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 #21: Top 48G 2016

I've already talked about both the music & the members from this year, so let's just jump right into the countdown!

#10

Keyakizaka46 - Futari Saison

#9

HKT48 - Make Noise

#8

AKB48 - High Tension

#7

NGT48 - Kimi wa Doko ni Iru?

#6

NogizakaAKB - Mazariau Mono

#5

Keyakizaka46 - Silent Majority

#4

Tentoumu Chu! - Seijun Tired

#3

AKB48 - Love Trip

#2

SKE48 - Chicken Line

#1

Nogizaka46 - Harukanaru Bhutan

25 Days Of Christmas Countdown Day #7: Top SKE48

I wish SKE hadn't only gotten two singles this year. As they're the second most senior group after AKB, they should get more releases tbh. And what happened to that album? Did management forget about it or something? SKE's really feeling pretty forgotten recently. Their first single this year, Chicken Line, was REALLY good. Now that's the type of song SKE pulls off the best. The music video was amazing too. The B-sides were largely forgettable, although Is That Your Secret was good. Kin no Ai the A-side was nice. The concept fit SKE even though the song was just ok. The B-sides though...is it just me or were they all the same song? Seriously, they all sounded so sameish and bland. The group also lost a lot of strong members in the past year. Aya Shibata leaving was certainly a downer. They really need to focus on the new girls and stop relying so much on Jurina cause the older established members are starting to drop like flies.

#10

Darkness (2013; Choco no Dorei all versions except Type C) (-)

#9

Banzai Venus (2011) (-1)

#8

Coquettish Juutaichuu (2015) (+1)

#7

Kesanai Honoo (2014; 12gatsu no Kangaroo (Type A))(-)

#6

Tsyokimono yo (2009) (-2)

#5

Chicken Line (2016) (NEW)

#4

Bukiyou Taiyou (2014) (+1)

#3

Utsukushii Inazuma (2013) (-)

#2

Kataomoi Finally (2012) (-1)

#1

Escape (2013) (+1)

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 #6: Top SKE48 Songs

It actually wasn't as difficult to come up with the SKE list as I thought it would be lol. I didn't realize I had a pretty set top 10 with SKE. Like before, some videos are linked instead of embedded and some may need a proxy to view.

#10: Darkness (2013)

#9: Coquettish Juutaichuu (2015)

#8: Banzai Venus (2011)

#7: Kesenai Honoo (2014)

#6: Hanikami Lollipop (2012)

#5: Bukiyou Taiyou (2014)

#4: Tsuyokimono yo (2009)

#3: Utsukushii Inazuma (2013)

#2: Escape (2013)

#1: Kataomoi Finally (2012)

Enjoy! What's your favorite SKE song?

Music Discovery Mondays (October 5, 2015)

Track #1: Hello Pro Kenshuusei - Koi Shitai Shinto

Unfortunately I can't find the studio version on YT, but this is enough to give an idea of the track. The verses remind me of early 2010s K-pop while the chorus goes into a catchy yet sweet J-pop track.

Track #2: Jurina Matsui - Akai Pin Heel to Professor

Performance Link

It's funny to me that this is my favorite song on AKB's Koko ga Rhodes album. Jurina's voice is....not so great. Even in the song it's a little grating; however, the song's composition makes it one of the best 48G tracks of the year. It's a funky disco-esque pop track and I think it fits Jurina perfectly. Sorry it's not embedded. I'm unfamiliar with the site and I'm not even sure it can be embedded.

Track #3: Eden XO - Too Cool To Dance

I think this is a fun track to end with. I'm disappointed that this didn't receive as much attention as I was hoping. I've been listening to her since she was known as Jessie Malakouti. It's unfortunate that nothing she seems to do has gotten any attention because her music is quite fantastic. This song is just a fun dance party track and a nice way to lift of a Monday.

Enjoy!

SKE48 - Bukiyou Taiyou

I'm both happy and sad that Rena is graduating. I'm happy that she'll be able to pursue other things outside of SKE, but she was also my favorite SKE member. However, she has been in the group for 7 years and it really is a good time for long serving members to start leaving. I still think that Rena should have had more solo centers in her career. She was very popular yet often played second fiddle to Jurina. The version of this single that I own has Rena on the cover in the center of four other girls and it just strikes me that this would have been a good song for her to center.

