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Your AKB48 Experiences

Discussion in 'General AKB48 Discussion' started by cRaZY MiKi, Jun 6, 2007.

  1. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2008
    Location:
    Saitama, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
    Twitter:
    Cristafari
    @sscrla

    CK & Cristafari = same person ;)

    I'm glad you had fun. I didn't know Shokotan was there too. Nice!
     
  2. sscrla

    sscrla Stage48 Moderator Staff Member Stage48 Moderator

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2015
    Oshimen:
    Takayanagi Akane
    Don’t tell me. I knew that from your blog in your sig, but others might not. I was trying to distinguish between my relationships with “CK” and thebigc.

    Edit: I also know from your Minyo Girls posts:two shots with CK-san on them and members and their moms calling you CK-san.
     
    Last edited: Jul 9, 2018
  3. SunnyHighland

    SunnyHighland Next Girls

    Joined:
    Jun 5, 2014
    Location:
    From Scottish lowland to Kanto lowland
    Oshimen:
    okaberin
    Lol, looks like fun. Team 8, 22/7, and Idolm@ster :shocku: that's an event I also want to go.

    Simple question, who center Hachinosu Dance there? The lineup doesn't look to have strong dance background. You can answer in T8's thread :D
    Great right? from my experience attending their events, they never under deliver. Can't really say about the theater as I never won even once :fp:
    Now I'm applying for all 4 performance of Eito no Hi and one of Kiss Kiss Kiss stage play :^^;: just wait for the report.
     
  4. aspen_552001

    aspen_552001 Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Jan 10, 2014
    I always envy you guys. I can't speak much Japanese, will that be too much of a problem if I attend one of these events? :)
     
  5. Tuhis

    Tuhis Member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2008
    Oshimen:
    Furuhata Nao
    So far no. Some furious Google translating helps. I have learned some basic phrases, that is good too.
     
  6. David61

    David61 Under Girls Stage48 Donor

    Joined:
    May 17, 2015
    Location:
    Reading, England
    Oshimen:
    Komiyama Haruka
    Twitter:
    DavidB13
    I agree that learning basic phrases is good and in any case the time you get with each member is so short that you don't really have time to say very much. My own personal recommendation would be to get tickets for Komiharu, apart from the fact that she's very lovely with a genuinely friendly personality, I've found that she speaks quite good English.
     
  7. Riina

    Riina Future Girls

    Joined:
    Dec 4, 2015
    Location:
    Japan
    Twitter:
    48Riina
    Some members speak English, at least some basics - think standalone words or simple phrases rather than conversational level English for most of them - there are exceptions though, like Nozawa Rena and Goto Rara (who is currently on hiatus) who speak fluent English. Some members also speak other languages, like Macharin's native Chinese, Saho has been learning French, several girls (Myao, Juri, etc.) speak Korean, etc. so if you speak any of those languages you could use them too. But if you're not sure whether the member(s) you want to meet know any English (or other language) or not, you should try learning some simple Japanese phrases.
     
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  8. Arbios

    Arbios Future Girls

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2016
    Oshimen:
    Komiyama Haruka
    when i plan on going to japan and attend a hs event i think i'll probably just learn some compliments i want to give and maybe tell them where i'm from
     
  9. Sakuraism

    Sakuraism Member Stage48 Donor

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2012
    Twitter:
    andilee1989
    I think it all comes down to what you want out of meeting them. Do you just want to see them? If that's all you're looking for, language skill isn't really needed. If you want to just tell them something simple, pre memorizing some japanese phrases will probably do the trick.

    If you want to have slightly more complicated conversations, obviously you will need the language skill. For one, memorizing longer sentences will probably end up doing worse for you since if you blank out or even miss some keywords, you're pretty much back to square one since they won't relli understand what you just said. There are ways around it, like buying those ticket holders they sell for 48G and just print/write the Japanese sentences you wanted to convey and put it in the holder and have them read it.

    In short, think about what you want to get out of meeting the girls and tackle it from there.
     
  10. Sakuraism

    Sakuraism Member Stage48 Donor

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2012
    Twitter:
    andilee1989
    7/1 2018 NMB48 Yokuboumono Individual Handshake @ ATC Hall

    Shiroma Miru

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    Yamamoto Sayaka

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    7/8 2018 AKB48 Jabaja Individual Handshake @ Makuhari Messe

    Shiroma Miru

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    Yamamoto Sayaka

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    Yoshida Akari

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  11. Tchu

    Tchu Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Jun 19, 2016
    After talking about my experience attending the Kawaii Super Live at the Anisong World Matsuri in the Team 8 thread, sscrla encouraged me to share my experience here as well.

    I pretty much knew I had to attend as soon as Team 8 was announced as guests. I've never seen any 48G members live in any capacity and I was not going to let this opportunity slip by. I was dead set on getting VIP tickets but as sscrla described above, they seem to have sold out during the early phase that was only open to people who bought Anime Expo's Premiere badge. And even then I was stuck in the virtual queue for what felt like too long so the non-VIP seat that I got still wasn't as close as I would've liked.

    When I got to my seat I felt better. I wasn't close but I wasn't as far back as I feared. From my seat I had a good clear view of the stage. And there were multiple large screens to broadcast whatever was happening on stage. But when the concert began everyone stood up and my good clear view of the stage while sitting became a just barely adequate view while standing. And I really didn't watch anything on the screens. I watch AKB on screens at home all the time. This was my chance to watch them with my own two eyeballs!

    I liked the other acts fine. I found the IDOLM@STER particularly amusing as being seiyuu who voice fictional idols in games and anime, they contrasted with my expectations of what an idol group would be like. At least one of them looked well older than even Kaotan. :D I do wish Shokotan had sung the OP to Punchline, a collaboration she did with Dempagumi.Inc. Instead she sang a few classic anisongs that aren't even Shokotan originals.

    Still I was here for AKB48 Team 8. When DJ Taz's overture hit I was hyped but when Aitakatta started playing I was overjoyed. I know opening with Aitakatta seems like the most on the nose choice but seeing the members singing it live, oh man it's an experience. And it's always been a song that's meant a lot to me. I was also thrilled they sang Iiwake Maybe and Kibouteki Refrain, two other songs I love and while none of those are by any means obscure AKB songs, I'm glad that they performed those over other songs. The one song they sang that I fully expected them to was Koi Suru Fortune Cookie. I've never been a huge fan of it but when KFC began I started onigiri'ing my heart out. And I probably would have done the other dance moves too if I could have remembered them or had enough room to move comfortably where I was standing.

    But the real show stopper was Hachinosu Dance. I figured there was a slim chance they'd perform Team 8 specific songs. I didn't even think 47 No Suteki Na Machi e was guaranteed, so when Hachinosu Dance started my mind was blown. They were so friggin' good. Part of me wishes they had done more dance intensive songs but considering the amount they had to do in the short amount of time they had with no breaks I understand why they didn't and it's perfect that the one they did was a Team 8 song. And they did close out their set with 47 No Suteki Na Machi e albeit without the prefecture call outs. I was hoping they would at least call out their own six prefectures instead during that moment Hijiri thanked the crowd.

    After the concert those in the VIP seats got shuffled away to meet the idols and I once again felt bad I couldn't be a part of them. Otherwise it was a blast and something I want to experience again and soon. I hope they can bring back Team 8 or another 48 group next year. I wish there was a way to let them know I was there for Team 8 specifically. I went to the Anisong Matsuri merch table ready to buy any AKB specific merch but all they had to offer were three CDs; Jabaja, Bokutachi wa, Anohi no Yoake wo Shitteiru and 11 Gatsu no Anklet. I bought all but 11 Gatsu because I already own it and I sort of feel like I should've bought it anyways just to support the group. Now I finally feel like a true AKB48 fan. I've seen them perform live and I'm apparently looking for ways to throw even more money at them. Aki-P is a genius.
     
