NMB48's 1st Stage Review

First let's start with me feelings about not going to see AKB48 in concert because I couldn't get tickets:


Now Let's First Meet The Girls:

Sorry if some of these suck, but I sure don't know their names.

______________

月見草
Now I've also reviewed the original A3, and I am a fan of the set.  As expected because they are younger than Team A at the time, they are more high pitched.  I do think that their dancing is a bit cleaner than Team A's (like their transitions).  I was surprised by how together and good their performance is consider how new they are.  New teams usually look a bit rough around the edges, especially when they are the first batch and don't have to go through being a trainee.  Sayaka is my current favorite.  At first I was a bit confused why they selected her (because I didn't peg her as the ace type based on looks) to be the ace when they had a girl who is a mix of Moeno and Kashiwagi.  However, her performance quality is spectacular.  She grabs your attention, and she has this sexy, powerful air about her.  Not like she is trying to be sexy, just that her confidence makes you gravitate towards her.  I usually don't bother with cover stages because once they get an original stage they are developed enough (unless you want to look back at them when they were fresh and rough).  I wouldn't be against giving them an original now, but maybe Akimoto hasn't grasped what to highlight and each members strengths.  WOW, they are so on point and smooth already.

Warning
I don't like the flashing lights because it tends to be overpowering if you are watching it live, but I do know why they are using it.  Is it me or is their stage bigger?

誕生日の夜
There are a couple of girls that look like S/mileage's Kanon.  There is another girl after my heart: she has bangs.  I need to figure out which one she is.  I'll know once I see which unit she is in.  Sorry I don't have much to say at the moment.
MC Note: Her name is Rika, and they yell louder but for a shorter period of time.

Bird
I think I like this version better than Takamina's.  Someone uploaded this unit onto YouTube and I downloaded this stage right after.  Sayaka is amazing when she performs.  I wouldn't mind voting for this unit in the Top 100.

投げキッスで撃ち落せ!
It is going to be hard to surpass chibi Tomochin, Mii-chan, and Acchan.  This unit makes sense since they are so many fresh faced, young idols right now.  They are good, but Mii-chan did a better job with the choreography.

蜃気楼
Their vocals are great.  It is also hard to live up to Kojiharu and Rinatin.  I think I'll add Mayu to my favorites list.  They are doing a wonderful job with their movement, especially since it is a slow song.

ライダー
I didn't like this unit at all when I watched it during a Top 100 concert, but then I heard what the lyrics were about.  It is now a favorite of mine.  I find he choreography too bouncy.  They feel a bit either awkward or passive. . . except pink and yellow.  However, my favorite has to be Kei.

制服が邪魔をする
I miss this single, and the following one.  I enjoy when AKB48 does dark songs, but is this appropriate for all these girls?  They should be at least in high school.  Wow, Rika just keeps on making eye contact with the camera.  Excellent performance ladies.

夏が行っちゃった
Some of the girls in the back look a bit tired, but besides that an excellent performance.

小池
They selected her for the speaking part!  There are others that look a bit more feisty and less cutesy.  Riho is really on right now.  I would much prefer her or Rika to take the speaking part.  She is a bit on the annoying side.     

月のかたち
Oh another favorite of mine.  The dancing has improved for this number.  No one better complain about the dancing and their age.  They probably haven't seen a middle school dance now-a-days.

誰かのために ～What can I do for someone?～
That was beautiful.  I have no suggestions.

Beginner　
This is going to be too high pitched for this song for me.  The movement is good, but maybe some more power behind it would improve the performance.

チャンスの順番 & ポニーテールとシュシュ & ヘビーローテーション
They did a good job, but it didn't really highlight them.  They'll be better once they have their own singles to perform.

NMB48
I bet they're tired.  SKE was more lively when I saw them perform it.  They had more bounce and energy behind it.

涙売りの少女
This is where their pitch fits better.

