MNL48 News and Discussion Thread

It was the fans themselves who planted the seed in Hallohallo's head. This was back during the MNL48 Fanmeet last year where they asked the fans for ideas and someone (I forgot who it is) requested that there would be "fan participation" in the selection. Couple that with the tried and tested text-vote mechanic that worked so well - perhaps too well - in other reality shows and any business will see $$.

It was a novel concept and AKS signed-off on it. That's not to say that I don't prefer a straightforward process myself, but here's where we're at and I could deal with it.

Except they do have a plan but the execution has been...well, rather inconsistent. Sure, last weekend's event went wrong on so many levels, but I'd rather take that as a learning opportunity for them rather than a basis for the project being pulled.

If AKS pulls the plug now, HHE stands to lose a ton of money. A fiscal disaster that will spell the doom for MNL48 as well as HHE and its partnership with AKS. Consider where the project is right now: the audition is about to start its second phase in probably about a month, the Theater is being built (or in the process of being built), and so much effort already invested. That kind of loss will take years for HHE to recover from, which will probably lead to them breaking off the deal. AKS will be left with no partner, we would be left with no MNL48, and we can say goodbye to any possible visits by AKB48 in the future.

Nobody could have forseen the lengths in which some applicants would go to get votes but who's to say nobody is watching things closely? To be honest, I was surprised the purge happened at all, or that it showed pretty decisive results. Rank 1's massive drop of votes would have been humiliating for her, and even though she still pretty much kept her rank, it's going to haunt her.

 

It's Stan, and yes, I'm making one. It's pretty long because I went to both dates and all events except 'Showtime'.

I'm also having difficulty uploading my video footage of the last performance. But Rayan (animeph) also has footage which I think is far superior.

 

@dunkindonato, if you're going to solicit us for some fan picks from the candidates, please give us a holler by PM'ing us, or PM'ing you. It's a joy reading the write-ups, though some of the candidates in the write-ups have long been superseded by others.

 

Are you aware AKS has collaborated to do something similar in Korea?

To be fair, every show voting can be skeptical/ questionable even without all these "planted" contestant and fake vote messes. For examples, a contestant of more friends/ kins will be advantageous, a parent of a contestant running a company may urge his employees to vote his daughter etc.

Each method has its pros and cons.
No voting
pros
- no vote begging mess, no questionable interaction between fans and contestants
- easier to control, easier to keep it clean
cons
- no fan participation = no hype.
- no hype = limited pool of contestants.
- even easier to hide shady deals, even easier to plant undeserving contestants in as everything is done behind the closed door.

They must be way more pros and cons I don't know of.

They aren't half-assing but rather inexperienced or budgeted. They have plan despite some minor adjustment here and there.

 

@dunkindonato, whoever that person who initiated the baby Senbatsu idea should be hunted down.

@welp, I'm not against the idea of voting early on, just for everyone to wet their toes in before plunging ahead. It's just that demanding outright that only the first 100 or 200 in the rank will get to the next level makes the entire endeavor look like a big virtual catfight with backstabbing, like retracting, and gossiping in between.

I won't be surprised if this is the same cheap tactic local media is trying to hole us.

The problem still boils with planning, and probably, what HHE was envisioning in on the first place and what ABS's interests were, and probably insert what AKS wants as well.

About their handling of Team 8. It goes to show that they're either clueless, or they probably didn't value Team 8 as much.

 

How can you guys compare TPE audition with MNL audition?
TPE has voting system for 3rd round, but it is not the final round, there will be one with judges. And TPE candidates have joined in many activities to promote themselves. The voting system is working right.
MNL has voting system from 1st round to the end, and no one know what the show on It's showtime will look like, but no judges at all is really a bad idea. I hope the best for the group.

 

@nokoru, let me rephrase why I pointed this out:

Spoiler

Which is why TPE48 was mentioned here.

