AKB48's [Flying Get] wins the 53rd Japan Record Award

AKB48's best selling single [Flying Get] has won the grand award at the 53rd Japan Record Awards! Congratulations!!!!! Held by TBS today at the New Nation Theater Tokyo, the 53rd Japan Record Awards is an annual awards show for outstanding achievement made during the year, not restricted by genre. The Japan Record Award itself is given to the top artist. Also nominated were Nishino Kana, KARA, AAA, JUJU, Mizumori Kaori, Hikawa Kiyoshi, FUNKY MONKEY BABYS, TVXQ, and Ikimono-gakari. We wish the the best of luck for next year. With AKB48's tremendous growth and all 5 of their...

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AKB48 in 62nd Kohaku Uta Gassen updates

Only one day left till the 62nd Kouhaku uta Gassen! Here's some updates about AKB48's appearance in this prestigious annual show. AKB48 will be the 5th artist to perform on the show, with their song [Kouhaku 2011 AKB48 Special MIX ~Ganbarou Nihon~]. The song is a special medley of Kaze wa Fuiteiru, Flying Get, and Everyday, Kachuusha. And accompanying AKB48 (75 members) on stage will be all of their fellow sister groups: SKE48 (48 members), NMB48 (16 members), HKT48 (16 members), SDN48 (39 members), and JKT48 (16 members). That's a total of 210 members...

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AKB48 Glossary

photo from rbbtoday.com To help the newer fans of AKB48 and all it's sister groups, I decided to create a glossary of all the terms and other important stuff used in the 48 universe. It may be helpful as you go along learning about the groups. Feel free to share it around but please credit back. Creating this took countless days and nights of research. This glossary was last updated on July 2013. GROUPS AKB48: The first group out of the 48 franchise. Formed in 2005, AKB stands for AKihaBara, as their theater is located in the Don Quixote in Akihabara district of Tokyo. They currently...

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No Sleeves 8th Single [Pedicure day], SDN48 4th Single [Kudokinagara Azabu Juuban] 1st Day Sales

No Sleeves's 8th single [Pedicure day] and SDN48's 4th single [Kudokinagara Azabu Juuban] both released earlier today. This is the first time 2 48-related groups released in the same week. SDN48 managed to take the top spot, selling 57k copies. Despite this single possibly being the farewell single, there was barely any increase in sales numbers. Their previous single MIN.MIN.MIN also sold 57k on it's first day (actually it sold 600 more to be exact). No Sleeves trailed behind in 2nd place, selling 47k. The good news is that it managed to increase it's sales compared to Kuchibiru...

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NMB48 Kenkyuusei Otani Riko to Graduate

As announced in the NMB48 Theatre, 2nd Generation Kenkyuusei Otani Riko will graduate from NMB48. The reason given is that she wants to focus on her studies. The graduation date has not been announced yet. Another 2nd Generation member, Takiyama Akane, just graduated from NMB48 a few days ago on December 22 for the same reasons and now we have another NMB48 graduation. I wonder what is happening with NMB48's 2nd Generation. They aren't featured much and instead of moving forward, the members now start to graduate. Anyways, I wish Riko all the best for the future. Otani Riko Graduation...

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Sashihara Rino to Star in Drama [Muse no Kagami]

Sashihara Rino will be starring in a new late-night drama, [Muse no Kagami] (Muse's Mirror). The show is a 24-episode drama which will be shown on NTV every Thursday at 25:55 ~ 26:10 starting from January 14th 2012. The story is about a girl with no redeeming features, Mukada Maki (acted by Sashiko), who was discovered by Okita Ryuu (who used to be a famous actor) and how she grew and aimed to become an actress. The style of the drama will be a classic drama acted with a taste of Daiei Drama which was popular in the 70's and 80's. What we can...

