Your NMB48 Experiences

I'm sorry that my Oshimen is such a perfect idol that I need to see so many different girls just to get all the attribute that she has. lolll

 

Speaking of which, you need to start buying Zenaku tix now lol

 

8/21, 2016 Watanabe Miyuki's MILKY StyleBook Release Event @ Fukuya Shinjuku. (Final Miyuki Write-Up)



I’ve been really hesitant to write this report. I’m not sure why, maybe it’s because not much happened. Regardless I’m writing this now since this will probably be the last time I write about Milky.

First we need to rewind a little back to the morning of August 6th. I woke up and suddenly I got a message from another fan asking me how successful was I getting Milky’s Stylebook event ticket. First thing that popped into my mind was like, “what..?” Then it suddenly hit me and I quickly checked Fukuya’s (a bookstore in Tokyo that often held book release event of idols) event schedule and BAM, there it was. They were ticketing out Milky’s StyleBook event literally at that exact same moment I was checking the information. I knew it was very likely for her to have some sort of event for one of her solo released books so I was actually prepared to attend it for a long time. This took me as a huge surprise and honestly I thought I was the only person who didn’t knew about it. Honestly, I felt horrible. Thinking that an event that was on a weekend that I could attend and the reason I might not be able to attend was because I didn’t know about it made me felt like I’ve failed horribly as a fan. I started messaging another huge Milky fan from Taiwan and found out even he didn’t knew about it. We started major scrambling each asking every connections we had in Tokyo and see if we could send people over to help us grab some tickets. Luckily it wasn’t just us and apparently it was announced so suddenly not many people knew about it at all. We eventually got like 4 people to go there and grabbed us a bunch of tickets.

So a little about the event. This was an owatashikai, a handing out event where the idol hands something to you (in this case her StyleBook). Since this was an owatashikai, handshakes were prohibited which I was totally fine with since I’ve never put too much emphasis on the handshaking part of a handshake event (ironically). As you’ve noticed this event was like 2-3 weeks after her graduation show at the theater, so I was actually quite nervous to meet her since I didn’t know what to expect. Is she going to be treating her fans totally different now that she’s no longer an idol? Will she even put any effort at the event since she’s backing out of the industry? All of these questions came across my mind at some point.

Arriving at the bookstore right away you knew there wasn’t going to be a lot of people. I wouldn’t be surprised if only about 200 people came for her event that day. On the bright side, there was a pretty good ratio of female fans attending this event which I felt really good about.



The time was quite short, each ticket was maybe slightly shorter than a usual kobetsu handshake ticket. It’s only long enough for you to say something and have her to give you a simple response. I looped her about 12 times. The queue was so fast it was super hard to come up with so many different topics to talk about that didn’t need any long explanations. Here are just some of the ones I think worth writing about.


- Hajimemashiteeeee >_< ( I was soooo happy to see her)
MK: lollll *nods her head* ( She knew why I said “Nice to meet you” lol )


-Milky how has it been? Genki? Loll
MK: mm, Genki!


My friend asked her how her non idol life have been. She replied she’s been pretty chill and living a jimi life. (dull life) loll.


-Oh by the way on Monday I climbed Mt Fuji!
MK: Eh!? Really!??? That’s amazing!! To the top???


A friend asked if Milky will be appearing at upcoming NMB RH. She said she won’t.

-Will you be coming to watch NMB RH then?
MK: I won’t be going~~

-Milky if I read this book will I become motemote too? Loll. (popular with the girls)
MK: Yeap! You will become motemote!


-A lot of these books I’m actually going to send them to the girls abroad~
MK: Really~? I’m so happy~


-How was that Six-Pad product you got? Loll.
MK: ehhhhhhh……bimyo lolllllllll. (Milky’s Six-Pad product review: It doesn’t work)


-This is the last of the last! I’m so happy today lol. (Eng)
MK: mm! I’m Happy! (eng) Too! (eng) loll.

-I was lying lol. It wasn’t my last last loll.
MK: Haaaaaaaaa!?


A couple friends of mine (which are all long time regular fans) asked her if they would be still doing larme or be able to see her again, Milky chose to not answer them. I guess not answering is also a form of an answer.

The event lasted about 2 hrs in total. The first hr Milky was pretty energized and by the 2nd hour you could tell she was tired and started to zone out and give really whatever answers lol. No one complained because I think we all knew this is as real as she gets. This IS the real Watanabe Miyuki. She was the exact same Milky we, or at least I, liked her for lol.

At the end of the day only about 50 people remained. You could say most of the people that was there were her T.O. (Top Wota). They were all faces you see in Milky’s lane all the time and the top members in her committee. I was telling my friends that today was very satisfying and I didn’t felt sad at all. I mean there’s the ridiculous amount of times we’ve sent her off thinking it was the “last” but more so it was because I felt that she was truly happy. She seemed genuinely happy from all this time off for herself, doing what she wanted to do. The thing with seeing your idols so often is that it’s almost like an appetite you can never fill. You’re constantly wanting to meet them more and regretting why you didn’t buy more tickets hence this feeling of satisfaction was something really unexpected. I actually dug deep and tried to figure out why. I guess the only conclusion I got was that what we as fans really want is to just see our Oshis happy. It really is that simple.


The aftermath of the books me and 2 foreign fans combined

After the event it was also farewell time to some of the foreign fans I’ve met because of Miyuki-chan. We all know that we will probably not be seeing each other much anymore with Miyuki out of the picture. As one fan putted it that his wota journey is coming to an end but for me it is prolli just the beginning.


Regardless I felt like I did everything I could to support Watanabe Miyuki and I don’t regret any of it. Was it tiring? Was it money consuming? Yes, and yes, but because of this I made a lot of good memories. Memories that I will keep for a long time and perhaps one day it will be something I will laugh about, but that’s okay. What’s most important is that I had a good run. I will never forget the first handshake I had with Milky when I was so flustered that I could only tell her I came from Canada even with a 25 second handshake lol. I will never forget during Milky-Land when she picked me not once but twice to speak to her in front of hundreds of her fans. It was also because of this I’ve met so many foreign Milky fans. I will never forget all the bickering we had and at some point made me wonder why I even go see her lol.

