Would you like fortune cookies along with your snack plate?

It took around a month for them to give us something about the 32nd single. I first saw people posting on Tumblr and Nihongogo message boards of the grand PV shooting at the streets of Fukuoka. There were big crowds whom are dancing along with the group in the background which kinda reminds me of SKE's Banzai Venus. There's also this black DJ out of nowhere. The outfits this time is colorful which is slightly better compared to the blue gingham pattern dress last year.

After that on another day, Sasshi revealed the name of the new single on AKB's Eizo Center which is 恋するフォーチュンクッキー - Koisuru Fortune Cookie which is literally translated to 'fortune cookies in love'  (courtesy of Google Translate). Then there were more pics of KFC PV shooting revealed along with some videos uploaded by both AKB and fans alike. Among the videos, there's one particular video taken from the actual PV shooting itself with the song running in the background and some of the choreography as well:

It's a little annoying since the guy chopped the video to portrait orientation but it was clear enough since it even has full HD 1080p quality. Taking a guess this was probably shot using an S4 or iPhone 5 because the quality is really good. 

Judging from the song, it sounded really retro. It took me back to the time when disco balls and afros were still cool. The choreography seems simple with no big movements though I don't really know since they were just a glimpse of the real thing.

About a week later on a HEY! HEY! HEY! or was it Kayou Kyoku... Whatever but they perform the new song for the first time on TV. As usual, they didn't do the whole song. They only covered the first verse, chorus, breakdown verse and then chorus one more time. After watching that performance, I was stumped. Heh the senbatsu singles gets worse by the year. Heck none of AKB singles in 2013 really managed to really pull me in on the first listen, yet. The song itself sounded very weak. Even the choreography as well. As for creativity, Aki-p really needs to rely on more external sources when writing lyrics from now on. Just when I thought songs about ponytails and headbands were not half bad once you listen to it, a song about fortune cookie? Isn't fortune cookie a Chinese thing rather than Japanese? Anyway here's the performance on Ongaku no Hi: 

Putting those aside, there are some positives about this song. I wrote somewhere in this shitty blog before that when it comes to AKB, it has to be variety. They have what, 500-600 songs altogether now? With that kind of number it's really not that hard to find an AKB song that you like. There's the ever popular, energetic and controversial Heavy Rotation. If you like something more close to mainstream pop, there's the autumn dance score such as RIVER, Beginner and UZA which happens to be the best single of the year like for every single year. So KFC adds more to the pool of song choices. It's not really very idol-like but it is certainly lovable. Some fan in tumblr stated that "idol music was never really the pinnacle of musical creativity" and I couldn't agree more. One thing for sure, this song suits Sasshi as center since there was no big movements involved. Imagine Sasshi of all people do something like the round kick or whatever that was towards the end of Gingham Check MV last year. It won't be epic as Yuko's. 

Some would really love this song especially those who had lived through the golden age of disco in their youth. I can already imagine this song being used for aerobics exercise in the morning. Hardcore fans will be a bit disappointed but hey it's something new and AKB is still in it's generational transition phase. It's hard to actually tell which direction is this new AKB is going but it's really vital that at these times they show what does the new gen AKB have in store for us fans and the general public.

So, the final verdict is yet to be handed down. Still waiting for the actual release of the whole single but for now, no, I don't really want fortune cookies along with my snack plate please. 

Almost a week late -____________-

Almost a week ago, the majestic event in the AKB48 calendar year took place at Nissan Stadium where 70, 000 fans gathered, along with around 20, 000 live viewers on YouTube witness history in the making. It's the AKB48 32nd Single Senbatsu Elections~

Yeah I know. By now, all AKB fans around the world should already know the answer to who's in the top 16, who dropped out, and who's number one. I'm writing this to just to share my own opinion on the elections.


Okay, let's start off from the Future Girls (FG -> ranked 49-64).
Perhaps the biggest surprise in the lineup was the inclusion of Hirajima Natsumi(62). Graduated last year due to a scandal. Besides that, it was the inclusion of two HKT kenkyuusei, Tomonaga Mio(59) and Tashima Meru(55). The center for FG is NMB's Yabushita Shu.

Nacchan was the only graduated member to ranked. The fact that she had a scandal is what made me more confused. I personally believe that among the graduated members, Noro or Meetan deserves to be ranked but heck nobody wants old hags as idols. Huh, Mariko who?


