Top 48G Members Mid Year 2017

I haven't really been following 48G this year. Me following 48G was always contingent on me buying their singles and albums for my collection, but because I just haven't had the money recently to do so, I've been paying less and less attention to the groups. It also doesn't help that releases have been few and far between for all of the groups.

AKB48

Neither of their singles this year have done anything for me. The B-sides have been meh (minus that SakamichiAKB song). The group has been kind of meh in graduation announcements. I'm semi-excited for Sousenkyou, but if Sasshi wins again I'm going to be disappointed. From my list in December, I lost Kira Takahashi. She should've been promoted and maybe she would've stuck around. AKB has a lot of KKS that really need to be promoted already. Surprised that Miichan hasn't announced yet. She really should (as should Mayuyu and Yukirin). It's time for the original members to leave.

#1: Minami Minegishi (-)

#2: Mayu Watanabe (+1)

#3: Mion Mukaichi (+1)

#4: Nana Okada (-2)

#5: Hijiri Tanikawa (-)

#6: Yuki Kashiwagi (-)

#7: Riona Hamamatsu (NEW)

#8: Nao Nomura (NEW)

#9: Saho Iwatate (NEW)

#10: Hinana Shimoguchi (NEW)

SKE48

SKE has been a non event this year. Sure they released an album, but that was way back in February and still no single yet this year. They were also a non event last year (though I loved Chicken Line). I actually completely forgot that SKE recruited an 8th generation. That's how little I've been paying attention recently. I'm actually surprised I haven't lost anyone from my list last year. I thought for certain I'd lose at least one or two. I guess the graduation torrent from SKE has slowed this year and they're starting to stabilize with the younger gens.

#1: Rara Goto (-)

#2: Oka Suenaga (+3)

#3: Jurina Matsui (-1)

#4: Ryoha Kitagawa (NEW)

#5: Akari Suda (+1)

#6: Marika Tani (+3)

#7: Haruka Futamura (NEW)

#8: Ayaka Ota (NEW)

#9: Natsuki Takatsuka (-2)

#10: Sarina Souda (NEW)

NMB48

Still thinking Sayaka will graduate this year or at least announce. Especially because she didn't participate in Sousenkyou. Has NMB released any singles this year? I can't remember if Boku ga Igai was this year or last year. Shows how much I've been paying attention haha.

#1: Sayaka Yamamoto (-)

#2: Rina Yamao (+2)

#3: Ririka Suto (-1)

#4: Narumi Koga (+6)

#5: Kanae Iso (+4)

#6: Fuuko Yagura (-3)

#7: Rurina Nishizawa (+1)

#8: Mizuki Uno (NEW)

#9: Azusa Uemura (NEW)

#10: Ayaka Yamamoto (NEW)

HKT48

Sasshi can leave now. I'd be good with that. Especially because they're making her be part of HKT, STU, AND AKB songs. Just leave already and leave spaces for girls who need it gosh. HKT released a single this year right? It was that bug song I believe. I don't think I've listened to it yet. Oh well. I'm slightly surprised I lost Haruka from December. Wasn't expecting that. I think Meru's going to be gone by year end. Don't know why, just a feeling. Anna will certainly be gone too. I can't imagine she'll hold out much longer with all the drama surrounding her.

#1: Meru Tashima (-)

#2: Nako Yabuki (-)

#3: Nao Ueki (+4)

#4: Mio Tomonaga (NEW)

#5: Miku Tanaka (NEW)

#6: Haruka Kodama (-1)

#7: Emiri Yamashita (-1)

#8: Maria Imamura (NEW)

#9: Anna Murashige (NEW)

#10: Sakura Miyawaki (-7)

NGT48

I still haven't listened to their debut song. From what I've heard about it, it seems like it will just be meh anyway. We'll probably see one more grad this year, after Sousenkyou. Still surprised that Mizusawa left so soon.

#1: Yuka Ogino (-)

#2: Tsugumi Oguma (NEW)

#3: Rena Hasegawa (NEW)

#4: Reina Seiji (-1)

#5: Mau Takahashi (NEW)

#6: Minami Kato (-)

#7: Miharu Nara (+2)

#8: Ayaka Tano (NEW)

#9: Riko Sugahara (NEW)

#10: Anju Sato (-5)

STU48

Cuca joined a group! I'm so happy for her! Too bad she wasn't included in their debut song, although the song was incredibly boring so meh. Hopefully they do a dance number soon and she gets to shine! I'm predicting one grad this year before a team is formed. They're all new so no positions.

#1: Miyu Sakaki

#2: Akari Fukuda

#3: Miyuna Kadowaki

#4: Yuri Torobu

#5: Aoi Hyodo

#6: Saki Sugahara

#7: Yumiko Takino

#8: Chiho Ishida

#9: Ayumi Ichioka

#10: Nonoka Shintani

Nogizaka46

If not the end of this year, next year there's going to be a mass grad of a lot of first gen. They've been in the group for, what, six years now? A lot are probably thinking about the future at this point. Influencer was ok as a single, haven't heard the B-sides. Then they released an album, which I also haven't heard anything from. Hopefully once things settle down for me I'll be able to catch back up.

