[GENERAL] The Sakurazaka46 / Keyakizaka46 Thread

7th Single Backs Live was announced for 15, 16, 22 and 23 Jan.

Interestingly, the announced line-up only has the 12 members who are not in the Shonin Kyokku senbatsu (Endo Hikari is also not included). Even those who are in the 3rd row for Shonin Kyokku are not appearing for the Backs Live. Of course the fanclub notification email does state that the line-up may change but I am quite surprised only the 12 of them were announced. This really makes me wonder if any of the 3rd gen songs are going to be performed and whether any of the 1st and 2nd gen members will step in for Mamoribito. Pretty excited for what they will present us no matter what

 

Pleasantly surprised that the 3rd gens sang and performed one of Keyakizaka's coolest songs (music, lyrics, choreo): Katarunara Miraio, as the final encore at the Shinzanmono LIVE at THEATER MILANO-Za.

A song not performed since becoming Sakurazaka, the girls wore the original custome, "wtih a strong determination to protect not only the Sakura tree, but also the Keyakizaka tree".

Yay! Is more to come?

 

Yes it was great! I didn't expect them to perform that song at all. I guess it was quite fitting?

I have a lot to unpack and I need to rewatch to consolidate my thoughts haha.

I feel quite sorry for them though. They had a performance earlier at 1 pm then had to perform again at 6pm. I'm guessing that's why Odakura had to disappear during some of the songs. It's quite a drain on their stamina. Was there even enough time for them to rest and recover

I'm very impressed by Ishimori. She's been performing quite steadily throughout. She was very emotional during the last part and Nagisa kept a hand on her to comfort her. I loved her Microscope! She's such a cute girl and the song suits her well hehe

There were parts where some of them sort of went uncontrolled in their singing because of the emotions haha.

 

What are they gonna perform in asia artist awards? I'm leaning towards shonin yokkyu instead of start over. Imo start over will leave a bigger impact I'm just afraid the audience will have mixed reactions on the choreo.

 

Yes i agree with your sentiment. I found a meguri report on twitter a couple days ago saying that Uemura won't be going to The Philippines. And Yu, while she didn't explicitly say that she's going, didn't explicitly say that she'd stay in Japan either, while giving out a vague answer & a mysterious happy smile. Judging by those 2 members' current status in the group, there's a high chance they'll be performing Shoninyokkyu. The fact that it's their most recent song, makes it perfectly sensible that they would want to promote it even further with this rare opportunity. Shonin's highly energetic music which even has rap, EDM, trap beats, & dubstep sprinkled in between + the intricately synchronized choreography are perfect for the occasion, and are elements that KPOP fans are familiar with. That particular demography is the main audience of AAA after all, and they're known to be a pretty tough crowd. But when they get into a group, they are known to be really passionate about them. That's the positive aspect that Saku needs to focus on. And Hikaru's mind-blowing visual as the Center will also help big time as the first stan attractor.

Saku's recent partnership with Beyond Live (a famous Korean concert streaming service which was founded by major entertainment companies SM Entertainment & NAVER) for their 3rd Anila Concert (who also offered live English, Korean, and Tagalog subtitles amongst other languages during the concert stream), and their invitation to AAA (a Korean award show) might show an emerging interest in Sakurazaka46 in Korea and of course, globally (invitations to Paris & Kuala Lumpur last summer). Just in these past 3 weeks alone i've heard Hono, Ten, Karin, and Marina greet/speak in Korean. Don't forget the recent SokoSaku episodes where they practice English with natives, in order to, in the words of the SokoSaku female narrator, prepare the girls to further capitalize on the overseas opportunities that may be given again in the near future. The launch of Sakurazaka Channel on Youtube last May which has English subtitles in their videos. Saku's official Twitter account also tweeted in English & Korean for a couple of times these past few months for some selected events. In these past 7 months i've already heard the Saku girls speak 5 different foreign languages (English, Korean, Mandarin, French, and Melayu). Saku are finally reaching for that international exposure this year.

Thus, first impressions are very important, especially when introducing a group to a new, global audience. Sometimes it's vital to be able to cater to their taste first and foremost with something that will positively catch their attention. And as a business entity, i'm sure S&F have realized that. And when those new audience are hooked, then they'll be able to research more about Saku on their own, discovering and falling in love with new or different concepts/songs like Start Over, Sakurazuki, Drone Senkaichuu, Nobody's Fault, Nagaredama, Kimi to Boku to Sentakumono, Naze Koi, Seifuku no Ningyo, etc. There's definitely no one more grateful for those newly gained fans aside from the Saku girls themselves. And let's face it, the last thing i'd want to happen to Saku is the reactions that HiraKeya received for their performance at MAMA five years ago. While they weren't bad per se, there were still a lot of memes circulating around and netizens focusing on the wrong aspects. But those netizens still said the girls were cute & pretty, though, and that's always a plus.

Meguri translation credit to _sunsetrider:
https://x.com/_sunsetrider/status/1731314094194798629?s=20
https://x.com/_sunsetrider/status/1731499614094913614?s=20

 

I thought the only meme was of Miipan as the "Running Girl"?