The title track for this release is Bukyou Taiyou. I'm quite known for not liking ballads very much. As this song is a ballad, I'm sure everyone can assume what my thoughts of it are. But you'd all be wrong. I actually really adore this song. Besides Tsuyokimono yo, Escape, & Kataomoi Finally, this is my absolute favorite SKE48 song. There's just something so bright about it that makes it such a feel good song. Honestly, this song is quite possibly one of the best ever from 48G. I don't know of any other of their songs that give off this feel. I also don't usually care a whole lot about 48G music videos, but I actually really like this one. The shots of the girls looking up at the sun and the shots of the sun itself just really bring to life the tone of the song. 5/5.

Bukiyou Taiyou MV

The first B-side of the single is Houkago Race, sung by Team S and found on the Type A version of the single. How many songs can people make that sound the exact same before they stop? This song is just like any other idol pop 48G track. Nothing special about it at all. All of these kind of songs just blend together for me anymore. I also don't get the obsession with running in 48G videos. At least this one makes sense because it's Houkago "Race". 3/5.

Houkago Race MV

The second B-side is Coming Soon, which is found on all versions of the single. I hate that this is called Coming Soon. Before the single was released it would screw me up so much because I wasn't sure if it was the title of the song or if it simply meant the title was coming soon lol. I feel like there's a story behind the title that's kind of funny. The song itself is an extremely generic 48G track. I can't remember how it goes even when I'm listening to the song. 3/5.

Since I can't find the actual song anywhere, here's a video of a guy doing a really awesome guitar cover of it! Click Me!

The next B-side is Tomodachi no Mama de, which is found on all versions of the single. If you're like me and found Coming Soon generic, this song is even more generic. These type of songs to me all really sound the same. For me, generic means two different things. One: Something is generic but still has life even if it's been rehashed (ex: Katy Perry's Roar or MM's Tiki Bun) Two: The extremely generic idol pop songs that are a dime a dozen and EVERY SINGLE group releases ALL of the time. At least people like Katy Perry just follow the trends that are popular which tend to change a little. I swear idol groups have released the same song over and over for the past 5 years. It's getting really old. 3/5.

Sorry I can't find any video for this song :(

The next B-side is Sayonara Kinou no Jibun, sung by Team KII and found on the Type B editions of the single. Even though this is a little slower of a song, I find it the best out of the team songs. It has the same stylistic feel that Bukiyou Taiyou does except instead of being bright, it's more moody. The music video is extremely uncomfortable to sit through. I'm sure some fans loved it, but it's just awkward. Extreme closeups of the human body are kind of creepy to me. The only thing I liked about it was the eye shots. I really love eyes because close shots can help you see all of the colors and it's so pretty. I just wish the video wasn't so dark so you could see the eye colors better. 4/5.

Sayonara Kinou no Jibun MV

The next B-side is Banana Kakumei, sung by Team E and found on the Type C versions of the single. The song might be a pretty typical 48G track, but there's something catchy about it. It doesn't fall into the same trap that Coming Soon & Tomodachi no Mama de fall into.....even if it sounds a bit like Kitagawa Kenji. The music video is absolutely awesome. Whoever thought of it deserves a pay raise. It's so unique and clever. The little science experiments are so neat. 3.5/5.

Banana Kakumei MV

The final B-side is Koi Yori mo Dream, sung by Kaori Matsumura, Akari Suda, and Marika Tani found on the Type D versions of the single. I was so so on the first Dasu & Tsuma song, but I really like this one. Much like Banana Kakumei, it doesn't rewrite the idol pop rules, but it does it in a way that makes it interesting to listen to. The music video is great, even though it raises several questions. First, how was the insane fangirl able to get in? Where are the security? Second, crazy fangirl tried to kill them & then they just accept her in the group?! I think they should be checked for mental distress lol. 4/5.

Koi Yori mo Dream MV

It's unfortunate that this release as a whole isn't all that solid. For once, the A-side is incredible, but the B-sides range from "it's all right" to "meh". 4/5.

SKE48 - Sansei Kawaii!

I have a difficult time wrapping my head around the fact that this single will be 2 years old come November. The end of 2013 was when I decided to buy 48G releases like I buy H!P releases. My wallet has been crying ever since lol.

The title track for this single is Sansei Kawaii! It's a standard SKE track along the lines of 1234 Yoroshiku & Banzai Venus. Even though it is standard for them, it's a lot of fun and a pretty catchy song which makes it memorable. It's one of those songs where you read the title & sing it in your head. Even though the video concept has been done to death in the 48G franchise, it's a very pretty video to look at. It was filmed in Thailand and the girls look like they're having the time of their lives. 5/5.