#1: Rina Ikoma (-)

#2: Minami Hoshino (-)

#3: Maaya Wada (-)

#4: Miria Watanabe (NEW)

#5: Manatsu Akimoto (+1)

#6: Erika Ikuta (+2)

#7: Sayuri Matsumura (NEW)

#8: Asuka Saito (-1)

#9: Sayuri Inoue (NEW)

#10: Reina Sakurai (-1)

Keyakizaka46

It's the only group that I semi-payed attention to the music of this year! Fukyouwaon was AMAZING. More like that for 48G please. I do predict more Keyaki grads by the end of the year. Maybe from the weird Hiragana system. I wasn't a huge fan of Techi when the group first started but gosh she's a perfect center.

#1: Yurina Hirate (+1)

#2: Yui Imaizumi (-1)

#3: Mizuho Habu (NEW)

#4: Mana Takase (NEW)

#5: Memi Kakizaki (NEW)

#6: Kyoko Saito (NEW)

#7: Nanako Nagasawa (-4)

#8: Rina Uemura (+1)

#9: Yuuka Kageyama (NEW)

#10: Nijika Ishimori (-4)

SNH48

I'm still not sure what to think on all the China48 groups. I haven't heard any of their new music this year. I'll get around to it eventually. I'm actually surprised that more of my positions didn't change from December.

#1: Mengying Lv (NEW)

#2: Beiting Qian (+6)

#3: Yi Zhang (NEW)

#4: Xinwen Sun (NEW)

#5: Jiaying Chen (+1)

#6: Jiongran Liu (NEW)

#7: Rui Sun (-3)

#8: Xiaoyin Kong (-1)

#9: Zhilin Shen (NEW)

#10: Wanqing Hao (NEW)

BEJ48

#1: Xinyi Ren (+5)

#2: Xian Liu (NEW)

#3: Xiang Li (NEW)

#4: Congcong Niu (NEW)

#5: Shuli Tian (NEW)

#6: Shan Sun (-2)

#7: Xiaohui Hu (NEW)

#8: Shuxian Liu (NEW)

#9: Hongyao Li (NEW)

#10: Yixuan Duan (NEW)

GNZ48

#1: Lirong Huang (NEW)

#2: Yirui Long (NEW)

#3: Siyue Wang (NEW)

#4: Cuifei Wang (NEW)

#5: Yuanjing Gao (NEW)

#6: Yuqi Chen (-1)

#7: Lifei Liu (-3)

#8: Qiulin Du (NEW)

#9: Qianqian Liu (-6)

#10: Yihong Li (NEW)

SHY48

#1: Xiao Yang

#2: Feiyan Wang

#3: Siyu Guan

#4: Jiarui Zhao

#5: Yunhan Yang

#6: Shihan Feng

#7: Jiale Han

#8: Zixi Lai

#9: Zhixian Gao

#10: Mengting Gong

25 Days Of Christmas Countdown Day #6: Top NMB48

Ah NMB....they could be so awesome and they do have great moments, but fall flat so often. Was it only me that found NMB's releases this year bad? Amagami was ok at best & Boku wa Inai was sad. Their newest single sounds like it's going to be awesome, but it's too late in the year to really think about for this post. I also wish that there wasn't any "rapping". No one in 48G can rap so please, please stop it. They sound worse than the token K-pop rappers. I was right last year when I thought that the big members were going to begin to graduate with Miyuki leaving this year. I'm still guessing that Sayaka will at least announce hers next year. I think NMB will be fine without either girl, they just need to stop relying on Sayaka so much. Ririka makes a good center & this "Ayaka Yamamoto" girl (gosh when they saw her name they must've seen dollar signs) seems to be coming up so they have other options. Sayaka will still sell a bazillion handshakes whether she centers or not.

I think very few of my rankings changed from last year. Ouch NMB.

#10

Junjou U-19 (2011) (NEW)

#9

Ibiza Girl (2013; Sekai no Chuushin all versions) (+1)

#8

Renai Petenshi (2015; Don't Look Back (Type N) (-)

#7

Kitagawa Kenji (2012) (-1)

#6

Todokanasoude Todokumono (2013; Bokura no Eureka (Types A-C)(+1)

#5

Don't Look Back (2015) (-)

#4

Must Be Now (2015) (-)

#3

Teppen Tottande! (2013) (-)

#2

Kamonegix (2013) (-)

#1

Zetsumetsu Kurokami Shoujo (2011) (-)

Top 48G Members [First Half 2016 Edition]

December's Ranking: Click Here

It really pains me to say this, but in contrast to H!P this year, 48G's music has been utterly fantastic. Not so much AKB, but the sister/"rival" groups. They've had a lot of impressive songs come out this year so far. They've also seemed actually interesting this year. I find myself checking up on news about them more often than usual. I think it's because the big older members are finally starting to leave (like how Takamina FINALLY got the heck out of the group. That was the single most pointless graduation drag out I've ever seen) and new members are beginning to fill the ranks. It's a fun transition time.

AKB48

-It's actually kind of sad how AKB manages to be so mediocre compared to their sister groups. Kimi wa Melody was an ok song, and had some fantastic B-sides, but the B-sides weren't even by AKB except for La La La (which was boring as crap). And Tsubasa wa Iranai & it's B-sides is AKB's management really phoning it in. I applaud them for resisting going back to bikini singles, but gosh can we at least have something with some energy? And if that preview for that new song is actually the Sousenkyou single then I'm giving up on any A-side being good this year from AKB.

