CK in Japan, Fall 2009 Days 5-7...SDN + Idoling!!! = <3

It is already Christmas in Akihabara!  Actually I don't have much to report for day 5, although I did see AKB48 Team Kenkyuusei on Wednesday night.  But I will report on that in another post.  Hey, I didn't promise this stuff would all be in chronological order!  So I am going to work backwards a bit.  Beginning with today, which isn't over.

I didn't have anything planned that was J-pop related today.  So I deferred to my AKB brethren for advice on what to do with the day.  It didn't necessarily need to be associated with AKB, or Idols at all for that matter.  I was merely looking for something fun to do.  And they had recommended Odaiba.

Odaiba?  Oh yeah, that's supposed to be a fun place.  I had never been there before.  And how could i forget it?  After all, it is the mystical land of...

So I took that cool little tram from Shimbashi over to the island.  Like seeing the wizard's castle for the first time, there it was!  The Fuji TV building and home to Idoling!!!

Wow, that is such a cool structure!  But first I wanted to go check out that miniature Statue of Liberty they have.  This is also where that giant Gundam used to be.  But it is gone now.  The general area around the Fuji television building is filled with shopping malls, restaurants and amusement attractions.  I had lunch in this cute little tex-mex restaurant that was supposed to be like a silver mine.  500 yen for the Japanese version of Jambalaya and all the soda you can drink.

After lunch I did a little exploring and found the store that sells Idoling!!! goods.  The only problem was that the selection for my favorite member, Erika Yazawa was kinda "picked over".  So I ended up with a T-shirt.  They had another T-shirt design that was much cooler, but there were none in my size for Erika.  I checked Asahi Nao too, but no luck.  Oh well.  It was still a cool little excursion.

It is still mid-afternoon at the time of this writing, so I may end up doing something tonight.  The tentative plan is to head to Tokyo Tower, as the Tokyo Tower girl makes regular Friday night appearances.  And of course the Tokyo Tower girl is none other than AKB48's Umeda Ayaka!

This is my review of SDN48 after seeing them three times this week.  I posted this at Stage48.net earlier today as well...

Warning #1) Long post is long!  Warning #2) Hide your eyes kiddies, this is an SDN review!  I will do my best to keep it as clean as possible.

Okay, I think it's time I do an experience post since I have seen five shows over the past week.  And for this entry I'll focus on my new favorite Team...SDN!!!!!  But first a couple of observations...

The theater is a lot more crowded lately, and the demographic is indeed getting younger.  At first this didn't bother me although I have been hearing a few curmudgeonly comments from some of the older fans.  On the surface having a younger fanbase will ensure long-term success.  But one big problem is that most of them can't afford the higher ticket items AKB is selling.  So on Sunday when they released the monthly (former gaccha) photos  and the Budokan box, the line for the pics was 3-4 blocks long, but you could walk right in and buy a dvd set with no wait whatsoever!  the second thing is they have turned the cafe/lobby into a pic-trading heaven.  It was like that before, but never on the level I am seeing now.  It's like the new fans have replaced Pokemon with AKB.  It was funny, when i bought my calendar they all swooped down on me to see what "extra" BLT I got, and they all scoffed when I pulled out Amina!  Oh, and with the heavier pic-trading comes a lot more female fans.  But back on topic...

At this point I have seen five shows, yet none of them have been for Teams A, K or B.  in fact, B isn't performing for my entire trip.  And you know what?  I'm not disappointed.  Because I have a new favorite team, which would make sense since Meetan is my Oshimen.  So three wins for SDN is a total victory, as far as I'm concerned.

I won all three shows via renban with my buddy Hiro.  we sat in Enpou for two of those shows, and the one show we were in the lottery our group got called 2nd to last...Ugghhh.  I never have good lottery karma!  In fifteen theater shows i have never been closer than 4th row far left.

BTW, if you want to follow along you can find previews of all of the songs here on their official site

Gotta love the sexy overture, fits the team well.  The pre-show welcome was done last night by Chen Qu.  I love listening to her talk, as she has the same intonations and "spacey' personality as JunJun for Morning Musume.  Saturday Night Party: Team White appears looking exactly like Wonder Girls' "Nobody" MV, complete with the antique mic stands.  They are all gorgeous, especially Misa Okochi and Chen.  But after a while I am captivated by Chisaki Hatakeyama.  There is just something about this girl that makes her really special.  Since last night was Chaki's birthday show, the audience went nuts when she started singing.

