Single [SINGLE] Kasai Tomomi [Masaka] 2012/12/26

I was puzzled about the stock issue too, I ordered with fed ex shipping, and normally get ship 2 or 3 day before release date, although this is the christmas period, but I wonder why my cd was still waiting for stock ON THE RELEASE DATE? Even my hmv order was ship 2 days after release date, this never happen to any of my AKB orders.

Yeah, I'm wondering what's wrong with the stock issue, it can't be BOTH sites having problem.

 

I ordered at the first day that they started to pre-order, HMV just shipped my cds today. [wonder] anyone ordered the single from other site like cdjapan? Do they have the same problem?

 

Happy Music
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWYXCWbmMXo[/yt]

 

Me! My type B was shipped 1 day after release, which never happen to me before, the order was still waiting for stock on the day before release date and I am not pleased, it only enter in shipping process one the release date.... My cdjapan order usually are shipped at least 2 or 3 days before release date and I get them a day before release date, using FedEx.

 

and i thought 100k of mayuyu sales were not that high....

poor Kasai. And we don't even talk about the drop in Handshake events.

Tough end of the year for her.

 

100K is very impressive, it's AKB's number that gave the false impression. 100K is low.

Take out the AKB even the top artist right now like Mr. Children does about 200-400K.

100K would usually be enough to rank the single among Top 50 of the year sale-wise. That's pretty impressive considering there are over a thousand single released each year and Japan is currently the largest music-related media market in the world, consumption-wise.

I don't think anyone can expect Kasai to hit 100K, her popularity even before the scandal doesn't warrant that type of number. But 80K should be possible for her pre-scandal.

With the scandal, I thought she could still hit 60K. But not it look like the single would probably be around 35K first week and ends up around 40-45K before dropping off chart.

Like I said, right now Kasai's sale would be consistent to a mediocre artist release, and right now if there really was allocation/limited press issue. You can make an argument that she is actually beating the expectation of her agency, record label, and AKB management.

But it also means how little they were expecting this solo to turn out... [sweat]

 

Performance at today Countdown TV

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz5ID9LBSoo[/yt]

Flawless as usual

 

^ perfect performance indeed.

but wtf with those yotube thumbs down votes? Butt-hurt AKB fans because she quit AKB?

 

no because of the 10000 yen scandal her image is quite bad now.

 

thumbs up for Kasai! [party]

 

Really unusual for any AKB/Solo/Sub unit release....and those down votes were veracious right from the beginning I noticed. All to do with the 10,000 yen challenge fiasco.

I think also the manner in which the Solo release appeared from nowhere would have pissed many off, seeing it as a distraction or way to gloss over the other thing....which really was a bad idea....they would have been expecting some sort of reprimand, not reward. And of course nobody expected or believed she deserved a solo single especially when there are heaps there still better than her. It all stank....and the down thumbs speak what AKB fans think.

So bad thinking from management right from the beginning. They made something negative worse.

 

But keep in mind that the single, photobook and concert are all result of the Kasai winning the Horse Race event earlier this year. So it's all planned. The announcement wasn't really out of nowhere despite the weird timing.

Obviously the original plan is to use 10000 yen as a chance for Kasai to warm up leading the announcement. It's the perfect chance to gain major positive exposure and garner interests.

But everything turn south then.

So it's either move everything up and bank on the popularity she might still have or wait and risk AKB itself gets the blame and also sour the relation with TV Asahi? or worse lose everything they have already invested in those projects.

Even if they reprimand Kasai, what can they do? suspend her? she'll still come back with her photobook and singles and it won't serve anything especially when fans and general public were calling for her firing from the group.

And if they fire her to save image then those photobook deal and singles would be wasted and might even be breach of contract with the sponsor or production crew and it still make AKB look bad to immediately fire her.

It's really pick-your-poison situation. Damn if you do and damn if you don't and they decided to go ahead with the plan but moved everything up.

The real question would be was Kasai's graduation really 100% her decision or part of the compromise and is there more coming from TV Asahi's side.

Though based on her reason interview saying that decided to graduate back when she knew she wan't in UZA. It's also possible that she simply quit at that time and think that the 10,000 yen is just an AKB work that won't impact her solo career. If that's the case she was incredibly naive and wrong.

I also think that answer only makes her sound worse (after everything that happens) considering that there are many other member who are just as popular as her and got left out of UZA like Kitarie, Sae, or Akicha and they still try finding their ways to breakthrough. Not to mention the countless other girl who never made to senbatsu or only made a handful.

I mean people like Umeda who lost her front row spot in TK due to injuries and have to fight to get her spot back or Kobayashi Kana, who had center spot in K1 got kicked off Senbastu by Mayuyu and never got back in. Or Yuka for that matter, also got kicked off senbatsu because of the arrival of 3rd gen and never manage to really get back in the sentbatsu.

To be frank, even without 10,000 yen fiasco, Kasai is not ready to graduate and be on her own. If that's what she really thinks and wanted, she should be even more careful and work even harder, but she didn't.

