1. Check the 2023 Stage48 Member Ranking Results, how did your Oshimen rank this year?

Single Keyakizaka46 7th [Ambivalent] (2018/08/15)

Discussion in 'Sakurazaka46 News & Releases' started by ForrestFuller, Jul 5, 2018.

  1. ZenigameX

    ZenigameX Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2016
    Oshimen:
    tanimarika
    6th day sales: 15,453 (811,386)
     
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  2. ryandtw

    ryandtw Next Girls

    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2010
    Location:
    Seattle, WA, USA
    Twitter:
    ryandtw_jpop
    Oricon article:
    https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2117902/full/

    Oricon reporting ~812k for the first week (assuming adjustments were done; subject to rounding).

    Obviously this is Keyakizaka46's seventh consecutive #1 single; this puts them #2 in the most consecutive #1 singles since debut (HKT48 is #1 with 11 singles and counting).
     
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  3. ukifune

    ukifune Under Girls

    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2016
    It's fairly wonderful that we are disappointed in first-week sales over 800,000. The first-day gap from Garasu of 30K has been whittled down to 20K at week's end: 812K for Ambiva vs. 833K for Garasu. And I'm expecting the Hibiki movie to give a little bump to sales in mid-September.

    But that's not to say management doesn't have to figure out how to get back on the steady rise -- for both Keyaki and Nogi. Nogi was down 130K for the first week -- but the song it's down from was not just a good song but had graduation to push it up. Stage48 Oricon thread.
     
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  4. UrFavAsianGuy

    UrFavAsianGuy Upcoming Girls

    Joined:
    Jul 21, 2013
    Oshimen:
    sashihararino
    Maybe management should have given the center to imaizumi :fear:
     
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  5. ZenigameX

    ZenigameX Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2016
    Oshimen:
    tanimarika
    1st week sales: 811,684

    Week 2 Day 1: 14,151 (825,835)
     
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  6. newAKB48fanboy

    newAKB48fanboy Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2010
    Location:
    NY
    Oshimen:
    nakadakana
    Happy Aura is my favorite song from this release
     
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  7. Torigoya-San

    Torigoya-San Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2012
    Oshimen:
    Morita Hikaru
    Have you noticed that their outfits in this single looks different from the more androgynous style of virtually all their previous singles ? I don't really like the oversized culottes and white blouses they wear here. It looks kinda weird and is different from the usual Keyaki image. It almost seems as if the style has been inspired by the Obon festival around this time [hehe].
     
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  8. EinhanderX

    EinhanderX Next Girls

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2015
    Keyakizaka46's 7th single (Ambivalent) 6th round HS sales result
    rank. (prev. rank.) sold slots/total slots (+change) member name

