#hkt48 tokyo selection

[dailyjidols]

March 2021 Monthly News Round-Up

It’s round-up time! Below the read more is a compilation of some notable news stories that we haven’t previously posted about.

This month features, a name change for a certain group, a few disbandments, two new groups being announced, and always more!

AKB48

Momoka Hasegawa who was aged 14 at the time of the incident, was caught underage drinking in March. She has since left the group without a graduation or other activities announced. [x*] The final 1st generation member of the group, Minami Minegishi has announced that her graduation will be on May 22nd. [x*]

Ayumikurikamaki

The group have announced that they will be disbanding on June 19th after their final live performance. [x*]

Broken By The Scream

Member Kagura Urrin has announced that she will be graduating from the group on May 14th 2021. [X]

GuGululu and AQBI

The group has announced that they will be disbanding on April 18th. However, the trio will be forming a new group immediately after called AQBI after new members are selected for the group. [x*]

Hiragana KAMIYADO

The group has announced that they will disband on June 29th 2021. [x*]

HKT48

Member Madoka Moriyasu will be grading from the group at the end of spring this year. [x*]

Idol College

Shioka Ishizuka gradated from the group on March 7th. [x*]

IZ*ONE

The group has announced that they will disband in April as scheduled. [X]

Jewel☆Ciel / Gran☆Ciel

Jewel☆Ciel announced on March 20th that the group has been renamed to Gran☆Ciel. [x*]

Morning Musume ‘21

Member Homare Okumura, was diagnosed with a sudden loss of hearing on March 9th. She will be missing all March performances to seek treatment. [x*]

NECRONOMIDOL

Some significant news from the group, member Nana Kamino is taking take off the group to get throat surgery. She will be returning to the group once she finishes recuperating. Shiki Rukawa has decided to leave the group after the April 4th performance. She intends to pursue music elsewhere. Member Roa Toda will be taking a temporary hiatus from the group starting April 5th. She will be working to see if she will remain a member while working on her solo activities to be disclosed at a different time. [X]

Niji no Conquistador

On March 23rd, Rio Yamamoto graduated from the group to study and attend university. [x*]

NMB48

Miru Shiroma has announced that she will be graduating from the group in early summer. [x*] Member Rina Shimizu has announced that she will be graduating from the group soon. A date has not been announced yet. [x*]


ONEPIXCEL

The group has announced that they will be disbanding on June 25th. However, all three members will be pursuing their own careers in the entertainment world elsewhere. [x]

Osaka Shunkashuto

Member Anna will be graduating from the group on April 25th 2021. After discussing with the management, she has decided to leave the group to pursue her studies. [x*]

PINK CRES.

The group has announced that they will be disbanding on June 30th. Members Hikaru Kobayashi and Yuuka Nihei will be leaving the group, and Up-Front Entertainment. Miyabi Natsuyaki will be staying with Up-Front and continue to focus on singing activities. [x*]

Seiriki13ya

Member Homare will be suspending activities due to long standing poor physical condition. [x*] The group will continue with activities as planned.

SPARK SPEAKER

The group has decided to disband after their one-man live performance on May 13th. [x*]

SUPER☆GiRLS

Member Aika Matsumoto has announced that she will graduate from the group on June 30th. [x*]

STU48

Member Marina Otani had announced that she will be gradating from the group. No date has been announced yet. [x*]

Tokyo Tefutefu

Mairu was removed from the group on March 4th due to violating contractual obligations. [x*]

ukka

Mizuho left the group as of March 18th. She cited that the difference in direction between herself, and the management as her main reason. She will be pursuing a solo career. [x*]

Up-Front Entertainment

The company announced that they will be debuting a new Hello!Project group by the end of 2021. Four members have been announced from the Hello! Project trainees; Yonemura Kirara, Ishiguri Kanami, Kubota Nanami, and Saito Madoka. More members will be announced as the debut date is decided! [X]

WACK & SCRAMBLES

The company has completed their WACK AUDiTiON CAMP 2021. The results of the events are simplified to the following; Amemiya Kanon i.e. the former leader of Hachimitsu Rocket Cola, has joined PARADISES. Moshimoshichan has joined GO TO THE BEDS. And Teratairiku Yuki has joined WAgg. [x*] Additional English coverage with more events of individual members can be seen here on Homicidols HERE . A new WACK unit called ASP, has been announced HERE.

Wings of Artemis

The group has announced that they are recruiting new members. [x*]

[doctor48md]

Tho that topic can actually be a subject for debate, right? In comics we have the Golden Age, Silver Age, Modern Age, etc. AKB hasn't been so long to have so many but at least we have two. Classic/Golden Era and Modern Era, however it's kinda hard to put an exact date when ends one and starts the other.

I agree, exact dates are almost impossible to pinpoint, but I think we can narrow it down the approximate years/months; there are a few options (by sister group formation dates, by album ‘eras’, and by graduating members), but at this point in time, I’m personally the most fond of using Sousenkyo results to define 48G′s historical periods, since it also corresponds more or less with the organization’s overarching narrative:

Prologue: Pre-Sousenkyo “Foundation Era” (Debut - Q1 2009)This was when the organization was just starting out and trying to find its footing within the industry. It is marked by a period of experimentation with musical styles, with a more avant-garde approach to marketing. It was also around the end of period that we saw 48G′s first expansion beyond Tokyo, with SKE48 being established in Q3 of 2008.

Chapter 1: Maeda vs. Oshima “Classical Era” (Q2 2009 - Q3 2012)This period was marked by rapid expansion of the group, with 3 new groups being set up (NMB48, HKT48 and JKT48), as well as an entire legion of new members being recruited within AKB48 itself (8th-14th generations - we had the 4th-7th generations being recruited between 2007-2008, but it was during this period that the numbers really exploded). By this time, AKB48 was already at the top of the charts, and the organization continued to dominate the airwaves, with a multitude of marketing deals and sponsorships.

