AKB48 Koko ni Ita Koto new release date

AKB48's first album that was supposed to be released on April 6th but was pushed back due to the earthquake now has a new release date! The album will be released in Limited and Regular editions on June 8, 2011!

Both editions come with a bonus DVD and the Limited edition also comes with a bonus 100 page photo book featuring the members.

Maji Desu ka Ska! Official PV

The full PV for Morning Musume's 45th single Maji Desu ka Ska! was released yesterday and here it is!

I'll admit that the PV is kinda boring and that it could be more exciting, but this is a good first step away from what some were calling the "emo musume" era.
The single will be released on April 6th.

Not Yet's 1st Week Sales

New AKB48 sub-unit Not Yet has amazing first week sales for their debut single Shuumatsu Not yet. They have achieved the weekly number 1 spot with a total of 159,678 copies sold in the first week. A huge jump from first to second shows Korean group BEAST's first Japanese single sold 28,532 copies in it's first week. Falling behind them is SKE48's Banzai Venus with 12,922 copies sold. BTW, congrats on the weekly #1 SKE48!!!!
The top 10 on Oricon is listed below for this past week.


Oricon Week 12 2011 Top 10
1. Shuumatsu Not yet - Not yet: 159,678
2. SHOCK - BEAST: 28, 532
3. Banzai Venus - SKE48: 12,922
4. Yumetamago - NYC: 11,448
5. RUNWAY☆BEAT - FUNKY MONKEY BABYS: 11,146
6. Rookie-Sakanaction: 9,067
7. Aishitai Kimi wo Aishitai - Ryu Shi Won: 8,417
8. Yuushatachi - Kato Miliyah: 6,178
9. Sakura no Ki ni Narou - AKB48: 5,973
10. Born This Way - Lady Gaga: 5,484

Releases for the J-pop World

Some of the releases that were postponed due to the earthquake now have new release dates:

Morning Musume-Maji Desu ka Ska! (45th Single)

C-ute: Chou WONDERFUL 6 (6th Album)

SDN48- Ai, Chuseyo (2nd Single)

will be released on April 6th, 2011. 

Morning Musume Concert Tour Autumn 2010 ~Rival Survival~ Blu-Ray (Kamei Eri, Junjun. Linlin Graduation) will be released on April 13th, 2011

Hello! Project 2011 Winter ~Kansei Shinsen Matsuri~ A Gana/B ttkuri Live will both be released on April 27th, 2011. 

No word so far on AKB48's album or Kikkawa Yuu's debut single. 

Lady Gaga Helps in the Relief Effort

Many American celebrities are taking part in the earthquake relief effort in Japan, taking any small donations to help those effected by the earthquake and tsunamis. I really want people to consider making a donation to any relief effort. A good way to donate and show your support is by purchasing one of these:

This wristband was designed by Lady Gaga as a way to show your support for Japan in this time of crisis. Each bracelet costs $5.00 and all proceeds go toward the relief effort in Japan.  If you want to help Japan and want something to show for it, this is a great way to do it. I have already purchased one, so can you.

You can purchase one of these wristbands at Lady Gaga's official store here.

Massive 8.9 Earthquake in Japan

By now I'm sure that everyone has heard about the massive earthquake that Japan had last Friday. The quake was 8.9 in magnitude and was centered in Sendai. Even today there are still huge aftershocks going on there. Even worse is the growing worry at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and the radiation leaks.

Here is footage of the tsunami that the earthquake caused. It is not for the faint of heart so please watch at your own will.

I truly pray for the safety and well-being of all of the citizens in Japan right now and to those who have lost so much due to this quake. And to everyone wishing to do something to help there are countless foundations that are taking donations to help the relief effort in Japan. Any small amount makes a huge difference.

Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund by Global Giving

Salvation Army Donation Site

American Red Cross

Everyone is involved in the relief effort. AKB48 has been very active in the relief effort so far. The have announced that they have opened a bank account to accept donations on behalf of the Japanese Red Cross as well as pledging to donate 500 million yen from themselves and from Akimoto Yassushi as well.

As far as group activities go, it has been announced that various activities and releases have been either pushed back or canceled entirely. The release date for AKB's first original album has been pushed back from its original date of April 6th to an currently unknown date. There five concerts scheduled at Yokohama Arena have also have been canceled due to the quake. The AKB theater has also been closed and there is no word on when it will reopen again.

Hello! Project has also been hit by the quake. Morning Musume's 45th single and C-ute's 6th album have also been pushed back to an unknown release date. The release of Kikkawa Yuu's debut single has also been pushed back. Various fanclub events for Berryz Kobo, C-ute, S/mileage and Kikkawa Yuu have also been canceled with the promise of rescheduling.

Once again I truly wish for the safety of everyone in Japan and I pray for those who have been directly effected by this disaster. I strongly encourage all of you to please consider donating to one of the relief efforts listed above or any others you may find. Anything at all is helpful.

Birthdays!

Wishing a happy belated 19th birthday to Berryz Kobo's Tsugunaga Momoko, who's birthday was March 6th!

Momo, I can't believe you're finally 19!!

I also want to wish a happy early birthday to former Morning Musume member, Linlin! She will be turning 20 on March 11th!

