The Day After...Devastation in the Don Quixote Theater

To say I was shocked when I awoke Sunday morning to the news of five members of AKB48's Team A graduating is an understatement.  I kept checking the posts over at Stage 48 hoping that the news would somehow be proven false.  But the report I was hoping for would never come to pass.  So now 2 of my favorite 3 members are graduating, and the third one (Ohori Megumi) has her head on the proverbial chopping block as we speak.

 

Nakanishi Rina was my original favorite member.  It seemed as if she was one of the main girls in AKB, until recently.  I have noticed that the producers have begun to favor other girls over Rinatin (and Narita Risa for that matter).  Rina has such an angelically beautiful face, it is hard to believe she is 20 years old.  The first time I noticed her was in the PV for Aitakatta!  And I thought she was amazing in Chocolove's Ashita wa Ashita no Kimi ga Umareru.

I highly doubt this is the last we will hear of Rinatin.  She is signed with another agency, and is too pretty and talented to simply disappear!

 

Ohe Tomomi:  Oh, crazy Oh-yay!  I wonder why she never got a chance to be in the forefront of any PV's.  Was she not popular enough?  I know that some fans didn't find her good looking, but I thought she was adorable.  And that crazy personality!  But I never really saw her show it off on any TV show.  Instead she always seemed awkward among the group.  But alone in her room with her dog Joy and her "cat" Nyanta, she was all laughs.  I fell in love with her after seeing her private video.  I will miss her the most.

 

As for the other three, they may not have been among my favorites.  But they were all recognizable girls in the unit.  I've always thought Komatani Hitomi was cute, especially after Cat posted that amazing picture of her on a recent Aitakatta! post.  Along with Narita Risa and Tojima Hana, I will miss them all...Ganbare!

So it's a new era, and I've just realized I need to find some new favorite members, stat!!!!  So I have quickly run over to Ray's American Wota "distractions"  Of course Meetan is still my favorite for the time being, but now I have six new girls to drool over, two from each team...

 

6. Maeda Atsuko (Team A)  I know she is an obvious pick, and I know she is the girl everyone loves to hate.  But much of that is merely backlash because she is so popular.  She is amazingly cute.  And as popular as she is, she still has an innocent vulnerability to her.  When I show non-fans AKB48 PV's, she is usually the girl my friends select as their favorite.

 

5. Sato Yukari (Team A)  I needed to pick a second person from team A (I omitted Team K's Noro Kayo for her)  What got me was the commentary between songs on the Shibuya-AX DVD.  She is always giggling, and the other girls all try to make her laugh.  She is one of the underdog girls in Team A, so I'll route for her to take a bigger role now that so many other members are leaving.

 

4. Oshima Yuko  (Team K)  I love Yuko for two reasons.  1) She has the most gravelly voice in AKB48.  The first time I heard her talk I thought "This girl can sing?" and 2) She was a U-15 idol before she ever joined AKB48.  Now that's hot!  She is extremely outgoing, the type of personality that could make a weekly television show entertaining.

 

3. Hirajima Natsumi  (Team B)  I've fallen under Julia's spell for this selection.  I don't know much about Natsumi except that she is very cute and a member of Team B, which I always think of as the "little team that could".  they were so energetic at Shibuya-AX, and Julia has given Team B's 2nd and 3rd stages a ringing endorsement.  I can't wait to hear them!

 

2. Noguchi Reina  (Team B)  Cuteness is the biggest factor when I pick idols to like, and Reina has it in spades.  I recently purchased an AKB48 photobook that came with three random pull-out 5x8's.  And Reina was my "B" photo.  I have nothing else to go on, so I'll route for her as my favorite member of team B.

 

 1. Sato Natsuki (Team K)  She always stands out when she is on stage.  Why?  That adorably goofy smile of hers, and she is always smiling!  I am such a sucker for bucktoothed girls.  The girl simply catches my attention, and her bubbly personality is infectuous.

 

It's another day, and life goes on.  AKB48 will live on and hopefully be a bigger success than ever.  And to the girls that are leaving, I sincerely hope that they realize all of their dreams.  I am sure they know they are still loved by their fans and will be sorely missed.

CK in California

(thanks to the various pic sources, including Cat's Aitakatta Blog)