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Your AKB48 Experiences

Discussion in 'General AKB48 Discussion' started by cRaZY MiKi, Jun 6, 2007.

  1. tkmnwen

    tkmnwen Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Oct 18, 2011
    Oshimen:
    takahashiminami
    Twitter:
    energywen
    Some of the girls (Micha, Umechan, Yannu, Wakanyan, Haachan and Sakiko) were recently in Singapore for the Asia Style Collection. I went to the arrival, the concert and the departure. I posted a fanaccount on tumblr earlier as well.

    [​IMG]

    Photos are all here: http://wen48.tumblr.com/post/53679614898/crazy-wall-of-text-of-fanaccount-the-akb48-girls

    Girls arrived 10 minutes after I got to the airport and I spotted the vans outside, unloading the luggages. Saw AI and the other Japanese artistes as well as some of the Tokyo Girls Collection models, before realising that AKB48 is in the last van. They took the behind entrance where I was standing at. Was about 15 steps away from the entrance, standing just beside the seats (and was about to take a seat there before I realise the vans were there).

    They came in and Sakiko saw me and was like “OH! /points/ OHAYO~" and I was like O_O_O_O_O_O /bows/ “Ohayo~" And then the other girls started saying Ohayo back ;A;)/ And I was so panicky because…I don’t know what to do? LOL Sakiko asked if I saw them in April, and I said yes and she was like, “I remember." T^T The girls all spoke in Japanese and somehow I understood. Then again, I understood more than I can speak. ;A;)/

    Sakiko pointed to my shirt and was like “Nissan Stadium concert t-shirt!" to which I nodded and said I went for it, and she and Haachan was like O_O Sugoiiii~~~. Then Wakanyan pointed to my cap and was like “Friday!" and I nodded too. Friday was the arrival and I was there as well. When Wakanyan walked out on Friday, she pointed to my cap and said “Nice! Cool!"

    Then Mariyannu was like “RICORI!!" and beamed such a huge smile and the other girls started looking at my bag…which was ricori… ;A;)/

    They went to sit at the seats (which I was going to T_T) and kept looking over to me, but I was just standing like a couple steps away, refusing to make eye contact with them. Nishiyama-san came in and saw me and say hello ;A;)/ and I was like “o-oooo-hayo" ~A~))/

    Then they went to Row 3 for checkin, only to be told to go to Row 10 for the group checkin. And while they were waiting, Umechan and Wakanyan just kept looking at me and then I decide to like…finally take some photo, which resulted in the 1st and 4th photo in the photoset.

    When they were going to Row 10 ,I walked beside them, keeping a long ass distance away. Sakiko walked nearer to me and I scooted away and she was amused. o( ;A;)o Wakanyan keep looking at me and smiling, beaming like a megawatt smile.

    Micha and Umechan went off to do some minor shopping when they were going from 3 to 10, joining the rest at 10 after like 10minutes. Umechan was wearing this pair of shoes that were way too big for her and she was making loud noises as she walked, very very very adorable. She kept playing with her shoes and pouting every time she looked over at me. ;A;)/

    A friend finally joined me after I stood awkwardly at the row 10 waiting for them to check in. I took out my Team A board and was hesitating to show it or not. I used it at the concert the night before and the girls saw it. There is technically 2/6 girls in Team A since Yannu is now kenin in A…but I felt bad for the Team B girls, especially when Umechan is the captain. Sakiko kept looking over and trying to see the board, and in the end I decide to show it to her. Her eyes literally O_O and starting nodding and said she saw it at 思い出せる君たちへ. I was impressed.

    We followed them to the departure gate and while walking, Umechan suddenly turned back and was like “Bye~~~byeeeee~~"

    Micha and Yannu were the last of the first 5 girls who went in the gate, and Micha decided to pose for my phone, which I was texting and not in the camera app (but I think she thought I was), and before I could snap it, she turned (3rd pic). Then she came nearer and result was the 7th pic. Yannu did the same but they were both moving and Yannu was completely blurred. Both of them kept walking and posing all these different poses that I can’t capture at all. LOL I’m all like, girls what are you trying to do?!

    Suddenly the video guy was like “You remember me?" and I’m all like “YES!!!" He: “Last time!!" Me: “Tanochan present!!" And we laughed. He played with my gift for Tanochan at the airport and joked with the kid so much but Tanochan couldn’t win him, until she saw I was there at the airport and she made him looked at me. And he knew that present was from me and he was all like omg I didn’t do what you just saw I did. And the kid was like all boss every time he “bullied" her cus she would be like, /points to me/ and I was all like /fake angry face/. He went to tell Micha and Sakiko and the other staffs around that he sees me for all the events from the last trip and also this time and tells them I’m a big fan. ;A;)?

    Yannu said in Chinese "明年见~再见" which means See you next year, goodbye. Micha was like Byebye~~ ;A;)/ Then when the staffs were going in, the video guy and the other staffs said good bye and see you next time to me ;A;)/ Wakanyan came even later behind everyone with some other staffs and when she was going in, she said see you next time, thank you, good bye, all in English. I was impressed… ;A;)/

    We went up to viewing gallery cus the girls went in like 70minutes before flight and sure enough, they had a crazy time shopping in the duty free shops. The Micha & Sakiko, Umechan photos looking up were taken when I was like 3 levels above them at the viewing gallery. They spotted the camera and waved and pointed and all those was when my camera was down in my hands, not prepared to take shots. Micha spotted us because the Team A board was lit and she waved and then got Sakiko to look. The irony when I only had a Team A board, when out of the 6 girls, my fave is Micha…from Team B. ;A;)/

    Umechan already spotted us and smiled but when she was joined by the other staff, he saw us and did such a huge waving action that’s embarrassing and Umechan waved to us again, but didn’t get it on camera. The other staffs told Sakiko and Micha that we were up there and they looked again, but they had already waved to us before the staffs told them. LOL

    Yannu was the last to get to the gate ;A;)/ We were worried that she’s going to miss her flight…heading only to the gate 20 minutes before flight time. The rest left for gate without her. LOL I had like not much interaction with Haachan because she was having so much fun pushing the trolley that it felt intrusive to even go near her…and those crazy heels she had on.

    I seriously think I’ve a soft spot for Team A members. I was indifferent to Sakiko before this, but now I’ll definitely pay more attention to her. I’ve already liked Yannu on her last Singapore trip. Because of her, the ‘blind’ Nattsumii saw me a lot more times. I just love her so much more now. I don’t even know who’s Wakanyan before this, and now I do and she’s sweet. UmeMicha is amazing as usual. ;A;)/
     
  2. Tensai

    Tensai Member Stage48 Donor

    Joined:
    Jan 17, 2011
    Location:
    Silicon Valley, CA
    Oshimen:
    uchiyamanatsuki
    Twitter:
    Tensai
    Nice write-up tkmnwen, amazing how much interaction you can have at the airport there.

    I was the guy at the AnDare show. Surprised we didn't run into each other at the HS event too. AnDare is a lot of fun. It's a great way to get to know the Theater Girls. only wish they would put up all the episodes on YouTube so I could watch it every day.
     
  3. hobolic

    hobolic Kenkyuusei Stage48 Donor

    Joined:
    Nov 24, 2012
    Location:
    Hong Kong
    Oshimen:
    mogishinobu
    Today was my second visit to the theatre and my second viewing of KKS's Pajama Drive.

