Iwasa Misaki Tops Oricon Weekly Ranking

AKB48's Iwasa Misaki released her 3rd solo single [Tomonoura Bojou] on January 8th and managed a first in her career: she ranked number one on the Oricon Weekly Charts. 1st week sales are 11,928 copies.

This is the first number one single by an enka singer in 4 years and 5 months and the first number one in 27 years and 7 months by an enka singer in her teens. Despite that, sales went down compared to her previous single [Moshimo Watashi ga Sora ni Sundeitara] which sold 18,929 copies in its first week.

Sales aren't that high, but Number One is Number One. So congrats to Wasamin. Good to see her enka career going on.

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48Groups Dominate the Oricon Yearly Charts Again

Oricon has released its yearly ranking and once again AKB48 took the top spots. The year's best selling single is [Sayonara Crawl] followed by the other three AKB48 singles released this year before the release of the ranking ([Suzukake Nanchara] was released too late to be counted in). [Eien Pressure], already released last year, also makes an appearance on #48.

The sister groups also have good ranks with SKE48 taking #7, #8 and #11 and NMB48 on #9 and #12. HKT48 did not make the Top 20 but took #23 and #24. A few solo/unit singles also made it to the Top100.

Official rival Nogizaka46 did nicely as well, with their singles ranking on #13, #14, #21 and #22.

In the yearly album ranking, NMB48 took the 5th spot with their first album [Teppen Tottande].

 48/46-related ranks in the 2013 Oricon Yearly Charts
Singles
#01 Sayonara Crawl-AKB48
#02 Koisuru Fortune Cookie-AKB48
#03 Heart Ereki-AKB48
#04 So long!-AKB48

#07 Choco no Dorei-SKE48
#08 Utsukushii Inazuma-SKE48
#09 Bokura no Eureka-NMB48

#11 Sansei Kawaii!-SKE48
#12 Kamonegix-NMB48
#13 Girl's Rule-Nogizaka46
#14 Barrette-Nogizaka46

#21 Seifuku no Mannequin-Nogizaka46
#22 Kimi no Na wa Kibou-Nogizaka46
#23 Melon Juice-HKT48
#24 Suki!Suki!Skip!-HKT48

#48 Eien Pressure-AKB48

#50 Hirihiri no Hana-Not yet
#51 Shortcake-Kashiwagi Yuki

#69 Jane Doe-Takahashi Minami

#85 Rappa Renshuuchuu-Watanabe Mayu

#89 Timemachine Nante Iranai-Maeda Atsuko

#93 Kirigirisu Jin-No Sleeves

#96 Birthday Wedding-Kashiwagi Yuki

Albums
#05 Teppen Tottande-NMB48

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Kashiwagi Yuki 3rd Solo Live Setlist

Kashiwagi Yuki held her 3rd solo live, titled [Netemo Sametemo Yukirin World ~Motto Muchu ni Sasechauzo~] at Yokohama Arena on the 7th November 2013. For this concert, 10,000 fans saw Yukirin perform 21 songs drawn from her solo songs and the AKB48 back catalogue. The first encore saw French Kiss perform their 5 singles, ending a 70 day countdown which had been held on the groups website. However, no other announcement was made regarding the group.

Full setlist below:

M01. Birthday Wedding
M02. Seigi no Mikata Ja Nai Hero
M03. Flying Get
M04. Give Me Five!
---MC1---
M05. Romance Kenjuu
M06. Kuchi Utsushi no Chocolate
M07. Namida ni Shizumu Taiyou
---MC2---
M08. Rainy Day (Yukirin played the guitar)
M09. Shortcake
M10. Chinmoku
M11. Kazanbai
M12. Anata to Watashi
M13. Demo ne Zutto
M14. Ashita mo Waraou
M15. Skirt, Hirari
---MC3---
M16. Gingham Check
M17. Juuryoku Sympathy
M18. Kimi no Koto ga Suki Dakara (Yukirin played guitar for the intro)
M19. Yokaze no Shiwaza
---ENCORE---
EN1. If (French Kiss)
EN2. Kakkowarui I Love You (French Kiss)
EN3. Saisho no Mail (French Kiss)
EN4. Romance Privacy (French Kiss)
EN5. Zutto Mae Kara (French Kiss)
---DOUBLE ENCORE---
EN6. Heart Ereki
EN7. Enkyori Poster