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  12. SunnyHighland

    SunnyHighland Next Girls

    Joined:
    Jun 5, 2014
    Location:
    From Scottish lowland to Kanto lowland
    Oshimen:
    okaberin
    @Tchu
    If you can, come to Japan around the time of their next Zenkoku tour. As Eito no Hi (8th August) is too close I think. Except you can book a ticket and have vacation early. August is a good month to see all of them. Tokyo Idol Festival (which has all 48G performing there beside other idols, including 46G), Eito no Hi (The day of Eight, which has 4 concerts in a day for Team 8), and the SSK thanksgiving concert.

    Technically you still can get the tickets for all of those. But if it is too soon and you still want to come, I suggest plan your visit next year around that time.
     
  13. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2008
    Location:
    Saitama, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
    Twitter:
    Cristafari
    AKB48 Idol Shugyou Chuu! Stage (2018/07/13)

    IMG_9142.JPG
    Lanterns line the outside of the UDX building, behind the Donki, bringing a very festive atmosphere to Akiba

    Things are beginning to look up, ticket center-wise. It had been slightly more than two weeks since my last cancel machi (and eventual theater win) for AKB's Idol Chugyou Chuu! stage, and after waking up Wednesday morning I saw the email that had again won cancel machi for Friday Night, and it was a great number (#6) With a cancel machi number that low, I would undoubtedly win. In fact, when I checked my ticket center account, it already said that I had won the show, which meant at least six people had cancelled overnight. Yatta! This was going to be my 43rd Theater Show!

    So of course I was excited to be seeing Ranchan again. I just hoped that I would get a good draw in to the theater so I was close to the stage. Fast-forward to Friday; I headed over to Akihabara in the mid-afternoon after sweating (both literally and figuratively) my way through three Kanji tests. My brain felt like jelly, so I looked forward to blowing off some steam in the theater. But first I headed over to The Hub for a couple of pre-show cocktails. Eventually I made it over to the theater. I was kinda hoping to get a high lottery number, since I have noticed the times I have been in the theater that the high numbers are often called early. I mean it is supposed to be completely random, but usually when I get a good draw-in, it is with a high number. The theater wasn't very crowded at all, so I stored my backpack, and eventually queued up to buy my ticket. I had ticket #121, which meant when my group was called I would be the 2nd person in.

    IMG_9141.JPG

    They also had some sort of special event in the lobby, where Inagaki, Yasuda, and I think the third member was Teguchi Manaka Suzuki Kurumi came out and did some sort of presentation with the fans. I was a bit out of position, so I didn't see what they actually did, but everyone cheered for them. It all took about a minute or two. Eventually it was time to call the lottery for seat draw...

    1st: 10-19 (Wow, the early birds got one for a change!)
    2nd-4th: 50-59, 60-69, 70-79 (Again wow, right in a row, and again the earlier arriving fans)
    5th-6th: 230-239, 210-219 (Cancel machi peeps get a good draw)
    7th: 130-139 (Damn, just missed!)
    8th: 120-129 (Yatta, not bad!)

    Okay, I should at least be able to get a seat. How good a seat though? It didn't help that I set off the metal detector for some inexplicable reason. I wanted to be on the left side of the stage, but that section was beginning to fill up. I wasn't sure, but the right side seemed relatively empty, so I walked to the other side. Sure enough, only the first row was taken on the right, so I headed over to the second row. First I took the inside seat, but it was next to the pillar, and blocked half the stage, so I moved to the far end of the row, next to that little side stage the girls sometimes dance on. It was further from the center, but a much better view. I brought a lightstick for a change, so I was ready to go. Eventually we heard the Kage-ana, and the overture, it was showtime!

    Per usual, since most of you are fairly well-versed in the stage setlists and such, I will focus on my impression of the members. Obviously my focus will be on Ranchan. But I have cultivated a bit of familiarity with many of the 16th gen girls in this show, and there are a couple other draftees I kinda like too, and since Ranchan was going to be on the opposite side of the stage for a lot of the show, I could focus on other members for a bit. So let's start with....

    IMG_9146.JPG

    Members who fished me:

    Tada Kyoka: I had never really noticed her before, but I got a closeup view of her last week at the handshake event since her lane was next to Zunchan. She always has a big smile on her face and is often 'working' the audience members. She looked at me quite often during the show, and more than once mimicked my response. She's really not my type, but I gotta give her points for the effort.

    Yasuda Kana & Inagaki Kaori: I have been interacting with these two for quite a while now, and Kana is always scanning the audience for who she can fish, she is super-energetic and genki. I have to give her credit for being one of the most dynamic girls on the stage. Inagaki, kinda like Suzuki Kurumi, has really blossomed since I started seeing both of them in the 'Let's Go Kenkyuusei' stage. I am also amazed how popular she is. Inagaki easily gets the loudest reactions throughout the show. Speaking of reactions...

    Member who made a big impression...on somebody

    Taguchi Manaka: I didn't even see her name on the performance roster, but she was there, and it seems like she gets at least close to center position on many of the songs. She was also getting great audience reactions. She seems to be a good singer, but I have personally never been drawn to her. She also does an amazing job centering Tsundere!

    Draftees who I came away with a great impression of (Besides Ranchan)

    Otake Hitomi: Okay, I have to admit, I find this girl totally hawt. Adorable face, nice figure, great energy and dancing on the stage. She is a lot of fun to watch. I found myself suddenly really wanting to meet her at a handshake event. There is just something about her face, she looks mature and cutesy-kawaii at the same time. Just my type, sexy and cute. And, she has a husky voice. Love it!

    Honda Sora: So yeah, I have been talking up both Hitomi and Sora since the first time I saw the draftees perform, and I have had the same impression each time. Both of them are really cute, and have great stage presence and energy. I actually expect good things from both of them in AKB's future.

    Katsumata Saori: This is the first time I had ever noticed her, but she was in front of me quite often during the show, and I found myself drawn to her performance more than once.

    And then there's...

    Kobayashi Ran (Ran-chan!) I was there to root for Ranchan, but could only get a peripheral look at her for the first half of the show. She slid over to my side a couple times, but only briefly, and our eyes didn't meet. It wasn't until Saishuu Bell ga Naru that our eyes finally met, and she locked onto me for a good 5 seconds or so. It was awesome, totally focused on me. From that point forward, she would find me whenever she slid over to my side of the stage. A nice setup for when I meet up with her at the handshake event next weekend.

    Notes on other members...

    I am used to getting fished by Taya Misaki, but she left me alone for the most part, despite being in front of me for much of the show. Yahagi Moeka did not get as big an ovation as I am used to her getting, and I noticed she fiddles around with her outfit a lot when the MCs aren't focused on her. But per usual, her singing is top notch. This was the first time I had seen Okada Rina, and she seemed like she wasn't too comfortable on stage. In fact, her introduction MC was one of the shortest I have ever seen. Oddly enough, she sorta reminds me of a young Meetan.

    I wasn't in the front row, and I wasn't in the center, but 2nd row far right does have its perks. Probably the biggest is when the girls go to the side stage. At that point my seat becomes temporarily a front-row seat. This is particularly evident during Shinkirou, where Inagaki did her first verse just a couple meters away from me. But the members also dance on the side during Kanojo ni Naremasuka and Sobukasu no Kiss, so I was in a great position for that. I also want to echo what @Riina said a couple weeks ago. The black, red, and silver outfits the members wear for RIVER are awesome!

