AKB48 Live at Shibuya AX, Nobody Told Me How Awesome This Would Be!
It is now official. AKB48 has now surpassed the groups of Hello! Project as my favorite J-pop act. Lets flashback to the beginning of January to see how it came to be... New Years Week 2008 After I had decided to make the trip to see the Hello! Project Winter concert, I enlisted Ohta to assist me in purchasing tickets to all three dates. He came through in amazing fashion, getting me 10th row seats to the final show. So in passing I mentioned to him that I would love to see AKB48. And I asked him if he had any inside track to getting tickets. Keep in mind this was before the email lottery thing, and the best way to get tickets was to go down to the Don Quixote Theater before dawn and hang out in a huge line in hope of getting in. Since this was my vacation I had no intention of spending it in a line all day. But to my surprise Ohta said that he could get them for me without a problem. It wasn't until I won them that he told me that the show I was going to would not be at AKB48's theater in Akahibara, but at Shibuya AX. I was fine with that as long as I saw the group. He offered to get me tickets to multiple nights, but I figured it would be the same show each time so I told him to just get them for the last show. Little did I know... In Japan...
I scouted the location of Shibuya AX on Wednesday afternoon in a driving snowstorm. It was my first full day in Tokyo, and although I was appropriately dressed for the frigid weather I was still freezing my butt off. So I decided to head back to Yokohama and get some rest for the next evening show. I spent the next afternoon in a coffeehouse in Harajuku with a nice guy from Canada who I met that afternoon. He made fun of me for liking AKB48, about an hour before showtime I left for Shibuya AX, which was about a ten minute walk.
This was the last night of the 4-night show, but I didn't know that. Luckily for me at the time, they played the Top-25 hits from their history. And given that I had limited knowledge of AKB48 at the time, that was perfect for me. That is what I wanted to hear anyway, their top hits. It was a surreal experience, which I described a few months ago on this post. And I left feeling happy that I saw AKB48 playing all of the songs I know and love. But little did I know...
It wasn't until the DVD came out in July that I realized what event really unfolded back in January. I am kicking myself now knowing that I could've seen the third night as well, and quite possibly the second night if I was really committed to it. After watching these DVD's, the second night is my favorite part of the show. But I was determined to purchase this amazing set. It was tough, and it took a little luck. But now I have the DVD and Photobook. Here are my thoughts...
Monday Night 100-76
So if you didn't know, AKB48 played four consecutive nights at Shibuya AX. It was a countdown of their all-time top 100 songs, 25 on each night. The first night began with #'s 100-76. Now keep in mind that although I have liked AKB48 for more than a year, I still do not know many of the members' names by heart. And I have only seen one stage show. So many of these songs are brand new to me, and sometimes I am not sure which member I am looking at. So forgive me if I make a few mistakes along the way.
The songs are presented in sets, with an occasional break where we are treated to commentary by various members of the group. It is also these members who do the audio commentary on the next set of songs. Even if you don't understand a word of Japanese, there are great moments in these breaks, and some very funny commentary with the girls just being themselves. My five favorite songs of the first night are as follows...
5. Kiss wa Dame Yo (#87) From Team A, 1st stage. Performed by Minami M., Mariko and Haruna. This song is very sexy, with an R&B feel to it. Haruna looks the hottest, and gives some great "come hither" looks when she is up front. But I am always amazed at Minegishi Minami's stage presence. Looks-wise, she is not one of my favorite members. But she always knocks my socks off when she performs.
4. Christmas ga Ippai (#79) Performed by Team K, from their 3rd stage. It's a very cute and festive holiday song. The girls are dressed in Navy "Sailor Fuku". What I really like is the way no girl really stands out in the song, and that isn't a bad thing. It's just a great example of how cohesive a unit Team K is. The Team K member I fell in love with during the song: Noro Kayo
3. Dreamin' Girls (#91) From Himawari Gumi's 1st stage. This song is performed A Capella, and has some great harmonization. And I love the clothes, the red tartan skirt and white sleeveless top is a lot like one of my favorite outfits from Tanaka Reina's AloHello PB. The member that caught my attention here is Tojima Hana from Team A.