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Kashiwagi Yuki's 2nd Single [Birthday Wedding] Covers

Recently it was announced that Kashiwagi Yuki will release a 2nd solo single and now the title and covers have been revealed. The single is called [Birthday Wedding]. It will be released on October 16th, about 8 months after Yukirin's 1st single [Shortcake].


The six covers show Yukirin in different wedding outfits, appropriate to the title. Check them out below!

TYPE A (Limited) cover, Type A (Regular) cover


TYPE B (Limited) cover, TYPE B (Regular) cover


TYPE C (Limited) cover, TYPE C (Regular) cover

Yukirin looks absolutely beautiful on all covers and I do like the regular version covers because of their simple elegance, especially Type C regular. But I don't like the limited version covers, they look as if not much effort has been put into them. What do you say? Which is your favourite cover?

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Watanabe Mayu [Rappa Renshuuchuu] Release Solo Live in Nagoya Setlists

To commemorate the release of her 4th single [Rappa Renshuuchuu], Watanabe Mayu is holding four solo live events entitled [Mayu's Restaurant Zenkyoku Full Course wo Meshiagare]. Over the course of these four shows she will perform all 24 of her solo songs.

The first two shows were held on 1st September 2013 in Nagoya to 1300 people per show, and the second two will be held on 16th September 2013 in Omiya, Saitama to 2500 people per show.

Nagoya Show 1
Nagoya University Bunri Culture Forum <Inazawa city center>
1st September 2013: 14:00

1. Rappa Renshuuchuu
2. Kisu no Sonar-on
3. Hikaru Monotachi
4. Mayuyuroido
(Costume change: pink yukata)
5. Cousin
6. Shinjuku Yuutousei
7. Saisho no Jack
EN1. Synchro Tokimeki

Nagoya Show 2
Nagoya University Bunri Culture Forum <Inazawa city center>
1st September 2013: 18:00

1. Rappa Renshuuchuu
2. Lavender no Juutan
3. Otona Jelly Beans
4. Heart no Soup
MC (Mayuyu single mix by Hachioji P)
5. Saba no Kanzume
6. Itsu Demo Soba ni Ite Ageru
7. Goujou na Junjou
EN1. Synchro Tokimeki

Here is a photo of her with DJ Hachioji P:

And these are autographed balls Mayu threw out during Synchro Tokimeki.

And the exclusive goods as sold at the live events:

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Watanabe Mayu 4th Single [Rappa Renshuuchuu] Tracklist

The tracklist has now been revealed for Watanabe Mayu's 4th single [Rappa Renshuuchuu] in addition to the covers yesterday. The single will be released on the 10th July 2013 in 5 types. Three CD + DVD types, A, B and Limited Edition, and two CD only types, Regular and Limited Edition which comes with an artbook.

The cover for the limited edition with artbook is fan design held by an online contest. Mayu herself helped judge the winner. 13 runner-up entries will appear in an illustration book that will be included in that edition. View the winner and 13 runner-up entries at the official pixiv site here.

The lead song is a collaboration with OreSkaBand. The CD+DVD Limited Edition is related to an event to be held at Tokyo Dome City Attractions from 23rd July to 23rd September 2013. Visit the websites here and here. A video of the making of this is included on the DVD in that type. A digest video from one of the solo mini-lives related to Mayu's 3rd single [Hikaru Monotachi] will be on the Type B DVD. No information is given yet on what is on the Type A DVD.