    Eventually the show ended, and it was time for "High Wave," as I like to call it. I get the usual enthusiastic, and sometimes English greetings. I also tried to make a connection with Hitomi, but I blew past her fairly quickly. I was really waiting to get to Ranchan, who was second from the end. Of course it was my best reaction, and we are really connecting now that she has seen me at three shows and multiple handshake events. I feel sorry for Tacchan though, who was at the end. I was so focused on Ran, that I pretty much ignored her. Oh well.

    IMG_9144.JPG IMG_9145.JPG

    I headed out to buy the Group pic, and it wasn't until I got home that I saw the inside has little messages from all the performing members. Another really nice touch, which to me has become an essential part of the theater experience. I am developing a small collection of those Team Picture booklets.

    My next scheduled 48-group events are the Teacher Teacher handshake event next weekend, and then HKT's handshake event in early August. I also have an application in for the #17-#100 SSK thank you concert at Yokohama Arena. We'll see how good my luck is on that one. In the meantime, this will be a busy weekend as I am seeing both Wasamin and Minyo Girls. Should be a lot of fun.
     
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  14. sscrla

    sscrla Stage48 Moderator Staff Member Stage48 Moderator

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2015
    Oshimen:
    Takayanagi Akane
    It seems to have been an appeal for donations for flood relief. There is a video clip.

    "With that in mind, we set up a donation box at each theater and handshake meeting venue at AKB 48 G, and we will accept donations from everyone. We will donate donated money from everyone to the Japanese Red Cross Society for the purpose of providing support to the affected people and delivering them as relief goods. Your support and cooperation are appreciated."
    https://twitter.com/taka_hos/status/1017776710563971072

    from marioworldakb in the Post Dump thread:

    AKS also announced the Dareka no Tameni project for this disaster is starting as well by putting out donation boxes outside theaters. So we can expect 48G members is expected to do charity tours around the affected regions especially for STU.
    https://twitter.com/taka_hos/status/1017776364533846017

    16th gens Inagaki Kaori, Suzuki Kurumi and Yasuda Kana kicks off the project in the AKB theater.
    https://twitter.com/taka_hos/status/1017776710563971072
     
    • Informative Informative x 3
  15. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2008
    Location:
    Saitama, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
    Twitter:
    Cristafari
    AKB48-Group 52nd Single "Teacher Teacher" Individual Handshake Event at Makuhari Messe (2018/07/21)

    Today kicked off the Kanto leg of the 52nd Single handshake event festivities. There are two events at Makuhari this weekend, followed by an event in late-August, one more in Nagoya, and then the finale at Makuhari in October. I purchased CDs/tickets for this event, and the October event. Given that I skipped all of the August events for both Jabaja and Teacher Teacher, it is going to be quite a while until I go to an AKB48 handshake meeting, unless of course they offer resale for the August 28th event, or there is a National Handshake event. I haven't been in the best of health over the last week, as I seemed to have caught a bit of a cold. Plus, I have a toothache, school stress, and it is hot as hell here in Tokyo. I probably would have been better served staying in bed. But, duty calls. I had idols to meet!

    For me there was also the issue of "oshi-mashi" Since I have become a new fan of AKB's 3rd Gen draftees, I kinda want to talk to them. Luckily I had a couple "expendible" tickets that I could use, so no worries. Just as long as the lanes in question were open for oshi-mashi. So I had a game plan, I got to Makuhari right at the start of Slot 2, suffered through the long walk in the hot sun to get to Halls 9-11, got my tickets stamped, and was off to meet idols...

    Slot 2

    Sakaki Miyu <Cuca> (Lane 69) with Mineyoshi Arisa: One of the unique features of this event was the "doubling-up" of some of the members in the lanes. It didn't necessarily mean you were meeting both members, although technically you could interact with both. They would call out which member you were there to see, and they would reach out to do the handshake. I had never met, or seen Mineyoshi before, so she just watched. But I asked Cuca if she had fun in her play (of course she did) I mentioned I checked the official website and twitter and saw all the photos and videos of her from the performance. I loved the purple hair! Cuca was like "Yeah, purple" and motioned toward her hair. Anyway, always good to see Cuca

    By the way, AKB has re-started their "Dare ka no Tame ni" promotion, I am guessing to help with the flooding disaster in and around Kansai, Chugoku, and Shikoku. When I was at the theater last week the members came out before the show to do a collection. Today, the STU48 members were doing the same thing at a booth in the convention hall. The members came out randomly, and they announced who was there on the big screens. People were milling around the area waiting for their favorite members to come out so they could donate to them. I am guessing Cuca probably participated in the morning, before I got there.

    Akiyoshi Yuka (Lane 54) I had three tickets for Yukachan today, one in this slot and two in the next slot. Yukachan was one of the members who they had to add slots for during the initial sale because she sold out so quickly. As a result, none of her slots were starred for oshi-mashi. However, her line stayed pretty short all day. For this encounter I asked about her performance at the AKB48 theater this coming Tuesday. HKT is in the middle of their "business trip" performing at other group theaters. This week Teams H and TII are at the AKB48 Theater. Anyway, she said she would do her best, and I told her that I hoped I won and got to see her.

    Otake Hitomi (Lane 94) <oshi-mashi> After seeing the Idol Shugyou Chu! stage for the third time, I had resolved that Hitomi was a member I really wanted to meet. So I ended up using my Komiyama Haruka ticket to oshi-mashi this lane. I am still yet to meet Komiharu, I keep using her tickets on other people, LOL. Anyway, I got to the lane just after they called the 30-minute mark, and a bunch of people jumped into her queue. They ended up bringing over a supervisor to help with the line, and problems ensued. But first let me get the handshake experience out of the way. My first impression was that she looks A LOT younger in person than she does on the stage. A lot younger than 19. She immediately recognized me. "I see you at the Theater!" Yes! I told her I was impressed with her performance, and really wanted to meet her. She happily thanked me, and I was on my way.

    When the supervisor took my ticket, she asked me something about my ID, acting like it wasn't approved, which is nonsense. Then she said my name didn't match. Now I'm rolling my eyes. She was about to reject me and send me to the info booth, when she noticed my tickets were stamped. She immediately changed her tune. I explained to her that the fact my name doesn't match is the fault of chara-ani, as it does not give me enough room to spell my entire name. What further ticks off about this is that she is a supervisor. I changed my name on chara-ani a couple years ago based on their suggestion. Nobody has had an issue with it at all until this moment. Moreover, I don't even need to get my tickets stamped for SKE or HKT anymore. So once again, they need to stop this crap. There is no way these tickets would belong to anyone other than me, despite a couple of omitted characters due to length.

    Slot 3

    Tani Marika (Lane 35)
    I queued up early for Tani as I had five tickets for this slot, and figured this would potentially be the longest queue. When they opened the gate, nobody went in, which may have been because there was a fan who I guess had over 100 tickets for Nakano Airi. He was in there for probably between 20-30 minutes right up to the beginning of Tani's slot. Eventually I decided "screw it" and jumped into the queue. When the guy finally finished I knelt down while fans waved goodbye to her. After check-in I was waiting first in queue at the booth. The girl doing the timing for the lane to my left was totally adorable. She needed to be an idol. She caught me checking her out, smiled, and nodded. I would have more encounters with her later too. Marika eventually came out. I wasn't sure what I wanted to talk about, so I basically commented about her recent haircut. Marika seemed kinda "whatever" about the entire exchange. Maybe she hadn't kicked into Tani-gear yet, maybe it was an off day, or maybe she's just getting tired of dealing with me. We will see next month if she acts similarly at the SKE handshake event.

    The next two lanes I went back and forth, despite them being in different parts of the hall. I had time...

    Akiyoshi Yuka (Lane 54) <2 tickets> Once again, quite a short queue considering she sold the slot out early. I had forgotten to ask her about her guitar playing. When she started posting videos of herself on Twitter singing and playing guitar, I was quite surprised and impressed. I told her I play Bass Guitar, and inquired about possibly doing a duet with her, LOL. Laughing, she was like "Yeah, okay."

