My Pure·First Impression – Okuba/Yaban na Softcream/Hinadande wa Boku no Miryoku wa Ikinainda PV Previews

On NMB48′s official YouTube channel, the short preview PVs for the 7th single Shirogumi and Akagumi tracks along with the short preview PV for the Namba Teppoutai Sono San have been uploaded this week. The Shirogumi track is titled Okuba, the Akagumi track is titled Yaban na Softcream, and the Namba Neppoutai Sono San track is titled Hinadande wa Boku no Miryoku wa Ikinainda. To be honest, my first impression is that this is one of the weaker singles in terms of B-side tracks.

The lineups for Shirogumi, Akagumi, and Namba Teppoutai Sono San:

Shirogumi
Team N: Ogasawara Mayu, Kishino Rika, Kinoshita Haruna, Kadowaki Kanako, Yamaguchi Yuuki, Yamamoto Sayaka
Team M: Azuma Yuki, Murakami Ayaka, Yamagishi Natsumi, Yamada Nana
Team BII: Kamieda Emika, Kusaka Konomi

Akagumi
Team N: Ichikawa Miori, Koga Narumi, Kondo Rina, Watanabe Miyuki
Team M: Okita Ayaka, Kawakami Rena, Kinoshita Momoka, Mita Mao, Yagura Fuuko
Team BII: Kurokawa Hazuki, Kobayashi Rikako, Muro Kanako

Namba Teppoutai Sono San
Team N: Shiroma Miru, Nishimura Aika
Team M: Murase Sae, Yogi Keira
Team BII: Akazawa Hono, Ota Yuuri, Kushiro Rina
4th Gen KKS: Shibuya Nagisa

I haven’t been the biggest fan of Shirogumi tracks in the past and Okuba doesn’t instill any new hopes of that changing. The song is a slow ballad that just never seems to drag and drag without reaching any kind of high point. It doesn’t conjure up lovely memories like 12/31 did. Okuba just seems like a snoozer and the PV (which has the girls as members of a choir group) doesn’t add much in terms of excitement, except for the a nice cameo by former NMB concurrent member Yokoyama Yui (Yuihan).

The Akagumi PV Yaban na Softcream is a lot more upbeat than the Okuba PV (and this case, a whole lot better). Just the topic itself (soft ice cream) makes one happy and to see a smiling Watanabe Miyuki (Milky) eating ice cream is jsut heaven. Also of note, Ichikawa Miori (Miorin) is featured as the welcomed, transfer student  in the PV. When Miorin’s concurrency in NMB was announced, I didn’t know how she would fit in. But she seems to be fitting in well in NMB so far.

The last B-side is the Namba Teppoutai Sono San track Hinadande wa Boku no Miryoku wa Ikinainda. It seems to be dually led by Team M member Yogi Keira (Keira) and Team N member Shiroma Miru (Mirurun). The song isn’t anything spectacular, but the PV is what’s most memorable about Hinadande wa Boku no Miryoku wa Ikinainda. The PV is inspired by the old school idol style of the past and the contrast of the up-and-coming NMB girls being featured in a PV reminiscent of idols in the 1970s and 80s just works perfectly.

The new Shirogumi, Akagumi, and Namba Teppoutai Sono San songs will be featured in Type-A, Type-B, and Type-C of NMB48′s 7th single, respectively. NMB48′s 7th single, Bokura no Eureka, releases on June 19th.

My Pure·First Impression – Hoshizora no Caravan/Renai Higaitodoke PV Previews

NMB48’s official YouTube channel has uploaded the short preview PVs for the Shirogumi track Hoshizora no Caravan and the Akagumi track Renai Higaitodoke. And once again, my impressions are a bit of mixed bag.

First, the line-ups for Shirogumi and Akagumi:

Shirogumi
Team N: Ogasawara Mayu, Kondo Rina, Yamamoto Sayaka, Yoshida Akari
Team M: Azuma Yuki, Okita Ayaka, Kinoshita Momoka, Takano Yui
Team BII: Akazawa Hono, Yamauchi Tsubasa
2nd Gen KKS: Hayashi Momoka
Other: Yokoyama Yui

Akagumi
Team N: Kinoshita Haruna, Fukumoto Aina, Yamaguchi Yuuki, Yamada Nana, Watanabe Miyuki
Team M: Kawakami Rena, Shimada Rena, Hikawa Ayame, Mita Mao, Yagura Fuuko
Team BII: Kurokawa Hazuki, Muro Kanako

Shirogumi’s Hoshizora no Caravan PV looks to take place in a lodge in the woods. The vibe of the PV is rather solemn as we see a few troubling flashback scenes with the girls looking less than happy. The trip to the lodge seems to be a getaway from their stressed filled lives. The softness of the song itself matches the PV, though I find the song slightly dreary and boring.  The choregraphy is pretty forgettable and although there were a few cute scenes of the girls hanging out together, the PV just seems dull and old-fashioned. I can only hope the full version will have something special to make the PV stand out to me. But I can’t help but feel disappointed about Hoshizora no Caravan.

