Your AKB48 Experiences

^
I wonder, what was censored in Futsuu no anata? of course I have no way to watch the original perf, but reading the lyrics on the official site, I can't see anything worth bleeping (unless... don't tell me they bleeped sekkusu [rofl] ) and I seriously wonder what the censored dance pose was. XD
All in all I am really curious about SDN's show, unluckily I won't be going to Japan any time soon (but when I go don't worry, I'll definitely apply! I am WELL over 18 lol)

 

Time to start my write-ups - I've got four to get through...

AKB48 Team B - B5 JCB Hall Performance 6/8/2011
Movie Theater version

After winning Super Enpou for the 3rd Senbatsu Sousenkyo, I was hoping to maximize my time as much as possible (especially since I was unable to win/see a single show during my April and May trips).

Due to work, I wasn't able to fly out to Tokyo until Tuesday morning. This put me on the ground in Tokyo at around 4:00 PM on Wednesday. Sadly, it wasn't enough time to get to the actual B5 performance at JCB Hall. My backup plan was to watch the show from one of the LiveSpire theaters in Tokyo. This turned out to be more challenging than getting tickets to the actual performance.

Since you need to order tickets ahead of time, I had a friend helping to get the tickets. My theater of choice was the Wald9 in Shinjuku, about a 10 minute walk from my hotel. Unfortunately it sold out almost immediately and she wasn't able to get a seat. But she checked the Toho Cinema in Roppongi Hills too, and was able to get one of the last seats for me. This is how popular these shows are - even the movie theaters sell out almost immediately.

It was still a rush to get there. I checked into my hotel, dumped my bags, and got to the Oedo line as quickly as possible. Even with that line being located right beneath my hotel, I didn't make it to Tokyo Midtown until 6:20. I said a quick 'hi' to my friend, got my ticket, and made it into the theater just as Romance Kakurenbo was ending. I settled in as the Overture began...

The biggest question going in was "Is this going to be a movie theater audience or an AKB48 theater audience". I'm happy to say it was an AKB48 theater audience. Lightsticks were everywhere and as the overture came on. I'd say about half the theater joined in the chants. Everyone applauded, shouted, and in general acted like they were at the concert throughout. Maybe even a bit more so because they could get away with dancing in some spots.

My impression is that the fans in the area hooked up, because they seemed to be grouped by oshimen. There was a Yuka contingent about 5 seats to my left. Behind me was a Yukirin group, and while the acoustics made it hard to hear, there seemed to be Mayuyu, Chiyuu, and other fan groups spread around the theater. I was seated between two guys who were like statues the entire time (if you've been a show, you know the type).

In terms of the performance, it was a standard B5 stage. I was surprised to find out that the JCB Hall stage was a near identical mock-up of the Akihabara theater. Same sections and risers, same back wall with the twin spot and venetian blind partitions. There seemed to be a little extra room on the sides, and the girls also used the front of the stage (where the front row would normally be in the theater). The only thing missing was the wings. (I'll talk more about the venue when I do the write-up for the S2 show).

Seeing AKB48 on the big screen was a treat. Everyone was larger than life, and you could see a lot of detail that you would normally miss in an LOD. Not as good as being there in person, but the crowd made up for some of the missing live experience. It was well-filmed for a live performance, but I think the crew had a lot of practice by then too. I do wish the sound had been a bit louder for some numbers - but it didn't detract from the overall experience.

If you've seen other performances that aired in theaters, you know the girls always call out and mention the theater fans. This performance was no exception, and talked and waved at us in nearly MC. Rie even called out to her father who was watching from a theater back home. Another fun MC moment was when Amina mentioned the heat caused her candy to stick to the basket during 'Candy', so she had to do 'Air Candy'. Mikapon later mentioned she had the same problem in Singapore. (there was actually a lot of talk about Singapore during the MC's)

At the end there was a segment where they filmed a commercial for the Tri tutoring service, with the audience and team both participating.

All in all, it was a great experience. Not as nice as seeing them in person, but way better than watching an LOD at home on a Saturday night. If I do attempt to be there next year for all four days of the Request special, it's good to know I have a backup if I can't get tickets for a given day.

Next up: The Election!

 

3rd Senbatsu Sousenkyo - Nippon Budokan 6/9/2011

After not winning any Super Enpou for the JCB Hall performances, I almost didn't try for the Sousenkyo Super Enpou. Imagine my surprise when late on Memorial Day, I received the email stating that I had won a ticket to the event. The next few days were a blur of convincing my boss to give me time off during a very busy work week, scheduling the flight and hotel, and all the while still convinced it wasn't really happening.