    It was during this slot I decided to take my ticket necklace off as it was cutting into my neck, and making me sweat. So when I returned for the third time Yukachan immediately noticed my Wasamin T-shirt, although per usual nobody notices the Wasamin part, they just see the big Ebi and Heart on the shirt. When I pointed out Wasamin's name she said "Wasamin, kawaii!" I explained to her that Wasamin loves Ebi, so we made this shirt for her Seitensai. And with that I bid my farewell, I will see her again at the HKT event in two weeks.

    Kobayashi Ran (Lane 101) <2 tickets> with Katsumata Saori: I was really excited to see Ranchan again after skipping her at the last event. Plus, I had some good reactions recently with her at the theater. This was another one of the 2-member lanes. I have seen Saorin perform before, but had never met her. To no surprise, Ranchan immediately reacted to seeing me and reached out over the railing to grab my hands. I mentioned that I have now seen her at the theater three times, and that I always "call" her name. She paused, and in her best English responded "I can hear you." She wasn't sure she said it correctly, and turned to Saorin, who just shrugged, LOL. I told her I understood perfectly, and repeated her words back to her. Before I got pushed out I exclaimed that Ranchan's English was Jouzu!

    I wanted to see her again, so I decided to oshi-mashi my Yamauchi Suzuran ticket. (Ranran, for Ranchan, hahaha) Since it was a 2-member lane, when you check in they put a sticker on the ticket for the girl you want to see. They started to put a Saorin sticker on my ticket, but I said "I want Kobayashi-san!" So they changed it. When I got into the booth, the two of them both noticed my Wasashirt. "Ebi?" So I told them it was a Wasamin shirt. "Wasamin?" She's an AKB graduate. They both still looked puzzled, so I then went with "Enka singer!" With that it looked like something may have clicked, but I'm not sure. But my time was up, so I quickly said I would see her again before getting pushed out.

    Slot 4

    hs4.jpg


    Fuchigami Mai (Lane 42)
    Maichan's queue only had five people in it, so I got in line before it became to crazy. Her lane was positioned near the curtain where all the HKT members were coming out. When Maichan came through the curtain she looked dazzlingly cute, as always. Keeping the a theme, I asked her about Team KIV's upcoming performance in Nagoya. I told her if I can win I will come to Nagoya and watch. To this she responded that she hopes I do win because she would like me to see a Team KIV performance. I thanked her, and I got pushed out.

    hs2.jpg

    Yamauchi Mizuki (Lane 91) At this point I am becoming more and more excited about meeting Zukki. One of the other Zukki fans in the queue was asking if I oshi her, and I explained that my oshi is Wasamin. Just then, my friend Kentaro, another Wasamin oshi came out the exit of Miyupon's lane. He was looking to see who I was going to see and exclaimed "Lucky Zukki!" I had forgotten that part of her catchphrase, so when I came into the booth I greeted her that way too. I complimented her on her cute hat and earrings, and told wished her luck performing with Team TII on Monday. I tried to say that I hoped to win, but stumbled on the verb conjugation of ataru. BTW, I applied for the show, but ultimately didn't win :(

    I only had one ticket for Slot 5, so technically I had around one hour and 45 minutes before I needed to use the ticket. I had spent most of the day keeping cool by eating kakigori at what was by far the most popular food truck at the venue. But I decided to brave the heat and walk back to the mall by the train station and relax for a while.

    Slot 5

    hs3.jpg


    Yamane Suzuha (Lane 80) Oddly enough, this particular Zunchan slot was open for oshi-mashi (her others weren't) Given there weren't a lot of oshi-mashi lanes for this event, the queue would surely become very big at the 30-minute mark. With that in mind, I went to queue up around 3:25. The line was really short. This would be troubling since I wanted to read her signs. I tried to quickly read it, but beyond a few of the easier sentences, I couldn't get the overall theme. So essentially I told her that I really wanted to read it, but it was troubling because the line moved so quickly. It was cute, as she leaned in really close trying very hard to understand what I was telling her. And she then explained to me that she posts pictures of her signs on her mobame. "So desu ka!?" However, I failed to tell her that I don't subscribe to any mobame. If I did, her's would definitely be one that I would read. Oh, and the guard practically yelled "mamonaku desu" right in my ear, which also threw me off.

    Slot 6

    Murakawa Bibian (Lane 40) I tried to move my Bibian ticket into Slot 5, but her lane wasn't starred for any of her slots. Her line was around 10-deep when I arrived at the beginning of the slot. Per usual, the always-genki Bibian was dressed very casual and sporty. I was trying to decide what to say to her, perhaps talk about Produce48? But when I entered the lane I noticed she was wearing this really wacky T-shirt with title "Kitty" on top, some blonde haired girl, and a bunch of random writing all over it. I am guessing the girl on the shirt somehow related to Western pop culture, but I had no idea who it was. I asked Bibian, but she said she had no idea. I laughed; "Yeah, me neither." I quickly wished her luck in Produce48 as I left the lane. Unfortunately on the photo she posted on Twitter she cut off the shirt right at the face.

    hs1.jpg

    Around Slot 5, I was toying with the idea of doing oshi-mashi with my one remaining Slot 7 ticket (for Kaotan) since I was tired, fighting my cold, and didn't feel like waiting another hour and 45 minutes to do one last ticket. So during Slots 5 and 6 I was roaming the venue to see if I could find another girl I wanted to meet. The problem was that since this is the SSK voting single, *starred* lanes are few and far between. I did find a couple of lanes I was mildly interested in, specifically Yamada Noe from NGT and Kurosu Haruka from 16th Gen, but both lanes had huge queues with other people doing oshi-mashi. I decided to abandon the mission, and just wait it out. After all, it IS Kaotan. I think she would be really mad if she knew I used her ticket on someone else, although truthfully it wouldn't have been the first time.

    Matsumura Kaori (Lane 34) <2 tickets> Kaotan had a relatively big queue. Well, bigger than it usually is. Also, this is the lane where the cute 'timer' girl was working. I had on all my Kaotan gear, so I was getting a lot of acknowledgement from the other fans. I wanted to talk about her horse racing appearances, but I didn't know how to say it in Japanese. I know horse though. So when I got into the lane I asked her about the horses, and then said "horse racing" in English. She started motioning "around and around" and I was like "Yeah." I was trying to get out my personal history with horse racing, but the guard was pushing me out pretty forcefully, so I couldn't finish what I was saying.

    (2nd ticket, in Slot 7) I ended up waiting out the 100 minutes, and in the meantime got into a nice conversation with one of the big Kaotan fans. Interestingly, he asked my why I liked her, which is something Kaotan has asked me in the past. It couldn't be because she is cute. But I countered that I do think Kaotan is cute. Mind you, she's not the Sakura/Mayuyu/Paruru type, but she is cute in her own way. In any case, we exchanged Twitter. I ended up being first in line, which was a great move for a couple reasons. 1) I got to stand next to the cute timer-girl for like 20 minutes. 2) Like with Maichan, Kaotan's lane was right by the SKE entrance curtain, and I got to see half the group come out for their slots. And 3) When Sato Kaho came out, she briefly came over into Kaotan's booth to specifically attempt to fish me. I don't know if she remembered we had met before, but it was a fun exchange. Anyway...

    By this time I had looked up Horse Racing (Keiba) and was ready for my story. Kaotan asked if I liked horses. I told her that when I was a child my dad would take me to the horse races almost every weekend. Even now, it is my Dad's favorite thing to do. Kaotan asked about my mom. Uhhhh, I didn't want to tell her my mom passed away 12 years ago. So I said that I only went with my Dad. Anyhow, I think she liked my story. Maybe some other time I will share with her about my mother.

