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[DATA] Nogizaka46 Handshake Results Data Thread

Discussion in 'Nogizaka46 News & Releases' started by rust, Apr 5, 2014.

  1. rust

    rust Kenkyuusei Retired Staff

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Twitter:
    Rusted_Van
    Introduction    
    I like collecting data, so I have decided to create this thread for the ease of organizing HS results data lol. HS results can be useful in seeing the growth of the group & the individual members as well. It can tell us the history of the group too actually, as we can see how each members gained or lost momentum. I intent to look at the history through the lenses of HS results in the commentary, so plz do take a look there! Data for the 4th single onward are collected from this excellent Japanese blog site btw (there's many other quality data up there as well!) For the 1st to 3rd single, data are collected by me from various sources on the web. There's some incompleteness as a result unfortunately, & do bear with my less fancy graphs lol. If you have any data for me to add plz do let me know! ^ ^

    The way the info for each singles will be organized in that there will be a title, maybe a caveat/note when necessary, graphs in spoiler, HS results ranked & in English, & lastly my commentary in English. I won't complete everything at once, & will add things as time goes by.



    1st Single: Guruguru Curtain 5th Rnd Results    
    Caveat: There should have been two more rounds of results going up to the 7th rnd, but I can only find data up to the 5th unfortunately.
    [​IMG]

    _84,905 1st day sale
    136,309 Weekly Sale
    _80,175 1st week Soundscan

    01. 06/15 Shiraishi Mai
    02. 03/15 Hashimoto Nanami
    03. 03/15 Matsumura Sayuri
    04. 02/15 Inoue Sayuri
    05. 01/15 Ikoma Rina
    05. 01/15 Ikuta Erika
    05. 01/15 Takayama Kazumi
    08. 01/12 Nishino Nanase
    09. 01/09 Nakada Kana

    The Debut 
    This is Ngzk's debut single, with Ikoma chosen as centre. Ikuchan & Minami flanked her as co-centre, with Maiyan, Sayurin, Nanamin, & Kazumin in 2nd row adding up to a seven-member Shichi-Fukujin (there's a background to this name, its prolly also chosen to rival AKB's kami-7). Rounding up senbatsu is Rottii, Amiami, Ashu, Yuttan, Reika, Nyansayu, Kanarin, & Renarin. You can find more info here at the Guruguru Curtain thread.

    Gosanke 
    The obviously superior popularity displayed by Maiyan, Nanamin, & Sayurin, along with the similar qualities shared by these three members, likely resulted in their Japanese designation as gosanke (御三家, roughly means the honourable three). This is a very dignified titling, historically used to refer to the three branches of the Tokugawa Clan.

    Things to come? 
    In addition to the gosanke, Nyansayu, Ikoma, Ikuchan, & Kazumin also sold out. This might explain Kazumin's assignment to the Guuzen unit with Gosanke (& her excellent singing must have helped lol). Kanarin's early sold out (3rd rnd) might explain her co-centering of the next single, Oide Shampoo. Minami was given 15 blocks prolly due to being chosen as co-centre, indicating early high expectation methink. Naachan is alrdy showing sign of what's to come also.




    2nd Single: Oide Shampoo 5th Rnd Results    
    Caveat: The data for this single is quite incomplete unfortunately. I cannot find the 4th round results, so some of sold out listed as the 5th round might be from the 4th round. Also, only the 3rd round result can be found for the 5/12 event, so there might have been more sold out there too. There's also another graph with only five members & a lot more HS events organized too, once again I can only found the 3rd round result for that, & have no idea how it works lol. My confidence for this single's data is low.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    111,222 1st day sale
    155,677 Weekly Sale
    _70,665 1st week Soundscan