Watching Akagumi’s Renai Higaitodoke PV leaves me feeling crazy – in a good way. The first thing you notice is the song itself. I honestly can’t make heads of tails on how I feel about the song. The 1st time I heard Renai Higaitodoke, I absolutely hated it. But each new listen leaves me a new impression of the song. I feel it’s unlike anything that I’ve ever listened to before and I can’t not listen to the song. The PV has the girls in a police lineup, apparently the suspects of an attack on a man. Just everything about the PV screams fun, from the stylish red costumes during the dance sequences to the unique way each girl met the injured man. Unlike Hoshizora no Caravan, I’m optimistic about the Renai Higaitodoke PV and I hope it’s as exciting as I’m expecting it to be now.

As usual, the Shirogumi PV will be in the Type-A edition and the Akagumi PV will be in the Type-B edition of Kitagawa Kenji. NMB48′s 6th single Kitagawa Kenji releases on November 7th.

My Pure·First Impression – Bokura no Regatta/Sonzai Shitenai Mono/Sunahama de Pistol PV Previews

On NMB48’s official YouTube channel, the short preview PVs for the newest Akagumi and Shirogumi B-sides along with the preview PV for the first Namba Teppoutai Sonoichi song have been uploaded. In my first impression, the results are mixed.

Shirogumi’s Bokura no Regatta PV takes place in what looks like a old-fashioned, aristocratic ball. It looks the PV’s main story revolves around Yamamoto Sayaka’s (Sayanee) slowly falling for one of the guys at the ball. Of course, the girls look absolutely beautiful, but I find the Pride and Prejudice-like setting quite boring and the song, while not horrible, is just forgettable. I’m just not feeling Bokura no Negatta so far.

On the contrary, I love what I’ve seen from Akagumi’s Sonzai Shitenai Mono PV. The main story of the PV takes place during a pool party and seems to show the preceding domino effects played in reverse which cause the girls to jump or fall into the pool. The main dance has the girls in a pool, dancing half sub-merged in water. Compared to Bokura no Regatta, Sonzai Shitenai Mono seems so lively and fun to watch and listen to. Looks like another great Akagumi B-side to me.

And last but not least, Namba Teppoutai Sonoichi’s Sunahama de Pistol PV, which really confuses me. Between the Akagumi, Shirogumi, and NMBT songs, I actually like Sunahama de Pistol the best. But the dark and strong tones of the PV doesn’t match the cute vibe from the song at all. It is nice to see Kotani Riho (Ripopo) center the group, but I wish she could have gotten a better PV to maximize the energy of the song. Maybe the full PV will change my mind later, but I don’t know.

The new Shirogumi, Akagumi, and Namba Teppoutai Sonoichi songs will be featured in Type-A, Type-B, and Type-C of NMB48’s next single, respectively. NMB48’s 5th single, Virginity, releases on August 8th.

My Pure·Intrigue – NMB48 5th Single Shirogumi/Akagumi Named

As stated on their official website, the members for NMB48’s 5th single’s Shirogumi and Akagumi were named. Also, a new unit named Namba Teppoutai Sonoichi looks like it will replace the NMB7 in this single.

Shirogumi
Team N: Kondo Rina, Jonishi Kei, Yamada Nana, Yamamoto Sayaka
Team M: Shimada Rena, Jo Eriko, Mita Mao, Murase Sae
2nd Gen KKS: Azuma Yuki, Yamamoto Hitomi
3rd Gen KKS: Kushiro Rina, Muro Kanako

Akagumi
Team N: Ogasawara Mayu, Shinohara Kanna, Fukumoto Aina, Yamaguchi Yuuki, Yoshida Akari, Watanabe Miyuki
Team M: Okita Ayaka, Takano Yui, Yamagishi Natsumi,
2nd Gen KKS: Hayashi Momoka
3rd Gen KKS: Akazawa Hono, Yamauchi Tsubasa

Namba Teppoutai Sonoichi
Team N: Kotani Riho, Matsuda Shiori
Team M: Hikawa Ayame, Murakami Ayaka, Yagura Fuuko, Yogi Keira
3rd Gen KKS: Kato Yuuka, Yabushita Shu

After seeing how Team N heavy the senbatsu for this single was, I’m happy that the gumi teams are slightly more balanced. Shirogumi even seen seems to have that perfect balance of 4 Team N members, 4 Team M members, and 4 KKS. It’s really nice we’re going to get some Team M and KKS screen time in Shirogumi and Akagumi. Also, I’m really interested to see how this Namba Teppoutai Sonoichi ends up being. Getting excited for the 5th single now.