    Finally I was done with my tickets. I couldn't wait to get out of there. On my way home I passed by Oktoberfest. Since it was by the station I had to transfer, I decided to go up and have one beer for the road. However, when I finally got home my body pretty much called it a day. Every muscle ached, my jaw hurt, my cold was kicking back in, and I had been bitten by multiple mosquitoes. I collapsed into bed and catatonically watched the Japanese dub of one of the Transformers movies until I mercifully dozed off to sleep.

    Like I said, I have no tickets for the next few AKB48-group handshake events, so unless I get resale for August I will be taking a bit of a break. However, I do have tickets for both of HKT48's August handshake dates, and today (while I was writing this) I picked up a few handshake tickets for SKE48's August event. So at least I am covered for Yukachan, Kaotan, Tani, Maichan, and a few others. I have a couple of surprise tickets in there too which I am excited about.
     
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  16. Riina

    Riina Future Girls

    Joined:
    Dec 4, 2015
    Location:
    Japan
    Twitter:
    48Riina
    Recently I've been busy with uni stuff as well as AKB related events, so I didn't really write my experiences as fast as I usually do... Because of that, there's quite a lot that happened that I haven't wrote about yet, and my memory is a bit foggy too, so I'll keep it short. As I'm leaving Japan soon, except for a few concerts, these were likely my last AKB related events for now (unless I manage to win more theater tickets in the next 2 weeks) :(

    July 12 - Idol Shuugyouchuu Stage

    This was my 2nd time seeing this stage - you can read my report from the first time on the previous page. This time, some of the members were different - Yasuda Kana and Okada Rina instead of Asai Nanami and Sato Shiori. I've seen Yasuda Kana in Let's Go Kenkyuusei before, and although she's not really my type, she's fun to watch and a good performer, and Tsundere unit suits her well. As for Okada Rina, she was one of my least favorite candidates during the draft - I'm not a fan of her looks, and her performances at that time were way too over the top in my opinion. It seems like she toned it down a bit in this performance but I still think she was the weakest member performance-wise, her moves were awkward, her facial expressions bland (she didn't even smile most of the time), so I still didn't really enjoy her performance. The fact that she was in front row in many team songs didn't help either. I do hope she'll get better with time. As always, the highlight for me was Inagaki Kaori. This time I was sitting in women's row, which made it easier for me to see the members, and for the members to see me as well. During MC when one of the other members was talking, my eyes met with Kaori's and she waved at me. She also started shouting "Rina-chan, Rina-chan" during the seeing off as she seems to always do lately. Overall, it was a really fun experience, and I'm glad I got to see this performance from a better seat again. It's a really fun stage in my opinion.

    July 8 - Jabaja Big Handshake Event

    For this event, I had 3 tickets for Jurina, and 1 each for Kaori and Naachan. As I'm sure everyone knows, Jurina has been taking time off for a while, so of course she missed this handshake event as well. I was thinking who I should spend the tickets on - Naachan was already sold out, and Kaori's slot that I had tickets for was sold out too (a later one wasn't if I remember correctly, but I wasn't going to stick around for so long), so using them on those members wasn't an option. I checked who was available during slots that fit my timetable well, and I decided to go with Ota Yuuri. I don't have a proper oshi in NMB, but Yuuri (and maybe Nagisa) are the ones I'm most interested in.

    Ota Yuuri was pretty fun - she's very cute in person, and younger looking compared to photos. She's also taller than expected. As I had 3 tickets, I had plenty of time to talk to her. First, I told her that while I don't know that much about her yet, but that I became interested in her recently, and she seemed quite happy about it. Then I told her that I had applied for NMB concerts, but unfortunately didn't win, so I asked her for a magic spell to win them in the next round [hehe] Even though I had such a muchaburi request she gladly obliged and pretended to cast a magic spell so I could win NMB concert tickets (which, unfortunately, didn't work out as I didn't win any tickets). I didn't really have anything else prepared and the time seemed pretty long, so she started asking me stuff. She asked if I was a haafu, and I told her no, so she asked me where I was from and said that my Japanese was really good. Overall, it was a good handshake and if I stayed in Japan longer, I'd probably buy more tickets to see her in the next single. Maybe someday.

    I only had one ticket for Okada Nana, and as her lane is busy the time per ticket is usually pretty low. I managed to tell her that I watched the TV performance of Sentimental Train the day earlier, and that her performance was good, but that it's sad that Jurina wasn't there, to which she agreed and said that it was lonely without Jurina. To be honest, I don't remember in detail what I talked about to Inagaki Kaori since this was a while ago, but I remember it was fun and that she called my name, which is always a good thing [hehe]

    July 21 - Teacher Teacher Big Handshake Event

    For this day, I had 10 tickets for Jurina, 11 for Naachan, 5 for Kaori and 3 for Zunchan. As Jurina's handshake was cancelled again, I had to oshimashi those tickets, so after thoroughly thinking through my options, I decided to use them all for Kaori, therefore use 15 tickets total on her.

    I had 11 tickets over 3 different slots for Okada Nana, and I used all the tickets for each slot together, so that meant I went to her lane 3 times. Unfortunately, she was a bit sick and wearing a face mask, but she was able to speak. First time, I told her I saw she was a manga fan and that I was thinking of starting to read manga to improve my Japanese, so I wanted to ask for her suggestions. She recommended Akagami no Shirayukihime. I must have looked a bit confused as she said the title, cause she started to try to explain what Shirayukihime is, but I told her I know it (Snow White). Then she repeated the Akagami part while pointing at her hair, and I realized the title meant "redhead Snow White" [hehe] I asked her what kind of manga it is, and she said it's shoujo manga. Then she kept giving me her usual compliments ("kawaii, beautiful") [hehe] For the next slot, I actually went with a Japanese friend of mine who is also a fan of Naachan - she went first, and told her she was going on an exchange abroad. When it was my turn, I told Naachan the girl before me was my friend. She asked where I know her from, and I told her we go to the same university. She then said she told her she's going on exchange. I used this opportunity to tell her I'm leaving Japan soon, and that the next day was my last handshake event. She looked sad, but I told her I would come to Kanshasai concerts and that I had a ticket for her oshi seats. The last time I looped, I told her that I watched the Showroom where she said she had a complex about her height, to which she replied "that's right" with a sad face (well, from what I could see that wasn't covered with a mask anyways), but I kept telling her I thought her height was really cute. I said I was the opposite, I had a complex about being to tall. She said my height was lovely and that she wanted to be tall too, and then asked me what my height was, 160-something? [hehe] I told her it's actually 177 cm, to which she replied she's only 155 cm and if I can give her some of my height [hehe] I said of course, and she kept saying how great my height was [hehe] Then, I told her I'd see her again the next day. Unfortunately, that didn't happen as her next day handshakes were cancelled :( If I had known, I'd have said a proper goodbye, but oh well...

