AKB48 to perform [RIVER Surprise Kohaku Remix] for Kohaku

The Kohaku Uta Gassen official website has updated their website with the songs that the artists will be singing. The song that AKB will be singing is titled [RIVER Surprise Kouhaku Remix]. This is probably a medley of RIVER and Namida Surprise. I can understand why they choose these songs. RIVER is their best selling single till date and it is Kohaku's 60th Anniversary so that's they went with the birthday song. I would have preferred it if they did a medley of RIVER and Oogoe or Iiwake though. NamiSapu ain't one of my preferred singles. It's great and all but it's not my type. I can't listen to it more than 5 times in a row without feeling bored. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how they will pull this off and mix the two songs together. The fierceness of RIVER and the GENKIness of NamiSapu.

In other news, there is unconfirmed news that 100+ members of AKB are going to attend the Kouhaku performance. Seriously... they already broke the record for having the most numbers at Kouhaku two years ago. If the source is true then it will be an awesome show. Just uh add lots more reinforcements under the stage XD. All those members stomping to RIVER. Can't wait for it.

(Credits to S48's ossan, Naomi, chou)

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15th single updates: [Enkyorii Poster] and [Choose Me!]

Yesterday evening (Japan time) on BayFM ON8, AKB48 played the songs of Team PB's Enkyorii Poster and Team YJ's Choose Me!.

Team Weekly Playboy - Kashiwagi, Miyazawa, Miyazaki, Oota, Nito, Takajo, Maeda Ami
Team Young Jump - Kasai, Kitahara, Nakagawa, Minegishi, Sashihara, Kuramochi, Kikuchi

Enkyorii Poster aired first. For me, it sounded quite similar to Kimi no Koto ga Suki Dakara. The song wasn't an instant hit for me as Kimi no Koto was though, it was good but I felt it was lacking something. My first thoughts once the song ended was: "That was it?". I mean I was expecting something more. I was a little disappointed.

Then Choose Me! aired. INSTANT HIT. It was kinda of a surprise as we were only informed that only Enkyorii Poster would be played. The song had some 80's feel to it which I liked a lot. It also has this unique feel which I haven't heard in AKB songs for quite some time. I'm pretty much all Choose Me! right now and the song is in currently on infinite loop mode on my playlist. Definitely gonna get the Type B now.
    

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AKB4800: Round TWO START

Verbatim has updated their AKB4800 website. So now we can't download any pictures from it any more. This time, we have a brand new game. All 4800 pictures are lined up in a circle and there is a rainbow coloured "Tadaima no Atari" indicator. What you have to do is click on a spot on the circle. It will then zooooom in onto the picture you have chosen and a box will appear. You can still change your choice of picture by pressing the left and right arrow key on your keyboard. (Note: All pictures are the same as in Round ONE). Once you have decided on your picture, enter your email in the box. (Note: Only one email per picture. Multiple emails should be fine). You will then receive a confirmation email from "akb4800@verbatim.jp". Click the link on the email and you will be taken back to the website, and you will see the "Tadaima no Atari" indicator move to the next picture. Everytime an email gets registered on the website the indicator will move. (Note: You will not receive any pictures). This will continue until December 24 2009 (09/12/24) at 24:00 and at that time the indicator will stop. You will have to guess which picture the indicator points to at that exact time. There will be a total of 480 winners and they will stand to win Verbatim items signed by the members. Note: Prizes are probably for those in Japan only I suppose. Not completely sure about that.

Here is the website link again: http://www.verbatim.jp/akb4800/

(Credits to S48's Criss, Whiteyuri, GoGo's HPMS)

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More movements in SKE

SKE Kenkyuusei Yanase Aiko has been fired from the group on 9 December 2009 (09/12/09). Also, Yamashita Moe from Team KII will be graduating from SKE48 25 December 2009 (09/12/25).

No reason has been given for Yanase Aiko bering fired. I hope it isn't because of someting stupid such as taking a purikura with a wota like what Nanami Nishikawa from AKB Kenkyuusei did a couple of months ago. I don't know anything about SKE Kenkyuuseis so I'll just leave it like this.

Yamashita Moe will be graduating on SKE's Christmas Concert which lies on Christmas day. The Neko Musume says the she can't realise her dream in SKE48 and will be continuing with her studies. She added that she now wants to be a graphic designer. I (again) don't know much about her. I've seen her performance in Ame no Pianist during the NHK Hall concert 2009 and she is a good performer and has good vocals. I've also seen her in the SKE Gakuen videos and the girl is extremely cute. It would be sad to have such a talented girl leave the group. For more information of Yamashita, please head to Hina's blog. She knows SKE much more than I do.

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15th single updates: Setlist and possible costumes

Super late update. So it seems that the two different versions for the single are promotions for the Team Playboy (PB) vs Team Young Jump (YJ) project that had been going on since RIVER.

