Stage Kashiwagi Yuki Produced Stage [Idol Shuugyou Chuu! ♡] (2018/05/04 - 2018/11/17)

cross-posted from the 'experiences' thread...

AKB48 Idol Shugyou Chuu! Stage (2018/05/23)



It looked like my theater show drought was finally coming to an end. I never properly posted about it here, but I won my 40th theater show back in early January, and since then I have had 4 consecutive really high cancel machi invitations, and ultimately didn't get into the theater on any of them. Well...I did win the 'last chance' "High Wave" draw a couple of times, where you get to enter the theater after the show and greet the members, but no actual show wins.

On Monday I received a cancel machi email for Wednesday night's show. The good news was that it was a Fan Club cancel machi, meaning the number (#35) would be a lot lower, thus increasing my chances of winning. I checked the show roster, it was the Kashiwagi Yuki produced stage, which features many the 3rd Gen draftees, as well as some of the 16th Gen kenkyuusei. There were really no members I was a huge fan of, and I had never seen the new AKB draftees before, so I would be going into this fresh, providing I actually won.

One of the Wasafans I hung out with Tuesday night checked the show history, and for this stage the cancel machi has always gone over 50. That's good. I spent the morning periodically checking the ticket center to see how many early cancellations there were. It was really slow going at first, but after the rainstorm came the number started increasing. I headed over to Akihabara and the Donki a little earlier than usual, and went upstairs around 15 minutes before the cancel machi call. To make a long story short I got into the seat lottery. I was good to go. It was my 41st theater show. Now the question was how good my draw in would be.



There was a slight delay because a couple of the people with family and women's seats disappeared, and they wanted to find them before beginning the lottery draw. The first group to draw in was #100-109. Oh well, that was never going to be me. Next was #200-209. Damn! Those were the cancel machi people ahead of me. Next #110-119, then #240-250, which only had three people. A moment later, #210-#219, Nice, I should certainly be able to get a decent seat with this draw. After going through the metal detector I scanned the room, and noticed the entire left side front row was empty save for one person. I made a beeline for that row and got the 4th seat left of the pillar...

FRONT ROW BABY!!! THIS IS GOING TO BE GREAT!

It's funny though, it is usually feast or famine for me with these draws. I either get the first row, or I am stuffed somewhere in a back corner staring above many shoulders. But this meant I was gonna get a really closeup view of the members, and of course it meant I was going to get fished a lot. The question was by who? And how much?

The Show



Suzuki Kurumi did the Kage-ana, and the show started a few moments later. This stage is relatively new, and for the most part has a very strong setlist. At least that seems to be the consensus. There is a lot of energy to the stage, and it is sprinkled with quite a few iconic songs like Blue Rose, River, Nage Kisu de Uchi Otose, and Enkyori Poster. It also includes one of my old favorites, Sobakasu no Kiss. My first impression of the show was that all the members were full of energy. It helped that it seemed to be a really rambunctious crowd, even more so than usual. And it wasn't a minute into the song that I had my first fishing attempt. This draftee member came right up to the edge of the stage and started pointing right at me. She was adorable too, but I didn't know who she was. Later on in the same song I had a similar interaction with Kurumi, but I could not wait to get to the MC to find out that girl's name!

First MC

There are quite a few goofy members in this new gens, and there were two members in particular acting crazy through the entire MC. One was Maeda Ayaka, who I didn't remember being like this. The other one was Sato Shiori, the draftee from Hokkaido. In a way, she reminds me a bit of Zunchan. Her devlish grin also reminds me a bit of Tani. Anyway, Shiori just acts goofy all the time, even when she is performing. I was cracking up watching her dance during Tsundere. Oh, and that cute draftee who fished me? It was Kobayashi Ran, (Ranchan!) Great, now I know who I am rooting for during the show.

Units



Blue Rose just happens to be my original oshimen's unit. That said, I thought all four girls fit the song very well. I was closest to Kurosu, and in a way it felt like she was channeling Meetan. Nage Kissu also reminded me a lot of the AKB 'old days.' The chant on this song is always a lot of fun. Kurumi does a good job as center, AND it has Ranchan in it! I had fun all night yelling her name. The ballad was okay. Tsundere! was complete silliness, from Shiori's over-animated 'guitar' playing, to Manaka's playacting, to Kana-chan's big goofy smile. And then there was Yahagi...



By now it is no secret that Yahagi Moeka is a superior singer. She was great control and nuance. In fact, I'd say singing-wise she is superior to Akimoto Sayaka. My only complaint is that she is a bit frozen for the first two verses of Mushi no Ballad, and then goes into 'spasm' mode on the last verse. It was a lot of herky-jerky convulsing. So in that respect I think she still needs to work on matching the proper emoting that Akimoto was so brilliant at doing in the original K-Stage. But singing-wise, two enthusiastic thumbs-up!

Post-Unit

One of the funnier MCs was when the girls were discussing what physical or character trait they admire, or want to 'take' from the other members. A couple of them agreed that they admired Yahagi's singing prowess, but I was surprised when Kurosu said that she wanted Ranchan's oshiri. Really? She's kinda young. Then again, Kurosu is super-skinny, and probably lacking back there in the curve department. I was ecstatic to hear them perform Sobakasu no Kiss, which is one of my old faves. Moreover, I also know all the hand motions to it, so I was 'dancing' along with the girls on stage. That got me quite a bit of attention; first from Kana-chan then Shiori, and finally Taya Misaki who started fishing me really hard toward the end of the show. Although I think she calmed down when she saw me screaming for Ranchan, who was right next to her at the time. Like Team B Oshi, the "fresh" version is just as big a mess, but I do get that it is a bit of a crowd-pleaser. I was wondering how the girls always remember the order, especially with the lineup occasionally changing.

Notable Members (These are the members who fished me, or otherwise left me with a good impression)



Kobayashi Ran: Ranchan made a wise move by focusing on me so early in the show, since it guaranteed I would be focused on her for the rest of it. I think she has great energy, enthusiasm, and is really cute. She reminds me a bit of Ariyasu Momoka (former Momoclo) and Sato Minami (16th gen) Anyway, she came away as my show MVP, and someone I want to meet during handshake events.



Sato Shiori: She didn't interact with me until much later in the stage, but we exchanged a couple of funny facial expressions toward the end. This girl is all about goofing off, all the time, She was reacting to everyone's MC, either laughing, or making a funny gesture with her partner in crime, Maeda Ayaka. I can definitely see her following in the footsteps of Tani Marika or Yamada Noe.

Suzuki Kurumi: I started noticing it earlier this year, but Kurumi is fast becoming a true stage leader. It surprises me since early on I found her to be kinda bland and uninteresting. But she has grown a lot, and is someone to watch.

Yahagi Moeka: Exceptional singer, good personality. She caught my eye quite a bit during the show, and I was impressed overall with her unit. At one at the end of the show she spotted me and started waving, then accidentally almost missed her queue to talk. She was caught off-guard, LOL.



Otake Hitomi: Reminds me a lot of Anai Chihiro, looks-wise. She was one of two draftees who came across as more mature, both in looks and demeanor, the other being Honda Sora. Both of their presence was abundantly felt throughout the show.



Inagaki Kaori: I have to mention Kaori. This wasn't her first show back from injury, but the fans gave her a huge ovation just the same. I almost didn't recognize her, since it looked like she lost a bit of weight since I last saw her. But Inagaki seemed thrilled to be performing every step of the way. Anyway, she has great energy, and I am happy to see her back on stage performing. And finally...

Taya Misaki: Who made a significant effort to fish me during Team 'Fresh' Oshi, pointing at me and then herself. She has tried with me before, so she gets points for that.

Ending

Before we left for 'High Wave' we were treated to the full Teacher Teacher MV. Visually, I like the PV quite a bit. In fact to me the visual is a lot more memorable than the actual song. And I get why people think the 'mountain' scene seemed a bit out of place, but it didn't bother me at all.

The members returned to the stage, and there was a couple of minutes until we filed out of the room. In the meantime I was lucky enough to get Ranchan and Yasuda Kana right in front of me. Ranchan gave me and the guy next to me a really enthusiastic wave. The other guy told her that her performance was awesome, and I nodded in agreement. She thanked both of us. Ranchan also jumped up and down when I passed her leaving the theater, LOL Kana and I are 'old friends' so to speak, so she gave me an enthusiastic acknowledgement too. The other member to focus on me during high-wave was Yahagi, who actually stepped right to follow and try to talk to me, LOL.

