Highlights of AKB48 Group Draft Kaigi

 

I don’t know if you guys watched the AKB48 Group Draft Kaigi, which may be spinned off into a yearly event if proved successful. It was quite a small and boring event for me, considering lots of hype was built around it months before its finale.

Basically, this is an event inspired by the baseball recruiting system, also known as “drafting”. As part of management plans to discover new talent and stimulate competition between the teams in each 48 group, team captains have the power to recruit new members for their teams after watching their performances. These new members are 48-wannabes who have hailed from all parts of Japan and gone through rigorous training sessions for a chance to be selected.

I’m not too interested in new faces, but 2 girls received much limelight as they were picked by several captains in 1 round, meaning the captains had to draw lots to decide the girl’s placement.

Kawamoto Saya is 15 and comes from Hokkaido. She looks like a quiet, reserved kind of girl but as many as 5 team captains were fighting for her. In the end, representatives from the 5 teams Matsui Rena(SKE Team E), Matsui Jurina (SKE Team S), Takayanagi Akane (SKE Team K), Sashihara Rino(HKT48 Team H), and Shimazaki Haruka (AKB Team B) came out to draw lots. Shimazaki Haruka proved that her Janken luck is still going strong as she emerged winner and Team B rejoiced.

Kawamoto Saya on getting drafted into Team B “I like Team B’s songs and it’s the team i wanted to join the most.”

Sutou Ririka is 16 and comes from Tokyo. She is quite a pretty face but made many laugh due to her somewhat 4D personality.She was picked by 3 teams, NMB48 Team N, SKE48 Team K and Team E. In the end, Yamamoto Sayaka came out to draw lots as the representative for Team N and managed to claim Ririka for NMB48.

Sutou Ririka said innocently “I’m really honoured. They(referring to NMB48 Team N) seemed like the group least willing to pick me…I didn’t expect to be picked by such an athletic team!” (Team N shook their heads incredulously in denial of being athletic.)

Watch the whole event below!

Personally the thing i find most endearing was Paruru’s win during the balloting for Kawamoto Saya. She looked happier than when she won Janken Tournament in 2012, lol.

For a list of members who made it as draft members, please check here.
Those who didn’t make the cut will be offered a chance to re-audition in future, with the bonus of not having to go through preliminary eliminations.