Never begins with Team Red, but White joins in on the first chorus.  Chaki just flies across the stage!  At that point my adulation for her rose to the next level!  The moment I saw Megu I was pissed at whoever the photographer was who took the official site pics.  A lot of these girls are much much cuter than those pics indicate.  They do a little "rap" as part of the verse which is really cute.  And watching Nonti do her solo line just confirmed that SDN is where she belongs!

Black Boy is just plain awesome.  Now all three colors are onstage, and that means Meetan!!!!  This is the song I voted for in the Setlist 2010 elections.  Although now i would consider it my 3rd fave.  But it just filled with energy and attitude.  Those of you who have seen the Budokan version got a hint of it.  You have to see it in the theater...intense!  BTW, I spent most of my energy cheering for Meetan, Chaki, Chen-chuu and Sayanee.

Last night's opening MC was the first chapter in the Chisaki cry-fest.  As I was noticing Meetan...hmmm, she had a strange look on her face.  I wasn't sure what it was about and wondered if she might not be feeling well.  Then again, she is always an emotional rollercoaster (hehe).  But I would find out what was up a little later (I think).  The cheers for Chisaki were intense, and she was unsuccessfully fighting back the tears,

Yuuwaku no Garter:  Damn these costumes are sexy.  They are the ones represented in their logo.  But what you don't see is how skimpy the undershorts are.  there is a point in the song where they bend over and sort of lift up their skirts, and Yukarin...wow!!!  I think you know what I am getting at.  Last night Chisaki subbed for Yukarin, and I has in heaven yet again!  But the song is typical "sexy J-pop"  The song ends with the line "I wanna be your pleasure toy!"  That is so hawt.  Speaking of hawt...

I'm Sure is where this Stage gets even more R-rated.  Is just great, a totally seductive verse into an intense rocking chorus.  And the girls dance is like a dirtier version of Oshi/Meshi, if you can imagine that.  And then ZOMG!!!  On the last verse Kana lies down on the stage and Misa mounts her as they sing the end of the song.  It is incredible!

All In wasn't one of my favorite songs, but it was fun rooting for Chen and Sayanee.  The audience goes crazy for Nonti.  One other thing, Reiko is a great singer!  And once again, she looks much hawter than her site pic suggests.

Finally Meetan's unit!  Jajauma Lady:  Although the first show I saw had Nachu leading the unit.  The dance on the chorus, the way they sort of "paw" at the audience is sooo cute!  Are they suppose to be horses or something?  Meetan gets a lot of solo time here, so I got to do plenty of screaming!  The end of the song features Meetan chasing Chisaki around the stage with the whip.  (hehe)  And during last night's show the birthday committee passed out glowsticks for Chaki's birthday to be used for this song.

Nachu/Meetan MC is awesome!!!!  BTW, I love Nachu, she is so great!  She is all about comedy!  She has a different dialect, and she also speaks with a lisp.  I love that!  Last night i think she was saying something about her pants running up her butt.  But the funniest was on Sunday when she was asking Meetan how her legs felt, and when Meetan would give this sexy answer Nachu would smack her in the quad!  Don't hurt Meetan!  I also think it is hysterical that the audience likes to call her "Natsuko", and she always reacts to it.  They end with an "audience participation" chant for...

Ganbarina is full of energy.  And it is one of those "hand gesture" songs the audience has a lot of fun with.  Some of the girls do acrobatics during the musical portion, and the crowd "whoops and wows"

Futsuu no Anata is also one of my favorite songs.  Hiro mentioned to me that the lyrics are particularly suggestive.  That's hawt!  If you listen to the preview on the official site you will get an idea of how sexy this song is.  At one point toward the end of the song where the music slows down half the team closes their eyes and leans forward like they are waiting for a kiss.  It is soooooo adorable.  I wanted to just run up there and oblige them, especially since Meetan and Chaki were among that group.

Best by: Sexy costumes, I never noticed before what a tiny waist Meetan has.  By the time this song came around the first time I watched this stage, I was sold.  This is the best Stage I have ever seen!

They do a VTR while the girls get ready for the last song of the main set.  One member gets 3 minutes to entertain you.  It was usually something sexy or funny.  Like the first show i saw had Nachu in the hallway with a rubber hammer, banging on the girls' pics and saying funny things about them...NATSUKO!!!!

Aisareru Tame ni, the "glowstick" song!  Kinda like AKB Sanjou, the girls all have green glowsticks (as well as the audience) and they spell out love during the chorus with us following along.  this is the one SDN ballad, and it is pretty.  Even if it reminds me of Procol Harum's Whiter Shade of Pale

Last night's encore chant was simply "Chaki, Chaki, Chaki, Chaki" it was intense, and it never let up!