Anyway thanks to everyone for reading as usual and especially to her fans out there, OTSUKARE-SAMA DESU!

 

^thanks for the report, really teary

 

最後までわるでぃーでゴメンなさい～

Thanks for all these awesome reports! Really makes me want to see so many more members next time I go to Japan...

 

9/24: 2016 NMB48 Boku wa Inai Handshake Event @ INTEX Osaka

This is probably not my greatest handshake, in fact, it was full of awkwardness and failure. But let’s start at the beginning.

I arrived in Osaka on Friday, one day in advance. Lately, I’ve been having some sleeping problems, but I slept like a rock on the night bus and didn’t even notice when we took breaks at the rest stop. That was fine, until I woke up with a runny nose and a sore throat. Excellent timing.

I met up with Andy and we did the usual; eating Takoyaki Wanaka and Horai 551. Because I noticed that some NMB members and, well, pretty much most of Japan was talking about the new movie Kimi no Na wa, so I thought it’d be cool to go watch it and maybe talk about it with some of the girls the next day.

The movie was pretty cool, a little hard to follow, and there were two really important conversations where I didn't understand at all so I'm full of regret at sucking at Japanese.

Also, when we finished the movie, I actually didn’t know which members watched it besides Fuuchan, who I didn't have tickets for anyway…
---

Next day, went to get breakfast before heading out to Intex for 2nd slot. The restaurant where we ate was at the same stop as the one for Shimarena’s café, so we reminisced on that and how horrible the service was.

Imagine our surprise when we stepped out of the tram stop for INTEX Osaka and see Shimarena handing out flyers, and on top of that, no one was even stopping. I think she looked at me and maybe even paused for a second while I furrowed my brow… before moving on.

---
2nd slot: 5th gen
I had two tickets for each 5th gen lane.

Lane 1: Mirai, Suzu, Shiori, Mion, and Rei


Mirai: Mirai was fun. She seemed really happy to do handshakes and was as hype as you can get. Prior to getting into the line, there were these 5 girls at the entrance who just keep waving and screaming frantically at Mirai and she would wave back and the girls would fawn over it and say “kawaii.” I had no idea how much time we would have, so I remember just saying that I came from the US and she was a little wide-eyed with that.
Mirai (2): I asked how old she was and she replied with 12. Jeez, that’s scary. Just to clarify I asked if she was still 6th grade elementary and she said yes. I continued to say like “Yabai, yabai” and she just laughed at me. Definitely a fun handshake compared to the other 6th grader...


Suzu: She had the twintails today and I thought it looked really cute, but again I just did the US line and she was bit surprised.
Suzu(2): I wanted to tell her that I bought a ticket for her sister just to make fun of her voice, but what came out was “I remember your sister. She had a funny voice.” Yeah, I screwed that one up. I know she gets the sister comparison all the time so I wished I came up with something better.


Shiori: Hey, I’m from the US. “Oh, wow.” Uh… I heard you like VK? “Yeah, I do. Do you?” “Ummm...”
Shiori(2): I asked her for VK recommendations. She said something something bangou. I guess I’ll have to look it up later.
Truth be told, I don’t like Shiori and I think the ponkotsu character is kind of old now, but I tried to start some sort of conversation and I failed pretty badly at it.


Mion: Mion is the girl I know the least about, which says a lot because I don’t know much about anyone else, really. I just said I was from the US, she was impressed, then she said I was good at Japanese, lol. I think she said “Thank you” when I left.
Mion(2): I have no idea why but I asked her where she lived and she said Osaka. I told her I lived in Nagasaki. At this point, I started to understand the fact that I NEED BETTER HANDSHAKE TOPICS.


Rei: If Mirai was the hype energetic one, Rei was the one trying to fish and really appeal. When I thrust out my hand, she grabbed them and pulled me closer. I said the US line, she got a little wide-eyed and said, “Wow, I want to go to America” and then time was up. On the way out I also noticed that Rei seemed to be trying the hardest, as she would listen attentively to other people’s handshakes too to be prepared when it was her time.
Rei (2): She said hi and seemed happy to see me again, asked about the US and when I said I was from LA she was like “Wow, that’s so cool” and pulled me closer, pulled her face closer, and when I asked if she knew what LA was she replied “Oh yeah, I studied it!”

---
Lane 2: Karin, Rika, Ayaka, Cocona, Momoka


Karin: I fed her the US line, she seemed impressed. She seemed really excited before I even set foot in the booth, and she gave me a real good impression that she enjoys handshakes.
Karin(2): I wanted to talk to her about Sayaka but I got a little flustered and I was like, oh, yeah, I really like that you like Sayaka, but I graduated from her, I’m jealous of you. Also, I thought I had less time than I actually had, so I was moving on before I actually had to. That was real awkward.


Rika: The thing is, I always get Rika, Karin, and Momoka confused. I remember introducing myself to Rika and saying I was from the US, and she tried speaking a little English which is pretty cool since I think only Mion tried that from the last lane.
Rika(2): “Hi, how are you?” “I’m…. I’m fine!” I then motioned to myself to tell her to ask how I was, but it took her a while to process it. By the time she asked “How are you?” I was already on my way out saying “I’m fine, thanks!”


Ayaka: When I met Ayaka, I literally let out a gasp because of how cute she was in real life. Oh my goodness. But when I said, hey, I’m from the US, I got like a standard answer and I was a little meh on it.
Ayaka(2): She started smiling and then she got this really weird surprised look on her face. “Wait, why did your face get all serious just now?” I asked. I think she said something about how she was actually really surprised that I got two tickets and that I was able to see her again, but I didn’t really buy it. Or understand it.


Cocona: Cocona was also super cute in a way unlike Ayaka, more like the kid type where you’re just like, “you’re so precious, have some candy." However, she was mega shy and it was extremely awkward. As much as I joke about disgusting older men idol fans hitting on girls, this was the first time where I felt disgusting myself, especially because she was super adorable but looked super scared. If she said anything I couldn’t even hear it.
Cocona(2): She was like, “Hi, nice to meet you, I’m Cocona.” “Um, we already met like a minute ago.” “Hai.” “You know, I came back?” “Yeah.” In an attempt to salvage something, I just blurted out that she’s my 5th gen oshimen, and she said thanks. But that was just as awkward as the first time.