Miss you Linlin. :)

Finally, one more early birthday to S/mileage's Fukuda Kanon. She will be turning 16 on March 12th. 

Happy 16th Kanon-chan!

AKB48 - Team Pichipichi NHK

Team Pichipichi NHK

A new AKB48 "team" has been formed to promote 19 new shows that TV network NHK plan to premier starting March 28. Each member of this unit is assigned a genre to promote. The Members of Team Pichipichi NHK and their genres are :

Oshima Yuko (Sports)
Maeda Atsuko (Creative)
Shinoda Mariko (Common Knowledge)
Itano Tomomi (Entertainment)
Watanabe Mayu (Anime)
Takahashi Minami (History)
Kashiwagi Yuki (Work)
Sashihara Rino (Radio)
Yokoyama Yui (Health)

Source : TokyoGraph

What surprises me is that Kojima is nowhere to be seen in this unit. Surely she is more popular than Sashihara and Yui. Though it is nice to see Yui getting as much promotion as she is. Maybe all this promotion will push her up in the senbatsu elections? One can only guess.

This unit will run from the 28th of March until the middle of April.

First Original Album by AKB48 - Koko ni Ita Koto

Limited Edition Cover

Regular Edition Cover

The full track list for AKB48's first original album was released a few days ago:

1. Shoujotachi yo

2. Overtake (Team A)

3. Boku ni Dekiru Koto (Team K)

4. Renai Circus (Team B)

5. Kaze no Yukue (Kuramochi Asuka, Sashihara Rino, Takahashi Minami, Oshima Yuko, Minegish Minami, Kashiwagi Yuki)

6. Wagamama Collection (Oota Aika, Maeda Ami, Komori Mika, Sato Sumire, Watanabe Mayu, Matsui Jurina)

7. Ningyo no Vacances (Takajo Aki, Nito Moeno, Yokoyama Yui, Kasai Tomomi, Kitahara Rie, Sato Amina, Masuda Yuka)

8. Kimi to Boku no Kankei (Maeda Atsuko, Itano Tomomi)

9. Iikagen no Susume (Katayama Haruka, Kojima Haruna, Shinoda Mariko, Akimoto Sayaka, Miyazawa Sae, Matsui Rena)

10. High School Days (Team Kenkyusuei)

11. Team B Oshi (Team B)

12. Chance no Junban (Single)

13. Beginner (Single)

14. Ponytail to Shushu (Single)

15. Heavy Rotation (Single)

16. Koko ni Ita Koto (AKB48, SKE48, SDN48, NMB48)

DVD Tracklist

1. Ponytail to Shushu (2:30 Choreography Clip)

2. Heavy Rotation (2:30 Choreography Clip)

3. Beginner (2:30 Choreography Clip)

4. Chance no Junban (2:30 Choreography Clip)

The album will be released on April 6th in Limited and Regular editions. 

News Roundup 3-6-11

Since I've had alot of work to do this past week, i havent been able to do much blogging. so today I'm posting on recent news in the idol world. 

1. Akimoto Sayaka reinstated as Team K captain

As most of you already know, Sayaka resigned as captain of Team K after it became known that she had an older man, Ouji Hiroi, stay at her house. Since then she has promised that she will do her best as a member of Team K and hopefully regain her position as captain. Well last week, she took place in the Tokyo Marathon, and after seeing how hard she worked in training and completing the marathon Akimoto has reinstated her as captain! Sayaka is one of the most dedicated members of AKB48 and her resignation broke the hearts of many of her fans, but shes captain again and thats all that matters. Congrats Sayaka!!!

2. New AKB48 sub-group : DiVA

Along with the previous announcement, Akimoto announce a new sub-group named DiVA. This unit features Akimoto Sayaka, Miyazawa Sae, Umeda Ayaka, and Masuda Yuka, all under the office48 umbrella. I have been waiting for the day that Sae and Sayaka would be featured in another unit, so this announcement was great to hear. Their debut single will be released under avex trax on April 27th. 

3. Maji Desu ka Ska Previews Released

The full radio preview for Morning Musume's Maji Desu ka Ska was released a few days ago. As most people expected, it has a ska feel to it like Koko ni Iruze! After the radio preview was released, today a short preview for the PV was released. I love the costumes used in the PV, they remind me of the outfits used in Naichau Kamo. The 9th gen seemed to have a decent amount of screen-time as compared to the older members. What I dont understand is why there is a cactus in the middle of the set? Oh well, Morning Musume is full of quirks. Thats what makes them fun! The full PV should be released sometime this week.

4. Sakura no Ki ni Narou Reaches 1 million!

Its official. In it's third week of sales, AKB48's 20th single reaches 1 million copies sold! This isnt there first million, (Beginner reached this number just about 2 months ago) but it is the fastest in only three weeks of sales. I wouldnt be surprised if for their next single they cracked 1 million in the first week. Lets hope!

5. Kikkake wa You PV Preview Released

Kikkawa Yuu's 1st single PV preview was released last week. It is a typical cute idol PV and song, but Kikka pulls off everything just perfectly. Not being selected for Morning Musume was a blessing in disguise, she has a much better presence for a solo artist. I look forward to seeing the full video and all of her future releases. This single will be released on March 30th. 

Thats it for this weeks news! Hopefully I can get back to regular blogging this week.