French Kiss will be releasing their 2nd Single on 19 January 2011. Titled [If], the song will be used as the theme song for the Anime OVA [Kyo, Koi wo Hajimemasu]. As with their Debut Single Zutto Mae Kara, the Single will include a special Drama Clip featuring the 3 members of French Kiss, as well as a new Digital Manga of Kyo, Koi wo Hajimemasu featuring the members voice acting parts of the manga.
Just like their previous Single, If will have a total of 3 Types: Type A, Type B and Type C. There are a total of 3 coupling songs, one on each Type. The song titles have not been released yet. Type A and Type B are CD + DVD, while Type C is a CD only version. Type A will include the Drama Clip and Type B will have the Digital Comic
The final part of this 3 part series documenting my AKB48 experience at the recent AKB48 'live' in AFA X. Part 3 will cover the post event activities and the review.
STGCC has announced the member list earlier this evening.
It's legend- waitforit -ary!
So because I'm busy, I gave you a screenshot of it. >_>
Quick summary of the member list:
- It's Chance no Junban senbatsu without the girls who overlap into Beginner senbatsu.
- I'm surprised they really sent the Junban senbatsu because the release date is close with the STGCC date, thought they'd have promoting to do...
- No Beginner senbatsu, but expected because those girls are scheduled for handshake sessions in Japan on 11 and 12th, making it impossible for them to come here.
- Which means no Rie once again, but I was prepared for it this time.
- NO WONDER they put "12-16 girls" on the event info before the member list was confirmed...it makes sense, probably they had no idea if the four Beginner senbatsu girls who overlapped with Junban (aka Maeda Atsuko, Kasai Tomomi, Kojima Haruna and Takajo Aki) could make it.
Further information on the schedule as given by STGCC on their website(UPDATES IN BOLD):
AKB48's Appearance at STGCC2010 1) Appearance at main stage of STGCC exhibition, Hall 401-402
Date: 10 Dec 2010, Friday, 1600hrs
Admission: Open to all STGCC day (Fri) and 3-day ticket holders 2) "Scissors-Paper-Stone" Meet the Fans Session – celebrating new song release
Date: 11 Dec 2010, Saturday, 1900hrs, Suntec theatre, Level 3
Admission: Open to AKB48 ticket holders (inclusive of 1 day access to STGCC on 11 Dec 2010)
In line with AKB48's new song release on 8 December 2010 in Japan, AKB48 will meet the fans in a special closed-door session. Fans will have the opportunity to listen to their latest songs, play games with the girls and win autographed CDs.
As a special tribute to STGCC and AKB fans, tickets are available at a special price of only S$30 per person (GST applies)! Ticket includes access to all STGCC programmes and exhibition on Saturday as well! Unbelievable, isn't it?
Admission: Ticketing is now open at www.singaporetgcc.com/stgcc-ticket-registration
Limited seats available!
Queuing for the AKB48 Meet the Fans Session will only begin from 3.00pm, 11 December 2010, at Gallery East (next to the theatre itself).
That last line is especially important. Since we don't have seat arrangement in our tickets or whatever, the seating is gonna be free for all. Expect long queues again!
Kohaku Uta Gassen is an annual music show broadcasted by NHK that airs on New Years Eve. It is the biggest and highest rated music event of the year where famous artists are invited to perform. The title of the show literally translates into "Red and White Song Battle" and as the title suggests, participating artists are separated into Red Team (Aka-gumi) and White Team (Shiro-gumi) and they will compete against each other. The Red Team is composed of female artists and the White Team is composed of male artists (in a mixed group the lead vocalist will determine their Team). Kohaku attendance is strictly by invite and only the most popular artists are invited.
