Single AKB48 42nd [Kuchibiru ni Be My Baby] 15/12/09

Well some people do not like the 21-nin senbatsu, saying it's too cluttered; though personally, I prefer it.

 

Compared to 32, 21 would look be empty lol. I think that they should increase senbatsu size for the same reason they expanded the sousenkyo from 32> 64> 80. AKB is still growing and they should accommodate for it. Plus 16 doesn't really show the full potential of the group.

Edit: I felt like Some of the best performances of the bigger senbatsu songs like BWT and KR were the full senbatsu ones. More variety!

 

Sorry for bringing up the Annin thing again, but people started talking about dancing skills and performance level, which had nothing to do with the subject. You don't need mad dancing skills to fully extend your arm.

She might have psychological issues, no doubt about that, but I don't understand why that would prevent her from fully moving her body on stage or in front of the camera, unless she has some serious physical condition that we don't know about, in which case she shouldn't even be dancing at all. Not caring during concerts is one thing, but even music videos? I'm just shocked that it's apparently acceptable and it's something I've never seen before, except for that Nyan incident in Kibouteki, which had me shocked as well, but at least it hasn't happened since.

You can't sell us this classic Japanese fairytale of hard working girls who stay up all night practising and crying while putting bandages on their blisters any longer, when you serve us that kind of performance. Just like Nyan, I'm not even blaming the member, but the staff who apparently can't be bothered to simply ask them to pretend like they're somewhat happy to perform.

Spoiler

And... this message will now be removed by a moderator, but at least I had my chance to vent.

 

21 is a nice, neat number, and a perfect pyramid formation. I think Management should try it again one of these days *A*

 

I think 18 or 20 is the best

 

I miss the good old days when most idol fans didn't come from a Kpop background and understood that Japanese idols were not about crazy, swaggy, over the top in sync choreos but about being cute and put a smile on our faces. Annin is doing just that, she's very good at being an idol.

Anywayyyy I have a feeling this single is gonna be very nostalgic. Seeing the pictures from the alleged PV shooting at the Aitakatta light house got me really excited. I hope the song is a classic AKB number à la Iiwake Maybe.

 

I'm half afraid it might be a total remake of Aitakatta. I mean they remade Sakura no Hana....

 

ah wee !!!? Kpop is cute too, and put a lot of smiles~ and their idol standard is much higher than jpop idol...

 

Yeah, but the 48 groups have always emphasized the idea that the members are working really hard to reach their dreams along with the support of their fans, and together with their teams/groups, because most of them aren't super talents. 48 group takes this further with their events where you can actually profess your support to your oshimen directly. At least to me, the senbatsu should represent these values and the members who have no chance of actually taking the big stage for the group (and for herself). Just look at how they try to sell it from day 1, documentary of how hard it is to make it, clips of seniors chastising juniors for playing around, etc., and how any venue, even a venue as small as the theater, should be used by the members to gain more fans.

Subpar performances in theater is one thing, but a TV broadcast? I'm not asking for sharp, 100% on-point performances, just be a bit more lively and show, or at least pretend to show, that you enjoy performing as an idol. I think it's understandable if many fans whose oshimen don't have much chance of appearing close to anything like a regular single senbatsu spot to be a bit miffed with the way some members are representing the group. It can be misconstrued as some of these girls are taking these spots for granted.

I guess it just doesn't matter, who knows what the criteria and processes are for selecting their senbatsu group With that said, I'm looking forward to what seems to be a throwback single and the return of team songs!

 

^

So, so.. That why i'm in this fandom~ .. their hardwork can be monitored by us directly u,u

 

I agree with this. I don't even like kpop and I care nothing for 100% swaggy perfect dancing. But she really looks like she's taken it for granted, especially by turning one down. And she hasn't earned the right to do something like that that kojiharu (who is everyone's other example of phoning-it-in during performances) has. I'm sorry for what happened, but it just really looks like they're giving her sympathy senbatsu spots now.

 

Yea the wisest thing to do is to put Annin on the album art, have her looking gorgeous and all, give her nice screen time in the PV but give her an awful position in the dancing formation where we don't have to see her. win-win for all!

Anyway Nyan is an amazing performer. She's lazy with choreo but she's always lively and knows how to make things exciting. Riccrhan's performance became pretty bad after the incident but before that she was fine. I agree on Juri though. She always looks so dead in the eyes yet many who hate on Annin would rave over Juri.

 

I agree with your point

can I say this msg seems to me exaggerated?
I'm perfectly fine with Annin performances, (I mean in my eyes she's good, she's moving enough really don't understand)
and Nyan.. she's an iconic presence on the stage an hystoric pillar of the group, a super idol still shining from the old acchan era (and the most present member in akb48 singles), personally I enjoy every single Nyan performance.
Also Ricchan, after the young members concert of this spring (she made such a wonderful performance)

 

formation, if based on AKB anniversary album cover ->

Annin Sae Sayanee Renacchi Yuria Rie
Sakura Jurina Paru Yukirin Yui
Miichan Sasshi Takamina Mayu Kojiharu
​

​

 

I thought Juri's eyes were just the way they are? They make her look uninterested.

 

lol it used to be the same way with Acchan, she sucked at MCs, and in one she said that AKimoto had adviced her to keep smiling all the time because she looked bored when she didn't. Some of us just have resting bored face I guess. (happens to me all the time, but thankfully I'm not an idol)

I didn't like Annin as an idol before the incident, and I certainly don't like her as an idol any more now, but I can completely understand her position in the group and I sympathize with her a lot, I think it takes a lot of guts to stay in the group after what she's been through, and if Ricchan, who was more well liked than her, had a lot of antis who drove her away from the group, I believe Annin must have her own share of detractors as well. She's never been a good performer, she has zero charisma, but every member has their strong points and apparently hers are her beauty and her intelligence, and I honestly don't know what else because I don't follow her at all. Overcoming a trauma as big as the attack they had is very difficult, and some people never recover completely, so from a mental health standpoint, I can totally understand why she could perform poorly if she's having mental problems. I don't know how ethical it is for AKB to keep her in that position if her mental condition isn't good, but I hope she is properly cared for and supported even if she decides to withdraw from the group.

On topic: I want Milky back in AKB senbatsu because I'm greedy and would like for Milky to be back in AKB's stuff so that it becomes at least a little bit interesting to me.

 

I like having diversity in the senbatsu line-up..and having the more demure members like Annin there really keeps it interesting, in my eyes. Annin also has unique eyes, kinda like Juri.. to me, they're similar to the actress Rose Byrne's, where they have this slightly more lidded appearance.

And people perceive it as being sad or bored, when Annin performs. But if she didn't want to be there, she would've graduated. Turning down a senbatsu spot to focus on other things and take a break is totally okay. If management allows it, then what's the problem? Didn't Paruru recently take a hiatus too? For something like asthma of all things? She missed 95% of the Halloween Night promotion that I cared to watch...but people hone in on Annin for BwT.

I'm sorry to keep going off topic, but I'm not gonna back down Gotta stan for me Annin.

Ehhhhhh I was thinking about that too. And I really don't even like Aitakatta. I've never thought it was a good song. I've always found it nagging and annoying, except that odd remake Nogizaka did.

I'm hoping for a mid tempo piano-driven Daishi Dance type song, with a nostalgic feel.

 

Seriously? Her asthma was getting really bad, even her doctors told her not to perform. She's been hospitalized quite a few times this year because of it.

 

Maybe there is some points to have Annin in this senbatsu even if her poor performances points in a different direction, but Yuria? She has no connection to Takamina except that they are both in AKB48. But she receives a big push now and against that nothing can move her away.

 

It's not just all about Annin though. It's about management, and not just who they like or supposedly don't like. They're in a delicate position - if they don't offer her work, people will get more pissy than usual with them because 'they're trying to ignore the issue/her/blah blah'. If they do and she isn't up to it but tries to do it anyway, she gets hate and management gets criticised for putting a 'lazy' member in it.

It's honestly complicated and we can't even guess half of it.

I don't agree with statements like "if she didn't like it she would leave". (This goes for a lot of girls, not just Annin) Being an idol is still a job - some people, regardless of injury or psychological issues, simply can't stand not doing something, and some just desperately need a job (or cash to blow on whatever they want) and some might stay in a job even if they hate it because they have friends there.

Idk why people say members should be in this single because they've performed with for a long time/are friends with Taka. That's stuff for her grad song, not the A-side. And if we're doing something like that, chuck Iwata Karen in. Speaking of which, I wonder if we'll see the grad song before the A side? There's not a whole lot of time before she leaves, and the a-side will probably be performed well after she goes anyway.