Momoka: Wow, this girl really does look like Reni from Momoclo. She was pretty upbeat and I liked that, and when I said I came from the US she attempted to speak some English.
Momoka(2): It was actually the exact same conversation as Rika. I should really have told her her she looks like Reni.

5th gen was pretty fun except for the awkwardness of Ayaka and Cocona, which ironically, were my top picks from 5th gen before the handshake. For this lane, Mirai was definitely the champion and perhaps the handshake MVP across all of 5th gen. It's weird, because based on the first ep of the 5th gen documentary I thought she would be mega shy and embarrassed and it turns out she seems the most extroverted and most excited.
Suzu seems like a winner if you knew a little more about her, and I was surprised by Rei's tactics since they really came out of left field for me.
As for the surprises, Karin, Rika, and Momoka seemed really cool and chill, and I especially liked Karin and Momoka’s energy.
It's also fun to note that because they're so new and this was their 2nd official kobetsu handshake, there was definitely this very noob and raw feeling that's kind of fun to bask in. With the other girls who have done this before, you can tell they've sort of settled into a strategy, but with these girls they're still finding themselves so it's a pretty unique experience.

I think I’ll pick up some more when I go for 6th anniversary.
---

4th Slot:
Jo Eriko (Loop 1)

While waiting in line, the head cold got a lot worse and I was having trouble trying to not gag on all the post-nasal drip snot running down my throat. While I had a bunch of topics in mind, I decided to just wing it. Again, what a terrible idea, but her handshake ad on Twitter always says she's down to tallk about anything, so I wanted to test it.

When I walked up to her she gave me this look, like she knew me. That really surprised me and I fumbled for words.

Me: “Huh? Do you remember me?”
Jo: “I do, I think."
Me: “Do you remember from where?”
Jo: “I… I don’t? I remember your face.”

I was a little flustered because I didn’t know if I should dig deeper into this and I ended up mumbling some stuff about “Which event?” which I don’t think she understood.

Time was up.
Jo: “Hey, what’s up, what’s on your mind?”
And all I could think of was, “Oh, nothing, don’t worry.”
Jo: “Really?”
Me: “Yeah, don’t worry about it.”

Kato Yuuka

See, the thing with Uuka, is that while I like her, lately I don’t know she’s been doing. I remember she bought this book about improving public appearance and I thought it would be cool if I read it and asked her about it, but I didn’t have time since I just received it two days prior to the event. I remember she ordered the iPhone 7, so I had thought she got it already and I could ask her impressions.

Are you noticing a trend with these topics? Yeah, they suck.

Uuka: "Hey, thank you for coming."
Me: "Oh, hey, you have the iPhone 7, right?"
Uuka: "Oh, I ordered it, but I haven’t gotten it yet. They just don’t have enough in stock."
Me: "Oh man, I’m sorry, that sucks."
Uuka: "I know, right?! (she did a cute little pout and seemed legit upset that she didn't have it yet)
Me: "I heard it has no headphone port, how are you going to deal with that?"
Uuka: "Oh, yeah, I know! But isn’t there an adapter?"
Me: "I thought the adapter was expensive?"
Uuka: "Is it?"
Me: "Well, I’m from the US, so in dollars I think it’s like, $20 or $30?"
Uuka: "Oh really?"

"Time’s up"
Me: "Thanks for today!"

Later I would learn that an adapter comes free, and even if it didn’t it’s only $10. Not only am I totally wrong about the iPhone but what kind of topic is this?! I should’ve just went to the Apple store. And actually, I don’t even like the iPhone, I’m an Android user, and only because it’s cheaper.

I was actually hoping she had it so she could tell me about how she uses it, but yeah, that was bad and while it felt like a decent conversation it was still really... weird? I don't know, but I was starting to feel self-aware at my awful handshakes.

---
Jo Eriko (2nd loop)


Since she seemed to remember me, I thought I'd explore that a little more.

Jo: Hi, thanks for coming again!
Me: By the way, my name is easy to remember, are you ready?
Jo: Okay.
Me: It’s Joe.
(She stepped back, and then lifted her other arm in the air, like what the Black Panther guy did during the Olympics. I actually legit laughed because I was so confused.)
Me: What the hell was that?
Jo: I’ve stored it in my memory!
Me: Uh, okay, hahah. By the way, I’m from Tsushima, do you know where that is?
Jo: Um, no.
Me: It’s north of Fukuoka.
Jo: North of Fukuoka… wow! You came from really far away!
(She then stepped back and did the fist raising thing again)
Me: What the hell was that again?
Jo: I’m storing it in my memory!
Me: Anyway, yeah I took a boat and it was really exhausting.

"Time’s up."

Jo: I’ll definitely try and remember your name! Joe.

I don’t think I legitimately laughed like this at a handshake with the fist being held up. I was actually pretty convinced after this that despite my awkwardness at handshake events it seems that Jo accommodates the most and saves a lot of potential awkwardness. I guess it only makes sense that that’s why she became my oshimen after Aika graduated. Hell, if I got out to more events, there’d be a pretty good shot that she would’ve been my oshimen before Aika graduated.

But yeah, this kind of goofy dumb stuff, that’s not particularly forced, and just feels honest? That’s what I like.
---
5th slot: Uemura Azusa


So, originally I got tickets because I asked her to beatbox for me at the last event and she said she couldn’t and I was pissed, but I felt bad so I wanted to say sorry. But then after thinking, she probably doesn’t remember anyway, so whatever. And I only won 1 of 3 tickets, so I wouldn’t even know what to say.

While waiting in line I was just like, damn, this girl has so many cute girl fans. So I thought I’d ask her for tips on how to get with her fans.