Favorites:
Riho
Rika
Rina
Sayaka
Mayu
Haruna
Kei

Mina's Little Adventure: My Last Meal (Shinagawa)

Let's start with the internal conversation that took place during the middle of dinner and continued on as I walked back to Shinagawa-shuku.

With only a fourth of her rice eaten, a fish and a shrimp tempura left, most of her pickle dish, but all her miso soup eaten, the moment that Mina dreads (while eating in Japan) occurred.

Heart: "This is yummy, and the staff are so pleasant!  I know we can fight through it and finish this tempura donburi off."

Brain: "Well I know that stomach here is going to have an issue with that, but I'll ask anyway."

Stomach: "Nope, hell no we won't go!"

Brain: "Your not going anywhere, find a different chant."

Heart: "But. . . but!  It is rude not to finish, and this is a really great place and all.  We want to make a good impression on behalf of foreigners right?"

Brain: "How about we finish the tempura, and try to finish all of the rice?"

Mina finished off the fish and some more rice.

Brain: "Oh great there is nori on the rice, that's not going to help. . . here it goes."

Stomach: "Fuck no!"

Brain: "Okay we can still finish off most of the rice just scrape the nori off and leave the rice that won't separate from it."

Mina put some rice in her mouth.

Heart: "Here put some more in!  If we eat faster maybe we can do it!"

Stomach: "Fuck NO we aren't!"

Mina's urge to stop eating skyrocketed to the up-chuck reflex, but she held it back.  You see Mina has a strong stopping point when it comes to eating.  There are some pros and cons to processing this trait.  But, in the states it isn't a problem because it isn't considered rude to not finish your plate and taking the leftovers home isn't uncommon.

Brain: "Hurry and eat the shrimp."

As Mina was trying to work through her rice the elderly gentlemen who appeared to be the head chef/ owner refilled her glass of water with a kind smile.

Heart: "Awn, we can do this!"

With a wave of good emotion Mina was able to eat some more rice without difficulty.  Unfortunately, the old ways persisted.  Mina was able to finish all the white rice, but the nori and overly seasoned by sauce rice would't make it down.  Mina glared at her plate.  Then she made a disappoint face, and nibbled on her rice until she couldn't handle it anymore and paid for her meal.

As Mina walked back to her home for the past two days she has a mix of negative emotions.  Her stomach ached and cried, "Why you'd make me do thaaaat?"  Her heart vibrated with guilt.  Her brain, the smart alack that it is pointed out that "we knew better, and although we do like donburi and it was recommended and it was a discounted price, that we should of just ordered tempura.  It probably would of come with miso anyway."

Tip: If you don't like miso soup in the states don't hesitate in Japan.  Many places have miso included with meals.  I hated miso whenever I had it in the states.  However, I've had traditional, clam, and nori (seaweed which I don't like one bit) misos and I've enjoyed each one.

Like earlier today, I dressed to show off and suit my foreigner~ness: John Lennon and Yoko Ono "Bed Peace" t-shirt, my awesome tights, mini cowboy boots, my blonde hair, and classic Ray Ban sunglasses (except not while it was dark out or when I was inside).  A great thing about where I am staying is that it seems pretty safe for such a large city.  It reminded me of Madison, but less trains.  On the way towards the Shinagawa Station, about a 5 minute walk from the guest house, there is a row of various Japanese restaurants.  Curry, then soba, then sushi, then tempura, and another one after that (and maybe more after that).  I was taking pictures of each place to show the variety.  After getting a shot of the tempura sign I looked down to see the staff smiling at me.  The elderly chef and a younger chef nodded at me as a greeting, coaxing me to enter.  Well I couldn't say no to them and tempura sounded great.  I walked in and got the usually greeting.  They sat me down and gave me a menu.  It was a mix of kanji, hiragana, and katakana.  I didn't know the kanji, but there were pictures.  I was thinking about one that was 560 yen because it was a donburi.  The waitress was close by because I was the only one there (people came in later as I ate).  I asked her in Japanese which one she thought was good.