NHK revealed the participants for the 61st Kohaku Uta Gassen 2 days ago. As expected AKB48 has been invited once again to the show, bringing their attendance count up to 3. AKB48 made their first appearance on the 58th Kohaku Uta Gassen in 2008 where they sang Aitakatta and Nantetatte Idol together with artists Shokotan and Leah Dizon. They were absent on the 59th Kohaku Uta Gassen the subsequent year, but were invited again in 2010 to the 60th Kohaku Uta Gassen to sing [RIVER Surprise Kohaku Remix], a medley of RIVER and Namida Surprise.
Part 2 of the 3 part series documenting my AKB48 experience at the recent AKB48 'live' in AFA X. Part 2 will cover the Cool Japan Forum and the AKB48 Concert.
I'm going to post the concert setlist before the jump for easier reference
00. Overture
01. RIVER
02. Oogoe Diamond
03. Aitakatta
Introduction MC
04. Pajama Drive (Nakagawa, Watanabe, Katayama)
05. Candy (Komori, Kasai, Sato A)
06. Kimi wa Pegasus (Akimoto, Sato N, Miyazawa, Iwasa)
MC
07. 10nen Zakura
08. Iiwake Maybe
09. Hikoukigumo
MC
10. Heavy Rotation
ENCORE
11. Beginner
12. Ponytail to Shushu
Updated 5 December: Setlists added Updated 27 November: Covers added and some tracks confirmed Updated 23 September: Kimishika has been added to tracklist Updated 17 September: Release date confirmed.
Covers
Top L-R: Version A, B, C Bottom L-R: Limited CD+DVD, Regular CD-only edition
The title of the album is "No Sleeves". No surprise there. Their first 4 singles' title tracks Relax!, Tane, Kiss no Ryuuseiand Lie will be on the album, as well as remix versions of no3b's Mendol drama songs Christmas Present and 3seconds.
There will also be a surprise inclusion of Team A stage songs Junai no Crescendoand Bye Bye Bye on the album. These are stage songs that the 3 of them did together, so unlike the French Kiss single's coupling songs, no3b is the exact original singers here.
no3b will also have their own version of Heart Gata Virus.
No Sleeves 1st Album Release date: 2011/01/01 Versions: ￥3,059 - Regular CD ￥3,900 - Limited CD+DVD ￥4,800 - Limited Complete Edition CD ver A, B, C (All editions have bonus photo.)
Hello everyone. This is the first of 3 parts of my AKB48 experience post in Singapore at the recent AKB48 'live' in AFA X. Part 1 will cover the pre concert activities which include Ticket Collection and Arrival. Part 2 will cover the Cool Japan Forum and the AKB48 Concert. And finally part 3 will consist of their departure and final review. Sorry that this took a really long time, I am still having AKB depression and can't write a full post without feeling depressed again.
Hihi I'm back. Been having post AKB depression since after they left on Friday. That's the reason for the lack of updates. Really sorry about that, Will write about the experience in a later post. Now on to more pressing matters: SKE48's 4th Single [1!2!3!4! Yoroshiku!], which releases tomorrow.
Some minor changes about SKE48's newest Single, the name has been changed from [1,2,3,4, Yoroshiku!] to [1!2!3!4! Yoroshiku!]. Unfortunately the name change was a tad late and some websites still use the old name though so make sure that if your searching for it use both the new and old names. That's all for the changes.
The next updates are the PVs. Now the full PVs have already been released some time ago. However, MELOS no Michi will be following a new set of rules now to comply with AKB48 (and SKE48 too for that matter) management. I will tell you more on that later. But for now I'll just tell you that they have direct links to my blog. I am allowed to link the previews however, so that is what I'll do.
First up, the A-Side of this Single, 1!2!3!4! Yoroshiku. Well what can I say? Theres a load of extras. And I mean A LOAD OF THEM. Did they break Watarirouka Hashiritai's record of 300 extras in AkKanbe Bashi? I think they did, because I can roughly count like 600+ extras here. There's salsa dancers, cowgirls, men in suits and even a Santa Claus (or two). However it is a tad too messy for my taste. The song itself is your normal catchy idol pop, even more so compared to all their earlier Singles. It's catchy and keeps playing in your head after a while, but I think I still prefer Aozora Kataomoi to this.