#1: Minami Minegishi

#2: Mayu Watanabe

#3: Nana Okada

#4: Hijiri Tanikawa

#5: Mion Mukaichi

#6: Nana Owada

#7: Kira Takahashi

#8: Yuki Kashiwagi

#9: Moe Aigasa

#10: Kiara Sato

SKE48

-I honestly expected SKE to not catch my attention as much after Rena graduated, but really they've been more interesting than most groups. Rara is totally adorable and I'm glad that she's getting the push she's getting. Musically, SKE has released one of their best songs ever this year with Chicken Line. While most of the B-sides to the single were pretty standard pop fare, Is That Your Secret was really great too. I hope they get an album/original stage this year. It's been too long since both.

#1: Rara Goto

#2: Aya Shibata

#3: Nao Furuhata

#4: Jurina Matsui

#5: Kaori Matsumura

#6: Ruka Kitano

#7: Akari Suda

#8: Natsuki Takatsuka

#9: Oka Suenaga

#10: Marika Tani

NMB48

-NMB had some great title tracks last year, but this year's Amagami Hime wasn't really up to par with songs like Must Be Now & Don't Look Back. It's good, but not that good. The B-sides were also rather disappointing. I'm hoping that their next singles this year are better. With NMB, I feel like they're really beginning that major transition phase that SKE seems to be starting to come out of. The phase where older members & popular members are wanting to move on & pass the baton to younger girls. With Miyuki leaving (and in my opinion I believe Sayaka will be gone by the end of next year too), they will have to make the transition to new gen sooner rather than later. They are doing better on that front than SKE did when they began the transition though.

#1: Sayaka Yamamoto

#2: Rina Yamao

#3: Ririka Suto

#4: Shu Yabushita

#5: Fuuko Yagura

#6: Miru Shiroma

#7: Konomi Kusaka

#8: Kanae Iso

#9: Rurina Nishizawa

#10: Ayaka Morita

HKT48

-I've all but given up hope that HKT will ever release good A-sides ever again. Or B-sides for that matter really. However, their B-side on Kimi wa Melody was incredible. Make Noise is the best thing they've ever done. They should totally do that style on an A-side just to shake stuff up because of how boring they usually are.

#1: Meru Tashima

#2: Nako Yabuki

#3: Chihiro Anai

#4: Sakura Miyawaki

#5: Emiri Yamashita

#6: Haruka Ueno

#7: Yui Kojina

#8: Nao Ueki

#9: Haruka Kodama

#10: Aoi Motomura

NGT48

-Well, they haven't really done anything yet so I don't have a whole lot of thoughts on them. Their B-side releases for AKB are pretty boring though. And I really really don't like Moeka. She feels like such a poor choice for center over the amount of girls they have who could pull it off much better. I still can't really rank them with any certainty because they haven't released a single yet.

#1: Yuka Ogino

#2: Minami Kato

#3: Rika Nakai

#4: Reina Seiji

#5: Nanako Nishimura

#6: Yuria Otaki

#7: Mau Takahashi

#8: Marina Nishigata

#9: Rie Kitahara

#10: Hinata Honma

Nogizaka46

-Honestly, Nogi releases music more boring than HKT. They really do. However, as a group they seem to have much more personality. Although Nogi's music borders from bland to blander, they have managed to release one of the best Japanese songs of all time this year. No I'm not kidding when I say that. Harukanaru Bhutan is probably my favorite song to ever come out of the 48Gs, and at this point it's very very close to becoming my favorite Japanese song of all time. The composition and production of that song is just absolutely gorgeous. The alternating between the guitar & the traditional instruments before that last chorus is just a beautiful piece of music. So powerful. When they have songs as good as that in their arsenal, why the heck are they constantly releasing snoozefests? I can't remember how any of their A-sides go as far back as Natsu no Free & Easy because they're all the same flavor of boring.

#1: Rina Ikoma

#2: Minami Hoshino

#3: Maaya Wada

#4: Mai Shiraishi

#5: Manatsu Akimoto

#6: Karin Ito

#7: Marika Ito

#8: Nanase Nishino

#9: Erika Ikuta

#10: Himeka Nakamoto

Keyakizaka46

-I was so incredibly surprised by their debut single. It was so different for the usual 48G stuff! This is what they need desperately. Curveballs. It seems like the Japanese public loved the Silent Majority concept too so that should provide incentive for them to comeback with another great song. I'm still not 100% on my ranking, but my top girls are more or less decided.

#1: Yui Imaizumi

#2: Miyu Suzumoto

#3: Manaka Shida

#4: Aoi Harada

#5: Yurina Hirate

#6: Yui Kobayashi

#7: Nijika Ishimori

#8: Mizuho Haba

#9: Neru Nagahama

#10: Nanami Yonetani

So here's my thoughts, agree, disagree?

25 Days Of Christmas Countdown Day #21: Top 48G Songs 2015

48G has been very hit or miss this year in my opinion. AKB themselves have actually been pretty great, both with A-sides & B-sides. Much better than last year anyway. SKE wasn't too bad, but not many of there songs really popped to me. NMB's A-sides were pretty fantastic (minus Durian Shounen), but their B-sides were bland. HKT & Nogi were pretty much non-events this year. I hoping that for the sister groups next year's music is better overall and AKB keeps up what they have going this year.