Sansei Kawaii! MV

The first B-side is Koko de Ippatsu found on the Type A version of the CD. This song is sung by a unit comprised of Akari Suda & Kaori Matsumura. The music sounds a bit like a carnival. My feelings are split on the song. I kind of like the chorus, but the verses and the talking bits really drag the song down. The song really seems to fit the unit though. The video I really enjoy. Before watching the video, I had no idea that Akari could do the limbo thing like that. I was super impressed. 3.5/5.

Koko de Ippatsu MV

The next B-side is Mich wa Naze Tsuzuku no ka? found on all versions of the single. The opening of this song sounds VERY familiar. It sounds almost identical to the opening of a contemporary Christian song I have that I can't remember the title of at the moment. It's going to drive me crazy for the next week until I figure it out xD Besides the opening (which is only memorable because I'm positive I've heard it before), the song itself is a non event. It's upbeat, but it's so run of the mill and not in a good way like Sansei. 3/5.

The next B-side is Zutto Zutto Saki no Kyou found on all versions of the single. This is just a typical 48G song that skirts the line between midtempo & ballad. It's boring either way. 3/5.

The next B-side is Itsunomanika, Yowaimono Ijime found on the Type B version of the CD. Besides Koko de Ippatsu, I don't think I've listened to the other unit songs from this single. Or if I have, I don't remember any of them. Judging from this first song, I'm guessing I may have listened to them and don't remember them because there's nothing special about them. This is another of those interchangeable songs from 48G. Sometimes I feel like I'm being a little unfair with that characterization as they have close to 1000 songs and there's obviously going to be some overlap. It's just my general dislike for the generic idol pop that makes me say it....MM could put out Seishun Kozou 20 times only changing a few things & I'd probably love it because it's EDM xD Everyone has bias in their music taste though. The music video's pretty standard for 48G. Nothing super interesting. 3/5.

Itsunomanika, Yowaimono Ijime MV

The next B-side is Canaria Syndrome found on the Type C edition of the single. Ah this song started out so promising. Then it turned straight into a generic idol pop track, and not an interesting one at that. Now I'm sure that I did listen to them before, because I remember having a good association with this song and now I remember it's just because of that beginning/transition. Disappointed to say the least. The music video is the same as the song, something you'd find on every 48G single. 3/5.

Canaria Syndrome MV

The final B-side is Zakuro no Mi wa Yuu'utsu ga Nantsubu Tsumatteiru? found on the Type D version of the single. Perhaps THIS was the song that I associated with good in my head instead of Canaria. It's not as powerful as I wish it was, but I like the fact that it actually has a beat and it's something different from the rest of the single. I really enjoy this MV. The dance looks like it could be really good if it was just sped up a little. 4/5.

Zakuro no Mi wa Yuu'utsu ga Nantsubu Tsumatteiru? MV

Overall this release is just okay. The title track is really catchy and among the better standard 48G fare, but the B-sides are nothing to write home about. 3.5/5.

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!

SKE48 - Coquettish Juutaichuu

I'm positive that Japanese lyricists just open up a dictionary, place their finger on a random word in another language and name their song that. When I saw the title I had to go look up the word cause I sure didn't know what it meant xD So in all seriousness....is Coquettish a word that Japanese people actually use/know what it means? I'm so curious to understand why Aki-P used the word "Coquettish" in a song title.

The A-side of the single is Coquettish Juutaichuu. This song is a really typical 48G track. In fact, I'm almost positive that they've used parts of this song before. When they sing the first part of the chorus, it sounds EXACTLY like one of their other songs...I just can't remember the name of it at the moment. It's actually bothering me that I can't remember it. It's a pretty catchy song though. I wouldn't mind listening to it more than once. The video reminds me of Koisuru Fortune Cookie mixed with Banzai Venus. In other words: been there, done that. Yeah yeah, I get that I sound like a hypocrite because I defend H!P's dance shot in a box videos, but at least the dances are discernibly different to people who don't know dances and their green screen/white background changes colors. 4/5.

Coquettish Juutaichuu MV

The main B-side across all single versions is Boku wa Shitteiru. It was used as the theme song to their documentary. It's another pretty standard fare idol pop song, but unlike Juutaichuu, there really is nothing memorable about it at all. It's just okay. 3/5.

Boku wa Shitteiru (Audio)

The B-side for the Type A edition is Dirty by Team S. SKE's more EDM-ish tracks tend to be their best ones, but this one is kind of in the middle for me. The verses are really cool and seem like they're going to build up to a really explosive chorus, but then all we get is the word "Dirty" repeated over and over. As a pop fan, you have to be used to repeated words. However, this is just overkill to the extreme. The video makes sense with the whole "dirty" thing, but all I see is MM's Koko ni Iruzee video even though they are completely different. 4/5.