Azusa: Hi, thanks for coming.
Me: Man, I noticed you have so many cute girl fans. I’m so jealous. How do I go out with them.
Azusa: Hey, stop looking at the other fans. You should only be looking at me! You shouldn’t go to my handshake to look at the other girls!
Me: Oh, I, uh…
Azusa: Did you come with a girl too?
Me: No, I came alone.
(she just stared at me for like 2 seconds because I had no idea how to react.)
"Time’s up."
Azusa: You better come again.
Me: Yeah, okay…

So, that’s strike two. How the hell do I fail with Azusa so hard?

Is the third time a charm?

Well, that was it for me. Let’s see if next time I actually practice my conversation skill and choose good topics. And maybe finish reading books. And stick to topics that I actually know. Coming out of this event I did not feel too good about my own handshake ability.

 

9/24-25 2016 NMB48 Boku wa Inai Kobetsu HS @ Intex Osaka


This was like my first time ever attending a kobetsu handshake event in the Kansai area. I always preferred to attend the Kanto venues since it’s a lot closer to home and the fan attendance is always lower for NMB handshakes. For this single all the Kanto event dates were just all impossible for me which forced me to come to Kansai. Besides the location change it’s actually quite an interesting experience for me coming to Osaka for a NMB handshake. As you all know a lot of NMB’s fanbase is based in Osaka and you could really see that at the handshake. There was also a significantly higher female to male fan ratio in Osaka which was a nice delight. There were also a bunch of small details that I noticed but I won’t go into that since pretty much everyone that reads my reports will probably never understand anyway.


Day 1

5th Gen Lane.

As you all know from Joe’s experience write-up that each 5th gen lane consisted of 5 members. When you purchased the tickets you have no clue who would be in which lane because this would later be decided on the day by the staff. It’s smart since it really forces people to give equal chances to all the 5th gen. members. Originally I thought it’d be similar to a national handshake event where you literally get 2-3 seconds to just greet and say your byes and move on but instead we actually got a good 5-7 seconds per member which even after just 1 ticket you felt like you got a great deal out of it lol.


Lane 1: Mirai, Suzu, Shiori, Mion, and Rei


As Joe and I walked down the lane I knew Mirai already noticed me and was ready to receive us.

Me: Hello~
Mirai: o_o (I usually like to greet the members in English and the girls I usually meet for the first time always have this same similar “Eh??” reaction)
Me: I came from Canada~
Mirai: Oh really!? You’re like a Japanese! I thought you were just a cool guy who came!
Me: Really? Lol
Mirai: Really! You’re very Kakkoii and I like your style! I’m happy!
Me: Thank you! I’m happy!


Suzu: Nice to meet you, I’m Yamada Suzu.
Me: I’m Andi.
Suzu: Eh?
Me: It’s my real name lol.
Suzu: Where are you from? (very polite)
Me: Canada.
Suzu: Ehhh, really!?


Me: Hey! I heard you like visual Kei?
Shiori: mm *nods*
Me: I used to like them too, when I was in highschool? Right now not so much…lol
Shiori: ahhhhh, not so much eh~~

Mion: Ah, hello I’m Mion!
Me: Are you mix??
Mion: Nope.
Me: You look kinda like one.
Mion: I’ve been told quite often!

Rei: I’m Jonishi Rei!
Me: Hi, I’m Andi!
Rei: Eh?
Me: I’m from Canada.
Rei: Oh really! Kakkoii!

Conclusion: Mirai was easily the easiest to talk to since I didn’t really have to say anything and she pretty much filled the whole time by herself. Although it made me wonder who taught this 12 year old to say things like this lol. Suzu, Shiori and Mion were all pretty average. I could tell Rei is putting in some extra effort on that sincerity chart. Although I have to say when I met with Rei it felt very similar to when I go see Keicchi. They have a certain undeniable sincerity there but I just don’t know how to respond to them.


Lane 2: Karin, Rika, Ayaka, Cocona, Momoka


Karin: Ahh! Hello!
Me: Hey! I’m from Canada!
Karin: O_O. Really!? But you’re Japanese?
Me: No lol. I’m Canadian.
Karin: Eh!? O_O ……… *froze*
Me: I’m Asian Canadian~
Karin: Wow! O_O….. *the freezing never stopped*


Rika: My name is Rika! (Eng)
Me: Oh! English! Nice pronunciation by the way! Lol


Ayaka: Ah, Hello.
Me: Hello!
Ayaka: *smiles*
Me: I’m from Canada.
Ayaka: Thank you for coming. *smiles*
Me: er… Sayaka PLUS! lol (eng)
Ayaka: haha, mm plus!

Cocona: Erm, Thank you for coming.
Me: It’s not scary, it’s not scary~ I’m a children’s teacher, I’m kind!
Cocona: Oh…Please come again.


Me: Oh hello, the guy earlier was a friend.
Momoka: Oh? So you’re from..America?
Me: No, he is but I’m from Canada.
Momoka: Oh! How are you? (eng)
Me: I’m fine, how about you? Lol (eng)
Momoka: I’m happy! (eng) *does a big circle with her arms up*


Conclusion: This lane was quite disappointing for me since a lot of the members in this lane were girls I was looking forward to. Karin was great but she was literally in shock the whole time by the fact that I’m not Japanese and she literally killed all my time not just with her but possibly with Rika’s. I think that’s partially why I got so little time with Rika. Ayaka I can see the star quality in her but I just don’t feel it. Cocona was the one I looked forward to the most but I also knew it might’ve ended up the worst. She’s kind of like Naami in the way that they both often have that shy, scared and awkward look. When I saw her, my Andi-sensei self literally kicked in and I talked to her as if I would talk to some of my really really young students. Being in the wrong context what I said ended up being some of the creepiest things I’ve said at a handshake event lol. If it was followed up by “I have a cute puppy, it’s in the van over here do you wanna see it?” you’d probably need to call the cops on me.

Shiroma Miru









Yamamoto Sayaka





Yoshida Akari





Day 2

Shiroma Miru











Yamamoto Sayaka









Yabushita Shu




Conclusion: After my handshake with Shu this time I finally realized why I normally only buy my members I normally buy. While talking with Shu was awesome but suddenly going from 200+ tickets to 5 the interaction did not felt the same. With the members I normally see, even with small amount of tickets I can still really enjoy their company. I guess this is the difference between just members you like vs the members you really care about.

