OMG Look at that front line!!! What is even happening?! I don-
But of course. What illusive dream was I having for a second there?
The Senbatsu and New Centre, Ladies and Gentlemen
Very many congratulations to MaiMai to getting her very first and definitely very last chance to Centre a single! I am still not sure how I personally feel about the fact that she is only getting it before she graduates but she can at least have that on her resume!
Yes, I am sure many girls would kill to have to Centre before they graduate but MaiMai is just one of those girls that should have been a Centre already so in that way I guess I might think of it as being in the works and might have happened eventually especially since Centres don’t appear out of the blue. Usually you have to be teased as a No4-2 before Centring and MaiMai was on the front line the last single so it was close but still doesn’t get rid of that little bit of bitter taste in my mouth.
And congratulations to Hocchan making it back to the Senbatsu. Yes, yes, I know some have the illusion that Centring a coupling is better than being in the back line of the Senbatsu but your coupling song Centre won’t be appearing on MJ, MS, or MF! The girl in the last row of Senbatsu will though! So cheers are in order for Hocchan, also because she is my 2nd Gen Oshi of course!
Speaking of 2nd Gen, i have asked it already but I will again anyway, why do they even bother showing up at these events anymore? It has become to be painful watching them just sitting there and their hopes disappearing from their faces when the announcer hits the Deities! They should just create two singles at this point, one for 1st Gen and the other for 2nd! Hell, the 2nd Gen even have their own Face in Hoochan and also some power hitters, even though they are not as tough as the Mai/Nanami combi!
And speaking of Faces, yet still they insist on calling Ikoma-kun the Face of NGZ! Would you guys like, make up your damn minds!? Then again, the same thing is happening in AKB with Mayuyu , a fact that makes me even more confused as to why groups that obviously have the same people in charge can produce music on levels so different from the other!
And yet despite the similarities, some things they just put the stamp of NOPE on them! If they had used the same formula in AKB like the one they use for Senbatsu in Nogi, I wonder how many times Yukirin would have centred…Ah nice to have dreams…
Seriously, raise your hand if you were surprised at any of the announcements in this single?! I already had a feeling about who would be the Centre this time around so really, all the emotion I felt was when MaiMai cried and I was like…
Nope, not gonna cry. NOOOOPE!
Ended up shading anyway because really, this is MaiMai and also because…
the Husbando was also crying
How could I resist much longer!?
And while we are on the subject of couples…
When one part of the heart can’t resist sneaking a peek at their other half, you know what it means ^^! Now, if only Ikoma-kun was next to Minami-chwan like Wakatsuki-sama and Reika then all would be right in the world. But the far away glance is some how more full-filling so I don’t mind either way.
And this is just spec on my part but I found it nod worthy because last single single somehow was lighter than this and I can only think of Ikoma-kun. She took everything in stride last time and everyone followed. But here, even with Cap starting off with a chuckle inducer, when Ikoma-kun changed the game but going emo, everyone followed, Asuka, Minami, my God, Minami cried! I can’t remember the last time I saw her or Asuka do that in an announcement!
Yeah, probably total B but I just couldn’t help but say my thoughts on it. Anyway, onto the senbatsu girls…
New Centre – Fukagawa Mai
Nishino Nanase
Shiraishi Mai
Hashimoto Nanami
Ikuta Erika
Etou Misa
Akimoto Manatsu
Takayama Kazumi
Kawaii Hoshino Minami
Saitou Asuka
The Face Ikoma Rina
Itou Marika
Matsumura Sayuri
Inoue Sayuri
Wakatsuki Yumi
Captain Sakurai Reika
Hori Miona
And that’s the 17 member senbatsu this time around. How time flies with Nogi singles! it feels just like yesterday that they announced the 13th and now the 14th! I am hoping for another memorable song this time around and not another emo one. But seeing as this is also a graduation single, chances are pretty high it’s gonna be another Nishino-like song, she is 2nd after all and that might have an impact on the overall feel.
Sorry girls, I don’t know why you-re here either!
百合 Goggles 
February 2, 2016 at 12:30
Yes congrats to MaiMai, a nice present for her before she leaves the group, though like you said it’s not fully out of the blue so it doesn’t feel totally random or anything like that!!!
Though it does mean my dream of Wakasama being center must wait for another time…… sighs, one day………
Funny you compared Ikoma to Mayuyu, I get that comparison with then whole face thing but at the moment I see Ikoma almost more like Yukirin, as in they bring her out for that good old recognition factor but then tuck her in at the back a bit more when they have used her for what they wanted, in many ways like Yuki she’s become a name you add to something because it makes it sound better.
