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Iiwake Maybe Is The Last Kami Kyoku of AKB48?

  May 14, 2012

When we talk about AKB’s Kami Kyoku (神曲), there’re several songs we can never miss. Some says the ‘latest’ song which can be categorized in Kami Kyoku is Iiwake Maybe, which means almost all fans who have become AKB fans after River don’t experience AKB’s 神曲 real-time. One reason can be explained that in these years (2010~) AKB has released about 5 singles a year which is at pretty fast pace compared to their early days, and it somehow make us lose the excitement we had whenever upcoming singles were released.

Though song-wise it’s not that easy to judge what is Kami Kyoku and what isn’t, which leads us the never ending conversation.

From two channel “How do you think about the fact that AKB hasn’t released Kami Kyoku after Iiwake Maybe?”

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Title tracks after Iiwake Maybe,

RIVER
Sakura no Shiori
Ponytail to Chuchu
Heavy Rotation
Beginner
Chance no Junban
Sakurano Ki ni Narou
Everyday Cachucha
Flying Get
Kaze ha Fuiteiru
Uekara Mariko
GIVE ME FIVE!

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I don’t understand why people under-valuate River…
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River is Kami Kyoku!!
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Uhmm everyone looks so young…. <- this person is talking about the jacket of Iiwake Maybe
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I think it’s ok to say that Ponyte (Ponytail…) and HeviRote (Heavy…) are Kami Kyoku.
But the dark era has stared after these 2 songs… AkiP has been doing so unimpressive job!
They would be sooner or later gotten bored if they will continue to heavily rely on Aitakatta and and HeviRote!!
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Actually I like GM5 a lot… <- Me too...
I have become a fan of AKB after I listened to RIVER….
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Whatever we say, the best Senbatsu member in AKB’s history is and will always be Iiwake Maybe!!
(Iiwake Maybe is the first election single of AKB, and tickets were sold with the single Namida Surprise.
Senbatsu members of Iiwake Maybe are members ranked in top-21 in this AKB’s 1st general election.)
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Why Evikatsu (Everyday…) isn’t appreciated well???
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Because it is recognized as a relegated version of Ponichu.
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These days nice tunes are mainly delivered to NMB48 rather than AKB48.
It’s also true to this year’s summer songs released in May.
I think Nagiichi is far better than Manatsu no SG.
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Iiwake Maybe may be Kami Kyoku even though it’s performed by other groups.
But RIVER can’t be Kami Kyoku if it’s not preformed by AKB48.
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Personally I wanted Fast Rabbit to be a title track…
(Fast Rabbit is the theme song of DVD ‘DOCUMENTARY of AKB48 Show must go on…’ and this song has not yet released as a record.)


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When it comes to Kami Kyoku, I can think of only… Shojo Tachi Yo.

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I like Flying Get and GIVE ME FIVE though…
But I have to admit that no songs after Iiwake Maybe can’t stack up to Iiwake.
But I only talk about the title tracks.
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My favorite title track of singles is Junen Zakura. Favorite song is First Rabbit.
My favorite song from setlists of Revues is Zutto Zutto, which I think is fairly under-valuated…
(ずっとずっと / Zutto Zutto is the 2nd song of the encore for A6th Revue ‘目撃者 / Mokugekisya’)


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I think Anataga Itekuretakara is a ballad song that can’t be dubbed a sort of masterpiece of AKB.
But it’s regretful that it’s not sold as a single…
By the way, why don’t you appreciate ballad songs?
“
I don’t think Iiwake Maybe will be the last Kami Kyoku of AKB.
But since their style has changed over these years as members got older, we can’t expect the same style of songs will come.
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But…. this style is the most resonating with us… or hurts us as it reminds of sweet memories in the past…
MV of this song (Iiwake) makes me cry…
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So… why Heavy Rotation, which had been completely bashed right after the release, has somehow become one of Kami Kyoku for some people?
(Heavy Rotation has placed 1st both in 2011 and 2012’s AKB48 Request Hour Setlist Best 100)
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Maybe because HeviRote has been popular among non-AKB fans, too.
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HeviRota had a pretty good reception at it’s first performance.
After all. it’s a nice song to get high!
“
I’m jealous of NMB for OMG and Nagiichi…
Because of these 2 songs, I’ve been captivated by them….
Though my favorite member is only Sayanee…
(Milky is not Senbatsu of this title track of NMB48’s 2nd single(･_･?) )