Tip: どちらのほうがいいとおもいますか。(dochira no houga ii to omoimasu ka)
Which one do you think is better / 'gooder'?
dochira - a more formal way of saying which (dochi for short/ casual)
no houga - a set phrase when asking which is better
ii - good, you can switch this out with cheaper, delicious, ect.
omoimasu - 'to think' in formal speech (polite speech is always used unless in a casual setting like after some time with your host or once you have close friends.  when you start using it is a difficult question.  this is a hard thing for me because i learned short form after common formal and i usually spoke short form with my friends and host/ i have difficulty switching which form to use but i've gotten better at it.)

The food was great and the service was excellent as well (better than the maid cafe).  I then returned to the guest house where Taka-san was sitting at the front desk.  We had a conversation in partly English and Japanese.  I switched to English to explain the terms we use when we get take out:
left overs
wrapped up
take home
take out
doggy bag
As we were speaking the elderly, Japanese lady from Ohio walked in and we said hello to one another.  I asked her how her day was in Japanese, and she responded.  She then asked me what I did today, and I also responded.  At this point I am pleased that I've said everything in polite speech, without messing up.  She then said that Taka-san wants to practice his English, but I like to practice my Japanese.  She then switched over to English to request that I speak to him in English every so often.  I then mentioned that I want to teach English in Japan and my certificate (that I wish to get in college).  Taka-san said that they need a lot of teachers now because elementary school is starting soon, but most of the English teachers went home because of the earthquake and the following problems.  A couple of other guests came in so I excused myself and went up stairs and the lady went to her room.  That is my day so far. . . how did I get deja vu just now?  I am going to pack up my stuff, go over my travel print out for tomorrow, and see if I can transfer more stuff from my bag to my backpack to lighten it up.  I am ditching a manga magazine (more like book) that I got as a small gift because Acchan is on the cover and there are a couple pages of her.  I was an idiot and didn't follow my rule of always bringing scissors (and I can't rip anything).  It takes a ton of space and the manga are not my taste.  I'll live without Acchan.  I might come back to stay here at least the night before my flight to relax.  I could always apply for another show, and then I can grab some copies of CDs at Book OFF.

Mina's Little Adventure: Tokyo Day 2 (Shibuya)

 Well, I fail at shopping for myself, and just doing anything in general by myself.  I made a friend from Taiwan who said Shibuya was the best place to shop (cheap, and cute), but not to go to the 109 store because it was overly sexy (and expensive).  I happen to get to Tokyo during Shibuya 109's big summer sale, but still nothing I wanted was within my price range.  Plus, my luggage is packed from all the gifts I got for other people, but I don't want to spend the 60-80 dollars to send them back (plus I would need to find an international post office.  WTF man setting up their announcement machine outside my room!  They are selling gyoza, but curry gyoza sounds interesting.  But here is my day so far:

The Game Plan:
I went through my guide books.  I didn't want to travel all over the place, so I decided to stick with Shibuya.  However, Harajuku has a street that is also good for cheap, teen fashion and it is the next stop so I added it to the list.  I like visiting temples, and there is one in Shibuya so I added it to the list.  Since both areas are supposedly teen. . . I don't know what to call them. . . epic-centers there should also be a ton of cheap places to eat.

Tip: My recommended guides are Frommer's Tokyo and Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Welcome to Tokyo - Tokyo Handy Guide.  Both have maps and mains spots to go to.  I would have liked a map of stores and restaurants made by a teen or 20-something for the area.  If I end up in Tokyo I might make a guide to the area of my favorite places.