Watanabe Mayu 4th Single
Rappa Renshuuchuu
ラッパ練習中
10 July 2013

Type A 1,600yen	[CD] 01. Rappa Renshuuchuu 02. Seifuku no Identity 03. Cousin 04. Rappa Renshuuchuu (instrumental) 05. Seifuku no Identity (instrumental) 06. Cousin (instrumental) [DVD] TBA
Type B 1,600yen	[CD] 01. Rappa Renshuuchuu 02. Seifuku no Identity 03. Goujou na Junjou 04. Rappa Renshuuchuu (instrumental) 05. Seifuku no Identity (instrumental) 06. Goujou na Junjou (instrumental) [DVD] Hikaru Monotachi Mini-Live Digest
Regular 1,200yen	[CD] 01. Rappa Renshuuchuu 02. Seifuku no Identity 03. Taiyou to Sanpo 04. Rappa Renshuuchuu (instrumental) 05. Seifuku no Identity (instrumental) 06. Taiyou to Sanpo (instrumental)
Limited Edition (Real Escape Game) 2,000yen	[CD] 01. Rappa Renshuuchuu 02. Seifuku no Identity 03. Kiss no Sonar-on 04. Rappa Renshuuchuu (instrumental) 05. Seifuku no Identity (instrumental) 06. Kiss no Sonar-on (instrumental) [DVD] Making of Real Escape Game (Tokyo Dome City Attractions) event
Limited Edition (pixiv) 2,000yen	[CD] 01. Rappa Renshuuchuu 02. Seifuku no Identity 03. Kiss no Sonar-on 04. Rappa Renshuuchuu (instrumental) 05. Seifuku no Identity (instrumental) 06. Kiss no Sonar-on (instrumental)

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Watanabe Mayu 4th Single [Rappa Renshuuchuu] Covers

The covers have been revealed for Watanabe Mayu's 4th single [Rappa Renshuuchuu]. The single will be released on the 10th July 2013 in 5 types. Three CD + DVD types, A, B and Limited Edition, and two CD only types, Regular and Limited Edition which comes with an artbook.

The cover for the limited edition with artbook is fan design held by an online contest. Mayu herself helped judge the winner. 13 runner-up entries will appear in an illustration book that will be included in that edition. View the winner and 13 runner-up entries at the official pixiv site here.

Type A                                       Type B                                     Regular

LE (CD + DVD)            LE (CD + artbook)

The other interesting thing is that this song is a collaboration with OreSkaBand (オレスカバン):

Personally, I think Mayu looks lovely on the covers, but not a fan of the designs at all. Similarly, the style of the chosen fan covers isn't my kind of style. I have high hopes of her collaboration with OreSkaBand though, as they sound excellent.

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Iwasa Misaki Will Release A Cover Album

AKB48's Enka soloist Iwasa Misaki will be releasing her first Enka album, and is taking up requests from the fans for songs to cover on the album. Song submissions have started on 20th June, and will end on 10th August. The results will be revealed sometime on late August. The album does not have an official release date yet.


Official Website: http://www.tkma.co.jp/moshisora/ 

Iwasa Misaki previous released 2 Singles, [Mujin Eki] and [Moshi Watashi ga Sora ni Sundeitara], both of which will be included in the album. She has covered various enka songs in her singles such as [Seto no Hanayome],[Tsugaru Kaikyo Fuyugeshiki, as well as Enka version of AKB48 songs like Flying Get[ and [Heavy Rotation].

Fans can request for songs to cover through voting tickets included in various magazines, distributed during Iwasa Misaki's events or by printing the .pdf in the link below and sending it to the address included in the slip.

http://www.tkma.co.jp/files/user/moshisora/req.pdf

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Matsumura Kaori Will Release Indies Solo Single Produced By Sashihara Rino

As announced during SKE48's Concert in Nippon Gaishi Hall on April 14, SKE48's Lifetime Honorary Kenkyuusei Matsumura Kaori will release an Indies Solo single. The single will be limited to 1000 copies, but if those are sold out new copies will be made. This will be the first solo single by an SKE48 member.