NMB48’s 5th single releases on August 8th.

My Pure·First Impression – Saigo no Catharsis/Boku ga Mou Sukoshi Daitan Nara PV Previews

The preview PVs for Shirogumi’s Saigo no Catharsis and Akagumi’s Boku ga Mou Sukoshi Daitan Nara have appeared on NMB48’s official Youtube channel. From what I’ve seen so far, I’m liking where the PVs seem to be going. Unlike a lot of people it seems, I think I prefer Nagiichi‘s Aka/Shiro PVs to Junjou U-19‘s.

My Pure·First Impression – Doryoku no Shiuzku/Migi he Magare PV Previews

The preview PVs for Shirogumi’s Doryoku no Shiuzku and Akagumi’s Migi he Magare have been posted on NMB48′s official Youtube account. Compared to how much I love the NMB48’s Junjou U-19 PV, I find the two gumi PVs a bit lacking. Not to say they are bad, but on first impression, the PVs seem to missing something to make them truly stand out.

My Pure·Want – NMB48 3rd Single Titled “Junjou U-19”

The name of NMB48’s third single has been announced and its title: Junjou U-19. From the official website, the senbatsu for Junjou U-19:

Team N: Yamamoto Sayaka, Watanabe Miyuki, Yamada Nana, Fukumoto Aina, Ogasawara Mayu, Jonishi Kei, Shiroma Miru, Kadowaki Kanako, Kondo Rina, Kotani Riho, Kinoshita Haruna, Kishino Rika
1st Gen KKS: Kinoshita Momoka
2nd Gen KKS: Jo Eriko, Yagura Fuuko, Yogi Keira

That means that from the Oh My God! senbatsu Team N member Yamaguchi Yuuki (Yuppi), 1st Gen KKS Yamagishi Natsumi (Natsumin), and 2nd Gen KKS Murakami Ayaka (Ayachan) have been removed in favor of Team N members Watanabe Miyuki (Milky) and Kondo Rina (Riichan) along with 1st Gen KKS Kinoshita Momoka (Kinoshita).

The line-up for Shirogumi and Akagumi this single are as follows:

Shirogumi
Team N: Yamamoto Sayaka, Yamada Nana, Ogasawara Mayu, Kadowaki Kanako, Kinoshita Haruna, Kishino Rika, Shinohara Kanna
1st Gen KKS: Yamagishi Natsumi, Okita Ayaka
2nd Gen KKS: Jo Eriko, Yogi Keira, Kodakari Yuuka

Akagumi
Team N: Watanabe Miyuki, Fukumoto Aina, Jonishi Kei, Shiroma Miru, Kondo Rina, Kotani Riho, Yamaguchi Yuuki
1st Gen KKS: Kinoshita Momoka, Hikawa Ayame
2nd Gen KKS: Yagura Fuuko, Murakami Ayaka, Tanigawa Airi

Really disappointed that Yuppi was removed from senbatsu especially after coming off making the Ue kara Mariko senbatsu, but then again I knew someone I loved from NMB would be taken out. Really sad. I’m really hoping she gets a big part in the Akagumi PV.

NMB48’s 3rd single, Junjou U-19, releases on February 8, 2012.

My Pure·Thoughts – Kesshou/Hoshokusha tachi yo PVs

Just a few days after the preview PVs for Shirogumi’s Kesshou and Akagumi’s Hoshokusha tachi yo were up on their NicoNico and YouTube channels, the full PVs have been put on their YouTube channel. And my thoughts have changed a bit from the previews.

My Pure·First Impression – Kesshou/Hoshokusha tachi yo PV Previews

The preview PVs for Shirogumi’s Kesshou and Akagumi’s Hoshokusha tachi yo have been posted on NMB48’s official Youtube account. For lack of a better word, I’m intrigued by both of the preview PVs.

My Pure·Interest – NMB48 Official NicoNico Channel

According to the NMB48 official website, it looks as though NMB48 has started their own official NicoNico channel today. With the launch of the new account comes short preview PVs of the Shirogumi and Akagumi songs to accompany their 2nd single, Oh My God!.