J-pop obsession

So recently AKB48 got their 48th member, former SEED Sato Amina. So I’ve decided to do a full ranking of all 48 members.

Note: I’ve been an AKB48 fan since their 2^nd single, so I’ve seen the group grow from 16 members to 48. Very interesting journey.

(BLT pictures: Katayama Haruka x2, Kashiwagi Yuki, Nakagawa Haruka and Saeki Mika)

When it comes to the three teams, A, K and B there’s no doubt that B is my favourite team. I simple adore that team, they’re my obsession in the moment which can also be seen on my ranking. Team B has taken my AKB48 fandom a step further. Since I normally just buy their singles and albums, but now I’ve started to also buy the other releases concerning Team B, which isn’t much yet. I’ve bought their first stage DVD (their only DVD so far) and I bought their Photo book. And the five photos that followed the photo book, I traded to get pictures of my favourite Team B girls.

 There’s no girls on team B I dislike, there’s of course members I like more than others, but none that makes me say “oh, no that her again” compared to team A and K, where I on both teams have members I dislike.

If I have to chose between A and K, I chose A. Since there’s too many members on Team K I don’t really like, which will also be pretty clear in my ranking

The ranking: 

01. Takahashi Minami (Team A)
She’s been my favourite member since I watched the Skirt Hirari PV for the first time. I noticed her voice and also thought she looked cute. Back then there was not that much AKB48 information available, so it actually took me some time before I got to know her name. But her name was the first name I learned out of the many to come. Many members has been replaced in my top 10 after more and more girls entered AKB48, but Takamina has always kept her spot and I don’t think any other member will ever claim it. Even though I’m not as obsessed with Takamina as I have been, I still wouldn’t dare to remove her from that spot, since a lot of my memories when it comes to being a AKB48 lies on her. It would be wrong for me to ever replace her. I why should I? She’s amazing.

02. Kashiwagi Yuki (Team B)
Yukirin is a talented cutie, she really challenge Takamina, but like mentioned above I don’t think Yuki can ever claim the first spot. Yuki has become of the most popular Team B members together with Mayu. And she deserves it. She has the personality, she has the voice and she’s cute. Was actually surprised about her voice, it was stronger than I thought. When I heard the song “Temo Demo no Namida” among the previews from their 3^rd stage I couldn’t believe that was Yuki singing one half of that song, together with Mika. Just made me love her even more. 

03. Katayama Haruka (Team B)
Haruka, talent, personality and beauty, what more to ask for? Haruka is not as known as some of the other team B girls which are a shame. Sometimes I don’t know if I like her or Yuki more, but the fact is that they probably have to share the 2^nd spot because I’m truly equally obsessed about both girls.

04. Oshima Mai (Team A)
Maimai the beauty. In the beginning I hardly noticed Mai, then suddenly after being a fan about a year I started to think she was really cute and fun and suddenly she moved up my ranking with high speed and placed 2^nd, but well now she has been beaten by Yuki and Haruka. Maimai didn’t stand a chance.

05. Oshima Yuko (Team K)
Yuko! She has been my 2^nd favourite girl for so long. Then Mai got past her. I noticed Yuko in Keibetsu Shiteita Aijou, she was amazing in the PV as the crying girl on the roof. She gave me chills. She a girl filled with energy and she’s very funny. And she delivers her lines in Kinjirareta Futari like no other. I’ve heard Takahashi Minami’s version and Kashiwagi Yuki’s version and even though they’re higher ranked on my list, they could not beat Yuko when it comes to singing that song. Purely amazing. 

06. Saeki Mika (Team B)
Mika, the newest girl in Team B. She used to be a SEED (girl in training) then she was added to team B, which I was very happy about. She was my favourite SEED, she’s just cool and has a nice voice and I also like that she always keeps a serious face and rarely smiles. She is/was the perfect fit for Team B, to complete the awesomeness of that team. She’s the 2^nd half of the 3^rd B stage song “Temo Demo no Namida” (which she sings with Yukirin) And it’s not an easy task to be in a duo with Yuki since she’s so popular and could easily steal all the attention, but Mika manage to get her share of attention also, she does a great job. Yuki and Mika is also a nice match, since Yuki is this very cute girl and Mika is a very cool girl. They’re so different, they match. 

07. Nakagawa Haruka (Team B)
Harugon. Well when Team B was first announced I declared her to be my favourite Team B girl, because of her profile picture. She looked cute and beautiful at the same time. Of course things changed a bit, but Haruka is still among my favourite team B girls. Haruka is a very pretty girl with lots of stage presence.

08. Kikuchi Ayaka (Team B)
Ayarin, a girl truly filled with energy. Was happy that she got chosen to be in Romance, Irane! Which also made me notice her a lot more, also seems like she’s starting to receive more attention from other fans. This kind of goes back to what I wrote in above post about the girls in the singles gets far more noticed than others. 