Second is the common B-side song in all 3 types, TWO ROSES sung by SKE48's W Matsui. They are Team Kinect and will be promoting XBox's Kinect system. TWO ROSES is also being used as the CM song for Kinect CMs. The PV for TWO ROSES is....... what's the best way to say this. I would say a fashion show. The first time I watched it, I was too shocked to say anything. Like "what the hell is this I am watching". Then I watched it again and "OMG THIS IS SO AMAZING". Some people have mentioned that TWO ROSES reminds them of WINK, and I have to say OMG THAT'S SO TRUE! And I'm a big fan of WINK.
Then there's the White Team with Cosmos no Kioku in Type A, and the Red Team with Seishun wa Hazukashiiin Type B. I don't have much to say about Cosmos no Kioku, it's a nice idoly song with a nice sounding chorus and a fine PV but it's just......meh. I don't see anything special about it. Seishun wa Hazukashii however is my favorite song and PV of this Single. Yes it is also a nice idoly song with a nice sound chorus and a fine PV too. But I like the tune for this more. I also love the talking in between the lines (even though I didn't really like it in 1!2!3!4! Yoroshiku). Sometimes I don't even understand it myself.
Amid the excitement for this Friday's AKB48 Live at AFA X, come more updates for AKB48's special appearance at the Singapore Toy, Games and Comic Convention (STGCC) in December.
Here are the updates:
1) Appearance at main stage of STGCC exhibition, Hall 401-402 Date: 10 Dec 2010, Friday, 1600hrs Admission: Open to all STGCC day (Sat) and 3-day ticket holders
2) “Scissors-Paper-Stone” Meet the Fans Session – celebrating new song release Date: 11 Dec 2010, Saturday, 1900hrs, Suntec auditorium, Level 2 Admission: Open to AKB48 ticket holders (inclusive of 1 day access to STGCC on 11 Dec 2010)
In line with AKB48’s new song release on 8 December 2010 in Japan, AKB48 will meet the fans in a special closed-door session. Fans will have the opportunity to listen to their latest songs, play games with the girls and win copies of their latest album.
As a special tribute to STGCC and AKB fans, tickets are available at a special price of only S$30 per person (GST applies)! Ticket includes access to all STGCC programmes and exhibition on Saturday as well! Unbelievable, isn’t it?
Enjoy an unforgettable evening with the girls. Programme (duration of about 1.5hrs) includes the following: - Exciting performances of 8 to 10 songs by the girls. - Sneak peek of AKB48 video – selection process for the new song - Play games with AKB48, lucky fans will win autographed CDs of their latest album - Hand-shake with the girls
Overall, the program planned for STGCC sounds very exciting and there's a variety of things the girls do instead of just performances. So what STGCC offers will be more interaction with the girls.
From the writeup, it kind of looks like they might send the entire Janken senbatsu here (which is not a bad thing because there's Nyan xD), but the date is quite close to the single's release and they most probably have promoting to do in Japan.
The ticket price seems extremely reasonable, and other than AKB you'll get access to the convention itself, which is a steal. I hope I can make it for this one, and that the "limited seats" aren't too limited. >__>
I noticed it said "lucky fans will win autographed CDs of their latest album" instead of single. It is most likely an oversight on the writer's part though.
By the way, here is AKB48 Theater manager Togasaki's official blog post about AKB at AFA X, Macau, Moscow, and STGCC.
I'm sure most of you here remember the the announcement to choose the Senbatsu members for AKB48's 19th Single through a Janken Tournament. I'm sure most of you remember the outcome of it too. Doesn't seem that long ago when we were raeging on how our Oshimens didn't make it to Senbatsu. With the 18th Single Beginner successfully released about two weeks ago, it's time to shift our focus to the 19th Single. Fittingly titled [Chance no Junban] ((My) Turn by Chance), lets see how Ucchi will fare as the new Center of AKB.