 

HAHA, that was awesome!

Your interactions with Miru and Sayaka a soooooo good. Man, you have to really keep yourself in check to not fall madly in love.

Now i am curious what did you see at Miru's lane?

 

10/1-2 2016 AKB48 Love Trip Kobetsu HS @ Makuhari Messe

For this single they literally brought everything they had into this single's handshake events. Basically everything they thought received well during the Natsu Matsuri Surprise lanes.

Quick Break-down of the event types:

A) Premium Autograph Event (For members who have 5 slots per day, basically all senbatsu members + well hs sellers)

B) Babanuki (Old Maid)

C) 1Shot Video Recording Session.

D) 2Shot Selfie.

E) Voice Message Session.

I will not be covering all of those in details right now as I will explain when I actually do them. So basically member's slots are assigned one of these topics and you would apply which type of events you'd want to participate in it and on the day in the queue a lottery system like previous sign event will be in place. If you win you get to do the special event, if not, it's just a normal handshake.

1Shot Video Recording Session. (Winning Chance: 100 per slot, approx 20%)



Originally this was the event I was most excited about since I'd such a great experience with the one I had with Shu during the Natsu Matsuri. However it was a kind of a let down since for this event they actually have a list of topic/phrases you need to pick from and the members only have to say what's written on that. The reason I thought this was kind of lame since it's literally just you recording the girls saying the same 12 different phrases but just replaced with your name in it. To me this loses the whole point of recording your oshimen since it pretty much kills the personalities of your idols. Of course there are some members who are quite loose about this and would stray off and allowing fans to capture interesting moments. That being said I wasn't so lucky since I had most of my Video Recording Sessions for the first day so most of the girls ( and staffs) were quite rule abiding.

Shibuya Nagisa

http://vid1245.photobucket.com/albu...6-E2D2-45D5-9D25-BC59BB9D4751_zpsaa22qqsp.mp4

Yoshida Akari

http://vid1245.photobucket.com/albu...4-2243-46A8-B7AD-28D32A545441_zpseilk8l90.mp4





2Shot Selfie (Winning Chance: 100 per slot. Approx 20%)

This one is pretty self explanatory. You win you get to take a selfie with the member. Fans must take the photo themselves and within the given time. Any issue with the photo will unfortunately be in your loss since retakes are not allowed. As much I love this, It's prolli also my worst nightmare. Considering how I share my 2shots often but I always found that shamekai (2shots) are always the most stressful for me. it's not so much taking photo with pretty girls that's making me nervous but rather the act of being in front of a camera. It's funny how my first 2shot selfie that I won was with Kojina Yui from HKT, man was I nervous. I was so nervous I happened to screw up both of my selfies with her just because my hands wouldn't stop shaking and giving me the blurriest photos ever. Ironically before we took it together Jiina was actually complimenting me on how I look like I would really be good at this lol.

Yoshida Akari






Yabushita Shu





Premium Autograph Event (Winning Chance: 20 per slot, Approx 5%)

This is exactly the same as previous Autograph events.

Shiroma Miru











Yamamoto Sayaka

 

Wait, let me confirm something. Is the guy on Tanieda English the same Joel that is our mods, or not?

 

No lol. He's not that cool.

 

10/9 2016 AKB48 Love Trip Kobetsu HS @ Pacifico Yokohama

1Shot Video Recording Session. (Winning Chance: 100 per slot, approx 20%)

This time around I kind of gotten a better grasp of the event and I knew if I wanted to make it interesting I had to be creativity, break a little rule not too much but just enough to get the result I need.

Ishizuka Akari

https://twitter.com/andilee1989/status/784938732918931456

This was the first event ticket I used that day and man it was a great way to start. As you could see I didn't even had to say or write anything, right away she remembered part of our handshake a couple months back and picked up from there. I was especially impressed how well she made an English version of her catchphrase on the spot with VERY limited vocabs she had. It was funny and it came through and the number of RTs/Likes just don't lie, especially for a member of this caliber. At the end of the video she actually apologized to me that she really ain't good with languages and I told her it was totally fine lol.

Jonishi Kei

https://twitter.com/andilee1989/status/785033448658309120

Keicchi has always been the awkward one for me. She's a sweet girl but for some reason I feel uncomfortable around her and often not know what to say/respond to her. This was the main reason I stopped seeing her in the first place. As you could see in the video right when I walked in I blundered by almost calling her Shu but then I noticed half way I turned it to some combination of Shu and Shiet lol. In case you're wondering why she was reading the paper for so long, it's because I wrote something on there. In case you didn't know, that day was the day of NMB48 6th year anniversary and what could be more perfect than to get that from a 1st gen? lol

Yabushita Shu

https://twitter.com/andilee1989/status/785038762224914432

Need I say more? lol. Her face said so much. In fact right after the video she told me something like "You got a clip of my frozen face! loll" Since I stalled this video session quite a bit it actually ran into a lot of my handshake time so I got only a very brief moment to talk to her after.

I know some of you who are reading this probably also have event tickets for this single or who are actually in the application of one for the next single. I just want to mention that while it's okay to be creative but definitely play within the boundaries. Don't do something stupid and put both you and member in an awkward position. Know who and what you're trying to pull. There are some things that will just not receive well with certain members while okay with others. If not received well, it will just make you look like a jackass trying to yank on these members and it will definitely show in your videos. In short, use your own judgement. Don't do something you aren't comfortable in doing, because chances are it's saying something lol.

Premium Autograph Event (Winning Chance: 20 per slot, Approx 5%)

Shiroma Miru




Yamamoto Sayaka

 

@Sakuraism you need to talk about your experience at the entrance to Shu's lane.

 

pfft, u just want me to talk about how big Yuuri's lane was lol.

 

Was it that big? Her sales jumped in High Tension so i was quite curious

 

What?! Her lane was big? Oh my I'm so surprised

 

@plomeplome Yeah Yuuri's lane have been getting bigger n bigger ever since around senkyo and it's getting pretty ridiculous now. Especially now how ppl can still get the under 5 slot priviledges like for akb's 45th and upcoming single, her lane is comparable to Miru's lane.