    01. (02.) 09/10 (03/15) Hashimoto Nanami
    02. (05.) 08/10 (01/15) Ikuta Erika
    03. (03.) 06/10 (03/15) Matsumura Sayuri
    04. (01.) 05/10 (06/15) Shiraishi Mai
    05. (09.) 04/10 (01/09) Nakada Kana
    05. (08.) 04/10 (01/12) Nishino Nanase
    07. (05.) 04/10 (01/15) Ikoma Rina
    08. (na.) 04/10 (00/09) Saito Yuri
    09. (04.) 02/10 (02/15) Inoue Sayuri
    10. (na.) 02/08 (00/09) Wakatsuki Yumi
    11. (na.) 02/04 (00/06) Ito Marika
    12. (na.) 01/08 (00/09) Fukagawa Mai
    13. (na.) 01/06 (00/06) Eto Misa
    13. (na.) 01/06 (00/06) Hatanaka Seira
    15. (na.) 01/04 (00/15) Hoshino Minami
    15. (na.) 01/04 (00/09) Saito Asuka

    na. (05.) 00/10 (01/15) Takayama Kazumi

    Senbatsu Changes 
    For this single, Seechan, Seitan, & Yuminee entered senbatsu swapping out Amiami, Rottii, & Ashu. Also significant was that Ikuchan & Minami was dropped out of fukujin with Reika & Kanarin now co-centering beside Ikoma. The first & only (so far) solo song was featured in Mizutama Moyou by Ikoma, & the 1st unit in Guuzen wo Iiwake ni Shite was composed with Maiyan, Sayurin, Nanamin, & Kazumin. This single was also notable in going up against Sasshi's debut single, Soredemo Suki da yo in the same week (& prevailed against its 124,483 in sales.) More info is available in the Oide Shampoo thread.

    Total Blocks 
    While I have concerns regarding the data here, one of the info that's still reliable is the total blocks available. For the 1st single, mngmnt likely have less info to work with when distributing total blocks. After the 1st single, the total blocks should be more representative of members' popularity. One of the most significant effect is the decrease of Minami's total blocks from 15 to 4.

    In addition to the performances of members that have sold out for the last single (especially gosanke), a solid middle-class of handshake performers have started to apprear methink. Members with additional sold out are Yuttan, Wakasama, Bebitan, Maimai, Misamisa, Seitan, Minami, & Ashu (but last single might have featured more ppl selling out with the rnds of info missing). Roughly speaking the prominent senbatsu regular middle-class performers of the early era are Kanarin, Nyansayu, Yuttan, with Renarin being prominent staple of senbatsu without strong HS performance unfortunately.




    3rd Single: Hashire! Bicycle 10th Rnd Results    
    Note: Data from here onward should be complete & reliable! ^ ^
    [​IMG]

    150,056 1st day sale
    186,613 Weekly Sale
    _58,562 1st week Soundscan

    01. (03.) 19/20 (06/10) Matsumura Sayuri
    02. (01.) 18/20 (09/10) Hashimoto Nanami
    03. (04.) 18/20 (05/10) Shiraishi Mai
    04. (05.) 12/16 (04/10) Nishino Nanase
    05. (na.) 11/16 (00/10) Takayama Kazumi
    06. (07.) 10/18 (04/10) Ikoma Rina
    07. (02.) 09/18 (08/10) Ikuta Erika
    08. (13.) 08/08 (01/06) Eto Misa
    09. (na.) 04/14 (00/10) Sakurai Reika
    10. (10.) 03/14 (02/08) Wakatsuki Yumi
    11. (12.) 03/14 (01/08) Fukagawa Mai
    12. (08.) 03/12 (04/10) Saito Yuri
    13. (15.) 03/08 (01/04) Saito Asuka
    14. (05.) 02/14 (04/10) Nakada Kana
    15. (na.) 02/08 (00/06) Nagashima Seira
    16. (09.) 01/16 (02/10) Inoue Sayuri
    17. (15.) 01/10 (01/04) Hoshino Minami
    18. (na.) 01/04 (00/02) Ando Mikumo
    19. (na.) 01/04 (00/04) Iwase Yumiko

    na. (11.) 00/10 (02/04) Ito Marika
    na. (13.) 00/08 (01/06) Hatanaka Seira

    Senbatsu Changes 
    For this single, Bebitan, Maimai, & Wakasama entered senbatsu for the first time, swapping out Yuminee, Seitan, & Seechan. The front from the 1st single returned with Ikuchan & Minami co-centering beside Ikoma (& Reika also in front as non-fukujin but now officially captain.) Kazumin dropped from fukujin for the 1st time (a reflection of her lack of sold out for last single?), as well as Kanarin, with Ikuchan, Minami returning & Naachan entering for the 1st time (a reward for her steady increase in sales?). Something of concern is that Ngzk Soundscan have been decreasing, & this would be the lowest point for Ngzk Soundscan number. More info is available in the Hashire! Bicycle thread.