    The first time I went to the show during Easter this year, I didn't know any of the KKS girls and hardly any of the songs from the Pajama Drive stage (except for Shonichi), but I still enjoyed the show a lot even though most of it was blocked from my view by the left pillar (my seat was right in the middle of the left seating area). That experience brought Miki-chan and Mogi-chan to my attention and prompted me to buy the B3 Pajama Drive studio recording album. Since then, I've followed the 2 girls closely and have become so fond of them I even voted for them in the election. I've also listened to the B3 album so many times I could sing bits of every song.

    With so much more understanding of the girls and the stage, today's experience with AKB48 is the best I've had so far as a fan. I was a bit disappointed at the beginning because my group was last to be called in, and my only available spot once inside the theatre was at the very back of the middle standing area with about 3 to 4 people already standing in front of me from the last row of seats. All my disappointments disappeared as soon as the show started though because I was reminded straight away of how small the theatre is and saw how close the girls were, even from the back of the theatre. I soon realised that my spot today was actually better than my seat during my previous visit, because unlike last time, I could almost see the entire show with only very little interference by the pillars.

    I've watched AKB48 before in A-Nation and in Tokyo Dome, but at those big concerts, the girls were so far away I always ended up watching the screen instead and the experience was not much different to watching a concert on DVD at home. Not so in the AKB48 Theater. I could clearly see every member on stage right down to the expressions on their faces.

    My focus today was on Miki-chan, Mogi-chan, Mii-chan, and Maeda Mitsuki (because of her height).

    Miki-chan was as cute and enthusiastic as I remembered her from my last show, and was in the centre position a lot. A lot of her fans were screaming her name throughout the show, and she really tried to make eye-contact with the entire audience.

    Mogi-chan, in contrast, was more laid back and seemed to prefer having fun with the other members on stage rather than fish for audience's attention.

    Mii-chan is Mii-chan, and the funniest moment today was in an MC segment when the girls praised Mogi-chan's energetic jumps during Let's Go Kenkyusei and started copying her jumps (body bent backwards with head thrown back and legs folded up). Someone then asked Mii-chan to try the move too, but she immediately declined and pushed down hard on her wig. My Japanese isn't good enough to understand her response, but it's clear she was afraid her wig might fly off her head if she did the move. She even blushed a bit as the other members laughed at her response ... so cute.

    During the high-fives after the show, Nana-chan grabbed my hand for so long it surprised me. I knew from experience that Miki-chan would also grab my hand, but when I called out her name, she actually pulled me back a little just to extend our eye-contact. I had really wanted to say something to Mogi-chan, but my mind blanked when I got to her and I only managed to mutter 'Mogi-chan, kakkoii' and she gave me a smile and a strange look.

    All in all, today is going to one AKB48 experience I will never forget!
     
  4. karles48

    karles48 Member Stage48 Donor

    Joined:
    May 6, 2010
    Location:
    Republic of Catalonia
    You were lucky, indeed. I've checked how many shows she has performed in of lately and it's very difficult to meet her. I've checked the shows for July and the two that are already scheduled for August: 3 out of 13 (well, 4 out of 13, because I think she didn't perform last 9th due to an illness)
     
  5. lionheartedvalor

    lionheartedvalor Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Jul 21, 2011
    Really late, but here it is anyway! I'll have a write up for my SKE48 Team E July 1st show posted later.

    Kyocera Dome Sayonara Crawl National Handshake Event 6/23/13
    I got to Taisho station at around 9:20 due to taking the train in the wrong direction at first. It was a short walk to Kyocera Dome from there. There were tons of people in line already. Although I knew there were children attending these events, actually seeing how many there were was still surprising. Two girls in front of me were with their mom and had a cute little handmade gift bag for Mariko.

    The line started to move at a decent pace at around 9:45. About thirty minutes later, I had my first ticket, a number in the 16000 range. I met up with another S48 poster, toddvanzetti. He stood out as the only white guy there. :D We talked for a while as we waited for the mini live to start. My seat was in the 19th row. I couldn't see the members clearly on stage at all, but there was a big screen above it.

    The set list was Managuu followed by Ebikachu. Then, there was a break for muchaburi. It was an onigiri making contest. Miorin’s split into three before she could wrap it. Mayuyu’s had some sort of bug on it. Ricchan tried to fit a takoyaki in, but one side wouldn't close. The last two songs were Sayokuro and Tenohira ga Kataru Koto. There was also a VTR announcing the next janken tournament. The attending KKS also made an appearance, which included Miichan and Kaotan. OJS48 also went on and sang a song, which was pretty entertaining.

    There was a lot of down time between the start of handshakes and my ticket number, so I looked at the official goods store. It was a climb up vertically through nine floors before walking along a very long section of the dome to get to the stands. Many things were already sold out so I just got a one of those microfiber towels as a souvenir. As I didn't know how the process worked, I was dumb and didn't go exchange my other five tickets.

    2:37 The screen finally showed up at 16000 for a few members. I headed off to Takamina’s lane.
    “Hello from Chicago!” She made a surprised face and said “Oooh!” Only after I walked out did I realize I was looking down at Takamina when I spoke to her. Although we all know how short she is, actually seeing her real height on the same ground as her is pretty shocking.
    I was not at all prepared for Annin, who was before paired with Takamina. I felt bad for not saying anything to her... Way too flustered and overwhelmed by my first handshake.

    I went outside to exchange my tickets again, which was a quick wait; I'm pretty sure walking through the queue area took longer. I met up with todvanzetti again when I went to get lunch. The break happened during this time, and the KKS there had an appeal section where each member was allowed 30 seconds. Kaotan did the splits and mentioned Akarin. Another girl, Ayaka, I think, played the trumpet to the chorus of Sayokuro, which was impressive. Miichan sang an excerpt from a song whose name I cannot remember right now. The other five tickets, which I exchanged all at once, had numbers 40000+, which meant a long wait.

    4:29 WKojima lane. Two little girls ahead of me were in cosplay of Kojima's drama (the one where her skirt flies up all the time), and I heard her scream out "Kawaii!" from the line. Nattsun first. “Hello from America!” No reaction. Ganbatte to Kojiharu before I was pushed out.
    4:42 Pretty much shoved through Minarun, Ricchan, and Miorin. “Hello from Chicago!” again. I really could not think of anything else to say to Minarun. Ricchan looked really freaked out when I spoke English to Minarun so I switched to what little Japanese I know and said “Washington DC concert wa mimashita” to Ricchan. Miorin I barely got to glance, let alone formulate words before being pushed out again.
    4:53 Mayuyu and Miyupon’s lane. “Hello from Chicago!” to Mayuyu. “Oh! Thank you!” and a wide eye reaction. Good job for actually being able to react, Mayuyu! To Miyupon, “Ganbatte!”
    4:59 Takamina again. “Ganbatte!” Annin is really dead tired by now. “Washington DC wa mimashita!” Another “Oh!” reaction again, but less surprised. By now, everybody is very tired. They've been handshaking for the past four hours with one short break.
    5:06 Last ticket, for Takamina the third time around. “Mou ikkai, ganbatte,” to Annin. It's pathetic, but don't blame me; your brain would be a mess too if this was your first handshake event. “Last time, thank you from Chicago!” Takamina kept eye contact with me as I was shoved out.