    keya7-6.jpg
    01. (01.) 24/24 (+00) Nagasawa Nanako (1st round sold out)
    02. (02.) 24/24 (+00) Sugai Yuuka (2nd round sold out)
    02. (02.) 24/24 (+00) Saito Kyoko (2nd round sold out)
    02. (02.) 24/24 (+00) Nagahama Neru (2nd round sold out)
    02. (02.) 24/24 (+00) Watanabe Rika (2nd round sold out)
    02. (02.) 24/24 (+00) Kobayashi Yui (2nd round sold out)
    02. (02.) 24/24 (+00) Watanabe Risa (2nd round sold out)
    02. (02.) 24/24 (+00) Uemura Rina (2nd round sold out)
    02. (02.) 24/24 (+00) Kato Shiho (2nd round sold out)
    02. (02.) 24/24 (+00) Koike Minami (2nd round sold out)
    11. (11.) 24/24 (+00) Higashimura Mei (3rd round sold out)
    11. (11.) 24/24 (+00) Habu Mizuho (3rd round sold out)
    11. (11.) 24/24 (+00) Kakizaki Memi (3rd round sold out)
    11. (11.) 24/24 (+00) Moriya Akane (3rd round sold out)
    11. (11.) 24/24 (+00) Ushio Sarina (3rd round sold out)
    11. (11.) 24/24 (+00) Sasaki Mirei (3rd round sold out)
    11. (11.) 24/24 (+00) Kosaka Nao (3rd round sold out)
    11. (11.) 24/24 (+00) Watanabe Miho (3rd round sold out)
    19. (19.) 24/24 (+00) Takamoto Ayaka (4th round sold out)
    19. (19.) 24/24 (+00) Ozeki Rika (4th round sold out)
    19. (19.) 24/24 (+00) Suzumoto Miyu (4th round sold out)
    19. (19.) 24/24 (+00) Kanemura Miku (4th round sold out)
    19. (19.) 24/24 (+00) Nibu Akari (4th round sold out)
    19. (19.) 24/24 (+00) Kawata Hina (4th round sold out)
    25. (25.) 22/24 (+01) Sasaki Kumi
    25. (26.) 22/24 (+04) Tomita Suzuka
    25. (26.) 22/24 (+04) Matsuda Konoka
    28. (26.) 20/24 (+02) Miyata Manamo
    29. (29.) 17/18 (+00) Hamagishi Hiyori
    30. (30.) 15/24 (+03) Sato Shiori
    31. (31.) 13/24 (+05) Saito Fuyuka
    32. (32.) 06/24 (+03) Oda Nana
    33. (00.) 00/24 (+00) Iguchi Mao
    33. (00.) 00/24 (+00) Ishimori Nijika
    33. (00.) 00/24 (+00) Takase Mana
    33. (00.) 00/24 (+00) Yonetani Nanami
    Total: 713/858 (+22 since 5th round) [83.1%]
    Kanji total: 322/408 (+11) [78.9%]
    Hiragana total: 391/450 (+11) [86.9%]

    Hiragana 1st Gen: 190/240 (+1) [79.2%]
    Hiragana 2nd Gen: 201/210 (+10) [95.7%]
    749/831 (- 36) last single (increase/decrease over 6th single 6th round)
     
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  9. Hiraishin

    Hiraishin Member

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2017
    Location:
    Indonesia
    Oshimen:
    hirateyurina
    I wonder are they gonna release 8th single at the end of this year or just two single?
     
  10. STS

    STS Future Girls

    Joined:
    Jun 27, 2014
    Oshimen:
    山本望叶
    Absolutly YES! December-November
     
  11. Ozeki

    Ozeki Member

    Joined:
    Dec 16, 2017
    Oshimen:
    Nibubu
    I hope we will get a November/December single this year
     
  12. Jsprite

    Jsprite Future Girls

    Joined:
    Mar 25, 2018
    Location:
    Los Angeles, USA
    Preferably with Shida and Aoi in it too!
     
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  13. Ozeki

    Ozeki Member

    Joined:
    Dec 16, 2017
    Oshimen:
    Nibubu
    one can only hope...
     
  14. KingCrimson

    KingCrimson Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2017
    Oshimen:
    Ikoma Rina, Saito Asuka
    TL,DR: Liked "Ambivalent" more than "Glass wo Ware," but liked Glass wo Ware more than Ambivalent.

    Song Rankings and Thoughts
    (From least favourite to most favourite)