I left the theater, and quickly queued up to get the group photo set, which now has a limited edition folder drawn by Miyupon. From there I grabbed my umbrella, and took off for dinner, and then home.



Suffice it to say I am extremely impressed with the AKB 3rd Gen draftees, especially those I mentioned during this writeup. So far I have seen the SKE, NGT, and now the AKB draftees, and to me these girls are the most impressive (I really like SKE's as well) I was worried when most of the 16th gen got promoted since their stage was my favorite (and easiest) to win. But now I will be happy to watch the draftees perform any time, especially for Yukirin's stage, which is a lot of fun to watch...

And I will be rooting for RAAAAAAAAAAANCHAAAAAAAAANNNN!

(some photos "borrowed" from ModelPress)

 

Cross-posted from the Experience thread, with notes on Taya Misaki's performance of Mushi no Ballad...


AKB48 Idol Shugyou Chuu! Stage ~Matinee Performance~ (2018/07/30)



Wow, my second win in July, I hope this becomes a trend. Moreover, it was my second consecutive "win" where I originally got a low number cancel machi, and there were enough cancellations to turn it into a win before I even left my apartment. I had cancel machi #23, and the cancellation number ws at 15 went I went to bed Sunday night. However, it ballooned to 37 by Monday, and ultimately the cancel machi went all the way to #117. So just because a cancel machi number isn't good, doesn't necessarily mean you can't get in. Although I do think the fact that Yahagi Moeka cancelled her performance was a factor, the evening show, which was a seitensei, did not go nearly as high. Anyway...

This was my 44th theater show, and my 4th time seeing this stage. I arrived early to grab lunch in Akihabara, and then sat down for coffee across the street at Excelssior Cafe, making it into the theater around 6 minutes before cutoff. I received ticket #165. Middle of my group. We'll see how lucky this number is. I didn't bring a backpack to Akiba, so I had to put everything I was carrying into the tray for the metal detector. I put everything in a plastic bag so I wouldn't waste any time removing my stuff from the tray. The VIPs, women, and enpou all entered the theater. It was time for the seat lottery....



1. 60-69
2. 210-219 (cancel machi peeps always seem to get a good draw)
3. 80-89
4. 230-239 (again cancel machi people)
5. 120-129
6. 180-189 (the guy calling the numbers looked at our lane when he announced this, I thought we were good to go)
7. 160-169 (Score-a-rooni!)

So my group gets called in 7th (well, 6.5 since 230-239 is only 3 people) I wanted to sit somewhere on the left because that is where Ranchan usually hangs out, but as I walked in Junji-san was directing people to the right side, saying it was practically empty. Sure enough, only the first row was filled, the second was empty. So I quickly grabbed the exact same seat I had at the last show, the end seat in the 2nd row, right next to the little side stage. It's funny though how most people try to get the inside seats in this row, not realizing that the further inside you are the more the pillar blocks your view. Also, this odd fan was sitting in the back row congratulating people who passed him. Not sure what that was about. Eventually it was showtime, Inagaki did the Kage-ana, and the curtain opened.



So normally I focus on individual members for this report. However, aside from my usual interactions with Ranchan, I wanted to see how Hitomin reacted to me since I met her at the handshake event a couple weeks ago. The other interesting aspect of this show was the performance of Mushi no Ballad, since Yahagi was out. I was interested in who was going to sub in for that song, since it is such a powerful solo. In fact, I think the unit section is one of the strongest aspects of this stage. It has a lot of energetic and fun songs, and I think for the most part the members do a great job. I think the members in the Tsundere unit fit the song perfectly, as I have a feeling that all three of them (Yasuda, Sato, Taguchi) are probably all a bit tsundere in real life. Blue Rose has all of the "mature members". Granted, Shinkirou is my least favorite song of the units, but it does kinda serve as a palate cleanser between the energy of the other four. And Nage Kissu is one of my all-time favorite "cute unit" songs, plus it has Ranchan...

Mushi no Ballad



I'm not sure, but this may have been Taya Misaki's first ever public performance of this song. Between this stage, an the original K5 which I saw like 8-9 times, I have seen quite a few different members perform it. For the first time out, I thought Tacchan did quite well. She projected nicely, and for the most part stayed on-key, although she did have a bit of trouble when she had to hold a note, her voice would wobble a bit and go flat. Also, she didn't over-emote, which I though was a good choice given her lack of experience with the song. It seemed as if she mainly focused on singing it well. Ultimately, with a bit of practice I think she could easily iron out the kinks and be a capable second-stringer for Moeka.