    Yamane Suzuha was kind of a random impulse buy. I saw her at the theater twice before, and thought she was cute, plus she tried to talked to me during seeing off so I figured I'd give her a visit. I had 3 tickets, so I told her I'd seen her at the theater before and really enjoyed it, so I wanted to meet her once, but that I was going back to my country soon and therefore can't meet her again. She seemed a bit sad about that, but she said she was happy I at least came once. I also asked her if she was doing any stage since Let's Go Kenkyuusei ended, and she said not really, but she did appear in Idol Shuugyouchuu a few times. I told her to keep doing her best. Overall, she was pretty nice and gave good treatment, as expected :)

    My last handshakes were with Inagaki Kaori. I had plenty of time to talk to her as I had 15 tickets for her due to Jurina being absent. As always, she called me "Rina-chan" the moment she saw me. She was super energetic and cute, as always. I complimented her hairstyle, and she told me that it was Zunchan who thought her how to do it. She said I can do so much with my hair because it's so long (it's down to my bellybutton) and said my hair was really nice. She also noticed I was wearing earrings and asked me if my ears were pierced. I said they were, and asked her if she has pierced ears, and she said she didn't. Then, I told her I'd be going back to my home country soon but that I was going to loop again that day, and of course come again the next day. She was sad about me leaving, but I told her we still have some time before I go. Then, she asked me about food in my country, so I told her about a type of cake we have, and she said it sounded good and that she wanted to eat it. Then she asked if I liked sushi, I said yes, so she said I should try maguro (tuna) sushi [hehe]

    July 22 - Teacher Teacher Big Handshake Event

    That was my last handshake event. Unfortunately, Jurina (for whom I had 15 tickets) and Naachan (for whom I had 11 tickets) both cancelled their handshakes. The only other one I bought tickets for was Kaori, 5 tickets. So I had a lot of tickets to oshimashi.

    I decided to use 5 of my tickets on one of the draftees, Honda Sora. I already liked her from the draft videos and I thought her face is really pretty, and after I saw her in Idol Shuugyouchuu twice I started to get more interested in her. So I told her about how I saw her in Idol Shuugyouchuu and got interested in her, and that she is really good in Blue Rose. She seemed very happy and thanked me. I noticed her hair was braided, and I've only seen her with her hair down or in a ponytail before, so I told her it looked cute. Then she asked me about where I was from and what my name was. Even though my name is pretty difficult, she repeated it without problem [hehe] I also told her that while I can't come to her handshake again as I'm leaving Japan, I will support her from now on. She was very fun to talk with, very smiley and energetic, and she's really pretty, so I do recommend her to anyone who's looking for a draftee to support [hehe]

    Then, I decided to use 5 tickets on Macharin. I've never been to Macharin's individual handshake event but I've seen her at national handshake events and more recently the jacket signing. I told her it's been a while, and she gave me a blank stare, so I said "jacket signing" to which she nodded like she remembered, though I'm not sure if she did [hehe] I asked her if she appeared in the Team 4 stage and she said not yet. I also told her I'd be going back to my country soon, after she asked me where I was from and how come my Japanese was so good. I don't know if it was the early hour or something but her Japanese seemed worse than the last time I met her, I kept having to repeat stuff I said to her using more basic words as she didn't know the vocabulary I used initially. I asked her how her Japanese studies were going, and she said they were going well, so I told her to do her best. Macharin was nice but with constantly having to repeat stuff a lot of time was wasted, so not my best handshake ever. It wasn't too bad either though.

    Then, I decided to use 3 tickets on Mogi Shinobu. She's been a bit underwhelming for me recently, so I haven't bought tickets for her, but I figured I'd use this chance to say goodbye to her as I'd been going to her handshakes a lot for some time. So I went and told her that I was leaving soon so it was my last handshake, and that unfortunately I didn't get a chance to see her at the theater while I was in Japan. Her reaction was super bland. I don't know if her mood was bad in general yesterday, or she just stopped caring as soon as I said I wouldn't be coming again, but yeah, it was extremely underwhelming I kind of regretted not using those tickets on someone else or even getting them refunded. Don't get me wrong, I still like Mogi, but her handshake yesterday was just kinda meh. Oh well.

    I also decided to use 3 tickets on Fujita Nana, from the same reason, to say goodbye to her. I said pretty much the same stuff to her as I did to Mogi too, but her reaction was better. Naana is always rather quite, nice but not super energetic or loud, hence why I haven't been going to her handshakes much lately. She was like that this time too, and thanked me for coming to her handshakes before. Overall, she was nice and if I stayed in Japan I might see her again but not super often as some other members' handshakes are more enjoyable to me.

    Last one for the day was Inagaki Kaori. She had 3 slots that day but only the last slot was open for oshimashi, so I had to wait until then. I planned to use 10 tickets for oshimashi on top of my 5 tickets that I bought for her. However, I made a stupid mistake - I messed up the slots, as I thought my tickets were for 7th slot, but they were in fact for 6th. I only realized this by the time 6th slot was already over, so I had to oshimashi those tickets in 8th slot as well. This kinda ruined my plan as it meant I would have to loop her lane 3 times in 30 minutes, and with her growing popularity, I wasn't sure if I'd make it. I ended up only being able to use 10, so I'll have to get 5 tickets refunded. But those 10 were really well used, and every time I go see her I like her more and more. I told her since it was my last handshake, I planned to see my favorite 3 members but that she was the only one out of 3 who came. She asked me if the other 2 were sick, and asked who they were. I told her it was Jurina and Naachan, and told her I'm glad that at least I could see her. She said she was glad I came to see her too. I asked her how her time in AKB is going, and she said it's been really fun. I asked her if she appeared in Team 4 stage yet, and she said she didn't, so I told her I hope she can appear soon, and that I can't come see it in person but I'll watch the video of it when she does. I complimented her braids, and she said I should do it too, since my hair is so long. Then she asked me if I liked Kitty-chan (Hello Kitty). The question caught me off guard, so I was like eh? She said I seemed like I would like cute things [hehe] I laughed and told her I do like cute things. During my last few seconds, I told her I'd keep supporting her from afar, writing her on 755 and watching her videos. She said she'll also support me with my studies. It was a sad goodbye but I was glad I could see her again, and at least I got to spend more time with her since Jurina and Naachan couldn't come.

    While I was on the train home, I messaged Kaori on 755. She replied to me within a few minutes. Here's the message and reply:
    37633115_1725354377583139_3774854951252000768_n.jpg
    Translation:
    Me: Kaori-chan! Today, you were very fun and cute. I'm going home soon so I won't be able to come to Kaori-chan's handshakes anymore but I'll keep supporting you from far away. Please do your best!
    Kaori: Rina-chan, thank you for these 2 days! It's lonely since you're leaving so Kaori also felt like crying. Kaori will also support Rina-chan so let's both do our best!
     
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  17. marioworldakb

    marioworldakb Under Girls Stage48 Donor

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2017
    Location:
    Hinachan's Cell House
    Oshimen:
    Iwata "Sukinaso" Hina
    Twitter:
    marioworld929
    May or may not be related to this thread but I find this song very fitting for my own handshake experience. I'll just put it here for fun.

    if the video does not show watch the video here
     
  18. Riina

    Riina Future Girls

    Joined:
    Dec 4, 2015
    Location:
    Japan
    Twitter:
    48Riina
    July 28 - Team 8 Party ga Hajimaru yo Stage (Nagano Serika's Seitansai)

    As some of you might know, I'm not that much into Team 8 compared to other teams, and I usually don't apply for their stages so that others who want them more have a better chance (I have already seen them twice before anyways, which I wrote about in this thread before). However, since I'm leaving Japan next week, I've just been applying for everything lately in hopes I'd win another show before I go. I ended up getting a cancel machi #34 for a Saturday morning performance of Party ga Hajimaru yo, which also happened to be Nagano Serika's seitansai.

    With this kind of number, I knew my chances of getting in are pretty good but not guaranteed. The number of cancels reached 5 within hours of getting the cancel machi mail, but when I checked the number of cancels before leaving home in the morning, it had only gone up to 10. Still, I made my way to Akihabara in hopes of getting in. When I arrived, they were already letting people with cancel machi of up to 14 in. In the first round of calling cancel machi numbers, they went up to 27. Most of the people up to this number showed up, so my only chance was to be let in during the second round, after the seat lottery. They started calling numbers, 28 and 29 both showed up, so I was starting to get worried. But somehow, 30-33 all didn't show up, so I managed to get myself a ticket for the performance, even if in the back. The number ended up going up to 49, but a lot of people with numbers after mine didn't show up as well, possibly because of the typhoon.