    • Note: I don’t take lyric meanings into consideration for these. I’m going purely by how the music sounds (and looks where MV is applicable).
    • Hi ga Noboru Made
      • The only reason why it’s at the bottom of my list is that I’m not normally a fan of slow, solo ballads, and this song hasn’t done much to change my mind. I’ll still skip it more often than not. I’m probably doing it an injustice in ranking it so low, but I can’t seem to get over my bias against these kinds of ballads. They’re not the kinds of songs that I can listen to on repeat, and that factors heavily into how I think about music.
      • That being said, it’s a very pretty song, and my favourite of all the solos that Keyakizaka have released so far. It’s got some interesting things going on in it, but more importantly it gives Imaizumi the room to strut her stuff.
      • It makes it all the more painful that Keyaki’s most talented vocalist is the first to leave. At least Zuumin got a song worthy of her beauty and ability to send her off on her final single. And I’ll be eternally sad that we never got that duet with Kyoko.
    • Ongaku Shitsu ni Katamoi
      • Another absurdly cute song by this trio. Beautiful colours in the MV, and simple, pleasant melodies to hum along to. Has a slice-of-life-with-slight-supernatural-or-extraordinary-elements-to-it anime ED vibe.
      • It’s got that funny, quirky choreography that just adds to the cuteness. It’s hard not to keep smiling while watching.
      • Interesting guitars in this one. Nice light chords to accompany verses, but I was certainly not expecting that bold of a guitar during the chorus. Interesting, but I’m not exactly sure if I like it for this kind of song.
      • Overall, though, it ultimately does sound a bit plain. If not for the sudden rock guitar, I would consider it largely unremarkable. I vastly prefer “Bathroom Travel” because I find it more interesting in MV concept and sound. It’s also the MV that has me rating it above Imaizumi’s song, though. It’s too cute to ignore.
    • I’m out
      • It’s an interesting track. Dynamic and layered. Pretty ensemble vocals, cool guitars and synths, and somehow the dance beat works. I really like the melodies.
      • But that breakdown comes outta nowhere. Its grittiness stands in such stark contrast with the rest of the song. I’m still on the fence on whether I like it or not. Normally, I’d probably like that kind of sound, but it’s jarring because there’s absolutely no indication whatsoever beforehand that something like that is going to turn up.
        • And it’s followed by my favourite part of the song with the climbing vocals during that really short bridge. I wish that part was longer and developed more.
    • 302 Goshitsu
      • It gets a lot of points for getting me to think a 60s pop-rock style song is catchy. I’ve listened to it way more than I thought I would. It has such a nice flow, and the MV complements the old-school feeling perfectly.
      • The camerawork in the MV is cool. I’d like to see more MVs utilize drones in tight spaces for their concepts.
      • Habu and Kobayashi’s voices harmonize nicely. I’m a fan of this new pairing.
      • Habu and Kobayashi are ridiculously pretty. The MV is straight summer fanservice for their fans. Or anyone, really. It’s pure eye candy.
    • Happy Aura
      • My goodness can these girls sparkle. The song and MV reiterate their identity, and I’m glad for it. They finally have a stable foundation with which to build their image. Now, if only management could finally give them a proper single release, that’d be great…
      • Katoshi is beautiful as centre for this song, and it’s great to see her flanked by the 2nd gen aces. And they all look stunning in their pure white dresses.
      • As always, they’re tirelessly chasing that light. I’ll always appreciate how thematically consistent both sides of Keyakizaka are.
      • I love how bouncy Hiragana choreography is. They’ve got a kind of hop in their step that I’ve come to think of as their own unique style in the Sakamichi series.
      • I love the way that the song builds up. It makes the chorus feel even more triumphant. It just feels so bright.
    • Ambivalent
      • The genre switching continues. Where “Kaze ni Fukaretemo” was more Motown funk, this time we’re going full-blown disco.
      • I love pretty much everything about this song. The biggest thing being that they look like they’re having an absolute blast doing the MV. Genuine smiles all around. That’s huge for an upbeat summer single.
      • Truthfully, I don’t think it’s as powerful a song as “Glass wo Ware.” “Glass” has that kind of impact within it that can create resonance in their audience, which is something that I feel “Ambivalent” lacks overall. Yet, despite that, I also think that “Ambivalent”is a better song in every other way.
