Kojima Haruna planning to graduate at the same time as Takamina?

Tokyo Sports claims to have gotten insider info that AKB48 1st generation member Kojima Haruna is planning her graduation to coincide with Takahashi Minami’s concert in March 2016. Tokyo Sports has time and again speculated on her graduation date, and whilst Kojima has always avoided realising Tokyo Sports’ speculations, it seems like she’s finally come to a decision.

Insider says “They are from the same generation and it might be due to Takamina’s influence. Kojima is saying she’ll have pressure doing her own graduation concert so she wants to graduate with Takamina. Her family is also troubled. Last year, she invited her family to watch Kouhaku since it would be her last performance with AKB48. However she did not graduate. She also thought about the tough times ahead if she decided to go solo, so she thought it’d be fine to not graduate too.”

However, with the recent “passing of baton” going on with the younger generations, she changed her mind and seems ready now.

Insider predicts that she will make the announcement to graduate with Takamina during AKB48’s annual Request Hour event in January 2016, and she’ll use the first day of Takamina’s concert (26th March 2016) for her own graduation concert.

It seems like management is also reviewing the possibilities of AKB48 43rd single(which features former members Maeda Atsuko, Oshima Yuko, Shinoda Mariko and Itano Tomomi)as Kojima’s graduation single.

Source

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In another article where Takamina was interviewed by Tokyo Sports about this, Takamina actually pleaded with Tokyo Sports not to write anymore about Kojiharu’s graduation as it’d just force her to postpone her plans.

Takahashi Minami to center AKB48 42nd single, a wait of 10 years

AKB48’s 42nd single will feature exiting member Takahashi Minami as center. Takahashi announced her graduation last year and this is her last single. This appointment comes 10 years after after the group released their indies debut “Sakura no Hanabiratachi” in 2006.

Takahashi was moved to tears by fans’ cheers and said “The song is a orthodox idol song! I’m really happy to be handed a idol song at the end. It is not a message from me to fans. I want this song to be something that fans can love and other members can sing even after my graduation.

The senbatsu members are Iriyama Anna, Kashiwagi Yuki, Kato Rena, Kizaki Yuria, Kitahara Rie, Kojima Haruna, Sashihara Rino, Shimazaki Haruka, Matsui Jurina, Minegishi Minami, Miyazawa Sae, Miyawaki Sakura, Yamamoto Sayaka, Yokoyama Yui and Watanabe Mayu.

Coupling song will be the theme song for NHK’s morning drama “Asa ga Kita” titled “365nichi no Kami Hikouki”.

Source

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Purchase her graduation single below:

Regular Type A

Regular Type B

Regular Type C

Regular Type D

Limited Type A

Limited Type B

Limited Type C

Limited Type D

Compilation of SOLIDEMO “Girlfriend” performances

As expected it is so difficult to find their live performances since they are not famous. The ones i found are all TV-recorded. Anyway, these are the guys who sang the insert song for Mayu’s drama “Tatakau!Shoten Girl”.

These guys filmed their own performance so the camera angle is somewhat amateur.

Starts from 5:14~

Takamina appears at the end and her height is being compared with the SOLIDEMO members who are all above 180cm.

AKB48 Takahashi Minami gets flustered by talk about Kashiwagi Yuki on radio show

 

Talk starts 11:10~

On a 17th June radio show “Appare yattema~su”, they were talking about the Sousenkyo rankings and when they were reaching the Top 5 members, comedian Kendo Kobayashi asked “How far can we go with the AKB talk today?” Takamina seemed to have an idea of what was to come on, got flustered and said “…wait a minute KenKoba san, that’s abit..”

Kendo Kobayashi continued by saying there’s a letter from listeners, prompting Takamina to panic and ask “Eh!? Is that mail alright? Did you guys really check it?” As if enjoying her reaction, Kendo Kobayashi spent extra time reading out the letter, which in the end had nothing to do with Kashiwagi Yuki.

Finally, when asked what she was getting flustered for, Takamina answered “Eh? I thought it was THAT.” She heaved a sigh of relief.

Source

Watanabe Mayu’s portrait goes on display in AKB48 Senbatsu Sousenkyo Museum

AKB48 Senbatsu Sousenkyo Museum opened to the public on the 2nd June and members Takahashi Minami, Kashiwagi Yuki, Yokoyama Yui, Sashihara Rino and Miyawaki Sakura were present for the ceremony.

It is tradition for the museum to be open to public before the elections every year and this year the opening period is from 3 June to 21 June. Inside, you can see election posters, costumes and the portraits of winners from yester years. On this day, the portrait of Watanabe Mayu, who won the 2014 General Elections, was unveiled for the first time.