Damn but that Senbatsu is strong though, it’s in a much better position than AKB’s right now, though of course this is where you point about 2nd gens runs true, AKB relies on the sister groups so much because they didn’t plan ahead and suddenly loads of the big names had gone and they did not have girls ready to step up.
WakaRei are the MaYuki of Nogi so it’s always nice to see them together, it’s actually kinda nice for these two as the do generally tend to end up in and around the same place in singles so we do tend to get good chances to see them together unlike MaYuki where Mayu is around the front and Yuki is, well, all over the place….
February 2, 2016 at 12:51
And yet another MaiMai leaves the group T.T)
This senbatsu is indeed strong which makes me that much more worried about the 2nd gens. It’s becoming less and less easy to drop someone for them. They should just give them a different path, maybe not a single but rather part of the single. Instead of double Centres they should make double A-sides.
I actually didn’t think of Yukirin as a stamp until now after you mention it. That is what she actually is – a stamp or a seal if you will.
Is it just so hard to have an AKB line-up with the proper positions?
Yukirin
Paruru – Mayuyu
Sakura – Sayanee – Harunyan – Milky
etc…
or
Mayuyu – Yukirin – Paruru
Sakura – Sayanee – Harunyan – Milky
etc…
Why is someone trying so damn hard to look for alternatives?! Oh well, lets just wait until they start losing the Millions then the seals will start happening!
I just used Mayuyu because she is the Face of AKB and she is doing exactly what Ikoma is doing – Centring on shows, in Lives etc…Just like Ikoma-kun. Meanwhile Yukirin…
Anyway, just like everything Yukirin, Mayuki is also being desperately ignored, despite their bond getting even stronger recently to be so obvious that someone in the neighbouring galaxy can even see them!
But we have had this conversation dating back years. I almost wish I wasn’t in college now so I could get the chance to write a thesis on how not to run a business using AKB as an example in the future!
February 2, 2016 at 14:07
Really saw that one coming. I knew they were going to extend the same privilege to MaiMai the way they extended it to Iku-chan when she came back from her hiatus. Still, I’m extremely happy for her! She’s one of my favorites. MaiMai is very low-key in terms of beauty and personality, but the rest of the group seems to really adore her. Also, hooray for Miona getting back in senbatsu!!! Get it gurl! I’ma call it right now: Iku-chan and Miona are Nogizaka’s future! 😀
But damn, senbatsu is really super stacked! O_O How are they expecting the 2nd gens to break into senbatsu when you have a line-up like that?? Me thinks they should just increase it to 18-nin, then bring back the hachi-fukujin. At least that way, the fukujin status can maintain its glamour.
P.S. Was really sad when Minami-chan expressed her thoughts on being back to senbatsu again. I can’t believe ‘fans’ would actually say those things to a member.
February 3, 2016 at 04:13
Yay, Mai Mai! I am so happy yet sad because this will be her last single. I am also bitter why only now Mai Mai became a center. They should have made her the center in their last single. I like Nanase but I am kinda bored on her. Imo, she doesn’t have that center aura like Ikoma, Maiyan, and Ikuta have. She’s a good dancer and singer but my eyes always goes to either Ikuta or Maiyan when they are performing. Ikoma’s on the back and I can still see her. Lol. I haven’t been dissappointed to any Nogizaka songs so far and I hope this next single will be as good as the past songs.
I am so relieved that Ikoma was not dropped. But many are still complaining because Himetan should be there not Ikoma (based on HS Himetan sold out, I think). Anyways, management should just made it an 18-nin so that Himetan was included. And I agree, they should just stop calling Ikoma as the face of Nogizaka. How can she still be the face of Nogizaka when she’s at the back. They should just make Nanase as their face since she’s the most popular member and have the 2nd most centered single.
Apart for not making 18-nin, my other complain on this lineup is that WakaRei is not part of fukujin. But at least they are still beside each other. They can’t break up WakaRei. Lol. I hope in the next single they will be in fukujin.
Those poor 2nd gens. There are still many strong under members from 1st gens(Himetan, Rotti, Saito Yuuri, Kanarin, Nojou. Etc) and I think it will be really hard for them to get into senbatsu except for Hori. But Terada Ranze is making a wave and my fave Kitano Hinako is now an exclusive model for a magazine and I think either the 2 of them will enter the senbatsu next single. Unless they reduced again the number of senbatsu to 16 (I think Himetan will replace Mai Mai’s spot and Ikoma will not be dropped).
Poor Minami-chan. How can someone say hateful words on a cute girl like Minami. Actually not only on her but to all the members.