Chance no Junban will be released on 8 December, only one and a half months after Beginner. For the first time ever, the Single versions will be Team based. There will be a total of 4 types: Type A, Type K, Type B, and Theater ver. Also for the first time ever for an AKB48 Single, the Theater ver. will have its own track separate from the normal vers.
The A side song Chance no Junban will be used as the theme song for AKB48's upcoming PSP game AKB 1/48 Idol to Koishitara... to be released on 23 December. Track 2 Yoyaku Shita Christmas will feature the regular Senbatsu girls before the Janken Tournament. That means Acchan, Yuko, Mariko, Tomochin, Mayuyu, Takamina and co. The song is currently being used for the Seven Eleven Christmas Campaign CM, which AKB48 is part of.
The 3rd Track for all 4 types will have their own song. Type A will have Kurumi to Dialogue sung by Team A, Type K will have ALIVE sung by Team K, Type B will have Love Jump sung by Team B, and finally Theater ver. will have Fruits Snow sung by the AKB48 Kenkyuuseis.
This is also the first AKB48 Single since Baby! Baby! Baby! that does not have any SKE48 members.
Since this news has been out for some time already, most probably have made their own predictions about units and such(including Melos who wrote his predictions in stage48 forums). Personally, I'm just gonna not expect anything so that I can be pleasantly surprised.
FRIENDLY REMINDER! AKB48 LIVE AT AFA X
12 November, Friday, 7PM(doors open at 6.30PM)
Suntec Convention Hall 402
A guide I made for people who want to learn how to wotagei, in preparation for the upcoming AKB48 'live' at AFA X in 2 weeks! By no means is it compulsory for you to learn it. This is a guide for those who want to learn it.
1.1 - What are Wotas?
WOTA (ヲタ), pronounced as OO-TA, are fans of Japanese Female Idols. The name originated from the word OTAKU, which are fans of anime and manga. WOTA was once known as 'Idol Otaku', but to differentiate themselves from the normal Otaku they changed the name slightly to 'Wota'.
1.2 - What is Wotagei?
If you watch an idol concert, be it AKB48, Hello!Project, Tokyo Girls Style etc etc, you would have probably noticed some form of cheering or dancing from the audience. That is Wotagei. Wotagei (ヲタ芸) refers to a type of dancing and cheering gestures performed by Wota. These involve jumping, clapping, arm-waving and chanting (not the type of chanting by priests or monks though). There are more extreme forms of Wotagei, but luckily for you Wotageis for AKB48 are limited to chants, cheers and hand movements.
1.3 - Why Wotagei?
In Japan, the concerts are very different from those in the west. Audience participation is just as important as the singer/band/group performing. It's the same reason why you don't see the "sea of lightsticks" in western concerts, but they are a staple in Japanese concerts and events. And the Idols and Wotas take audience participation to a whole new level with Wotagei. It adds to the atmosphere of the concert.
2.0 - The MIX
The MIX are those chants you hear being shouted by the Wotas in lots of AKB songs. They are always shouted during the instrumental parts of the song and never overlap with the girl's singing. MIXes are only shouted in upbeat songs, so you don't shut them during a ballad or slow song. There are many newer variations but these 3 are the main and most important ones. You can hear all 3 mixes in The Overture MIX video.
MIX 1: Yosh iku zoh!!! Tiger, Fire, Cyber, Fiber, Diver, Viber, Jya Jya!!!
The first MIX is used for almost all of AKB48 songs (except the slow ones of course), and is mostly shouted at the beginning of the song. MIX 1 ends just before the members start singing. You can hear it here.
MIX 2: Moh iccho iku zoh!!! Torah, Hii, Jinzou, Sen-ii, Ama, Shindou, Kasentobijokyo!!!