A month later on May 13, it was revealed during the late night show AKB Eizou Center which is hosted by Sashihara Rino, that Sashihara will produce the single. Five minutes before the start of the show, a mail had arrived from Akimoto Yasushi saying that Sashihara will pick the song, arrange it and write the lyrics in order to show Matsumura Kaori's charm. Sashihara Rino is now not only an HKT48 member and the the HKT48 theater manager, but also a producer.

Matsumura Kaori, who ranked #34 in the last election and #17 in the first day results of the current election, commented about Sashihara producing the single: "There seem to be a lot of opinions, but I am very happy about it. This way I became a news topic again. It's thanks to Sashihara-san. Thanks to Sashihara-san. This is important. As expected, number 4 (note: referring to election rank) is amazing" (Source).

Sashihara promised to give her best, saying "I think this will become a very important song for Matsumura and for Matsumura's fans, I'll work hard with all my might. I seriously have to do my best."(Source).

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Kuramochi Asuka [Itsumo Soba ni] PV Preview

The Promotional video for Kuramochi Asuka's solo single [Itsumo Soba ni] has been uploaded onto YouTube. The PV was shot in Guam and will release on 29th May 2013.

However, not all went smoothly during her PV shoot. Kuramochi reported on her blog that her wallet was stolen on the set of the shoot. Unfortunately, she only found out about it after the shoot and by that time it was too late; when she blogged about it she was already back in Japan.

Some of the things inside her wallet included a baseball card signed by her father, cash, and various insurance cards.

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Takahashi Minami [Jane Doe] Solo Live Set List

AKB48 General Manager Takahashi Minami held a solo live event at Pacifico Yokohama National Convention Hall on the 6th May 2013 to an audience of 4000. This event was associated with her solo debut single [Jane Doe], and a slip to apply for tickets was included in the first press copies, and there were 50,000 applications. She performed all 6 songs from her single, and her two solo songs from AKB48, as well as [Bird], a signature song of hers. Rounding out the setlist was [Desire],originally by Nakamori Akina, and [Yume Miru Shoujo ja Irarenai], originally by Aikawa Nanase.

M01. Jane Doe
M02. Bird
----MC1----
M03. Migikata
M04. Oteage Lullaby
M05. Buenos Aires ni Ame ga Furu
M06. Itoshisa no Accel
M07. Yume Miru Shoujo ja Irarenai
----MC2----
M08. DESIRE
M09. Rikoteki na Renai
----MC3----
M10. Yabureta Hane
----ENCORE---
EN1. Sabita Lock
----MC4----
EN2. Jane Doe

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Kuramochi Asuka Solo Debut Single [Itsumo Soba ni] Tracklist

Kuramochi Asuka's solo debut single [Itsumo Soba ni] will be released on 29 May 2013. As previously reported, this will be released in one CD+DVD type, and 5 "one coin" CD only types, costing just 500 yen each. Each of these types has a cover design chosen by a magazine. The "one coin" types include a voting ticket to select your favourite cover, and one winner who guesses the correct order of popularity of all 5 covers gets to spend a day at the horse races with Mocchi.

On our last post, only the 5 "one coin" type covers were revealed. Today the remaining CD+DVD cover was revealed on Kuramochi's website, pictured on top. The tracklist was also updated.

The coupling song [Guuzen no Mikata] is common to all types but the CD+DVD Type contains an extra track, [Himawari]. This was also the title of Mocchi's unit song in Himawari-gumi's 1st Stage [Boku no Taiyou], so could be a solo version of that song.

Kuramochi Asuka 1st Single
Itsumo Soba ni
いつもそばに
29 May 2013

Type A 1,600yen	[CD] 01. Itsumo Soba ni 02. Guuzen no Mikata 03. Himawari 04. Itsumo Soba ni (instrumental) 05. Guuzen no Mikata (instrumental) 06. Himawari (instrumental) [DVD] 01. Itsumo Soba ni (Music Video) 02. Making of Kuramochi Asuka TV-CM Shooting
Type 1~5 500yen	[CD] 01. Itsumo Soba ni 02. Guuzen no Mikata 03. Itsumo Soba ni (instrumental) 04. Guuzen no Mikata (instrumental)

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Watanabe Mayu 2nd Photobook [Seifuku Zukan Saigo no Seifuku] Sales + 4th Single Announced

Watanabe Mayu's second solo photobook [Seifuku Zukan Saigo no Seifuku] went on sale on the 19th April 2013. Retailing for 1,400 yen, this features 256 full colour pages. It is set around a school theme, with Mayuyu wearing the seifuku (school uniforms) of 94 real Japanese schools.

