AKB48 CD - Kamikyokutachi

What the heck happened to this CD / DVD supposedly not arriving until the end of October?!? OtakuFuel, just took down the pre-order date so I guess that means clicky clicky... order away! I'll be getting mine next week hopefully! What am I so jazzed about you ask?

AKB48 CD - Kamikyokutachi

Manufacturer: Maru Music

Breaking away from the norm, Maru Music presents the First Major Label album from the chart-topping group AKB48! Their full-length album Kamikyokutachi, features 16 tracks, with several tracks topping the Oricon charts in Japan. This album also includes a special DVD, with three music videos with a multi-angle feature, which allows the viewer to study and learn all of the groups expansive dance moves and unique choreography.

AKB48 is the all female Idol group taking the world by storm. The group consists of 48 members (although I heard rumors that due to rotations there are actually more like 60+ of them! - this is unconfirmed though...), all singing and dancing in unison. Divided into three different teams, each team allows for a more dynamic live show. This allows one team to take the lead on one song while the other teams support the lead team in the background.

The fresh and sugary pop songs AKB48 brings to this album will make you want to clap your hands, jump and dance around the room. As the videos in the DVD show, the dance choreography is world class and highly complex. This level of professionalism is amazing especially considering the young age group of the "moembers".

AKB48 derives their name from the Akihabara area of Tokyo. Also called the Electronic city, this area is abundant with electronic shops, manga stores and is a destination for any true Otaku. In the center of Akihabara is the AKB48 Theater, where the group regularly performs. This residence along with their countless television appearances has made AKB48 a household name throughout Japan.

AKB48's popularity is not just limited to Japan; they have performed in Cannes and Paris, France as part of Midem and Japan Expo. Their 2009 performance at Webster Hall in New York was legendary amongst the US Otaku. In July 2010, they performed at The Nokia Theater in Los Angeles as part of the Anime Expo convention as the headline artist.

DVD Chapter Listing:

1 Ogoe Diamond

2 Iiwake Maybe

3 RIVER

Tracks:

1 RIVER

2 Baby! Baby! Baby! Baby!

3 Ogoe Diamond

4 Kimi no koto ga Sukidakara

5 Shonichi

6 10-nen zakura

7 Tobenai Ageha Chou

8 Namida Surprise

9 Choose me!

10 Enkyori Poster

11 Iiwake Maybe

12 Hikoukigumo

13 Majisuka Rock n' Roll

14 Sakura no Shiori

15 Jibun Rashisa

16 Kimi to Niji to Taiyo to

  If you wanted to see how cute AKB48 was introducing themselves to everyone at Anime Expo 2010 - check out the AKB48 @ AX2010 video shot from an android phone by OtakuFuel.

Wrap up this read with an AKB48 music video:

AKB48 - Seifuku ga Jama wo Suru (English Subs)

Anime Expo 2010

  This was my wife and I's 11th year in a row attending Anime Expo. To be honest there were more than just a few years when I begged my wife to agree with me to spend our summer 4-day weekend some place else... I'm always glad she drags me there once I am actually there though... The lines have always been long, it has always been hot and most assuredly... disorganized. In spite of all the bad that I seem to associate with it ever year, I always seem to be looking forward to a few things that will happen while I am there. The rewards I reap always out-weigh the heat, lines, miles and miles on the pedometer and drama... Speaking of drama, there has been a ton of drama behind the scenes at AX for several years now and I beg you if you are privy to any of it that you leave your thoughts on it out of the comments section. :)

John Hwang did another outstanding job of capturing this years Anime Expo. Please give his Youtube channel a shout-out and a thanks if you enjoyed it. His Youtube channel id is: vegiwrap. His documentary highlighted many things I didn't have time to get to this year, and I even spotted a few peeps I know in his video! Are you in there?!?

My personal AX 2010 highlights:

  Meeting Masakazu Morita. Masakazu Morita is the famous voice actor for Ichigo Kurosaki in one of my favorite animes... The Bleach anime of course. Coincidence that I was wearing my Ichigo Kurosaki otaku t-shirt when I bumped into him? Me thinks not... He was super cool and even extended his hand to greet me. Next to him is Nabeshin Shinichi Watanabe. Sorry the images aren't better, they were from a cellphone camera...

I think the cosplayer I liked the best was the Kamina Jack Cosplay:

I've worked with Danny Choo a tad through email in the past and have been one of 8 billion of his contacts across the social whoring platforms for many years now. So naturally, at one of his meet and greets I had to say hello... He's a very down to earth comrade in person (just like on LCD!) and has a genuine love for what he does. It's admirable that he offers his advice in honesty and hopes chaps will listen... In the image below you can see how some of his fellow hobbyists joined a few of their 'daughters' together for this nice photo-opp:

One of the most embarrassing things that happened to me was an autograph rejection from Megumi Nakajima (If you are wondering who the heck this is, keep in mind that this article was written in July 2010 - I suppose this won't be funny to me until I read this again in August 2010). 
Megumi Nakajima and May'n ticket stub:

The best surprise was an introduction to something I've never heard of before, but now have one more reason to visit Japan and Akihabara... AKB48. Don't judge, my wife dug it too:


Updated 07/23/10: You can now pick-up the AKB48 CD from your preferred online anime store.
 

Every year it's something new to focus on. For a few years all we could do is watch anime online from our cell phones while waiting for concerts and main events or watching new anime titles in the video rooms, another couple of years we tried the cosplay thing, another year we supported Clem's Gundam model building workshop by heckling him to death from the back, another year spent focusing on the dealer room and spending way too much cash. And still another year exploring dojin-soft and other Japanese video games. Speaking of the dealers room, this year the Gundam model shop and the copic marker store were huge and front and center. They really scored on real-estate this year. The Bandai booth was VERY well done:

 Image originally found at DannyChoo.com

Will I kick and scream to not go next year? Probably not, as I really wanted to make it over to the artist alley and show some support to the copics, doujinshi, modelers and crafting communities... But alas never made it due to time constraints. There is a lot of doujinshi that I want to explore, and until I can get over to a full-meal-deal convention like Comiket in Japan, I think the artist alley at AX will have to do. I don't mean to say that their work is less impressive or anything... It's just the number of those following it here are lacking. And without the support the volume is just much lower in the US. All and all, I guess you could wrap this article up with I'm still looking forward to next year, due to the tingling I'm still experiencing from this year.