    Rise of the new middle-class performers 
    Wakasama & Maimai have been gaining attentions as Unders prior to this single alrdy, their entrance into senbatsu cemented their position as rising stars & the new staples of senbatsu. They also eclipsed the performance of the early middle-class performers Yuttan, Kanarin, & Nyansayu, & in fact will eventually come to replace them as senbatsu regulars unfortunately.

    Someone that should have join the two Shizuoka girls but did not was Misamisa. For this single, Misamisa's HS sale reached new height, becoming the first & only girl to sold out all her HS blocks (her total block number is eight.) Alas her chance was not to come until much later despite this.

    16nin no Principal & Mounting Pressure 
    Ngzk's first theater stage performance, 16nin no Principal, happened in the aftermath of Hashire! Bicycle's release. It was the first time Nogi-fans were given the opportunity to vote. Due to the more crude system of voting, it is generally agreed that popularity plays a large part in the results (with the members' 1st Act audition performance playing a lesser role.)

    For the 1st place Alice role, Ikuchan captured it six out of nine times (with Kazumin winning it twice & Maiyan once.) This resulted in heighten calls for Ikuchan to take over centre, especially in comparison to Ikoma's less impressive performance. Ikoma have nvr been a strong performer in HS results, & these vote results put more pressure on her centreship. The fact that she ran away when asked a question by journalist during one of the rehearsal did not help her case. Another reason for the call in centre change with the fact that in the founding days of Ngzk, it was promised that senbatsu will be fluid with frequent changes, & that fans input will happens (altho how this will happen is nvr elaborated.) Many fans want to see this fluidity extended to centreship, & see this vote as the materialization of the fan input mechanism.

    In addition to centreship, the voting results also led to calls for Kazumin to be reinstated as fukujin. While her HS performances might have faltered with the 2nd single, her 3rd single results witnessed strong rebounds & her vote results superb. Pressure also mounted on Minami & Renarin: despite their status as front/senbatsu-regular, they have only ranked once & three-times respectively. This in conjunction with their poor HS results led to more calls to swap them with Unders.

    For many of these fans, the next single will be a splash of cold water.




    4th Single: Seifuku no Mannequin 9th Rnd Results    
    [​IMG]

    190,108 1st day sale
    232,961 Weekly Sale
    _60,663 1st week Soundscan

    01. (01.) 25/25 (19/20) Matsumura Sayuri
    02. (03.) 25/25 (18/20) Shiraishi Mai
    03. (02.) 24/25 (18/20) Hashimoto Nanami
    04. (04.) 15/21 (12/16) Nishino Nanase
    05. (07.) 12/20 (09/18) Ikuta Erika
    06. (05.) 08/21 (11/16) Takayama Kazumi
    07. (11.) 07/19 (03/14) Fukagawa Mai
    08. (na.) 07/11 (na/na) Akimoto Manatsu
    09. (09.) 06/19 (04/14) Sakurai Reika
    10. (10.) 05/19 (03/14) Wakatsuki Yumi
    11. (14.) 05/19 (02/14) Nakada Kana
    12. (08.) 05/16 (08/08) Eto Misa
    13. (na.) 04/13 (00/10) Ito Marika
    14. (06.) 03/23 (10/18) Ikoma Rina
    15. (16.) 02/19 (01/16) Inoue Sayuri
    16. (13.) 02/14 (03/08) Saito Asuka
    17. (15.) 02/11 (02/08) Nagashima Seira
    18. (12.) 01/16 (03/12) Saito Yuri
    19. (17.) 01/11 (01/10) Hoshino Minami
    19. (na.) 01/11 (00/08) Hatanaka Seira
    21. (18.) 01/08 (01/04) Ando Mikumo
    21. (na.) 01/08 (00/06) Ito Nene
    23. (na.) 01/06 (00/06) Noujou Ami
    24. (na.) 01/05 (00/04) Yamato Rina
    25. (na.) 01/05 (00/04) Higuchi Hina

