Arrived in Tokyo Station early to meet some friends who would be going over to the event site with us. Train took half-an-hour to get there and immediately, the trains were packed. Around 40% leaving for Tokyo Disneyland (which was on the way) and the other 60% for the AKB48 event, like us. I've been to the Makuhari area before last time I was in Japan (but not for events); nevertheless, most of the crowd was heading into the direction of Makuhari Messe.
Already, the exhibition center was starting to become packed with people, young and old, both genders, kids, families and elderly alike. Casual fans and hardcore wota gathering in the same place. The total event space was large, of course, but getting from one end of the hall to the other wasn't too much of a walk. Lanes and other areas were clearly marked, and there were plenty of information signs and projector overheads littered everywhere to make sure you were updated with any lane or member changes.
For those perhaps less informed of how these events worked, it may seem a bit daunting, considering the size of the event and the procedures & regulations involved. In reality, once you do it all and adhere to the rules & regulations, it was a breeze. The degree of organisation, efficiency, long queues in lanes, large crowds and rigorous security/ID checks almost reminded you of an airport, yet it was a simple affair. Present your photo ID (passport, for most foreigners), tickets and receipt and you're through, making sure your hands are disinfected and clean beforehand. The receipt is mainly matched to your photo ID and the ticket barcode scanned for authenticity. Then you get to meet and shake her hands, and talk with them, for 10 seconds (sometimes slightly less but I'll get to that later) per ticket. They keep time checks rigorously (every lane has staff members with stopwatches) and you're immediately ushered out once your time is up. Easy.
Apart from the members' lanes, they have a shop area selling AKB48 goods (mainly member goods and media), information booths (where you could meet with Togasaki or Yuasa, the general managers), free spaces to chill as well as trading (photos/cards) spaces and birthday message spaces (for people to sign cards to give to members during birthday shows) upstairs. And, of course, food/drink stalls. Pretty well catered for the average event-goer.
On the screens hung around the event space, apart from displaying information and lane/member change updates, they looped Eien Pressure, Tenohira ga Kataru Koto and the forthcoming NO NAME single MVs. So much, that it's nearly pressuring me to buy the latter. They also aired a few promo clips from various media on sale in the shop (e.g. SKE48 Harucon 2012 concert, AKB48 Minogashita 2, etc.).
Enough about the surrounds. Let's get down to business meeting members. Today, I had 16 members planned that I had already applied for (and won) to meet. I'll summarise what happened for each one:
For each member, I introduced myself as having come from Australia. The numerical rating reflects the degree of reaction to that. (Rating from 1-5 in 0.5 increments - from total apathy (1) to overexcited ecstasy (5), with (3) being just normal surprise). I'll add a few more comments as well. Unless otherwise specified, I attempted to speak in (my broken) Japanese, which may/may not have influenced the reactions.
Rina Hirata (9am). AKB48 Kenkyuusei. Tickets = 2.
Reaction rating: 3.5.
As I purposely intended this to be my so-called "warmup handshake", the entire conversation was in English. She liked my accent apparently, to quote her (then again, my friend who went for her immediately after mine told me she said exactly the same thing). Also commented on her great performance on Tuesday, to which she seemed grateful. Asked her how she found Japan so far. She found life a bit difficult to adjust at first but she's doing fine now.
One thing I found funny - the ushers spoke in English. Absolutely did not expect a "time's up!" in completely understandable English from the ushers.
Miyu Omori (9am). AKB48 Kenkyuusei. Tickets = 1.
Reaction rating: 3.5.
First thing that struck me about her: cute, fairly large, ribbon filled with what appeared to be different coloured balls. A sweet, fairly friendly girl to talk to, and fairly surprised to see someone from overseas come to her lane. Also complimented on her performance on Tuesday; she acknowledged the gratitude given.
Mayu Watanabe (9am). AKB48 Team A. Tickets = 1.
Reaction rating: 2.
