The results of AKB48 34th Single Senbatsu Tournament!

One of AKB48's annual events, the Janken tournament, has just begun!

This is the 4th year for the Janken tournament to be held, and the Senbatsu members that will participate in AKB48's 34th single will be chosen through it. Same as previous years, the tournament is being held at the Nippon Budokan.

Who will be left standing as the "Janken Queen" this year among the total of 83 girls?

Stay tuned as we give you a live update of winners from each round!

=====
♤ Round 1: ♤

[A Block]
(1)Matsui Jurina vs. Muto Tomu -> Winner : Matsui Jurina
(2)Kobayashi Kana vs. Shimada Haruka -> Winner : Shimada Haruka
(3)Kojima Mako vs. Iwata Karen -> Winner : Kojima Mako
[B Block]
(4)Takeuchi Mai vs. Ishida Haruka -> Winner : Ishida Haruka
(5)Okita Ayaka vs. Takajo Aki -> Winner :  Okita Ayaka
[C Block]
(6)Mizuno Honoka vs. Nagao Mariya -> Winner :  Nagao Mariya
(7)Maeda Ami vs. Takahashi Juri -> Winner :  Takahashi Juri
(8)Miyazaki Miho vs. Kobayashi Marina -> Winner :  Kobayashi Marina
[D Block ]
(9)Tsuchiyasu Mizuki vs. Suzuki Mariya -> Winner :  Tsuchiyasu Mizuki
(10)Kato Rena vs. Nakata Chisato -> Winner :  Nakata Chisato
[E Block]
(11)Ichikawa Miori vs. Kodama Haruka -> Winner :  Ichikawa Miori
(12)Kamieda Emika vs. Tanaka Natsumi -> Winner :  Kamieda Emika
(13)Izuta Rina vs. Uchida Mayumi -> Winner :  Izuta Rina
[F Block]
(14)Miyawaki Sakura vs. Matsui Sakiko -> Winner : Miyawaki Sakura
(15)Sato Sumire vs. Omori Miyuu -> Winner : Omori Miyuu
(16)Uchiyama Mikoto vs. Miyamae Ami -> Winner : Uchiyama Mikoto
[G Block]
(17)Iriyama Anna vs. Nonaka Misato -> Winner : Nonaka Misato
(18)Matsumoto Rina vs. Katayama Haruka -> Winner : Matsumoto Rina
(19)Yamauchi Suzuran vs. Kobayashi Rikako *not participating
[H Block]
(20)Oshima Yuko vs. Shiroma Miru -> Winner : Shiroma Miru
(21)Sato Seira vs. Ichino Narumi -> Winner : Ichino Narumi

*****

♤ Round 2: ♤

[A Block]
 Matsui Jurina vs. Yagura Fuuko -> Winner : Matsui Jurina
Shimada Haruka vs. Yokoyama Yui -> Winner :  Shimada Haruka
Kojima Mako vs. Watanabe Miyuki -> Winner :  Kojima Mako
Uno Mizuki vs. Owada Nana -> Winner :  Uno Mizuki
[B Block]
Ishida Haruka vs. Tomonaga Mio -> Winner :  Tomonaga Mio
Tano Yuuka vs. Murakami Ayaka -> Winner :  Tano Yuuka
Okita Ayaka vs. Kojima Natsuki -> Winner :  Okita Ayaka
Furuhata Nao vs. Morita Ayaka -> Winner :  Furuhata Nao
[C Block]
Nagao Mariya vs. Morikawa Ayaka -> Winner :  Morikawa Ayaka
Takahashi Juri vs. Abe Maria -> Winner :  Abe Maria
Kobayashi Marina vs. Kitahara Rie -> Winner :  Kitahara Rie
Fujita Nana vs. Takahashi Minami -> Winner :  Takahashi Minami
[D Block]
Tsuchiyasu Mizuki vs. Takeuchi Miyu -> Winner :  Tsuchiyasu Mizuki
Watanabe Mayu vs. Kashiwagi Yuki -> Winner :  Watanabe Mayu
Nakata Chisato vs. Hirata Rina -> Winner :  Hirata Rina
Nozawa Rena vs. Kojima Haruna -> Winner :  Kojima Haruna
[E Block]
Ichikawa Miori vs. Kawaei Rina -> Winner :  Ichikawa Miori
Kamieda Emika vs. Nakamata Shiori *not participating -> Winner :  Kamieda Emika
Izuta Rina vs. Chikano Rina -> Winner :  Chikano Rina
Sato Amina vs. Fujie Reina -> Winner :  Fujie Reina
[F Block]
Miyawaki Sakura vs. Kikuchi Ayaka -> Winner : Kikuchi Ayaka
Omori Miyuu vs. Isohara Kyoka -> Winner : Isohara Kyoka
Uchiyama Mikoto vs. Sasaki Yukari -> Winner : Sasaki Yukari
Shimazaki Haruka vs. Tanabe Miku -> Winner : Shimazaki Haruka
[G Block]
Nonaka Misato vs. Natori Wakana -> Winner : Natori Wakana
Matsumoto Rina vs. Iwasa Misaki -> Winner : Matsumoto Rina
Yamauchi Suzuran vs. Umeda Ayaka -> Winner : Umeda Ayaka
Nakamura Mariko vs. Yumoto Ami -> Winner : Yumoto Ami
[H Block]
Shiroma Miru vs. Oshima Ryoka -> Winner : Oshima Ryoka
Oba Mina vs. Kuramochi Asuka -> Winner : Oba Mina
Ichino Narumi vs. Koyanagi Arisa -> Winner : Koyanagi Arisa
Suzuki Shihori vs. Oya Shizuka -> Winner : Oya Shizuka