    Considering I was let in so late, I ended up getting myself a pretty nice spot. Actually, we weren't allowed to stand in the middle area in the back anymore, only at the sides. So I positioned myself near the passage on the left side. While the pillars were covering up a part of the stage, the middle was still visible and no heads obstructing it, so I could enjoy the performance. Anyways, I'm not going to go into the detail of the stage itself as it's such an old stage and plenty has been said about it already, but I do like it more than Aitakatta (which I have also seen before). As for the members...

    Sato Akari - easy to spot on stage due to her height. I've seen her perform before and she is nice to watch but not super outstanding, other than her height.

    Shimizu Maria - I spent the first few songs of the stage wondering who the girl with the ponytail was until I realized it was her during the MC, which is quite funny as I had literally seen her perform at a festival in Chiba a week ago, but I guess the different hairstyle confused me. Anyways, she is really cute and fun to watch. She also threw a compliment at me ("kirei") during the seeing off, so bonus points for that [hehe]

    Takahashi Ayane - this was my first time seeing her in person and she's very cute. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see a lot of her performance since her position was often in the area that was hidden by a pillar from the place where I was standing.

    Yoshikawa Nanase - I've seen Nanase a few times and she gives off the impression that she has a lot of fun performing, which is nice. I think performance-wise she was one of the more impressive members today.

    Oda Erina - considering she seems like one of the top Team 8 members, I was kinda disappointed. She wasn't bad or anything but she didn't have much of a stage presence. If it wasn't for her good positions in most songs she probably wouldn't stand out much.

    Hattori Yuna - I generally had a good opinion of her the last time I saw her but she didn't really stand out to me much today, partially due to the fact that she was often in the part of the stage I couldn't see well. But even when she wasn't, she was just kinda alright, not bad but not especially good either.

    Noda Hinano - I know absolutely nothing about this girl other than her name and face but she is really cute. Also tiny, about the same size as Hama Sayuna. Seems like she is one of the newer (as in, not original) Team 8 members, so I hope she gets more attention in the future.

    Cho Kurena - looks just like the photos and has a really nice smile. I haven't really noticed her performance that much though.

    Takahashi Sayaka - also didn't stand out that much as a performance but she looks cuter in person than I thought based on her photos.

    Nagano Serika - the birthday girl. I don't know if she's usually the center of this stage or if this was just a seitansai thing, but she did pretty well centering the stage. She's not really my type of member so I don't see myself becoming a big fan of her anytime soon but she's a good performer. She got super emotional during her seitansai ceremony and cried, which was kinda funny.

    Hama Sayuna - tiny and very energetic. She's a bit too loud and hyper for my personal taste but you definitely can't miss her, which is good.

    Okuhara Hinako - first time I saw her but she did well. Not super outstanding but she was definitely visible on stage.

    Okumoto Hinano - another young and cute member I don't really know anything about but she was fun to watch and left a good impression on me.

    Yoshida Karen - I've actually been at Karen's seitansai before, but for some reason she looked so different to me today. Anyway, I enjoyed her performance.

    Yamada Kyoka - if you've seen my previous reports you'll know that I didn't really have much nice to say about Kyoka's skills before. She got slightly better by now but she still looks awkward on stage compared to others. I think she's still the worst performer among Team 8 (at least the ones I've seen so far).

    Miyazato Rira - I can't really get used to her face as it's just a bit too unique for my personal preferences but she's a good performer and fun to watch, so kudos for that. Also, this was my 3rd time seeing her perform and somehow I feel she's getting taller and taller every time [hehe]

    So yeah, the members that most impressed me today are Noda Hinano and Shimizu Maria. I'm not that much into Team 8 so I couldn't enjoy it as much as I enjoy stages featuring my favorite members, but overall it was a fun performance :)
     
    • Like Like x 4
  19. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2008
    Location:
    Saitama, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
    Twitter:
    Cristafari
    AKB48 Idol Shugyou Chuu! Stage ~Matinee Performance~ (2018/07/30)

    chu0.jpg


    Wow, my second win in July, I hope this becomes a trend. Moreover, it was my second consecutive "win" where I originally got a low number cancel machi, and there were enough cancellations to turn it into a win before I even left my apartment. I had cancel machi #23, and the cancellation number ws at 15 went I went to bed Sunday night. However, it ballooned to 37 by Monday, and ultimately the cancel machi went all the way to #117. So just because a cancel machi number isn't good, doesn't necessarily mean you can't get in. Although I do think the fact that Yahagi Moeka cancelled her performance was a factor, the evening show, which was a seitensei, did not go nearly as high. Anyway...

    This was my 44th theater show, and my 4th time seeing this stage. I arrived early to grab lunch in Akihabara, and then sat down for coffee across the street at Excelssior Cafe, making it into the theater around 6 minutes before cutoff. I received ticket #165. Middle of my group. We'll see how lucky this number is. I didn't bring a backpack to Akiba, so I had to put everything I was carrying into the tray for the metal detector. I put everything in a plastic bag so I wouldn't waste any time removing my stuff from the tray. The VIPs, women, and enpou all entered the theater. It was time for the seat lottery....

    chu15.jpg

    1. 60-69
    2. 210-219 (cancel machi peeps always seem to get a good draw)
    3. 80-89
    4. 230-239 (again cancel machi people)
    5. 120-129
    6. 180-189 (the guy calling the numbers looked at our lane when he announced this, I thought we were good to go)
    7. 160-169 (Score-a-rooni!)

    So my group gets called in 7th (well, 6.5 since 230-239 is only 3 people) I wanted to sit somewhere on the left because that is where Ranchan usually hangs out, but as I walked in Junji-san was directing people to the right side, saying it was practically empty. Sure enough, only the first row was filled, the second was empty. So I quickly grabbed the exact same seat I had at the last show, the end seat in the 2nd row, right next to the little side stage. It's funny though how most people try to get the inside seats in this row, not realizing that the further inside you are the more the pillar blocks your view. Also, this odd fan was sitting in the back row congratulating people who passed him. Not sure what that was about. Eventually it was showtime, Inagaki did the Kage-ana, and the curtain opened.

    chu6.jpg

    So normally I focus on individual members for this report. However, aside from my usual interactions with Ranchan, I wanted to see how Hitomin reacted to me since I met her at the handshake event a couple weeks ago. The other interesting aspect of this show was the performance of Mushi no Ballad, since Yahagi was out. I was interested in who was going to sub in for that song, since it is such a powerful solo. In fact, I think the unit section is one of the strongest aspects of this stage. It has a lot of energetic and fun songs, and I think for the most part the members do a great job. I think the members in the Tsundere unit fit the song perfectly, as I have a feeling that all three of them (Yasuda, Sato, Taguchi) are probably all a bit tsundere in real life. Blue Rose has all of the "mature members". Granted, Shinkirou is my least favorite song of the units, but it does kinda serve as a palate cleanser between the energy of the other four. And Nage Kissu is one of my all-time favorite "cute unit" songs, plus it has Ranchan...

    Mushi no Ballad

    chu1.jpg


    I'm not sure, but this may have been Taya Misaki's first ever public performance of this song. Between this stage, an the original K5 which I saw like 8-9 times, I have seen quite a few different members perform it. For the first time out, I thought Tacchan did quite well. She projected nicely, and for the most part stayed on-key, although she did have a bit of trouble when she had to hold a note, her voice would wobble a bit and go flat. Also, she didn't over-emote, which I though was a good choice given her lack of experience with the song. It seemed as if she mainly focused on singing it well. Ultimately, with a bit of practice I think she could easily iron out the kinks and be a capable second-stringer for Moeka.