#10: AKB48 - Halloween Night

#9: NMB48 - Renai Petenshi

#8: SKE48 - Coquettish Juutaichuu

#7: AKB48 - Amanojaku Batta

#6: AKB48 - Haru no Hikari Chikazuita Natsu

#5: NMB48 - Don't Look Back

#4: AKB48 - Bokutachi wa Tatakawanai

#3: NMB48 - Must Be Now

#2: Jurina Matsui - Akai Pin Heel no Professor

#1: AKB48 - Mizu no Naka no Dendouritsu

Enjoy! What are your favorite 48G songs of the year?

25 Days Of Christmas Countdown Day #5: Top NMB48 Songs

Now it's NMB's turn! Even though I vastly prefer NMB to HKT, it was MUCH harder to come up with a top ten. With NMB, the problem isn't that they don't have enough songs I enjoy, it's that besides the top 3-4 I really don't know how to rank them lol. It's going to be really incredibly difficult from here on out because of the sheer about of material SKE & AKB have lol.

#10: Ibiza Girl (2014)

#9: Star ni Nante Naritakunai (2014)

#8: Renai Petenshi (2015)

#7: Todokanasoude Todokumono (2013)

#6: Kitagawa Kenji (2012)

#5: Don't Look Back (2015)

#4: Must Be Now (2015)

#3: Teppen Tottande! (2013)

#2: Kamonegix (2013)

#1: Zetsumetsu Kurokami Shoujo (2011)

Enjoy! What's your favorite NMB48 song?

New Music Thursdays (October 8, 2015)

I almost completely forgot today was Thursday until 9:30 at night lol. Luckily I had most of this typed up earlier haha.

Track #1: Ellie Goulding - On My Mind

I don't care what anyone else says I adore this new mainstream pop Ellie. This song is just so catchy and it's been stuck in my head for days. Out of her more "mainstream" tracks I'd say this is my favorite so far and a really nice change from Love Me Like You Do which I didn't care for at all. Ellie's new album, Delirium, releases November 6th.

Track #2: NMB48 - Kuufuku de Renai wo Suru na

Unfortunately, I don't see the full MV uploaded anywhere yet so this is just the short version from YouTube. It's honestly rare for me to have two songs on a 48G single that I can actually really enjoy. It's not full blown EDM like the title track, but it does have some catchy electro beats and gets stuck in your head easily. NMB48's new single, must be now, released on October 7th.

Track #3: Pentatonix - Where Are You Now

So beyond excited for the new Pentatonix album! They're probably the most talented group I've ever heard. Seriously, if they're ever in concert near where you are, go. It is an incredible experience. Unfortunately, I didn't care much for Can't Sleep Love, but that's okay. Usually there's one or two songs on their albums I don't care much for. This though is incredible. I've never much cared for cover songs, but they just make everything so much better. For those who don't know who PTX is, they're a group of five who do all of their music completely acapella, from the vocals to the "instruments" it's all done by voice. They are truly talented and I urge you to check them out! Pentatonix's new album, Pentatonix, releases on October 16th.

Enjoy!

New Music Thursdays (September 17, 2015)

Unfortunately there's only one entry this week.....I can't think of anyone else that's even released something this week. If anyone's got some good new releases from this week, please comment!

Track #1: NMB48 - Must Be Now

I'm still shocked that they uploaded this to YouTube lol. I was very iffy on the song when I first heard it. I had been waiting for another EDM track from 48G, but the overuse of autotune (especially on Sayanee's voice....she's too good a singer for it) initially turned me off. However, when they uploaded the full version I became addicted. I love how they're trying something totally different with Senbatsu. I hope the other 48 groups follow suit & switch things up. Must Be Now releases October 7th.

Enjoy!

48G Ranking May 2015

Since I just did one on Hello! Project I think it's only fair to do one on the 48s as well. I won't do this as detailed as the H!P one. To be honest I couldn't even tell you why I like certain girls from 48G except for my top ones. I'm only going to list my top ten of each group...if I ranked everyone this post would be 3 pages long xD. I'm not counting kennins during the group rankings. If a kennin ranks it would would be with her main group. The list also will not include any girls who have announced their graduations.

AKB48

#1. Minami Minegishi [Team K]

#2. Nana Okada [Team 4]

#3. Misaki Iwasa [Team B]

#4. Hijiri Tanikawa [Team 8]

#5. Yuki Kashiwagi [Team B]

#6. Mitsuki Maeda [Team 4]

#7. Anna Iriyama [Team A]

#8. Mariya Nagao [Team K]

#9. Nana Fujita [Team K]

#10. Moe Aigasa [Team K]

SKE48

#1. Rena Matsui [Team E]

#2. Aya Shibata [Team E]

#3. Jurina Matsui [Team S]

#4. Ruka Kitano [Team KII]

#5. Nao Furuhata [Team KII]

#6. Madoka Umemoto [Team E]

#7. Akari Suda [Team E]

#8. Marika Tani [Team E]

#9. Rika Tsuzuki [Team S]

#10. Ami Miyamae [Team S]

NMB48

#1. Sayaka Yamamoto [Team N]

#2. Rina Yamao [Team N]

#3. Shu Yabushita [Team BII]

#4. Fuuko Yagura [Team M]

#5. Konomi Kusaka [Team BII]

#6. Yuuka Kato [Team N]

#7. Narumi Koga [Team N]