*****

♤ Round 3: ♤ [ Winners =Senbatsu Members!]

[A Block]
Matsui Jurina vs. Shimada Haruka -> Winner :  Matsui Jurina
Kojima Mako vs. Uno Mizuki -> Winner :  Uno Mizuki
[B Block]
Tano Yuuka vs, Tomonaga Mio -> Winner :  Tano Yuuka
Okita Ayaka vs. Furuhata Nao -> Winner :  Furuhata Nao
[C Block]
Morikawa Ayaka vs. Abe Maria -> Winner :  Abe Maria
Kitahara Rie vs. Takahashi Minami -> Winner :  Kitahara Rie
[D Block]
Tsuchiyasu Mizuki vs. Watanabe Mayu -> Winner :  Tsuchiyasu Mizuki
Hirata Rina vs. Kojima Haruna -> Winner :  Hirata Rina
[E Block]
Ichikawa Miori vs. Kamieda Emika -> Winner :  Kamieda Emika
Chikano Rina vs. Fujie Reina -> Winner :  Fujie Reina
[F Block]
Kikuchi Ayaka vs. Isohara Kyoka -> Winner : Kikuchi Ayaka
Sasaki Yukari vs. Shimazaki Haruka -> Winner : Sasaki Yukari
[G Block]
Natori Wakana vs. Matsumoto Rina -> Winner : Natori Wakana
Umeda Ayaka vs. Yumoto Ami -> Winner : Yumoto Ami
[H Block]
Oshima Ryoka vs. Oba Mina -> Winner : Oba Mina
Koyanagi Arisa vs. Oya Shizuka -> Winner : Oya Shizuka

*****

♤ Round 4: ♤

[A Block]
Matsui Jurina vs. Uno Mizuki -> Winner : Matsui Jurina
[B Block]
Tano Yuuka vs. Furuhata Nao -> Winner : Tano Yuuka
[C Block]
Abe Maria vs. Kitahara Rie -> Winner : Abe Maria
[D Block]
Tsuchiyasu Mizuki vs. Hirata Rina -> Winner : Hirata Rina
[E Block]
Kamieda Emika vs. Fujie Reina -> Winner : Kamieda Emika
[F Block]
Kikuchi Ayaka vs. Sasaki Yukari -> Winner : Kikuchi Ayaka
[G Block]
Natori Wakana vs. Yumoto Ami -> Winner : Natori Wakana
[H Block]
Oba Mina vs. Oya Shizuka -> Winner : Oba Mina

*****

♤ Quarter-Finals: ♤

Matsui Jurina vs. Tano Yuuka -> Winner : Matsui Jurina
Abe Maria vs. Hirata Rina -> Winner : Hirata Rina
Kamieda Emika vs. Kikuchi Ayaka -> Winner : Kamieda Emika
Natori Wakana vs. Oba Mina -> Winner : Oba Mina

*****

♤ Semi-Finals: ♤

Matsui Jurina vs. Hirata Rina -> Winner : Matsui Jurina
Kamieda Emika vs. Oba Mina -> Winner : Kamieda Emika

*****

☆ FINAL WINNER ☆

Matsui Jurina vs. Kamieda Emika -> Winner : Matsui Jurina

*****
 Matsui Jurina will become the center for AKB48's 34th single!!
Congratulations!

Source: AKB48 official site & http://www.tokyohive.com

Kojima Haruna takes the center position for AKB48's 33rd single

AKB48 performed their upcoming 33rd single titled "Heart Ereki" which is set for release on October 30th, at the opening for their Janken Tournament event (held at the Nippon Budokan on the 18th), and it was revealed that Kojima Haruna took the center position for the single.




