TV / Radio OUT OF 48 (2023/04/20 - 2024/03/28)

They should have done covers or better produce new songs

 

Why was Yamaguchi Yui first told she didn't make it and then brought back in?

Was it just for the drama or was there a solid reason behind it?

I mean, supposing that the goal was to have 48 girls, they knew there were only 23 General Public girls brought in, there's no way they realized it last second after the GP girls walked in, "oh we're one girl short, bring back the girl who would have made it if there was one more spot"?

 

That's it. One of the general contestants dropped the show so they brought Yuichi back.

 

Right, but they knew in advance that she had dropped out, way before they started announcing to the members who passed; so it was for the drama then. Instead of simply telling the members "25 of you will pass because one of the outside girls dropped out", they let them think it was 24 and then brought Yuichi back in for the reactions.

Well, it is a tv show after all and the reaction of the rest of 18th gen was cute.

 

Well there was only 1 day between when they selected the outsider and their introduction to the members.
Can still be some narrative to this sort of (bad) documentary.

Also as I suspected among the passing criterias are the usual "potential for growth".
Though I am too not convinced with all the selected.
Just 18ki looks (almost) all shoe in before the start.

 

After finishing watching all clips of outsider's dancing, I doubt that they were chosen because of dance skills or visuals.

You guys can check them on tiktok.
https://www.tiktok.com/@outof_48

 

I always like to remind people of that Mechaike episode that made Kawaei famous. The members had a test in a classroom after which the "teachers" graded those tests and came back to show the results and their stupid answers. In those minutes/hours between grading the tests and returning to the classroom they created a full costume with one of the answers and managed to find an alpaca.





Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

 

That Chen girl sounded like mediocre idol rapper at best. Her audacity to write "rap" as her specialty. She was a stiff dancer on top of that. The "Into the Unknown" girl (Naruishi) sounded seriously nice, possibly the only good vocalist in the show. She was also a fair dancer (by the standard of this show). Can't say she was pretty but she will look way better with better styling and some fitness training. I'll keep my eyes (and ears) on her.

They had only 23 minutes yet, they decided to show 24 AKB's girls being called one by one. They could have been more time efficient by showing only 3-4 girls being called and cut to graphic chart summarizing who survived and who eliminated.

Ichinomiya's elimination reasoning was too absurd to believe. Better be sincere despite harsh rather than pretentious/insincere. That would be more dramatic too.

Next mission will be dance-only again, the same song too? They did not even have the budget for copyright fee for other songs? Cheapskate at its finest. Since it will be team mission, they will be interactions and we may see more of contestants' personalities. Nothing suggested Hana would show up in person to give them dance lesson in the next episode. Self-learning again?

What did Kashiwagi say was fun in episode 3? I could not see it.

I guess Narita was saved to create Kang Hyewon storyline. Age may be an unsaid factor. Idols better be under 20 marketing wise.

Are you sure you understand it right? I don't think so.

Ichinomiya certainly did not praise her yet, defended her. Had not he had special interest on her, he could just move on when Hana said Narita looked like she had never danced before. He added "She was 18th gen, freshly recruited." to downplay her unskillfulness. This was a ridiculous attempt seeing another 18th gen Sako being good despite also never been taught. Sako was younger too, right? How far can Narita go when she is this good at 19?

I only know they questioned what seemingly common K-pop idol knowledge. Why did they question why someone was eliminated despite being more skilled? Why had not they known?

Are you sure they were better dancers/prettier girls among those eliminated? Were you not suspicious if the applicant pool was very small?

 

I am sure my japanese understanding is better than yours. It is one thing to say "a is better than b, c, and d" (which some people seem to suggest) and "a is like a blank paper, she is promising".

 

The more important question is how can you decide that the answer is related to what had happened in AKB48 throughout their establishment or not if your knowledge about AKB48 is flimsy at best.

 

I watched episode 3 of the show, and yes I think the whole thing with Yuichi was planned, they probably already decided on which 25 members passed (since only 23 non-AKB members joined) and picked which girl they would "eliminate" and save again later, and they probably picked Yuichi because she's the youngest member in the group right now, this gives her some attention/push. Besides she's actually a good dancer (which makes it even less logical that she was the only one from 18th gen who got eliminated). Of course none of this is her decision and she obviously didn't know, same for the members, so their reactions are all real. But yes the whole thing didn't make too much sense lol ^^; Btw I like how Yuichi went to sit next to Yuiyui when she joined back. wYui ;D

Other than this, well, the part with the eliminations was just sad to see especially when they told the girls to leave the room T_T Some of these girls really deserved to pass (I'm thinking about Harupyon yes, I'm not over it yet ._.).

About the non-AKB members, we barely got to see them... I thought the girl who was dancing with a purple shirt, Nakamori Mikoto(?), seems pretty good. also there is one girl there who was in the 18th gen auditions, I think her name is Yuna? I remember her because she was a fan of Moeka ^^; and I watched a bit of her stream back then. But we didn't really see her in here. Also about the girl who did a rap... that was a bit uhm... ^^; not a fan of that at all lol. The girl who was singing did good though she has a nice voice!