Kodoka na Runner is as fast paced as the title suggests.  It has a long musical interlude in the middle where the "fire, cyber, diver" chant goes, followed by the Japanese version, followed by a third version of the chant which I had never heard before.  But it was great!

Touhikou is most memorable to me for Chen singing her solo lines in Chinese.  Actually they are more like spoken word.  The short kimono's they wear are the same one's they wear during the post show "high touch"  It's a pretty song.

In the final MC last night Chaki got a tremendous ovation, which caused her to cry harder and harder the longer it went.  She is beyond adorable, and I am now declaring her my 2nd favorite member besides Meetan.  In fact I was compelled to write her a fan letter for her birthday.  But then i started to feel like I was betraying Ohori a little bit so I wrote her one too, and delivered them both last night.  Speaking of Ohori, she was the next MC after Chaki.  When she stepped forward she had a strange look on her face which caused everyone to laugh.  But then she started crying too!  I think at first everyone thought she was playacting, including the other girls.  But then she kept apologizing and something about being affected by Chisaki's reaction to the ovation.  So it was totally real.  Meetan is so great!!!  In fact i noticed in all three shows the girls make constant references to her in MC's.  She is definitely one that the other members look up to.  It speaks volumes to what a great idol she actually is.  And what was this about Meetan treating Serina like a servant???  After the MC the girls rip off the Kimonos into a really sexy costume for...

Vampire Keikaku:  here it is.  this is my favorite SDN song for so many reasons.  The girls all get a moment up front, so you get one last chance to scream for your favorite.  But it is the dance routine that makes it so special.  On each chorus half the Team lies down on the stage as it rises in the air and they do hip thrusts.  Wow, blatant sexual suggestion!!!  Another awesome R-rated moment.  And toward the end they all pair off for a "bite"  (Vampire song, remember?)  Meetan was so cute when she bit Kohara.  But when she paired off with Yukarin on Sunday she actually kissed her...AWESOME!!!  A heartwarming song to end the show.

It was a birthday show.  And what would a birthday be without cake?  As Nachu rolled out the cake the Chisaki faucet re-commenced.  And after a chorus of "Happy Birthday" the streamers and confetti flew out.  It was too much for Chaki, she just lost it.  So cute!!!

The first show i saw was on Halloween, so instead of "High-Touch" they had "Trick-or-Treat", which meant you could go up to the girl of your choice and get Halloween candy.  I hadn't totally fallen for Chisaki yet, so I chose Sayanee since I saw her in New York, and she speaks English.  She tried to talk to me about NYAF, but then the security guys pushed me away.  Hehe

For those who don't know, at the end of each show the girls line up in the hallway.  As you leave they all give you a "high-five" and Arigatou.  I believe they do this for every show.  On Sunday for "high touch" Hiro and I planned to get me stuck in front of Meetan.  As I went down the line of girls giving high-fives the first girl to "sugoi" at my gaijin-ness was CinDy who grabbed my hand with both of hers.  Chisaki did the same.  But then our plan began to unravel when I got to Nachu, who was committed to having me learn her hand gesture.  It caused me to back up the line.  When the staff pushed me it made me fly right past Nonti and Yukarin.  but I stopped myself at Meetan long enough to make eye contact.  And Hiro had told her i was her California fan with the AKB car plates.  So she grabbed my hand and gave me a big "Arigatou".  Last night went a lot smoother, and Nachu got a kick out of the fact that I knew her hand gesture this time.  After ogling Meetan I made sure to give Chaki a big "Otanjoubi Omedettou!"  I'll never wash my hand again!

Yes, now I have another autographed Meetan B.L.T.  I can't say enough about how much I love this stage!  The songs are great, and the dancing is on an entirely different level of anything I have ever seen an idol group do.  The entire concept is ingenious!  And the "high touch" at the end is just flat out great.  Getting to meet all of the members at the end of the show?  How amazing!  And since i stand out a bit it makes it even more special.

I had to check myself last night to make sure I wasn't falling for Chisaki at the expense of Meetan.  But when they were both on stage together my focus remained with Ohori.  There really isn't a bad song in the setlist, but my top 5 are...

1. Vampire Keikaku
2. Futsuu no Anata
3. Black Boy
4. I'm Sure
5. Jajauma Lady (had to include Meetan/Chisaki unit!)

So there ya go.  Chen's birthday show is on Saturday night.  The Chen birthday committee let me write a message on their birthday card!  I am not going as I am seeing Infinity that night.  but I plan to go to the theater after to watch the show on the monitors.  And that means one more "high touch".  Yayyy!

Okay, I still have tons going on this weekend, including AKB Infinity on Saturday and Morning Musume on Sunday.  So this trip is far from over.  Until then...

CK in Tokyo