Ah, Mayuyu, my current AKB48 oshimen (and overall ex-). This has been a long time coming, and I really wanted to meet her once in my fandom life. When I saw her, she really was that cute girl who has grown up and, looking pretty in pink, refined as she matured. Very soft hands, too. Didn't quite notice the fuss where people online thought she cut her hair - appeared normal to me. Unfortunately, she's also notable for having not much reaction during handshakes (although not to the same infamous levels as Paruru), unless you like anime or Takarazuka. And even then, trying the latter, it wasn't really that enough to make her more excitable, although that was me partly stuffing my lines up. Still a nice experience overall - I mean, it is Mayuyu after all, and I did expect such a (lack of) reaction beforehand. Just expect her to be a bit of a quiet person, but you should already know that she isn't the most sociable of members.
Yuka Tano (10:30am). AKB48 Team A. Tickets = 1.
Reaction rating: 3.
I heard she was pretty amiable so I went for a ticket. First impressions were of a fairly short girl in a white jumper top with a blue-reddish looking skirt. In any case, she definitely was amiable and in fairly high spirits when I talked to her. Commented on her going to Singapore's Tokyo Auto Salon (in a few days), to which she seemed pretty happy about.
Minami Minegishi (10:30am). AKB48 Kenkyuusei. Tickets = 1.
Reaction rating: 3.5.
I thought this was going to turn out awkward. Actually, despite me completely stumbling on what I was going to say later regarding no3b (and then getting ushered out because time was up) - for some reason, it couldn't come out properly (but at least Miichan kindly apologised; for what I don't know) - it turned out better than expected. Now about the wig: it was twin tailed today and slightly dark brown, with a blue baseball cap placed over it. When I told her I came from Australia, the first thing she said? (quote) "Ooh! Koala!" That made me giggle with glee inside. Glad she's still alive and doing well in Kenkyuusei though.
Akari Suda (12pm & 2pm) SKE48 Team S. Tickets = 5 (divided into 3 & 2 respectively).
Reaction rating: 4.
If you've been following me on Twitter or elsewhere during the day, you'll know exactly what happened and what I'm going to say about this. It's hard to describe love in words. I mean, I could throw a dozen different adjectives out there, but you'd get the point anyway.
Put it simply, it was the best moment of the entire handshake event, let alone my whole life as a fan. Immediately before it was my turn, I had my first real look at her in person, my heart racing out of nervousness at a pace like never before. She's every bit as cute and pretty as I've seen and heard her in countless media - today she was wearing twin tails, a white top with art prints and a pretty looking pink gingham skirt - and those handshake reports I've read I can truly attest to in person. "Legendary" springs to mind. Except I got a bit more than that...
Before I flew overseas, I wrote her a fan letter and sent her a small gift (a koala - or was it a kangaroo, my memory fails me - keychain), not knowing whether she'd receive it or how she'll react to what I wrote. As soon as I told her I was from Australia, to my complete surprise and awe, she got all excited, as if a lightbulb just lit up in her head, and told me she's read my letter and got my gift. I didn't even need to ask her about that. That moment was the happiest I've ever was, not even just as a fan, and "happiest" didn't even come close to how I was feeling at the moment. Then she proceeded to comment and compliment on how good my Japanese handwriting was. (Actually, that was my first time writing in Japanese and if you've ever seen how I write Chinese, it's pretty horrid... in my opinion. Still, it was nice to get a personal compliment. Even better if it's straight from your oshimen's mouth.). Hand grip was pretty firm, even until the end of my first 30 seconds with her. Left me slightly shaken at what just happened, out of incredible happiness, as if it was all just a dream. Except it was real.
I later went back to see her again in the afternoon. This time, it was a simpler affair. The cute thing was, I asked her to (well, figuratively speaking, but you all should know what it means) "fish me". Except my Japanese didn't quite come out right (this happened similarly during the noon slot earlier). Fortunately, she was kind enough to help me correct my Japanese, trying to see what I was getting at. I got a cute little wink, and she grinned and smiled. That was mainly all (I was a little starstruck and lost for words - I only managed a "kawaii"), and again, she sent me off, firm grip notwithstanding and popping her head around the partitions.
And is there any wonder why she is my oshimen? Hands down, I was not at all disappointed. In fact, the entire affair exceeded my (admittedly fairly high) expectations. Excuse the cliche and cheesiness, but it was like falling in love all over again. To be quite honest, today wasn't so much about her fishing (in fact, I didn't notice a lot of it), but it was her warm heartedness that won me over completely (again).
Momoka Kinoshita (4pm). NMB48 Team M. Tickets = 1.