#8. Kanako Kadowaki [Team BII]

#9. Miyuki Watanabe [Team BII]

#10. Rurina Nishizawa [Team N]

HKT48

#1. Nako Yabuki [Team H]

#2. Chihiro Anai [Team H]

#3. Haruka Ueno [Team H]

#4. Haruka Wakatabe [Team H]

#5. Anna Murashige [Team KIV]

#6. Meru Tashima [Team H]

#7. Miku Tanaka [Team H]

#8. Mao Yamamoto [Team H]

#9. Emili Yamashita [Kenkyuusei]

#10. Aoi Motomura [Team KIV]

Nogizaka46

#1. Minami Hoshino

#2. Rina Ikoma

#3. Maaya Wada

#4. Iori Sagara

#5. Marika Ito

#6. Kazumi Takayama

#7. Nanase Nishino

#8. Misa Eto

#9. Mai Shiraishi

#10. Sayuri Inoue

And that's it! I don't follow JKT or SNH at all so I didn't include them. Post your own rankings if you'd like!

NMB48 - Bokura no Eureka

I have no idea why all of my NMB CDs are reaching the top of the "to be reviewed" pile at once lol. This is the third in a row.

The title track is Bokura no Eureka. This is one of 48G's "summer singles" and not a very interesting one at that. I always expect that the summer single of any group will be generic idol pop (although there have been exceptions like Utsukushii Inazuma and Bokutachi wa Tatakawanai), but usually they're super catchy and fun. This is just a pretty average song. The video's a bikini one (at least in the dance shot) and I don't have the patience to sit through a nine minute music video. I don't see how getting stranded on an island fits with the song anyway. Maybe the bikini/beach/summer theme, but otherwise it's kind of strange. Not my thing. 3/5.

Bokura no Eureka MV

The first B-side is Todokanasou de Todoku Mono found on all of the regular editions. Now this should have been the title track. It's so catchy. It's got a slight electronic undertone that really makes the song. Probably my favorite NMB B-side. 5/5.

The next B-side is Okuba by Shirogumi which is found on the Type A and theater versions of the single. It's a really boring ballad. My brain literally can't focus on it long enough to find anything worth listening to in the song. Listen, 48G powers that be, if you makes ballads you have to make sure that they actually have discernible emotion in them so the listener can connect with the song. In this, the girls sound just as bored to be singing it as I feel listening to it. At least the video fits. A boring school setting with seifukus. Actually makes sense. 2.5/5.

Okuba MV

The next B-side is Yaban na Soft Cream by Akagumi found on the Type B and theater editions of the single. I don't find this song much more interesting than Okuba, but at least it keeps you awake. It's another idol pop track. The music video for this really makes me want ice cream. 3/5.

Yaban na Soft Cream

The next B-side is Hinadan de wa Boku no Miryoku wa Ikinainda by Teppoutai found on the Type C version of the single. I find this one only slightly more interesting than the Teppoutai on Kitagawa Kenji. It's still generic idol pop, but it's a little more catchy. The music video really makes the song though. It's so funny. They nailed the 80s thing perfectly. 3/5.

Hinadan de wa Boku no Miryoku wa Ikinainda MV

The final B-side is Sayanee, found on the theater edition. This is more boring than Okuba. I've come to expect very little from the theater edition tracks though. There are only a couple that are good to me. The fact that this runs five and a half minutes is criminal. 2.5/5.

Sayanee (Audio)

There's only one song on this single that I really enjoy. The others are either just average or extremely boring. Probably my least favorite NMB single as a whole. 3/5.

NMB48 - Kitagawa Kenji

Two NMB's in a row! I've always viewed Kitagawa Kenji the end of the first era of NMB. It's the single right before the release of their first album and it's the single released before I got into 48G.

The title track is Kitagawa Kenji. I think it's neat how the song's title is the name of a staff member. When I first heard the song, I wrote it off as being another generic J-pop song. I still think it's a generic J-pop song, but it's SUCH an earworm. Probably one of 48G's catchiest idol pop tunes. Even though the video concept has been done to death, I still think it fits the concept perfectly. The bubblegum pink set with the bubbly dresses is so cute. 5/5.

The first B-side is In-goal, found on all of the regular editions. I'm not going to rate this song because I've never heard the full studio version and can't find it, only live performances. From the live below (starts around 3:30), it sounds like a typical J-pop song, but it is catchy.

The next B-side is Hoshizora no Caravan by Shirogumi found on the Type A and Theater editions. I like the use of the violins? in the song (or similar instrument/soundboard item), but the song as a whole is pretty uneventful. I actually want to start singing Kitagawa Kenji again at the slight build up before the chorus because they sound similar to me. The video's cute but the beginning is too long. 3/5.

The next B-side is Renai Higai Todoke by Akagumi found on the Type B and Theater editions. Now this song is memorable. When I first got into 48G, I had always assumed that Shirogumi was the "cool" unit and Akagumi was the "cutesy" unit. After going through most of the 48G singles, I realize that I was pretty wrong and it's almost the other way around. I don't even remember what gave me that impression. I love the "echoing" of lines between the girls in the song. One thing I do wish is that the girls' vocals were more powerful in the song. They sound so light and airy and I think the song would be better with stronger vocals. I'm not quite certain what's going on in the video. I mean, I get it, I just don't understand what it has to do with the song. The red dresses of the dance shot are so gorgeous though. I'd love to own one....and I don't even like dresses. 4.5/5.