    For my first handshake experience, it went well. I don’t look Caucasian, so I am assumed to be Japanese, which caused more than one delayed reaction. I felt bad for the people waiting in the lanes for Mariko and Tomochin. By the break, both were only around 16000, which meant the first ticket I exchanged 7 hours back would finally work. I also met Mayuyu, which I wasn’t originally planning on. Everybody is so much cuter in real life (and a lot shorter than you would think, Annin and Kojiharu were probably the only ones I saw eye-level; I'm used to being short in the US as an Asian girl at 5' 5" :^^;:), pictures really don't do these girls justice at all.
     
  6. luckyone

    luckyone Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2011
    Location:
    Tokyo, Japan
    ^
    Takamina's height is very shocking indeed
     
  7. Tensai

    Tensai Member Stage48 Donor

    Joined:
    Jan 17, 2011
    Location:
    Silicon Valley, CA
    Oshimen:
    uchiyamanatsuki
    Twitter:
    Tensai
    Thanks for the write-ups LionHeartValor and Hobolic.

    Enjoyed reading them and hearing how other fans from overseas are getting to experience the group first hand. Hope you'll have more chances on your trips (if they aren't over yet).

    Especially since I've got a long few months before I return next > <
     
  8. drazaar

    drazaar Member Stage48 Donor

    Joined:
    Jun 1, 2008
    Oshimen:
    nagaomariya
    :XD: lol. I want to go to a national handshake, they seem cool. Hard to plan for though.
     
  9. hobolic

    hobolic Kenkyuusei Stage48 Donor

    Joined:
    Nov 24, 2012
    Location:
    Hong Kong
    Oshimen:
    mogishinobu
    More an AKB48 Cafe & Shop experience than an AKB48 experience, but anyway ...

    Not being able to win any more shows at the theatre, I decided to visit the cafe one last time before my flight home tomorrow and try my luck with anta dare. With over 400 ippan fans wanting to get in today, I wasn't really expecting to get picked and missed out as usual.

    As I was waiting in line to just get into the cafe and watch the show on screen, one of the staff approached me and pointed out that there was a misprint on the official 2013 election t-shirt I had bought a week ago and was wearing at the time. She asked if I could bring the shirt back for a refund next time I visit the cafe, so I told her I was flying back home tomorrow and didn't know when I'd visit again. She then went away and came back and refunded the cost of the t-shirt to me anyway. I told her i couldn't return the shirt as i had nothing to change into at the time, but she said I could just keep it, so i ended up getting an official AKB48 t-shirt for free :)

    Just checked to see what the misprint was after coming back and found typos with Mayuyu and Mariyagi's names and Jounishi became Kaminishi.
     
  10. lionheartedvalor

    lionheartedvalor Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Jul 21, 2011
    Here is my SKE48 Team E Saka Agari write-up. I was lucky enough to win one of the last shows for the old Team E. Please excuse me if I messed up some names; I mostly knew names and couldn't match many to faces when I went to see the show. I also tried to find the LOD to confirm who I thought was who, but had nothing turn up.

    I got to Nagoya station at around 4PM. Sunshine Sakae is a short subway ride away from there. You can walk directly to it from the underground shopping complex. I bought my ticket at around 4:30 and walked around Sunshine to pass time. I went back to the theater at 5:15 to wait in line, which I evidently misheard since it wasn’t until 5:45 that they opened the door to the stairwell for the special category ticket holders to stand in. They scan the QR code on the ticket when you are first in line, then do another ID check to actually get in the theater 20 minutes before showtime.

    I cannot even begin to express how awesome it is to see them live. It truly is “unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.” Team E is the new reincarnation of old Team K. They completely blew Saka Agari out of the water. My seat was center column, 3 from the left, and 5th/6th row back. The closeness is incredible.

    Tenohira - Something slow to start off with. I started watching only the girls I knew of before the show like Kinchan and Meimei, but lots of others caught my attention later on. I will admit that I didn’t pay as much attention to Team E as they deserve. Overall, a cute song.

    Saka Agari - One of my favorites from the stage; I really like the choreography for it. This was also where I learned trying to keep track of everybody is much too difficult.

    Hitei no Requiem - I think this is where they changed outfits. It was pretty cool seeing the girls run off stage then appear again; it's a very smooth transition, I almost didn't notice it. Another great song with high energy.

    Sono Ase wa Uso wo Tsukanai - I really noticed RIka’s intense dancing starting with this song. She’s always got so much energy and really puts everything into her performance. Her short hair is always flying around as she dances. You can totally see the genuine enjoyment she has in performing.

    In her MC intro, Kinchan said she was thirteen years old; she’s truly an airhead. XD Risa is also a little hesitant (can’t think of the right word right now) during her MC, which is adorable~ :blush: During another girl's introduction, one of the other members shouted out that she loved her, which apparently was a recurring thing at other shows as well. One of the other girls who won the Ladies/Students category was a Mikoto fan and totally screamed out “MIKOCCHI KAWAII!!!” at the end if her intro.

    Now for the units.

    End Roll - Madoka and Kyoka were today’s big winners for me. Ikemen looking in their shorter hairstyles~ (+o+) This is when I became a Kyon oshi. :D Risa subbed for Haramina’s position too! I’m pretty sure this is one of the rare times I appreciate Kenkyuusei subs. Risa is amazing and an ikemen too.

    Wagamama na Nagareboshi - Both were really cute. Aya (I think) was nearly shoved over during the song. Perfect follow up to End Roll.

    Ai no Iro - Everybody in this unit was just stunning. I really enjoyed Maimai's performance as center. It caught my attention like Kioku no Dilemma did at DC last year.

    Dakishimeraretara - All I could think about was how Kinchan manages to perform this so well with her empty-headed demeanor. Where did all of the maturity suddenly come from.

    Mushi no Ballad - Not as awesome as Sayaka, but Yukapi still did a great job. Full of emotion, though her higher voice isn’t what I’m used to hearing as opposed to Sayaka.

    Yay, more MC that mostly flew over my head.

    Furishite Maneshite - Not my favorite song ever, but still cool to see it live. The moving stage is interesting to watch in action.

    Umi wo Watare - Compared to the Team K recording, this was much more energetic when performed live. The girls really do fill up the entire stage, causing me to sweep the entire stage many times rather than focusing on one girl.

    Machikado no Party - This is more my type of song. I think it was this one where Maimai started to harass Yumana in the middle of the song.

    Fan Letter - For some reason, I can’t remember anything about this number. Probably still too absorbed in the after effects of Machikado.

    Fugiri - Another high energy and powerful song that was enjoyable to watch live.

    Hanpa na Ikemen - I kept eye contact with Yumana. She pretty much stared me down; it was embarrassing so I had to look away and break eye contact… I felt bad… Risa winked at me though. Almost died there. I really can't wait for her to get promoted.

    In the MC, they talked about somebody being a lucky girl, forgot who though.

    Utsukushi Inazuma - Team E’s version of SKE’s newest single. Another choreography intense song that shows off this team’s dance power.

