AKB48 Show! This version showcases the full senbatsu(what seems like 36 of them?!) and the full song! At the start, Yukirin and Sasshi had a newscasting corner where they revealed secrets about several members. According to their expose, Mayuyu’s first reaction to being appointed center for Labrador Retriever was “I’m actually more of a kitty fan!”.
CDTV
Music Fair This version is without the sister group members so its interesting to see the AKB48 in its original form.
Music Station There’s nothing much about the talk segment so i shall not bother to post it here. Basically Tamori san asked Sasshi and Mayuyu about their placements in the preliminary rankings. Sasshi said she hoped to continue being No.1, even though a senior in her agency told her she’d probably drop 92 places. For Mayuyu, Tamori san asked her if she thought its weird Sasshi is currently No.1. Mayuyu denied but she also hopes to overtake Sasshi and eventually claim No.1.
I can’t say i like the scriptwriting for this PV, but visually, the summer dresses/bikinis are the best i’ve seen so far – colorful and not too revealing. There’s also quite abit of screentime for Paruru/Jurina/Mayuyu….these 3 will probably become faces of AKB48 in future when the 1st generation leaves. In fact, i wish they had chosen Paruru instead of Sashihara to be in the frontline for this single.
AKB48’s 36th single “Labrador Retriever” MV cuts and covers have finally been unveiled. All 36 senbatsu members took to the sandy beach of Guam and danced to the single with Watanabe Mayu as their center.
This year’s summer single follows the tradition of “Ponytail to Shushu”, “Everyday, Kachuusha” and “Manatsu no Sounds Good!”, in which filming takes place in Guam. The girls incorporated dog-like poses in their choreography and showed off their innocent side whilst having fun on the beach.
This is the first single that Oshima Yuko, who announced her graduation back in Dec 2013, is absent for. Watanabe Mayu, who is taking the main center position for the 2nd time, described the MV as “summer like and cute”, asking fans to lookout for the “natural expressions of members playing with dogs”.
The single comes in 8 types, with the limited editions showing members in swimsuits and the regular editions showing members in summer fashion. Oshima Yuko’s graduation song “Ima Made no Melody” is included, as well as the voting tickets for this year’s elections.
I love most of these covers, but Mayuyu’s solo shot is the best! It looks like a shot for the front cover of a photobook. Also quite surprised that Yuria got to be on Type A. Please let me know what you think of these covers!
In this year’s Spring special for “Hey!Hey!Hey”, AKB48 returned to perform their upcoming single “Labrador Retriever”. During the talk segment, graduating member Oshima Yuko appeared to talk about whom she thinks can become the new center.
“The members who have been around a long time have probably used up all their luck, so i’m placing my hopes on the younger generation. I have high expectations for the ‘3 Musketeers'(Owada Nana, Nishino Miki, Kojima Mako). They are close to each other on the surface but you don’t know how they really think of each other, since they’re girls.”
“Everyone wants to be a center, but between the younger and older generations, the one who really wants to become a center is Sashihara. I think she’s aiming to get a 2nd straight win! She’ll definitely deny this, but she’s definitely hoping to accomplish what me and Maeda Acchan couldn’t do.”
Takamina then introduced the MCs to the 3 Musketeers – Kojima Mako(L), Owada Nana(M) and Nishino Miki(R) of the 15th generation, who have been heavily pushed over the past year. MCs commented that they don’t look like they could stand out, except for maybe Owada Nana, and that the other 2 girls look like country girls, causing them to burst out laughing.
Takamina explained that the reason for promoting these younger members was to extend the lifetime of AKB48 as a group. MCs then pointed at the older generations and said they must be jealous of all their limelight, which Watanabe Mayu had to vehemently deny. MCs then turned to Minegishi Minami, chiding her for her “scandal” and told her to stop fooling around and work hard. Minegishi tried to justify her potential in AKB48 using Sashihara’s turnaround from her scandal as an example.
“She was in a bad situation but your situation was even worse than hers!” The MCs couldn’t help highlighting the impact of her scandal last year. Then came the powerful dig.
To Minegishi Minami: You still have a boyfriend now right?
To Sashihara Rino: You too must be in a relationship now right?
To everyone: You guys don’t have a boyfriend?
Everyone denied but MC claims some of them are getting teary.
They were then asked what happens when you get to be a center. The MC asked if their salaries would increase, which Sashihara Rino denied.
Fortune Telling Corner
Members with good luck: Mayuyu, Paruru, Yukirin, Minegishi, Kojima Mako, ??
“Mayuyu is a person with great luck. To be precise, she’s number 2 wherever she goes. She’ll never be first. Even if she leaves AKB, she’ll still be number 2. She doesn’t even have to work hard from now on. She’s a woman who will never become number 1.”
“If Watanabe Mayu is the kind who feels pressured by her inability to become number 1, Shimazaki is the kind to feel no pressure. She doesn’t even have to work hard to defend a position in the 3rd place. ” When staff asked if she has potential to become number 1, the fortune teller said no and predicted she’ll always rank between 2nd to 5th positions.
Normal Luck: Takahashi Minami, Kawaei Rina, Yokohama Yui, Nishino Miki
“Takahashi is the type to question her efforts if she has no presence in the group. She’ll feel really happy if you let her do something, so let her do things that are troublesome, even things like cleaning. She should just get married as early as possible. She’s just normal in AKB48 but she’ll be a good wife.”
Bad Luck: Iriyama Anna, Owada Nana, Yamamoto Sayaka, Watanabe Miyuki
“For Owada Nana, i don’t know what’s wrong but her luck is just bad. But there’s a way to solve this. Her luck will improve if she changes the Kanji in her name to Hiragana.”
Member with best luck: Sashihara Rino
“She’s got alot of passion,luck and energy. She may not be liked by everyone… because she has a bad personality. If she’s bullied she’ll fight back. She’ll be able to lead the team in future and continue to maintain her position as number 1.”
Member with worst luck: Kojima Haruna
“This person will never be able to succeed whatever she does. How do i explain it….she chose the wrong job?”
In yesterday’s live broadcast of AKB48’s epic concert at the National Olympic Stadium, the new song of the group’s 36th single was unveiled by graduating member Oshima Yuko.
Titled “Labrador Retriever” (weird i know, but fresh and promising concept), some would call this AKB48’s single of the year, as it is the one fans would have to buy in order to vote in the general elections. The tune is french pop (i read somewhere it’s actually french music which got popular in Japan around 60s-70s) and the lyrics describe the love between a young couple, seen through the eyes of a pet dog.The choreography is also very refreshing, as they start off mimicking a dog, complete with tail wags and paw waves.
The senbatsu for this single is also the biggest in history, comprising 36 members across the 4 groups. Rumors were rife that Shimazaki Haruka would take on the center for this single, but the 70,000-strong audience were broke into cheers when Watanabe Mayu took center position seconds before the performance. This marks Mayuyu’s 2nd time as a solo center since the group’s 30th single “So Long!”.
AllThingsJpop 