Dirty MV

The B-side for the Type B edition is Kon'ya wa Join Us! by Team KII. The song's not bad. It's a typical idol track but it has a 50s/60s diner feel to it. Not very memorable to me though. The video's kind of cute. I like the prom theme. 3/5.

Kon'ya wa Join Us! MV

The B-side for the Type C edition is Oto wo Keshita TV by Team E. Not sure if I like this more than Kon'ya or not. It's slower, but it's got such a nice flow to it. I actually enjoy it. The video is really average. 3.5/5.

Oto wo Keshita TV MV

The B-side for the Type D edition is Sakura, Oboeteite Kure by Mieko Sato, Yuka Nakanishi, and Airi Furukawa (who were all graduating). I knew before I even listened to it that it would be like every other graduation song from 48G. They're so bland and boring. This is no different. 3/5.

Sakura, Oboeteite Kure MV

The final B-side of the single is Yoru no Kyoukasho found on the theater edition. So after I stop buying solely the theater editions the songs on them get good? Interesting. I'll have to grab a copy from ebay. This song is probably the third best on the CD behind the title track and Dirty. I can't even think of anything it reminds me of which is a good sign. 4/5.

Yoru no Kyoukasho (Audio)

I don't think the single is as good as their last one, but it's ok. Really it's a very idolly song mix. I do recommend checking out the theater edition track though. It's pretty great. 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.

Dance Or Die's Top Songs Of December

Not sure I'll be able to come up with 10 songs for this month either but I'll try. Again, they have to be songs that were released for sale in that month. Also, I hope I'll be able to get my Top Songs List for the entire year up today or tomorrow.

#1: Kesenai Honoo - SKE48 (Dec. 10)

After a pretty lackluster year in terms of both singles and B-sides for SKE48, I was definitely surprised by Team S's song on their new single. This is the type of song I'd like to hear SKE do more, especially because they do so well with it.

#2: Real - Rev. From DVL (Dec. 3)

This one came as a surprise too. I'd heard of DVL before, and just never cared to pay much attention. Their songs were ok, but nothing really special. Definitely was surprised when this one came up on my YouTube feed.

#3: Utsukushiki Kodokutachi - Predia (Dec. 17)

I fear this list will be short again....and only J-pop. I've been keeping my eye on Predia ever since I ran into their debut major label single a couple months ago. Their vocals & music style are very nice.

#4: 12-gatsu no Kangaroo - SKE48 (Dec. 10)

Not their best single this year, but catchy.

#5: Fuyu ga Kureta Yokan - Bibi (Dec. 24)

I may or may not be addicted to the Love Live app. Playing these songs over and over certainly makes you like them.

#6: Yasashiku Suru Yori Kiss wo Shite - Miyuki Watanabe (Dec. 24)

I really can't stand Miyuki's voice, but I have to admit this song is pretty catchy. Love the throwback feel to it.

#7: Trouble Busters - Bibi (Dec. 24)

So ridiculously catchy. It also helps that my 3 favorite members in Muse are in Bibi....Nico, Maki, & Eli.

I'm three short again aren't I. K-pop really hasn't released much, and what it has isn't worth a mention. Western pop music pretty much is in Christmas mode by the time December starts so there's nothing outside of K/J-pop that I can think of either. Oh well. If you have a favorite song from December please feel free to share it in the comments! :D

SKE48 - Kono Hi no Chime wo Wasurenai

FINALLY done with finals & final papers....I was fortunate this year and don't have anything for the rest of the week xD So yay for more posting time before work starts up again xD

This release is SKE48's first and only (so far) album. SKE48 is the first sister group of AKB48 and was founded in 2008. I've always wondered why SKE48 hasn't released another album yet. It's been over two years since this was released so they're due for a new album. I've heard that this album didn't sell particularly well, but for future releases that's easily remedied by including 2 shot tickets. It just would be nice to have a new SKE album, especially since both AKB and Nogizaka are releasing one in January and NMB released one earlier this year.