Looks like in the next episode, they'll have 8 teams of 6 members and dance together, to the same song again? I'm not sure why they couldn't take other songs, it could be AKB songs, I mean AKB has some dance-focused songs so why not. we already heard the theme song of the show so many times... it's too much lol. Also I don't see the point to make little groups to perform the song again considering their first evaluations were already in groups of 4-5 girls, even if they were judged individually, they were performing in little groups... it's the same.

I actually have no idea where this show is going lol. and I miss SayoMouri T_T

Spoiler

and I don't really like how this show can make people have negative feelings about some members, not because of things that the members did or say, but because of how they're being favored (while some others get treated unfairly) even if it's not their choice... a show like SayoMouri wasn't like that, it was promoting the girls mostly in a positive and funny way... oh well :/

 

I'm watching the outsiders dance videos.
Since it's only for the fancy side it doesn't reflect their selection.
Here are just some quick personal thoughts:

• Suzuki Sara: average. The hand move aren't bad, but stiff legs
• Murakami Ayaha: some dynamism, lacks smile
• Matsuo Sara: great face expressivity, but she didn't get all the steps
  
• Sugii Misaki: @souchan48 don't burry her too fast, she has springs in her legs, great expressivity too, her idol past shows
• Iwamoto Aika: Same as 2nd line above, with more smile
• Kakimoto Rena: too shy in her dancing
• Nakamori Mikoto: nice dancing, need some works in her expressions
• Yamazaki Fuka: too shy and too static, even her face
  
• Watanabe Karen: Everything on expressivity, she's retaining her dance moves
• Chen Sasha: another very stiff, the vocal coach seems to appreciate her rap
• Naruishi Arisa: great moves, well chained
• Sato Suzuka: never seems to complete her moves.
• Matsuura Yui: Naru's rival
• Hatai Miyuu: another who is too stiff on her legs, only 1 type of smile
  
• Kanomata Mana: Erii's level 5 years ago
• Nishijima Ruka: she's great, her moves are well linked and fast.
  
• Kato Mikoto: at 1st I thought it was the one just above, because same outfit. Great too, just a slower than above.
• Matsumoto Otoka:She's overdoing the hip moves, the dancing could be smoother
  
• Tanaka Rei: Mikurin lookalike. It's good.
• Furuyama Nanami: fluid moves, never forget the camera.
• Nagai Kurumi: her moves could be more ample, it wouldn't be a bad thing
• Wakabayashi Yuna: fast dancer, too fast maybe at the start. Expressions are here
  
• Nakamura Yuka: another who is too stiff

Overall, they more or less match with the applying 48 girls.

 

Regarding the episode, it made me want to stop watching the show. I may keep watching it out of morbid curiosity, but all I can think about while watching this is that what the group really needs is a fun variety show where everyone can shine. Not to mention this show couldn't be more boring if it tried. We're three episodes in and every one of them was mostly useless. There's no tension or excitement. The only thing I've felt so far was sad for the eliminated girls, nothing more. It's very frustrating to me that we're wasting time on this when we could actually be promoting the girls with fun games and conversations in SayoMouri. The show even had good hosts. What a waste.
Oh, and my Japanese is very basic so I don't catch much, but the guy saying he wanted to create a group that wouldn't lose to AKB? While using AKB members for it? Give me a break.

As for the outsiders, I watched their videos (albeit not with complete attention, because I can only listen to Your Super Girl so many times. It's such a repetitive song, too, and you're telling me we'll have one more episode surrounding it? Anyway). I will say I'm surprised. I wasn't paying attention to them during the concert, but I thought they were going to be better. I found the vast majority of them to be below average. I guess maybe we wouldn't want them overshadowing the AKB girls, but I don't know, I kinda think it's a shame. None of them caught my eye except maybe Sasha.

I usually try to be positive but I'm really not seeing it with here

 

I got the impression they were using this as some kind of weird, emotionally manipulative push for Harupyon. They've probably figured out that AKB fans get angry about unjust treatment and like to get "revenge" by giving the company more money. I can't really fathom any other reason for focusing on her and her performance (which seemed pretty decent) the way they did.

 

At first i think, it is the girls' fault. But the more i watch them, i think the CHORUS choreography is not coordinated well. First, it seems so random like there is no connecting moves. All are just random hand movement. Second, it does not even match the song tempo and it is also not related with the lyric.

I think almost none of the girls work these move, but whose fault really when the choreography is this lacking? (Imho, nishijima rika is among the only few who gets this. Naru is my second bet after rika)


The chorus lyric is basically " i will be evolving soon... please watch over me. I have made up my mind.. and i wont let you feel regretful (for placing the trust in me)". Does it match the choreo?