09. Umeda Ayaka (Team K)
I’m so happy to see this girl back. She’s been on hiatus way to long because of injuries. She’s so charming and has a very nice voice. She used to have rather huge fangs which I think just made her cuter. But she got them fixed and instead of that extra cuteness, she got even more beautiful. I can’t wait to see her back in full force. 

10. Inoue Naru (Team B)
This girl is just cute. During the whole time, watching team B 1^st stage on DVD I wanted to pinch her cheeks. 

11. Tanabe Miku (Team B) 
Tanamin, what I noticed about her was her eyes. There’s something kind of unique about them. Miku is a beautiful girl like so many other girls in AKB48. Like Ayarin she seems full of energy, which kind of matches her catchphrase: "Everyone's vitamin C." 

12. Saotome Miki (Team B) 
Back when team B joined I used to think Miki was a lot older than she actually is. She looks very mature, like Takamina does. In the beginning I didn’t notice her much, but she’s been going up my ranks recently, actually not sure why, there’s just something about her.

13. Sato Amina (Team A)
The newest add to AKB48. She was my 2^nd favourite SEED so think it’s nice she got into my second favourite team. She used to be a big AKB48 fan before becoming a SEED, I find that rather cool. 

14. Itano Tomomi (Team A) 
Tomochin, the BoA fan. When I back in 2006 realized this girl is the same age as Takahashi Minami I was more than surprised. Takamina looks so mature compared to Tomomi and maybe Tomomi also looked more childish than usual back in the Skirt Hirari days. Recently she has been looking more and more mature. There’s no doubt in my mind about this girl’s talent, she has a pretty voice and a spunky personality.

15. Hirajima Natsumi (Team B)
Nacchan, the former team A girl. This girl is just weird in a heart-warming way. She’s like the class clown of team B. She says weird random things, forgets dance routines and apparently wants to visit a transvestite bar. This girl always does her best with a smile on her face and can light up any dark day. 

16. Matsuoka Yuki (Team B)
The second, older, more unknown Yuki of team B. I’m sorry but can’t really come up with valid reasons why she has this spot on my list right now. I like her… does that work? haha

17. Maeda Atsuko (Team A)  
This girl is extremely popular and when it gets to leads she's the queen. Before Takahashi and her used to be equal when it came to leading, but then came the re-release of Sakura no Hanabira Tachi. Atsuko was among the 5 girls to has the leading roles in the PV and be on the limited edition B cover. Takahashi weren’t. Atsuko used to be close to the bottom in my ranking, but then she started to go up a bit. After I watched her in some TV-shows I started to find her a bit funny, which made me like her more.

18. Watanabe Mayu (Yeam B)
I think she must be the most popular girl of Team B and she’s also the only team B to be featured on all singles since BINGO! She’s cute. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like this girl rarely changes her expression, quite fun to look at in the B1 DVD.  

19. Sato Natsuki (Team K)
Nacchi, before she was known as “the girl with the micky mouse hair”. Then her hairstyle changed, she then got to show of her true beauty and she got more noticed by fans. She’s also a girl with lots of energy and a spunky personality. She used to be in my top ten, but after team B came she unfortunately had to give up her spot. She was especially great in Kimi wa Pegasus (Team K 3^rd stage) if anybody wants to see this girl in action.

20. Yonezawa Rumi (Team B)
 This is one of the members I’ve started to notice at lot more lately. Like with Miki I thought she was older than she actually is because she also tends to look very mature.

21. Urano Kazumi (Team B)
 Cindy, transferred from team A to B and the oldest girl in team B. She has kind of taken to big sister role for the rest of the team. Like with Matsouka I’m not really sure what to say about Kazumi, besides that she brings her own certain something into team B.

22. Noguchi Reina (Team B)
 Gussan, if it wasn’t for Nacchi I think she would be the weird girl of team B. Still remember a blog entry she wrote about a small Pikachu and Banana teddy bear. “This is Bassan the Banana, and Pissan the Pikachu… Once in a while, Bassan and Pissan fight, and Pissan decides to try and eat Bassan. But I step in and stop them!” I mean this girl is simply hilarious. 

23. Shinoda Mariko (Team A)
 Maririn, wow she used to be one of my favourite members, but my interest in her seem to fade. I’m not sure why, but she just doesn’t stand out to me anymore. She still has the image as the cool girl of Team A, which I think is nice and her voice is rather deep.

24. Matsubara Natsumi (Team K) 
Natsumi, remember when I saw her in Aitakatta for the first time, right after Team K joined. I thought she was so cute and had such charming looks and I still do. 

25. Kasai Tomomi (Team K)
Tomo, the second Tomomi. Her popularity has been going up and up ever since team K joined. And she was among the chosen 5 girls in the re-release of Sakura no Hanabira Tachi, what an honour.  Kasai has a cute face and a cute voice, if you like those kinds of voices. I’ve been warming up to her in these past months, but I’m still not quite there.