(note: This is long so I'm using the spoiler tag so it won't be a wall of text )

Spoiler

After visiting our Tokyo office for lunch, I headed out for the Budokan around 2:30. I arrived at the Kudanshita station and knew I was in the right place, there were girls everywhere with signs looking for tickets. Once I got outside, I began to run into news crews and scalpers every few dozen feet. On an unrelated note - it's always fun to walk into the Budokan because it's part of the old palace complex complete with battlements.



The first thing I saw as I approached was the goods line. I decided to hop into it early, since I had an hour to kill before the Super Enpou check-in opened. The line moved pretty quickly and I was able to figure out what I wanted ahead of time. Ended up picking two of the shirts (thankfully American-sizes) and the AKB48/SKE48 Kaigai book. This netted me a Kojiharu photo, which sadly I could not convince the guy next to me to trade for his Yui one.



I spent a lot of time wandering around and people watching. Most people were crowded at the main entrance, where various TV crews and reporters were filming. This is also where the celebrities (mainly talento) were entering. There were the usual photo traders - primarily on the other side of the access road. On the right side of the venue they had a board with all the election posters (more crews were filming this).



Finding the Super Enpou check-in was tricky. I spoke with a staff member by the election posters, and he knew what Super Enpou was and directed me to the main entrance. While my email printout was enough to get me past security, the staff members there didn't know what Super Enpou was at all. They thought I was either a foreign celebrity or press member. They sent me back out, and I checked with the person who let me in where I needed to go. As it turns out - I was nearly in the right place, but I had to go back out and enter through a side gate off the main entrance. Here is a near 360 degree view - the Super Enpou check-in was right behind where I was standing.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RsnhZ2DjE8[/yt]

Even though it was a bit after the check-in time start, they weren't 100% prepared. I have to admit my heart was pounding as I showed my email and passport. Luckily as they were checking that I saw the Super Enpou list, and my name was definitely on it. I believe there was only a total of 10 tickets that went out, and I saw people from France, Russia, China, Taiwan, and another US member on the list. I received my wristband and ticket and went back out to wait. I took the time to film and upload a quick video to YouTube.



[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bcc-7GrRO9U[/yt]

Immediately after this I started being approached by media for interviews. The questions were pretty much the same from everyone. Where are you from? How long have you been a fan? Who is your oshimen? Why do you like AKB48? etc. Nearly all were surprised that I had come to Japan just for the event. Nearly all were unfamiliar with Yui too - I had to keep specifying 'Team K' when I named her. In total, I think I did about 10 interviews for TV and about 5 for papers/magazines. (of which I only appeared briefly on Morning Bird the next day - looking ridiculous so I'm glad that's the only one).



Once the gates opened I headed in. It took a bit to determine how to get down to the arena level, but once there it was easy to find my seat. I was located in the 4th row back, all the way on the left side. Right next to the media stands, and with a clear shot to the stage. I was seated next to two girls from Hawaii (not Super Enpou). I could see some other Super Enpou's scattered around, and Kero-chan was in the row immediately in front of me. The stage was impressive - with huge paintings of Acchan and Yuko on either side of the entrance. My personal opinion was that photos would have been better - it felt like their eyes followed you everywhere I took a few pictures - but was scolded by the staff pretty quickly. They were everywhere at the arena level, since it would take nothing to hop over the barrier to where the girls would be seated.

The show started right on time with a mini-live:

SKE48 Senbatsu - Banzai, Venus
NMB48 - Zetsumetsu Kurokami Shoujo
SKE48 All - 1! 2! 3! 4! Yoroshiku
AKB48 Kenkyuusei - Heavy Rotation
AKB48 UnderGirls - Ponytail to Shushu
AKB48 Senbatsu - Everyday, Kachuusha

I was hoping for an NMB48 performance, but to have SKE48 perform Yoroshiku and the KKS perform Heavy Rotation was a dream come true. After the performances they set up the chairs and there was a intro from the MCs, with translations in English, Chinese, and Korean (I believe they were all SDN48 members - I know at least one was). After this the groups walked in by team - no individual introductions this year. (omg Shihorin is tall - hard to miss her both during the entrance and exit)

Then the results arrived and it was time to announce them. I going to keep this neutral and only discuss the impressions that I had that night:

Miorin (38): Was very happy and had the entire audience do "Fresh Lemon ni naritai no!" catchphrase.
Shawako (33): Very humble about making the ranking.
Shiichan (29): I swear all of Team A was crying when she gave her speech - they were so happy for her.
Sayaka (28): NMB48 looked very pleased with this result.
Rabutan (25): Looked very upset with her ranking - I think she was expecting to move up this year.
Churi (23): Everyone went crazy when she called out Aki-P about the lack of an original KII stage.
Yui (19): Had a very hard time - and her reaction was 100% real. Everyone was cheering her one too. After she took her seat they kept coming out to check on her.
Tomomi (16): Looked very deflated after taking her seat.
Jurina (14): I would almost say she stomped up on stage - certainly didn't take it slow. Afterwards in her seat, she was sitting completely still with a fixed look on her face most of the time.
Akicha (12): Like Yui they were ready to assist her in standing if she needed it (though her reason was an ankle injury).
Sasshi (9): Like Shiichan, it appears that Team A were all happy with her making media senbatsu.
Tomochin (8): This was the shock of the night - for both her and the audience. When she took her seat it was right behind Jurina and Tomomi - that was a very uncomfortable section to watch the rest of the night.
Takamina (7): Speech sent chills down my spine and everyone loved it!

The last three were obvious as soon as the team was called:
Yuko (2): What a professional - and I loved the bit at the end where she asked for the trophy from last year.
Acchan (1): She was nervous from the minute Team A walked onto the stage. Throughout the night you could see the tension building. She was practically on the verge of tears when they got to the final three - I'm convinced she felt it was possible to rank 3rd.

Then MC then asked them to give a message to each other, and I think nearly everyone was a bit teary-eyed when they hugged. They then re-introduced the top 40, and everyone turned and bowed to the audience. The non-winners exited first, then the rest. The lights came down and I think we all thought there would be an announcement. Instead they played a video of the entire event from the crowd outside before the event, to the scene backstage, then scenes from the event. It was amazing they were able to get that done before we even left.

Then it was over.

I can't thank the AKB48 staff enough for offering Super Enpou - it was the chance of a lifetime and memories that I will never forget. I think I can remain neutral in saying the results could not have been better. Not because of who ranked where, but because there were several unexpected results and it wasn't the same as the previous year. I don't know if the ending would have been as emotional if the results had remained the same as the last one. I'm also happy all three of the people I voted for (Yui, Shawako, and Miorin) ranked.

I can't wait for the DVD to come out.

 

^ I think I'm more jealous that you met Yui

I wonder if someone could pull together a handshake guide. I get all these tickets but I'm having a tough time figuring out the schedules. Feels like 'Sakura' has been having events forever - but I heard that Ebikatsu is already over.

or at the least I can give you mine if I'm not going to be there when they are going on

 

SKE48 Team S - S2 JCB Hall Performance 6/10/2011

Since I was in Japan already for the Sousenkyo, might as well try to see one of the JCB Hall events. My two options were SKE48 - S2 or S3. Which was perfect, because I really wanted to see a live SKE48 performance. After watching their PVs, LODs, and concert DVDs, I've come away with the impression that they have the most intense stages. I wanted to to see this in person, so it was time to figure out how hard it is to get tickets via Yahoo! Japan auctions.

I had my friend start trying before I even left California. There were plenty of tickets available, but we quickly realized one of us would need a premium membership. (you can't bid over 5000 yen without it). Unfortunately, even with a Japanese address I could not get Yahoo! Wallet to accept any of my credit cards. Luckily, my friend was willing to sign up for the service herself. Most of the seats were around 6000 yen, which isn't too bad. After a furious last minute bidding war I was able to get one for 8500 yen.

I got an email the next day with the FamilyMart code. Very simple process to go to one and get the ticket, which is when I discovered that my seat was in the 3rd balcony - 2nd row. For me - this was perfect. While I like front row arena seats, once you 10+ rows back the crowd gets in the way. This way I would have a clear view right down onto the stage (and be able to see everyone).



I headed down to JCB Hall well before the show, but it wasn't terribly hard to find. I was expecting a taller building (more on this in a bit). I immediately went through the goods line to pick up a T-shirt and a few other items - the line was short and it only took a few minutes. Then I parked myself across from the entrance and waited for the doors to open. As with most AKB48 events, there was a lot of photo trading going on.



When the doors opened I found out why the concert hall was only about a story tall. The 3rd balcony starts at ground level, with the rest of the complex partially underground. My seat was in the center balcony - and the 2nd row is the 1st row in the center. I was right at the railing with a clear view to the stage. There were two large video monitors on either side, and I spent much of the time watching the camera and lighting prep and the crowd streaming in. About 15 minutes before they played the Ebikatsu PV (which was the first time I actually saw it - believe it or not)

One note on the crowd, it seems that in Japan you wait until nearly the last minute. With 10 minutes to go the arena/hall was only half-full, but within the space of 8 minutes we had a full house. I was surprised when two business executives got into my row - probably a bit too dressed up for the event

At 6:30 the chimes rang and Jurina read the stage announce, then the overture played and it began!