 

Ah, I see.
TPE's voting system is nothing different than AKB's showroom. This is just a method to see which candidate is popular. At the end, the judges still decide which girl pass the audition.

 

Why, thank you. I had decided to abandon the rankings during the stretch when we didn't have any news at all. When activity spiked, I decided not to bring it back because I saw folks already forming cliques around their favorites and didn't want to add fuel to the fire. That said, I wouldn't mind making one long list again, most likely before Stage 2 starts.

LOL. I don't even remember if it was a he or a she. But I doubt that person could have imagined how big of a headache the system is giving everybody now.

HHE actually loves these girls. It's just that everything that could go wrong, did. Lack of coordination with the relevant departments also undermined whatever preparations they had. I just wish they didn't do the activities one after another and alllowed the girls some rest time. The girls were visibly exhausted during the presscon. Well, except Yokomichi, but I do believe she was tired as well.

I was there when Paolo Kurosawa ordered the VIP area in SM North abolished to put fans closer to the action and I felt bad when the technical problems undermined that gesture. The day before, I was there when he was trying to figure out how to bring the fans outside the ABS-CBN compound inside (their site, their rules). I saw the staff buying food for the fans who went to Showtime because going out the gate meant not being able to go back. So yes, there were severe lapses in execution and a general break-down of the structure, but I doubt that means the girls were mistreated or were not given due attention.

 

@dunkindonato, Sorry, I don't mean them mistreating the girls, it's about ABS underestimating the logistics of the events. Also, why can't they just conduct the interview onstage in SM North? Was that press conference with those 2 guys from the Hashtags even televised?

I think HHE did whatever they can to accomodate Team 8 and the fans.

About the candidate articles, I think you didn't rank them before; you just introduced who your picks are. While that's all right when they were few, I think it's necessary now that there are a lot of applicants. There are a lot of overlooked candidates that need attention, the ones who don't get a lot of likes.

(Still can't understand why the app or the website can't just "highlight" the "spotlight" button. Seeing the same person on the weekly and total likes portion makes me suspicious.)

AFAIK only MNL48 Club's been brazen enough to interview some of them.

 

If you don't mind, I'll address your points one by one:

Regarding ABS-CBN, your guess is as good as mine. There were moments where I felt they didn't understand the idol-fan dynamics in these events. The HHE staff tried to accommodate people as much as they could, but the venue being on ABS-CBN grounds meant that there was a limit to what they could do.

The SM North live was organized by HHE and would have gone well had the technicals not break down. I felt that HHE tried to set it up in case ABS-CBN didn't soften from their "50 people in the audience" rule. When the technicals broke down, HHE wanted to just conduct an interview to maximize the girls' presence but AKS said the girls really wanted to perform and so they did, but enough time has been lost by then.

The press-con that @Rayan and I went to is a "by invite only" event for the media. It was sandwiched between the last mini-live and the live-stream....and part of the reason the live-stream was delayed.

Oh they did that and more. I'm hoping they can invite the girls again for another event to sort of make up for what happened. But seeing as MNL48 is about to move to the second stage, I'm not betting on it. The girls are keen on coming back, though.

The truth is, it's getting really hard to keep track of the applicants at this stage. The actual number of girls I 'liked' is three times that of the total number I featured. I wouldn't mind featuring a few, of course, but I'll have to finish my event coverage first.

I can probably do that if the girl agrees. But the lack of time (I go to work) is a real problem.

 

I will leave those opinion's from you since I respect them. But reading this answer gave me such realization..

​

First of all, I would like to introduce here 2 hopeful twins named as the Duran twins. Last Sunday, I had the opportunity to personally meet them and watch Team 8 with them (along with the other applicant named Jash (aka Jane of BNK as per Thai fans). The twins were full of energy, can be nuisance but in a funny and cute manner. Just letting them do their thing made me realize I am somehow watching something from an AKB48 Show skit. The 2 are very cheerful and would really pass as a variety show regular. Like it's Tweedledee and Tweedledum but genderbent.

