On: AKBGroup Election Results Part II

*Part I*

Undergirls

Continuing on from my last post, I will share my reaction and general thoughts on the results of the 2016 AKBGroup Election. Undergirls is a group that SKE48 has dominated for a number of years. I fully expected the same to happen this year (and actually expected quite a few SKE girls to rise into senbatsu itself as well) but SKE didn't dominate nearly as much as they had before. Neverthless, it was nice to see Souda Sarina (SKE), my favorite draft member rank so high. Churi dropping out of senbatsu was sad, but I kind of expected it. Nao dropping in rank rather than rising into senbatsu like I had hoped just sucked. Nao is a younger member of SKE and will be one of the members to support Jurina as a front girl in the years to come - SKE really needs some of these younger girls in senbatsu or at least high Undergirls. *sigh* But hey, Takeuchi Saki ranking so high was a definite plus in SKE's ranks - maybe the fans are hinting that they want Saki to take the center lead rather than Ryoha? 

NMB having two members rank in Undergirls is definitely an improvement but they really need a second name in senbatsu. Shiroma Miru may be the best bet for next year. Nako ranking in was nice, poor girl works so hard (and she's super young still!). Mio dropping was meh for me. I knew she didn't have a good year and I don't like her, but I was a bit surprised to not see her higher. Her fans seem to be extremely loyal to her. Regardless, I was pretty ok to see where she was. It's not a terrible position, but it was clear from her speech that she expected a higher rank for sure. Undergirls overall though, was a win for AKB in my opinion. Oshima Ryoka, Kawamoto Saya, and especially Komiyama Haruka show that they're definitely the future of the group, jumping straight into Undergirls. Kato Rena rises - just a bit - but she keeps her position as a lead member of the group. Iriyama Anna, although this is her last election, managed to rank at #18, her highest yet and Kojima Mako gracefully took the #19 spot showing that she is poised to enter senbatsu by next year. Overall, I was satisfied with Undergirls and so happy that this shows that the main group's girls may not be as overshadowed by sister group members after all. 

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). 

On: AKB48 2016 Election Prediction(s)~

The faces of the 48 groups from left to right: Kato Minami (NGT48), Matsui Jurina (SKE48), Sashihara Rino (HKT48), Watanabe Mayu (AKB48), and Yamamoto Sayaka (NMB48)

IT. IS. TIME. 

THE. 2016. 48GROUP. SENBATSU SOUSENKYO IS HERE!

What is the senbatsu sousenkyo you ask? Well, as I explained in my more detailed post last year here, the election gathers all the members of the 48groups that are eligible and choose to participate into what is essentially, a popularity contest. There are 80 spots available with over 200 girls from AKB48, SKE48, NMB48, HKT48, and NGT48 competing for a spot. Ranking not only is a huge honor, but often brings attention to girls that management had ignored or had not promoted as much. Ranking in senbatsu, "the chosen ones" which is the top 16 spots, allows you to promote the next AKB single, and opens up various new work opportunities which helps the girls solidify their careers for after they graduate. The #1 girl or center, is giving mass media attention and essentially, reaches a legendary status within the group itself. 

Last year I voted - a lot. But this year, I decided to vote a lot less and chose to place all votes for one girl: Watanabe Mayu. Last year, she fell to the #3 spot and this year, the preliminaries placed her at barely taking #1, less than 1,000 votes above the #2 spot, Sashihara Rino and approximately 6,000 votes away from the #3 spot, Matsui Jurina. Now, it wasn't my intention to vote at all this year, but after watching the preliminary, I felt that I had to vote. I just really want Mayu to keep her lead and while I know it's a longshot, with the fact that Sashi has an extremely loyal and powerful fanbase, I hope to contribute at least a bit in bridging that gap. 

Jpop Mix: SKE48, Chicken Line

I know, I know, weird title. Believe me, everyone in the fandom was like, "wth is up with this title?!" And then it turned out that in the lyrics, chicken = coward and Line = the social media platform that is super popular in Japan. Chicken Line therefore, refers to someone who is a coward by confessing their love through Line rather than in person. Now that that's out of the way, hey - this is the second time I'm reviewing a single for SKE! To be honest, SKE has just lost a number of key members that I was too busy watching their line-up changes and trying to figure out where the group would go from here (especially since they lost one of their center girls, Matsui Rena). To no one's surprise, Jurina Matsui was given a solo center for the first single after Rena's graduation, but to some surprise, Goto Rara and Kitagawa Ryoha were chosen as supporting centers.

Chicken Line is a single that marks a new era in the group. It's clear from this single that the group is in a transitional period and that it's really pushing for the newer generation to take the lead. Matsui Jurina is still very young and will likely stick around for a few more years (or more!), but I definitely get the feeling that she'll be retiring from the center position sooner rather than later, in order to allow the group to grow with new aces at the forefront. The loss of Matsui Rena was a big change, but one that SKE handled well throughout this single.

2015 Election Results + Reactions (part 2)

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So, the election~! Before we get into the top 16 ranks, there's a few comments I want to make about the lower rankings. I was happy to see more NMB48 girls rank at higher places this year, although I'm not so fond of not having seen Nishino Miki rank again :/ Ryoha ranking in the lower categories was good enough for me. She's in the rankings. Now, if she could only open up more and improve her character, she may start the climb up like many of SKE's girls. Sato Sumire ranked this year - and she got a center position! I was really happy to see that, although sad that members such as Maeda Ami and Iwasa Misaki were out of the ranking altogether. Also, Souda Sarina ranked! She was my favorite member from the first AKB draft and while I knew she was popular I wouldn't have expected her to rank in her 2nd election - you go girl! :)

Now, onto the reaction for the top 16 spots!

Jpop Mix: 12gatsu no Kangaroo

Hello and welcome to the second installment of Music Mix! As I warned in my first post here, most of the music I listen to is Japanese pop music or just Japanese in origin. So, I'll likely be posting quite a lot of reviews of Japanese pop music, although I will try to add rock/classical/etc. when I'm able to :) This time, we take a look at SKE48's December single, 12gatsu no Kangaroo or １２月のカンガルー. The name of this group must sound pretty familiar right? The first music release I reviewed was one by a group named AKB48. SKE48 is AKB's sister group, founded 3 years after AKB was formed. Both groups have their own theater's where members perform nearly everyday. AKB's theater is located in AKihaBara, in Tokyo. Meanwhile, SKE's is located in SaKaE, in Nagoya. Just a quick explanation as to why they're so similar in name and structure.