**One of the biggest turn-offs for a lot of people about this group is the massive number of members. But I am determined to learn everyone's names!
2. Honehone Waltz (#97) Team K, 3rd Stage. Performed by Erena, Manami, Aika and Reina. So actually there are multiple teams represented here. I couildn't believe this song when I first saw it. This is AKB48??? This is the cutest thing ever!!! They take the yougest and most petite girls in the group, dress them up in skeleton costumes with tutus, and have them sing a cute little waltz? Amazing! Reina looks a bit intimidated up there, but I'll forgive her because I believe she was still a "AKB Research Student" at the time. Oku Manami, and especially Ono Erena really own this song. Erena always catches my attention when she is on stage. She is very much like Hagiwara Mai from Hello! Project to me. She is obviously younger than most of the members, but she has tremendous confidence and presence onstage. She is very impressive.
1. Leo no Kakumei (#77) Originally from Team A 2nd Stage, performed here by Team B. Not only is this my favorite song of the first night, it is one of my favorite songs of the entire four night extravaganza! And it was done by Team B, the most underappreciated team in AKB48. It's a sophisticated song, and I love the "Ska" feel to the music. There is one line in the song where it sounds like they are saying "Hata me Shmata", which I always laugh at because it sounds so yiddish. But Team B dances well, sings well, and have a lot of energy. And who is the girl who sings the English part of the song? I think it's Matsuoka Yuki, but I'm not sure.
Other songs I liked on Night 1 were #83 Haru ga Kuru Made, which also stood out to me on Team A 4th Stage, and #93 Karukurupaa, which is a fun song and has Team K dressed as court jesters. By the way, I keep mentioning the "Teams". Just in case anyone isn't familiar, AKB48 is split into three teams, A K and B. Generally each team performs seperately, although there are exceptions to this. Certain songs are credited to each group, although at the time of the concert Team B didn't yet have any original songs. They had only sang the songs of the other teams.
Tuesday Night 75-51
This show took place the evening I arrived in Japan. And that kills me because it is my favorite set of the four nights. With the benefit of hindsight, I could've made it to this show had I booked a hotel near Shibuya. And I am beginning to realize that Team K is far and away my favorite unit. I am also staring to have a little trouble with Team A, which I will get into shortly. My top 5 of night two...
5. Tonari no Banana (#67) From Himawari Gumi 2nd Stage, specifically Oku Manami and Kobayashi Kana of Team K. This song is kind of like Honohone Waltz from the first night in that it is very cute, and they use some of the youngest members to perform it. And it also has a theater-feel to it. I've never been a fan of Manami, although she has done a very good job in these shows. I think Kobayashi Kana is very cute.
**If you are only familiar with AKB48's singles, you will never get how versatile and talented the groups really are. Their music runs the gamut of different genres, and they are very theatrical performers. It is something I never knew before these shows. It makes me wish that the stage DVD's were more affordable, I would've learned this a long time ago!
4. Hana to Chire (#74) Team K, 3rd Stage. The hook of the chorus is great! It's a very intense tune, and I love the beat into after the first verse where the tempo slows down and then picks back up. Once again I am amazed that Ono Erena is front and center for Team K on this song. She is great, but looks like a girl possessed. She needs to have more fun here.
3. Ki ni Narou Tenkousei (#53) Team K, 3rd Stage. What a cute song, and I love Kasai Tomomi's squeaky-high voice! Everyone seems to be having a great time performing this. And the music sounds just like the Beach Boys' 60's surf sound.
2. Doku RINGO wo Tabesasete (#75) Team A, 1st Stage. This is the opening song of the second night, and I am ready to proclaim it my favorite Team A song of all. Cute little red dresses, and the song has a very pretty jazz-electronic feel to it. It is subtle and sweet, and gives the girls the chance to emote and be cute. Takahashi Minami really dances this song well.
1. Seishun Girls (#57) Team K, 1st Stage. Jeez, Team K gets the best songs! This was the first video I forwarded to all of my friends after I received the DVD. It's the type of song you could open or close a show with. It is so special, and I'm having trouble picking who the standout is because they are all so cute here. Anyhow, this is my favorite performance of all four shows...