Reaction rating: 3.
Whilst nearly everyone else stood up to shake hands, Momoka, being the short-haired boss-like member that she is, and wearing a seifuku, sat down after her rest break, with a "I'm ready for these handshakes. Bring it on" body language. Given that she hadn't applied yet at the time, I asked her whether she was indeed going to apply for the forthcoming AKB48 elections. To which she said she was undecided. (For reference, she did comment on this in her most recent Google+ post during the day). Unlike previous reports, I wouldn't call her "crazy loud", but "gangster-like" comes close.
Airi Furukawa (4pm). SKE48 Team KII. Tickets = 1.
Reaction rating: 3.5.
We were informed via her Google+ that she was going to wear a short-haired wig. She did, but she also explicitly said "it wasn't danso", so that option was taken out. Decked out in a black Rolling Stones tee, she's a pretty chill and rather friendly person to talk to even though her with the wig on looked, well, a little funny. You can definitely feel the otaku vibes from her. Most of my conversation revolved around her more recent blog posts, and she looked surprised that even someone from overseas would keep up with her (sometimes wacky) Google+ and blog posts. Left a positive impression on me and I wouldn't have minded going for more in the future.
Yuria Kizaki (4pm). SKE48 Team S. Tickets = 1.
Reaction rating: 3.5.
Surprisingly good. I was informed of a slightly "salty" (see Paruru for reference) reaction beforehand, but I didn't see that at all from her today. Went for the casual look with a grey art-print tee and short shorts. Fairly lively girl. I asked her about how her (infamous) times tables were going. Told me she was working on them and was pretty confident about it, even going so far as to give me an "OK!" sign. Overall, I liked that handshake with Yuria Peace.
Mayu Ogasawara (4pm, rescheduled). NMB48 Team N. Tickets = 1.
Reaction rating: N/A (I'll cut her some slack).
I originally was supposed to have her for the 2pm slot. Unfortunately, we were informed she didn't feel too well so her 2pm slot was cancelled, leaving us to go to her 4pm (and onwards) slots instead (assuming she felt alright to continue) which, unsurprisingly, turned out to be packed. Unsurprisingly, she looked a bit pale and frail when I met her, not saying too much but still trying to be friendly. Hope she gets better soon.
Aoi Motomura (5:30pm). HKT48 Team H. Tickets = 1.
Reaction rating: 3.5.
Because of the Maachun incident (see above), I had no time to take a rest break and went straight for my group of HKT48 handshakes. Fortunately, Aoitan was better than expected. Pretty small (although that could be said for half of the HKT48 girls anyway) but also fairly cute. I didn't know what to say to her, so I just asked her to do her catchphrase. Which, for lack of words, was also cute.
Anna Murashige (5:30pm). HKT48 Team H. Tickets = 1.
Reaction rating: 3.
Minor funny thing happened before my handshake. Aoitan played around with Aanya as she was free (and there were no partitions nor curtains - more on that later) with no handshakes at the moment. Actually, Aanya was less crazy and loud than I thought. Today, she was wearing glasses. Unfortunately, I had a bit of a mental blank so I didn't exactly know what to say to her. I just fell back to complimenting on their Suki! Suki! Skip! release performance. Fortunately, she was pretty grateful about it.
Sakura Miyawaki (cancelled). HKT48 Team H. Tickets = 1.
Yes, her lane slot (my one) was cancelled, again due to her not feeling well. Unlike Maachun earlier, however, administration wouldn't let us transfer to her final evening slot for the day. Which meant I missed out on handshaking with her. Oh well, I do have a two-shot event next week with her anyway. Also gave me a much needed dinner and rest break. Especially for my legs, which were crying out for a rest.
Rie Kitahara (7pm). AKB48 Team K / SKE48 Team S. Tickets = 1.
Reaction rating: 3.
Pretty simple handshake. One fashion highlight was her fairly large necklace accessory. Put a fair bit amount of makeup too. Otherwise, all I did (apart from the intros) was comment on her future drama TV series and that summed it up. Good to see Kitarie though, which was my main aim anyway.
Akane Takayanagi (7pm). SKE48 Team KII. Tickets = 2.
Reaction rating: 2.5.