 

10/22: 2016 NMB48 Boku wa Inai Handshake Event @ INTEX Osaka

So if you've read any of my handshake reports, you know there's lots of fail and very little success but it's all hilarious. And today was no exception!

First, a little background.
Spotting idols in da streetz

Spoiler

The other day, my friend insisted on getting takoyaki at the takoyaki stand across from the NMB theater even though that same chain was available elsewhere. Fine, let's go all the way over there. After she ordered her takoyaki and was standing in front of the register, she calls me over. I was confused, she ordered successfully. Then she mentions, "Hey, let's just say my favorite member's sister is standing right next to me."

Sure enough, there's Jonishi Rei and Iwata Momoka ordering Takoyaki too. Of course, I didn't want to bother them when they're off duty, and Rei had a cap on so it seemed like she didn't want to be noticed. Momorun doesn't happen to resemble a more popular older sister so she didn't really conceal herself but still, best not to bother people when they're not working.

Then, the day before the handshake, Yamada Nana had an event where she talked at a Gyoza festival near JR Osaka station. Basically, for this festival, you buy a bunch of coupons and you can get 100 yen cans of chuhai (think Smirnoff Ice-type stuff) and with each coupon you can get gyoza from one of the eight stands set up. There were certain times where Nana would come on stage and talk about some stuff.

When we got there, we found space up in front but I felt weird not having gyoza or drinks yet so we abandoned that spot to go get them. After getting our gyoza and drinks, my friend says, "Hey, there's a spot right there, next to those two girls." We put down our stuff and were ready to start eating when we both notice that one of the girls was none other than Yamada Suzu. Again, we respected their private life, so we relocated to a different spot, but damn. That was crazy.

These stories will somewhat factor into today's handshakes...

Slot B: Kawakami Rena (Renapyon)

Spoiler

My friend was a big fan of hers and got a few tickets and I wanted to renban to see what it's like.

Loop 1:
Renapyon: Hi, thanks for coming!
Me: Oh, hi. My friend behind me came from New York and she's a huge fan of you and Jonishi Kei so please take care of her, okay?
Renapyon: I will, thank you!
Me: Thanks!
Renapyon: Thank you! (in English)
Me: Uh, yeah, thanks.
*time*

Loop 2:
Renapyon: Thanks for coming again!
Me: So, I live in Nagasaki Prefecture...
Renapyon: Champon noodles!
Me: Yeah, but we also have Saraudon (Basically yakisoba with udon noodles). And I wanted to say that joke when you were in Team M but with the shuffle and you don't have Sararan, yeah...
*time*
Renapyon: *thinks for a moment* That's a funny joke!

The first time I just wanted to say, take care of my friend because her Japanese isn't that good, but it did feel weird because it felt so business-like and I wasn't really excited.
The second time was just a bombed joke. Maybe. When she said "omoshiroi" it felt so contrived, but I think she actually did think it was witty, she just had to think about it.

Slot 2 - 5th Gen

---Lane 1: Jonishi Rei, Shimizu Rika, Yamada Suzu, Umeyama Cocona, Mizokawa Mirai

Spoiler

For some reason the time felt MUCH shorter than the last handshake and I got really flustered trying to say things properly.

Jonishi Rei (Reichan)

Me: Oh, Reichan! Did you get Takoyaki the other day at the stand?
Rei: Yeah, I did!
Me: I saw you!
*time*

That was way too fast.

Shimizu Rika (Rikati)

She remembered me and spoke in English. Generally, I expect no one to remember me so when it happens I sort of get out of my element.
Rika: Hello again!
Me: Oh, uh, wow. Hello. How are you?
Rika: I'm fine, how are you?
Me: I'm good, thanks!

Pretty typical English reaction. This is definitely the problem when I use English, I get the same reaction. And not just from NMB, but from all Japanese people.

Yamada Suzu

Me: Hey, how was the gyoza yesterday?
Suzu: It was good.
Me: Oh, uh, actually yesterday I was standing right next to you and I wasn't sure if that was okay...
*time*
*she's still looking at me very curiously as I'm being moved along and the next guy starts talking to her*
Me: Err... uh...
Suzu: Were you really there?!
Me: I, um... yeah.

It was hard to get an answer since I try to be polite and not interfere with the time of the person behind me, plus I didn't want to disrespect Cocona. Also, I had thought she was going to say "Oh, you were there too?" when I asked how the gyoza was, so that cost me some time.

Umeyama Cocona

Cocona: Oh!
Me: Oh? Why oh?
Cocona: *blushes* Oh!
Me: What.... what does that mean?
Cocona: Oh, nothing, really.
*time*

I was confused because I had thought she recognized me, but I don't think she did. Still, her reaction was much better than last time and she seemed to be more relaxed than before.

Mizokawa Mirai

Me: Mirai-chan! By the way, so, I'm an English teacher in elementary school and I want to be really good friends--
*time*
Mirai: TEACH ME ENGLISH!

Wow, I didn't even get to finish my question. I wanted to say "I want to be friends with my 5th graders, what should I do?" but that wasn't even close to what I said.

---Lane 2: Kojima Karin, Yamamoto Ayaka, Nakagawa Mion, Iwata Momoka, Mizuta Shiori

Spoiler

Kojima Karin (Kojirin)

Karin: Hi, it's been a while!
Me: Oh, wow, you remember me?
Karin: Yeah!
Me: I came back because you have a really nice smile, I can't forget it.
Karin: Oh, oh my god. Thank you so much.
*time*

Seriously, her expressions are really good, she's been one of the standout performers for 5th gen and she seemed legit happy about me showering her with compliments.

Yamamoto Ayaka (Aayan)

Aayan: Thanks for coming!
Me: Hello! Congratulations on getting into your first senbatsu.
Aayan: Thanks!
Me: Is there anything in particular you're worried about?
*time*
Aayan: Things are moving pretty fast but I have some great sempai so I'm not too worried!

I feel like Aayan definitely wins in the looks department. However, there's something about this answer where it just feels so... distant. Like it's not a real answer, just a celebrity answer.

