"Create-your-own" Undergirls Photobook

7net shopping has launched a "create your own" Undergirls photobook. For 3,150 yen, you can design, via their website, a 48 page photobook choosing the images from a selection of exclusive photos, and arranging them how you wish, given a variety of page layouts. There are approximately 80 photos per member, and a few featuring combinations of members. Despite having a large selection of images, you can only select from a few pre-set covers, shown below.

As the covers take up two pages, you are left with 46 pages to fill with photos from their selection. You can have as many as 4 photos per page, one photo per page, or even have landscape photos as a double-page spread. For those looking to build a single member solo photobook, be warned that there are too many photos to have each of them maximum size, so some compromises will need to be made. The screengrab below is an example of the website constructor.

Watch the CM for this new Undergirls photobook below:

The members featuring in this photobook are the Undergirls from the 27th single senbatsu election, those ranked 16-32:

Takajo Aki (Team A)
Yamamoto Sayaka (NMB48 Team N)
Watanabe Miyuki (Team B / NMB48 Team N)
Akimoto Sayaka (Team K)
Sato Amina (Team B)
Kuramochi Asuka (Team A)
Shimazaki Haruka (Team 4)
Takayanagi Akane (SKE48 Team KII)
Hata Sawako (SKE48 Team KII)
Masuda Yuka (Team B)
Oya Masana (SKE48 Team S)
Yagami Kumi (SKE48 Team S)
Suda Akari (SKE48 Team S)
Furukawa Airi (SKE48 Team KII)
Kizaki Yuria (SKE48 Team S)
Ogiso Shiori (SKE48 Team KII)

Official website: http://www.7netshopping.jp/all/static/akb48undergirls_pod.html

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Team M Member Fujita Runa quits NMB48

On October 3rd, it was announced that Fujita Runa, member of NMB48's Team M, will leave the group immediately. Her Google+ account and participation in the NMB48 blog will stop in a few days too.

Fujita Runa has been suffering from lower back/hip pain for a while because of which she had to reduce her work in NMB48 and now decided to quit completely.

Runa joined NMB48 as a 2nd Generation member in summer last year and also was an original member of Team M, formed in January this year. She is the third Team M member to leave, after Kodakari Yuuka and Jo Eriko.

Below is the translation of her message to the fans.


Fujita Runa's comment.
Original Message

 To my beloved everyone
I am sorry for causing you a lot of worries.
My lower back/hip has been hurting and I also went to the hospital but it is not yet completely healed. Because it would be sad to cause you more worries and trouble I decided to withdraw from my activities in NMB48.
Until now I thought and worried a lot. 'I don't want to quit'...I feel that too. But if my back does not heal now, I cannot move forward.
I love you all, the members and NMB48. I really do.
Since I joined NMB48 I have been able to make a lot of experiences. Stage shows, handshake events, two-shot events, other events, the Janken tournament. Out of all that I love the stage shows, the handshake and two-shot events, I was happy to be able to meet you and I had fun.
For me, who likes to talk, those were great events.
Having been able to meet you, that is my treasure.
What saved me during sad times, hard times, frustrating times and times when I wanted to cry　or was about to give up, were you all and the members.
There were several times when I read the blog comments and thought, crying, "I'll do my best".
Really, thank you for supporting this me until now.
The words I absolutely wanted to say at last, are "thank you" to you all and the members.
I am grateful to everyone I met. From now on I'll let my back/hip heal properly, and because I also have high school entrance exams, I'll do my best at studying too.
"I will, the way it suits me," do my best, without forgetting these words you taught me, so that I won't lose to you.
I love the 2nd generation members. I love Team M. I love NMB48.
Really, thank you for everything.

All the best to Runa for her recovery.

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Matsui Sakiko album release mini-live

To mark the release date of her solo debut album, Matsui Sakiko held a mini concert on the 3rd October 2012 at Tokyo's Kioi Hall. 800 people attended from over 2500 applicants. Her album Kokyuu Suru Piano is the first solo album from any AKB48 member.

At the event, Sakiko performed four songs from the album:

Kokoro no Fumen
Utau Ketsueki ~Utsui Ken no Kaatsu Training no Theme~
Everyday, Kachuusha
Aitakatta

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AKB48 28th Single [UZA] Tracklist Revealed

AKB48's 28th single will be titled [UZA] and released on the 31st October 2012. This song features a voting ticket for Request Hour Set List Best 100 2013 and will have songs featuring the new teams.

[UZA] was first revealed during the 29th single janken tournament and is a dark, electronic song, that some call AKB48's yearly "cool" single.

The senbatsu for this single includes janken queen Shimazaki Haruka and, for the first time, HKT48 member Miyawaki Sakura. The song is a double centre led by Oshima Yuko and Matsui Jurina.

Senbatsu members:
Shinoda Mariko (Team A)
Takahashi Minami (Team A)
Watanabe Mayu (Team A)
Yokoyama Yui (Team A / NMB48)
Oshima Yuko (Team K)
Matsui Jurina (Team K / Team S)
Itano Tomomi (Team K)
Kashiwagi Yuki (Team B)
Watanabe Miyuki (Team B / Team N)
Kojima Haruna (Team B)
Shimazaki Haruka (Team B)
Minegishi Minami (Team B)
Matsui Rena (SKE48 Team S)
Yamamoto Sayaka (NMB48 Team N)
Sashihara Rino (HKT48 Team H)
Miyawaki Sakura (HKT48 Team H)

There will be three CD+DVD types of this single, one for each team. Each of the three new teams, revealed in the Tokyo Dome team shuffle, will get a song and PV. This will be the first appearance of the new teams. The theatre edition will feature a kenkyuusei song.

As before, there will be both limited and regular editions of the CD+DVD types. The limited includes a ticket to a national handshake event, whereas the regular includes a photo (one of 32 types). Both limited and regular CD+DVD editions include a voting ticket for Request Hour Set List Best 100 2013. The theatre edition does not include a voting ticket, but includes an individual member handshake ticket and a photo (from a different set to the CD+DVD types).

The [UZA] PV will be directed by Joseph Kahn who directed the [Gingham Check] PV as well as many music videos for famous American pop artists. However, a new [Gingham Check] PV will be included on the [UZA] DVDs, directed by Takahashi Eiki.

AKB48 28th Single
UZA
UZA
31 October 2012

Type A 1,600yen	[CD] 01. UZA 02. Tsugi no Season (Undergirls) 03. Kodoku na Hoshizora (New Team A) 04. UZA (off vocal.) 05. Tsugi no Season (off vocal.) 06. Kodoku na Hoshizora (off vocal.) [DVD] 01. UZA PV 02. UZA PV (Dance Version) 03. Tsugi no Season PV 04. Kodoku na Hoshizora PV 05. Gingham Check PV (Takahashi Eiki ver.)
Type K 1,600yen	[CD] 01. UZA 02. Tsugi no Season (Undergirls) 03. Scrap & Build (New Team K) 04. UZA (off vocal.) 05. Tsugi no Season (off vocal.) 06. Scrap & Build (off vocal.) [DVD] 01. UZA PV 02. UZA PV (Dance Version) 03. Tsugi no Season PV 04. Scrap & Build PV 05. Gingham Check PV (Takahashi Eiki ver.)
Type B 1,600yen	[CD] 01. UZA 02. Tsugi no Season (Undergirls) 03. Seigi no Mikata Janai Hero (New Team B) 04. UZA (off vocal.) 05. Tsugi no Season (off vocal.) 06. Seigi no Mikata Janai Hero (off vocal.) [DVD] 01. UZA PV 02. UZA PV (Dance Version) 03. Tsugi no Season PV 04. Seigi no Mikata Janai Hero PV 05. Gingham Check PV (Takahashi Eiki ver.)
Theatre Edition 1,000yen	[CD] 01. UZA 02. Tsugi no Season (Undergirls) 03. Otona e no Michi (Kenkyuusei) 04. UZA (off vocal.) 05. Tsugi no Season (off vocal.) 06. Otona e no Michi (off vocal.)

I admit that initially I did not like this song, with its generic US pop style and auto-tuning. But over time it has been growing on me. The PV looks quite funny, with many people drawing parallels with the director's previous work on the Backstreet Boys "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)". I am glad that Shimazaki-san is in the single, but Sakura is a curious addition, especially given the style of the song. It will be interesting seeing the new teams in action for the first time.

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NMB48 Team N 3rd delayed again

  
Team N's 3rd Stage Show, its first original one, has been delayed yet again. The Shonichi (start of performance) had been scheduled for October 8 but was now postponed to a yet unknown date due to "lack of preparation". Team N will instead do a "special show" on October 8.


Team N 3rd had originally been scheduled for May 12, but was later postponed to August and then October. So this announcement is already the third delay. Will we even get the show this year?


I am not really surprised but still a bit disappointed. Why do they even bother to announce new dates when they delay the show anyways?

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Kitahara Rie to appear in new reality TV show [Terrace House]

Kitahara Rie will participate in a new reality TV show on FujiTV called [Terrace House]. In this show three men and three women will live together under the same house. [Terrace House] will start broadcasting on October 12th and each episode will last half an hour long.

A few days ago Aki-P suggested to Kitahara on his google+ account via this post that she should join the show but it was up to her, because she will be living in the same house as men, and there is a ban on romance for the idols in AKB48.

Kitahara was going to announce her participation at the handshake event in Osaka today, but that was called off due to a typhoon warning, so instead the following video was posted at the official AKB48 Youtube channel:

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Watanabe Mayu 3rd Single [Hikaru Monotachi] Announced and Release Date Set

Watanabe Mayu's 3rd solo single has been announced. It will be titled [Hikaru Monotachi] and released on the 21st November 2012. According to her official website this will be an up-tempo song incorporating elements of electro.

Included as a coupling song will be the [Sayonara no Hashi], the theme song for the upcoming anime movie Nerawareta Gakuen, in which Mayuyu also voices a character.

There will be a total of 6 new songs on this single, which will be released in 5 types. One CD only type for 1,000 yen, three CD+DVD types for 1,600 yen each, and one "CD＋α" type, which costs 2,000 yen.

It is planned that on the DVDs, Mayu will wear school uniforms from each of Japan's 47 prefectures.

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AKB48 Kenkyuusei Saeed-Yokota Erena Announces her Graduation

12th generation kenkyuusei Saeed-Yokota Erena has announced her graduation from AKB48 via a message on the official AKB48 blog. She debuted in May 2011 and it seems her departure is immediate.

She recently participated in the janken tournament to determine AKB48's 29th single senbatsu, after winning the kenkyuusei preliminary rounds. However, she was eliminated in the first round by Takajo Aki. She appeared wearing a costume similar to that her sister Saeed-Yokota Nina wore when she participated in the London Olympics representing Japan in the rhythmic gymnastics.

Saeed-Yokota Erena's Graduation Announcement
Translated by emptystring

Good afternoon.

This is Saeed Yokota Erena, 12th generation kenkyuusei.

I hereby tender my resignation from kenkyuusei.

It has been 1.5 years since I joined AKB48 and I have experienced a lot of precious things that I normally would not have had the chance to. There were a lot of happy, frustrating and sad things that happened.

I wanted to balance school work with this, but it didn't go so well. This year I will concentrate on my studies and take my exams. My experience as a kks will help me in my future endeavor. Thank you for everything. I was fortunate to be a kenkyuusei and those days were great.

Until we meet again.

Thank you very much.

AKB48 12th generation kenkyuusei
Saeed-Yokota Erena (15)

Saeed was my favourite of the kenkyuusei from the last few generations who haven't already graduated or been promoted, so it is sad to see her go. Maybe if she had succeeded at the janken tournament things would be different. She was always a great performer and will be missed.

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Sashihara Rino with AnRiRe Single [Ikuji Nashi Masquerade] Tracklist + Covers

The tracklisting and covers have been released for Sashihara Rino's second single [Ikuji Nashi Masquerade]. Surprisingly, instead of a solo single, this is being billed as Sashihara Rino with AnRiRe. The unit AnRiRe standing for Iriyama Anna, Kawaei Rina, and Kato Rena.