SKE48 S2 is one of my favorite 48 stages at the moment - edged out barely by K6. I like high-energy stages and this one certainly delivers. The first set sets the mood for the entire stage and you can't avoid getting into it. The girls were definitely having a lot of fun and sending their excitement out to the crowd. There were times they seemed to be having competitions who could jump higher during some of the steps. The unit songs were again amazing, as was the last set before the encore. I had zero complaints at all.

While I had no problem seeing everything from my seats, I did notice the two business execs broke out binoculars (one of them had a military grade pair I think). Obviously, they wanted a much closer look than either their eyes or the video screens could provide.

It was fun watching all the camera work going on for the theater and hopefully DVD filming. There was one positioned right behind me, and I think more than once I caught a glimpse of myself when they did a crowd shot. The girls had good fun during the MC's, with discussion of which of the unit songs they liked and some good hotel roommate stories too.

After the first two songs of the encore they went offstage, and the ad for the SKE48 nation tour aired. When they returned they launched into 'Banzai Venus' - which was nice because I was expecting to hear Ebikatsu for the 100th time this trip. Then offstage again for the 2:30 video segment - to determine who would tell the story they did Janken beforehand - Nakanishi lost in the first round She did a cute telling of the Momotaro story complete with cards. Then it was time for the final song and goodbyes. (I wish the little hearts that they dropped from the ceiling would have flown up to the 3rd balcony)

Overall it was an amazing live event. JCB Hall is a very good venue for concerts. It's small enough to still feel a bit club-like, and I didn't see a bad viewing location at all. I'm hoping they may use it for more shows in the future. The performance itself solidified my belief that SKE48 has some of the best stages to see live right now. I'm a complete SKE48 convert - to the point that I must get to Nagoya on my next trip to see them in the theater (hopefully KII).


I hope everyone is enjoying the write-ups. I have one left from my trip - the KKS show on 6/11 (10th, 11th, and 12th gen).

 

AKB48 SIngapore Theater Show 26.06.2011, 3 PM Show

Before the departure to singapore
I prepared a t-shirt with harugon's face drawing on it to wear during the shows and the handshake event. I didn't prepare any gifts this time. This is the first time I go abroad to see AKB48 and not bring any gifts to my oshi.


Pre-Show:
When I arrived at orchard and was looking for the scape venue, I saw someone that looked just like aamin, with eyebrowse and everything. I thought Aamin wasn't going to perform today so it couldn't possibly be her. I freaked out when I found out the she's on the member list that performs today. Was it really her? I guess I'll never know.

AKB48 Singapore Theater at Scape
Before I start talking about the show, I'd like to comment about the theater itself. Compared to the Akihabara Theater, the stage in singapore theater was about twice as high. The sound system sucks, many of the subtle, and even the not so subtle, sounds of the musics gone, buried by the overly loud lower frequency sound. The light pillar behind the stage was too bright that sometimes the light hides the members instead of enhancing their appearance. There are no standing section in the theater, but the seating audiences are allowed to stand, luckily I'm taller than most of the audiences.

3PM Show.
My group was called sixth, but miraculously I still got to seat on the front row, even though the leftmost part of it.

I wasn't too excited when I came to the show. I was thinking that I would just enjoy the show, I didn't have even the urge to scream for my oshi.

The first song was aitakatta. Harugon, as usual, put too much power on her dance in this song, and most of the other group songs too. xD
Harukyan is SOOOOOO CUTE with her new hair, she just looked SOOOOOO HUGWORTHY!!!!
Miyu is SOO CUTE TOO!!! She's pretty and her dance is fun to watch.
Paruru is cute too. Abe maria is STUNNING, her figure, her moves, and how he let her hair swing is just soooo cool!!!
Rabutan's stage mastery has improved so much since the last time I saw her live (2009).
Watching Nakayan and Tanamin on the same stage really makes me miss the original Team B. I screamed a lot for Nakayan during the show.

The second song was Ponytail to Shushu, the fronts were miyu and chikarina (IIRC). Miyu's performance was top notch, she really deserves to be an akb48 team member.

Iiwake Maybe, Aamin front.

Like I said before, Harugon put too much energy during the songs, and it made her look a little bit out of place xD But her overflowing energy is just the thing that makes me love her

MC

Unit song I: Kuroi Tenshi, Miyu Center, harukyan, shihorin.
I have watched the original A5 version of Kuroi Tenshi live, and I haven't found any shuffle version of the song that is nearly as good as the original.
With that said, I found Miyu's interpretation of acchan's position in this song very nice!! Miyu is definitely not Acchan, but her moves and her facial expresion while dancing is really breathtaking, she really captured the sexy and cruel character of the song. And seeing harukyan on this song brought back my memories of watching the A5 version live on Akihabara Theater.
Shihorin on the other side looked too much like a nice girl for this song.

