On: 2016 AKBGroup Election Results Part I

THE. RESULTS. ARE. IN.

Regardless of who you voted for or if you voted at all, there is no question that this year's election had a wide array of surprises for many. It's an election that many thought they could predict and in the end, fell into (generally) complete chaos. Girls who had always ranked didn't rank. Newer girls ranked in. SKE's voting power was acknowledged but did not impact rankings as it had for years. NMB took a stand but ultimately, was unable to compete with the sister groups and HKT is a whole mess of drama and rivalries on their own. So let's get started on my general reactions shall we? We'll start with the member(s) that didn't rank and that I think totally should have. 

TANO YUKA! If I have any serious gripe with this election it was this - Yuka. did. not. rank. HOW?! Tano Yuka is my 3rd oshi in AKB and in terms of sousenkyo voting, is posed to become my #1 by next year. I didn't vote for her this year because I thought, "she'll surely make it into at least Next Girls. She always has and she's awesome. I. was. wrong. And I'm so utterly sad and disappointed. Yuka is a future ace. She can sing, dance, act and has that quirky personality where she says whatever is on her mind. Even though she may come off as rude, I love her outspoken personality and the fact that she's not afraid to say, "Yes, I'm good at what I do." She deserves a comeback next year and goodness, please don't graduate because of this~!! 

Ugh. Ok, now onto the results themselves (yes, I only really care that Tano didn't rank in. Disappointed in myself really). 

Upcoming Girls 

The surprises for ranks 80 - 65 for me were that Miyazaki Miho (AKB48) ranked once again after seemingly having dropped out of the rankings completely. Sato Sumire (SKE48) and Murashige Anna (HKT48) ranking was also a pleasant surprise. Kato Minami (NGT48) ranks as one of only two representatives for NGT. I was happy she ranked as I quite like her although I expected her to rank in at least future girls. Oh well. Miyamae Ami dropping so far saddens me, but at the same time, with her graduation coming up, I didn't really expect her to have stellar results. Why vote for the girl who won't be able to gain anything career-wise from a rise in rank? But hey, at least she gets a center! The best result from this line-up though is TANIGUCHI MEGU (AKB48). This girl is an amazing actress and I like how quite and shy she seems, but she can actually be very scary, haha. I am so so glad that she ranked in and at 69! She's my current 4th oshi and with one of my main oshi's stating they'll sit out the election next year, she immediately bumps up to #2. I hope she continues to rise from here on out as an ace of the 15th generation~ :) 

Future Girls 

Ranks 64-49 had a few shocking moments, the biggest likely being Tani Marika's (SKE48) drop from Undergirls down to Future Girls. Moriyasu Madoka (HKT48) and Futamura Haruka (SKE48) also took a drop. It was nice to see Owada Nana (AKB48) and Kitagawa Ryoha (my SKE oshi!) rank up, although it was by less places than I wanted and expected them to (I was hoping they would make at least Future Girls). I was however, super happy to see Nishino Miki (AKB48) rank once again! Now I just hope she can continue to rank and move up from here. I also hope that SKE fans can get behind voting for Ryoha as well as she is one of the future aces of SKE and needs to be pushed up in the ranking like Ego Yuna and Nao (but really, Nao needs to be pushed up, not down! More on that later). Owada Nana's situation makes me sad. As a future ace I really wanted her to make her way up by leaps and bounds rather than slowly crawl her way up. I hope this year is a good one for her and she makes more progress next year. 

Next Girls

Ranks 48-33 were both heartbreaking and a happy time for me. The bad: Tashima Meru's (HKT48) drop from Undergirls to #43. As one half of the MeruMio duo this must be heartbreaking for her. I really think HKT needs to move one from the Sakura/Haruppi center for now. Pushing MeruMio in the center and maybe even rotating with NakoMiku would be ideal for securing the future of HKT. Another disappointment: Fujie Reina's (NMB48) drop further in the rankings. Kizaki Yuria, a senbatsu regular dropping all the way into Next Girls - no bueno. This will likely mean a drop from senbatsu. I wouldn't be surprised if Yuria deciders to graduate if she doesn't see her career advancing within the group. The good: OMG FUUKO CENTER! SO CLOSE TO UNDERGIRLS! With Milky leaving, the only reason I have any interest in NMB is because of Fuuko so I hope this means good things for her as well! EGO YUNA (SKE) YESSS! So close to Undergirls as well, but this is a great first ranking! Mogi Shinobu ranking in at #47 warmed my fangirl heart. Like seriously Mogi has the charm to get male and female fans, I definitely see her being a strong contender for Undergirls next year. Finally, I was very happy to see Sutou Ririka (NMB48) and Tanaka Miku (HKT48) ranking in this group. It was a roller coaster of emotion hearing their names being called (in particular Yuria), and it really left me wondering: who the heck is in Undergirls??

But that is for Part II! :) Stay tuned as I will post my thoughts and reactions on Undergirls and Senbatsu in a follow-up post.