    Senbatsu Changes 
    For this single, Manattan, Amiami, & Ashu entered senbatsu, swapping out Bebitan, Yuttan, & Kanarin. With Yuttan & Kanarin out, this marked the end for the early middle-class performers as senbatsu regular (altho some will swap around a few more singles & Nyansayu will hold out a bit longer.) Manattan makes a surprise return to Ngzk, & along with Reika enters senbatsu, swapping out Naachan. Shichi Fukujin was no more, as its was now Hachi Fukujin (it doesn't make sense anymore imo since its suppose to sounds like the actual seven lucky gods lol.) The front gone through no changes also. More info is available in the Seifuku no Mannequin thread.

    Splash of cold water 
    The seemingly complete lack of consideration for the Principal votes were disappointing for many fans. Ikoma remained as centre, & Kazumin did not return as fukujin. Moreover, Naachan was swapped out of fukujin (despite her excellent handshake results) while Manattan airdropped from her leave of absence straight into fukujin, which infuriated many fans of Nogi-members that have been active all this time before. The expansion of fukujin to eight members was seen as unnecessary by many as well. Lastly, the practice of having Unders that have never entered senbatsu before entering for each single came to an abrupt halt, as both Ashu & Amiami have entered before & many that have not did not for this singles. Grievances were piling up.

    In the backdrop of this, Gosanke & Naachan continues to rise in HS sales. For the first time Maiyan & Sayurin completely sold out their blocks, something that will become a more regular occurrence in future singles. Despite the controversy her airdrop has bought, Manattan also managed a respectable 7/11 for her debut HS sale. Contrasting with the increases are notable decreases. Kazumin's sale dipped slightly, maybe indicating a somewhat blunted momentum. Same might be true for Misamisa, or both might simply be reflection of stagnation & the increase in total blocks. Ikoma suffered a more significant drop however, & her HS ranking tumbled to her lowest as of yet. In addition to the events relating to senbatsu & HS sales, there's something to take note of regarding Ngzk's choreographer as well.

    Choreography 
    Minami Sasuga have been Ngzk's choreographer since the foundation of the group (& even appeared on a very early episode of Doko lol.) Her unorthodox choreography, characterized by simple gymnastic-like moves & generally static formations, have been very controversial among the fandom however. In support of her choreography, it is said they are memorable & iconic. Indeed some of the most memorable moves for Ngzk are those from GuruGuru Curtain & Oide Shampoo. Detractors however criticize the choreography for lacking in aesthetic & complexity, being awkward, & the lack of formation changes that often blocks back row members.

    My observation have been that there are generally a lot of fans that dislike her choreography quite a bit, & a some that are neutral or slightly like it. There didn't seems to be a lot of fans that rly liked her choreography. These are anecdotal observation; there's no data to back it up. However, maybe because enough pressure have been mounting against her works, Minami Sasuga promised a cool new choreography in what seems like an attempt to impress naysayers. The new choreography for Seifuku no Mannequin was still controversial but polarizing: while there were fans that like it (& sometimes quite a lot) there were also many that dislike it (by a lot too!) For now tho, she stays as choreographer.




    5th Single: Kimi no Na wa Kibou 8th Rnd Results    
    [​IMG]

