AKBINGO!

AKBINGO aired on 10-19-2011.

 

I bring to you a hilarious episode of AKBINGO! I watched last week. After a very long absence, Acchan made her glorious return to the show :D. This airing was jam-packed with some of my favorite members including  Tomochin, Miorin, Yukirin, Mayuyu, Yui, and Takamina. It’s always so fun to see how they interact on this crazy variety show.

The main segment of this episode was the infamous “Muchaburi Dodgeball”. This is pretty easy to follow, even for a person who does not know much Japanese. The girls split into two teams and play a friendly game of dodgeball. Whoever gets hit has to do some crazy shit. Yui participates for the first time in this activity, and she also became the first victim on this airing. They made her eat some very spicy curry dish. It was at this point that they looked back almost 3 years ago, when Acchan was put into a similar situation. Whatever she ate was so spicy she actually cried and ran backstage in visible pain while on air! So yeah, these games are no joke. Yui is apparently OK with spicy foods, and to everyone’s surprise the spoonful she ate did not even phase her one bit LOL. The result was the complete opposite of what was suppose to happen.

Takamina, thinking it’s not that bad, tries some herself. Yeah, she was speechless afterwards, because it was so hot for her LOL. One of the hosts then picked on Miorin and made her try some as well. At first, she didn’t react, but after a couple of seconds passed her reaction to the spiciness was so adorable XD. As the segment was about to end, Acchan suddenly wanted to try some, despite what happened to her 3 years ago. She put a spoonful to her lips thinking it was OK, but then immediately found it spicy; it didn’t even make it into her mouth LOL. In the ensuing hilarity, Tomochin tried to surreptitiously take a sip of water from the glasses on the table, but the camera caught her in the act. She didn’t even try the dish, she was just trying to exploit the situation and quench her thirst LOL.

Fast forward two victims to Tomochin. She was made to eat some disgusting bugs that were prepared as a delicacy. It looked absolutely revolting. This wasn’t the first time on the show something like this was featured either. Tomo chopsticked one into her mouth and found it “delicious” XD. Once again, the whole food gag accomplished the exact opposite of what it was suppose to. Tomochin got Acchan to try some too :D. Acchan, thinking “if Tomochin says it’s OK then it should be OK” , tried a little bite after almost backing out. Needless to say, she didn’t like it very much LOL. Her reaction was so cute ^^.

The last victim was Miorin. She got sprayed in the face with a whipped cream-like substance (sounds so wrong I know XD) after not being able to contain her laughter at the sight of a comedian’s gags. Oh Miorin…if only you hadn’t burst out laughing and held on for a bit longer XD.

At the end of the show, AKB performed their new song “Kaze wa Fuite Iru“. Acchan looks so fierce with her current hairstyle! Studio live ftw!

AKBINGO! always puts a smile on my face, and this episode is definitely one of the more memorable ones. It was really nice to see Acchan back, but now Yuko is gone! I really want to see all the top members together on one airing :D. It’d certainly be very entertaining!

Go to Hello!Online’s tracker for this great episode.

no3b – “Answer” single review

 CD only regular edition.

Type A CD+DVD limited edition Kojima Haruna version.

“Answer”
no3b

Release date: March 2nd, 2011

Tracklist:
1.  Answer
2.  Monozuki Ichigo
3.  ☆ no Mukougawa [no3b ver.] (limited edition),
Answer TV Animation ver.- 89sec. (regular edition)
4.  Answer -Instrumental-
5.  Monozuki Ichigo -Instrumental-
6.  ☆ no Mukougawa [no3b ver.] -Instrumental- (limited edition)

Type A DVD tracklist:
1.  Answer Music Video
2.  Making of Answer
3.  “Cloudy sky” from GREATEST HOUR SETLIST 100 2011 (LIVE at SHIBUYA-AX Only Edition)

no3b’s first single release of 2011, and it proves to be a strong one. “Answer” is their 6th single overall and took the #2 spot on Oricon’s weekly single ranking. Continuing a tradition that dates back to their 3rd single “KISS no Ryuusei“, “Answer” comes in three CD+DVD limited editions each featuring one member along with a CD only regular edition.

These girls’ hair look absolutely gorgeous in the covers. I personally picked up a Kojiharu version limited edition because she’s my favorite member and the DVD comes with a live performance of her amazing solo song “Cloudy sky“. Not being able to resist a pretty cover shot of all three members with their shiny and pretty long hair, I also snatched up the regular edition XD.

The DVD comes with a reasonable amount of content to justify the price of the limited edition. “Answer”‘s music video is very typical in terms of presentation, but the concept and direction are solid. The girls sport a mature and sexy look, especially Takamina. I thought the choreography during the dance parts was a bit shaky though. The making of video is fairly interesting and offers some nice behind-the-scenes footage. For me, the real gem of the DVD was Kojiharu‘s “Cloudy sky” performance. There’s only one word to describe it: adorable.

On to the review…

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1.  Answer

It took me a couple of listens before getting hooked to “Answer”. The main guitar riffs are catchy and make this a memorable song. During the verses, the girls’ voices carry the flow of the song very well. In addition, their singing during the chorus has a good synergy and sound fantastic together. Miichan‘s solo parts in this song are impressive. Her vocals sound superb, with Takamina and Kojiharu not falling too far behind in that aspect. Overall a strong track with a mature feel to it.

2.  Monozuki Ichigo (Curious Strawberry)

Another track I wasn’t too fond of, but now I love it! This shows exactly why the girls’ voices are suited for singing various styles. The feeling you get is vastly different from the mature “Answer” and they sound more like three anime seiyus on a character CD! I’m surprised how cute their voices become. Overall a fun upbeat song with lots of vitality. It’s a great contrast to “Answer”.

3.  ☆ no Mukougawa [no3b ver.] (The Other Side of the Star)

Originally from AKB48‘s A6 stage “Mokugekisha“, this song is more laid back than the previous two tracks on the single. I myself have never heard the original A6 song so I can’t really do a comparison. no3b’s version of it is a mellow listen though, and sounds almost fairy tale-like. Kojiharu‘s voice is quite prominent during her parts too, which is a plus. Overall I don’t find this track very remarkable, but it’s certainly a beautiful piece with an ethereal sound.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

I’ve come to like no3b more since this single. It’s a strong release from arguably the strongest AKB subunit. Like I’ve pointed out already, these girls are all very talented singers and have great voices. “Answer” serves as a perfect illustration of that, offering three unique tracks.

Releasing a separate version of this single for each girl with content exclusive to that one member was a great idea. It builds a fan base for each girl and allows fans to be more connected to their favorite member. It’s also a great way to generate revenue…XD. In my case, I will always be picking up a Kojiharu version. She’s such a beauty @_@.

The final verdict: “Answer” is probably a hit or miss for some people. Either you like it or you don’t. For AKB48 fans though, I would not hesitate to recommend it. This is without a doubt one of their more solid works.

Buy here:

Type A limited edition Kojima Haruna ver.: CDJapan, YesAsia, HMV Japan
Type B limited edition Takahashi Minami ver.: CDJapan, YesAsia, HMV Japan
Type C limited edition Minegishi Minami ver.: CDJapan, YesAsia, HMV Japan
Regular edition: CDJapan, YesAsia, HMV Japan

AKB48 at MTV VIDEO MUSIC AID JAPAN 2011

MTV Video Music Awards Japan 2011 was recently held on June 25th. The official name of this year’s event was changed to reflect the spirit of charity in light of the recent Tohoku earthquake, hence “AID JAPAN”. A donation was automatically generated for each vote that was cast for the nominees.

This year, the fine gals of AKB48 were chosen to be the hosts. Selected were top members Maeda Atsuko, Oshima Yuko, Takahashi Minami, Itano Tomomi, Shinoda Mariko, and Watanabe Mayu.

Here are some pictures of AKB at the event:

The hosts of this year's MTV Video Music Awards Japan.

 

From left to right: Mayuyu, Tomochin, Yuko, Acchan, Takamina, Mariko.

 

The goddesses of Team K @_@.

 

I’m surprised how mature all of the members look despite their real ages. They really do give off the appearance and swagger befitting of Japan’s top selling idols. Itano looks absolutely gorgeous in her purple dress. Her and Yuko definitely take the cake.

It’s quite disappointing Kojiharu was not chosen to be one of hosts…she’d look great in a dress and would give Itano a run for her money. I can’t wait to watch the whole event. I’ll be writing more about it when an HD recording comes out XD.

Head over to Mantan Web for more pictures!

no3b – New 9th single “Kuchibiru Furezu…” release on 6/29

Kojima Haruna ver. CD+DVD limited edition.

Takahashi Minami ver. CD+DVD limited edition.

Minegishi Minami ver. CD+DVD limited edition.

CD only regular edition.

“Kuchibiru Furezu…”
no3b

Release date: June 29th, 2011

 
AKB48 subunit no3b has recently been announced their 9th single. Titled “Kuchibiru Furezu…”, the single will come in four different flavors: three limited edition versions each featuring one member, and a CD only regular edition.

The title track “Kuchibiru Furezu…” and its coupling track “Sakkaku” will appear on all four versions of the single, but each limited edition will feature a different member solo song as the third track. Kojima’s solo song is “Asatte JAMAICA”, while Takahashi’s is “Dareka Oshiete” and Minegishi’s is “Sayonara ni Kizuite…”. The rest of the tracks on each version will be made up of instrumentals.

In addition, each limited edition will come with a DVD containing the music video for “Kuchibiru Furezu…” as well as the making footage. Special content is also included on these DVDs, but will differ depending on the version. Kojima’s version will feature the “roof top version” of the special contents, while Takahashi’s will have the dressing room version and Minegishi’s the recording studio version.
 
 
Here are screenshots of the PV:

Head over to R3z4prof’s blog or youtube to watch this video.

I must say this PV has a really nice concept. The art and direction are excellent. It’s a far cry from the stuff they’ve done in the past and I’m liking the bad girl rocker image. These girls are just oozing maturity and sexiness. Takamina looks so hot on the cover! Unfortunately, I’m not a huge fan of this song atm. Perhaps it will grow on me after I watch the PV a few more times.

Most likely I’ll be picking up the Kojiharu version of this single. In the end “Kuchibiru Furezu”‘s unique style and direction along with Kojiharu’s solo song are reason enough for me to get it. Hopefully it will not disappoint!

The singles are now up for pre-order at various sites. It seems like each limited edition will be coming with an application ticket regardless of where it is bought from. CDJapan is currently offering a B-3-sized poster for all first press copies of the limited editions and a photo for all first press copies of the regular edition. YesAsia has also confirmed a randomly chosen bonus photo for the first press copies of the regular edition.
 
 
Limited edition A (Kojima ver.): CDJapan, YesAsia, HMV Japan
Limited edition B (Takahashi ver.): CDJapan, YesAsia, HMV Japan
Limited edition C (Minegishi ver.): CDJapan, YesAsia, HMV Japan
Regular edition: CDJapan, YesAsia, HMV Japan