Churi sure has a strange fashion sense, wearing a super bright fluoro yellow ribbon and corresponding fluoro and black PJ set. Hard not to miss her amongst the sea of white, beige and black (i.e. the other SKE48 members near her lane). What I didn't quite expect was the slightly short and direct answers, leaving me a bit abruptly confused as to what to say next. Don't think either my poor Japanese, nor the time (evenings are when they start to get tired) helped. Not even a topic about her birds stroke her feathers, so to speak, although at least she said they were in good spirits. Whilst I wouldn't go so far as to say "I was disappointed", for two tickets it was a tad surprising to be honest.
Yuki Kashiwagi (8:30pm). AKB48 Team B. Tickets = 1.
Reaction rating: 3.5.
First impression of this popular senbatsu member? "Man, she really has a big nose...". I was a bit surprised to find out how fast my time went, as it definitely felt less than the usual 10 seconds. Perhaps a combination of her popularity (leading to lengthy queues implying faster turnover) and the time (final slot, which was already delayed by a bit). Which meant I only had time to intro myself. Fortunately, Yukirin appeared to still be rather lively, despite the late hours, even managing to squeeze in a compliment about my Japanese skills. Despite the time hitch, it was still a nice handshake with Yukirin, and I was quite satisfied with it.
That was all for the members I applied to meet. But because of the nature of how the lanes and overall event were structured, I also got a glimpse of other members. Some notable highlights below:
- The list of members I got to see: Karen Iwata, Marina Kobayashi, Ryoka Oshima (tiny!), Yuka Nakanishi (ikemen-looking as usual), Masana Oya, Jurina Matsui, Rena Matsui (complete with her recently cut hair), Kanon Kimoto (too much makeup!), Manatsu Mukaida, Yuko Oshima, Yui Yokoyama, some NMB48 girls, some HKT48 girls (more on those latter two below later), Haruna Kojima (tall), Nao Furuhata (I got to witness the famous Nao handshake jump, even from afar!), Kaori Matsumura, Rina Matsumoto, Miki Yakata, Suzuran Yamauchi, Mina Oba and Ayaka Umeda.
- They were trialling removing partitions and privacy curtains normally in place for members, but these were mainly for less popular members - for example, most of the NMB48 Team M/BII, AKB48/SKE48 Kenkyuusei and HKT48 (bar Sakura and Sasshi) occupied these trial lanes. Made for some interesting scenes and interactions between members.
- 1) Karen doing I don't even know what she's doing flailing her arms and flirting with Marinchan in the next lane.
- 2) HKT48 girls were hilarious. Apart from the aforementioned Aoitan and Aanya, you could also see glimpses where Yuki Shimono ("Cinnamon") hugging Mio. As I was lining up for Aanya, Aoitan waved at us too when she was free. Moreover, the guy lining behind me was trying to grab Cinnamon's attention, which he did but the interactions were more of Cinnamon trying to play around with him. Also saw Natsumi Matsuoka, Haruka Kodama, Nao Ueki (wearing maid cosplay) and Meru.
(caps for emphasis - not mine, but Chori's) "ARIGATOU!!! (blokes come in to her lane) EHHHHHH??!!! (saying stuff to her and shaking her hands) KAKKOIIII!!!!!!". Laughter in our lane ensued as we watched what all the fuss was about.
And of course, the girls themselves. Every one of them was great, however sugary or salty, warm or cold, they may have been towards me. Members that I was familiar with on screen and in print for so long; now, they're just (literally) right there in front and around me in person - from senbatsu to kenkyuusei. Idols, then, you can truly meet. Even if you don't actually get to handshake with some of them, you may even see glimpses of them in action, or off-duty and just being themselves.
Sad thing is, for me, this may have been the only chance I got to meet and see them in person, at least not for a long time. It's not often I get the opportunity to have this much time to travel overseas (or even just to Japan). I will definitely treasure this day as making my personal fandom life even more complete and real. More than just idols I follow through a screen, but girls that I have actually met and talked to.
Finally, who did I choose as the "MVP" for the day? I think you all know the answer to that question...
Breakfast: Baked goods (some form of small butter cake)
Canned coffee of the day: Healthya Coffee Sugar-free Milk (3/5 - apparently designed to make you lose weight)
No comments:
Post a Comment