Unit Song II: Heart Gatta Virus, Paruru, Aamin, Sakiko
I can't help comparing this version with the original A5 version. And this version is a far cry from the original one, the 3 members didn't perform cohesively, that it feels like they are 3 girls singing 3 different songs but just happened to be on the same stage on the same time. Aamin missed so many tunes.

Unit Song III: Renai Kinshi: Abe Maria, Oya Shizuka, Chikano Rina
Abe maria is SOOOO HOTTTT in this song, the way she danced, and the way she swung and spinned her hair and let them fall messily on her face was SOOOO SEXYY!!!!!!

She's so sexy, she made chikarina and shiichan felt like boring office women in this song.

Unit song IV: Tsundere, Rabutan, Harugon, Ranran..
Ok, do you really expect me to give a fair review of this unit song ? I just watched harugon the whole song and paid no attention to her peers
I'm happy to see harugon was given the unit song that makes good use of her overflowing energy, and she's just soooo fun to watch in this song. Her utterly beautiful face also helped a lot... And her beautiful beyond words eyes...

Unit Song V: (I don't know the song): Nacchi, Chiichan, Tanamin, nakayan
This song si beautiful, and I was surprised at how beautiful Nacchi's and chiichan's singing voice. Watching Nakayan and Tanamin together really-really made me miss the original team B soooo much, gussan, mikachi, matsuyuki, and all.

MC

Everyday Kachuusa
I'm not too fond of this song, but watching it performed live really helped me enjoy it. Harugon, as usal, put too much energy xD

Bingo
Good to see old songs (pre-King Record era) got performed


Oogoe Diamond
Ok, harugon's energy found her place in this song XD

Sakura ki ni Narou:
This song was brought beautifully, every members seemed to give their best on this song, even harugon resisted to move too powerfully, for the most part of the song.


ENCORE
Before the encore began, a vide was shown, announcing that SKE48 will perform in Singapore on July 27th.


Heavy Rotation: Miyu Center, Costume: T-shirt and shorts.
Miyu was SOOO WILD in this song. She was SOOO SEXXYYYY, SO NAUGHTYY, AND SO TEMPTING, the way she moved her hip was SOOO MIND BLOWING.
And watching harugon dance using shorts really really not healthy for my mind.

at the end of the song, amidst the storm of oshi calls, I called harugon, softly, but near the end of my call, the other calls suddenly stopped, so my call was heard by harugon that happened to be standing near my section. She looked at me and waved. It was like I was watching the show on a black and white TV and then someone switched it with wide screen full HD color TV. The show was suddenly seemed much brghter and much colorful for me.

Dareka no Tameni
I don't know, I love this song, but in this show, there are so many members that sang it off tune, it was like the girls agreed to sing the song on slightly different key with the accompanying music.

Hikoukigumou:
Fun song to end the show. LOVE IT!!!!

Handshake session
I was the very last person in the handshake queue so I enjoyed a relaxed pace when I was shaking members hands. Before I reached the handshake table, a female staff looked at my T-Shirt and asked whether I made it myself. I answered that I did, and she exclaimed loudly "SUGOI" so some other staffs looked at my direction.

When I reached the handshake desk, ranran pointed at my T-Shirt and said "Harugon desuka??? Kawaii!!!", and it was followed by every other members, one by one.
When I finally arrived infront of harugon, she just blasted me with so many japanese words that I couldn't catch, I just said "Mata Aete Ureshii", she answered "Hai" and blasted more japanese words and a few hand gestures. The member beside harugon (the member I handshake before I arrived to harugon) said something to her and she talked back to her and let go off my hand, so I moved to the next member, Tanamin, suddenly Harugon turned back at me and start talking japanese again and tried to catch my hand back, it was so awkward because I was just pushing my hands toward tanamin, so I turn my hands to hold harugon's hand again, but I was standing in front of Tanamin and tanamin hands was already in handshake position - -; After that mess I continued to shake hands with Tanamin, and the rest of the members.
When I arrived in front of Rabutan, she was going to shake my hand, and suddenly saw my T-Shirt and said "Oh.. Harugon?", and she drew back her hands, I was a little bit surprised but my mind si still full of Harugon so I moved to Harukyan. When I shake Harukyan's hand I said "Your new hair kawaii", she seemed a little bit puzzled so I repeat it while pointing to her hair. Suddenly she moved her head toward my hand and I accidentally touched her hair. It was a short experience but it made my heart beat a little faster.

The T-shirt I wore really made my day today.

Afterward, I sat outside the mall, resting and preparing myself for the 7pm show.