This is the first time for Kojima who is one of the first generation members, to be the center, and when it was announced, a stir and great shout of joy arose from the 12,000 of audience.

Kojima told the audience, "I don't even know how this happened...but I will do my best!"


The concept of this "Heart Ereki" is a band, and each of 16 Senbatsu members have a nickname.

The single will have 9 different versions; 4 regular editions, 4 limited editions, and a theater edition.


Below is the list of 16 Senbatsu members along with their nickname for the single.
- Kojima Haruna (Michelle)
- Iriyama Anna (Veronica)
- Kawaei Rina (Kawae-)
- Takahashi Minami (Linda)
- Yokoyama Yui (Mary)
- Watanabe Mayu (Elizabeth)
- Oshima Yuko (Lucy)
- Kashiwagi Yuki (Catherine)
- Shimazaki Haruka (Angelina)
- Minegishi Minami (Barbara)
- Matsui Jurina (Caroline)
- Matsui Rena (Sandy)
- Yamamoto Sayaka (Rosanna)
- Watanabe Miyuki (Josephine)
- Ota Aika (Margaret)
- Sashihara Rino (Rola)

Source & Image(s): Oricon & http://www.tokyohive.com

HKT48: HKT’s card game CM + BTS

source: Youtube

Former AKB48 member Akimoto Sayaka Graduation Declaration: " i want erase my Gorilla Character."

Even though she gave out bananas to staff and members as mementos at her graduation, when the press brought up the subject, she asked them to stop and said that she wants to erase her gorilla image as best she can.
And my babble about this: Sayaka’s gorilla image in AKB didn’t come out of nowhere, and it didn’t start when she joined.  It was revealed on a TV show that as a kid, a boy she thought liked her wrote “Akimoto is seriously a gorilla” on the swings.  It became an ongoing joke during her time in AKB, but even as recently as a couple of years ago, she made it obvious that it was still something hurtful for her.  (Sayaka v. Tomochin shoujiki shougi, the very last question, from 18:00 on.)
The fact that she was able to make jokes out of saying things like “uho” and doing gorilla impressions doesn’t mean that it was something she liked or was okay with being called, it means that she was strong enough to turn something painful around and laugh about it as best she could, which is extremely admirable.  Even though UHHO UHHOHO is gorilla-themed, the lyrics are about taking sad and painful things and blowing them away, which I think Aki-P very purposefully used for a Sayaka-centered song, having the understanding he did about her.  It’s not uncommon for mixed race kids like Sayaka to be bullied growing up in Japan for looking and being different, and she was obviously not exempt from this.  Sayaka is how she is now because of what she dealt with growing up.  She knows exactly what it’s like to be treated poorly because you’re different, which is why she’s so outspoken in her support for folks who are LGBT, disabled, from other countries, or in any other way different.  She’s said that she can’t stand prejudice, and can’t understanding hating someone for something they can’t help. 
For people who are different, sometimes it’s all you can do to take words used against you and do their best to reclaim them and laugh about them.  I’ve long had the feeling that’s how the “gorilla” thing was for Sayaka, and it’s always made me pretty uncomfy to see people calling her that, especially fans of hers;;;  I know not everybody might get the whole history of the gorilla thing, so I hope this post helps explain it a little better.
Even if Sayaka’s gorilla jokes and UHO’s and bananas were funny for the time she was in AKB, let’s do what she’s asking and leave them behind as she moves on in her career, yeah? ♡

source : tumblr

Nogizaka46 to Sing New “Naruto Shippuden” OP Theme

It is officially announced today that Nogizaka46, a female idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto along with AKB48 and other sister groups, will sing a new OP theme song for TV Tokyo’s long-running TV anime series Naruto Shippuden. The anime will start featuring their untitled song as the OP theme from the October 3 episode for the next six months. It will be the 14th OP theme following the current song “Niwaka Ame Nimo Makezu” by NICO Touches the Walls. The release date of the single CD of the song has not been decided yet.
In addition, six members of the group (Rina Ikoma, Reika Sakurai, Nanami Hashimoto, Nanase Nishino, Sayuri Matsumura, Yumi Wakatsuki) form a new unit named “Naruzaka46” as an official supporter team for the anime. The will start appearing in a 15-second section in the anime’s September 5 episode. They will also take charge of “Naruto Tsushin-Narutsu,” an information page in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump.



(Source: crunchyroll.com)