[GENERAL] The AKB48 Thread

Seems like quite a number of people also questioned that, so Aichan answered that question:
https://twitter.com/airi_sato0624/status/1609158369964883969
They had a meeting the other day, and 18 is considered adult, so she can perform!

Apparently Japan has lowered their adult age to 18 from 20 starting 2022 for some purposes:
https://japan-forward.com/japans-legal-adult-age-is-now-18-from-20-8-things-that-change-4-that-stay/

oh that reminds me of the KKS discussion the other day, they were discussing on whether the 18 y.o will get Seijinshiki (Coming of Age Ceremony) next year, but apparently it's arbitrary and only the 20 y.o. ones will get it on 2023.

 

AKB48 Theater 2022 New Year's Eve Performance (AKB48劇場2022年大晦日公演)
(December 31, 2022)


Members:
Red Team =
Murayama Yuiri, Mogi Shinobu, Kuranoo Narumi, Oguri Yui, Yamauchi Mizuki, Okabe Rin, Sato
Airi, Chiba Erii

White Team =
Mukaichi Mion, Kashiwagi Yuki, Taguchi Manaka, Shitao Miu, Onishi Momoka, Oda Erina, Omori
Maho, Honda Hitomi

*****

Setlist:

• Overture
• 01. AKB Festival
  • MC 1 (Team Red & White captain announcement. Team Red captain: Chiba Erii. Team White captain: Honda Hitomi)
• 02. Kanojo [Red Team] (Sato Airi)
• 03. Coin Toss [White Team] (Omori Maho)
  • MC 2 (Chiba Erii, Sato Airi, Omori Maho, Honda Hitomi)
• 04. Monica, Yoake da [Red Team] (Yamauchi Mizuki & Kuranoo Narumi)
• 05. Ookami to Pride [White Team] (Mukaichi Mion & Taguchi Manaka)
  • MC 3 (Chiba Erii, Kuranoo Narumi, Yamauchi Mizuki, Taguchi Manaka, Mukaichi Mion, Honda Hitomi)
• 06. Darashinai Aishikata [White Team] (Onishi Momoka & Shitao Miu)
• 07. LOVE ASH [Red Team] (Okabe Rin & Oguri Yui)
  • MC 4 (Chiba Erii, Okabe Rin, Oguri Yui, Onishi Momoka, Shitao Miu, Honda Hitomi)
• 08. Namida wa Itsu no Hi ka [Red Team] (Mogi Shinobu & Murayama Yuiri)
• 09. Mata Anata no Koto wo Kangaeteta [White Team] (Oda Erina & Kashiwagi Yuki)
  • MC 5 (Chiba Erii, Mogi Shinobu, Murayama Yuiri, Oda Erina, Kashiwagi Yuki, Honda Hitomi)
• 10. Moto Kare desu (Honda Team White)
• 11. Hisashiburi no Lip Gloss (Chiba Team Red)
• Judging time
• Photo time

Result announcement

• Chiba Team Red: 122 votes
• Honda Team White: 107 votes

The winner is Chiba Red!
Reward: Half-boiled canelé

Final Song:

• 12. Oogoe Diamond

source:
dedemaruenzo & 48manaka_16 twitter
https://twitter.com/OfficialMRK48/status/1609157569028784129
https://twitter.com/yuiyui_maromaro/status/1609135281772589057
https://twitter.com/miumiu_0403/status/1609138656455057412

 

The law to lower adult age was approved back in 2019 and it has come into effect this year.

 

Here's Namida Surprise on CDTV (credit to uploader):




Nice to see Mizumin get some good camera time (although she did perhaps slightly mistime her camera shot at 0:56).

 

Namida Surprise is old but still gold, kinda refreshing to see with good camerawork.
Also yeah Mizumin missed a bit there haha. Looks like responses so far are positive.

Group pics

Spoiler: sources

https://twitter.com/AKB48_staff/status/1609205147883954177
https://twitter.com/TBSCDTV/status/1609203502584135681

 

Moto Kare desu from CDTV (credit to uploader):




Backstage talk AKB48 x boy band 8LOOM:

 

Who is the other center?(not Yui)

 

She's Chiba Erii!
She also centered the latest single.

 

Oh she looked different the last time I saw her.

 

The official YouTube channel of the TV Aichi show 'Fishing Lover Tokai' has posted a number of videos from recent episodes featuring Megu and Maho. There's 10 in total so I won't list them here but they can all be viewed for free at the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/@fishinglover1973/videos

 

AKB48 HADO tournament final started today.
Team K won day 1
Team 4 won day 2
https://twitter.com/48manaka_16/status/1611988253489627136
https://twitter.com/nanaseworld_7/status/1612061510087610371

btw, Team B wasn't allways last
https://twitter.com/48_RemiTokunaga/status/1611986637084569602

Day 1 and Day 2 combined result:

1. Team K 7pts
2. Team 4 5pts
3. Team B 4 pts
4. Team A 4 pts

https://twitter.com/hado_idol/status/1612071405683896323

 

Here they are
https://mdpr.jp/photo/detail/12928088
https://twitter.com/AKB48_staff/status/1612287574600712192

• Utada Hatsuka
• Kawahara Misaki (not on photos, because she's sick)
  
• Hirata Yuki
• Hirano Hikaru
• Yamada Kyoka
• Yoshida Karen

 

Congratulations to our new adult members!
Today Jan 9 is AKB48 Coming-Of-Age Ceremony



From left to right:

• Hirata Yuki
• Yoshida Karen
• Yamada Kyoka
• Hirano Hikaru
• Utada Hatsuka

And I was about to complain for no official news this year.
Yukinee, Karen, Kyoka, Hikarun, and Hattsu, congrats!
Also Missaa is missing? EDIT: oh nvm, looks like she is sick, according to the articles, what a bad luck.