Team Weekly Playboy - Kashiwagi, Miyazawa, Miyazaki, Oota, Nito, Takajo, Maeda Ami
Team Young Jump - Kasai, Kitahara, Nakagawa, Minegishi, Sashihara, Kuramochi, Kikuchi

The disk's setlist has also been announced.

Type A
DISC1 (CD)
01: Untitled
02: Majisuka Rock 'n' Roll
03: Enkyorii Poster (Team PB)

DISC2 (DVD)
01: Untitled (music clip)
02: Majisuka Rock 'n' Roll (music clip)
03: Enkyorii Poster (music clip)(Team PB)

Type B
DISC1 (CD)
01: Untitled
02: Majisuka Rock 'n' Roll
03: Choose me! (Team YJ)

DISC2 (DVD)
01: Untitled (music clip)
02: Majisuka Rock 'n' Roll (music clip)
03: Enkyorii Poster! (music clip)(Team YJ)

This single will have three songs and each song will have its own PV, for a total of 4 PVs (Type A, Type B, team PB, Team YJ). There will be no making of in either Type A or Type B. The first song and the second song will be the same for both types. The third song on Type A will be sung by the PB girls while the one on Type B will be sung by the YJ girls. Which means that the only difference between Type A and Type B is the cover, the 3rd song and it's PV.

The first song has been confirmed to be a graduation song. With the release date on Feb, this is just in time for the graduation period in Japan (Mar). Also, as you probably have guessed by now, the second song Majisuka Rock 'n' Roll will be used for the opening song of AKB's new drama Majisuka Gakuen.

Now for some strange news. One of AKB's many stalkers has took this picture of them when they were filming for something.

WTH? I'm fine with the Kimonos but what are those wings for?
Coincidentally, the date when the picture was taken falls on the same date which AKB filmed the PV (25 Nov). There's only two possibilities. That there will be a drama again, or that those kimonos are their actual dance costumes. Of course there is the possibility that they are filming for some TV show but with the date so coincidental, it's more possible for that it's related to the single.


Choose Me! will be performed on AKBINGO! 23 December 2009 (09/12/23) by the YJ girls. More information about the single may be announced at the RIVER handshake event at Osaka this weekend.

(Credits to S48's Armitage, Mihipyon, Jasey)

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Drama updates: The cast and their . . . nicknames.

The roles that the girls will be portraying in the drama have been announced. And so have their character's names. Their names have lots of references which some of you might not have even heard of. Prepare for massive LOLing.

MAIN
Maeda Atsuko - Maeda Atsuko (Transfers to the school and into 2C)
Transfer student? Wearing glasses? Hmmm reminds me of Mei-chan no Shitsuji where the transfer student changes all the bad girls into good. Well they aren't bad in Mei-chan but you get the point. I'm not sure if 2C is the only class in the school that the girls will be occupying. Also Maeda seems to have some kind of past (look at Minami).
Yuko-senpai - Oshima Yuko (Leader of the strongest gang / wind instruments club "Rappappa")
Leader of strongest gang. So maybe she is like the main boss? Not the final boss but the main boss. She is also the leader of the wind instruments club "Rappappa". I'm guessing the club IS the gang. And WTH is rappappa. After intense Googling, the closest I connection I have found is a trumpet.
Sado - Shinoda Mariko (Subleader of Rappappa, manages the top 4)
Sado = Short for sadist. A sadist eh? Not sure which type of sadist they are refering to. There is the normal sadistic personality and the S&M sadist. Nevertheless this would be awesome. Also judging frm her fur coat, she is more of the rich yankee type.
Torigoya - Kojima Haruna (One of the top 4 in Rappappa, loves chickens)
Torigoya = Aviary/Henhouse. Loves chickens.... Alive or cooked? Well judging from her name she likes them alive. That could mean she is a possible enemy with Onizuka Daruma (Nachu).

RAPPAPPA CLUB TOP 4 (Torigoya above)
Shibuya - Itano Tomomi (One of the top 4 in Rappappa, gal)
Shibuya = One of the fashion centers of Japan. Tomochin is also the image girl for Shibuya 109. . Also gal refers to gyaru
Black - Kashiwagi Yuki (One of the top 4 in Rappappa, single mother)
The name Black could have came from an old AKBINGO episode on 22 April. Kitarie called Yukirin a 'Black Marimokkori'. Also Black being a single mother is going to be interesting. Maybe her past boyfriend/husband will be coming back to haunt her or something.
Gekikara - Matsui Rena (One of the top 4 in Rappappa, absent due to being sent to reform school)
Gekikara = Extremely hot. Rena is known to be the gekikara ace in the Shukan AKB spicy food challenge. Gekikara has also been sent to reform school. I'm assuming she assulted and maybe even killed soemone? Definitely violent. Even her face shows it.