      • Visually, the MV is more cohesive. There’s a very straightforward flow of action. It’s focused and easy to follow, with each scene cleanly leading into the next. I feel like the camerawork is less frantic, which is good because it allows us viewers to really take in the activity on screen.
        • Most importantly, “Ambivalent’s” MV does a great job in keeping Hirate integrated with the group, which is what I thought “Glass” did a poor job of. Here, Techi fulfills her role as centre/leader by “freeing” the members, and she stays with them throughout. More than that, the members also keep her moving/support her, like in the scenes immediately following the first group dance section.
          • Notably, in the very first scene, Techi looks as if she’s walking away from the group (and it’s repeated near the end), but in the very last scene, it’s shown that she turns around and walks back to them. It’s a direct contrast to something like “Mou Mori e Kaerou ka?,” in which she walks away alone.
        • I thought the 360-degree slow-mo and freeze-frames were cool.
        • The simple costumes work. Emphasizing the strange asylum concept, while also putting more focus on the action. It’s also nice because they actually use their outfits in the choreography.
      • Speaking of which, the choreo looks frantic and fun. And the parts where the members are just dancing and doing their own thing really fits a song like this where it just makes you want to move.
        • And even in a song like this, there’s that signature Keyaki forward march.
      • Techi never fails to impress with the sheer range of expressions she can make.
      • Musically, I love how dynamic it sounds. Precision instrument use, and really smooth transitions. It all just sounds so well put together. Digging that meaty bass.
        • I thought it was a great choice to end the song with the intro. Gives you a couple of seconds to slow it down, and then finish with a bang and strike a pose. Awesome.
      • So with all the praise I’ve heaped onto “Ambivalent,” how is it only second on my list? These remaining two songs are my two most played from the album, but “Student Dance” scores just enough extra points due to how fascinating it is. I will always appreciate how much the songwriters are willing to experiment with the B-sides, and that’s three times in a row now that a B-side becomes my favourite track on the single.
    • Student Dance
      • Looks like we’re Clockwork Keyaki now, my droogs. If there were anybody in 48/46 that could make those outfits work, of course it’d be them. They, who carry the image of rebellious youth. I do wonder if any of them have even seen A Clockwork Orange (perhaps the college students?), because it seems there are a few things in the MV that could be taken as allusions to the movie. In any case, it’s clear the director had a lot of fun with the concept.
      • A few of the allusions to Clockwork I think I saw:
        • Sugai and Moriya fighting on the desks. A twofold reference. One, it reminds me of the brawl in the theatre between Alex’s gang and Billy-boy’s; two, Captain vs. Vice-captain is like Alex vs. Georgie.
        • Also, Neru lounging decadently on the chairs reminds me of the scenes in milk bar.
        • I’m convinced that the girls dance in water because of how significant water is to Clockwork. You could say they’re just singin’ in the rain.
      • A few criticisms:
        • This was a song that Hirate didn’t need to centre, but they made her do it anyway. Techi looked perfectly fine not being centre when she was dancing with Risa/Neru/Koike. And they could’ve given her solo dance to Suzumoto. This was the perfect chance to give someone else a go at being centre while Techi was still in the lineup, and management blew it.
        • Perhaps the composers went a little overboard with the sound effects. Not by much, because a lot of those sounds fit the atypical vibe of the song. Really, it’s just that one sound that you can clearly hear just before the breakdown, when the male vocal is going “get up.” It sounds exactly like the DDR select sound, and I can’t get that out of my head. It’s masked during most of the song, but that single part takes me out of it because it makes me think of DDR.
        • I’m on the fence about the male vocal interjections. On one hand I think the song would be fine without them, but on the other hand, there are so many throughout that to remove them might change the feel of the song significantly.
      • Now, for what I love: pretty much everything else. I’ll start with the music itself.