The members were unable to hide their excitement when they saw Mayu’s portrait, exclaiming that it looks exactly the same as her photo. “So cute! As expected, if you’re a beauty it turns out beautiful,” said Takamina. Sashihara retorted with “Who are you calling ugly?” (This is in reference to her portrait beside which supposedly comes from the same painter.)

During the opening ceremony, the members also wrote down their feelings about the upcoming elections.

Yukirin: I want to cry.
“I’m don’t get emotional whether it’s a happy or sad situation.This year i want to cry from the happiness of seeing good results.”

Yokoyama: I want to make a speech in the best condition.
“I’m aiming for Kami7, but during the preliminaries i was ranked 20. If i can improve my results, it’d be overwhelming so i hope to maintain my physical condition first.”

Sakura: Crush the Kami walls.
“I’m aiming for Kami7 this year, so it’d be good if i can get in.”

Sasshi: I won’t lose to Yukirin.
“Because this year she was ranked No.2 in the prelims. Actually we are so friendly recently that there’s no sense of rivalry at all.”

Takamina: I don’t know if I should say the words “Hard work will definitely be rewarded”
“I don’t know if i should say it during my graduation live or at the sousenkyo. Afterall the speech u leave during sousenkyo is important.”

AKB48 General Elections 2015: Final look at China fans’ campaigns

Final Edit – Final votes reported for all except Jurina. (Don’t read if you think it’s gonna be spoilers.)

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I thought i’d give the international fans a deeper understanding on how the Chinese campaigns work, since last year it was widely reported that the Chinese fans had a hand in pushing Watanabe Mayu to the throne. This suggests that the elections are no longer a domestic affair, but how much support will the Chinese fans give this time?

Below is a list of Group48 members who have got significant campaigning going on in the Baidu Tieba threads(fyi that is where the activities are concentrated). I have ranked them based on how much funds their fans have contributed so far. *Note that these funds is not all-inclusive since there may be other campaigns who don’t report their earnings, and there will be fans who choose to vote directly instead of participating in crowd-funding. Fan clubs will announce the number of votes they’ve contributed before final results.

7. Yamamoto Sayaka

Amassed funds: 125,000RMB
Reported Votes: 2500  4647
Sayanee entered Kami7 last year and is now the handshake queen of 48G. However, her explosion of popularity in Japan is in stark contrast to the growth in her chinese fanbase. Much like the fans from her hometown of Osaka, her chinese fans seem apathetic and not at all interested in pushing her to the top.

6. Takahashi Minami

Amassed funds: 228,817 283,476 RMB
Reported Votes: 4576  5957
Takamina wants to aim for No.1 this year before she resigns in December. Her fans are reportedly quite happy now that they have amassed funds equivalent to last year, but they are equally aware that this amount will at best keep her in 9th place, not any higher. Lets just say that the Japanese fans will have much work to do if they want Takamina to see her wish being granted.

5. Shimazaki Haruka

Amassed funds: 462,601 RMB
Reported Votes: 9252 12,675
Paruru’s fans are the most creative when it comes to running campaigns. One of them is so fun that i’d find it hard not to participate. Basically they’ve created this imaginary restaurant called “Paruru Cafe” and the menu only has 2 items – the Salty combo or Sweet combo. The Salty combo consists of Shio Ramen,French Onion Soup, Croissant, Salty Popcorn and Salt Soda Drink while the Sweet combo consists of Borscht,Sukiyaki,Melon Buns,Almond Sweets and Juice. Each combo costs 111 RMB, and whilst you don’t really get to eat anything, you can see eventually which combo is more popular amongst fans – guesses anyone?

4. Miyawaki Sakura

Amassed funds: 400,000 RMB
Reported Votes: 8000 12,591
I previously posted that Sakura had only 10,000RMB worth of amassed funds. It turns out that she had more than that. The entire Sakura camp(including Japanese fans) are working hard to land her at Kami5 this year. It is said that her vote count will reach 80,000.

3. Sashihara Rino

Amassed funds: 661,345 674,898 RMB
Reported Votes: 13,226 14,046
Sashihara has the smallest fanbase amongst all the other Kami level members in 48 Group. According to her site, the 35,000 number of followers is only about 1/7 of Takamina’s followers. However, it seems like they are the ones proving that action(and perhaps wealth) is what matters, since they’ve easily surpassed Takamina’s funds more than 3 times.

Sashihara has promised to do a swimsuit concert this year if she wins the elections.