Sure im promoting them, sure it looks like im begging votes for them but with such words that I've read, I felt sad for the 2 if the sister group will just be dumped and AKS pulling the plug as I am still having an open mind that HHE will get their hands on it more than ABS despite the corruption, controversies and dirty tricks we've been watching at the ranking system. But I tell you this with all honesty; Some applicants just like these 2 have the heart and will to become an idol. Hell, they might even pull off something that can go head to head with the Team 8 regulars when they perform funny skits and the regular sing and dance stuff.


Sure they cant be as dead gorgeous as rank 1 but they're sure going to get full attention as soon as they don their idol costumes and gets to have a contract and perform. Obviously their singing and dancing are at a noob level but given the chance that HHE manages them and sees their potential, they may have lots of possibilities to keep the fanbase alive. I am confident that these 2 can be the secret weapon that this controversial sister group has. Correct me if I am wrong but does any of the other groups had twins as their members yet? If not then, they are in for a surprise if these 2 gets in. They even accidentally got a Techi/Hirate Yurina haircut despite them making her as their inspiration. To make things interesting, they love Ozeki of Keyakizaka46 and Shaina even demonstrated me her interpretation of the Ozeki Style while we were waiting for Team 8's arrival at SM.

Yes, Ill say it again; They are funny, adorable and they have what it takes to be an idol. BTW the 2 are working hard and promoting while handing out these leaflets by themselves at their local village just to gather votes and support


If anyone wants to check them out again, Ill edit this message and put their mnl links here. Till then, Ill leave this comment as a response and not to be taken as promotion or vote begging/shameless plug but I hope others can open up their hearts and try to interact with the hopefuls/applicants

 

Christmas is in the air, but here I guess fixation is in the air.

 

In SM North, they were seated near our area. We were outside the barricade (right side). My friend said that one of them looks like Takakura Moeka (Okappa) because of the haircut so yeah, I thought they were just an audience.

 

Here are their accounts
https://mnl48.hallohallo.com/profile/Shaira
https://mnl48.hallohallo.com/profile/Shainachan

you can check out their videos so that you can it some thoughts

 

@zelkova3, I'm really troubled on getting these twins or the Bretagna twins from Iloilo, but I'll make a mental note to get them up there.

I'll post my shameless plugs laters. I feel most of us here are just passionate enough to get them up there since they're our favorites.

@dunkindonato, thanks for the answers and again thank you very much for covering the event. I hope HHE and ABS are striking good balance between what's faithful for the fans of the original franchise and what they believe the masses will allow.

I really, really hope they scrutinize all the eligible candidates and go beyond the votes-based ranking. There's really more to it.

(To be honest, you would really appreciate each candidate and make you realize that Filipina beauty is diverse and is a charm in itself. There's so many to choose but not everyone can be accomodated.)

 

We do need our version of NakoMiku. Or the equivalent of Idolm@ster's Futami Twins.

 

Catfight, backstabbing, those will happen sooner or later anyway but behind the scene. Also, it may be easier to see the nature of contestants. Sooner or later, contestants of dark past (smoking, bullying etc.) will be exposed and if that happens before the final cut for the show, that's better.

Yes, this is most likely what HHE and ABS want, buzz, careless whether it is positive or negative one.

This tactic possibly will help hyping up the group's debut yet, it likely will affect the group's image. 48 group is supposed to be a group of cuties but, it may not be the case for MNL48.

 

Thanks guys been checking if any idol group in 46 or 48 ever had twins but if not, then MNL will be the one to have 1.
If you find them interesting, I hope you can negotiate it with the others to keep them in the lineup

Ive tried checking BreTagna twins on their Fb but they seem to be quiet as well as in Ig thou

If management is creative enough, I hope they would make them cosplay them for like a promo/photoshoot
Well, wishful thinkings

 

The talk about twins makes me wish my twin joined as well haha!

Oh well. Can't really force her to join now~