- To be continued -

 

AKB48 Singapore Show 26-06-2011 7PM

We got called 6th again, but this time we sat behind the familiy and invitation rows, 5th row right section.

Although not the front row like the 3PM show, our seat in by no means a bad position. I sat on the right most position so I got free space to do some moves, I got a clear view to the stage because I'm taller than people who sat on invitation section.

The performance:
Like at the 3PM show, Harugon still put too much power on her moves (I wonder if she got energizer battery on her back), but this time all the members on stage also put up more power than before, so harugon did not seem out of place anymore and the show became much more enjoyable.

Kuroi Tenshi
Generally the same very nice performance like on 3PM show

Heart Gatta Virus:
The girls performed much more cohesively this time, and the song was performed at a very likeable level.

Renai Kinshi:
Abe Maria still dominated the song, but the gap is alittle bit narrower this time. Abe Maria's hair play was sexier on the 3PM show.

Tsundere:
I still only see Harugon Anyway Harugon danced even more powerfully than her usual energy level. LOVELY!!!!!

<unknown song>
Nacchi's song REALLY REALLY OWNED the stage !!!!!!!!! GREAT SINGING NACCHI!!!!

Most of the rest of the group songs are performed at a very nice energy level... Chikarina, Miyu, and aamin are the center of the group songs.

Handshake Session
This time I talked in english with all the girls except harugon. Most of them just responded with "Thank you"

- Sakiko
I: " NICE PERFORMANCE, GOOD JOB!!!"
S: "Ohh!! Me too!!!"


- Harugon
I said: "Hi"
harugon: "Again!?" and smiled
I: "Rainen Senbatsu ni Hairuze!", slowly to make sure I said it correctly and she heard it clearly
H: Her face turned bright and smiled even more widely "Hai!! Ganbaru!!!" her left hand formed the ganbate fist, and her right hand keep holding my hands.
We hold hands for a while until the staff pushed me into the next girl's position. Even then, she didn't let go off my hand for another second or so (our sense of time is warped badly when we meet our oshi, really. So it's hard to tell how long something really happened).

- Nacchi:
I: "I miss u in Team K!"
Nacchi: "Oh..."
(suddenly I realized that I said something that made the situation uncomfortable. I'm sure she missed the original Team K, but the right mental attitude was to really put yourself as a member of whatever team you currently are in.)
After a brief silent I said: "Very nice to see you again. Looking forward to see you again next time"
Nacchi: "Ah Haik. I will come again. Thank you very much"

- Oya shizuka
I incorrectly called her "Tanamin" and then I remembered that I just shook tanamin's had a few seconds ago, so I look at her face again and realized that she's Shiichan. So I said: "Oh, Shiichan!!!!", grinned and shook her hand

- Rabutan
Saw the t-shirt again, frowned again, and said: "rabutan desu" and pulled her hand and looked at another direction.
I: "... See you next time"

I wanted to say that always watch NicoNico Creative to Harukyan, but my mind was so full with Harugon, I lost the japanese words I was going to say. So I just said: " Thank you for the performance, See you again"

 

^
the unit you don't know is "Kioku no dilemma".

 

This is what I like to hear.

 

It's not just me

Why can't this happen in Japan.

Fuck you whoever decided we can't have a recording.

Despite the fact that you just called my life a boring office woman, I'm a thousand times more excited to see Maria in the next LOD, whatever it is! Especially with all those Singapore photos floating around, they really proved her beauty.

 

LOL sorry for that I actually cheered a lot for chikachan (that's how she wanted us to call her) during the group songs.

To be fair Chika is a very good performer, I must admit that (event hough there's still some hurt in my heart everytime I see her). Abe Maria, I really didn't expect anything about this girl, but on stage she's really HOT! When I shake her hand, she's back like a timid plain girl, it was like she got 2 different personalities.

My mission on this trip was too see the team 4 members perform live, and they really didn't disappoint! Miyumiyu was the top performer of the 4 team 4 members, and probably also of the 16 girls that came. Abe Maria was hot too, and Paruru was so cute. Ranran didn't manage to catch much of my attention, though, but maybe that's because she was placed on the same unit song as Harugon

I always thought Miyumiyu to be the cute type member, but the way she performed, she's definitely belong to the hot and sexy member type (that made me feel guilty, knowing she's just 15).

Nacchi's voice really really surprised me, the only live performances I saw her before were K4 Shows, and she was given silly song in the set list. They should give her lines in the songs that can really show her beautiful voice.

Harukyan while cuter with her new hair, somehow performed less confidently than the last time I saw her live.

... and Rabutan was just a phenomenon, the way she badly treated the fans that wore other members attribute during the handshake sessions was actually cute she actually REFUSED to shake hands with some fans ROFL!!!!