On it's first week on sale, the photobook placed 9th in the Oricon overall books charts, selling 17,836 copies. For reference, her first photobook [Mayuyu], released 13th May 2011, sold 45,209 copies on it's first week on sale.

In addition to her 2nd photobook, Mayu's 4th solo single has been announced! This will go on sale in July 2013 with no specific date yet set. There will be a contest run on pixiv to help design the cover of the single. The contest will run between 26 April - 16 May 2013 with full details being released on the 26th. The winning artwork will be used on the cover of the Limited Edition of the single which will also feature an illustration book of other contest entries.

I'm hugely excited for Mayu's 4th single, and the events and photoshoots that come along with it. The illustration contest sounds interesting, similar to Hikaru Monotachi's Limited Edition illustration book. As for the sales of her 2nd photobook, I'm not surprised by the low numbers compared to her first photobook (and other AKB ones, more recent ones such as Matsui Rena, Watanabe Miyuki, and Yamamoto Sayaka sold between 25-30k copies 1st week). Her 1st photobook had a large variety of photos, showed off her assets well, and was A4 in size - this new one is only A5 sized, and features a small variety in photos - just school uniforms, and school sportsday photos.

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Kuramochi Asuka Solo Debut Single and Photobook Announced

Kuramochi Asuka will join the ranks of soloists from AKB48, releasing her first solo single on 29th May 2013. She is the 10th member from AKB48 to have a solo debut. Her official website was launched recently

Official website: http://kuramochiasuka.jp/

At the time of posting, the solo debut single is still untitled, but we do have some information about the single. It will have a total of 6 different versions, which is a huge number for an AKB48 solo artist. There will be the main CD+DVD limited edition version worth 1,600 yen, consisting of the main the A-side and 2 coupling songs, the instrumental versions of the said songs and the music video in the DVD.

Kuramochi Asuka 1st Single
[TBD]
29 May 2013

TYPE A no cover 1,600yen

[CD] 01. A-side TBD 02. c/w song 1 03. c/w song 2 [DVD] 01. A-side Music Video 02. Off shot video

The remaining 5 versions are "one coin types", priced at just 500 yen (the largest denomination for coins in japan) and will include only the A-side and 1 coupling song (same tracklisting on all types). The covers for the 5 "one coin types" have been revealed recently. Each of them were shot by different magazines. Included in the "one coin type" singles is a voting ticket to vote for the best cover of the single. Additionally, if anyone manages to guess the order of the final votes, etc "5→3→1→2→4", he/she will get to spend a whole day at the horse races with Kuramochi Asuka herself!

Young Champion, Friday, BLT



Weekly Playboy, Big Comic Sprits

The single will have lyrics written by Kuramochi Asuka herself, and will be used in a JRA (Japan Horse Racing Association) TV CM. Kuramochi won the 2nd AKB no Gachi Uma campaign, which had 27 members aged over 20 betting on horse races. Kasai Tomomi won the 1st campaign, hence her single and JRA CM. In addition to this solo single, Mocchi will be getting a her 1st solo photobook, details of which have yet to be revealed. Asuka will also feature regularly on the [SPORTS X] on BS Asahi, which features JRA jockeys.

Jul3: Like Kasai, Kuramochi was a surprise soloist, but that is the randomness of letting horse racing decide these things. She has not being in AKB48 Undergirls recently, so it's great to see her getting some exposure. The 500 yen types are intriguing and it will be interesting to see how well they sell. More so perhaps than her single, I'm looking forward to her photobook, which has been highly anticipated by fans.

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