The next B-side is Fuyushougun no Regret by Teppoutai found on the Type C edition. The song is a disappointment. It's a generic idol track and not in a good way. There is absolutely nothing that stands out about it. Nothing to make it memorable in any way. So I don't think the concept for the video fits the song at all, but for once, a super long video is actually interesting. I just wish the song was more like UZA/Beginner so it would actually fit the video. 3/5.

The final B-side is Nemuku Naru Made Hitsuji wa Detekonai found on the theater edition. I love how the translation for this is "The Sheep Don't Come Till I Get Sleepy" (According to Generasia), but I get sleepy trying to listen to this song xD. It's a very slow ballad in the verses & kind of picks up for the chorus. Even though the pick up is a little unexpected at the first chorus, it still only goes to a slow midtempo. Just not my kind of song. 3/5.

This is a fairly standard J-pop single, but the title track alone makes it worth a listen. Sometimes standard and generic songs are better than innovation. 3.5/5.

NMB48 - Don't Look Back!

This is the single that NMB challenged SKE's Coquettish Juutaichuu with. Unfortunately for NMB, they did lose, but that was expected to be honest. I had a feeling that SKE's fans were going to go all out (and the whole music card thing helped too xD). This single is the final one for Nana Yamada, who also got to center the single.

The lead track for the single is Don't Look Back!. When I first heard the song, I thought of it as a poor man's Kamonegix. However, after I received the CD, the song really clicked. It's kind of cheesy, but this semester of college for me hasn't been the greatest, so I've been blasting it all finals week as a "goodbye" to the awful semester. I still don't think it's as great as Kamonegix, but it has such an anthemic quality that makes it one of NMB's best title tracks. It's such a perfect sendoff for Nana too. The music video is also really great. The more "cool/dark" style works perfectly for NMB and I wish they'd use it more often. To me, they seem like the best dancers of 48G. I don't think the dance for this song is as great as I've seen it praised, but they seem to all be in sync for the most part so it looks good. 5/5.

Don't Look Back MV

The first B-side is Nietzsche Senpai found on all of the limited editions and the theater edition. I'm not sure what to make of the title. It's actually a little bothersome to me that they're using historical thinkers in titles...I think they also have Kafka in the upcoming AKB single right? I just don't know what to think about it...since I don't understand Japanese I don't know what the lyrics are saying, but even so I'm not interested in a side of philosophy with my mindless J-pop. Maybe I'm just over thinking it because I'm not a fan of Nietzsche. Whatever. I also can't find the full track anywhere to listen to so I won't rate it or link anything. From the clip that I have heard of the song, it sounds like a pretty typical 48G track. Nothing interesting.

The next B-side is Renai Petenshi by Team N, found on both of the type A versions. I really like this song. It blows Team N's song from their last single out of the water. It's kind of jazzy and reminds me of James Bond in the beginning (no clue why to be honest...I've never seen any of those movies). I think the girls all look gorgeous in the video (especially the red dresses), but it's really hard for me to watch because of the side scrolling. It hurts my eyes. 5/5.

Renai Petenshi MV

The next B-side is Sotsugyou Ryokou which is found of all of the regular editions and the theater version. If you're already picturing your typical 48G graduation song, it's only half like that. Which is surprising. The verses have a slight country pop feel to them and I think that's pretty unique. It's still not a song I'd listen to on a regular basis, but it stands out. 3.5/5.

Sotsugyou Ryokou (Audio)

The next B-side is Heart, Sakebu by Team M which is found on the Type B versions of the single. This is a pretty cutesy idol track. Not really my thing. I do like the "echoey" effect in the chorus though. The music video is much like the song. Been done many times before. 3/5.

Heart Sakebu MV

The next B-side is Minna, Daisuki by Nana Yamada found on the Type B editions of the single. I guess this is her full graduation song. Thinking back to Tomodachi on on the Rashikunai single, these are very much in the same vein. Ballads, boring. I'm sure for her fans this is very emotional, but I can't feel that through the song. Not to mention that her vocals are really annoying. Trying to get through a full song of her solo voice is hard. 2.5/5.

Minna, Daisuki (Audio)

The final B-side is Romantic Snow by Team BII found on the Type C versions of the single. In Rashikunai, Team BII had the best of the team B-sides. On this single, they have my least favorite. It's probably the most generic idol pop song on the single. There's nothing in it that makes it distinguishable from the dozens of other 48G tracks just like it. The music video's cute though. I'm glad they actually have it set in the snow. I don't quite understand why they're at a ski resort and then the dance shot shows them in front of a carousel though. 3/5.

Romantic Snow MV

As a whole, I think this single is better than Rashikunai and SKE's Coquettish Juutaichuu. It's unfortunate to me that they lost the whole "challenge" thing to SKE, especially because this single is such a step up from Rashikunai. 3.5/5.

AKB48 - Green Flash

I'm very surprised that I'm able to do a review on this already. Usually my newest CDs get buried under the older ones and that's why I review older singles and albums more often. This is AKB's first single of 2015. The "Sakura single" as it has been called. Usually these are my least favorites of the AKB singles. They tend to be slower and uninteresting to me.