        • It might feel super busy with the amount of effects and sounds, but I feel that most of it is done very tastefully and with purpose. Things like using school bells and beeping to stand in for piano and guitar parts, or distorting their voices to make it sound like they’re coming out of a school speaker system. The oddity of it all just sort of works wonderfully.
        • I love the heavy beat that thumps its way through the song. Very punchy.
        • I adore the beautiful snarl of that guitar tone. Those riffs make my heart flutter. The contrast between their vocals and that guitar reminds me of Clockwork, with the way it contrasts music and violence.
      • Visually, it’s a buffet. Keyakizaka MVs can be chock full of things to unpack and analyse, and “Student Dance” might be their most abstract.
        • They’ve taken the “clockwork” theme in two directions: 1) A Clockwork Orange, and 2) a clockwork mechanism. What’s cool is that these two concepts directly clash against each other, and they’ve been set to play out on the same stage—the violent rebellion of Clockwork, and the static conformity of clockwork.
        • What I mean by “clockwork conformity” is that it’s basically the life of an idol in a nutshell. They’re expected to do certain things in certain ways, and often on cue, much like a cuckoo that pops out on the hour, every hour, without fail. It is echoed in the mechanical movements that the members use in parts of the choreography. There are also the times when they show off typical idol expressions, but again mechanically—like Uemura’s group at the desks, or when the girls are on the chairs and look like they’re playing a variety game.
          • And these clockwork idols are all doing it on a manufactured stage for everyone to see. I believe that the makers of the MV used the studio and the crew in the background in order to emphasize the point of the “manufactured spectacle.” I love how eerie it looks to have all that rigging and all those people just staring.
        • But against that kind of clockwork, you have Clockwork. What the MV takes from the movie is the theme of rebellious youth, and a little bit of the old ultra-violence. It’s no coincidence that the other half of the choreography looks the way it does—it looks violent. Powerful movements, lots of kicking, lots of energy. Again, it directly contrasts with the other mechanical action they do. It looks great.
        • The dance break was really cool. It gave the strong dancers a chance to shine. And despite my complaint of giving Techi another solo, it’s no question that she absolutely kills it. The girl has mastered the ability to just look cool, no matter what she does.
          • Sidenote: another member who has that “just looks cool” ability: Habu. I want this girl at centre one day.
          • Also, props to Koike for her part with Neru/Risa/Techi. Was it TM Revolution that poked fun at her for being too idol-like during the “Glass” campaign on KeyaKake? She made a good droog, here.
        • The cinematography was great. I love how simple and clean it looked. It set the tone for the clockwork theme, and also let the members do their thing.
    Overall Thoughts:
    • It’s a good, fun single, with some great songs at the top. However, on the whole I do think it’s a weaker single than Glass wo Ware. Though I would rank “Glass” itself much lower than “Ambivalent,” I like nearly all of its B-sides more than Ambivalent’s B-sides.
    • I continue to appreciate the amount of experimentation the producers put into the music. Every single brings fresh sounds to the table.
    • I wouldn’t worry about the drop in sales relative to Glass. It’s fairly minor, and I think it’ll only be a small hiccup. Let’s not forget that Keyakizaka exploded onto the scene in basically unprecedented fashion. They’re already so big now that it’s easy to forget that they’re still young in terms of an idol group. They’re only 3 years old! This is their first real lull in growth, but both the members and producers are too good at what they do that I think they’ll catch Nogizaka in no time.
      • That said, I do think that in order to catch Nogizaka quicker, they will have to shake things up a bit. I.e. a new centre. They need to have other shining stars on stage besides Techi. And they do have the members capable of standing at the centre, but management has been too stubborn in this regard. The one thing they’re not willing to experiment with.
    • Hiragana needs a proper single. It’s simply not fair to them to keep going as they are. They are far too talented a group to be left to the wayside.
    • I took way too damn long to write this up :fp:
    Anyways, good stuff. Can’t wait for the next.
     