    204,281 1st day sale
    242,053 Weekly Sale
    _68,929 1st week Soundscan

    01. (02.) 25/25 (25/25) Shiraishi Mai
    02. (01.) 25/25 (25/25) Matsumura Sayuri
    03. (03.) 23/25 (24/25) Hashimoto Nanami
    04. (04.) 20/23 (15/21) Nishino Nanase
    05. (07.) 09/21 (07/19) Fukagawa Mai
    06. (05.) 08/23 (12/20) Ikuta Erika
    07. (08.) 08/18 (07/11) Akimoto Manatsu
    08. (14.) 05/23 (03/23) Ikoma Rina
    09. (09.) 04/21 (06/19) Sakurai Reika
    10. (
    06.) 02/23 (08/21) Takayama Kazumi
    11. (10.) 02/21 (05/19) Wakatsuki Yumi
    12. (18.) 02/13 (01/16) Saito Yuri
    13. (na.) 02/08 (00/08) Nakamoto Himeka
    14. (11.) 01/18 (05/19) Nakada Kana
    15. (15.) 01/18 (02/19) Inoue Sayuri
    15. (12.) 01/18 (
    05/16) Eto Misa
    17. (16.) 01/13 (02/14) Saito Asuka
    17. (13.) 01/13 (04/13) Ito Marika
    19. (na.) 01/05 (00/05) Kawamura Mahiro
    19. (21.) 01/05 (01/08) Ando Mikumo

    na. (
    17.) 00/13 (02/11) Nagashima Seira
    na. (19.) 00/11 (01/11) Hatanaka Seira
    na. (19.) 00/08 (01/11) Hoshino Minami
    na. (21.) 00/08 (01/08) Ito Nene
    na. (23.) 00/05 (01/06) Noujou Ami
    na. (24.) 00/05 (01/05) Yamato Rina
    na. (25.) 00/05 (01/05) Higuchi Hina


    Senbatsu Changes 
    For this single, Nenekoro & Seirarin entered senbatsu for the first time, with Kanarin returning to senbatsu after her first taste of being an Under. Amiami, Ashu, & Renarin were swapped to Unders. Renarin in particular will nvr return to senbatsu unfortunately, & will focus more & more on her studies (but fortunately still participates in Ngzk activities. The anti/dislike for her perceived privileged position also dissipated completely imo.) Despite the welcomed news of seeing first time senbatsu members again, there was a complete lack of change in the composition of Hachi Fukujin, & great disappointment to most fans. More info is available in the Kimi no Na wa Kibou thread.

    Reaching a Plateau? 
    Kimi no Kibou featured the lowest sale growth of all Nogi-discographies up to date, & for several days after its release it was a question whether it will even surpass its preceding single due to it ranking below third & not displaying sales on Oricon as a result. In the end, Kimi no Kibou outsold Mannequin by less than 10k (9,092), & took many many months before even outselling Mannequin's total sale (a rare phenomenon.)

    The Great Stagnation 
    It was perhaps not a surprise, as HS results have been showing worrying signs prior to the single's release, displaying stagnation or drops for most girls. Contrasting with the rest of the field is Naachan's ever so steady increase in HS sales; Naachan was at the tip of Nanamin's result & for the first time it seems like someone will be able to challenge Gosanke in popularity. Her exclusion from fukujin was therefore a source of discontents. Maimai also increased her sale, a contrast to the rest of the middle class performers. Manattan increased slightly as well, but not significantly. Ikoma also experienced a rebound from ranking 14th to 8th, but this still lags badly behind the top performers & her centreship continues to be a source of great discontent among many fans. Notable sharp decreases include Kazumin's, maybe signaling further blunted fan enthusiasm for her exclusion from fukujin, & Misamisa's, maybe for the same reason except that its her exclusion from senbatsu (her ranking is still top 16 despite this being one of her lowest point in HS results.)

    Causes for the Plateau & Stagnation 
    One of the reasons some fans attribute to this stagnation is the on-going centreship of Ikoma & the lack of fukujin changes. Another factor often suggested is the perceived poor quality for the Kimo no Kibou MV. The background for the MV is an actual audition of senbatsu members by director Yamashita Nobuhiro (山下敦弘, directed a few movies with Aachan in it iirc lol.) While the MV was posted in the Japan-only official YouTube channel as always, the ending part was cut off & fans will have to watch from the DVD to know the results. In the end Yamashita decided on Nanamin, Ikuchan, & Manattan (As of this date of writing, 2014.04.10, nothing have happened as a result of this audition tho btw lol.) While this MV idea might not be a bad one, a great number of fans displayed indifference or disappointment to the MV. In fact, there's good reason to believe this was a problem, as a new MV was later created for Kimi no Kibou! It was a rather surprising move for me, since it won't directly benefit sales (the DVDs were alrdy released of course), but its a positive one I suppose as it shows that mngmnt was responding to fan reactions.