 

AKB48 Team Kenkyuusei - (10th-12th gen) 6/11/2011

My last full day in Japan and I won Enpou for the noon show at Donki, which allowed me to see pretty much every type of xxx48 performance during the trip. (I guess this would be the equivalent of an AKS 'Hat Trick').

I got up early as I wanted to check in early - though by now I no longer even need to pay attention to the stops/transfers from Shinjuku to Akihabara. It rained a bit the previous night - so I was burdened with an umbrella and a coat. Time to figure out the Theater locker system (which I did not think would take an umbrella).

I got to Donki and headed up to the 8th floor to check-in. Check-in was pretty smooth, though the staff was as confused about my passport as customs had been (This was my third trip to Tokyo in a two month span - I have so many entrance visas it's hard to find the current one). I got my wrist band and ticket. It's the new-style that has the barcode instead of the two halves.



That wasn't the only thing that changed. I noticed that the picture wall was redone since my visit a few weeks earlier. Team 4 is now incorporated with the other teams, and the pictures are more tightly packed (solves the problem of them always getting misaligned). I took some pictures of the 12th gen section - sadly it was before they added Aimi



As expected - no way the umbrella was going to fit into a locker. However, they had racks positioned by the escalator (I had not seen it before - they must only bring them out as needed). I took some additional pictures, including one of me under the sign. Staff had no problem with it - but as usual I can never find someone who knows how to take a picture with an iPhone Still need a really good quality one.



Headed down to the shop before finding a locker. I'm actually running out of things to buy at this point, but I picked up the Team K 2010 Summer Tour DVD and the B5 Stage CD (it's been sold out on previous trips). While I was waiting in line I spotted another foreigner, my first thought was 'Cristafari?' I struck up a conversation and discovered it was actually ToddVanzetti from this forum. [clap] He wasn't there for the show, but we had a great chat. It's so nice to talk to someone about AKB48 and I hope you are able to get your picture under the sign before you go back to the States!

Went back up and dropped off my bags, coat, and pack into a locker. Then tried to figure out where to stand as Enpou. The previous show I was at, all the Super Enpou, Family/Couples, and women were positioned right by the entrance. I don't know if this is a change, but I think the special groups are now assigned a specific range of ticket numbers. I was sent down the hall by the ticket office - but we were scanned and brought in first as usual. While waiting to enter, I saw Saru Obaa-san several going in and out times. I kept looking for tgsk, but I think tgsk was heading elsewhere that weekend.

As mentioned in other posts, the Enpou seats are very nice now. This was only my second time inside the theater, but I could see some changes to the seating. The aisles seemed a bit more open and I don't think the left and right rows go all the way to the pillars of death anymore. There was a family with a young boy and girl in front of me, and another in front of them. I pretty much had an unobstructed view of the stage. It was cool how the staff brought out additional cushions for the kids and made sure they were all set. Though I think the little boy was more interested in me than the show. Throughout the show he kept turning around to stare at me and what I was doing There were no Super Enpou this time (the front row remained empty until the opened up the theater for the rest)

The performing members were primarily 11th and 12th gen, which meant that most of the KKS that I'm familiar with have graduated to Team 4. I focused mainly on Hirari and Erechan during most of the performances, and both were in the 'Stormy Night' unit. Even though there are still somewhat new, the entire performance was pretty tight and there was a ton of energy. I think the news that everyone is eligible for Team 4 promotion is having an effect. I pretty well sang every song too - and since I'm tall, I'm pretty sure they could see me in the back row (especially when the lights were up)

Note: I really didn't notice any drastic lighting changes (they are operating at 50% to conserve energy), thought it's a shame the lifts are also turned off for the same reason.

The MC's were pretty standard - there was discussion of habits and what they liked about the other members. There was another segment on 'whoops' moments. Hirari had an interesting Jet Coaster story where she lost her glasses (and it took a bit to remember the word for roller coaster). Aaya had a funny Febreze/DVD player accident to relate.

The encore featured an Ebikatsu performance (apparently I am never going to get that single out of my head). Sadly many of the KKS aren't as skilled at throwing their paper airplanes yet. I was hoping one would get close to me, but I don't think any made it past the 2nd row

This time I was much more prepared for the high-touch line. I smartly got behind the family - figuring they would slow up the line but not get shoved ahead by the staff. It worked like a charm - I had time to make eye contact and say thanks to everyone. I got many surprised "Thank You's" in return. Hirari was near the end of the line - and I made sure to wish her luck in English. She seemed very happy to see someone from the States. I tried to let her know that it's great when she uses English in her MC (but I was moving past her by then).

It was another great experience, and I'm glad I was finally able to see a KKS performance. It was the perfect end to the perfect trip.

