mAyKB48 (4/48): Masuda Yuka- Talented 推しメン

Today, I'll go over the reasons that Masuda Yuka is my second favorite 推しメン. Believe me when I say there are a lot of them.

Yuka has admittedly not been on my radar for very long, but she has already shot up my list for one major reason. Yuka is one of the best singers in AKB. I mentioned in my last post that someone has to be really exceptional for me to take notice of them and Yuka fits that bill in spades. If you don't want to take the fans' word for it, maybe the opinions of other members of AKB will sway you.

That's the Team B vote for best singer. Note that Yuka garnered 15 out of 16 votes, meaning every other member voted for her. Still it's probably best to show rather than tell, so here's a short clip of her singing alone.

What I find most interesting about that clip in particular is the reaction from the other members of AKB. They are all clearly impressed by the power and range of Yuka's voice.

Yuka joined AKB in Generation 2. She was a member of Team K before a shuffle sent her to Team B where she now performs. Unfortunately, she doesn't have a private video like Sae (that I can find). However, I have found this clip in which she gives a brief introduction by way of impressions.

Because of her early entry into the group, Yuka is one of the few AKB members from Osaka. Nowadays, people auditioning from that region (or any region outside of Tokyo) would likely be encouraged to try out for their closest sister group. Consequently, some emphasis is given to her Osaka accent, which I find rather cute, but the real draw of her upbringing for me is her love for takoyaki. Takoyaki is a popular dish in Osaka and one that Yuka has a borderline obsession with. In fact, "Takoyaki" is one of her nicknames and her catchphrase (as translated in the video above) is "with my bright smile and full of energy, I damn love takoyaki." I've mentioned elsewhere that Ariake prided itself on octopus dishes and that I acquired a taste for it during my time there. It's a small connection to be sure, but it's another detail about her that I enjoy.

Lastly, I feel that Yuka is one of the most attractive members in AKB.

Easy on the eyes, one might say.

I realize this is completely superficial, but look at that picture and tell me that AKB isn't selling sex on some level. This is yet another trait that is often pointed out by other members. One of Yuka's nicknames happens to be "Yuppai," an amalgamation of her name and the Japanese word for boobs. Yuka herself makes mention of her "dynamite body" in her ending for the second AKB 1/48 game, which I will no doubt talk about later.

Still, it was her voice that first attracted me to Yuka, so I feel it fitting to end this post with her most recent solo song "Stargazer." Enjoy!

mAyKB48 (3/48): Miyazawa Sae- Enthusiastic 推しメン

For the next few posts, I'd like to do a short introduction of my top five 推しメン. I'll share a few pictures, write a bit about why I like them, and add some videos I've run across that I feel summarize their personalities. First up is Miyazawa Sae.

When I first started looking into AKB48, I watched a lot of videos for individual members trying to get a sense of all their personalities. One who always stood out in my mind was Sae, currently the eleventh most popular member of the group and my #1 favorite oshimen. Known by her nickname Genking, a mashup of genki (energetic) and king, Sae is almost always cheerful and excited. In Japan, this personality type is known as "high tension."

It's really telling that her introduction video contains so much about her relationship with her fans. Not only does she show off some of the gifts she's received and keeps prominently displayed on her desk, but she talks about how she'll read fan letters when she's feeling sad and afterward feels better.

Though it seems odd to say about someone younger than myself, Sae is an inspiration to me. Working with kids everyday in Japan wasn't always easy and was often very tiring. Still, I would try my best to stay happy for the kids and upbeat about my job, drawing on her enthusiasm for her work. Though I realize this mutual appreciation is superficial at best, it is the main reason she has stayed so high on my list for so long.

Sae had the best ending on the dating sim AKB 1/48. True to her personality, both her good and bad endings were upbeat. She did a decent job with the acting and really made you feel like she was excited you chose her.

Sae's English introductions are always adorable. I don't think she studies English very much, but she tries her best. She really reminds me of my more enthusiastic kids. Due to her sporty nature, Sae is usually cast as the tough or tomboyish member of the group. This isn't a problem in and of itself, but I would like to see more portrayals of her feminine side.

If I were to be completely objective, I would have to admit that Sae isn't the strongest singer in AKB. Honestly though, this doesn't bother me for a few reasons. The first is that it's difficult to single out one person's voice amid the chorus that is the typical AKB song. The second is that I have no ear for music. You have to be either really good or really bad for me to take note of your ability. 