    Last edited: Aug 27, 2018
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  15. ForrestFuller

    ForrestFuller Senbatsu

    Joined:
    Dec 4, 2013
    Location:
    Columbus, Ohio
    Keyakizaka46's 7th Single (Ambivalent) (2nd Week Sales)
    Week 2:
    45,331 (857,015) (2nd)
     
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  16. BadIceCream

    BadIceCream Member

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2016
    Oshimen:
    Sugai-sama
    OMFG Student Dance is freaking awesome
     
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  17. EinhanderX

    EinhanderX Next Girls

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2015
    Keyakizaka46's 7th single (Ambivalent) 7th round HS sales result
    rank. (prev. rank.) sold slots/total slots (+change) member name

    keya7-7.jpg
    01. (01.) 24/24 (+00) Nagasawa Nanako (1st round sold out)
    02. (02.) 24/24 (+00) Sugai Yuuka (2nd round sold out)
    02. (02.) 24/24 (+00) Saito Kyoko (2nd round sold out)
    02. (02.) 24/24 (+00) Nagahama Neru (2nd round sold out)
    02. (02.) 24/24 (+00) Watanabe Rika (2nd round sold out)
    02. (02.) 24/24 (+00) Kobayashi Yui (2nd round sold out)
    02. (02.) 24/24 (+00) Watanabe Risa (2nd round sold out)
    02. (02.) 24/24 (+00) Uemura Rina (2nd round sold out)
    02. (02.) 24/24 (+00) Kato Shiho (2nd round sold out)
    02. (02.) 24/24 (+00) Koike Minami (2nd round sold out)
    11. (11.) 24/24 (+00) Higashimura Mei (3rd round sold out)
    11. (11.) 24/24 (+00) Habu Mizuho (3rd round sold out)
    11. (11.) 24/24 (+00) Kakizaki Memi (3rd round sold out)
    11. (11.) 24/24 (+00) Moriya Akane (3rd round sold out)
    11. (11.) 24/24 (+00) Ushio Sarina (3rd round sold out)
    11. (11.) 24/24 (+00) Sasaki Mirei (3rd round sold out)
    11. (11.) 24/24 (+00) Kosaka Nao (3rd round sold out)
    11. (11.) 24/24 (+00) Watanabe Miho (3rd round sold out)
    19. (19.) 24/24 (+00) Takamoto Ayaka (4th round sold out)
    19. (19.) 24/24 (+00) Ozeki Rika (4th round sold out)
    19. (19.) 24/24 (+00) Suzumoto Miyu (4th round sold out)
    19. (19.) 24/24 (+00) Kanemura Miku (4th round sold out)
    19. (19.) 24/24 (+00) Nibu Akari (4th round sold out)
    19. (19.) 24/24 (+00) Kawata Hina (4th round sold out)
    25. (25.) 23/24 (+01) Sasaki Kumi
    25. (25.) 23/24 (+01) Tomita Suzuka
    27. (25.) 22/24 (+00) Matsuda Konoka
    28. (28.) 21/24 (+01) Miyata Manamo
    29. (29.) 18/24 (+01) Hamagishi Hiyori (+6 slot next round)
    30. (30.) 17/24 (+02) Sato Shiori
    30. (31.) 17/24 (+04) Saito Fuyuka
    32. (32.) 07/24 (+01) Oda Nana
    33. (00.) 00/24 (+00) Iguchi Mao
    33. (00.) 00/24 (+00) Ishimori Nijika
    33. (00.) 00/24 (+00) Takase Mana
    33. (00.) 00/24 (+00) Yonetani Nanami
    Total: 724/864 (+11 since 6th round) [83.8%]
    Kanji total: 329/408 (+7) [80.6%]
    Hiragana total: 395/456 (+4) [86.6%]

    Hiragana 1st Gen: 191/240 (+1) [80.7%]
    Hiragana 2nd Gen: 204/216 (+3) [94.4%]
    757/831 (- 33) last single (increase/decrease over 6th single 7th round)
     
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  18. RedBug

    RedBug Member

    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2014
    Location:
    Home
    Oshimen:
    kashiwagiyuki
    Anybody know what's wrong with Oda nowadays? Fuuchan is better now
     
  19. glsone

    glsone Member

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2016
    Fuuchan got the Neru effect in her favor.
     
  20. ariadne32391

    ariadne32391 Member

    Joined:
    Jan 1, 2015
    Oshimen:
    watanaberika
    So handshake-wise Hira 2nd gen are the strongest. I would have thought that Manamo would sell out faster as she's pretty good at fishing fans.
     

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