Other standouts, Aisareru to iu Koto (#65) from ICE is a very pretty ballad. I really enjoyed the latin flavored Cinderella wa Damasarenai (#51), which was the final performance of the second night. They finished with members from multiple teams onstage, and the flamenco outfits and dance were great! To me Team K dominated this set of songs. My problem with team A is they seem like less of a "team" than K and B. But I really don't think it is their fault. Team A has the lion share of the most recognized members of AKB. And when I watch them I think of them more as individuals than a team. Oh well...
Wednesday Night 50-26
This was the day of the big snowstorm in Tokyo, and it kills me that I was standing outside the theater shortly before this performance. Man, had I only known! Something I got a real kick out of was the non-performers sitting on risers toward the rear of the stage clapping and singling along. It is extremely reminiscent of H!P's Winter concerts. Of the four nights, this one is the least memorable to me. It kinda drags through most of the first half, but it picks up steam towards the end.
5. Warning (#32) Team A, 3rd Stage in the same Seifuku outfits as Mr. Kissman (#34). Tight grey coats with two-toned flannel skirts. Team A seems to get a lot of the "sexy" songs for AKB48. Maeda Atsuko did some of her best work this night, and I like the way she is leading the team here. I never knew Acchan could be that sexy (that was until I saw the full version of the Baby! Baby! Baby! PV).
4. Yakusoku Yo (#27) Team B, 1st Stage. This was the penultimate performance of Wednesday night's show. I have to give Team B some credit, they are so enthusiastic when they are on stage. And the producers gave them a lot of fun songs to do for this program. I am having a hard time picking a favorite member from this team because they are all so cute, but none of them stand out as the leader from what I can see. It will be interesting to see what their 3rd stage is like!
3. Keibetsu Shiteita Aijou (#28) Team A, 4th Stage. This is one of the songs I was completely familiar with since I purchased the Set List CD the day it came out. This this is the song about teen suicide with an excellent PV. It's an intense song, and the theatrics of the dance are great. Team A really did a great job on Wednesday!
**By the way, if you're wondering what the stages mean (1st Stage, 2nd Stage etc...) It's too involved to explain here. I'm not even sure I could explain it properly. Just replace the word "stage" with "album" for the time being.
2. Hajimete no Jelly Beans (#50) Himawari Gumi, 2nd Stage. Performed by Atsuko, Hitomi and Fujie Reina. Like I said, Acchan did a great job on the third night. And she is so adorable here! This was the cutest song of the night. And I am quickly becoming a fan of Reina.
1. Run Run Run (#40) Himawari Gumi, 1st Stage. Cool! They sound great doing a total guitar-rock song! I love the guitar solo in the middle, it is so retro! It looks like there are quite a few from Team K performing this. BTW, did I mention how cute Sato Natsuki is? She has one of the greatest smiles in all of AKB48. I also noticed that there seemed to be more schoolgirl costumes on this night than any other.
I just realized I didn't give Teams K much love for the third night. So for K my favorite song was Maria (#43). All three of the performers look very hot in those dominatrix gowns, especially Masuda Yuka! Another amazing factor about these performances were the amount of costume changes during the four nights. I don't think I ever saw an outfit used for more than 2-3 songs, so that means there were at least 50 different costumes designed to be used by over 50 participants. Very impressive indeed!
Thursday Night 25-1
Okay, finally the show I attended! The snow had left Tokyo and it was merely a frigid evening. Oh, and no one in Japan dresses for the cold weather either. Everyone was freezing, but they made fun of me for wearing long johns and a scarf. Yet I was the only warm person in the group! They don't show much of the interaction between AKB48 and the crowd on the DVD's, but they did talk to the audience quite a bit. In fact after the first song they all started exclaiming how cold it was outside! And Shibuya AX looks a lot bigger on this DVD than it really is. The place is tiny! Maybe not as tiny as the Don Quixote Theater, but it is small nonetheless. So there wasn't a bad vantage point in the house, unless you were behind someone particularly tall.