2. Matsui Jurina 

Amassed funds: 760,000 RMB
Vote Equivalent: 15,200 (*No final report.)
Much of the lobbying this year is centered around talk of Jurina turning 18, how they don’t want to make her cry, and how after this year she’ll have no more excuse to use her age as the reason for aiming No.1. There is not much fanfare about her campaigns, simply pleas asking fans to help fulfill the target.

Meanwhile, Jurina herself has promised to take on the “punishment” of riding on what may be the world’s scariest roller coaster – ACROBAT, if she does not take the crown this year.

1. Kashiwagi Yuki

Amassed funds: 1,200,000 RMB
Reported Votes: 24,000  38,000
If we were to talk about the fanbase who will go all out for their idol this year, it would probably be Yukirin’s. Ahead of the sousenkyo preliminary results announcement, her chinese fanbase have already surpassed last year’s standards and are even making Mayu fans panic.

According to Yukirin’s interview in the Sousenkyo Guidebook, it was mentioned that she has never specifically asked for a position as she wanted to “leave an exit route for herself”, in case she fell. Now that she’s one of the older members and probably wouldn’t have much chances to participate in Sousenkyo anymore, she wants to “push herself to the edge” and aim for the top. Yukirin has promised to challenge an event worthy of Sashihara’s swimsuit concert if she wins the elections.

0. Watanabe Mayu

Amassed funds: ~930,000 RMB in May 2015
Vote Equivalent:18,600 (*No final report.) 34,000 (Updated as of June 2016)

I didn’t give Watanabe Mayu a ranking because her campaign results is quite a mystery! What i listed here is the funds accumulated in May 2015. How much they’ve accumulated in the dark is unknown.

If you ask me how Mayuyu’s campaign is faring so far, i’d say that the enthusiasm is still there, judging by the variety of campaigns which started in the New Year. My favorite campaign is one where fans donate private items(cosmetics,anime collectibles etc) to those who participated in the crowdfunding.

However, there are lots of complaints about sabotaging going on, or journalists harassing the big voters, fans withdrawing their votes etc. Their team has decided to keep the results private this year.

Official cover of AKB48 Sousenkyo Guide Book 2015

This year’s Sousenkyo Guide Book features General Manager Takahashi Minami(24) as the center.

The positioning of members on this cover reflects predictions from the editiorial team and Watanabe Mayu(21) is expected to rank 2nd, followed by Sashihara Rino(22) in 3rd. The editiorial staff talked about how they came to this conclusion.

“She is challenging No.1 for the first time and her graduation this December has fans voicing their regret and support. This will be the most beautiful ending for her.”

Source

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Well if you’re planning to purchase the 2015 Sousenkyo Guide Book then remember to act fast, because i remember this was sold out everywhere last year!

CDJapan: AKB48 Sousenkyo Official Guide Book 2015

 

Solo live of Kojima Haruna, Watanabe Mayu and more at AKB48 Summer Festival 2014

Below are the performances of several members who did a mini solo live for AKB48 Summer Festival, held in August this year.

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Watanabe Mayu
M01：Rappa Renshuuchuu
M02：Zannen Shoujo
M03：Otona Jellybeans
M04: Taiyou to Sanpo
M05：Kokoro no Placard
M06：Mittsu Ami no Kimi he
M07：Shonichi ballad ver.
M08: Labrador Retriever
EN1：Koyubi no Hohoemi
EN2：Synchro no Tokimeki

Song 2 Song 3 Song 4 Song 5 Song 6 Song 7 Song 8 Song 9 Encore 1 Encore 2

Kashiwagi Yuki

1. Shonichi
2. Flying Get
3. Everyday Kachuusha
4. Kuchi Utsushi no Chocolate
5. Two years later
6. Shortcake
7. Ibiza Girl
8. Enkyori Poster
9. Yokaze no Shiwaza
EN1. Temodemo no Namida
EN2. Gingnam Check

 

Kojima Haruna
M01 Diamonds (Princess Princess)
M02 Sekaijuu no Dare Yori Kitto (Nakayama Miho · WANDS)
M03 Kimi Shika
M04 Heart Gata Virus

 

Sashihara Rino
M01 Rock da yo Jinsei wa
M02 Aa Mujo (An Ruisu)
M03 Melon Juice

 

Yamamoto Sayaka
M01 Yume no Dead Body
M02 Dakishimetai Kedo
M03 Bokura no Eureka

 

Takahashi Minami
M01 Apollo (Porno Graffitti)
M02 Memeshikute (Golden Bomber) – Yuasa, Kaneko, Ozaki appears on stage with Takamina
M03 Yume Miru Shoujo ja Irarenai (Aikawa Nanase)
M04 Ai no Sonzai
M05 Maeshika Mukanee

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There’s supposed to be Yukirin in this list but i couldn’t find hers so..