Sae is an example of how personality can play just as large a role in choosing an 推しメン as musical ability. Though my favorites have done some shifting around in the past, Sae is now firmly in the number one position and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

mAyKB48 (2/48): 推しメン

As you likely gathered from Amanda’s first entry, a good deal of AKB’s public image revolves around their interactions with the fans. But with so many members it’s easy to become overwhelmed, especially when first learning about the group. Therefore, most fans tend to pick a handful of singers to be their 推しメン (おしメン,　oshimen) or “supported member”.

That's much more manageable.

The word 推し can either mean to infer, to conclude, or to support. It’s comprised of the element for hand (手) on the left and an archaic radical for bird (隹), more commonly written 鳥, to the right. A useful pneumonic might be to imagine a hand gently supporting an injured bird as it returns it to a nest.

The メン of 推しメン is a shortened form of "member" in the same way that “mon” became shorthand for “monster” in series like Pokemon and Digimon. Those familiar with Japanese pop culture may have heard of the manga or TV series オトメン (Otomen). It takes its title from the amalgamation of 乙女 (おとめ, otome), which means young lady, and メン, here carrying the meaning of "men". Since Japanese doesn't draw a distinction between "n" and "m" sounds, some loan words can be a bit ambiguous. It just shows that context is everything.

Put together, 推しメン would literally translate as “supported member”. As we’ll show, there are a multitude of reasons to support one member or another. With so many members, there is a wide range of personalities and interests within AKB, ensuring an equally wide range of appeal. The concept of 推しメン also forms the basis for the yearly vote and creates a loyal fan base eager to help, and to meet, their favorite members.

mAyKB48 (0/48): An Introduction

For the month of May, my fiancee and I thought it would be fun to give ourselves a challenge of sorts. A theme for the month of May: AKB48. It's no secret we're fans of Japanese popular culture and it doesn't get much bigger than this idol girls' group. The hope is that we'll write up 24 entries each covering various aspect of the group, its dynamics, offshoots, sister groups, and members. If successful, we'll have 48 entries total.

The concept practically wrote itself.

As this is a cross-blog event, we'll mark each entry with a number so you'll know the order they were written. For my part, I will attempt to keep some of my mainstay types of entries (weekend review, kanji in context, etc.) consistant, just give them an AKB focus. Whether your a newcomer or a seasoned wota, I hope you enjoy the coming month. April is over. It's the first of mAyKB48!

Review: Machine Robo NEXT Magnum Police

I'm no stranger to the Mugenbine toy line, having snatched up most of the figures released during my time in Japan. I talked briefly about the history of Mugenbines in my Needle Stego review but feel it's worth mentioning again. The predecessor to Mugenbines was the Machine Robo series (AKA Gobots). In fact the first Mugenbine, Air Leon, made a brief appearance in the Machine Robo Rescue anime that aired from 2003-2004:

Since his introduction, it seems the Mugenbine line shifted focus from vehicle based robots to primarily animal based ones. Everything I collected while in Japan has an animal mode. And while Needle Stego and Mugen Police have vehicle alt modes, more recent sets have done away with them entirely.

Enter Magnum Police, the newest release from Bandai. The company seems to have dropped the title Mugenbine in favor of Machine Robo NEXT, perhaps to reflect a change of direction back to vehicle themed toys. Make no mistake, however, this toy still looks and plays like any recent Mugenbine candy toy release.

There are five toys in this set: Policeroid, Magnum Patrol Car, Magnum Sonic, Magnum Wheel, and Magnum Gyro. Each comes in a standard candy toy box with pictures of the other toys in the series along one side and a picture of the standard combination on the back in addition to some other possible configurations. In fact, the box encourages you to buy four sets of robots 2-5 in order to make a slew of alternate combinations. Bandai is really pushing the potential play value of these toys, which is great. Still, I opted to only get one set and built the standard combined form. I've only got so much cash. So, lets look at each toy in order.

First up is Policeroid. Out of the box there isn't a lot to assemble. Sticker apps are also thankfully sparse, though I'll comment a bit more on that later. As always, the instructions for the individual machines are on the inside face of the box, which tears open quite nicely, while a copy of the instructions for the combined form is placed inside each box. 

Of note with this release is the inclusion of additional instructions for creating arms and legs from any vehicle with the exception of Policeroid, which always forms the torso. This is what allows you to form all the alternate combined modes and even allows for a bit of customization with a standard set of five.