26. Noro Kayo (Team K)
Nontii, recently she is spending a lot of time with Natsuki. Sometimes she’s quite mature, but then again she’s also one of the “older girls” then other times she likes to joke around being a bit more childish. I find that a nice combo.

27. Hayano Kaoru (Team K)
Kaorin, she’s cute, but don’t think I’ve really had the chance to get a real opinion of her, since team K is the team I’ve paid the least attention to. She was cute in Kurukurupaa though.

28. Minegishi Minami (Team A)
Miichan, one of the very popular girls also one of the girls in the Sakura five league. She’s a great dancer, think that’s all I can say right now.

29. Sato Yukari (Team A) 
Yukarin, one of the members I haven’t noticed much. She was chosen for Ramce, Irane! This can of course help her getting more attention. 

30. Fujie Reina (Team A) 
The former SEED. My first reaction when I saw her before she joined team A was: Cute! She tends to look a bit surprised… often. I still haven’t had a chance to “discover” her personality.

31. Kobayashi Kana (Team K) 
Kana, she’s a cute and sweet girl. Sorry that’s all I really can think of. 

32. Kawasaki Nozomi (Team A) 
Nozofisu, she likes learning languages and is in the moment trying to learn English and Spanish, which is a nice thing. I’ve seen her introduce herself in English once which sounded okay. Besides that I don’t really have an opinion about her.

33. Nakaya Sayaka (Team B) 
Nakayan, the only girl in AKB48 who wears glasses or maybe it should be “wore”.  It seems like she got rid of them recently. I can understand her, must be a little annoying being as known as: the girl with glasses. Also think that is what made me remember her in the beginning. I still haven’t really got an opinion about her yet, except that I know I don’t dislike her.

34. Oota Aika (Team B) 
Aika is the team B member with the lowest rank. Like I said I don’t dislike any of the team B girls, the only reason why Aika is ranked so low is because of her age. I rarely take an interest in idols that young as her. 

35. Kojima Haruna (Team A) 
Haruyan indicates that we’re getting closer to the bottom of the list. I don’t really like her voice (both speaking and singing voice) it’s a bit too nasal for my opinion. Haruna is also getting known for being the more unintelligent girl of AKB48 for better and worse. She’s a bit to danse for my taste, but she still has some funny sides and she’s a Morning Musume fan. Good taste Haruna!

36. Nakanishi Rina (Team A) 
Rinatin, my opinion about her has been ever changing. First I didn’t like her, then Chocolove debuted and I thought she was cute, then she started going down again. Why? I’m not sure, she does not attract my attention and must admit her voice is not my taste.

37. Tojima Hana (Team A) 
Hana, don’t see anything special about her. I don’t dislike her, she just don’t interest me. She has a very pretty and unique face and she’s a nice dancer.

38. Ohe Tomomi (Team A) 
Hana’s good friend. Sometimes she seems a bit weird in a good way. 

39. Kuramochi Asuka (Team K) 
Also an ex-SEED. I haven’t really seen enough of her to really have an opinion about her. She’s pretty.

40. Naruse Risa (Team K) 
Also an ex-SEED and kind of the same as above.

41. Ono Erena (Team K) 
Erepyon, some say she’s kind of the Momoko of AKB48 (Berryz) And I in same way see it a bit and since Momo has never been a favourite member of mine, neither has Erena. I don’t have anything against her actually, she’s just not my type, too cute and her voice is a bit too nasal.

42. Masuda Yuka (Team K) 
 Yuka has a great voice, without a doubt, but besides that I’m not really sure what to think of her.

43. Komatani Hitomi (Team A) 
Hiichan, she’s one girly girl. And so am I, so that’s not the reason I dislike her. There’s just something about her that annoys me a bit. She also seems to be one of the less popular members among the other AKB48 members.

44. Oku Manami (Team K) 
Oku, I don’t have anything against this girl. Why is she ranked this low then? The same reason as Aika actually, I find Manami too young for my idol taste. Besides, haven’t I really seen enough of her general personality, compared to Aika, that’s why she’s ranked a bit higher than Manami.

45. Miyazawa Sae (Team K)
Like with Rina, has Sae been up and down in positions in my ranking. But now I feel she’s kind of at the right position, I’m sorry. I actually don’t dislike her that much, she seems cute and nice, but still… I don’t know. Maybe she’ll shift places with Hitomi later on. 

46. Akimoto Sayaka (Team K)  
Sayaka, she’s always been in the bottom of my ranking, for some reason I never liked her. It’s weird, so many Yoshizawa Hitomi fans adore her and link similarities between the two of them. I’m also a very big Hitomi fan, but I don’t like Sayaka… 

47. Narita Risa (Team A) 
Risa, the first AKB48 member I disliked (remember I say dislike, not hate) I saw her in Skirt, Hirari where she had a prominent role, I just remember not looking her already back then. Her voice mostly I think.

48. Ohori Megumi (Team K) 
 She just scares me.