5. Only Today (#17) Team A, 4th Stage. We'll start this with my favorite song before I ever saw this DVD. This song has the greatest lyrics! It's about a girl going to the beach to have one last fling with her best friend's boyfriend. That's great! And it's such a cute song too. Just like Dear My Teacher, I love when AKB makes such racy lyrics sound cute. And they dance like they are the Rockettes!
4. Nagisa no CHERRY (#15) Team A, 2nd Stage. Wow, they look just like the Supremes, and Acchan is Diana Ross! Obviously this song is a total nod to the girl groups of the early-mid 60's. Atsuko may seem to hide out on the energetic and intense stuff. But on silly and cute songs, she is perfect!
3. Nounai Paradise (#18) Team K, 3rd Stage. Team K seems to favor those red plaid skirts and white short sleeve tops, but I like just about every song they perform in them. This is so much fun, and it has one of the catchiest choruses of all! "1 2 3 4 A B C D", "Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday". But Oku Manami looks like a little fireplug up there. I still can't decide whether or not I like her, I mean she catches my attention...
2. Nage KISS de Uchi Otose (#24) Team A, 3rd Stage. I remember wondering what the heck this song was when I was at the show. And I loved the "theatrics" of the dance. Minegishi's little pout near the beginning was stuck in my head all these months. By the way, this is another "cutesy" song lead by Maeda Atsuko. Lets talk about her for a moment...
**Acchan gets a lot of flak on the internet, but that comes with the territory of being the "face" of AKB48. She is extremely cute. I mean she was the first girl that caught my eye in the Aitakatta PV. However, she doesn't come across as a leader. And that is why she gets that "dead fish" reputation. That is why I am glad to see her sexy bit in the new Baby! Baby! Baby! PV because it's a side of Atsuko I've never really seen before. And you know what? She pulled it off! Now for the #1 song of the final night...
1. Blue Rose (#23) Team K, 2nd Stage. Performed by Sayaka, Sae, Yuka and OMFG Megumi!!! I've held off mentioning Meetan-hime (my favorite person on the planet!) until this moment. She is cute as hell, sexy as hell, and willing to do just about anything! Watching Ohori Megumi tear her clothes off in the middle of the song blew my mind, and I think it blew the minds of everyone else in the group! Most of the girls sitting in the background have their hands over their mouths. And the audio commentary, with Acchan laughing her ass off is hysterical! Blue Rose is the rockingest song in AKB's catalog. My only complaint (if you can call it that) is Meetan's theatrics totally overshadow the amazing performances of the other three girls.
I have to say this is by far the greatest concert DVD I have ever encountered. The only thing that could've made it better was if Ohe Tomomi had performed. But apparently she was ill that entire week. Poor Oh-Yay! If this boxed set was made more available to the general public, I think AKB48 would grow a much bigger fanbase. There is so much more to this group than meets the eye. They have some great dancers, especially in Team B. Much of their choreography almost makes you think you are watching a musical as opposed to a concert. They are just as cute as Hello! Project. And after hearing most of their catalog, their music is just as good, if not better! I was already a fan of the group, but this DVD set has made me a fanatic!
The question is now that AKB48 has become my far and away favorite J-pop group, what do I do about the name of this blog???
CK in California
(You Tube videos generously uploaded by user "Lovebomcote")
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Wow this is quite an announcement!! AKB48 is now your overall favorite!! I was a wee bit confused about this groups configuration and now I can find clarification here. ^-^ Thank you CK!
On reflection, it's safe to say that getting into the Don Quixote is not as great as it's made out to be. It is very cramped, and if you're stuck on the left or right wings, the wide mirrored support posts are visual obstacles (note that in AKB's first DVD concert release, these posts are astonishingly recreated on the larger theater stage, but move apart so the larger show can be seen. It appears the posts are part of AKB48 lore).
And, yes, there's always at least one screamer in the crowd. That's not only evident on DVDs, which you have mentioned before, but in the live venue. Screamers at H!P events, in contrast, tend to get covered over by the thousands of other voices as the case at Yokohama Arena.
Have a great trip, Chris. Keep us posted. And, yes ... I'm with you on AKB48. They are No. 1 right now, redundant schoolgirl outfits and all. Hope I can make my Janaury pilgrimmage to Yokohama Arena. It all depends on how deep my comoany's job cuts will end up being!