    The original Kimi no Kibou MV was notable also in the fact that it's views on YouTube was surpassed by its coupling song, Shakiism. Shakiism was groundbreaking for Ngzk in more ways tho; its well-acclaimed choreography was not choreographed by Minami Sasuga (which however did for Kimo no Kibou). As a side point, there was a show that Minami Sasuga went on around this time period, in which she proudly announced that she earns some five million yen, not per year, but per choreography! These two events may have been significant in resulting changes for the coming single. Another way Shakiism was significant in was its well-received MV, characterized by a simple but likable story inter-winded with dance scenes. It can be said Shakiism started a tradition for future Nogi-MVs.

    Last Straw? 
    The week following Kimi no Kibou's release, HKT48 released their debut single in Suki! Suki! Skip!. It's sale of 250,147 surpassed Kimi no Kibou's weekly sale by some 8k. Disregarding whether comparison were fair or not (I did wrote a lengthy post on this subject tho lol), this result came off as quite disappointing for a great many fans. This may have been a last straw, or the above mentioned points were more than enough, but regardless of what exactly caused it, great changes will be greeting unsuspecting fans for the next single.




    6th Single: Girl's Rule 13th Rnd Results    
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    286,492 1st day sale
    337,138 Weekly Sale
    _93,738 1st week Soundscan

    01. (01.) 30/30 (25/25) Shiraishi Mai
    02. (04.) 30/30 (20/23) Nishino Nanase
    03. (02.) 30/30 (25/25) Matsumura Sayuri
    03. (03.) 30/30 (23/25) Hashimoto Nanami
    05. (07.) 28/28 (08/18) Akimoto Manatsu
    06. (09.) 26/27 (04/21) Sakurai Reika
    07. (06.) 25/28 (08/23) Ikuta Erika
    08. (11.) 24/26 (02/21) Wakatsuki Yumi
    09. (05.) 21/28 (09/21) Fukagawa Mai
    10. (15.) 08/21 (01/18) Inoue Sayuri
    11. (12.) 08/20 (02/13) Saito Yuri
    12. (10.) 07/28 (02/23) Takayama Kazumi
    13. (15.) 07/26 (01/18) Eto Misa
    14. (17.) 07/14 (01/13) Ito Marika
    15. (08.) 05/28 (05/23) Ikoma Rina
    16. (14.) 05/26 (01/18) Nakada Kana
    17. (17.) 05/20 (01/13) Saito Asuka
    18. (na.) 04/10 (00/11) Hatanaka Seira
    19. (na.) 03/06 (00/05) Noujou Ami
    20. (na.) 02/10 (00/08) Ito Nene
    21. (na.) 01/10 (00/08) Hoshino Minami
    22. (19.) 01/06 (01/05) Kawamura Mahiro
    23. (na.) 01/06 (00/05) Higuchi Hina


    na. (13.) 00/10 (02/08) Nakamoto Himeka
    na. (na.) 00/16 (00/13) Nagashima Seira
    na. (na.) 00/06 (00/05) Yamato Rina

    na. (19.) 00/00 (
    01/05) Ando Mikumo - graduated

    7th Single: Barrette 13th Rnd Results    
    [​IMG]

    347,244 1st day sale
    395,127 Weekly Sale
    _83,173 1st week Soundscan
     
    Last edited: Apr 19, 2014
    • Like Like x 1
  2. takin

    takin Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Dec 14, 2011
    Location:
    Chiba
    Oshimen:
    kojimaharuna
    Thanks for this informative post! It was fun reading your commentaries. I really like Nogi but it's difficult for me to follow them because of the the scarcity of information I get about the group.
     
  3. rust

    rust Kenkyuusei Retired Staff

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Twitter:
    Rusted_Van
    Thanks for the comment. ^ ^

    Regarding getting info on Ngzk, I suggest maybe you can follow the Nogizaka no Uta twitter for up to date news, & follow the blog (in my signature) for more completed info, scans, & other goodies. Also, if you happen to have any suggestion on my writings please do let me know! I updated commentary up to the 5th single now btw, plz do give it a read if you like! ^ ^

    Best regard.
     