The title track of the single is Green Flash. I love the title of this single. It's so unique. From what I know of it, it's some type of weather phenomenon that is fairly rare. My first thoughts on this single was that it was nothing special at all. From the low quality concert rip all I could think of was how slow it was and how the "rap" sounded hilarious. After listening to it again when the video came out, I really began to like it. Even though it's slow, it's not your typical ballad. I won't call the fast talking parts "rapping" because it's really not, but I like how it adds some variety to the song. The violins also really add a nice feeling to the song. For the video, I'll echo the sentiments of everyone else in wondering where the screen time is for Yuki & Haruna. I don't care what the concept is, your centers should be given a nice spotlight in the video. Oh, and running girls for the 10949834857389475x time in a 48G video? I'll pass. 4.5/5.

Green Flash MV

The first B-side from the Type A version is Majisuka Fight. I'm pretty sure there's more B-sides on this single than Kibouteki...it's really starting to get ridiculous. I'm not sure how much longer Oricon's going to let them get away with releasing practically an album full of songs for each single. They've been tightening up restrictions for their charts this year and I'm wondering which will die next: the bazillion versions or the handshake tickets. As for this song, it certainly has nothing on Majisuka Rock N Roll. In fact, I don't think this song sounds like it fits the Majisuka theme at all. It sounds like your typical J-pop song. I assume that the lyrics are more what you'd expect it should be, but I don't know. The music video has the same issue that the video for Majisuka Rock N Roll has. The girls do not suit the concept AT ALL. Almost all of them besides maybe Minami Takahashi & Sayaka Yamamoto look ridiculous and Sakura absolutely does not fit the concept. 3/5.

Majisuka Fight MV

The second B-side of Type A is Haru no Hikari Chikazuita Natsu sung by AKB48. I bought the Type A version specifically for this song. It's really catchy. It kind of reminds me of idol pop mixed with 90s dance music. It's so bright and happy. The video really suits the song. It's so happy and the random people that dance behind them in some scenes are so funny. One thing I've noticed with the past couple of releases is how much screen time Haruka Shimazaki is getting now. Especially with her being summer center single, they must be really pushing for the newer gen girls to lead the group. 5/5.

Haru no Hikari Chikazuita Natsu MV

The third B-side is Yankee Rock found on Type S. Now this song fits the Majisuka theme much better than Majisuka Fight. It's a lot like Majisuka Rock N Roll which is great because I love that song. I still think the girls look absolutely ridiculous in the video though. And I'm pretty sure that there's no school in the world that would be allowed to look like that unless it was in a warzone or something. There's one girl in the video that looks like Meimi Tamura and she's not in enough clips for me to get a good look at her to see who she is. 4/5.

Yankee Rock MV

The fourth B-side is Sekai ga Naiteru Nara by SKE48 and is found on Type B of the single. This song could be so much more than it is. The intro is stunning. On par with the instrumental of Kataomoi Finally....but then going into the sung part of the verse, it just falls flat. The chorus is more like what I was expecting from the song but it's still falls flat. Then again, I couldn't see what all the fuss was about for Kataomoi Finally (the song, not the video...I get why it made an impact with that xD) until I listened to it more, then I fell in love with the song. This has the potential to do that. The video I don't fully understand. Did she murder someone and was placed in a mental institution? Is this like Sucker Punch where she's in the institution the whole time & is imagining everything else? Not sure. Very cool concept though. 4/5.

Sekai ga Naiteru Nara MV

The fifth B-side is Hakimono to Kasa no Monogatari and is on the Type N & Theater editions of the single. The song is incredibly boring to me. I may have mentioned before that I rarely like ballads from idol groups and the reason is that I never feel any type of emotion with them. It's like the song is just there. Even with a language barrier you should expect to feel some emotion from the singer. The video on the other hand is just beautiful. I admit I cried. Whoever thought of the concept needs a pay raise. Absolutely beautiful. I don't ever give ratings to videos but this is a special case. 3/5 (for the song) 5/5 (for the video).

Hakimono to Kasa no Monogatari MV

The sixth B-side is Punkish by NMB48 and is on the Type N version of the single. Does the song sounds like a punk song? Sure. Is it possible to take it seriously? No. No it's not. I guess that's a little unfair....Sayaka can pull off practically anything. She is one of the most talented of the current 48G girls and sounds/looks incredible in this song. I would love it if it was a Sayaka solo song. The 16 girls singing in unison doesn't work for the song because their vocals mixed together sound too idol for this kind of song. The video has the same problem as the Majisuka videos. Very few of the girls can pull off the concept well enough to make them not look silly. Props to them trying something like this though I guess. 4/5.

Punkish MV

The seventh (!) B-side is Aisatsu Kara Hajimeyou sung by Team 8 and found on the Type H edition of the single. I still find it interesting that they've Kennin'd girls from Team 8 into the main teams. I can't imagine that they're going to keep Team 8 together as a sort of pseudo-sister group. I believe this is more the start of their integration into the normal teams for after they lose the Toyota contract and are forced to back Team 8 smaller. So far Team 8 hasn't interested me with any of their songs. They're the extremely generic idol pop team. This song is no different. It's happy & sugary sweet. Not really my type of song. I really enjoy the video though. I like the concept of using YouTube videos and showcasing little pieces of each prefecture the girls are from. 3.5/5.