They first performed this as a group on the 24th September broadcast of Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ. Kawaei Rina takes the centre position on the front cover of the Type A release and centres the Type A version of the PV, whereas the Sashihara centre version is on Type B.

Sashihara Rino (HKT48)	Iriyama Anna (AKB48)
Kawaei Rina (AKB48)	Kato Rena (AKB48)

[Ikuji Nashi Masquerade] will be released on the 17th October 2012, and is the theme song for Sashihara Rino's upcoming movie Muse no Kagami: My Pretty Doll, which is released on September 29th. Similarly, Sasshi's first single [Sore Demo Suki da yo] was used as the theme song for her Muse no Kagami drama series.

The single will come on three CD+DVD types and one CD only type. Track 3 of Type B, [Maji de Koi Suru 5 Byou Mae] was originally performed by Hirosue Ryoko. Tracks 3 on Type A and D have lyrics written by Sashihara herself, and the Hakata-ben (dialect) version of [Ikuji Nashi Masquerade] on Type C had the lyrics worked out by HKT48's Kodama Haruka. Each copy of the single will come with a trading card and a special event entry ticket

Sashihara Rino with AnRiRe Single
Ikuji Nashi Masquerade
意気地なしマスカレード
17 October 2012

Type A 1,600yen	[CD] 01. Ikuji Nashi Masquerade 02. Soft Cream Kiss 03. If no Mousou 04. Ikuji Nashi Masquerade (off vocal.) 05. Soft Cream Kiss (off vocal.) 06. If no Mousou (off vocal.) [DVD] 01. Ikuji Nashi Masquerade PV (Kawaei Rina centre ver.) 02. Sashihara Rino no Amotenashi ~ AnRiRe to atta ka Nabe Party
Type B 1,600yen	[CD] 01. Ikuji Nashi Masquerade 02. Soft Cream Kiss 03. Maji de Koi Suru 5 Byou Mae 04. Ikuji Nashi Masquerade (off vocal.) 05. Soft Cream Kiss (off vocal.) 06. Maji de Koi Suru 5 Byou Mae (off vocal.) [DVD] 01. Ikuji Nashi Masquerade PV (Sashihara Rino centre ver.) 02. Sashihara Rino vs AnRiRe: Sashiko Quiz
Type C 1,600yen	[CD] 01. Ikuji Nashi Masquerade 02. Soft Cream Kiss 03. Ikuji Nashi Masquerade (Hakata-ben ver.) 04. Ikuji Nashi Masquerade (off vocal.) 05. Soft Cream Kiss (off vocal.) [DVD] 01. Ikuji Nashi Masquerade PV (Muse no Kagami: My Pretty Doll ver.) 02. Sashihara Rino visits Hakata
Type D 1,000yen	[CD] 01. Ikuji Nashi Masquerade 02. Soft Cream Kiss 03. Toui Machi e 04. Ikuji Nashi Masquerade (off vocal.) 05. Soft Cream Kiss (off vocal.) 06. Toui Machi e (off vocal.)

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NMB48 6th Single called [Kitagawa Kenji]+ Senbatsu Members out

NMB48 performed its 6th single [Kitagawa Kenji] for the first time on September 24. Kitagawa Kenji is a staff member of AKB48. The single will be released November 7.

Senbatsu Members are:
Team N: Ogasawara Mayu, Kadowaki Kanako, Kishino Rika, Kotani Riho, Jonishi Kei, Shiroma Miru, Fukumoto Aina, Yamada Nana, Yamamoto Sayaka, Yoshida Akari, Watanabe Miyuki
Team M: Tanigawa Airi, Yagura Fuuko
KKS: Kato Yuka, Yabushita Shu,  
Team yet unknown: Yokoyama Yui

In: Yagura Fuuko, Yokoyama Yui
Out: Kinoshita Haruna, Jo Eriko

So Yui is already in NMB48 Senbatsu. I guess her team will be announced during the 2nd Anniversary Shows October 8-10. Jo out is not surprising since she will graduate in a few days. Other than that not much has changed. Still an overwhelming number of Team N members. As much as I like Team N, some more M girls should be given a chance. By the way, funny song title.

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