  4. jiaemi

    jiaemi Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2013
    Location:
    Singapore
    Oshimen:
    ikomarina
    Twitter:
    Jiaemi_Jem
    Hehe thanks for compiling :D
     
  5. mb1619

    mb1619 Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Apr 17, 2014
    Location:
    United Kingdom
    I thought I might add some more data and commentary of early Nogizaka46 that I think are relevant.

    Members chosen for Senbatsu at first unveiling
    Center
    : Yoshimoto Ayaka
    First Row: Sakurai Reika, Akimoto Manatsu, Ichiki Rena, Hashimoto Nanami
    Second Row: Shiraishi Mai, Ikoma Rina, Matsumura Sayuri, Yamato Rina, Hatanaka Seira
    Third Row: Takayama Kazumi, Nakada Kana, Wada Maaya, Hoshino Minami, Ikuta Erika, Miyazawa Seira

    Members were selected exclusively by management/staff

    Members Chosen for Senbatsu in Nogizakatte Doko ep.01
    7-Fukujin
    : Shiraishi Mai, Sakurai Reika, Nakada Kana, Ichiki Rena, Ikuta Erika, Takayama Kazumi, Ikoma Rina
    Senbatsu: Ando Mikumo, Miyazawa Seira, Hoshino Minami, Iwase Yumiko , Saito Asuka, Yamato Rina, Wakatsuki Yumi, Fukagawa Mai , Ikoma Rina

    Members were selected by staff based on training camp results and comments on official website

    Top Members from first Handshake Event (Nogizakatte Doko ep.06)
    1=. Shiraishi Mai
    1=. Takayama Kazumi
    3. Inoue Sayuri
    4. Ikoma Rina
    5. Matsumura Sayuri

    Commentary
    - The first thing to strike you is 'who is Yoshimoto Ayaka!?'. She was one of two girls to pass the audition who left before the premiere of Nogizakatte Doko, Akimoto Manatsu also began her hiatus during this time. She was said to be the rival to Itano Tomomi. It's definitely a 'what if?' as to where she'd be in the group now had she stayed. It also demonstrates that Ikoma Rina was likely not always intended to be center.
    - Although there are members who ended up dropping into Undergirls, it's quite remarkable how many Senbatsu from these early evaluations are still Senbatsu today. It just shows you how important these early evaluations are and how management made decisions on which girls would be top members before the group even debuted properly.
    - Yamato Rina. Ouch! To be chosen for both of these first Senbatsu and then become one of only 2 First-gen members to never be chosen for single senbatsu until now. Kudos to her for carrying on, that would have broken my spirit.
    - The member most conspicuous by her absence is Nishino Nanase. She could so easily have ended up a perma-Undergirl and now she's Center!
    - Akimoto Manatsu seems to have been chosen as a front member before taking her hiatus. For her to be chosen to become Fukujin immediately upon her return adds weight to the assertion that these early management pushes were actually quite significant.
     
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2014
  6. Takoyama

    Takoyama Next Girls

    Joined:
    Nov 18, 2013
    Location:
    Kichijoji, Tokyo
    Thank you for providing this information. It does raise the "what if?" question if Yoshimoto Ayaka had stayed. Funny she was to rival Itano Tomomi due to her ahiru guchi.

    I recall seeing Sayuringo's sad face upon not making senbatsu earlier on. I believe she was in tears. So glad management put her in.

    Lastly, it must've been rough going for Yamatomato. I'm glad she's still around and hopefully she gets a chance in senbatsu come next single.
     
  7. jiaemi

    jiaemi Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2013
    Location:
    Singapore
    Oshimen:
    ikomarina
    Twitter:
    Jiaemi_Jem
    Yeahs when sayurin made senbatsu plus shichifukujin for 1st single she said something like

    "Because I was in UG before this announcement - during the Meiji CM filming, the UG only got a very short time of filming, and I was so sad .. but I couldn't scorn the other members for it as we're one group"
     

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