[GENERAL] The NGT48 Thread

I am sure quite a few Japanese sites reader have already noticed but since yesterday there has been quite a lot of discussion regarding the Kenkyuusei and especially Miyajima Aya. People are throwing speculation after speculation around. This group might have gotten in its first drama situation.

I just hope everything ends well.

 

What kind of discussion...?

 

Thanks for the reply @marioworldakb -san! I guess Setobingo is indeed STU's most powerful media weapon. NGT needs something alike.

 

I am not exactly sure myself but Hinatan in her SR talked about something bad happening during yesterday's KKS theatre rehearsal.
if the video does not show watch the video here
(Around ~17:40.)

Coincidentally Ayanyan scheduled appearance for yesterday's theatre KKS performance, which was Miharu's birthday celebration, got suddenly cancelled for sickness but announced on very short-notice, I think it was the same day. She was scheduled for 2 appearances today too where she hasn't appeared.

Since then, no member has mentioned her at all while apparently Kado Yuria emphasized the number 7 for the KKS members somewhere (I think it's on her Insta)

Adding to this, this mobame post by Ayakani which also does imply that something has happened: https://twitter.com/NGT48_info_bot/status/976288806734217217

Overall little information though and we might not hear more of this (hopefully so).

 

THIS she is so underrated in so many ways, I want her to have more opportunities to showcase her skills

I didn't realize how many shows they had omg now looking at NGT's one show it's kind of sad. NGT members would do amazing if they had their own studio show I wish they could get the opportunity in the near future

 

As for NGT, their regular shows are more than one, actually:
Niigatta Friend is of course one and the best known.
Another one is Koko Dake NGT, airing on a monthly basis, this is sort of a documentary-like coverage of the group's events during the previous 30 days. It turns out it has been running pretty much since the beginning of the group, but sadly nobody ever bothered to record and share it on the Internet. For being rather well informed about NGT matters, even I was surprised to find out there was more to it than the previews on Youtube, and didn't realize it was actually a 30-minute long show until someone casually uploaded some crappy camera recordings of it recently. Why nothing of it ever made it online? Thankfully I saved and reuploaded what I could find, hopefully you already know where to go if you want to check it out~
Also, in terms of studio appearances, there would be NGT frequently showing up as guests on Nama+Toku and especially Smile Stadium, in which NGT members have long been semi-weekly regulars (to the point that one of the main female personalities of the show was even interviewed for the Nikkei Entame mook about NGT). Again, good luck finding decent recordings of them, too...
Am I missing anything else?

Then there are three weekly radio shows: Port De NGT, Gachi Gachi Countdown, Minna Kami-Taiou, two of them being 50~60 minutes long each. There used to be one more, Sweet Homeroom, until last year or so but it has since ended. But to make up for it, Kitarie's regular show, Moonlighting, has started since some time ago instead. I think it's safe to say that NGT's focus is more on radio than TV, actually, and not just because of its sheer volume (I'll get back to it in a moment).

I'll keep restating what I said in the 3rd Single thread some months ago: that the only true problem with NGT is the reach. The amount is fine as it is for the current size of the group, anything more than this would be unsustainable when also taking into account they have daily theater performances to take care of ...but with a kanmuri TV show airing in only one prefecture and a half, and radio shows that reach out to just 7 prefectures, things are just too limiting. One can still be locally-focused even without being restrained to one's local region.
For months and months, fans have been advocating for at least NF! to get an Internet on-demand distribution. And yet the only thing that the mothership management (in the person of Aki-buta) could come up with after sitting on their hands for almost 3 years boils down to "Let's just shove Nakai down everyone's damn throats and forget NGT itself even exists : - D". Is this how you promote a group nationwide?
Then again, what I think is the key is that NGT should achieve semi-autonomy within the 48G, for them to extend their media reach -- not begging Akimoto for assistance, since it's all useless and counterproductive. This is the conclusion I can draw when I look around myself and see the state of other groups, media exposure-wise: HKT is in a miserably wretched condition and no amount of Sashihara will ever save it, but NMB (where it's obviously Yoshimoto that has a say) has no problem providing a media platform even for their non-Senbatsu members, and then there's STU (which answers only to the Setouchi DMO) that is enjoying extensive publicity despite clearly underperforming in terms of sales (pointing this out just to show to everyone how the two things are unrelated, and prove definitely that group exposure isn't necessarily contingent on group sales).
Is all of it a coincidence?
The statements by Etsuro and the Niigata mayor regarding the upcoming 2nd generation audition have me hoping that things are going to change soon, however, considering how the declared mission here is more than increasing the group in size. April is only one month away, so let's wait and see...

 

^ I wanted to say nearly the same thing but I was taking too long write (since yesterday evening)

Spoiler: What I wanted to say

I am not sure if NGT48 currently have clout to take another group's national timeslot to do something like Bingo.

They currently have so few members, and if you really want get to know the members, just watch the stage performances, all the members take turns performing. The self introduction and MC parts are really eye opening and they put each other on the spot.

They have enough of stage performances to keep them really busy and tire out. When they are not having stage performances,they are away in Tokyo or at an event. They are already having problems keeping 16/18 members for their stage performances. A programme like bingo will really need all members to be around or else it will look really empty. Will need them to either travel to Tokyo or have a set in Niigata.

They already appear on NST Smile Stadium at regular intervals and have 3 radio shows a week. Thinking about it, it is a really smart move to have 2 or 3 members going at any one time. They are able to send out groups to cover different engagements on the same day if need be.

NnNF is for local consumption and was never meant for national or international consumption. Their focus is still Niigata and what would appeal to Niigata. I am not sure if studio based programme would appeal to the locals.

I look forward to NnNF because the focus is on the 3 girls and in a mostly unscripted 'go for it' fashion. I get to learn more about them better than in a setting like AKBingo or AKB48SHOW where a member has only a few seconds to a minute of screen time.

 

I wonder how they are planning to promote Niigata when they are actively limiting their exposure to Niigata. The corporate people up there haven't thought this through I feel.

 

My theory is that NGT is just a backup plan, when AKS could not find investors from big cities like Sapporo. The gap of sister group creation time is largest from HKT to NGT (though, it is shorter if we consider Team-8 as a sister group). AKS decide to create NGT after getting an offer from Niigata goverment. Though, since Niigata is unpopular, underdeveloped, and not in AKS’s initial plan, they do not have much love on NGT. They just do minimal promotion and rely mostly on local investors. Niigata goverment, while having good supports for the group locally, has a restricted budget and restricted activities to promote the group to outside world.

Rikachan is a special case; Aki-P is interested in her personalities and finds her the next Sashi. Her push has nothing relating to NGT.

 

Uuhh hitting us with the harsh truth here.

 

Wild dream: I want a studio show just like SashiKita Gassen with Anju as MC. 1st gen vs 2nd gen + Draft. (Rikachan doesn't even have to be part of it, I would love it anyway.)

 

The very same reason why the uploader didn't use TV recorder to record Koko Dake NGT(Which is on it's vol.28 this March).

 

It has just been revealed who will be the 6 members that will participate at the Tokyo Idol Festival in Bangkok:
Kusakabe Aina
Sato Anju
Nara Miharu
Murakumo Fuuka
Yamaguchi Maho
Yamada Noe



Source of the announcement here:
https://twitter.com/TIP_TIF_staff/status/976656455230046208
http://www.idolfes.com/2018/bangkok/

 

Not Minachan, even though she woop'd nearly everyone's ass and got 2nd in the Thai SSK...?? Oh man, this management...

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

I had no idea about that monthly one omg fake fan lol I knew about all the others!!! The only reason I mentioned wanting to have studio show is for more content for me to watch hahaha I wasn't really intending to get into the whole reach/popularity topic, since it was brought up: yes the problem is the reach but increasing the amount isn't going to hurt anything as far as that. It can only help in terms of getting their name out there, but I can definitely see why it is too limiting for them right now with such few numbers so for sure let’s wait and see with the 2nd gen coming if things change!! Also, yes I know that more exposure/sales aren't necessarily related but again it won't hurt anything if NGT had more shows specifically with national coverage because having the possibility that it could help is great so it's a win win even if it doesn't. Plus current fans are still going to be happy and I get to see more NGT lol

Yes, I do too! I LOVE the laid back side of it, I really enjoy NF!! I also see the good in studio shows and really when I say studio in my head I'm thinking about game shows like old school AKBingo or even better: something original that has their own NGT feel to it. That would be my dream for NGT to have something like that in the future I know they would do great and it would be so much fun to watch!! The future though!! I agree that they would be too stretched out right now

 

After watching that part of Hinatan's SR and reading that Tweet, I got this lingering thought that there may have been some misunderstandings between the members or some kind of rift appeared between them for not being able to understand or accept everyone's feelings and thoughts. That's just my hunch, though.

Hinatan was really vague about it, but translated some of her thoughts from that SR:

"Today a lot of things happened... I think it was really tough for the KKS, but it seems everything ended smoothly.

I practiced with them in the morning, and... I really don't want them to give up, I'd like everyone's feelings to come together.

Really, I thought about lots of things today during the rehearsal, all kinds of unusual things happened... I want everyone to do their best, really.

Either way, people don't change and can't be changed easily, but that someone would go this far... Nnn, it's hard, but I think everyone really did their best today.

Well, it's not really my place to say anything, but... I want it/them/some individual (tl. note: Hinata doesn't say clearly what/who should change) to change."

Translated also the linked Tweet:
"I wonder what it means to get close to other people's feelings. I haven't cried because of these kind of things since I was born, but now that I'm 20 I thought about these things and cried (laugh). There's nothing wrong with me, but still there's something I can't really understand... Ah, but I'm still worried..."

 

Hope Ayanyan shows up as soon as possible to dispel all discussions. She has completely disappeared for all I know.

 

https://twitter.com/Pomu_n327gt/status/976388572684066816?s=19

I believe these were Kadochan's Instastory and Insta post from that day? The story screen reads "Please watch closely today's KKS stage. I hope that the efforts of us 7 will be rewarded."

I'm also starting to get more worried for Ayanyan. I read some tweets tagged with Ayanyan's name and one of her fans confirmed that she indeed hasn't updated her photolog, Instagram or mobame for days.

 

Triple interview with Kitarie, Yukirin and Hinatan from Nikkan Sports:

 

Ayanyan appeared on Port De NGT. I do not know Japanese, so just leave it here:

if the video does not show watch the video here