More pics from the news outlets below:
https://mdpr.jp/news/detail/3545318
https://www.musicvoice.jp/news/244203/
https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2263510/full/
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/24dd105158ccce39705c88c0cec2c3549f32298a
https://natalie.mu/music/news/508200

EDIT:
Official tweet:
https://twitter.com/AKB48_staff/status/1612287574600712192


Seems like this year they are named as "Hop, Step, Jump" Generation (ホップステップジャンプ世代)

 

For something completly different
AKB48 SHOWROOM senbatsu episode 4
Hosts should be no surprise
https://ameblo.jp/akihabara48/entry-12781297718.html

 

Video from TBS Entertainment News of today's Coming of Age ceremony (won't embed so click on link):


if the video does not show watch the video here

EDIT: WWS Channel has just posted a video:


if the video does not show watch the video here

And so now has MAIDIGI TV:


if the video does not show watch the video here

Also ModelPress:


if the video does not show watch the video here

Music Voice:


if the video does not show watch the video here

 

Akimoto Yasushi (+ Sashihara Rino and Murashige Anna) appeared on a variety show called Talk Queens (トークィーンズ) on January 12th, 2023, and inevitably talked about AKB48.




They talked about the center position in those early days, and Akimoto mentioned how Acchan, Yuko and even Kawaei Rina were all popular with cute faces, who all became actresses but "Sasshi tried twice and they were both failures."

He mentioned that he'd initially written another song for Sasshi's first Sousenkyo win, but quickly scrapped it and wrote a new song to fit Sasshi's image. Sasshi cried the first time she heard it, and Kojiharu asked "isn't this more like a b-side?" Everyone thought it wasn't upbeat enough for an idol song. They also talked about a Team B song (B-side on So long!), which is about talking in dog poop... Akimoto wrote the song because he felt it was a relatable experience lol.

I think people can say what they want about him, but his songs used to be better when he personalised them according to the lineup. These days, he doesn't even meet the centers in person anymore, and back then he wrote songs like Koi Chun specifically with Sasshi in mind, Ue kara Mariko specifically for Mariko, and even B-sides like UHHO UHHOHO for Akimoto Sayaka, Shoujotachi yo, Anti, 16nin Shimai no Uta, Team B Oshi specifically about AKB48 members... The lyrics these days are too generic. Girls were able to show their personalities in these songs. I wish he were more involved again with the members.

 

He sold his stake in AKB in 2014 to the pachinko lady so he lost any incentive to particularly care about what he was doing and just churn out lyrics....unfortunately. That was the end of new stages and good lyrics (beyond a few exceptions) from Aki-p.

 

48 times published it's awards, voted by readers.
Fans price:

1. NGT48 - Nara Miharu
2. NGT48 - Fujisaki Miyu
3. AKB48 - Sakaguchi Nagisa
4. NMB48 - Wada Miyu
   
5. STU48 - Nakamura Mai

https://twitter.com/48timesJP/status/1613883569671401473

New heroine price:

1. NGT48 - Shibano Yui
2. AKB48 - Masai Mayuu
3. STU48 - Kurushima Yuka
4. STU48 - Okamura Rio
5. NGT48 - Kitamura Yuha

https://twitter.com/48timesJP/status/1613883688080789507

 

AKB48 members who performed the most at theater in 2022

01. Ichikawa Manami (82 performances, 1 guest appearance)
02. Shimoguchi Hinana (80 performances, 1 guest appearance)
03. Kurosu Haruka (75 performances, 2 guest appearances)
04. Inagaki Kaori (74 performances, 4 guest appearances)
05. Kobayashi Ran (72 performances, 4 guest appearances)
06. Ishiwata Sena (70 performances, 2 guest appearances)
07. Murayama Yuiri (64 performances, 5 guest appearances)
08. Sato Kiara (64 performances, 3 guest appearances)
09. Yumoto Ami (58 performances)
10. Suzuki Kurumi (55 performances, 5 guest appearances)
11. Okada Rina (53 performances, 1 guest appearance)
12. Nagano Serika (52 performances, 3 guest appearances)
13. Mogi Shinobu (52 performances, 1 guest appearance)
14. Yoshihashi Yuzuka (50 performances, 1 guest appearance)
15. Nagatomo Ayami (46 performances, 3 guest appearances)
16. Sakaguchi Nagisa (44 performances, 3 guest appearances)
17. Taniguchi Megu (44 performances, 2 guest appearances)
18. Tada Kyoka (42 performances, 3 guest appearances)
19. Mukaichi Mion (42 performances, 2 guest appearances)
20. Hattori Yuna (38 performances)

Source: theater_akb48 (it's a good account for infos/translations)