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SDN48 4th Single [Kudokinagara Azabu Juuban duet with Mino Monta]

repost. the original got deleted somehow. SDN48 will be releasing their 4th single, and possibly their last too. The single is titled [Kudokinagara Azabu Juuban duet with Mino Monta] (口説きながら麻布十番 duet with みの もんた)*gasps for air* and will feature them with famous TV Presenter Mino Monta. Well who is he? You could say he is one of the most famous old men in Japan. I don't know why they picked him though... I mean, there are the guys in OJS48... Anyway the duet song is described to be a New Years song, which fits the occasion as the single will release on December 28th 2011. Senbatsu...

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Because You Were There for Me: Kasai Tomomi

From Shukan Asahi's interview series, we have a story about Kasai Tomomi talking about a valuable lesson taught to her by Natsu-sensei. Team K is family, 'nuff said. The difference between "getting along well" and "true friendship" taught to me by Natsu-sensei Translated by mammothb In spring 2006, I entered AKB the same time when Team K was formed. Along with me were 16 other girls of various ages and characters. I thought that there were sure to be endless disputes among us, but on the contrary, everyone got along really well from the start. I was being sensible as well and held back...

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AKB48's 25th Single's Title is [Give Me Five]

A leak on Chari-ani's website has revealed the possible title of AKB48's 25th single to be [Give Me Five]. An update a few hours later though, the title was changed back to [untitled] (see bottom image). This is a rather interesting title as it is the first of the 5 sakura-themed singles without the word "sakura" in it. There has been some speculation about what the "give me five" means, aside from the obvious "high five". For the Japanese readers, "give me five" is English for the wasei-eigo "high touch". Five could just be that this is the 5th sakura themed single. Some...

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Nogizaka46 Announces Debut Single

Nogizaka46, the "official rival" of AKB48 have announced that they will be releasing their debut single on February 22nd, 2012 right after AKB48's 25th single slated to be released on February 15th. At the moment no details about the single have been given beside the date. I have absolutely no interest in them and I still have no idea what Aki-P is planning to do. But I'm curious to see how this single will fare because they already have quite a fan following but the question is: as the official rival, will they really be able to rival AKB? That is something we'll just have to wait and ...

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Iwasa Misaki Debut Single titled [Mujineki]

The title song for Iwasa Misaki's debut single has been announced to be [Mujineki] (meaning an empty train station). In addition, the single will feature Iwasa's enka rendition of [Heavy Rotation]. The limited edition will come with a DVD featuring a music video and making clips as expected, as well as an Iwasa Misaki history video and congratulatory messages from her fellow AKB48 members.  Further details will be announced later. The single will be released on February 01 2012. Iwasa Misaki Debut Single Mujineki 無人駅 01 February 2012 Limited Edition XXXXyen[CD] 01. Mujineki 02....

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SKE48 8th Single [Kataomoi Finally] PV Previews + Impression

The PV previews for SKE48's 8th single have been released. Let's check them out!Kataomoi Finally (片想いFinally)I'm happy that SKE48 is shifting their musical focus away from bubbly idol pop to something more serious and dark. Both the story and dance are beautifully and artistically shot, making this one of the group's best music videos. However, I'm not a big fan of the song. I find the fluctuating tempo of the song highly unusual; I feel like I'm listening to a single mash-up.Hanikami Lollipop (はにかみロリーポップ)I've never shown much love for Shirogumi (despite liking Jurina more than Rena), but this...

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DiVA's new song and addition of new members

Today at the AKB48's own Kouhaku event, DiVA opened the event with their new song titled [Lost the way]. Nothing has been revealed whether this will be a new single or not. The opening wasn't live streamed so how the song is, we do not know yet. But that was not the only announcement. If you remember, there were plans to add new members to the unit and apparently the final selections are done and here are the 6 new members of DiVA: Kasuya Satoko, Futami Yuuki, Furukawa Atsuko, Fuku Noramu, Inoue Yuina, Yamagami Ayaka. I hadn't heard anything about them in such a long time, I thought Aki-P...