Chapter 2: Sashihara vs. Watanabe “Transitional Era” (Q4 2012 - Q3 2017)This was a tumultuous period in 48G’s history. Several high-profile members graduated from the organization, leaving power vacuums and gaps in the hierarchy that the group leadership struggled to fill. Shuffles happened every other year, as manpower was rapidly deployed and re-deployed over the entire organization. Over the course of this period, attrition rates were at an all-time high, with both AKB48 and its sister groups haemorrhaging members from the top and the bottom. Towards the end of this period, the formation of Keyakizaka46 and Nogizaka46′s expansion was the tipping point, which forced the organization to fall back and reconstruct itself from the ground up. Fortunately, there were signs of recovery towards the end of this period, between Q1 2016  to Q3 2017, as 48G discovered a new market in the form of rural Japanese prefectures seeking to revitalize their ailing economies (NGT48 and STU48), as well as brand-new offshoots in new markets overseas (BNK48, MNL48, TPE48, MUM48).

Chapter 3: Matsui vs. Miyawaki “?” (Q4 2017 - now)Natural selection wins out, and only the most dedicated members remain. With the last of 48G’s old-guard members taking their leave and/or handing over their leadership positions to their juniors, we’re now seeing the latest generations really take charge of running this organization. We’re still quite early into this period, but the numbers so far point towards a positive renewal of the organization as a whole.

[shitpost48-blog]

This is my first time shitposting in here. After a while, I decide to make this tumblr a compilation of everything I like.

Girls in the picture are representatives of their groups. From above (then clock-wise) is Rino Sashihara from HKT48. She’s on top because she is last year winner. With pink flag, is AKB48’s Mayu Watanabe. With red flag, is NGT48’s Rika Nakai. With black flag, is HKT48’s Sakura Miyawaki. With leopard-patterned flag, is NMB48’s Miru Shiroma. With white and blue-stripped flag is STU48’s Yumiko Takino. And last but not least, with yellow flag is SKE48’s Jurina Matsui

Soo…AKB48Group Senbatsu Sousenkyo is over 17 June, which is nearly a week ago (with an expected yet frustating results) and not forget to say, with a lot of drama. The most dreadful was the usual-opening-concert cancellation due to heavy rain in Okinawa, where the event are being held.

Senbatsu Sousenkyo (General Election) is an annual events held by AKB48Group which decided members who will participate in upcoming AKB48 single.

Normally, selected members (from now on it will be called Senbatsu) are chosen by management. But once a year, fans are given a chance to votes for their favorite members so that they can rank among the selected members.

Besides 16 Senbatsu members who will sing Main Track of the next single, there will also units consists of 16 members who will sing Coupling Tracks based on what ranks they got in the Election. Eligible members are members from AKB48, their Japanese Sister Group (SKE48, NMB48, HKT48, NGT48, and the newly formed group, STU48), or a Kaigai member (international sister group such as JKT48 in Indonesia and BNK48 in Thailand) whose originally an AKB48 Japanese Group member.

I feel like to comments about the ranking members so you can google their name and hopefully find out their respective awesomeness. This is also a way to know more about AKB48Group members (whose probably has more name than your neighborhood).

The first unit is Upcoming Girls consists of members who ranks #80 to #65. The formats would be Ranks. Name (Group and Team, Number of Votes) They are:

80. Hana Matsuoka (HKT48 Team TII, 15,396)

This is the newly pushed member from HKT48. She was a center (member standing in up-middle front of the formation) for HKT48 8th Single Saikou ka Yo (a fun song, try it), this is a first time she ranks in Election but despite of her push, this is pretty low imo. Still, good for her. She’s still 17 and has plenty times to grow.

79. Aki Toyonaga (HKT48 Kenkyuusei (Research Student), 15,598)

A research student, or a Trainee from HKT48. This is her first election and she already ranks-in. Amazing.

78. Yuki Takahata (SKE48 Team E, 15,804) A 7th generation member, a good start for her.

77. Yuria Kado (NGT48 Kenkyuusei, 15,990)

She wasn’t included in Team NIII and also NGT48 1st Single which was released just recently. So this is very good.

76. Moe Goto (AKB48 Team B, 16,097)

She’s one of my favorite Draftee members. She’s been a member for 4 years now yet just managed to ranks this year. Great!

75. Miyuu Omori (AKB48 Team 4, 16,162)

She’s also one of my favorite member. Too bad her rank down by two than last year.

74. Shinobu Mogi (AKB48 Team K, 16,393)

This is pretty bad. Her rank get down by 27.

73. Yui Hiwatashi (AKB48 Team A, 16,492)

She’s one of the ‘Next Generation’ member who just managed to rank-in this year.

72. Yuna Obata (SKE48 Team KII, 16,511)

A new face from SKE48 7th Generation. Great, she’s just appointed center in SKE48 newest single, too.

71. Minami Kato (NGT48 Team NIII, 16,641)

Her rank raised by 5 compared to last year. Despite being original ace of NGT48 1st generation, her rank is pretty low, though

70. Aya Miyajima (NGT48 Kenkyuusei, 16,930)

Again, get promoted later doesn’t mean you don’t have loyal fans.

69. Nagisa Sakaguchi (AKB48 Team 8, 17,303)

AKB48 Team 8 is a rather special team in AKB48Group. Being sponsored by Toyota, it consists of 47 members (now 46 with 1 announced graduation) from 47 prefectures in Japan. Nagisa is from Hokkaido and this year get 1 rank up compared to last year, by the way.

68. Sumire Sato (SKE48 Team E, 17,320)

A rather-old member, originally from AKB48 7th Generation whose have been in the group for 9 years now. One of my favorite member because we share the same birthday and some traits. Her ranks was dropped last year (frustating), but raised again this year by 7 rank.

67. Serika Nagano (AKB48 Team 8, 17,662)

From Osaka, she just managed to ranked-in this year, too.

66. Marika Tani (SKE48 Team E, 17,744)

Originally an HKT48 1st Generation member, her ranks dropped by 11 from last year (Oh NOO).

65. Nao Ota (AKB48 Team 8, 17,757)

This girl is from Kyoto and just managed to rank this year. Come to think of it, there are good amount of Team 8 members ranked this year. Nice! This girl will be center for Upcoming Girls track.

Okay, next unit from #64 to #49 will be in Future Girl tracks. Those girls are:

64. Ryoha Kitagawa (SKE48 Team S, 18,299)

One of the heavily-pushed member in SKE48 keep her rank stagnant. IMO, this is not a good situation. She’s beautiful.

63. Haruka Kumazaki (SKE48 Team E, 18,299)

Don’t follow her much. But her rank raised by 4. Congrats.

62. Aoi Motomura (HKT48 Team KIV, 18,363)

HKT48 Team KIV captain. In 2015, her rank fall from 48 to 80. Her fans then raged and made her ranked 36 last year. However, due to a lot of factor, she’s falling 26 position this year.

61. Ichikawa Miori (NMB48 Team N, 18,814)

When her name called. I was like “YATTA!” This originally AKB48 10th Gen member is your daily dose of dorkness and what makes it better. SHE’S A LEGAL LOLI! You wouldn’t believe with her appearance she was just as old as me. It was devastating that her ranks getting lower these past years. She didn’t even managed to rank last year (FRIGGIN 81 can you believe!?). Included in NHK 2017 Kohaku Utagassen Senbatsu where you can’t easily spam votes and AKB48 senbatsu twice in a row was good for her.

60. Nagisa Shibuya (NMB48 Team M, 19,263)

She’s down 4 position from last year. But what I like about this girl is, she kept smiling and grateful for her position.

59. Natsumi Matsuoka (HKT48 Team H, 19,372)

DAMN, this Team H captain (and my HKT48 Oshi) ranked-down by 13 position than last year.

58. Yuki Arai (SKE48 Team KII, 19,467)

Ranked-up 28 position. Congrats!

57. Airi Tanigawa (NMB48 Team N, 19,752)

Two years ago, this NMB48 2nd Gen member was ranked 74. She didn’t participate in 2016 election, and that decision proven good by this year result.

56. Saki Takeuchi (SKE48 Team KII, 19,919)

Ranked-down 25 position. Too bad.

55. Orin Muto (AKB48 Kenkyuusei, 20,356)

Her sister is Tomu Muto (an underrated AKB48 12th gen member whose rank was #10 in 2016 without any push) whose withdraw her participation this year. Her votes obviously came down to her sister as Orin was just debuted.

54. Nao Ueki (HKT48 Team KIV, 20,640)

Ranked-up 4 position. Congrats!

53. Maho Yamaguchi (NGT48 Team NIII, 20,818)

I know her because of her miscommunication scandal (she was suspected having sex in Showroom, some kind of live streaming site due to her heavy breathing(?)). I don’t know the detail but that was later proven not true. It was just make her more famous! Look at her rank now!

52. Haruka Komiyama (AKB48 Team 4, 20,910)

I don’t like her much, but she is a member with worst drop compared to last year (from #21 to #52).

51. Yui Oguri (AKB48 Team 8, 21,296)

Being unranked last yer, this Tokyo girl’s presence is more and more in AKB48 recently. Congrats!

50. Natsumi Tanaka (HKT48 Team H, 21,472)

The tallest member of Japanese AKB48Group. She wasn’t included in the single last year with her rank (#89). Neither was ever ranked despite of her status as HKT48 1st Gen. She has an interesting personality. Congratulations!.

49. Riko Sakaguchi (HKT48 Team H, 21,643)

Didn’t follow her. But she ranked-up 10 position. Congrats, Future Girls center!

Moving on to Next Girls unit, these girls are from #48 to #33:

48. Ayaka Okita (NMB48 Team BII, 22,264)

This co-captain of Team BII has ranked-down by 23 notch. Poor girl.

47. Satone Kubo (AKB48 Team K Draft Kenkyuusei, 22,895)

She’s a Kenkyuusei, just bound to Team K. This is her first time ranked-in, anyway.

46. Rara Goto (SKE48 Team E, 23,225)

Being unranked last year, she’s been called a failed push along with Ryoha. Now they can shut their mouth up.

45. Megu Taniguchi (AKB48 Team A, 23,304)

This next-gen member ranked-up 24 position. Congrats!

44. Natsuki Kamata (SKE48 Team E, 24,108)

Ranked-up 30 position. Congrats!

43. Yukari Sasaki (AKB48 Team A, 24,276)

Ranked-down 5 position. If you ever about a CGI-Member of AKB48, this girl is the ‘voice actress’.

42. Saho Iwatate (AKB48 Team 4, 24,303)

One of my favorite member with a burikko (an excessive cute-act) personality. Ranked-up by 9 position!

41. Marina Nishigata (NGT48 Team NIII, 24,401)

More NGT48 member. Maybe this group is not as plain as I thought, lmao.

40. Meru Tashima (HKT48 Team H, 24,458)

This girl has a deadly wink, really. Ranked-up by 3. Nice! (I can’t say the same for her pairing, tho)

39. Sae Murase (NMB48 Team BII, 24,585)

Ranked-up 49 position. Amazing!

38. Asuka Tomiyoshi (HKT48 Team KIV, 24,996)

Ranked-up 4 position. Nice!

37. Nako Yabuki (HKT48 Team H, 25,364)

My heart break apart watched this loli’s speech. She was crying because she ranked-down by 9 position. From Undergirls to Next Girls, that’s a pretty much jump. Good luck for next year, one of my favorite member!

36. Yuna Ego (SKE48 Team KII, 25,731)

One of my favorite member, too. Too bad she ranked-down 1 position.

35. Mio Tomonaga (HKT48 Team KIV, 25,733)

:(. Just…:(. This is Meru’s pairing. She ranked-down 12 position. A lot of people predicted she would be in Senbatsu (Top 16) this year because some good amount of Top 16 from last year are either graduate or not participating. Thus, what happened to her is sad.

34. Mai Fuchigami (HKT48 Team KIV, 25,900)

Ranked-up 6 position. Nice!

33. Yuuka Kato (NMB48 Team M, 25,988)

Ranked-up 51 position. Amazing! Congratulations for being Next Girls Center! However, come to think of it. The centers of units this year are members I don’t know about lol (Except Senbatsu and Undergirls ofc).

Okay then, next would be Undergirls from #32 to #17:

32. Seina Fukuoka (AKB48 Team B, 26,444)

Ranked-up 65 position. Wonderful!

31. Madoka Moriyasu (HKT48 Team KIV, 27,384)

This pianist ranked-up 19 position from last year. Way to go, girls! (Just don’t thwart Matsuoka Natsumi, tho)

30. Narumi Kuranoo (AKB48 Team 8, 28,037)

This Kumamoto girl ranked-up 4 position. Good!

29. Saya Kawamoto (AKB48 Team 4, 28,118)

Ranked-down 2 position. Too bad.

28. Miku Tanaka (HKT48 Team H, 28,335)

This pairing of Nako is one of my favorite, too. While Nako is the cute one, this girl is the beautiful others. Ranked-up 17 position, she stands in Nako’s exact position last year. WHAT SORCERY IS THIS?!

27. Yuuri Ota (NMB48 Team BII, 28,452)

This girl is called as NMB48’s future. And her 25 position jump is definitely proves that.

26. Mina Oba (SKE48 Team KII, 28,554)

Originally AKB48 9th Generation Member, this poor girl ranked-down 4 position this year.

25. Moeka Takakura (NGT48 Team NIII, 28,623)

Last year, only Minami Kato managed to rank. This year is an excellent year for them.

24. Mako Kojima (AKB48 Team 4, 29,699)

Ranked-down 5 position. NUUUU, I like Mako, and this is bad year for her.

23. Rika Nakai (NGT48 Team NIII, 29,903)

This girl was appointed as center for NGT48 1st Single. Currently my NGT48 Oshi, she managed to jump 73 position from last year.

22. Masana Oya (SKE48 Team S, 30,236)

This one of the oldest and one of two remaining member of SKE48 1st gen wasn’t participating last year election. However, her loyal fans remains on her side, it seems.

21. Rena Kato (AKB48 Team B, 30,282)

She was pushed at almost the same time as now-graduated Haruka Shimazaki. Ranked-up 5 position, she is slowly climbing the ladder.

20. Ririka Sutou (NMB48 Team N, 31,779)

Ranked-up 24 position. This girl surely has bright future in the group. I like her because she said she likes an AKB48 4th Gen member which I like, Amina Sato (a.k.a the first underrated member in AKB48Group History). However, on her speech, she stated that

SHE IS GETTING MARRIED!

The whole fandom is on fire after this announcement. Actually, before this results announced, a paparazzi-ish newspaper in Japan called Shukan Bunshun was announced that they will reveal a member’s scandal after the election. I thought it may be a top member if they decides to drop that bomb right after the election, thus Ririka may be thought it’d be better if she announced it herself. But seriously, this news is more famous even more than the cancellation concert event, nor other big announcement which I will write later. However, there is no further announcement about what will happen to her. EDIT: It seems Ririka and her partner will still going married, but not in the near moment. She decided to leave NMB48 even though management offered her to stay. Man...I hope she will be happy wherever she is. In addition, she will continue to live in showbiz.

19. Minami Minegishi (AKB48 Team K, 34,668)

Ranked-down 2 position. This last HER HIGHNESS ORIGINAL MEMBER OF AKB48 1ST GENERATION makes a bunch of mistakes this year thus she ranked-down. I’d prefer she graduates first before another Original AKB member, Yuki Kashiwagi but it’s likely won’t happen.

18. Kaori Matsumura (SKE48 Team KII, 34,977)

Two years ago, this girl ranked in Top 16. However, she didn’t participate last year. This result isn’t that bad, it’s just the votes are getting crazy this year.

17. Mion Mukaichi (AKB48 Team K, 35,201)

Another Mio case. She was predicted to be in Kami7 (Top 7) this year. This 4 position drop is marking that this will the be first time there is no Team K representation in Top 16. She’s center, at least.

Here it comes. Top 16! There is more my favorites or at least member I know in this unit. They are:

16. Akari Yoshida (NMB48 Team M, 35,540)

This girl is pretty famous in Youtube for her Make-Up tutorials and review channel. Moreover, to be able to jump 61 position from last year is amazing.

15. Akane Takayanagi (SKE48 Team KII, 38,576)

She’s back in Senbatsu after in Undergirls last year. 5 ranks-up!

14. Nao Furuhata (SKE48 Team KII, 40,202)

She’s been acknowledged by management, finally after managed to ranked-up 15 position than last year.

13. Hinata Honma (NGT48 Team NIII, 41,230)

First time ranked-in, and in Senbatsu! NICE!

12. Miru Shiroma (NMB48 Team M, 41,491)

My NMB48 oshimen. She is the highest NMB48 member ranking in this year election after their biggest name, Sayaka Yamamoto chose to opt out. She ranked-up 12 position.

11. Juri Takahashi (AKB48 Team 4, 42,663)

Ranked-up 4 position, this Team 4 Captain get some amount of critics because of her speech that calling out Ririka’s confession.

10. Rie Kitahara (NGT48 Team NIII, 45,684)

After a lot of NGT48 girls ranked-in, I was afraid their captain (whose initially an AKB48 5th Gen) would not rank at all. Thank God that wasn’t happen. She even jumped 2 position, and the highest result she ever managed this far.

9. Nana Okada (AKB48 Team 4, 48,143)

I predicted this Team 4 co-captain would managed to Kami7. However, her votes raised and her rank too, from #14 last year. Still good.

8. Sarina Souda (SKE48 Team KII, 52,475)

Jumped 22 position, this girl is very amazing.

7. Yui Yokoyama (AKB48 Team A, 58,314)

From #11, this Team A Captain and also ALL48 General Manager proves she is worthy to bear the title Soukantoku (General Manager).

6. Akari Suda (SKE48 Team E, 63,124)

Ranked-up 1 position. I don’t like this girl that much, but okay.

5. Yuka Ogino (NGT48 Team NIII, 73,386)

If I call Akari Yoshida amazing I would call this girl incredible. She was ranked #1 in preliminaries, and #5 in actual results despite this is only her 2nd election and even she was unranked last year. I like this girl ever since she joined Baito AKB (Part-Timer AKB Member, lmao)

4. Sakura Miyawaki (HKT48 Team KIV, 82,803)

Ranked-up 2 position, this girl is a promising member.

3. Jurina Matsui (SKE48 Team S, 113,615)

Despite of her amazing spirit, it looks like she won’t be able to beat AKB48 Top 2 yet. She remains in #3.

2. Mayu Watanabe (AKB48 Team B, 149,132)

MY OSHIMEN. IT’S SO SAD SHE CAN’T BE NUMBER 1 IN HER LAST ELECTION. AND OH, SHE ANNOUNCED GRADUATION *CRYING IN THE CORNER*. I predicted she will announce it. But Ririka’s announcement overshadowed hers

1. Rino Sashihara (HKT48 Team H, 246,376)

She will be the center for AKB48 49th Single. It was predicted, but I don’t like it because of MAYU. Oh well, it is her three times winning in a row, anyway. In addition, she has won 4 elections, now. Congratulation, Sasshi. Even her threepeat winning was still overshadowed by Ririka’s announcement.

Next year, Mayuyu and Sasshi won’t be participating. Mayu because she will graduate from AKB48 *CRYING IN THE CORNER* and Sasshi because she said this will her last election. So, it will be a bloodbath between Jurina and Sakura. They’d better watch out, though. Yuka Ogino, Hinata Honma, and another numerous members whose leap high must not be underestimated.

Me? I hope Ogiyuka wins for the lol :p

[firehawk12]

Hot Docs 2017

I didn’t expect to watch as many films as I did during the festival, but the student pass certainly helped encourage watching films that I may have otherwise simply passed on otherwise. This is a couple of weeks late, but here are the films I watched in chronological order of screening date.

Raise Your Arms and Twist — Documentary of NMB48

As someone who follows Japanese culture mostly through the lens of it’s otaku fair — anime, manga, jdrama, and variety shows — it’s almost impossible to avoid the AKB phenomenon. Artificially constructed or not, the influence of this idol franchise simply branches out to other forms of entertainment, making them synonymous with Japanese popular culture.

The NMB documentary is in an interesting look at the idol industry because of both its subject matter and the behind the scenes production issues. There have been several varnished AKB documentaries that have been released previously (at least two have been fan-subbed and are available in places where you would watch fan-subbed content), but there is something interesting about following what amounts to the “farm team” in NMB. Whether this depiction of NMB is true or not, the film wants us to believe that of the four main AKB groups, NMB is the least popular — and that even the popularity of the star of NMB pales in comparison to the regular AKB members. The fact that the film is directed by Toda Yoshihisa, who is a legitimate filmmaker, and not by an insider (for example, the HKT48 documentary was directed by a former member and present manager Rino Sashihara) allows for a unique perspective to the film that makes it more than just a marketing tool.

Yes, the film is promotional — there are countless clips of concert performances, perhaps in an attempt to try to push album sales — but there the film shows some of the less glamorous aspects of being an idol, even for one of the biggest idol franchises/factories in Japan. A couple of stories emerge to help paint an interesting picture of being a member of NMB. Ayaka Okita’s struggle to be given the opportunity to appear in one of “senbatsu” songs (what I take to be the Japanese idol equivalent of summer song), only to be told that she has “behavioral problems” that prevent her from being selected. Ririka Suto, whose Nietzsche-filled monologues frame the film for the audience, reveals to the audience that the idols themselves see their role is constructed, that they have no opportunity to self-actualization because they must perform and conform to the roles assigned to them. We also get to see Sayaka Yamamoto, the captain of NMB and the group’s most popular member, toil in the relative obscurity of sister group AKB’s shadow. We also get to see one of the least popular members, Saki Kono, eventually give up her career as an idol when she realizes that she will never have any fans. The documentary provides a very broad spectrum of the idol experience, exposing it to the audience warts and all. That’s not to say that the girls don’t know what they’re getting into — when the film follows Fuuko Yagura, we see that she wants to be an idol because she sees it as a way to earn an income to help support her family.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this documentary, but it gave me a glimpse into a world that I’ve been curious about but haven’t had the chance to access on my own.

Also, I still can’t get this song out of my head. Durian as a metaphor for love that goes beyond physical appearance, who would have thought?

Tokyo Idols

I was a bit surprised that there were two idol documentaries at Hot Docs this year, but this film ended up being a nice companion piece to the NMB documentary. Tokyo Idols follows the smaller, lesser known, underground idol groups that dot Japan. There are several idols that are documented for the film, but the film’s primary subject is Rio Hiiragi, an Akihabara idol who struggles to get mainstream attention.

Unlike the girls at NMB, Rio has to do everything on her own. In that respect, watching her basically hustle to get fans, I’m reminded of the Western phenomenon of “Twitch stars” (or even Instagram stars), where people have to continually grind out content to keep viewers happy and subscribed to their feeds. One of Rio’s stunts to try to drum up more fans was to tour Japan on a bike, while constantly livestreaming in order to keep her “home” fans updated. It’s not just about looking pretty, because based on the work that Rio puts into her career, it’s very much about her personality and drive as well.

Indeed, the film also follows several fans — including Rio’s fan club — and you see how these people have essentially placed all their hopes and dreams on the success of the girl that they are choosing to follow. It’s both innocent and also somewhat sad, since for these (mostly) male fans, they’re treating these idols as surrogate daughters or sisters to dote on. Rio’s main fan admits becoming an idol fan because he sees her as a second chance — he might not be able to live out his dreams, but maybe he can help Rio achieve her dreams. There’s an implicit understanding that the relationship they have with her will always be platonic — in a Q&A with the director after the screening, she spoke about an incident when a fan tried to pursue a romantic relationship with Rio and how her fan club had to essentially restrain him from coming to any of her shows.

The documentary also provides some more social context to explain the idol phenomenon, it’s suggested that it grew out of the economic recession and people’s desire to try to find something positive in their lives. The film also critiques it examining the model of femininity the idol industry projects to society. It actually reminded me a lot of the controversy surrounding the notion of the beauty pageant in the West, and how commentators have suggested that perhaps a contest where women are judged on their appearance may help project negative expectations of femininity into society as a whole.

One thing that isn’t really discussed in this film is the actual “profession” itself. Since Rio and the girls featured in this documentary are essentially independent, it’s not clear if they write their own songs or choreograph their own dances. In the climax of the film, Rio gets a measure of success when she is discovered by music producer Hyadain who writes a song for her:

But there’s no real indication of where her previous songs come from. I can’t imagine that all of these girls write their own songs, so it would have been interesting to see what it takes to actually perform as an idol.

Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent

Although not part of the festival, I watched it in the same week and it IS a documentary, so… I’m going to count it!

I’ve been moderately interested in modern cuisine ever since I started watching various cooking competition shows. I’m not really qualified to make any judgments about food — I think deconstructed dishes are asinine and I was glad that in a Q&A after the film, Tower himself was fed up with the smears and dabs that you see in fine dining restaurants now — but it was interesting to see where the biggest part phenomenon of modern cuisine came from.

Although the origins are contentious, the film suggests that Tower is the first chef to really celebrate local ingredients. So while he is classically trained, he took his skill and applied it to fresh Californian ingredients rather than simply dole out the same old French and English dishes cooked with frozen ingredients that were expected of chefs at the time. The legacy of that simple revelation can be felt today, as even Chinese cuisine is being reinvented by Chinese chefs with Western training who want to feature Chinese ingredients.

The film also tries to be a biography of the man himself, but it is mostly a surface examination of his life. We get an understanding of his troubled childhood and how he found refuge in food, but for a man who famously dropped off the face of the Earth after restaurant failed, the film almost chooses not to explore this troubled time in his life. Instead, the film simply jumps forward to the time when he randomly came back onto the scene by taking over Tavern on the Green, the famous Central Park restaurant that has struggled to be relevant in the face of the contemporary restaurant scene.

I appreciated the film for enlightening me on a subject I have an interest in, but I’m also not sure if this wouldn’t have just been better off as a TV special or an episode of Bourdain’s show instead.

Living The Game

Admittedly, my initial interest in the film was based on the still above, making the assumption that the film would be about Daigo Umehara. I wanted to get a glimpse of the Japanese competitive gaming scene, but also get a glimpse into the life of a man who is fairly reserved in the public appearances that I’ve seen him participate in.

So at first I was disappointed when I saw that other players were profiled in the film — this includes Luffy, Justin Wong, and Gamerbee — but my doubts were quashed when I saw his footage of Momochi and his girlfriend/partner ChocoBlanka. That’s not to say the other stories weren’t interesting — we get to see Luffy try to juggle his life as an officer worker after winning Evo 2014, Gamerbee giving us a glimpse into his life and the troubled relationship he had with his absent father, and of course Justin Wong’s story (which has already been covered in greater detail in another documentary The King of Chinatown) and his infamous loss to Daigo.

But Takao Gotsu crafted an arc with Momochi. Perhaps it was easier to follow a Japanese player over the course of a year that led to Momochi being the focus of the film, but whatever the reason, it’s clear that he saw some interesting human drama in the brief glimpses of Momochi’s private life that are on display. We see Momochi evolve from a short-tempered, extremely serious player whose dedication is rewarded by the infamous win at Evo 2015, to a humbled man who loses the Capcom Cup title by the end of the year. In his loss, he learns that trying to chase down Daigo shouldn’t be his focus, and begins to focus on the relationship he has with ChocoBlanka — we see a scene where he yells at her and makes her cry because she isn’t properly executing her moves in a practice game of Street Fighter, before getting a scene where he publicly proposes to her and becomes a supportive husband.

Daigo serves mostly to provide context for Momochi’s arc. Daigo is the wall that Momochi must climb, but he can never quite make it over. So while we get some glimpses into Daigo’s life, we don’t really learn anything about him. He practices a lot at home, he practices in an arcade, he practices in a game room with other Japanese players… and that’s about it. But that’s fine, because Daigo serves to make Momochi’s story more interesting. Yes, it’s a film about the Fighting Game Community, but in this documentary you can see a bit of Moby Dick, as Momochi continually tries to catch the white whale that is Daigo. Thankfully, we see that he has a happier ending after he learns to let go of his ambitions and become a better person instead.

(The relationship between the two, even though it’s not hostile, reminds me very much of the big conflict in The King of Kong between Steve Wiebe and Billy Mitchell)

Ramen Heads

I was sold on this film based on a mild interest in the process of making ramen. The film itself admits that it’s a simple dish — born out of post-war poverty — that is made complex due to the particularities of each chef. The comparisons to Jiro Dreams of Sushi are perhaps unavoidable, since part of the film features Osamu Tomita, one of the best ramen chefs in Japan. We get to see his entire process, starting with his work in his prep kitchen in creating the broth and noodles, and ending with how he “plates” each bowl of ramen for the customer. We also get brief snippets of his life outside of the restaurant, with an explanation of his first apprenticeship and a look at his family life. But while Jiro was focused on trying to explore the man behind the food, Ramen Heads only makes perfunctory gestures toward trying to discover Tomita’s philosophy.

Admittedly, perhaps one reason for that difference in portrayal is due to Tomita’s age. He doesn’t have a complicated relationship with a son who is constantly living in his shadow, for one, and neither does he have a (comparatively) hard past to reminisce on. To make up for that though, the film compensates by giving audiences much more context about ramen as a uniquely Japanese cuisine.

The director and crew travel across Japan, finding chefs who are famous for other types of ramen. For most of these chefs, there’s a dedication to the craft that one might expect, but for me the surprise was the oldest chef who didn’t look at ramen as some kind of art. He treated his work as a business and just wanted to sell as many bowls as he can in order to make a living, which is something that can be a bit lost when it comes to cuisine-based documentaries.

The film ends with Tomita teaming up with two other ramen chefs to make the “ultimate” bowl of ramen, and we’re given the impression that it’s a special sight to see the three of them work together. This part was a bit lost on me, but seeing the reactions of some patrons to seeing them together in one place was enough to sell the importance of the moment for me.

It was interesting watching this after the Jeremiah Tower biopic, because I think this is probably more what I was looking for — yes, some insight on the man cooking the food is important, but some emphasis on the food itself is important too.

Hobbyhorse Revolution

The programmers mentioned that theme of this year’s selections was obsession, and of the films that I’ve seen, I think this film fits the bill the best. It reminds me of a contemporary version of Trekkies, a documentary that followed the lives of various people obsessed with Star Trek and the influence that their fanaticism had on their lives (I still remember the woman who chose to wore her Star Trek uniform to jury duty).

The subjects of the documentary treat their hobbyhorses much in the same way that the Trekkies treated Star Trek — it’s something that allows them to escape, however momentarily, the painful aspects of their lives and be consumed in a subject that has strictly defined rules and a seemingly open and welcoming community. For example, one of the girls in the film was bullied and sought solace in horse riding, but when her horse died, she discovered the hobbyhorse and used that to help cope with her depression instead.

The interesting thing is that, at least at the time of this writing, the media seemed to have picked up stories of the popularity of the hobbyhorse in Finland. I’m not sure if this documentary is responsible, or if it just became an interesting news story for people to talk about, but with more than ten thousand practitioners in Finland, it’s certainly more than just a passing fad. That’s probably the one criticism I have of the film — that there isn’t any examination as to why girls in Finland have embraced the hobbyhorse, and in particular, hobbyhorse competitions. It is apparently a uniquely Finnish phenomenon, but it’s something that isn’t addressed in a meaningful manner.

The Silent Teacher

The film is an exploration of the process of donating a body to medical research in Taiwan. We see how these cadavers, referred to as “teachers” (laoshi) by the medical students, are treated — starting with the embalming processes all the way through to cremation after the students are finished studying the body.

It’s an interesting cultural document, since donating bodies to science is an issue surrounding death that is rarely addressed (even in North America, there are many drives to try to get people to become organ donors, but not that many to get people to donate their bodies to universities to be dissected and studied). We also get to see how the family of the donated body copes with delaying putting their loved one to rest, as they must wait a year before the body can even be used in a classroom and then another year before the body is returned to them after cremation. That the family is Catholic also adds a unique dimension to the process of grief, as we see a combination of Catholic and Chinese rituals to help the family process the nature of death.

Sunday Beauty Queen

One of the issues I remember reading about during my time teaching in Women’s Studies is the problematic nature of modern feminism in the current economic client. While women in First World countries are given more rights and are encouraged to enter the workforce, a gap is left in the homes of families with dependents. This is true in Canada, where many of my students had Filipino nannies who took care of them while their parents were out of the home, and it’s certainly true in Asia as well, as more affluent nations import Filipino women to run their households.

This film follows the life of Filipino women in Hong Kong, and the difficult life that they lead as they slave away for their employers. While some of these workers are treated with some form of respect and dignity, it’s clear that many are not — they are expected to live in the home of their employer, and in many cases, forced to sleep in whatever spare space is available. One worker relates a story about how her employer forcibly cut off her hair because she refused to pay for a trip to the salon, while another is fired simply for missing their curfew. We see one of these women eat her dinner, but tucked away in a different room than the family, because the “help” doesn’t share the table with her employers.Their jobs are precarious, because they can get fired for any reason, and if they lose their jobs they must find another employer within 14 days or face deportation.

While they slave away for the entire week, Sundays are their day off. It’s on these days that these women choose to become beauty queens, entering pageants organized by Leo, a domestic worker who has been in Hong Kong for over two decades. We see these pageants are more than just a contest between women, but as the one day a week that these women who are isolated by the difficult nature of their jobs are able to become a part of a shared community. Yes, the pageants they are competing in may be trivial, but it’s a day in their dreary week where they are allowed to focus on themselves and be with friends.

Admittedly, the Chinese employers that do appear on film are thoughtful about the nature of the relationship they have with their Filipino employees. Reminiscent of the reality of illegal immigrant workers in the United States, one Chinese employer acknowledges that Filipino workers are a big factor in keeping Hong Kong a functioning society.

The film also doesn’t shy away from the economic realities of the situation. Many of the women documented in the film are college graduates who might otherwise be white collar professionals in the Philippines. But when they can make twice as much money living in Hong Kong as a nanny than they would as a teacher, nurse, programmer, etc. back home, the choice isn’t that hard to make. We also get to see these women bond with their charges, taking the children under their care to school and making them meals, while their own children are left at home with relatives. While mothers anywhere else might have a tearful moment sending their child off for the first day of school, these women can only send their own children off to school through a shaky Skype connection.

The film is very much about trying to find dignity in a series of indignities, and the strength that these women have to have in order to find a way to live their lives in Hong Kong and raise their families back home.

32 Pills: My Sister’s Suicide

This film follows Hope Litoff as she struggles to make sense of her sister’s suicide by going through her possessions many years later. What begins as a project that is presumably meant to allow Hope to finally come to term with why her sister Ruth committed suicide slowly spirals out of control as Hope becomes consumed with reliving Ruth’s life.

It’s at this point that the documentary turns its lens on the documentarian, and Hope becomes the subject of the film. We see her obsession with her sister made manifest through the ways she handles her sister’s possessions, culminating with a scene where she papers the walls of a room with the pages of her sister’s day planner. More frighteningly, we see the psychological toll the project takes on her as she dives deeper into her sister’s life, resulting in a scene in which she films herself breaking her many years of sobriety with a shot of vodka.

While this project may have started as a documentary about Ruth Litoff and her troubled life, it quickly evolves into a film about processing grief and how one must learn how to let go of a loved one let it destroy your life. Thankfully, Hope learns this lesson, as she checks into rehab and ends the film by honoring her sister’s memory with an exhibition of her photography at Bellevue Hospital.

Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World

The festival ended with a free screening of the Canadian audience award winner, which turned out to be a crowd pleasing film about the influence of Native musicians on the American Rock music. The film starts with Link Wray, going through the many sounds that Native musicians introduced to Rock, and how many early musicians had to hide or deny their Native heritage due to the institutionalized racism of the time. We get to see many other musicians, including Jimi Hendrix and the influence that his grandmother had on his music and the way he presented himself on stage, and Randy Castillo, suggesting that his heavy metal drumming was inspired by his childhood experiences.

There’s not much to say about the film itself. It’s a documentary that serves to educate audiences about an aspect of music history that is ignored, doing so in quite an entertaining manner. The directors suggested that they had hours of footage that they cut for time that they could use, and I could certainly see this film expanded with a sequel or through a television series.

There were many films that I wish I could have seen, but Netflix picked up a couple of them which saved me a trip to the cinema — Chasing Coral and Joshua — and I’m looking forward to watching them when they’re available.

[dailyjidols]

March News Round-Up

News roundup time! Below the read more is a compilation of some notable news stories that we haven’t previously posted about.

This month features many graduations for the 48s, shuffles galore for WACK groups, and a surprising center for the upcoming Nogizaka46 single.

AKB48

Anna Iriyama was selected to be part of “LIKE” a Mexican Telenovela. She will be moving to study abroad, since she does not speak English or Spanish. (x) Meanwhile, Yuuka Tano has announced that she is graduating. She has not said what her future plans are, yet. (x) Additionally, Senbatsu elections have been extended to include overseas members of the 48s. JKT48, BNK48 and TPE48 idols will be able to participate in the general elections. (x). Additionally, while JKT48 members are invited to particpate in this senbatsu, the religious holiday Labaran will taking place. The members have decided to decline due to the nature of the holiday. (x). Another development is that Sashihara Rino, winner of 4 out of 5 past elections has decided not to participate this year. She did not cite a specific reason for not participating. (x)

Batten Shoujo-tai

The group announced on March 1st, that none of the group members will accept any gifts, regardless of monetary value, or what item it is. They will be able to accept letters, but only those. Their management has said they do not want the girl’s to accept gifts since it might “warp their mental and societal values”. (x). A curious move by management but we’ll see how it goes.

CY8ER

Coromushi has withdrawn from the group. CY8ER will continue with 5 members. (*x)

HKT48

After 6 years with HKT48, Yamada Marina has decided to graduate. As an outspoken lover of anime and cosplay, she has announced plans to make the leap from idol to voice actress. (x)

Kalafina

First, the group was reported to be fully disbanding (x). Now it reported that Kalafina will be losing one member, but continuing on as a duo (x) (x). This is coming as a huge shock since the trio has just finished celebrating 10 years together.

Keyakizaka46

Hirate Yurina will not be attending the second anniversary live of Keyakizaka46. She is reported to have a scheduling conflict. (x)

LinQ

Four members of LinQ will be leaving. Sakura Manami, Yamamaki Ayano, Fukuyama Kana, and MYU will all graduate on March 31st at their graduation performance in Fukuoka. Each has decided a new path in life outside of being idols. (x) We wish all the girls the best of luck with their future endeavors.

Morning Musume

Haruna Ogata will be graduating from the group on June 20th. She wants to focus on school exclusively, since she has been balancing both being and idol and school while being in MM. (x) We wish her the best of luck on her studies!

NMB48

Nanako Reina has announced her graduation. She has decided to focus her efforts on becoming a school teacher after spending 6 years with NMB48. (x)

Nogizaka46

Ikoma Rina will not be the center for her last single, the group’s 20th “Synchronicity”. She was offered it by Yasushi Akimoto, but declined. Instead Shiraishi Mai will be the center. (x)

STU48

In an increasingly unsurprising move, STU48 Orie Cho has decided to graduate from the group. She has cited wanting to pursue her education as her main reason. (x) We wish her the best of luck with her future endeavors!

Sugaya Risako

She gave birth to a healthy baby girl on March 6th. (x*)

Suzuki Airi

Former C-ute member Airi Suzuki will be debuting as a solo artist one June 6th! Her debut single is called 'Do Me A Favor'. Please check out more details in the link: (x)

Tokyo Girls' Style

On March 18th, Tokyo Girls' Style held a photo event where one fan took things too far. The fan posed with one of the members in a sexually dubious pose and posted it online. The community was outraged and upset that the management did not stop this person. On the 20th the group's management responded that fans were to act respectfully and with good sense at future events. Future misbehavior could result in such future events being cancelled. The fans were split on the opinion of the management coming out with a statement but only after prodding by the online community.

*****PLEASE TAKE NOTICE. The photos of the fan are included in this article and some viewers may be offended or disturbed by their content. I (Mod Rise) have summarized the article's content to the best of my abilities so you do not have to see this image. Please proceed with caution if you are viewing the linked article. (X)

WACK

With the recent WACK EXHiBiTiON came a load of changes to the groups under WACK. Most notably, the auditions introduced new members for WACK groups, and BiS was split into 2 groups. Plus, there were some transfers between groups, as well as name changes. The specifics are detailed in the source link. (x)