    Member Notes

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    Kobayashi Ran: Since I was on the right side, I figured I wouldn't see much of Ranchan util the second half of the show. To my surprise she was on my side of the stage quite a bit throughout the show. The first time she came over she didn't notice me, but the second time she locked on to me and gave me a thumbs-up and a big smile. I didn't react quickly enough, so she did it again. This time I gave her a thumbs-up. From the point forward any time she was right in front of me she locked on to me until she had to dance away. Also, in one of the late MCs the members were talking about their Janken units, and Ranchan was the only one on stage at the time who hadn't yet submitted a Janken entry. Everyone was worried about her, so I am glad to read that she now has a 2-member unit with Shimoguchi Hinana.

    chu9.jpg
    Hitomin, with Kaori and Saori

    Otake Hitomi: Since I met her at the handshake event a couple weeks ago, I wanted to see if I could get some good reactions from her during the show. Unfortunately, Hitomin doesn't really interact much with the audience during the performance, instead focusing on the performance itself. So she never really reacted to me at all until the very end, where she finally spotted me and waved. I think she is one of the strongest performers in this group. Both she at Sorachan make a great duo. Speaking of which...

    Honda Sora: There is just something about this girl, she looks like she would fit perfect in the original SDN48. I'm trying to figure out who in that group she reminds me of, but quite a few members come to mind. She is definitely the most "mature" of the draftees. She is definitely one to watch.

    chu12.jpg
    Shiori

    Sato Shiori: Ya know, the last time I saw this stage she wasn't in the cast, and I really missed seeing her. I find myself quite often focusing on her during MCs, since her reactions to the other members are often very funny. She is definitely from the "Tani" school of idols, which I usually like. Plus, she just relished her role in Tsundere. She is the next draftee I want to try and meet. I think she would be a fun handshake experience.

    chu14.jpg
    Kyoka

    Tada Kyoka: Another group comedienne. Like Yasuda Kana, Kyoka is always looking for audience members to flirt/fish/interact with. I fact, at one point she was right above me on the side stage, and I was watching the way she expresses her self with her eyes.

    Saito Haruna: I'm not sure, but I don't remember seeing her perform this stage before. So this is the 3rd Gen Draftees with the "cute and shy" chara. From the looks of it, she has the potential of being extremely popular. Although during the first MC she said something to the effect of wanting to shed the her current "chara" and be a bit more well-rounded. We'll see how that goes...

    High "Wave"

    There were three members I wanted to be sure and interact with, so I scouted where they were beforehand. Hitomin was in the middle, and Inagaki and Ran-chan were at the far end, almost next to each other. Hmmm. As I made it down the line I finally got the reaction from Hitomin I was looking for. I also got big reactions from Kyoka and Tacchan. When I got to Kaori-chan, I slowed down enough and just blurted out her Janken unit name (Orenai Kokoro) I wished I had time to tell her why I like her unit so much (she is teamed with Yukachan) but just saying the name got a good reaction. Unfortunately that interaction almost got me pushed passed Ranchan, but I slowed up enough to smile a call out her name the way I do during the show. As I looked back Kurosu Haruka was still looking at me and smiling.

    chu3.jpg
    Ranchan and Kurosu

    And with that I quickly purchased the commemorative photopack, and scurried down the escalator before the lobby got too crowded. Since I don't have any AKB handshake tickets for a while, I hope I can win more of these shows as I love interacting with the new members. I am starting to like the draftees as much as I like 16th gen. With this stage, I get a bit of both.
     
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  20. Riina

    Riina Future Girls

    Joined:
    Dec 4, 2015
    Location:
    Japan
    Twitter:
    48Riina
    August 1 - AKB48 Group Kanshasai (17th-100th)

    For the first Kanshasai concert, members were doing greeting at the entrance to the venue. After ticket check, we got to choose a lane (each consisting of 8-9 members from different sister groups), regardless of whose oshi seat tickets we had. I decided to go with lane 6, consisting of Kubo Satone, Fukuoka Seina, Uchiyama Mikoto, Kumazaki Haruka, Tani Marika, Matsuoka Hana, Ishida Chiho and Takino Yumiko. I got a fairly regular (at least for me) reaction from Satopii and Chiho at the beginning of the lane. After that there was Yumirin, whose reaction made me wonder if she remembers me from a national handshake I went to before, or if it was just her reaction to me being a foreigner. The next one was Mikotti, who shouted "Ah! Kawaii!" at me. This seems to have given some ideas to the following few girls, as they all kept shouting "kawaii" at me [hehe] I thought it was pretty funny, since it was quite obvious Mikotti started this and everyone else was just following suit.

    After that, I proceeded to my seat. I had a Hasegawa Rena oshi seat ticket, as I went with a friend who is her fan. Her oshi area was at the top, so the distance to the stages was quite far but we did get first row of that area which was nice. Our tickets were also near the passage (only 1 person was between us and the passage). I let my friend sit closer to the passage as she is the Renapon oshi after all.

    Overall, the concert was really nice, but the view was kinda so-so from those seats. The part when Renapon came close to us was fun though, even if I'm not a Renapon oshi. Our area was small so she just kept going around that area for those few songs. I managed to take a few good photos too.

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    August 2 - AKB48 Group Kanshasai (2nd-16th)

    For this concert, it was my turn to choose oshi seats. Since Jurina wasn't participating, me and my friend got tickets for my 2nd oshi, Okada Nana. Luckily, we got really good tickets too. This time, we were in arena seats (in Yokohama Arena, arena seats are actually not those seats directly in front of the stage, but the slightly raised seats at the sides of the arena). 8th row, and right at the edge of the block next to the passage. From those seats, we had a really good view of both the central stage and the side stages/passages (whatever you wanna call them).

    A fun fact that I already posted in Naachan's thread is that we were sitting just a few rows after Naachan's family. As Naachan fans will know, Naachan often does Showroom with her sister, and her mother's appearance is also known, so I recognized them sitting a few rows in front of me. They were being super supportive of Naachan, had lightsticks in her colors and her sister even had an uchiwa [hehe]

    The concert was really good and I enjoyed everyone's solo songs, not just the members that I personally like. I like how they really tried heard with original ideas - for example, Naachan had an orchestra and a video of her history in AKB, Mikurin had a video of a fake dating simulator game (featuring herself), Nako had photos of herself from birth to now, Yuihan played the violin, Ogiyuka was on a swing from the ceiling high up in the air, Hinatan arrived in a car, Nao cut her own hair on stage, etc. I thought the ideas were really original and showed a lot of individuality. Some of the song choices were pretty unexpected but all in all it was really nice.

    The highlight of the concert was of course the part when members came near us. From my seat, I had a good view of several members passing by, but of course since it was Naachan oshi seats she got super close. In fact, she was literally right next to me :^O^: Judging by her reaction, she seems to have recognized me from handshake events. Also when she was near her family's seats, her sister passed her the uchiwa and took a photo, lol. Anyways, you can see all of these in the video I uploaded: https://streamable.com/vzuji Since the video quality ended up being pretty bad, I might add some screenshots later.

    After the show, there was also omiokuri (seeing off). You could choose to see any members, regardless of whose seat you were in (except for Ogiyuka, who limited her lane to people from her oshi seats only). Some members also had some gifts for the fans. I chose Naachan, who didn't offer any special gifts, but nevertheless it was really nice. When I came to her lane, she told me "I found you earlier", referring to the time during the concert when she came near my seat [hehe] Just as I was told to move on I managed to tell her this was my last time meeting her, but I hope it didn't come off weird (it was my last time as I'll be leaving Japan soon, not because I didn't want to see her anymore or anything like that). I was sad seeing her so close for the last time, and today I got to see her the last time performing as well at TIF - but I'll write about that in another post later.
     
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