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[AKB48 Kouhaku Taikou Uta Gassen] setlist

The AKB48's own Kouhaku event has come to an end with Shirogumi winning. Congratulations. This was by far one of the most interesting AKB48 event ever because the songs were shuffled for the members. We also heard [Aitakatta] by JKT48 in Indonesian! At least we know AKB still capable of shuffling. Check out the setlist and which members performed which song. *Red colored names are Akagumi members. *Blue colored names are Shirogumi members. AKB48 Kouhaku Taikou Uta Gassen AKB48紅白対抗歌合戦 Date: 20 December 2011 (Tuesday) Venue: Tokyo Dome City Hall Time: 18:00 (17:00 entrance) Price: 4,800yen SETLIST (zenza girls) M00 - Lost the way (DiVA) (zenza girls) M00 - Pedicure day (no3b) M01 - Dear J (Sashihara Rino) M02 - flower (Akimoto Sayaka) -----MC1----- M03 - Seifuku Resistance...

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Watanabe Mayu solo debut in February with [Synchro Tokimeki]

It's been decided that Watanabe Mayu will have a solo debut too! Her solo single [Synchro Tokimeki] (シンクロときめき) will release on February 29th 2012. Mayuyu is the 4th AKB48 member to go solo under her own name, after Itano Tomomi, Maeda Atsuko, and Iwasa Misaki. Of all the members in AKB48, Mayuyu is said to be the most idol-like. Synchro Tokimeki will be used as the theme song for the drama [Sabadoru] which she stars in. The drama will air every Friday starting January 13th. Synchro Tokimeki is said to have a nostalgic '80s melody but arranged to be more upbeat and more modern. I'm...

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AKB48 25th Single to be Sakura Themed as well

AKB48 has announced the details of their next, 25th single. Their first single release of 2012, it will have a sakura and graduation theme, following AKB48's usual release pattern. As of now, the single is still untitled. The release date is set for February 15th, 2012. This will be the 5th time AKB48 is doing a sakura/graduation themed single. Starting with [Sakura no Hanabiratachi] in 2006, then [10nen Zakura] in 2009, [Sakura no Shiori] in 2010, and [Sakura no Ki ni Narou] in 2011. 6th actually if you count in [Sakura no Hanabiratachi 2008], which was just a re-release of the original. The...

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Akimoto Sayaka to run again in Tokyo Marathon 2012

While attending a press conference for the [Tokyo Marathon 2012 Official Guidebook] release, Akimoto Sayaka announced that she will be running again in next year's Tokyo Marathon 2012 on February 26th 2012. Official Website: http://www.tokyo42195.org/2012_en/ Earlier this year she ran in the Tokyo Marathon 2011, shortly after stepping down as the Captain of AKB48's Team K. Running a marathon is a way of restarting your life in Japan. And that's what Sayaka got. After completing her run, which she cleared in 6 hours and 50 minutes, just under the 7 hour time limit, Producer Akimoto Yasushi...

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No Sleeves 8th Single [Pedicure day] PV + Tracklist

The PV and tracklist for No Sleeves' [Pedicure Day] have been released!  It's super cute, and really hearkens back to the days of middle and high school girly sleepovers (dancing around using various household objects as imaginary microphones).  Also, I'm kind of envious of their house ^_^ Needless to say, all three ladies look beautiful.  I find it funny that Haruna is the aloof beauty-obsessed diva while Miichan and Takamina hang out together dancing on the bed.  I'm not really sure what the storyline has to do with pedicures, since it seems more like they're having some...

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AKB48 Documentary sequel [DOCUMENTARY of AKB48 Show must go on]

AKB48 will release a sequel to their documentary movie earlier this year [DOCUMENTARY of AKB48 to be continued]. The sequel, similarly titled [DOCUMENTARY of AKB48 Show must go on] will open in theaters on January 27th 2012. Just like the original, DOCUMENTARY of AKB48 Show must go on will follow the girls through the year 2011, and will include never before seen footage from the group's concerts, and many other events. The Dareka no Tame ni Project, AKB48 3rd Senbatsu General Election, and Oba Mina's suspension are just some of the topics covered in...

