:) Yay ! ^ ^ I Am So Happy Because AKB48 Have Hold A Regular Theater Performances In Singapore ! :D

AKB48 has decided to expand its theater performances to Singapore!
According to theater master Togasaki Tomonobu, AKB48 will begin to hold bi-monthly “theater style” live performances in Singapore beginning on May 15th. After the second performance, live events will include AKB48’s sister groups SKE48, NMB48, and SDN48.
Information on purchasing tickets for the May 15th performance will follow shortly, so stay tuned for more on this exciting new event for AKB48 fans in Singapore!

AKB48 French Kiss reveals one PV for their latest single. I cannot wait for it to be release. :(

AKB48 sub-unit French Kiss has just released PV teasers for their latest single “Kakkowarui I love you” along with the coupling track “Kimi Nara Daijoubu”. Earlier today we posted that several athletes will be featured in “Kimi Nara Daijoubu” and member, Kashiwagi Yuki, also posted on her blog that around 500 non-celebrities also participated in the filming. They wanted to express that in their song, so they got a variety of people to come shoot with them.

Top 10 AKB48 Members

With a group of 48 members, it is really difficult for non-fans to tell apart one AKB48 girl from the next. Based off a public poll conducted late last year, this is a listing of the most popular members. A summary of each idol will hopefully help new viewers identify some of the members in the future.

#1 : Maeda Atsuko

AKB48 cover girl Maeda Atsuko has long had the most fans. As one of the lead singers from Team A, she appears in all of the group’s singles to date (and most often right in the center of videos). Other than Takahashi Minami, she provides the most vocals and boasts many solo performances in their theater shows. Apart from this, she mainly acts in low key television dramas. She is known to fans as Aachan.

#2 : Oshima Yuko

Oshima Yuko is Team K most popular member, best known for her silly antics. As with the other popular members she appear regularly at the forefront of singles. She also performs solo songs in the Team K concerts, despite her lackluster vocal performance. As part of a theatrical company, her showbiz career started at the early age of 8. She was also former junior gravure model. Oshima Yuko is rarely featured outside of AKB48 but when she is it is mostly in the form of photobooks.

#3 : Mariko Shinoda

At 24 years of age, Shinoda Mariko is AKB48′s oldest member. While other “aged” members have been forced to leave the group, she remains one of their leading members. Originally a waitress at the cafe next to the group’s theater, Shinoda Mariko is the only member not selected through an audition. Instead, she was hired after hundreds of the cafe’s customers petitioned for her inclusion. She appears as model for fashion magazines and was also the cover girl for the recent Sony PostPet television commercials.

#4 : Mayu Watanabe

One of the group’s younger members, Watanabe Mayu is Team B most popular idol. She is the only Team B member to be featured consistently at the front of the music videos. She is famous for her cheery personality. Her fans call her Mayuyu.

#5 : Takahashi Minami

As the lead singer, Takahashi Minami is the group’s strongest vocalist. She has provided the main vocals for all their singles so far. She is also the leader of Team A and thus the overall leader of AKB48. She is well known for her rough mannerisms. Measuring at only 148cm, Takahashi is the shortest leading member. She is often referred to as Takamina.

#6 : Haruna Kojima

Kojima Haruna is another popular member from Team A. She has also appeared in all the group’s singles and has quite a few singing lines. She plays small roles in many popular dramas and takes the lead role in more obscure shows. She is the next oldest member after Shinoda Mariko.

#7 : Tomomi Itano

Among all the members, Itano Tomomi has gone through the most change in terms of appearance. As one of the original Team A girls, she has been featured in all of the singles (though not as prominently as the other members). She is often seen together with the other Tomomi, Tomomi Kasai. They both belong to the HoriPro talent agency for which they play in the Xanadu loves NHC futsal team. She goes by the nickname Tomochin. She was switched to Team K at the end of last year.

#8 : Sato Amina

Sato Amina is one of the newer staple members of AKB48. Originally a fan of AKB48, she later joined the group as a training backdancer during one of their later auditions. She was recently brought into Team A, the team she supported as a fan. She appears in the latest 3 singles.

#9 : Kashiwagi Yuki

Rising in popularity is Team B’s leader Kashiwagi Yuki . She has appeared in all singles since the formation of Team B though not as prominently as Mayu Watanabe . She had participated in the audition for the 8th Generation Morning Musume members back in 2006. She is known as Yukirin to fans.

#10 : Tomomi Kasai

Former Team K Tomomi Kasai has appeared in all the AKB48 singles since the team’s formation. Her most distinctive features are her droopy eyes. She also plays for the HoriPro futsal team with the other Tomomi. As of the end of last year, she was switched to Team B.

SKE48 hopes to promote in Korea. :) But Korean netizens aren’t welcoming. =(

An unfamiliar Japanese girl group made an appearance on September 10th at KBS’s Seoul Drama Awards. SKE48 is a popular girl group in Japan, and it consists of a unique system that divides their group into teams according to popularity. In total, they have over 30 members in the final group. Seven of the girls came to Korea for the appearance, including leader Matsui Rena, Kizaki Yuria, Ishida Anna, Ogiso Shiori, and others. Sports World was able to personally meet the girls for an interview before their stage. When asked about their feelings regarding their visit to Korea, they answered, “This is our second visit. The first time we came, it was a bit surprising, but I think we have a lot more freedom this time around. We are working hard at learning Korean.” When asked why they were in Korea, they revealed, “We came in order to raise the awareness of Japanese idol groups in Korea. Before, Hallyu dramas were highly popular in Japan. Now, I think that Korean singers have a lot more popularity. We know that KARA, SNSD, and others are achieving much success. We’d like to show the charms of Japanese idol groups to Korean music fans as well. Should we receive the opportunity, we’d like to promote in Korea.” SKE48 is highly aware of Korean girl groups, commenting, “SNSD left the greatest impression on us. First of all, they have beautiful legs. We saw them often during broadcast shows and became envious of their skinny legs. It’d be nice if our legs were as pretty as SNSD’s.” Unfortunately, Korean netizens weren’t so welcoming, as the majority of the comments left were along the lines of, “Honestly, if you guys come to Korea with your skills, you guys will be chased back out,” “It’s not only you guys that won’t make it in Korea, it’s any Japanese group. Don’t even dream of it,” and “Not gonna lie, I was randomly flipping through the channels when I came across them and thought I was watching some school arts festival.”