    To be continued - Lots of energy even to the end. Great way to end my first ever theater show. SKE’s new theater is very nice. No matter where you sit, you will have a good view.

    High touch, only really remember Umechan saying “Thank you!” to everybody. Risa is also very tall. I must say that these girls deserve new profile pictures as well (they have, as of this posting). They are much prettier in real life. Honestly, it’s like they used Photoshop incorrectly…

    I’m glad I was able to experience at least one theater show in my time in Japan. Team E did an awesome job performing Saka Agari. It really shows off the many sides of this team and their insane dancing prowess. Team E is definitely not wanting to lose to anybody else. Unfortunately, they were broken up before they got an original stage. :cry:
     
  11. Youkokurama

    Youkokurama Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Jul 23, 2007
    Location:
    Japan
    Nogizaka46 Handshake Event
    Girls Rule single
    September 1, 2013
    Pulse Plaza, Kyoto


    summary
    this is going to be a really short review since i only had one ticket, but for those who just want the good stuff, well, i met maiyan (shiraishi mai) and it was my first time seeing her in twin tails. since we only had 5 seconds, all i could do was introduce myself and where i was from. after that i just waved goodbye and told her i'll see her again sometime. eeend.

    pic of the event place:

    [​IMG]

    ok now for the longer version:

    event set-up

    the hall was divided into 2 portions. one portion was where all the handshakes took place and where people who have had their tickets initially verified would line-up outside of booths where the girls would be. entrance to this place was limited to only one spot so that they could block incoming fans when the time for that specific slot is over :tongue: (entrance for the 2:30-4:00 event closed at 3:30pm, something that i believe was not written ANYWHERE in the ticket or blogs or announcements or emails from fortune music (happy to be proven wrong though)).

    the second portion was a free for all space where official goods were sold and were fans could freely sit wherever they want while waiting for the time-slot on their tickets. and ofcourse with this meant that the entire portion was littered with sellers and traders of pictures :roll: . from nogizaka to akb to ske, etc. but mostly were nogizaka ofcourse since this was a nogizaka event.


    event observations

    got to the place at around 2:30pm, and even though it was my first time going there i didn't get lost at all. i guess it's one of the advantages of 48/46 events these days. back then i had to make sure that i knew where the handshake events were and had to equip myself with maps which i even had to print out. now-a-days i guess you just have to stand in one corner and wait for a wota to pass by (extremely easy to spot. better if they are in a group.) and just follow their behinds to the event space :lol: .

    i waited inside the hall for about 2 hours as my ticket was scheduled at 4:30pm. so much for me dreaming of a different crowd for nogizaka as compared to akb/nmb. all i can say is that the crowd was pretty much the same, and the whole thing felt exactly the same as 48 events. with this, i guess its kind of hard to establish the group as a real rival to akb when the fans are pretty much the same people :confused: .

    i guess worth mentioning was that during nmb events i attended here in osaka, girls would cosplay akb (river and iiwake costumes). in today's event, there were 2 girls who cosplayed guruguru curtain :approve: . they definitely stood out from the crowd, and in a really good way at that.

    i was also able to witness the group in-charge of sayuringo's birthday presents/letters/preparations sing her a happy birthday and made her cry in front of everybody. this happened at around 4:00pm when one by one the girls finished their 2:30pm to 4:00pm slots and sayuringo was the last to leave. nogizaka staff probably let the birthday committee into the handshake event space near her booth, and it was quite an awesome sight to witness.

    and an additional minor info: hoshino minami was one of the last girls to finish before sayuri. i thought she was getting pushed back further and further these days. good to know she still has hordes of fans :) .

    one thing that took me by surprise though, was that at around 4:15pm when people started lining up in front of the entrance to the handshake event area, at first i saw around 50 people lining up. seeing that made me feel kind of sad that only that many were waiting to get in 15 minutes before the 4:30pm slot starts. but at 4:30pm when i decided to join the line, i followed the queue to look for the last person and lol to my surprise there were about 500 people lined-up outside :shock: . and here i thought i was going to be one of the first to meet maiyan for that time-slot.


    meeting maiyan

    lining up in front of her booth, there were about 30 people in front of me, and this really cute girl behind me. all eyes were on the booth and waiting for maiyan to arrive to get a glimpse of her. the moment she arrived, me and the really cute girl behind me almost at same time reacted and blurted out "kawaii". this prompted us to look at each other and laugh, and for a few seconds had a good conversation (with me trying with all my might not to break the notion she had that i was not a gaijin). had this not been a 46/48 event, i would have probably asked her out :nasty: .

    that few seconds when we saw maiyan, i had already locked on to her attire. (here i go again trying to describe womens' clothes.. :dunno: ) she wore a black sleeveless thing and black loose pants and both had matching designs. at first i thought the designs were bananas scattered all around (minion!), but later i was able to stare at her longer *cough* and see that they were small brown ribbons scattered all over. maiyan also had twintails, something i have never seen her in before (at least in tv shows btw). at least she didn't pull her hair up into a bun as i'm not really a fan the hairstyle.

    with 5 seconds per person, the line moved in a lightning fast pace. in less than 4 minutes i was already the next to meet her. and with only 5 seconds, all i could do was introduce myself.

    * all conversations in japanese unless stated *

    me: (in english) hi there maiyan!
    shiraishi: thank you
    me: i'm a fan of yours from overseas
    shiraishi: *pauses* (probably realized only now that i spoke english earlier :shocku: ) wow!! that's awesome
    me: i came from *insert country*. so glad to finally meet you.

    *push from staff*

    shiraishi: thank you so much. hope to see you again
    me: till next time!
    me: (in english) hope to see you again next time!
    shiraishi: *waves*

    aside from her awesome reaction, all i could probably say was that i expected her to be... whiter. :XD:

    and how happy was i after meeting her? happy enough to ignore the cute girl following me. happy enough to forget to buy a poster at the goods section. happy that my hunger had disappeared almost completely (it was already around 5:00pm and the last meal i ate was breakfast at 9:00am).

    - end of awesome stuff -


    question: sooo.. you're going o handshake events again?

    i would rather think of this as an exception. i stopped going to handshake events around 3 years ago after things just got weirder and weirder for me. like for someone who experienced talking to my oshi for minutes, a 10 second handshake event is just insane. but just this once i had to make an exception.

    the main reason why i wanted to join this handshake event was to finally meet the girl that i have always considered as "haruna's rival". even though it was manachuu who declared war (well, not really) on haruna during their first introduction back in 2011, every time i saw the group i couldn't help but compare haruna and maiyan as they both had that same effect on me when i first saw them on tv. and for me, maiyan's rise to center of nogizaka46 is about as close as it can get for me to seeing haruna take over the center of akb. even if haruna was always senbatsu back then, acchan was just too strong a force to contend with.

    and today i finally met the girl, and all i can say is that she definitely has the looks to kill, but none of the aura that haruna has. and maiyan also has that "typical girl" feel while being insanely beautiful, unlike haruna who always felt like she was extremely fragile yet could kill you with a single syllable coming out of her mouth.

    i guess this has satisfied my looong time curiousity as to how it would feel to meet shiraishi. i will probably not be going to anymore handshake events, unless probably it involves haruna about to graduate from akb.
     
  12. convenience93

    convenience93 Member

    Joined:
    Feb 5, 2011
    Location:
    Malaysia
    Oshimen:
    Jang Wonyoung
    NMB48's 2-Shot Event - Bokura no Eureka
    My First Experience At 2-Shot - 16th September 2013 - Intex Osaka
    Hello there.
    So anyway, I had the pleasure of attending the return of NMB's 2-shot event for Bokura no Eureka. Well return event because after Virginity, they kinda stopped their 2-shot events altogether, and there wasn't any for the Kitagawa Kenji single or for the Teppen Tottande albums.

    So what happened was at 1 am to around 6 am on the 16th of September, there was a massive typhoon in Osaka. So, I didn't really sleep that well that night because of all the noise. The event was going to start at around 9 am but I was intending on getting there at 8:30 am to meet a fellow international fan. Which means I had to get out at around 7:00 am cause I was kinda far from the event location, Intex Osaka.

    You could even then see on Gplus how some of the NMB girls asking their fans to take care, and that our safety is of utmost importance so they would understand if we didn't come xD
    At the actual event, the turnout rate was lower than expected cause some people just couldn't make it especially they were coming from somewhere out of Osaka.

    With that weather, I was wondering how I was going to go out. But thankfully, the typhoon stopped by 7am but there was still some rain, but that was easily manageable with my umbrella and a raincoat lol. The rain completely stopped by 8:45 am-ish anyway. And the rest of the day was bright and sunny.

    Anyway, for a 2-shot event, the first thing you have to do is "register with the staff at the back." where they verify your identification/address and etc. After that, you don't really do anything until the girls come out to draw their numbers. So how the 2shot works is that it works by lottery.

    For this particular event, there were three groups of girls: 21 girls in each group. Group A had three slots: Slot 1, 2 and 3. Group B has the next three: Slot 4, 5 and 6. Then of course Group C has 7, 8 and 9.
    As for myself, I won 4 tickets: one Slot 1, one Slot 2, one Slot 4 and one Slot 5.

    The first batch of girls (Group A) at around 9am came out to draw their numbers one-by-one, and since I was a Sayanee oshi, I was really crossing my fingers for her since she was in Group A, but I didn't get her lol. Here were the 4 members I got for 2-shot anyway in order.

    1. Muro Kanako (Team BII)
    https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1231650_10151753274709272_565131456_n.jpg
    I know this may sound crazy, but I think Murokana liked me/developed a liking for me. Or maybe or she is just super super super nice I guess lol. I mean, have you ever experienced something like where it's your first meeting with someone, and it's very brief, and you just think: "Hm I think I like this person." I know that I have but, yeah, it felt like Murokana thought of me like that. Why I think so was because of the sort of impression she gave out and her body language. (Because she was so nice to me, I'm beginning to really like her a lot :inlove: )

    Murokano was the first member I got to 2-shot with, so I was clearly very very nervous about it. So, when I entered, I was pleasantly surprised as she rose up to warmly shake my hand and say "Nice to meet you."
    To which of course, I replied back with "Nice to meet you too." You see, I wasn't intending of shaking of any of their hands (I was too nervous anyway) unless it was initiated by the girl herself which it was...so :3
    Then I told her what I told most of the girls the same thing (I'm from Malaysia and it's Malaysia Day, yepp it happened to fall on that day lol). Since I said that, she asks what pose we should do and suggested the peace signs and I just went along with it.

    Then when we were taking the photo, when I look back at it, you can actually see how she scooted closer to me but I didn't scoot at all (which I maybe should have lolol). I wish I had said more to her but I was so so nervous. (That could be also why she was nice ahha)

    After that, as I was going to leave, she looked at me, thanked me and also said, "The typhoon was really strong earlier today, so do take care okay?" And I was really touched by her concern. Of course, I just replied "thank you" back as well. Most of the NMB girls that day did post a general message on most of their gplus telling their fans to be careful etc but it was so nice she said it in person. It was like she was initiating to talk to me even if I didn't say much to her. So I really got the impression she had a random liking for me. Otherwise, she's the nicest person on Earth. Either way, Murokana was really really a sweetheart.

    2. Yabushita Shu (Team BII)
    https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1237178_10151753275584272_200283045_n.jpg
    My Shu story tbh was rather amusing.
    The first thing I noticed about the staff at Shu's both in that round (it was the second round) was that they were really strict. Before going in, they made sure there was nothing on your hands. Similar as before, I spammed Malaysia again and told her I was from there, and told her it was Malaysia Day as well. She responded with a "Sounanda." meaning "Oh, is that so?" and I can somehow remember her voice quite clearly playing in my head. When she asked what pose we should do, I said let's do a heart sign since it's Malaysia Day. And she's like okay.

    So when we were making the heart shape, our fingers made contact, and I was told off by the staff they were like "DON'T TOUCH." lol that makes me crack up everytime I think about it cause it's like DON'T TOUCH SHU!!! To that I immediately turned to Shu and apologised with a "Sumimasen."

    And she responded good heartedly with just "Ie, ie." which directly translates to "No. no." but means more of "Don't worry about it." Shu didn't look particularly bothered about it, but I think it was just the staff there at the booth that were particularly strict then. Yeah I was told off by staff and then I think I began trembling. My hand trembles like mad when I get nervous so hence, the somewhat imperfect heart *shot*

    Anyway, the second I saw Shu, I really immediately got this older sister instinct and i wanted to be really really nice to her haha. So, As I left, I wished her all the best for her BII activities, and she thanked me and said she'll do her best. :p

    What's super ironic about the Shu incident was when they were drawing their numbers for the following round, Sayanee just kept messing around with Shu. They were hugging each other, and they also drew their numbers together. But before they went up to draw number, you could see them at the back, and Sayanee was busy harassing Shu. So it's like Sayanee was jabbing at me!! LOL LIKE HAH I CAN TOUCH SHU ALL I WANT AND NONE OF YOU CAN. NOT EVEN HER FINGERS!!! I

    I was wondering whether it could have happened like Shu telling Sayanee how her staff was really strict the previous round at her booth, and then Sayanee would have been like oh really, and then say, at least I don't get told off and start harassing her. :p how unfair is that, Sayanee can harass Shu in public and I get told off for touching her fingers LOL. Trust that it'll be my oshi (Sayanee) who'll jab at me hahahhaha.

    Cause I do wonder if Sayanee harassing Shu then was a coincidence or not....haha.

    3. Odan Mai (4th gen KKS)
    https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1234738_10151753276289272_770858746_n.jpg
    So Maichi/Odan Mai isn't my favourite 4th gen but I do like her a lot. I'm quite a big fan of 4th gen, so it was nice to be able to meet a 4th gen. It was Maichi's 1st 2shot event and as I mentioned, it was my first 2-shot event too lol.

    Anyway, I think for that reason she was very very eager. For those of you who follow 4th gen, I think you might be aware that in comparison, Maichi's really one of the less popular ones. Anyway, also like murokana, when I came in, Maichi rose and shook my hand and greeted me.

    Then I told her I was from Malaysia. For some reason, she seemed quite excited about that. (Later on that night, she had a Q&A on her gplus which I missed lol. One of my malaysian friends asked her if she knows of malaysia. she says she does coz she's been there on a school trip before and wants to go again.)
    Yeahh, that explains why xD

    Then, as we sat down, I said "MAI CHAUUU" to her which is the end part of her catchphrase. Cause that's the most memorable thing I know/remember about her. So then she likes okay let's take photo with the maichau pose then LOL. I didn't do it properly cause I'm nooby but oh well XD

    Then as I was leaving, she thanked me lots for coming, and asked me to come again next time. And I just said "Yes." since I figure I do want to see NMB KKS in theatre one day lol. And I don't mean to be vain or anything, but what I really liked about meeting Maichi is that I know she doesn't have as many fans as a lot of others, but being able to acknowledge her as an international fan, I'm sure it meant something to her, and it was her first 2-shot event too. I hope it was memorable for her as it was for me as well. I'm glad I could kinda do something for her XD

    4. Kadowaki Kanako (Team N)
    https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1239496_10151753276669272_106317727_n.jpg
    Last but not least, Team N's Kanakichi! I have actually met her briefly before when I went to see NMB Team N in Singapore in December 2011. And after the stage, we got to briefly shake their hands and say stuff to them.

    So, anyway, about Kanakichi, I blabbed a lot to her coz she was the last member I was going to get to meet/take a photo with. I can't even remember half the things I said. But basically the standard I'm from Malaysia and it's Malaysia day. The girls almost always react well to you being foreign so :p

    Somehow, around Kanakichi, I didn't feel so restrained to which I could tell her let's do something like a celebratory pose for malaysia day LOL. I felt like I could do silly stuff with her which is why that shot is a lot more laidback somewhat haha.

    And as I left, I managed to slip in that I've actually went for nmb's live in Singapore in 2011. I knew she wouldn't remember me cause I barely said anything to her in Singapore, but I just wanted her to know. And then I went, "So long time no see!"
    And to that, she said "Wow, yeah!" to that in a surprised tone. And after that it's just the customary goodbye and thank you.

    So yeahh, that's it regarding my first 2-shot experience. I didn't really get any of my top members but I'm glad to have met those girls cause I definitely learned to appreciate them more. Definitely a good experience, and I do recommend going for one NMB 2-shot event if you do have the chance.
     
  13. Mr Waffle

    Mr Waffle Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Jan 22, 2008
    Location:
    Tokyo, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Aki-P
    Twitter:
    mrwaffle48
    I don't say it enough but thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread, there are so many different types of events it's hard to experience them all for yourself, so your posts are the next best thing [clap]

    As for me, I went to the koi suru no fortune cookie big handshake event at Makuhari Messe today, the 23rd of September. It was my first of the "big" handshakes (where all the girls attend), before today I'd only attended a national handshake event in Hiroshima 2 years ago, which only had a handful of senbatsu and kenkyuusei. I'll probably constantly refer back to that to illistrate differences I noticed, though I don't know if national handshakes have changed since then. And thanks to HRP for advice on getting tickets, it's a bit weird for a first timer. Anyway, on with the show!

    Since it was my first real chance to meet ALL the girls of AKB48, I decided I'd pick single tickets for lots of girls, essentially all the ones I've liked at some point or another throughout my fandom. Unfortunately I went to the chara-ani site on the 3rd or 4th round of tickets so I missed out on all the big name girls, oh well.

    I arrived just after 9am (damn sleeping habits making it hard to wake up!), worried the lines would be absolutely massive. They were, but... not for any of the girls I was seeing. All day. I had assumed I'd be in lines the whole time so only bought 2-3 tickets for each block... so I ended up with half an hour+ to kill each time. D'oh!!! Note for next time, it's ok to stack up on unpopular girls in the same block, there probably won't be a line...

    The place was quite large, and very well organised. I'm actually really surprised that they can make a profit off it, there must have been at least 300 staff, rental of so much stuff etc. Crazy logistics.



    I wasn't sure on the rules about taking a photo inside so I didn't want to be obvious and take it upstairs... basically, along three walls like a U was something like 120 lanes, and each lane had its own staff to check your ticket/photo ID/receipt of purchase (thank you SO MUCH for mentioning the receipt in your post SunnySK42, it would've slipped my mind otherwise). After that you go into a second waiting section and finally hand over your ticket and show your hands to the staff (to make sure you don't have jewellery or a gun or...). That part is the same process as the national handshake, along with the staff member past the girl who will start to manhandle you out of there when your time is up. The big difference compared to my national handshake experience was that the staff had a stopwatch, and you had exactly 7 seconds per ticket (you could cash more than one at a time)- they didn't give much in the way of leeway, even if nobody else was in the lane. In Hiroshima the staff just moved you along when they wanted to move the line along, meaning if you were alone in the lane then you could stay for a decent amount of time. I also got told off a few times for walking out the in way or sitting where I wasn't allowed or BLAH BLAH OH IT'S JAPAN RULES RULES RULLESSSSSSSS. :tongue:

    Ok, now to the bit you wanna read, the girls! I've tried to find the outfits they wore on their g+ etc but some haven't uploaded them at time of writing, or they uploaded different pics (some girls changed during the handshake breaks). Unless otherwise noted, everything was in Japanese (and I'm paraphrasing), with me basically saying "hi my name is blah, I'm from Australia" to start with.

    1st block

    1. Fujie Reina x1
    https://plus.google.com/109052751022632 ... TUF4aqcjwg

    I've always thought Reina was cute, but figured she might be a bit of a snob. NOPE. She was so sweet and happy to see me. She said "Wow! I went to Australia in nemousu! Do you know it?" "Yes, I watched it!" Wowww!!! Thank you!!!" and I was shuffled out as she waved goodbye. Off to a good start!!!

    2. Kitahara Rie x1
    http://ameblo.jp/kitahara-rie/entry-11620073892.html

    I met Rie two years ago (and she remembered me during the high-touch a few weeks after that) so I thought I'd mention that. Unfortunately the staff member talked rather loudly into my ear saying SEVEN SECONDS which completely distracted me and threw me off, and I couldn't finish my sentence. I tried to mumble something about ganbatte and my time was up, leaving a confused but sweet Rie. Aarrrrgh ruined by stupid staff :angry: :angry: :angry:

    3. Umeda Ayaka x1
    https://twitter.com/AyakaUmeda/status/3 ... 76/photo/1

    I also met Umechan two years ago (see the pattern? Most of my tickets were girls I've met before...), though to be honest back then it wasn't great- she came across pretty cool, while I much prefer girls who are more excited and bubbly. But I figured I'd try again, and again I got the cool, "oh, thanks! Nice to see you" laid back Umechan. Ah well.


    2nd block

    4. Maeda Ami x1

    Again, met her before, and that time I thought she was so sweet and adorable that I just had to meet her again. Unfortunately not as excited this time, she was nice but it wasn't anything special. :cry:

    5. Hirata Rina x2
    https://plus.google.com/102663035987142 ... 3wC384qt94

    Hilary was one of the four kenkyuusei I met in Hiroshima, so I wanted to meet them again. Plus, I became a big fan of hers after seeing her perform in the kenkyuusei show. Unfortunately I made the terrible, terrible decision to talk to her in English. I've never realised HOW SLOW AND LONG ENGLISH IS UUUURGH. If I'd spoken in Japanese I could've gotten double the amount of conversation in :fp: :fp: After saying we met before, I said I'm from Australia. She said she hadn't been before, and I said I've been to the US (yeah, that was the first thing that came to mind...). She asked where, I started listing off the places I've been- LA, Vegas... "oh, my grandmother lives in Las Vegas!" she replied, as the staff member was pulling me out, so I could only semi-yell congratulations on the janken senbatsu from the back of the booth. I WAS CHEERING FOR HER AT THE TOURNAMENT I WANTED TO SAY THAT AAARGH STUPID ENGLISH STUPID STAFF AAAARGH 2 TICKETS ISN'T LONG ENOUGHHHHH

    The day started well, but was quickly heading for disaster... until...