Aisatsu Kara Hajimeyou MV

The eighth B-side is Otona Ressha by HKT48 found on the Type H version of the single. The song is a pretty typical HKT48 song. Nothing special, just another generic idol pop track. I admit that I didn't make it through all of the music video. Ten minutes for a music video is just too much. It's supposed to a promotion for your song, not a glorified mini-drama. Honestly, they should just do mini dramas for their DVDs instead of having the music videos so freaking long. It'd probably sell more with both a mini drama and a music video anyway. 3/5.

Otona Ressha MV

The ninth and final B-side of this single is Hatsukoi no Oshibe which is on the theater edition. This single seriously has almost enough songs to make a full album. Ten songs is pretty average for a full length album. The amount of B-sides they have is ridiculous. I love that we get so much music, but it really is cheating the system and I can't afford all of the CD editions so it just has gotten to be a real pain within the past two years. Much like with most of the theater edition tracks, I don't much care for this one. In my experience, theater edition songs tend to be either generic idol pop or ballads. At least it's not completely boring. 3/5.

Hatsukoi no Oshibe (Audio)

All together I'd say this single is a mixed bag of pretty good songs and generic idol pop. Like I've said before, generic idol pop can be great, but most of these sound like the 100th iteration of everything you've heard before. 3.5/5.

NMB48 - Rashikunai

I believe NMB48 is the final AKB sister group I've yet to talk about on here (excluding non-Japanese ones of course). They're probably my second favorite 48 group. For me it goes: AKB>NMB>SKE>Nogi>HKT.

The title track for this single is Rashikunai. The font on the single cover looks so much like Sayonara Crawl's font it's sad. That font just isn't good. Did NMB really only release two singles this year? That's too bad. I know they released the album but it was so full of B-sides that it felt like a non-event. I know they only released two singles last year too, but the album last year was awesome and Kamonegix existed so last year was great. This year's A-sides were boring to be frank. They fell into the same trap AKB did this year. When I heard that Fuuko and Miru were centering the single instead of the usual Sayaka or Miyuki, I was not sure what would happen. On one hand, I was excited for things to be shaken up, but Sayaka is my favorite member so I was a little disappointed she was no longer center. Fuuko's my second favorite member though so the center change works for me. However, this release doesn't do anything for me. Rashikunai is ok, but I've listened to it in full a couple times and always get so distracted by other things that my brain forgets to listen to the song. That's not good because that tells me that the song is very boring. Not even the brass instruments could save this song. I really don't understand what's going on in the video. They attend some sort of conservatory? And then there's cleaning, ugly outfits, and soap suds? It just doesn't make sense to me. 3/5.

Rashikunai MV

The main B-side across all versions of the single is Tomodachi, which is sung by Sayaka Yamamoto and Nana Yamada. I guess this song will eventually take special meaning in the NMB fandom as Nana is graduating in April. Too bad this song is a typical idol pop ballad. And Nana's voice sounds bad. At least it's Sayaka as the duet partner and not Miyuki. Sayaka has one heck of a voice and it sounds unique too which at least makes the song easier to sit through. 3/5.

Live Performance from their official YT:

The Type A B-side for this single is Kyuusen Kyouten. It's sung by Team N and translates to "Cease-Fire Agreement". That title sounds so awesome and I was so pumped for an awesome song. And then I was let down. By a lot. I should never look at the English translation of these titles. It's not that it's a bad song, I just was expecting something wildly different than the 50s styled diner thing. I feel like they already did this concept anyway....wasn't it in their album this year? Or did I make that up in my head? Luckily for Team N I like these type of songs so I do enjoy this one. For the video....was this 50s diner/roller skate/sockhop type of thing actually popular in Japan? Or is it just modeled after the American era. I really don't know much about Japan's history when it comes to popular culture so I'm really curious about that. 4/5.

Kyuusen Kyouten MV

The Team M song for this single is Migi ni Shiteru Ring. I wasn't really expecting much from Team M's song, so I wasn't really let down by it when I heard it. This is certainly my least favorite Team song on this single. It's a pretty typical song for the 48s. The video is a typical one too. I loved playing "Find Momoka" though in the video xD. I love that the management allowed her to dye her hair green and allowed it to be shown in the music videos. Hooray for individuality! 3.5/5.

Migi ni Shiteru Ring MV

The Team BII song for this single is Star ni Nante Naritakunai. This was the track that I had the least hype for, but it turned out to be my favorite. In my head I equate Team BII with Team B, the more cutesy team. But this song is pretty great. It's very catchy, and although it sounds like a typical idol pop track, it's got a fresh feeling to it that's so nice. The video's pretty cool too. The only thing I dislike about it is the lighting in the shots with the purple curtain. It washes out their skin and makes them look a very sickly pale. 4.5/5.

Star ni Nante Naritakunai MV

The theater edition B-side for this single is Asphalt no Namida. First thought: Weird title for a song, but ok. Second thought: Well at least it's not the boring ballad I expected it would be. It's actually interesting that this song is better than the title track for me. I usually don't care much for the theater edition song (the last one I loved was Love Shugyou on AKB's Sayonara Crawl single.), but this one isn't bad. I guess you could say I was pleasantly surprised. 3.5/5.

Wow I can't believe how disappointed I am in this single. Almost all of the B-sides are better than Rashikunai and out of the B-sides, only two songs really stand out and only one of those two is really all that interesting. Maybe next year will bring better releases for all of the 48 groups. 3.5/5.