27 April 2015, Singapore – Welcome back to my 3rd article on the popular AKB48 group. I will be focusing on the 4 main teams in AKB48 excluding Team 8 in the coming weeks. This is due to the fact that I do not know too much on Team 8 although the team do have some prominent members. As such, let us kick-off with the AKB48 Team A for this week, and some lesser known facts about the members. We all know the entertainment industry is a juicy one, and Japan is definitely not spared from such “Paparazzi-esque” news.
According to AKB48 member Iwasa Misaki, each team was suppose to have it’s own theme. In the case of Team A, the theme is “Freedom”. At the core of Team A (after the AKB48 Spring Shuffle 2015), is Team Captain Yokoyama Yui (横山由依), who was transferred back to Team A to be the team captain; after being transferred in 2014 to be the Team K captain. As a matter of fact, Yokoyama has been appointed by Takahashi to be the next Soukantoku of the AKB48 groups.
Next in line of course, is the Soukantoku herself, Takahashi Minami (高橋みなみ). Most sites, or Youtube videos, would show the many sides which made up the girl itself, as such not much would need to be said about her. Next up, is the model/fashionista/air-headed idol, Kojima Haruna (小嶋陽菜). After Takahashi, she is the one of the few remaining 1st generation members left in the group. She is now also the oldest member in the entire AKB48 group, after the graduation of SKE48 member Sato Mieko. She is currently one of the few girls in AKB48 to be ranked amongst the top few in the ranking for the most beautiful boobs. Ranked within the top for having the most beautiful bosoms, it is not surprising that she is the current model for lingerie brand, “PEACHJOHN”. She also once expressed that if given a choice, she would have much rather join one of their rivals, MORNING MUSUME (モーニング娘).
The next 2 members, are the victims of a knife attack back in 2014, Iriyama Anna (入山杏奈) & Kawaei Rina (川栄李奈). Although Kawaei has announced her gradutation, the fact that these 2 girls have been touted as the future ace of the group and their popularity was never disputed.
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Left to Right: Iriyama Anna (入山杏奈) & Kawaei Rina (川栄李奈)
Miyawaki Sakura, the co-captain from HKT48 Team KIV, also holds a con-current position in Team A. In my previous article, I have actually predicted Miyawaki to be a candidate for the Kami-7 in the 2015 Sousenkyo. Although as per all idol groups, there are bound to be a few members who would deviate slightly from the traditional idol mould. Team A do have 2 such members in the form of Nakanishi Chiyori (中西智代梨) and Ogasawara Mayu (小笠原茉由), where they can be termed as variety idols. Each has their own charms and skills which draws the fans’ attention over to themselves or to the team itself, in the form of gags among others.
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Left to Right: Nakanishi Chiyori (中西智代梨) & Ogasawara Mayu (小笠原茉由)
Nakanishi was transferred to Team A in 2014 from her initial team of HKT48 whilst Ogasawara was actually transferred from Team B in 2015 although she had been transferred to Team B from her initial team of NMB48 back in 2014. It would be interesting to see what type of gags would be performed by them both, now that the both of them are actually on the same team.
If you missed my first article, read “[Paparazzi Corner] Your newbie guide to popular Japanese group AKB48“.
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Article by: Melvyn @ KAvenyou.com