    3rd block

    6. Katayama Haruka x2
    https://plus.google.com/108485060451296 ... RTKwBFeREx

    If you don't know my AKB history, I've been a huge fan of the original Team B since I first saw them live, back in 2008. I went in not knowing a thing about them and coming out absolutely worshipping them. After Mikachii graduated I was lost, but eventually settled on Haachan as my favourite member. I can still remember watching her dance in the theatre and thinking how absolutely captivating she was.

    ANYWAY, I lined up in her line, and my heart started pounding. I was actually getting genuinely nervous. Like, the before going on a first date or about to give a presentation in front a thousand people nervous. OH SHIIII---- so I just practised my Japanese over and over and over in my head. I noticed most of the people lining up were older- male and female, with an average age much higher than the many teens in other lines. Showa Idol indeed. When I finally reached heaven Haachan's table, the look of surprise and joy on her face was.... :^O^: I got straight into business and, in what is probably a world record for fast talking, told her who I was, how I saw her perform back in 2008, how great her dancing and singing is, and how I think she's so awesome and GUSH GUSH GUSHING LIKE NIAGARA FALLS. She could barely get a word in until the staff pulled me away and she said thank you and waved goodbye, a big smile on her astonishingly sweet and kind face.

    MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. (⌐■_■)


    4th block

    7. Nonaka Misato x1
    https://plus.google.com/101031357714890 ... 6YSWfMxJKS

    After the first shuffle left B a totally different team, I found haven with then-new Team K, where I took a liking to girls like Misato and Sakiko, so I wanted to meet them. Unfortunately, Misato got off to a bad start, being about 10 minutes late and goofing off a bit with her lane-partner Kato Rena. In the mean time, I'd been watching Okada Ayaka in the next lane, who was absolutely AMAZING- she would run up to the end of the table to greet people, then walk them to the end of the table and only letting go once they were physically beyond reach. I barely know this girl and I already want to meet her. :XD:

    When Misato eventually came, she was wearing cute clothes, so I complimented her on them, with nothing much else to say to her. Her reaction to me being from Australia was "no way!", which was amusing, but apart from that it was a pretty normal handshake. Ah well.

    8. Matsui Sakiko x1

    Next was Sakiko a few lanes over, and she was gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous (no picture, sorry!). The first thing I saw was "wow, you're tall!!"- almost as tall as me (5'11). She said it was her shoes, and lifted her giant platform shoes up to show me. She then immediately asked where I come from, after answering the staff started pulling me away, so I quickly threw in something about her being awesome at piano, which she thanked me for. Talking to her was so easy and she was so pretty, it was painful to leave!!!

    9. Nishino Miki x1
    The left outfit-> https://plus.google.com/100175103143355 ... wAhBEKwZnv

    Now I've talked up this girl a couple of times, after watching her perform in the theatre. So I had to get a ticket to see what she was like beyond a simple high-touch (where she squeezes your hand and makes the nicest face and and and :blush: :blush: :blush: ). So... how was she? OH MY GOD WHY ISN'T SHE THE FRONT GIRL ALREADY HURRY UP OMG SHE'S SO AMAZING :^O^: :^O^:

    er... ahem. So when I entered her booth, I introduced myself, and she asked me to say my name again to confirm it (I've never seen an idol do that ever). Since I stupidly only bought one ticket I got straight into telling her that I think that she's going to become the centre of AKB48 some day, and she squeezed my hands hard and bounced up and down in excitement thanking me so much and how happy she is to hear that and she'll do her best AND OH GOD SHE'S SO ADORABLFEnkGNGKFNGkfgnfjkndgfngfngf and continued like that until I was dragged out of there by staff and out of sight. Mikichan, you're the best.


    5th block

    10. Sasaki Yukari x1

    Another girl I met as a kenkyuusei. I mentioned meeting her before, which she said oh thanks to etc. Very standard and not really the excited girl I remember at all... :(

    11. Nakanishi Yuka x2

    As I mentioned before, I attended some Team B shows back in 2008. At that time, Nishishi was an AKB48 kenkyuusei; and B3 had dance parts filled by kenkyuusei (this was back before kenkyuusei had their own stage). I immediately took a liking to the tough boyish looking one, found out her name, and started chanting it during the dances. I distinctly remember two Japanese guys beside me having a conversation- "huh? what's that gaijin saying?" "I think it's Yuka? The name of one of the kenkyuusei I think". I didn't just get in on the ground floor with this girl, I got in before they had even poured the foundations. If that analogy makes sense. [hehe]

    Ahem, anyway. Nobody was in line for her at that time so I went straight up, and she was happy to see me (or anyone I suppose). After saying I'm from Australia she immediately told me her older brother went on exchange to Australia, which I desperately wanted to ask her about, but I knew I didn't have enough time so went straight into my script- something like, "so in 2008, you were an AKB kenkyuusei, right.." to which she laughed and said yes with a bit of embarrassment. "I went to a Team B show..." which shocked her a bit, and I continued... "and I remember seeing you then... that's when I became your fan" to which she burst out laughing in surprise, and while holding my right hand with hers she lent in and put her left hand on my shoulder and started saying how surprised and happy she was to hear that. I then told her that I chanted "Yukaaaa! Yuuuukaaaa!" during those shows and she couldn't contain her happiness or surprise. The staff was dragging me away but she was holding on asking for me to come see her again in super-duper polite humble language with such a happy look on her face.

    I think she's going to remember me... :awesome: :awesome: :awesome: [hehe]


    6th block

    12. Kikkuchi Ayaka x1

    I lined up a bit before this period, getting second place in line. And then Ayarin was late. Uuuugh. Eventually she came, and initially pretty cool, but then I mentioned seeing Team B, and her eyes lit up. She quickly warmed to me and was super happy to talk to me. [cool]

    13. Natori Wakana x1
    https://plus.google.com/101666520014328 ... 1c8ULcaUwB

    Another of the Hiroshima-handshake kenkyuusei, she was friendly enough when I mentioned that and congratulated her on the janken senbatsu. (Three of the four KKS I met ended up as senbatsu this year? Coincidence? :hehe: )

    14. Fujita Nana x1
    https://plus.google.com/100063943132747 ... omJDFsQSqn
    The last of the kenkyuusei girls, I was initially shocked how freakin' dark her skin is. It's sometimes so surprising how dark Japanese kids become in summertime, but especially an idol doing it... it really contrasted with the elegant clothing she was wearing. She was sweet and happy to talk to me.