 

Yes that was the main one, but there were others amongst the kpop fans/MAMA viewers. Nothing malicious ofc, just a bit of a tongue-in-cheek for comedic purposes, but yeah they were only focusing on the wrong things. But i won't go into detail here, it's already been 5 years after all.

 

I'm also leaning towards Shonin Yokkyu at AAA. I wish the costume should have been more creative to move away from early Sakurazaka. But it is what it is.

Akimoto-sensei didn't wrote this type of song for nothing. Did he knew Sakurazaka had potential to be selected for AAA?

 

In my opinion, i really like the "ripped/torn up emo bride" stage costumes of Shoninyokkyu... maybe because early Sakurazaka46's concept photos/album jackets (Nobody's Fault, BAN, Nagaredama, and Samidare yo) remind me so much of emo/post-hardcore bands' album covers which i'm a big fan of lol... especially Nobody's Fault's TYPE B cover with the eerie veiled girls and the long white "sakura blood stained" nurse dresses from World War I or something. But to each their own.

And regarding Akimoto, maybe you meant that he wrote the lyrics? Because the composers are Urashima Kenta & Kato Yuki. But iirc Akimoto besides from being the lyricist, is also this single's executive producer, so i guess he still has the final say in most things. And yeah i was also wondering about AAA because i really don't know what kind of criteria they use in order to nominate/invite a certain artist (especially if that artist is not based in South Korea). Overall sales so far this year? Potential for growth in popularity and marketable aspects in Korea/outside of Japan? Connections from inside the showbiz? I'm sure Akimoto still has various high profile connections in the Korean showbiz from his involvements in MAMA 2017 & 2018, Produce48 & IZ*ONE, and his friendship with HYBE founder Bang SiHyuk.

In marketing, usually a company always plans for the next step and normally it involves directing a certain artist for a specific demography for their next album release (for example), releasing new concepts or songs to gauge the target market's overall response. Maybe Akimoto and S&F were already eyeing for that from way back when and it resulted in invitations to Paris & Kuala Lumpur, giving Shoninyokkyu to Saku, the Beyond Live concert stream, and ultimately, AAA.

 

Start Over is a much better song, and it has full senbatsu beside 3ki so I would have preferred if that was the song performed bc it would have been nice to have all members be there when they receive the award (Hikari could sub for Habu or Miichan). But it is true that Shoninyokkyu is more palatable to kpop fans.

 

2023 Asia Artist Awards

 

but i think start over will have more impact and become the talk of the town. Much more prefer they perform half shounin and half start over. anyway the performance last night was superb

 

Habu position was filled by InoRi, right? Her figure resemble Habu a lot IMO. And, Mii-chan position was left empty again, seems doesn't affect the formation that much.

 

Official videos from AAA of the Red Carpet and the performance of Shounin Yokkyuu:


if the video does not show watch the video here

if the video does not show watch the video here

 

Sakurazaka46 x Dreamcatcher OOTD Challenge.

if the video does not show watch the video here

 

In some performances, some members wear pants while other wear skirt. How do they decide who wears pants and who wears skirt ?

 

Maybe it has to do with the formation and making a pattern. IIRC Sakurazaka, when they do wear skirts, they are pretty long, so I doubt it has anything to do with appearances.

 

Excellent performance in Manila: the members, the choreo, and the grand staging. And wonderful response from the audience. Loud and enthusiastic.

Sakurazaka apparently got two awards, voted on by fans around the world, a best musician award and a most popular award. This was apparently the first time a non-Korean group had done so well in this Korean-staged event. source. Marina introduced the group in English, which is widely spoken in the Philippines, by saying: "Hello, we are Sakurazaka46!"

 

Don't you think the 3rd anniversary live has one of the best overture intros so far ? Really love the cool urban vibe with all the tall buildings in the background . If only more musical acts the world over could learn from them on how to do intros and themes for concerts.

Also, for the 3rd anniversary live, at the beginning just before the overture, have you noticed the male staff in blue standing around ? A number of them are quite good-looking with nice floppy hairstyles. Do you suppose they select good-looking staff to stand around too to add to the ambience of the concert ?

 

I too feel Start Over would have been so much more amazing and impactful at AAA, and catch the attention of new potential fans, expecially in a show presenting many other groups... but to perform Start Over on that stage felt a bit constricted. Perhaps it's just my impression but it looks too small for our choreos ("our" because we fans also are also dancing from home every time lol), or maybe it's just the shape of it making me uneasy.
Anyway, the girls did a good job.

Personally I would never chose Inori for Habu spot because Habu dancing and expressivity is another level, but I guess she was bound to come back since fans were disappointed when senbatsu was announced. I would have appreciated more if they gave the chance to Fuuchan.

This said, my compliments to Renaa, who growns everytime I watch her. I love when one of the members proves my initial or even prolonged opinion, wrong and makes me change my mind. So, please, don't be offended if I voice my doubts on this or that member, it's just my opinion and I'm waiting to be amazed by them.
Peace and Love.