Track #1, Tsuyokimono yo: It's rare that first single from a group would wind up as one of my favorites. They really need to do some new songs in this style with the violins and the darker feel. I think only "Escape" is a better song in their discography than this. The music video really isn't anything special. It's just them dancing in a warehouse/airplane hanger. I find it so incredibly hard to believe that Jurina was only 12 here though. She looks so much older than she actually is. 5/5

Tsuyokimono yo MV

Track #2, Aozora Kataomoi: It's always sad to me that SKE didn't stick with the Tsuyokimono yo style for more than one single. Before I listened to their earlier singles, the only song of theirs I knew pre-2013 was Kataomoi Finally and when I listened to Tsuyokimono I thought "Wow! SKE is the cool more dancey group! It'll be exciting to learn their older songs!" I was pretty wrong. It's not that their other singles are bad, but I would be lying if I didn't say that I was very disappointed that there weren't more Tsuyokimonos. This song is fairly generic idol pop. Nothing special. The music video's ok. Pretty low budget. It even has the annoying H!P-esque sparkles in some spots. The outfits are nice though. I guess this was before AKB really exploded though so it'd make sense that there wasn't a huge budget.There's one girl in the video that really looks like Aya Matsuura to me though but I don't know who she is. The only girls I can pick out in this video are Jurina, Rena, Yukiko, and Kumi. 3/5.

Aozora Kataomoi MV

Track #3, Gomen ne, Summer: Again, there is nothing really special about this song at all. It's better than Aozora Kataomoi I guess. The music video is beautiful though. The environment that is. The actual video is a bunch of running and a dance shot...thinking about it, I think SKE has a few MVs where they just run in it. Which is a little strange. But anyway, where was this filmed? Where in Japan is this place? It's SO PRETTY! 3.5/5

Gomen ne, Summer MV

Track #4, 1!2!3!4! Yoroshiku!: Not sure how I feel about this song. It's certainly better than their last two singles, but it's a little weird at the same time. Even though I'm not sure what I think of it, I'm glad they at least went with a different feel for this single instead of going with the same style from the last two. The music video's strange like the song. 3.5/5.

1!2!3!4! Yoroshiku! MV

Track #5, Banzai Venus: I like this song. So catchy! The music video is like Koisuru Fortune Cookie before Koisuru Fortune Cookie lol. And features more running by SKE. 5/5.

Banzai Venus MV

Track #6, Pareo wa Emerald: The beginning of the song begins so promising.....and then it's back to the typical summer sounding track. Music video is the typical summer one as well. 3.5/5.

Pareo wa Emerald MV

Track #7, Oki Doki: This song reminds me slightly of Junjou U-19. Don't know why though xD. The song's great. It's very much like Banzai Venus with how catchy it is. The video is like a combination of Yoroshiku and Banzai's music videos. 4/5.

Oki Doki MV

Track #8, Kataomoi Finally: This is the only song that I had heard from them that was released prior to 2013 before I made the effort to dig deeper in the 48s catalog. Looking back on the song now, it's really not as great as I remember. Tsuyokimono is miles better. I think I enjoyed the song so much at the time because it was a "darker" song in a sea of bright pop songs by the 48s. It's not bad or anything, just not as great as I remember. 4/5.

Kataomoi Finally MV

Track #9, Hula Hoop de Go! Go! Go!: Now we're on to the songs with no videos. Before this week I had never heard any of these either so this was an adventure for me. This is Team S's song on the album. Unfortunately, it's one of those generic idol pop songs. Not bad, just not special. 3/5.

Track #10, Shikatte yo, Darling: This is Team KII's song on the album. It's more unique than Team S's track, but it's still not anything special. In fact, I think I enjoyed Team S's song more. 3/5.

Track #11, Mitsubachi Girl: This is Team E's song on the album. It's looking like Team S will be my favorite Team song on the album. Kind of disappointed in the new tracks so far. Hopefully there's at least one good one in here. 3/5.

Track #12, Sono Saki ni Kimi ga Ita: This is the Kenkyuusei's song on the album. It's a change of pace I guess? Just not a good one. If there's one thing I hate more than ballads, it's idol pop ballads. They ALL SOUND THE EXACT SAME. Seriously. Why couldn't the Kenkyuusei have gotten a crazy genki track instead. 2.5/5.

Track #13, Sunenagara, Ame: This song is performed by Selection 8, so essentially the popular girls of the group at that time. This is probably the best album song. It's pretty good but I don't have a complete opinion on it yet. I think when I listen to it more it'll become one of my favorites. 4/5.

Tracks #14 & #15, Ponytail to Shushu & Beginner: Just AKB48 covers. Obviously AKB's are better, but these are pretty good too.

I realize that they also covered Heavy Rotation on the CD/DVD version of this album, but I didn't buy that version and it's a cover anyway so there's no use talking about it.

The singles are miles better than the album songs on this CD. It makes sense that they would be, but I was still hoping that there would be a standout track among the new ones, but there's really not. Sunenagara gets close to being standout though. Maybe when I listen to it more it'll click. 4/5.