SHIBUYA'S UNDERLINGS
Dance - Yagami Kumi
Kuumin has stated that her special talent is dancing hip-hop.
Anime - Nakaya Sayaka
Anime refers to Nakayan being really in to anime, she also wants to be a seiyuu and idolizes Nana Mizuki.
Jumbo - Tanabe Miku
Jumbo is another nickname that Tanamin has.
Rice - Yonezawa Rumi
Yonechan's last name in Japanese is 米沢, and 米 means 'rice'.
Showa - Katayama Haruka
Haachan loves the Showa era of Japan. Not sure if its the first or the second

TEAM HORMONE (A yankee group that chats in 2C while eating hormones)
Wota - Sashihara Rino (Leader)
Sasshi is well know for her wotagei performances in AKBINGO and has also performed them in front of a live audience of 450 people.
Unagi - Kitahara Rie
Unagi = eel. This could also a reference to an old AKBINGO episode on 22 April when Kashiwagi called Kitahara a 'Unagi-inu'(eel-dog).
Akicha - Takajo Aki
Takajo Aki's nickname.
Bungy - Nito Moeno
She was the fastest to complete the bungee challenge in the Shukan AKB episode. Yeah I'm aware that that is Bungee not Bungy.
Mukuchi - Komori Mika
Mukuchi = reticence or taciturnity (which means silent). Refers to Komorin being silent all the time.

OTHERS
Kabuki Sisters - Kasai Tomomi & Kuramochi Asuka
Kabuki = A type of Japanese performance. The makeup they have on resembles those used for Kabuki.
Nezumijo - Watanabe Mayu
Nezumijo = Mouse girl. Not sure what this means though.
Choukoku - Akimoto Sayaka
Choukoku = Could mean 'sculpt', 'engrave', or 'carve'. Probably related to the fact that Sayaka mentioned that her face is sharp like a chisel (Music Station Iiwake Maybe appearance).
Sansho Sisters - Oota Aika, Oku Manami, Miyazaki Miho (Small, but together they're strong)
Sansho = Japanese pepper. There is a saying that "Even a small bit of sansho is burning hot", which basically means that even someone who is small is someone you might not want to mess with. Hence the note next to it, "Small, but together they're strong". Judging from their clothing, they are also probably the rich yankee type.
Gakuran - Miyazawa Sae
Gakuran = Japanese male winter uniform. Sae could be a tomboy character.
Nekketsu Seito Kaicho  - Minegishi Minami
Nekketsu Seito Kaicho = Hot Blooded Student President.
Matsui - Matsui Jurina
Jurina's surname...
Erena - Ono Erena
..... I don't even need to tell you.
Minami - Takahashi Minami (Involved in Maeda's past)
..... Seriously...... Other than that, she is involved in Maeda's past in some way. Childhood friend? Previous classmate? The girl who stole Maeda's boyfriend? Me likes.
Onizuka Daruma - Nachu (A yankee that eats chicken wings when she wins)
Possible enemy of Torigoya (Kojima Haruna)?

(BIG credits to S48's mihipyon, ossan, GoGo's Hana, hina, SaeYaka)

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The Great Kenkyuusei Battle (Dec 2009)

On 30 November 2009, AKB48 management did another Kenkyuusei selection for the 8th gen Kenkyuuseis. The purpose was to filter those girls who have not improved much since they joined from those girls who did improve enough to join a Team. The results were a total massacre and only 3 girls remained standing out of the 13 who once stood. The remaining 10 girls were sent packing.

THE RESULTS
IN: Imai Yurie, Ueki Asaki, Sano Yuriko
OUT: Ishii Ayaka, Ishibe Aya, Kaku Grace, Komizu Nanami, Sakamoto Rio, Tomite Ami, Miki Nicole, Muranaka Satomi, Sugiyama Miku

I haven't seen any LoDs of Kenkyuusei performances yet, only as replacements in the Team LODs. So I can't say much about the 8th gen Kenkyuuseis. But for those who have, it seems that a couple of fan favourites were eleminated and well... The fans aren't happy thats for sure. What confuses me is that why wasn't this done earlier? Or why can't they release the 2010 weekly calendar after they did the auditions? Those girls who were fired got pages in the weekly calendar. Now because of the auditions, those pictures will just bring sad memories to their fans.

Also, AKB official site has updated their Kenkyuusei list with the new 9th gen Kenkyuusei.

Uh..... Those are really bad photos. Really really bad. But then, so are 70% of the profile pictures on the official blog. I wonder when will they finally update the profile pics with the new costumes. I hope they look better when they finally debut and we get to see pictures and videos of them. It has been said that these girls have already been in the show business for some time already so they should have the experience and knowledge to survive in the idol world.

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[Kisu no Ryuusei] 1st week sales

Kisu no Ryuusei sold 20,174 copies on the 1st week and ranked on the weekly chart at #8. This is quite good sales for a subunit. Especially since it was released in a bad week. Could this be because of the shockwave of RIVER or has a subunit finally clicked with the general population. Or it also could be with the different music style compared to their previous singles [Relax!] and [Tane]. Kisu no Ryusei seems more mature compared to the genki Relax and Tane.

I wanted post the video of their debut performance here but unfortunately all Kisu no Ryuusei videos have been deleted from YouTube. Damn AKS is going on a deleting rampage.

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