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SKE48 8th Single [Kataomoi Finally] Covers + Tracklist

SKE48 will be releasing their first single of 2012 on January 25, titled [Kataomoi Finally] (片想いFinally). The A-side will be a serious and mature track dealing with young adult issues such as violence, bullying, homosexuality, and rebelliousness; its PV will feature kisses between the SKE members and choreography footage shot in the vain of AKB48's [Keibetsu Shiteita Aijou] dance scene, on the top of a skyscraper.SKE48 8th SingleKataomoi Finally 片想いFinally 25 January 2012TYPE A1,600yen[CD]01. Kataomoi Finally02. Hanikami Lollipop (Shirogumi)03. Kyou made no koto, Kore kara no koto04. Kataomoi...

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[AKB48 Kouhaku Taikou Uta Gassen] member placements

AKB48 has revealed the team placements for their upcoming [AKB48 Kouhaku Taikou Uta Gassen] concert on 20th December. AKB48 Kouhaku Taikou Uta Gassen AKB48紅白対抗歌合戦 Date: 20 December 2011 (Tuesday) Venue: Tokyo Dome City Hall Time: 18:00 (17:00 entrance) Price: 4,800yen RED TEAM Captain: Takahashi Minami TEAM A: Iwasa Misaki, Oya Shizuka, Kuramochi Asuka, Kojima Haruna, Shinoda Mariko, Takajo Aki, Nakagawa Haruka, Nakata Chisato, Nakaya Sayaka, Maeda Atsuko, Maeda Ami, Matsubara Natsumi TEAM K: Akimoto Sayaka, Uchida Mayumi, Umeda Ayaka, Tanabe Miku, Nakatsuka Tomomi, Nito Moeno, Fujie Reina,...

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Watanabe Mayu to Star in Drama [Sabadoru]

Watanabe Mayu will be starring in a drama, titled [Sabadoru] which will start on 13 January 2012, every Friday, from 24:53 - 25:53. This will be Watanabe Mayu's first drama in which she is the protagonist. Other information of the drama is currently unavailable. As for the meaning of the title of the drama, there are many guess, the most common one is Survival Idol. (based of Japanese pronunciatio...

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NMB48 3rd Single Titled [Junjou U-19] + Senbatsu Announced

NMB48's 3rd single, set to be released on February 8, finally has a title! The single will be called Junjou U-19 (純情U-19; Pure/Naive U-19). Apart from the title, the Senbatsu line-up, as well as the members for Akagumi and Shirogumi have also been revealed. Senbatsu Team N: Yamamoto Sayaka, Watanabe Miyuki, Yamada Nana, Fukumoto Aina, Ogasawara Mayu, Jonishi Kei, Shiroma Miru, Kadowaki Kanako, Kondo Rina, Kotani Riho, Kinoshita Haruna, Kishino Rika 1st Generation Research Student: Kinoshita Momoka 2nd Generation Research Students: Jo Eriko, Yagura Fuuko, Yogi Keira Shirogumi Team N: Yamamoto...

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AKB48 24th single [Ue kara Mariko] breaks many records + Review

AKB48's 24th single [Ue kara Mariko] has sold 1,198,864 copies in the first week getting the #1 spot as well breaking many records along the way. From everyday48.net: "Ue kara Mariko" sold 1.19 million copies during its debut week, becoming the 5th single with the highest first week sales ever in japan. Making this AKB48's 4th "First Week Million" single, this also marks all the singles released by AKB as million sellers. - Ever since "Sakura no Ki ni Narou" (2011/2 Release, 1.07 million) this makes their 5th consecutive million seller and 6th million seller overall. In the "Amount...

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