If she stick through 10,000 and then graduate and say her mind was made up when she was out of UZA. The public opinion would be she tried her best, it's just that AKB is right for her anymore.

But with 10,000 yen ending the way it is, the public perception is now she is just spoiled and unprofessional. The thought would be: "she was removed from senbatsu once and she decides to quit AKB no wonder she quit the 10,000 yen"

Even if that might not be the truth.

 

^ Slightly off topic but try to step out of the circle and look you at your posts about that 10000 yen TV show objectively from outside. You have been preaching that TV show impact on every possible moment here on this board with lengthy posts since that incident happened.
I think you have made your point of view clear a long time ago.

just my 2cent friendly advice for you.

 

^ What was wrong with his posts? Personally, I'd prefer reading posts filled with information and well-constructed opinions than ones without, especially seeing some of us still don't get how big the impact was (is, or will be), which in turn affect their judgments against the turn out of Kasai-related products - whether it's CD sales or media appearances.
Like... how often do you see 48 family's fan getting butthurt due to a girl graduate on her own volition? =P (assuming that was of her own volition, and not the result of some suggestions from higher-ups)

 

If Kasai was not ready to graduate then she would have stayed regardless of what happened in the 10000 yen challenge. I love the single though.

 

Taker thinks she isn't ready to graduate. Kasai thinks she is. There's a difference.

tbh, i could see her graduating to begin with. Girl just gets sick way too often. Didn't she drop out of a ton of handshake events. If she had any idea what tiny things can impact her career in the entertainment industry, i don't think she would have dropped out of the 10000 yen show for an unprofessional reason such as "I'm not used to cameras on me" like.... wat. especially in the manner she took it.

Pretty sure breaking a contract is the worse thing you can do in any career.

 

Just add another point to this discussion. It strikes me that Chiyuu actually got very prominent positions in both Japan Record Award event and Kouhaku yesterday. Aside from her official position in Gingham Check due to the election, she did perform Flying Get and got high position in all performances of Manatsu (she was second line at Kouhaku, in front of many pushed members such as Paruru, Kawaei, etc.). Given she is graduating and her image is supposedly tarnished, this action by the management does not make much sense [think] [think] . And the choreography of these songs are not so difficult that replacing with other pushed members would impact the dancing. Just my observation.

 

^
What do you mean?
She ranked #16 in 2011, earning her a spot in Flying Get fair and square.

Prominent spot in Japan Record Award? She was at the freaking back with the rest of non-media senbatsu - Yui, Sae, Miichan, Churi, Yagi,... and other names which I could not remember.

She got lucky with Manatsu as it's right after Gingham Check and she's GC-senbatsu. As I observed, transition from GC to Manatsu is very quick, just GC senbatsu and pushed girls spreading around at the front a bit. Both Kawaei and Shimazaki didn't rank in as senbatsu so at GC's ending pose, they're behind Kasai. Let take into consideration that there were like 100+ girls in that tiny stage, would Kasai running to the back while Kawaei/Shimazaki run to the front be a good idea? Given that time is limited as well? Beside, look at that crowded stage at the end. I don't think there was any formation for Manatsu. Just girl spreading themselves around, with Mayu as center, and sing then get ready for the human letters.

 

^ Well, I'd consider appearing in Manatsu at JRA is good. Next to her are Sae, Yui, Rie, more or less her popularity level. Notice that some girls like Sayaka or Amina was dropped completely and Manatsu can have a very fluid senbatsu. The same with Kohaku as well. While I agree that there were little time between GH and Manatsu, as the girls did shift formation, it is not that difficult to switch some positions.

So, at the bottomline is that the management treated her more or less same as before. However, if her image is truly tarnished and the management wants to get rid of her, showing her at such big events seem to be unreasonable. So, I just point out that these points seem to conflict to each other.

 

^
I do agree with that, to be clear, I don't think she was forced to graduate.

After that interview, I'm leaning toward that she already contemplated and planned her graduation and the fiasco only accelerated everything and deals were struck.

I mean as xcrossfacekillahx mention, she she didn't think she was ready, she could stayed.

But at same time what to prevent AKS from firing her from the group?

And really once management gone the route of moving events up, there is no point hide her on from stages after all she does have the single out and she will be graduating soon.

The fact is that the Horse Racing reword goes as usual and she is leaving the group. Are there more happening behind the scene? We don't know.

The real question was how many shows have she being on since that event as individual talent? Right now the only one I can see was Happy Music and her TV appearances has been almost non-existent outside AKB group appearances these past few month. She hasn't even appeared in shows that has heavy AKB influence or good relationship with like Shin Domoto, Music Japan or even Iitomo (who have guests on every week day). That's the part I concerned with.

@ vutt:

Why am I keep posting it? Because it kept getting back to that event. Why would anyone wonder about "thumbs down"?

I mean, there are only 2 possible reason why there are more "thumbs down" or her single had relatively low sales.

1) She simply isn't popular, and people hates her period.
2) Her popularity decreased.

I simple believe 2 is the case here. After all she had been a constant sentbatsu member and wasn't known to have many antis.

So if 2 it the reason, they what caused her popularity to falter other than that event?