 

^Yay! Thanks for the review! I hope you turn into a SDN fan.

 

AAMIN+MARIA SUMMER VISIT TO SINGAPORE

Btw,went to catch a glimpse (in the end more than that!) of Aamin and Maria Summer visit to Singapore
I didn't went for any of the cafe session because of schedule conflict
But I reached SCAPE around 7pm,and it was 1h into the last session
Snapped quite a couple of stalker pics from outside through the glass panel,but because of my lousy camera zoom,they're still far away




Playing janken with fans,winner gets authographed cd i think,EbiKachu


Maria's turn


Aamin got 2nd round,not Maria though


After the cafe session,the girls came down to the shop.I was already queuing there because of the point card
Initially they said ske concert ticket not entitled to stamp,so I left the queue,then later they said "JUST FOR TODAY!" so I went back the queue [clap]
Minutes later,the girls arrived and pictures time!





Called out to Aamin as she walked closer to me (I was part of the front 6 people queuing)


LOL Maria looking scary [angel]


OK so when the girls entereed the shop,Staff only allow 6 fans into the shop at one time.I was the #6 LUCKY ME!
So when I entered,I just grabbed my Takamini clear file (IDK why,ok she's my oshimen) and proceeded for payment
A guy was already in front of me,he used card so the transaction took quite some time
While waiting,AAMIN AND MARIA WERE JUST IN FRONT,AT THE CASHIER COUNTER!!!!!!! OMFG SO CLOSE


Then it was playing [Zannen Shoujo] so I just danced and sang along and CAMERA-SAN IMMEDIATELY SHIFTED TO FILM ME
Shameless being my nature,I ignored the camera and lived in my own world,continued doing that
Then Aamin did the same thing (she took center for Zannen Shoujo for previous stage,i forgot which vol)
So camera filmed her this time,and later she realized there's a crazy fan girl dancing and singing in front of her (THANK GOD I DID KNOW A FEW OF THE DANCE MOVES!)
AND AAMIN LOOK AT ME AS WE WERE DOING THAT MOVE : hand in that gun pose and bringing it down from the top
She smiled and bowed to me (her smile is so gorgeous REALLY) all I knew at that moment was to smile at her and bow too,it was kinda awkward
coz the camera is filming 2 girls bowing at each other



So finally it was my turn for payment,and I decided to use card (YEAH BABY CASH IS FAST,USE CARDS!)
Maria passed to me the point card first,she bowed and said "hai!"

And again while waiting,I placed the card into my wallet and realized I KEPT ALL THE PAST AKB STAGES TICKETS!
SO I TOOK THEM OUT AND AGAIN! CAMERA-SAN FILMED THAT 5 TICKETS! (thank god that [complimentary] stamp on 3rd stage was covered
I TOLD THE GIRLS "Aamin,Maria MITE KUDASAI" AND AAMIN WENT "SUGOI!!!" with her eyes like about to drop off :satisfied: *camera was filming this whole thing!*
After which Maria responded "Arigato gozaimasu!" and Aamin said it too.And 3 of us were now bowing at each other,lol so humble everyone
Finally Aamin passed me my purchases (SKE ticket and Takamini clear file,lol the girls must be thinking "ahh~~she's Takamini oshi,not us" [notme] :whistling:

So I left the shop with mty whole body feeling hot,like as if it was a dream
Then I realized the girls (idk Maria or Aamin) stamped only once when I purchased $59 (every $20 = 1 stamp),so I went back and ask the MMK maids aka AKb shop staff
She brought the card back and Aamin made the 2nd stamp.IT WAS..................

Aamin's 中途半端に stamp

Literally half-stamp,I LOL-ed. Met some friends who are still queuing,and shared my Aamin anecdote with them.They were sure amused :nervous: Will post a picture of it soon
And I didn't went back to ask for a complete stamp,like such a troublesome fan girl :raspberry:
I went outside of SCAPE and stood at this corner that we can view the girls' BODY WITHOUT THEIR HEAD :drooling: It was like a pervert vision
Snapped pictures from there,I was really like a stalker,moving to different spots like,the carpark,or nearer patch of grass to shoot the girls




Oshimen


Maria stamping the card


The girls finally left the shop at around 8.15pm (originally 8pm) and we had opportunity for FREE HIGH TOUCH!


LOL Aamin is not happy


SO CLOSE!I high touched with both of them!My friend somehow filmed it down [party]


That's my friend's thumb


The girls left SCAPE walked into Mandarin Oriental Hotel and disappeared
My friend and I waited outside for like 1.5h and no traces of them
Some Airport campers left at 11pm when they didn't see the girls appearing

Yeah that was my report