Generation AKB48 18th Generation

18ki Showroom Audition preliminary started!

link to event page with brackets and rooms info:
https://www.showroom-live.com/event/akb48_18th_yosen

There are 11 brackets with like 30 people within each
so the total contestants are like 330 girls
Also some room numbers are like 600+ so maybe there were more.

Good thing people are still trying to get into AKB
Good luck to all the contestants!

 

checked out a few of them. would like to check more, but i am using a free vpn to watch and it's not ideal.
i made the mistake of being logged in and one of them said hi to me by name when i got there and then i felt like i couldn't leave. lol. then i gave her all my stars and she got really happy.

the same thing happened to me with sana (before =love were in their final form) and i was too taken aback by being randomly noticed and spoken to in japanese so i kinda froze and didn't end up saying anything and it was awkward and i still think about that sometimes. ouch.

 

I checked some streams (not too many since I'm using a VPN and it's really slow lol).

I think I found some favorites ^^ Meruchan (19 years old, likes Yukirin, and she's pretty!), and Yunapyon (15 years old, Moeka fan ;D, very talkative and fun). They're both in the same bracket (#3) but I think there are high chances that both will make it because they have so many views, like around 3300-3500 views right now o_o Hopefully they'll go to the finals! I'll take a look at their videos on YouTube later if they get uploaded. I couldn't watch too much live lol.

 

I also checked a few streams (the need to use a VPN is a pain for me too) and I landed on the one for Nanako who spotted my name and had a few goes at trying to pronounce it which was sweet so I felt I should stay put on her stream. She performed a few karaoke versions of AKB theater songs such as 'Shonichi' which were quite good and entertaining so it was worth my staying to watch. I see that she'll be 19 years old in just 4 days' time so I'll try to return for her birthday.

 

I watched for a couple of hours, I haven't spent so much time on sr for a long time. and I agree, vpn sucks

I guess I go with Yuma (that means she probably won't make it in):
https://www.showroom-live.com/r/akb48_18th_499
she's one of the prettiest participants. her stream was 0.5% talk, 99.5% karaoke. thats the ratio I like

 

Don't forget that these girls are the ones that already failed the primary audition. The real 18th gen girls have been successfully picked, and of course they don't participate in this event.
So, don't be surprised if there are a lot of mediocre looking girls.

 

^Plenty of the previous gens were mediocre looking at kks stage.

I can't believe there are 300+ girls in this. I wonder what the criteria was for 'You are not good enough for a kenkyuusei, but maybe good enough for a 2nd chance'. Assuming they have, what, 5-15 girls confirmed for 18th gen already, how many more could pass out of this 300? 5? 10? Chances seem super low. Compared to 16th gen SR auditions, there were about 70 girls competing, approx 30 passed, and 19 finally debuted as kks.

I noticed many of the girls were on the older side (including multiple 21 year olds, very impressive for an audition for 12-20 year olds). So probably management though they were too old to develop as a regular kks, but if they can prove they can quickly grow themselves a fanbase via SR it might give management some faith in them. The second coming of Sally.

There also see to be a lot of otaku/wota type girls. One of the girls said fans might recognise her from events cause she attends so many. I remember Togasaki said they get a lot of Akiba types auditioning, but they avoid taking them in because AKB isn't supposed to be an otaku-themed group just because it's based in Akihabara. So I feel being too hardcore an AKB fan might be a strike against them, but it will could make them popular amongst SR fans. Zunchan was one of the most popular of the 16th gen SR auditions for that reason iirc.

Anyway, there's something about these SR auditions that always gets me way hyped and invested compared to normal auditions. I guess this is me falling for managements ploy hook, line and sinker.

 

The 16th gen audition thread even had a candidate you couldn't go wrong about her origin.

 

Maybe 10+n pass this challenge. If they have luck, at the end, 1-2 girls would debut, or none.
You know, there will be round 4 and final round plus training period ahead, so the chance for these girls to debut is very slim.

 

No one is confirmed for 18th gen already. There's still two more screenings after this, both for those who make it in through the SR competition and who already passed the previous screenings.

Previous Showroom competitions took place later in the auditioning process so the candidate list was narrower (plus I'm not sure there was much screening at all here).

 

Now I watch Wachi Hinako, she's good candidate for me
https://www.showroom-live.com/r/akb48_18th_119

 

Aichan revealed that #224 Sakihina is her cousin. So that's a 3rd member of the family auditioning for AKB. I was bamboozled.

 

https://www.showroom-live.com/r/akb48_18th_693
She really join this challenge too. Please debut this time.
D3, NGT 2nd, HKT 5th, SKE 9th, NMB, AKB 17th, AKB 18th. 6 years following idol dream.

 

Now I watchs Lui Hiutung, she's from Hong Kong.
https://www.showroom-live.com/r/akb48_18th_204

 

MOD NOTE: unfortunately, all of these images are 1280 wide, far exceeding the 750 limit
EDITED: Sorry about that! Fixed with all thumbnails now, hopefully it's OK

18ki audition preliminary stage is over!
Top 3 of each bracket go to the final stage:

Bracket 1
Nakoppe, Honyo, Yukitasu


Bracket 2
Kyuuri-chan, 20ban-chan, Ichigo-chan


Bracket 3
Oten-chan, Meru-chan, Yunapyon


Bracket 4
Ayappii, Mayuma Yuu, Hasegawa Noa


Bracket 5
Rinka, Nanami (decided to withdraw), Lui Hiutung + Satsuki (4th place)


Bracket 6
Shinoda Yuuka, Mikoto, Tomoka


Bracket 7
Sugimoto Madoka, Reina, Bibi


Bracket 8
Aochan, Michan, Aya


Bracket 9
Mimi-chan, Maru-chan, Chikuwa


Bracket 10
Sayo, Ikuchan, Tanaka


Bracket 11
Renren, Mii, Rinon



Plus some of the judge's choices (announced, check the link on the post by @Moomin below)

Final round will be from Jan 11 to Jan 17
Top 3 of the final round + extra judge choices will go on to 4th stage of 18th gen Audition on Jan 21!


Seems like the fight for the top in Bracket 1 and 3 was especially fierce, by looking at the total points. Lots of great girls there.
How was it, did your favorite candidates make it to the final? Mine certainly didn't.

Congrats to all winners and good luck on the final round!

 

MOD NOTE: You can reply without quoting the whole post, especially when the post you are quoting is filled with oversize images.

Nanami from Bracket 5 are withdrawn from contest, so Block 5, No. 4th place "Satsuki's Secret Base #AKB 18th AD" will advance to the final.

https://www.showroom-live.com/event/akb48_18th_yosen

 

There are 16 judge's choices :

• Reichan
• Pakuchan room
  
• Moe Moe
  
• Nezumi
  
• Maki
  
• Leo
• ♡Remichan♡
• Kanachan no tsuntsun house
• Nachan
• Tachikawa Nodoka
  
• Kirari
• Pinkchan no O heya
  
• Ichiwa
  
• Miyuu
  
• Aomii (reward for live audition)
  
• Nikorin (reward for daily delivery)

 

While waiting for the final round,
I see the report that one of the 18th gen applicants said in showroom that "When I failed 17th gen audition, the staff told me there won't be much interval before we open 18th,19th,and 20th gen audition, so please try again."

So if your favorite didn't make it, there's still a chance.

Not sure if it's true in the first place though, would a staff really tell an auditionee this kind of info?
However, if it's true, does AKB48 really have the income to do these frequent auditions?

source:
http://www.stumatome.com/archives/41718904.html

 

compared to the gap between 16th and 17th gen (6 years??) the gap between 17 and 18 auditions was very short.

and when you realize team 8 alone is basically a whole third of the group - how many will stay when their team dissolves?
right now the group is practically made of various degrees of 'legacy' members and kks...
and while there are several older members that i do like, i'm not sure retaining older members for so long and in such abundance is a good thing especially without regularly adding new ones.

as far as cost, does anyone know if kks are paid less than full members? maybe a mountain of fresh kks is cheaper if they cycle some of the old fluff out.

 

The "final Showroom" is set, until january 17th
https://www.showroom-live.com/event/akb48_18th_last