Nakagawa Mion

Me: Mion-chan!
Mion: Hello!
Me: I want to know more about you since I don't really know much about you...
Mion: Oh, ok!
*time*
Me: Uh, uh oh.

I honestly have no idea who Mion is so I was hoping she'd appeal to me, but that was a disaster.

Iwata Momoka(Momorun)

Me: Momoka! I really like your voice.
Momoka: Thanks!
Me: I think it's hilarious.
Momoka: Haha, really?
Me: Anything you say is funny.
Momoka: Oh, what? That's...
*time*

I feel like I gave her the obvious bait to start talking a bunch so I can laugh at her voice, but she didn't bite at all.

Mizuta Shiori(Shiori)

Me: Oh, hi, I heard you like space?
Shiori: Yeah, I do,
Me: What do you like about space?
Shiori: It's really fascinating. It's so big and out there, and there's so many things about it we don't know so it's really mysterious...
Me: Yeah, it is, isn't it?
*time*

I'm not sure where I was going with this, I just needed to say something. I was going to mention that I was an aerospace engineer but really, who cares lol.

Compared to their Lane 1 compadres, I was really meh on Lane 2. Actually, I kinda dreaded coming back...

Slot C: Ishizuka Akari (Anchu)

Spoiler

Last time @Sakuraism and I seemed to revive her, so I decided to give it another shot and line up with my friend. I had an idea. It did not turn out well.

Anchu: Thank you!
Me: Hello, my student. (in English)
Anchu: Oh, student!
Me: Today I came with someone from New York!
Anchu: The guy that you came with before? (Referring to Andi)
Me: Oh, uh, no, someone different. By the way, can I teach you some English?
Anchu: Okay!
Me: Baby
Anchu: Baby
Me: Please
Anchu: Baby please!
Me: Um... uh... dang. I wanted to recite the Faint lyrics but I forgot
Anchu: Oh, uh.... Baby please shower me with your love....
*time*
Me: Thank you so much! You saved me!

Yeah. That was embarrassing. I tried so hard to memorize those lyrics and I failed, lol. Also, something about her face looked really tired that day.
Or maybe I just need to be Andi. He's way better than me at this.

Slot 2 - 5th Gen (Loop 2)

---Lane 1: Jonishi Rei, Shimizu Rika, Yamada Suzu, Umeyama Cocona, Mizokawa Mirai

Spoiler

They switched the order around, I guess, to make it more interesting.

Rikati
Me: (in English) I like Rika.
Rika: Really? Wow!!!
Me: (in English) Rika is crazy.
Rika: Yes! I am crazy! I like crazy! I LOVE CRAZY! Wooooooo! Thank you!
*time*

I think after I had let go, she grabbed my hand again to give it a proper handshake. What a funny girl. Definitely one of the more fun handshakes for me today and someone to consider picking up in the future.

Suzu
Suzu: Haha, Rika is really amped today, huh.
Me: Oh, yeah, haha.
Me: Oh, by the way, I really want to tell you that I really enjoyed your Bird performance.
Suzu: Really? Thanks so much.
Me: Yeah, it was really good, your performance level is really strong.
Suzu: Thanks, I really appreciate it.
*time*

I really wanted to continue the gyoza story but I got thrown off with her observation of Rika. I guess the obvious transition would have been to talk about Rika too, but I was just, meh. Anyhow, I really like Suzu. She's got this really cool, chill air about her. I want her to be my homie, lol.

Rei
Me: Oh by the way when we met at the takoyaki stand I was with my friend and she was a big Keicchi fan and she was really thrilled to be standing--
*time*

Man. This sucks. I can't say anything fast enough.

Cocona
*When I started walking up her face kinda changed to the one from the last event where I felt too old to be here. Well, I wasn't having that this time.*
Me: Hi, Cocona!
Cocona: =|
Me: I know, show me your smile!
Cocona: =)
Me: What a cute smile!
Cocona: *starts laughing*
Me: Awww, how cute.
*time*

Fantastic. I couldn't ask for anything more. Glad I learned how to put the kid gloves on for that one.

Mirai
Me: Oh, um.... Hi, how are you? (in English)
Mirai: Hello! I'm fine, thank you! How are you?
Me: I'm great, thanks a lot!
*time*

She looked thrilled to be successful at using English.
Then again, my students are the same way. I like Mirai's energy but I didn't do a good job this time around.

---Lane 2: Kojima Karin, Yamamoto Ayaka, Nakagawa Mion, Iwata Momoka, Mizuta Shiori

Spoiler

Karin
Karin: Oh, nice to see you again.
Me: Hi Karin. By the way, it's not just your smile, but I also like your performance level.
Karin: Really? Thanks.
Me: Even though you're a 5th gen and pretty new you can still perform really well, I like that.
Karin: Wow, thanks so much.
*time*

She kind of gave me a funny face at the end, I'm not sure if she was sad or confused. Or maybe emotionally moved. I have no idea.

Aayan
Aayan: Hello!
Me: Hello!
...
...
...
Aayan: Please watch me on showroom later today!
Me: Okay!
*time*

I really couldn't think of anything to say so I was wondering if she'd say anything about me. Nope. I'm off of the Aayan hype train. I really wanted to like her but I'm definitely not getting that connection.

Mion
Me: Hello, Mion!
Mion: Hello.
Me: Um, what you would consider one of your strengths?
Mion: Huh?
Me: Your strength? Something you're proud of?
Mion: *couldn't hear*
*time*

Yeah, I've given up on Mion. That was as bad as it gets. I tried.

Momoka
Me: Yay, the funny voice girl!
Momoka: Oh, haha.
Me: Oh, um... Hello (in English).
Momoka: H... hello?
Me: How are you?
Momoka: Um, oh....!
*time*

I kind of wasted this one, I wasn't sure what else to say. When I dropped the English I think she started to remember who I was since we spoke in English last time. That was asking for a little too much, I think.

Shiori
Me: So, with the typhoons recently... man, after it's over... and you see the starry sky, that's just great isn't it?
Shiori: Yeah. After the typhoon it's really clear. And it's beautiful.
Me: Yup...
*time*

I give up.