MIX 2 is used in the 2nd instrumental in the middle of the song. The only exception is in Ponytail to Shushu where you shout MIX 1 and 2 in the first instrumental, but you still shout the 2nd MIX in the 2nd instrumental. It is never used by it's own and is always after MIX 1.
MIX 3: Moh iccho iku zoh!!! Chape, Ape, Kara, Kira, Rara, Tusuke, Myahottusuke!!!
The third MIX isn't used much, but is still important. The reason why it isn't used much is because it is only shouted during the 3rd instrumental of a song, or in a song with a long 2nd instrumental, and few songs have those. Songs with MIX 3 include: Beginner, Ponytail to Shushu, Kimi no Koto ga Suki Dakara, Wagamama na Nagareboshi, Shonichi, Kodoku na Runner
3.0 - Name calls
Pretty simple but is one of the most important parts of wotagei. All you gotta do is shout out the name or nickname of the member you support during her solo or duet line. The reason why I said "name or nickname" is because for some members you don't shout the nickname but the name of the member instead. For example, Maeda Atsuko's name call is "ACCHAN!", but for Takahashi Minami, it's "MINAMI!". This is used for members with nicknames consisting of 4 or more syllables.
4.0 - Calls
In some songs you shout out certain stuff at certain points of time. Some examples:
Skirt Hirari: "sekai de ichiban suki na no" at the same time the girls sing it. Oogoe Diamond: "suki!!" together with the girls when they sing it (sukitte kotoba wa saikou sa). RIVER: "Got it!", "RIVER!!!!" and the whole chant in the beginning together with the girls. 10nen Zakura & Seifuku ga Jama wo Suru: at the start you shout "OGS". Lots of people make the mistake and shout "fourty-eight", this is wrong. Kimi no Koto ga Suki Dakara: "daisuki" and "yoroshiku" same time as when the girls sing it. Namida Surprise: "3, 2, 1, GO!" same time as when the girls sing it. Heavy Rotation: "I want you, I need you, I love you" etc. after they sing it.
4.1 - Other shouting stuff
Just the normal "HAI! HAI! HAI!", "HEY! HEY! HEY!", "ooooOOOO Hai!" and "SORE SORE SORE" stuff
5.0 - Hand MovementsS
This one is a little tricky. There are 3 main movements for this.
Furicopi: For this, you just copy the member's hand movements. Kecha: This is the tricky one. Generally the movement is both hands sweeping upwards towards your oshimen. HERE IS A EXAMPLE. Usually done when the song slows down. Lightstick movement: You guys should know this. Just wake your lightsticks according to the beat.
800k barrier broken! And in only 1 week! Compare this with Heavy Rotation's 1st week value of 527,336, Holy shiet it went up by 300k! This is an truly an amazing feat! AKB is on a roll.
Beginner is the third AKB48 Single to sell more than 500k in it's opening week, making them the first female artist to have 3 consecutive Singles to do so. The previous record of 2 consecutive Singles was jointly held by Utada Hikaru, Ayumi Hamasaki and AKB48 themselves.
Beginner is now the highest selling Single of 2010 (so far), and the highest selling Single of this century. It also holds the record for the highest first week sales for a Single for a female group, beating the previous record held by SPEED's "ALL MY TRUE LOVE" (released Oct 1999). However it falls short of achieving the same for the female artists category, taking 3rd position instead. Beginner was just 1k short of the 2nd position, which goes to Amuro Namie's "Can You Celebrate?" (released Feb 1997). And the record holder is Utada Hikaru's "Addicted to You" (released Nov 1999), with sales of 1,068,000 on its first week. But, it does hold that record for this century.
Beginner is ranked 9th in the Top 10 All Time Best Selling CD Sales. Yes I probably have said this too may times already but who cares. AKB is on a roll.
Oh and look whose having handshake events at this location. 50,000 seater Stadium baby!
Will the 19th Single manage to top this record? I have no idea. Honestly, I doubt that it will. Maybe in the next Senbatsu Election or something. But let's see what AKB decides to pull for that Single.