I slept in for once (but I still woke up at 7:00 out of habit).  I left my room at 11:00 after having breakfast.  Today was super hot and sunny, so I was sweating like crazy.  I also don't like to leave before 10 because I like to avoid the rush periods.  I get to Shibuya and the station is huge, so I actually had to pay attention to where the exits were.  Then I start walking.  I assume from the descriptions I got that it wouldn't be hard to find stores.  Wrong.  There are tons of places to eat around, so no need to worry about that.  Shopping is a bit difficult.  My idea was to follow main streets or girls with cute clothes to find the good spots.  At one point I found a little nook to look at my maps to find maybe a department store or something that is good for shopping and a guy approaches me.  He is in office worker clothes and he starts talking to me.  At first I think it was because I had a map out and he first spoke to me English, so just friendly/ helpful.  It turns out more friendly than helpful.  He starts hitting on me.  I wanted to practice my Japanese but then he kept on talking and jumping in so fast it was hard to complete my sentences (and to make them formal enough because that comes at the end of the sentence).  I about had it because I wanted to find something and was not interested.  He asked me if I was 25, and I am like nope. . . 19.  That didn't scare him off (I basically said things that I say when talking to old ladies because they are the ones who like to talk to me. . . I like talking to people).  I told him I had a boyfriend back home (which I don't) to make him go away.  Darn you Japan!  I can't have a conversation with anyone unless they are a 10 year old boy or a woman of experience!

Tip: If you go to a kiosk and it asks you for your Suica or something card don't panic!  I use to run away from them and go to a different one.  Then I ended up at Shibuya station on my way home and all of them asked for it.  Just press the top button of the left upper corner/ column.  It should change the screen to a bunch of numbers which is how you get your ticket.  You don't go by place but by how much your ticket costs (that is why you look at the map first!!!!).  I didn't see an English map, which is why knowing the kanji for at least the stop for your hotel is important.  (If you can write down or memorize the ones for the places you want to go that is very helpful too.  If you didn't do that go to a ticket guy and say the name of the stop and they might tell you either the number of your platform and how much it costs.)  

I am walking around still, beginning to get discouraged when I find a boutique.  It has a small sale rack outside priced at 1000 yen.  I go inside and it has a nice mix of styles from preppy, rock-n-roll, and bohemian.  I pick out a couple of things and try them on.  Unfortunately, most of them didn't work on me.  However, a dress I picked out at the last minute was super cute (and only 1900 yen with tax included).  I spotted a couple shirts that a friend (who has a birthday coming up) would like.  They also looked about the right size, but I was concerned they wouldn't fit right or she wouldn't like it.  So I got her an accessory.  I had bought her another small thing before, so maybe that will be good.  (Claire if you read this you can mention it to Sub Subs).  I kind of feel bad about it.  I might come back to Tokyo before I leave Japan so I don't have to be on the trains for a couple of hours to get on a plane for 13 hours.

I then stopped in Freshness Burger to grab a bite to eat, to sit in the cool air, go to the bathroom, and figure out what to do next.  I decided to head back towards the station to avoid getting lost and it wasn't looking like I was in a good spot for shopping either.  On the way back I found the store that has been promoting AKB48.  It only has cafes, CDs, DVDs, and books so I didn't do any shopping.  They were selling AKB48 DVDs, CDs, and photobooks.  I also spotted a bunch of girls in the AKB48 sections.  I then see some girls enter what looks like a department store so I go in to check it out.  There was hello kitty and hat stores on the first floor.  I see someone go down a floor so I go down the escalators. . . I see a sign saying Mens 109.  I walked into Mens 109, so I left.

I ended up walking all over the place and headed towards the direction of the shrine.  However, I wasn't sure how far away it was and I was getting tired.  (I don't like to travel to far from the station area to avoid getting lost.)  I turned around and decided to check out Shibuya 109 anyway.  It was packed with girls and some guys.  It has basement floors too.  It is a ton of little boutiques in a circle (like 7-10 stores in a little area), and it is the same on every floor except the one that has a food court (but not like our food courts).  There are some cute stores, but everything was over my price range.  I saw some great jeans, but they were about 7000 yen but 20% off.  I decided that I can always go shopping when I go abroad for a year and I don't need more jeans.  I ended up buying a ring in a cute store (which was about 1500 yen after taxes).  All of the shop attendants are cute here.  The crazy thing is this is a great mall for girls who have friends of different styles.  There is one girly store, next to a sexy store, next to a rave/ sexy halloween looking store, next to a accessory store.  If only they were cheaper!  My friend was right for the most part about most of the stuff being short skirts and on the sexier side, but not all of it.  It is a good experience just to look around (and maybe go during the sale seasons January/ July), but I wouldn't make it a shopping destination.  Instead I would hunt down the malls that the AKB48 girls went to.  Department stores usually have a good price range except one I spotted in Shibuya which was all high end designers.

After 109, I walk around and don't see any shops worthwhile to go in (there are some big Forever 21 and H&M stores but I can do that at home).  I decide to go to the station.  I go to the ticket counter for the JR Yamamoto line, but I didn't see the English signs.  I knew that it was only 160 yen to go back home or the next stop or two was Harajuku.  It would be at least 130 yen to just go there, so I headed back to Shinagawa.  I wanted to cool off and rest me feet.  I stopped in Family Mart to buy something cool to drink.  I've decided I like 7-11 better.  My favorite drink is Mountain Dew here because they don't have Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi (WTF).  It seems Mountain Dew is also extremely rare!  The only place I've found it was the vending machine near my old host's house.  So my head ache is gone, I have my hair up, I am in shorts, and a sports bra cooling off.  There are a ton of small Japanese restaurants on the way to the station.  I'll either eat at one of those, or (if I feel up to it) head over to Harajuku and shop some more and eat there.

Even though I've gotten more things for my friends and family than I did for myself, I am really happy with what I got.  I am going to wear my dress tomorrow.  (If you don't love it in the store then don't buy it - is my rule.)  My ring, is super cute and is basically a small rock.  I have no regret of getting that photobook.  Yep, three things.  There is still time.  Plus, if the train station isn't too far from my next host,  and we get a day off, there might be a good department store in the next big town.  (At least that was true with my first host.)

Tip: Buy a magazine, or at least do research at what brands you like.  This is helpful because then you can find out where they have stores and know where to shop.  This can also encourage you to go into a store, because there might be something there.  I think I just sucked because I didn't know where to look or where to go.  (Plus, I do suck at shopping for myself.  I am careful with my money so it is just a matter of finding a store I like in my price range.)

Mina's AKB48 Ranking!

I know it has been a while since I ranked AKB48.  Plus, I would never rank RS, but now there is Team 4 which is not off limits.  I still have my usually favorites, but there has been some movements.  My entire ranking is after the jump, but first I will break it down to senbatsu and undergirls style and give some commentary.

Center
1. Minami Minegishi

Media Senbatsu
2. Suzuran Yamauchi
3. Atsuko Maeda
4. Amina Sato
5. Miho Miyazaki
6. Aika Ota
7. Sae Miyazawa
8. Tomomi Kasai
9. Rino Sashihara
10. Mayumi Uchida
11. Ami Maeda
12. Tomomi Itano

Lower Senbatsu
13. Aki Takajyo
14. Haruka Katayama
15. Moeno Nito
16. Mika Komori
17. Yuki Kashiwagi
18. Haruna Kojima
19. Yui Yokoyama
20. Sayaka Nakaya
21. Reina Fujie

Undergirls Center
22. Ayaka Kikuchi

Undergirls
23. Sumire Sato
24. Miori Ichikawa
25. Misaki Iwasa
26. Yuko Oshima
27. Mayu Watanabe
28. Mariko Shinoda
29. Minami Takahashi
30. Tomomi Nakatsuka
31. Rie Kitahara
32. Sayaka Akimoto
33. Yuka Masuda
34. Haruka Shimazaki
35. Haruka Nakagawa
36. Mariya Nagano
37. Natsumi Hirajima
38. Shiori Nakamata
39. Asuka Kuramochi
40. Miyu Takeuchi

The new big change is the addition of Suzuran (Ranran) to the mix.  I adore her!  She could even surpass Mii-chan one day.

AKB48 Ranking
1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28
29	30	31	32
33	34	35	36
37	38	39	40
41	42	43	44
45	46	47	48
49	50	51	52
53	54	55	56
57	58