    15. Tanabe Miku x1
    http://ameblo.jp/tanabe-miku/entry-11620150563.html

    Another of my Old-B favourites, and one I'm intensely regretting not buying more tickets for. She's a bit of a wacky girl, but when I was talking to her she was very attentive and appreciative, and then I told her about seeing Team B and how awesome I think she is, she started almost getting emotional- I think if the staff didn't drag me out of there, she might've teared up!!! The last thing I did going around the corner was "Tanamin C!" and holding up my hand as a C, which she returned as a double C (resembling a heart) leaning as far as she could around the corner, and the tone of her voice as she was saying thank you to me was just like one of my friends before she starts crying... you're so wonderful, Tanabe Miku :blush:


    There was a bit of a gap between blocks, and Mayuyu was trolling fans by randomly appearing behind curtains and getting them to cheer for her. She'd even just shake a curtain and then run to another one to make them go crazy. Oh Mayuyu :lol:

    7th block

    16. Uchida Mayumi x1

    I had no idea what to expect from Ucchi. First off, she was... pretty smokin' hot!!! I didn't expect that. She was also very friendly, though I hadn't really prepared anything to say so it was over pretty quickly.

    17. Suzuki Shihori x1
    https://plus.google.com/117847838306056282869/posts

    This girl is tall. Even with the giant shoes, she's tall- she was eye level with me! I told her as much, and she laughed and said thanks. I introduced myself and, for the sake of saying something, I said I'm in Tokyo to study Japanese, to which she replied she's studying English, and we told each other we'd do our best, it was a funny and cute declaration.

    18. Chikano Rina x1

    My last ticket of the night was Chikarina, and she was sweet and nice. Nothing crazy, just nice and easy to talk to [hehe]

    And that's the end of my handshake experience. One random thing that happened on the way out was a group of African dudes (athletes I'm guessing?) were being brought into the complex by someone with a staff badge, though I'm not sure it was related. Just weird :lol:

    I had a lot of fun, obviously, but it was a strange day. It didn't feel "complete" and "finished" like a concert does. Actually, the most basic feeling I have is that it was actually a beginning; I've been a fan of these girls for so many years now, but we've always been so far apart, even when I could attend the theatre. Without being able to go to a proper handshake event it just wasn't real, they didn't know I existed. And now I do. :XD:

    The first thing I did when I got home was jump onto chara-ani and order some more copies of the next single; so assuming they win, I'm going to meet Haachan, Tanamin and Nishishi with three tickets each. The next time I meet them (late November) I'll be ready and able to communicate with them properly. Assuming they remember me from today... :psy:
     

    Attached Files:

  14. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2008
    Location:
    Saitama, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
    Twitter:
    Cristafari
    I loved reading your experience Mr. Waffle, especially the anecdotes about Haa and Tanamin. As many times as I have met Miku, I don't think I have ever told her how great I think she is. I am so glad you touched her heart the way you did. I will have to remember that for next time. And Miki, I have had the same experiences as you at the theater, but have not yet seen her at one of these events. Now I really want to see her!

    It's funny though how sometimes things don't click with certain members. I had pretty much the same experience with Umechan as you, but had a much better experience with Aamin.

    Anyway, glad you had such a great time, although your writeup is regrettably lacking in the Wasamin department. :(
     
  15. gocchisama

    gocchisama Member Stage48 Donor

    Joined:
    Oct 12, 2012
    Location:
    Paris,France
    Oshimen:
    hirateyurina
    Twitter:
    Gocchisama
    actually wasamin is from ori team B ,right? Waffle, explain to us!

    By the way, i always thought This little thread, well hidden in the depth of Stage48, is really the most valuable thread of the forum. It's like, i don't know...to live different lives as a fan, sharing, experiencing our thought and passion. It's like being a fan for the 45213 times, and it feels so refreshing!

    Damn, your experience with Nishino miki was quite appealing!
    Thanks for the report, creator of Stage48. :worthy:
     
  16. ckd

    ckd Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    May 22, 2010
    wow, Waffle! You are so lucky..I envy you..okay jealous actually [hehe]

    I definitely would love to see Tanamin..can't believe you made her cry...but it made her feel good to know that you support her as well. From one Team B fan to another, thanks for the post!:)
     
  17. chewybacca

    chewybacca Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2011
    Location:
    Melbourne, Australia
    Oshimen:
    sudaakari
    Twitter:
    mhcc27
    Good to hear about a fellow Aussie's experience at a handshake event, Waffles!
    Question though: apart from Nishishi, how come you did not go for more sister group members?
     
  18. drazaar

    drazaar Member Stage48 Donor

    Joined:
    Jun 1, 2008
    Oshimen:
    nagaomariya
    @waffles: I really liked that post because it reminded me of my first time a few months ago at the same location. I tried to take a pic inside the venue as well. I was doing a big panorama and at about 75% done there was this security guard waving his arms at me in the shot :XD: . I had sayaka and mariyagi ask me to help them with my name also, it's great and it also takes like 5 precious seconds [​IMG]. Anyway, nice report. I might try some of those girls next time.
     
  19. Mr Waffle

    Mr Waffle Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Jan 22, 2008
    Location:
    Tokyo, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Aki-P
    Twitter:
    mrwaffle48
    Thanks everyone. It was a great experience, without anyone to share it with at the venue I desperately wanted to type it all up for everyone else to share in.

    Yeah, I just wanna clarify that I don't want to be down on girls who didn't "impress" me, none of them were rude or anything like that. I guess I was just playing the foreigner card with some of them since I had nothing substantial to say and a lot of the girls have seen that many times before so it's not so impressive after a while [hehe] actually having something to say to them really improves the reaction you get, so prepare beforehand when you meet someone...

    haha sorry dude. I guess that leads into the next point...

    I guess that has several answers. One, money. You get a ticket for each CD you buy. So that's like ten bucks a pop. Coming home I realised I'd spent 210 bucks on 147 seconds of AKB girls. :fp: Secondly, I thought I wouldn't have as much time as I did have, so I spread the tickets out across the day, meaning I might've skipped some girls due to timing. Lastly, I used to like lots of girls in SKE. Rikako, Kumi, Sawako... you know, the ones who have left :fp: :fp: :fp: I only really know the popular girls from those groups now, and they were already sold out by the time I started applying for tickets.

    In hindsight I shouldn't have seen so many girls, and focused my tickets more on my favourites. But at least I got the experience of meeting them at least once I guess.

    By the way, for the handshake event on November 24th, I've got these tickets won...

    Takamina x2 (though spread across two blocks :wah: )
    Mayuyu x1
    Okada Nana x1
    Amina x1
    Hilary x1 (applied for another one last night)
    Haachan x1 (appled for 2 more)
    Tanamin x1 (appled for 2 more)
    Nishishi x1 (appled for 2 more)
    Mikichan x1

    After seeing how fun she looks yesterday, I also applied for a ticket to meet Okada Ayaka too. I don't know much about her but I really want to meet her. I had planned to not go crazy with tickets from now on and just try to slowly meet senbatsu and my favourites... so much for planning... :fp:
     
  20. gocchisama

    gocchisama Member Stage48 Donor

    Joined:
    Oct 12, 2012
    Location:
    Paris,France
    Oshimen:
    hirateyurina
    Twitter:
    Gocchisama
    we should start a kickstarter fund for Overseas fan who manage to get in japan but who also unfortunately are short in money to meet the girl they want [hehe]
     

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