After this round, I felt this way about 5th Gen HS:
Definitely want to see again: Suzu, Rika
Maybe if I have some extra cash: Cocona, Momoka, Mirai
Probably not: Rei, Karin
Definitely not: Shiori, Mion, Aayan

The second run around I was actually dreading certain members. Too much pressure as a fan to be able to skillfully talk to all of them.

Slot 3: Jo Eriko

Spoiler

Loop 1:
Jo: Oh, hi, you're here again!
Me: Congratulations on making senbatsu!
Jo: Thank you so much!
Me: Yeah, when they announced it, I leapt out of my chair.
Jo: Haha.
Me: But then I looked around and no else was reacting, so it was pretty embarrassing
Jo: Haha, well, thanks a lot. Make sure to come again!
*wait, I didn't even get the time warning yet*
Jo: You're going to watch me when I appear on TV, right?
Me: Definitely!
*time*
Jo: If you can't, make sure you record it! Record it!

A lot of typical fan interaction, especially coming off of the senbatsu announcement. I suppose if I had more tickets I could've been more emotional about it...

Loop 2:
Jo: Thanks for coming!
Me: Oh, hey, Jo, I was thinking about buying your birthday T-Shirt, but...
Jo: Thank you!
Me: But...
Jo: But...?
Me: The English is kind of funny.
Jo: Wait, why's that?
Me: Oh, you know how it says I creep up?
Jo: Yeah?
Me: It's kind of scary. It's like a stalker.
Jo: No way, are you kidding?
Me: I'm serious! But it's okay. It's pretty funny.
Jo: Thanks for coming!

After this I felt pretty bad, like I exposed her error in front of everyone else. Like, now that you know what it means, you'll feel bad that you messed up and it lives on in your shirt. Even though I was doing my best to smile for the whole thing.

For the last loop I had no idea what to talk about. Didn't want to bring up the shirt again, didn't want to talk about English again. Maybe I should've asked her to rap? Anyway...

Loop 3:
Jo: Nice to see you again!
Me: By the way, I can't think of anything right now to talk about.
Jo: Why can't you think of anything?
Me: I dunno. I don't have a topic.
Jo: No topic?
Me: Yeah. I'll leave it up to you.
Jo: Oh, hmm, okay. So, your name is... Joe, right?
Me: Wow, you remembered?
Jo: Yeah, I'm the best, aren't I?
Me: Hahah, you'd go that far?
Jo: I know, right? I'm perfect!
Me: Lol
*time*
Me: See you later!

Well, I'm surprised she remembered my name. I didn't really expect her to and I didn't want to bring it up.

This set was okay, I feel like I could've done better and I flubbed the second one. Her line was definitely much more packed and I'm sure she was really emotional about getting back into senbatsu so I was fine with how it turned out. I'll look forward to seeing her again after the next single.

---
Reflections after this handshake

Spoiler

I feel like I'm definitely cutting down who I'd like to see and what my type for handshake events is, especially as I'm feeling more and more able to go to handshake events, I also need to be careful about spending too much money at once.

I think there's a certain honesty that I need from handshakes. That's why Aayan didn't do anything for me. It seemed like she'd give typical answers. On the other hand, I like Rikati and Anchu. They're a little nutty, but you don't feel like it's the fake kind of crazy, that they're actually that crazy.

Mirai and Cocona are adorable, but because they're so young I can't really separate them mentally from my own students. They're the type I'll cheer for but handshake is kind of a different thing. I might spare a couple tickets on them every once in a while.

I found myself really liking Suzu. Maybe because of the coinicidence at the Gyoza event, but there's just something about her that's really chill and cool. The way she talks is very subdueed and calming, not too crazy. And as a performer I really like what she's been doing. Her Bird really changed how I looked at her since I kept thinking "gori oshi, just piggybacking off of Yamada Nana" but I think she's real legit and she seems to carry a completely different personality compared to Nana so it's something I'm really excited for.

Jo was pretty steady. The more I go to these things, the more I keep realizing how awful I am at actually socializing, especially in Japanese. And more or less Jo tends to save me from those situations. And there's also no feeling of fakery, like, "I'm only like this because it's a handshake event" but she's just being her silly self. I really respect that and like that.

At the handshake event, there were a couple members I would've wanted to see that I didn't really think about. Kinoshita Momoka fits the "honesty" bill and though you might think she's nuts on camera, every time I've seen her in passing at a handshake event she seems really nice and friendly. I also thought Yamarina would be a fun handshake, for one, I like her new hairstyle, but because she's also close with Jo, maybe they share that same fun quality.

I'm still on the fence about seeing Uuka and Azusa again, especially after this round and trying out other members. Uuka is definitely a fishing type so I don't know, and I'm not sure I'm masochistic enough for Azusa anymore.

I'm definitely looking forward to the next round of events. Coming out to Osaka isn't too hard, actually. I say that as I'm trapped in Fukuoka because the boat / plane back to Tsushima was cancelled due to high wind...

 

Sorry @joooooooooe , not everyone can be Andi.

I totally agree with you and I feel like whenever an idol gives you an super expected, "official" response they instantly distant themselves. I know they're idols and all but to me during handshake is when they can drop some of those idol baggage and attempt to truly connect with the fans. For one, what happens in handshake stays in the handshake lol. Besides the staffs, member, yourself and MAYBE the next guy behind no one will really know what happened. This is why you should only read handshake reports with a grain of salt. Even my own report I feel like it's only 80% true to the actual event since there are paraphrasing at times, and cropped out convo.

That being said I want to give aayan some break and say certain girls need time to open up to strangers. She might be one of those members you need to see for awhile until they feel comfortable in sharing what's on their mind. Same can be said for members that you are already receiving well by you, like Jo. The more consistently you go, the more she will learn about you (personality wise, not like details of your life lol) and help make the handshake experiences that much better.

 

I'm not saying Aayan sucks and never see her, but that at the moment she's not really giving me the kind of vibe I want in a handshake. Even Uuka, who I absolutely adore, doesn't seem to match the kind of handshake I want.