Member Notes



Kobayashi Ran: Since I was on the right side, I figured I wouldn't see much of Ranchan util the second half of the show. To my surprise she was on my side of the stage quite a bit throughout the show. The first time she came over she didn't notice me, but the second time she locked on to me and gave me a thumbs-up and a big smile. I didn't react quickly enough, so she did it again. This time I gave her a thumbs-up. From the point forward any time she was right in front of me she locked on to me until she had to dance away. Also, in one of the late MCs the members were talking about their Janken units, and Ranchan was the only one on stage at the time who hadn't yet submitted a Janken entry. Everyone was worried about her, so I am glad to read that she now has a 2-member unit with Shimoguchi Hinana.


Hitomin, with Kaori and Saori

Otake Hitomi: Since I met her at the handshake event a couple weeks ago, I wanted to see if I could get some good reactions from her during the show. Unfortunately, Hitomin doesn't really interact much with the audience during the performance, instead focusing on the performance itself. So she never really reacted to me at all until the very end, where she finally spotted me and waved. I think she is one of the strongest performers in this group. Both she at Sorachan make a great duo. Speaking of which...

Honda Sora: There is just something about this girl, she looks like she would fit perfect in the original SDN48. I'm trying to figure out who in that group she reminds me of, but quite a few members come to mind. She is probably the most "mature" of the draftees. She is definitely one to watch.


Shiori

Sato Shiori: Ya know, the last time I saw this stage she wasn't in the cast, and I really missed seeing her. I find myself quite often focusing on her during MCs, since her reactions to the other members are often very funny. She is definitely from the "Tani" school of idols, which I usually like. Plus, she just relished her role in Tsundere. She is the next draftee I want to try and meet. I think she would be a fun handshake experience.


Kyoka

Tada Kyoka: Another group comedienne. Like Yasuda Kana, Kyoka is always looking for audience members to flirt/fish/interact with. I fact, at one point she was right above me on the side stage, and I was watching the way she expresses her self with her eyes.

Saito Haruna: I'm not sure, but I don't remember seeing her perform this stage before. So this is the 3rd Gen Draftees with the "cute and shy" chara. From the looks of it, she has the potential of being extremely popular. Although during the first MC she said something to the effect of wanting to shed the her current "chara" and be a bit more well-rounded. We'll see how that goes...

High "Wave"

There were three members I wanted to be sure and interact with, so I scouted where they were beforehand. Hitomin was in the middle, and Inagaki and Ran-chan were at the far end, almost next to each other. Hmmm. As I made it down the line I finally got the reaction from Hitomin I was looking for. I also got big reactions from Kyoka and Tacchan. When I got to Kaori-chan, I slowed down enough and just blurted out her Janken unit name (Orenai Kokoro) I wished I had time to tell her why I like her unit so much (she is teamed with Yukachan) but just saying the name got a good reaction. Unfortunately that interaction almost got me pushed passed Ranchan, but I slowed up enough to smile a call out her name the way I do during the show. As I looked back Kurosu Haruka was still looking at me and smiling.


Ranchan and Kurosu

And with that I quickly purchased the commemorative photopack, and scurried down the escalator before the lobby got too crowded. Since I don't have any AKB handshake tickets for a while, I hope I can win more of these shows as I love interacting with the new members. I am starting to like the draftees as much as I like 16th gen. With this stage, I get a bit of both.

 

AKB48 Idol Shugyou Chuu! Stage ~Matinee~ (2018/08/07)



It has been years since I have "won" shows so close together. It h been eight days since I last saw this stage, so I was pleasantly surprised to see another 'winning' email in my inbox. Granted, it was another Cancel Machi, but I am used to that by now. The difference was that this Cancel Machi number was significantly higher than the last three I have won. On the other hand, I have been monitoring how high Cancel Machi has gone for this stage lately, and I knew I had a decent shot at getting in anyway.

So I had Cancel Machi #90. Within a couple hours of receiving the email the cancellations had already reached 20, and the morning of the show they had reached 40. In all of my wins, I had never seen the number get that high so early before, so I figured I was good to go. I headed to Akihabara and had some lunch before going to the theater. Downstairs I ran into Caster-san, who is another Wasamin fan. He said "You won?" When I told him I had Cancel Machi #90 he kinda grimaced, but when I told him the pre-cancellations were almost to 50 he said "You will probably get in then." In fact, I was so confident at this point I stored my backpack in a locker. I got a bit discouraged when a huge crowd of people jammed the ticket queue at the last minute. Would this be my doom?

The cancel machi call started, and the guy just glided through the 50's and 60's with no sign of slowing down. When he got close to 80 he began checking his clicker. Well, at this point at least I will get into the "final ten" group that goes in last. But after a few minutes of re-counting the queue, he started back up again. 87, 88, 89...90! Sweet, I made it to the seat lottery! In fact I just made it as the next guy behind me ended up getting the last spot. As for the last chance winners, it went to #109. (And the evening show went all the way to #150, so all cancel machi got in) So let this be another lesson that even a very high cancel machi number can get you into the show. In fact.....



I had ticket #246, which was in the last group. They started calling the seat lottery. #70-79, #180-189, #240-249. We were third called, Score-a-rooni! I breezed through the metal detector and grabbed a seat in the front row, just left of the pillar. For me this is the perfect spot since Ran-chan (Kobayashi Ran) spends most of the show on this side of the stage. Anyway, this was my 45th Theater Show, and my fifth time seeing this stage.

The last three times I saw this stage I was on the right side, so I would be getting a vantage point that I hadn't seen since the first time I saw Idol Chugyou Chu! Kurumin did the Kaga-ana, and the overture began. Here are a few thoughts....



Kobayashi Ran: It took Ranchan less than a minute to spot me in the first row, so I was assured of getting a lot of opportunities to play with her over the next couple hours. Don't get me wrong, she plays with and appeals to everyone in the audience, but pretty much every time she was near me at the very least I got a glance and a smile.



The Units, and Lip-Synch: At one point early in the show I had Taguchi Manaka right in front of me, close enough that I could actually hear her singing. She sounded quite good. It made me wonder how much of this stage is lip-synched. While watching Blue Rose I had Kurosu Haruka right in front of me, and Otake Hitomi right next to her. Hitomin looks like she is singing live, but t's a very loud song, so I wasn't sure. I am reasonably sure the vocals on Nage Kissu de Uchi Otose are pre-recorded. Shinkirou might be live, but my mind always 'fades out' during that song, LOL. But the clincher was Tsundere. Now on one hand I love this performance since the members are all so animated and funny. However, Yasuda Kana is so busy expressing herself, her lip-synching is completely off, like not even close. Plus, Sato Shiori stumbled during her line in the first verse, but there was no stumble in the vocals. So that song is completely lip-synched. As for Moeka and Mushi no Ballad, I want to believe she is singing live.



Left Side Appeal: Aside from Ranchan, the MVP of trying to get my attention during this show was Honda Sora. I lost count of how many times I was looking at her and she was staring back and smiling. She was directly in front of me during Sobakasu no Kiss, and I was mimicking her and motions throughout the chorus. Taya Misaki was making faces at me, as was Sato Shiori. In fact, this was the first time I remember Shiori trying to play with me, even a little. On the other hand, Hitomin never really acknowledged me at all, despite her being in front of me quite often. On one hand I don't think she toys with the audience much during the show. However, even in High Wave at the end I didn't get much of a reaction. My biggest reactions during High Wave were from Yasuda Kana, Inagaki Kaori, and of course Ranchan.


Okada Rina

Newbies: I think this was the second time I have seen Okada Rina perform. The first time I noted how awkward I thought she was. She was a little better today, although she went a bit "gangster" with the way she blew off her opening MC appeal time. She introduced herself, said one short sentence, and was like "That's it, next..." I think this girl needs some emergency lessons in appealing to fans. On the other hand, I am pretty sure this was the first time I have seen Ishiwata Sena, who is another chibi draft member. She is quite cute, but to be honest I barely noticed her throughout the show.

Since I was in the front row I was one of the first people to go through the 'high wave' line. I quickly purchased the Team Photo, grabbed my backpack, and was down the escalator and out. I had a bit of time to kill before I had to head up to Saitama for Wasamin's furage CD event. So i ended up being a full day. And hopefully this theater win frequency is becoming a trend. As I have said before, I have no luck winning the concerts, but as long as I can see the group in the theater I don't care. I much prefer the Theater to huge venues.