Moving on to the Next Girls (NG -> ranked 33-48)
Oba Mina takes the coveted 48th place. Lovetan's rank increased from last year. Kuramochi dropped to NG. The biggest surprise is that most of NG girls are first timers. NG center is Sato Amina

Quite irritating to see that the girl who ranked 8th during the first elections is now ranked 33rd. Where did the love gone to? Where did she do wrong? But I guess this is a great opportunity to restart since she's now a center of a music video. Same goes for Lovetan and Mocchi.


Shit starts to get real from Under Girls (UG -> 17-32)
Just as I predicted, Miichan and Umechan is out of senbatsu but I didn't expect Kitarie to be out of senbatsu as well. Miyawaki Sakura unexpectedly ranked 26th.

What I can conclude of the UG lineup is the dominance of SKE48. Almost half of UG are SKE girls. Even the center is Shibata Aya who gave people a real scare when she ranked 8th in the preliminaries. Well done, SKE wotas.

Respect the fanatics!

Last night, I met a fellow AKB fan from Facebook and we skyped. At first, I really thought that she was a he. I was so confident up to the point she called me. I was speechless.

What is more surprising when I found out she's 16. She does look young by the way. She looks like Miichan and even sounded like her. I can't help but to compare girls I've met with anyone in the 48 group. It has become a habit since last year.

Looked up her Facebook profile and everything in there is about AKB. That's pure fanaticism. Not a single non AKB related post. Oh, except for the fact that she lives in KL and is schooling there but I respect this girl!

She also claims herself to be an anime otaku. She's into anime like K-ON!, Angel Beats, Ano Hana and that certain scientific railgun. Those were some of my favorite anime as well. There's too much connection going on between me and this girl. Not that I hate it but it's kind of relieving to meet with someone who have exactly the same interests as you.

She even showed her drawings of the anime characters. I am stunned. They were great drawings. Like a pro. She also mentioned that she wants to be a mangaka. So Mayu-like. See? I did it again.

She also kept showing me her phone wallpapers. I remember Takamina's Beginner pic, the Mayuki pic and Acchan's Ashiya Mizuki pic. I don't wanna lose so I told her that the best AKB couples were the oshiri sisters and I showed her the Sugar Rush Oshiri pic

Yeah all and all she's a nice girl. A nice fellow AKB/anime fanatic. I love meeting with random people who have the same interests as me. I respect them the most. Heck I respect all fanatics. To be so dedicated towards something is really amazing and everyone has that special something they're totally dedicated to. Mine right now is AKB and everything related to it. Maybe when I grow older, I'll dedicate myself towards something more meaningful. Yeah, right.

My Custom Made AKB48 Senbatsu

I've seen some people do these before and I want to do one or two as well. Since there are roughly around 400 girls to choose from, I only picked my top 3 for my selfishly created senbatsu *insert evil laugh here*

So first up is the "48 GIRL THAT I WOULD LIKE TO DATE" senbatsu;

1. Maeda Atsuko - Though she had graduated, everything about her seemed perfect in terms of a girlfriend material. Her shyness is a national treasure but she never hides her true feelings. She's physically very weak but everytime I saw her like that, I feel like I must protect her. That's why.
2. Watanabe Mayu - Her face comes only once in a million years. I bet every single living soul will fall for her on the first look. 
3. Shimazaki Haruka - Everybody wants to date their oshi.

Next is the "MOST TALENTED 48 GIRL" senbatsu:

1. Oshima Yuko - Japan's best new actress. She was also said that her presence on stage was overwhelming. Even though her dance movements seems exaggerated but it was often dynamic and energetic. She can play the bass guitar and is good at sports. AKB's best joker. If AKB was a talent competition, she would definitely win.
2. Takahashi Minami - balance is the word to describe her but not because of her height. Instead, it's her involvement in everything 48. In dancing and singing and managing the group in between, she's inspiring people around her. Her vibrato is the best I've ever heard.
3. Matsui Jurina - after debuting at the age of 12 and being the solo cover of Oogoe Diamond, one can't simply forget how talented this girl is. She just turned 16 this year and god knows what future awaits for her next.

"MOST FEMININE 48 GIRL" senbatsu:

1. Kojima Haruna - She just reeks of pheromones with her well endowed bosoms and generous body proportions. No sane guy wouldn't want to take their eyes off her.
2. Watanabe Miyuki - Dubbed as 48 group's best fisherman. What more can I say?
3. Kasai Tomomi - Sometimes she can be quite annoying because of her femininity.

"FUNNIEST 48 GIRL" senbatsu:

1. Oshima Yuko - She behaves like an old man. Nuff said.
2. Shinoda Mariko - She tells jokes with a poker face to make you believe it's true. The way she wears her poker face everytime is kind of amazing.
3. Sashihara Rino - if she's with Kitahara, they'll become the best comedy duo ever. She's even funnier alone. She even jokes about her scandal and people were actually laughing to it.

That's it folks! My custom made senbatsu rankings. I will do more later if I can find time. Time for me to crawl. Sayonara!

Sayonara surprises galore!

The quadruple centers
Tomochin, Paruru, Mayuyu, Yuko

Yesterday was the official release day of AKB48's 31st single, Sayonara Crawl and as according to the AKB calendar, this is the summer single aka voting ticket single. A total of whopping 1.45 million copies of the single are sold in the first day alone. This is officially a new record for a first day sales beating their own previous record of the last voting ticket single which sold 1.2 million copies.

Of course, no surprise there since this is a voting ticket single. I for once never ever doubted the power of a summer themed single. What is there not to like about this single? Cute women prancing around the beach in bikinis, couples everywhere in the MV, Takamina getting her bikini top pulled by Mariko (was it?) the mood all and all was happy and energetic. It really reminds you the joys of summer. It's quite sad that there's actually no summer from where I come from but what the heck? Everybody loves summer.

Those who bought the single are eligible to vote for the upcoming AKB48 32nd Senbatsu Elections in June 8th. Surprisingly yesterday, the preliminary results were also announced.

Even more surprising, that hetare girl claimed top spot with more than 28k votes! No words can describe how utterly speechless I am at that time. 2nd is Mayuyu and Yuko ranked 3rd getting almost the same number of 14k votes. Yuko's vote tally is exactly 14k which I found rather amusing.

Does her fanbase really grew that much since last year even with the major scandal that made her move to HKT? Or do people just want something really new? Did she really worked hard to get people's attention over the past year? Of course she does! She's been appearing here and there in television. She can do lots of stuffs, mostly non-idol related works but that is what makes her more outstanding than others. 

2nd is the ever so ambitious, idol cyborg. Every year you hear her saying she's aiming for top spot but fell a little short. She came close last year at 2nd but still a far cry from Yuko's final vote tally. She is AKB's post Acchan current prominent center. Right now, she stands brightest among other members. I do feel after all these years, this is her time to own the spotlight. It is a trend in AKB's election where there has never been a successive winner. Even though it was only Acchan, Yuko, Acchan, Yuko. 

My oshi ranked third surprisingly. Is this possibly a strategy by her fans? Hell yeah you bet! Her total number of votes in the preliminaries last year was 15k which doesn't really differentiate that much from this year's preliminaries. In the end, she won with more than 100k votes. 

There's two more weeks left to vote. I don't know what surprises the AKB universe have in stored but mind this, I can never imagine someone beating Yuko in the elections. Her fanbase is almost as big as Acchan's and Acchan's fanbase was the biggest among the AKB members. 

On June 8th, the stage is set for AKB48 5th Senbatsu Election at Nissan Stadium. There will be a live coverage from their official YouTube channel and Google+ account.

My School Life

I went to 3 different primary schools and 3 different secondary schools during my schooling days. Most of them were due to family reasons. So coping with a new environment every now and then has becoming like a talent to me. Some will feel totally awkward in situations like these but I don't. Well, it was awkward for the first few weeks but the more I interact with my surroundings, the less awkward it became. Being in a new school, you'll have new friends, new teachers, new classroom etc. Of course, it's really hard to accept the fact that you had left some of your friends back at your previous school but all I can do is adapt. It's human nature to adapt to your surroundings and this is not an exception.

I've met some wonderful people throughout the course of my school life. Some I still have contact with. Some even actually went to college with me. Back when I was in 1st grade, I used to be the ace of the class. The center of attention. I was like the perfect prodigal brat ever. Aced all my tests, the class rep, everything. It stayed the same way until I was in 4th grade where I moved to a quite prestigious school in the district. There, I vowed to never see the world in one dimension ever again. I met some of the best prodigies ever. They were totally dedicated in their studies and it made me looked  like I'm super lucky. This one guy, he never failed to amazed me. He never loses his 1st place spot to anyone ever. When I came in, I came in second. He's really something. A that point of my life, I started to realize, no matter what you're good at, there's always someone better. That's why we have competitions, duels, examinations, fights to settle who's the best. You can only be the best if you actually beat the best.

Perhaps it's safe to say that my school life seemed like a cliched setting for a school themed slice of life anime. Most school-themed anime always have this mystery transfer student coming in. These characters are always the main characters. So in a way, I see myself as a main character of some sort of slice of life anime. I can also be the main character for a Persona game series.

For the future of Malaysia, vote!

Today is voting day in Malaysia. The campaigns are over. The badmouthings are over. The ads in the net are supposed to be over already for gods sake. Now, everything rests in the hands of Malaysian adults to decide who'll lead the country for the next 4 years.

What does it mean to vote?
I'm still not eligible to vote but if I could vote today, I will vote. Voting is like a symbol that shows you know what is best for your country. It shows your patriotism, responsibility and full support for your country. When I asked some of my friends, they said they don't give a fuck about politics. That shows that they are yet to mature in thinking and decision-making. Well, really can't blame them since we're still teenagers. I prefer not to get involved as well but I'd love to vote when I'm adult enough. Plus, I love to try something new. What does it mean to be an adult anyway?

BN or PKR?
I never followed or heard any of their actual manifesto for the elections. All I've seen in news or the net are both of them loved badmouthing each others. Well, it's natural for the competitors to taunt their oppositions before the match but this is beyond taunting. What I hate the most is when they started involving racism and religions. If PKR wins, then Christianity will be the official religion of the country? Sistem Beraja will be abolished? Malay people will be less cared? Malaysia becomes a free country? Why would people stoop so low just to get votes? I'd say ignore these things and just damn vote whom you think is the best to lead the country. These things will only help to ignite fireworks between the radicals of both race and religion. I'm not moved by a single bit when I heard that. If you asked me, whom will I vote for, I would only say: I WANT CHANGE. It's nice to experience a change once in a while and by change, it doesn't mean that I'd vote for PKR. If both parties are serious enough in this without the badmouthings and whatnot, it doesn't really matter who wins. Najib can change as well as Anwar. If Anwar becomes PM, I think I can see a Malaysia where the community is more open-minded in everything without prejudice. If Najib continues as PM, there'll be change but it's more or less the same old peaceful Malaysia. Well, a change is better than none, no? As long as I vote. That matters.

Now you've read this, I urge you to go out there and vote you lazy Malaysian!
and you call yourself a Malaysian... PFFFFTTT!!!

A long period of waiting and only waiting starts

The past few weeks was like hell. Finals was like well, finals. Just imagine, the more you studied, the less significant it  is for the finals. What I studied and what the final actually came out are two totally different things. Started from the first day with Computer Science. Then, I started to think; Oh, God! Please fast forward next week where I'm already back at home. Now, I'm home. Everything I did back in college was only fun at college. So now. I'm waiting and waiting and waiting. So fun...

I have voted. How about you?

I've just finished voting in the ISML 2013 Aquamarine Period - Round 5.

Here's whom I voted for:

ARENA 01: [Yūki Asuna] Araragi Karen
ARENA 02: [Kirigaya Suguha] Konoe Subaru
ARENA 03: Roromiya Karuta [Ayano Keiko (Silica)]
ARENA 04: Misaki Mei [Kuroyukihime]
ARENA 05: [Araragi Tsukihi] Nōmi Kudryavka
ARENA 06: Kurasaki Fūko (Sky Raker) [Yuzuriha Inori]
ARENA 07: Yui [Natsume Rin]
ARENA 08: Kotegawa Yui [Chitanda Eru]
ARENA 09: [Makise Kurisu] Tōwa Erio
ARENA 10: [Kashiwazaki Sena] Akemi Homura
ARENA 11: [Honma Meiko] Nibutani Shinka
ARENA 12: Sanka Rea [Mikazuki Yozora]
ARENA 13: [Kanzaki H. Aria] Aoyama Nanami
ARENA 14: Shirakiin Ririchiyo [Takanashi Rikka]
ARENA 15: Nyarlathotep [Shiina Mashiro]
ARENA 16: Momo Belia Deviluke [Hasegawa Kobato]
ARENA 17: [Oshino Shinobu] Yūki Mikan
ARENA 18: Takanashi Tōka [Kirishima Shōko]
ARENA 19: Matsumi Yū, Hirose Sumire [Suigintō, Shinku]
ARENA 20: [Tachibana Kanade] Victorique de Blois
ARENA 21: [Shana] Hirasawa Ui
ARENA 22: Furukawa Nagisa [Hirasawa Yui]
ARENA 23: Tōsaka Rin [Gokō Ruri (Kuroneko)]
ARENA 24: [Fujibayashi Kyō] Sengoku Nadeko
ARENA 25: Holo [Kōsaka Kirino]
ARENA 26: [Yui-nyan] Nagato Yuki
ARENA 27: Aragaki Ayase [Misaka Mikoto]
ARENA 28: [Senjōgahara Hitagi] Sakagami Tomoyo
ARENA 29: [Akiyama Mio] Izumi Konata
ARENA 30: [Last Order] Saber
ARENA 31: Nymph [Nakamura Yuri]
ARENA 32: C.C. [Suzumiya Haruhi]
ARENA 33: Charlotte Dunois [Eucliwood Hellscythe]
ARENA 34: [Iwasawa Masami] Aisaka Taiga
ARENA 35: Louise Vallière [Nakano Azusa]
ARENA 36: [Kuroi Mato] Katsura Hinagiku
ARENA 37: Konjiki no Yami [Illyasviel von Einzbern]

SPRING IS HERE !

What could be better than starting the new terms and no more snow? Spring. Yes, spring is here. There is a down side to it though. From where I live, there's no spring at all and my semester is about to end soon. 6 more days to be exact. Oh wait, the latter one is a good news.

So, spring is here. That means the new anime season is starting. I didn't particularly enjoy the winter anime season. The only anime I enjoyed watching was 0048. Some of the others I watched were quite plain and dull. Love! Live! had a nice plot for a slice of life but in the end it didn't really work out for me. The insert song, Start:Dash! was catchy but the other songs faltered a little bit. Even the OP and ED.

μ's first live performance made me fell into tears until this -_-

The drawings were outrageously moe but the 3D rendition was way off the mark. Their dance movements were so sharp and accurate that it looked... fake. Some also said that half of the plot is Oogoe Diamond. I see their point clearly when I watched the last 2-3 episodes. 

Just tell her you love her already, jeez...

Well, all done is done. Last winter was not really a good season for anime but hey, look at the bright side. Spring is here and there's a few I'm already following since I've been anticipating them for so long.

First up: To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S

Yes, she railgun-ed on air while free-falling head first

This time, they focused the plot on the Radio-Sisters arc which involves the so-called "Level 6 Shift" project. From that, the scientists of Academy City are going to make the Level 5 Accelerator turn level 6. You know what happens next.

As of right now, the show's already on it's second episode. The first one has everything. Fighting scenes. Introduction of new characters. Pervy Kuroko in action. Awesome way to start the new season. The second episode was quite dull but the first few hints of the main plot are shown.

Next up: Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wakeganai (Season 2)

Exactly what I would do if I'm there

Continuing from the last 3 DVD-exclusive episodes, Kirino comes home from America and started anew. If you didn't watch the last 3 episodes where Kirino actually went to America, you won't quite understand the story though. This one is already on it's 3rd episode. The first two was good but the latest was a rather long~ flashback.

I'd totally recommend following both until the end (especially Railgun because of Misaka). Oreimo is due to finish airing after 13 episodes just like last season while Railgun is set for a 24 episodes run. There are other great new series this season but I paid less attention to them compared to these two. There's the action-horror-thriller Shingeki no Kyojin. If you prefer something lighter, perhaps Hataraku no Maou-sama. There's also this detailed art masterpiece mecha show, Suisei no Gargantia. Red Data Girl seems like a promising mystery enough. Date A Live, the action-packed harem fanservice show. Oh, HenNeko is also airing. I've read the manga up to some point but I haven't started watching the anime adaptation but it's certainly on my to-watch list. If you like MOE anime then I won't suggest watching Aku no Hana though.

Oh by the way, I didn't actually manage to write the in-depth review of 0048 Next Stage by episode. Last post, I reviewed episode 2. I've been too busy with college works that I hardly find any time to actually update this wasteland of a blog. And to actually write everything until the end now would be a pain in the ass. I promise I'll write the full review of 0048 Next Stage soon, continuing from where I left off. 

Till next time!