 

[Breaking]AKB48 Takahashi Minami announces graduation for real

AKB48 Group General Manager Takahashi Minami(23) has announced her graduation from the group on 8th December.

This announcement came while the group was holding their 9th anniversary live show at the theater.

“I, Takahashi Minami, will graduate on 8th December 2015. This notice comes one year in advance. I announced it at this time as i wanted make time for the member whom i will handover to.

The next Group General Manager will be Yokoyama Yui(21), ex-captain of Team A and currently captain of Team K.

“I just want to say 1 thing. This is not a sad thing. Next year’s our 10th anniversary. It’s an important year.I’m very happy that this group can last this long. This group is not something that ends after 10 years. I hope that it can continue to its 11th year. It’ll be alright. I will work hard with Yokoyama to bond the remaining members together.”

Takahashi Minami made her debut with the group on 8th December 2005 as a first generation member. She was appointed the Group General Manager to be in charge of the flagship branch and its sister groups in 2012. This year, she appeared on Fuji TV’s “Mecha Mecha Iketeru Dokkiri Special” to prank her team members into thinking she’d graduate due to a scandal. This time, her graduation announcement comes for real.
Takahashi, unlike previous centers Maeda Atsuko and Oshima Yuko, is the one and only member with a leadership presence in the group. Fans and members will certainly be shocked by this.

Source

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An excerpt of the speech where she passes the baton to Yokoyama Yui.

After I am gone, I would like to name Yokoyama Yui as the person who would lead AKB48 Group as next Soukantoku.
Frankly, Soukantoku is a bothersome position. It is hard.
I think members close to me might have felt it too.
That is why I really hate that I have to pass the name of Soukantoku to my good friend, Yokoyama Yui.
I had wanted (this post) to end with me.
But, with a big group of girls like this, being distracted with lively conversations, not able to concentrate, unable to stay collected, there are many times like that.
At those times, I think there is still a need for someone in the group to speak out words like, “Let’s go, let’s do this”.
Can Yokoyama come here? (Yui stands beside Takamina)

To me, she is a wonderful junior.
She is really someone who is earnest but awkward at times, she works really hard with utmost effort.
Her dream is the same as mine too, solo debut.
By handing her this soukantoku post, it may keep this dream of hers at a further distance than it is now so I felt really troubled over it, but I think she needs an impetus.
Sounkantoku is agonizing.
But at the same time, there will be an increase in the amount of exposure to society’s eyes and simultaneously chances will increase.
With this, I want Yokoyama to think of it as a chance and do her best.

Credits to TKMN_WORLD

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Member Reactions

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今日でAKB48が9周年を迎えました⭐️1期生は、この3人だけ😂たかみなの発表、隣にいれてよかった💛みんなが最高の10周年を迎えられるよう、私もできることを精一杯がんばります。今後もAKB48をよろしくお願いします💛

A post shared by 小嶋陽菜 (@nyanchan22) on Dec 8, 2014 at 5:49am PST

Kojima Haruna: For AKB48’s 9th anniversary, there were only 3 of us from the first generation left. It was good that I could be next to Takamina during her graduation announcement. I will do my best so everyone can welcome our 10th anniversary. Please look after us from now on.

Mineshi Minami: With Takamina’s announcement, we must work even harder than before. So that AKB48G can continue to exist..

Miyazawa Sae: These are the first generation who love AKB48. The first generation who created AKB48. The Takamina of decided to graduate on the 10th anniversary. From now, we’ll also be the 48group that exists because of Takamina. I love the members from my generation but i also like the first generation. Thanks from the heart.

Oshima Yuko: Takahashi Minami graduation announcement at the theater.

Sashihara Rino: The news came in the middle of my tweeting. I don’t know what to say about this. Some people think I was aiming for the Soukantoku position but i don’t have much time left in the first place. #5thGenerationAge22 #NoResponsibility #NotAKB48member

Kashiwagi Yuki: Not feeling the reality of this.It seems like there’s 1 year left. Anyway, I want to support Yuihan.We still have to pay back to the fans.

Kitahara Rie: I also think there’s none other than Yokoyama. I’m worried about her physical/mental health but there’s no one else but her!

Yamamoto Sayaka: It’s a big shock. But there’s 1 year left, and lots to learn.I’ll work hard to support Yuihan too.

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Maeda Atsuko and Takamina on Domoto Brothers

The retired ace of AKB48 Maeda Atsuko reunites with Takahashi Minami to talk about their friendship. They also sang a nice version of “M”, a song from 1980s group Princess Princess. I personally feel that their voices match well. They should have formed a unit before Acchan went solo.