I see all the hype *bad and good* abt the infamous Sasha Chen. I cant see why she is praised judging from the video alone. (Ironicallly, eventhou her dance is so boring. She does have the best last move)

I havent watched the epi 3 yet so bear with me.

 

To say someone way below average was "promising" was not a praise. Sure Jan. You must know better because you spoke Japanese.

Definitely, I don't know AKB48 system as there certainly is no other 48 group but AKB.

Did your "immense" knowledge tell you a key person of this project, namely Ichinomiya, was clearly K-pop leaning?

Actually, the next mission served a crucial purpose, teamwork, how they worked as team members. The first mission was simply 4-5 individuals dancing side by side. This time, they must coordinate. First mission = learn the move, second = make formation and synchronise.

If you change your watching mindset, you may find it fairly fun. Take it as after school club something. They were girls gathering, practising together to do better performance.
This show can present members in a different light. You (kind of) saw how they behave in a more serious environment.
Nope. He said eliminated those eliminated girls because AKB could make better use of them.

You could not list how they executed the move poorly and continued it was not their fault. Disconnected moves and out-of-beat surely were signs of bad dancer.

Hana's choreography definitely was influenced by late Twice' ones. "Random hand movements" is a legit dance style universally appreciated (so called vogue). Might not you like it, this style itself did not make the choreo good nor bad.

If you did not want "hand movements", what should have Hana do? Lots of footworks and waves? The difficulty would have been 2 folds. How could contestants do that when they already disconnected this simple "lacking" one?

Huh? Some hand movements directly reflect the lyric.
- Making hand gesture over left chest at "Your supergirl" means "I'm in your heart"
- Spinning hands at "Kawaru" means "spinning wheel" thus, "change"
- Running a hand over eyes at "Mite ite yo", means "Watch me".
- Crossing arms over the chest at "Gimme gimme your love" means "Hug me, show me your love"

Words like "koukai wa sasenai" are very difficult to illustrate. Maybe, you could do better work than her since you spoke Japanese?

Did not Chen praised for her "English rapping"? How did the video tell you about her rapping?

I have no idea how Nishijima worked the choreo when she had zero sharpness.

 

Yes, that is the point.

You are the only one that keep quoting my statement which mean that you take my statement seriously in compare with the others but yet you cannot tell from my statement whether I am aware or not aware of that?

 

Hey. I just watched episode 3 and it does answer a lot of the questions we all have.

One important thing they address repeatedly is:
Is the show "rigged"? Why were some capable members eliminated, while some who fared worse get a pass?
Their official answer is yes. throughout the show, they repeatedly—and even explicitly—stated that one of the most important variable is that the girl matches their vision of the group. Yes, they did state that they eliminated some girls who are capable but does not match the group's vibe. More prominently, They stated this when explaining the 48group and the public result.

Was it unfair? Yes. But was it unethical? Well... the difference between this and the produce series scandal was that the fact that general audience serves as "national producer" (e.g. dictating who they want in the group thru voting) is the main selling point of produce shows. Hence, the rigging is a fraud. However, this show does not hide the fact that they control the direction of the group.

Yukirin was also surprised that many members who tried their hard in an akb48-way were eliminated (e.g. an idollish way? Idk how to put it). Anyway, yes, she stated this out loud. (She is such a good commentator, btw. Really appreciate her being in the show) By the end of the show, she noticed and acknowledged that the show wanted to create a group that has totally different directions than akb48. And yeah.. they did state this before the show start. I guess we kinda forgot about that.

That is a colloquial, not to be translated in a literal way. More accurately it is "i want to create a group that is as good as akb48". In a way, that colloquial is used to acknowledge that akb48 is among the top. So dont take it in a bad way

Ps: they stated 3 important judging variable:
-capability
-the possibility of growth/ "potential"
-how they match the group they want to create

 

@souchan48 it's more than that. Even though they admit that they didn't exactly made their selection based on their dancing only they're not being consistent either. Let me give you an example. Look at Eriko, what does she look like to you? A Japanese idol or a K-Pop artist? And yet she passed but Pyon didn't. There are people saying that they didn't want short girls in the group. Then why did you select Naru? If their image comes first and their dancing skills don't matter than she would be one of the first out. You can't say that you made a decision based on one criteria and then make contraditory decisions.

If you eliminate members whose dancing should make them pass then why on Earth did you make this dancing audition in the first place?! Eliminate them before they even get on TV, as you did with lots of them, instead of making them feel terrible. They didn't deserve that.

It's all bullshit!

What pisses me off the most in DH is that when an idol joins the group there's a contract between her and DH: she has the responsability of working in a way that benefits her agency and that agency, in return, has to promote her as much as possible. But, apparently, this is completely one-sided and DH has absolutely no respect for the only people responsible for their jobs and wealth.

 

It looks like the way that they choose the members is like 48G management choose the senbantsu members and just like management chosen senbatsu the issue of why X is being choosen and not Y is always come out (not indicate that the issue raised is unjustified btw).