Back to Policeroid:

Policeroid is a bit blocky, but he has a certain style that I appreciate. I think it's mostly the hat and sunglasses.

I also like the inclusion of the tiny gun with this toy.

Pew, pew!

The new joint system took a little bit of getting used to, but it allows for a good range of motion with the arms even at this small a scale.

I also have to say that this set did a better job overall at hiding all those extra fists and heads that I found distracting in earlier Mugenbine releases. Here you can see the head of Magnum Police placed snugly in the back of Policeroid:

Magnum Patrol Car (I'm honestly guessing at that name, the kana is マグナムパトカー) is probably my least favorite in this set.

I have a serious dislike of the brown used for the window here. Sticker apps in general feel like a misstep with this series, which had recently done away with them entirely and still looked decent. I also hate toy cars with wheels that don't move. Still, not everything on this toy is terrible.

I definitely dig the front of the car. It is probably the most intricately molded piece in the whole set with the exception of maybe some of the face pieces. Also, despite my displeasure with sticker apps, I like the design choice of having a number displayed on each vehicle.

For what it's worth, the sticker for the tires add a cartoony feel to the toy that I feel is appropriate. Still, I wish they could actually roll somehow.

Magnum Sonic is a pretty neat looking jet. It has a pretty clever method of joining the front and back pieces together.

The terrible brown color is present here again, but it doesn't bother me near as much here as it does elsewhere.

Here's a bit of detail on the wings. The red fins were the hardest stickers to apply and I know they'll be the first to start peeling off. The pieces that will form the chest plate of Magnum Police also have awkward sticker apps, though they're mostly flat and thus likely to last longer. You can also see the toy's number sticker located on the tail fin.

Again, the extraneous piece, this time a fist, is cleverly hidden beneath the tail fin and out of sight from most angles.

Magnum Wheel has me torn over whether or not I like it. 

From one side it looks pretty solid.

I like the color in the wheels and the simple design. But from the other side, it is a disaster.

The tires have absolutely no detail from this side. And is that a robot face?

With all the care given to the other toys, it's a shame to see this one fall so flat. Granted it's only three pieces, but at this scale that's nearly half of the overall toy. There are some positives, however, chief among them the ability for Policeroid to ride the motorcycle (with a bit of limb swapping of course):

I recommend repurposing the gun as a kickstand if you want it to stand on its own.

The toy's number is located on the front. It's probably the hardest number to get to stick properly due to the bend in the middle.

Last is Magnum Gyro, whose name may be a nod to Gyro Robo, the helicopter robot form Machine Robo. 

This is probably my favorite of the bunch.

With the overall darker color scheme, the brown doesn't feel out of place and actually adds to the overall design.

My criticisms of this toy are minor and unsurprising. The blades of the helicopter can move, but don't spin freely. The lower part of the helicopter seems unnecessary, but it may represent a weapon of some sort.

Hidden robot face!

As always the big draw, and the purpose of collecting these things,  is the combined form. First, here's what Magnum Police looks like with just the limbs built, before adding all the details from leftover parts. Think of it as an unarmored mode:

It's a bit slimmer than most Mugenbine toys I have, maybe as a result of employing the new joints. It also doesn't have as many extraneous parts, even when you add the rest of the pieces.

Some pieces also form a gun and night stick, allowing Magnum Police to be ready for action:

The final form is pretty cool. Even elements like his backpack, where Bandai usually sticks pieces they can't fit elsewhere, seem to work. He's not overly bulky or awkward and is able to hold a pose pretty well, though I would have liked to see some more articulation down in the ankles. The shield on the left arm also hinders movement a bit, but not so much as to be distracting. The robot face on the side of the gun is also a bit weird, but I almost expect that at this point, especially with a set that has to somehow hide five alternate faces within its design.

This is a pretty standout toy even within the Mugenbine line. It possesses a great deal of play value and is not so cumbersome or ridiculous in its combined form to be difficult to manipulate.  Still, like all the candy toys before it, I feel Magnum Police is better fit for posing than playing, if only because it takes a lot of twisting and turning of pieces to get him looking just right and his joints are rather stiff. Plus, as a combiner you always run the risk that an arm or leg will pop off. 

For now, he'll take up what precious little space is left for him on my nightstand alongside his older cousins:

Let's close things out with the Japanese commercial: