so it worked.

I think as long as a team has members from same generations with everyone being at the same level, then there will be team work and identity. There are other examples of this, like I remember around 2016 or so when management had a temporary team / group of girls who performed together at theater, they performed the stage Boku no Taiyou, and I really liked it because the group of girls had good chemistry (and the stage was good too). The reason they felt like a real team is because it was almost all the girls who were not ranked in elections, they always performed at theater, so they were all at a similar level and knew each other well, so it worked. Teams first need to have chemistry and then songs etc. I don't think giving a new stage to current teams would make them special or better suddenly...

Now for current teams, well there's the pandemic making it difficult to perform and who knows when this will end. That's why I don't think right now the team system is very useful... it's maybe better to do something different? They could take those special units that they created at their anniversary 2 years ago and give them stages? I liked their performances on AKB's solo concert last year. it doesn't have to be new stages or anything, since each unit has their image (cute ones, mature ones, band etc.) they can just take the songs in AKB's singles and albums that are suitable for their image and have stages.

I remember when teams did special waiting stages around 2014 or so? I liked those stages and they weren't new songs. I remember watching a lot of the Team B stages back then and I loved how they included Team Surprise songs that almost never get performed, like Kimi no C/W etc. AKB has so many good songs in their discography, albums, singles, stages etc.

So yes I don't think that new stages are the problem or the solution, and I don't think a shuffle would make a big difference either, I think now with AKB having so many members from different generations, less popular girls compared to before etc. maybe they need to find other ways to make theater stages more fresh and enjoyable.

 

I agree with Mana that we don't need new stages to give the teams identities, but I do want new stages more often. The 'newest' Team A stage is already over 5 years old again now as well.

I think I want them more so because I think the stage songs are some of the best songs out of their entire discography. I have a full playlist of only Stage songs on my Spotify. Unfortunately, half of them can't be played because only a few stages are available (internationally?), but I still love the ones I can play. I miss the stages being a unique thing.

 

It's been performed on and off tho so there's not a huge quantity of actual performances. And A6 is a legit good stage.

I'm all for special stages but I'd prefer them to be with set groups of girls rather than mix-and-match himawarigumi stages where there's wholesale changes in personal all the time. I've really enjoyed the IxR stages I've seen, more of that type of thing would be good. I watched a Sensuality stage recently and I didn't expect to like it but I did. A lot.

As both of you said, girls of similar ages or similar experience blend better and put on better shows imo which is my I think units like IxR and Sensuality work. On the other hand, Team B for example is just so disparate I don't feel any chemisty, it just seems like a random conglomeration of girls

I love stages as well but some of them are so overused at this stage. If I didn't see RESET for a few years I'd be ok with that, Tetsuna too and Pajadrive. And stages A1, A2, K2 and K3 are kind of iffy from a quality and flow standpoint. Waiting stages are a mixed bag too, the ones by outside celebrities are mostly crap, the better ones are by members or coaches (Yukirin, Yuiri's Lets go kks and Anna Makino's stages for example).

So yeah, let the members devise stages and delve right into the depths of the b-sides, album tracks and units (Not Yet, Chocolove etc) and present new ones every 6 to 9 months so people don't get bored

 

It will never make sense to me why they keep performing the exact same stage for years. I remember Tano Yuka as well once mentioned that she was tired of performing Saishuu Bell ga Naru at some point. They also performed that for three years straight, so RESET felt like a godsend, but now... it's getting a bit tiring too.

 

If the main issue of the teams is about how stagnant they are, maybe the members should choose what teams they want to be in? My idea makes no sense, but maybe the main/older members can helm a team, and they choose the members themselves