NMB48 – オーマイガー！(CDTV) 投稿者 nyonmimi

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Look back from now, Senbatsu members of 1st election (Senbatsu for Iiwake Maybe) were amazing after all….
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Though it was a kind of nightmare for me as Masuda-Oshi (Yuka Masuda), I have to admit all of them deserve being Senbatsu.
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Song-wise, I think Manatsu no SG have a potential to be Kami Kyoku!

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I also thought Manatsu no SG is pretty nice.
My Kami Kyoku are Iiwake, Ogoe Diamond and Junen Zakura… by the way!
(Official MV)

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I agree with you. Manatsu is nice.
Especially I really love it’s verse, which kind of leaves the flavor of Showa era.
It’s song arrangement is simply awesome!
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IMO Dance part (‘Heaven’ part) of Manatsu is as good as any of our favorite dance scenes from previous MVs like RIVER or Beginner…
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Sakurano Ki ni Narou, Manatsu… these songs are ‘not bad’ at all.
But we will be never able to feel the same level of exaltation we had from Ogoe Diamond to Heavy Rotation… <- So true...
(Ogoe Diamond -> Junen Zakura -> Namida Surprise -> Iiwake Maybe ->)
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Yeah…
That period from Ogoe to HeviRote, we could have been so high as they were breaking through themselves into mainstream music scene with every single release at the unbelievable speed.
We could never feel that level of joy and excitement again…
But this is what every idol group has to go through after all….
“
Why there’s a mood that Ogoe Diamond is Kami Kyoku???
I can somehow understand Iiwake, but why Ogoe!?
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You don’t? I think it’s catchy and has nice tune.
And… it a milestone of AKB as it’s the first single they released from King Record, and AKB gained a tons of new fans with this single.
I’m attached to this song so much.
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It’s more like one of the songs with which AKB has gained many fans outside it’s Ota community.
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If we can choose one song which had brought us the feeling of exaltation that AKB’s becoming major, it should be Iiwake Maybe.
I was like ‘Even with this song, AKB can’t be No.1 (in Oricon chart)!?!?’ at that time.
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KataΦ is the rare song I hate these days, but it seems this song is quite popular…
I love a lot of songs of SKE, but this song is a puzzle for me.
The flow of the tune, lyric, I can’t find any good point in this song..
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I’ve become interested in SKE because of KataΦ.
Some people say this song is degraded version of Ogoe diamond, but I think regardless of MV, it’s a good song.

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I’ve heard a lot of voices like you.
It realized me how my own taste of music is unreliable to judge how popular a song is.
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If AKB48 sings Nagiichi, it would sell more than 2 millions!
It’s too early for NMB to sing this song…
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It’s too much to say.
And… I don’t think Nagiichi is such a great song…
“
It’s interesting to see how people have a different taste of music.
Personally I think Nagiishi is a good song.
Sure it brings us a deja ve, but because of that it’s tune smoothly comes into my ears.
I love it’s bright and cheerful tune.
On top of that, I love the MV!
“
I love all three summer songs of this year!!!
Nagiichi, Aishiteraburu, Manatsu no SG!
アイシテラブル / Aichiteraburu (Aishiteraburu is a coined word combining two words, Aishiteru and I love you)


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I love introduction to verse of Manatsu no SG, but I don’t like it’s hook (chorus)…
“
I’m puzzled that my best favorite song EviKatsu is not highly evaluated…
From around they sing this lyric, ‘Kimi ga Sukida Kotoba ni dekinaiyo’, this song gets me so emotinal…
Hook has a feeling that is sweet but heartbreaking at the same time…. I really love this song…

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I aggressively agree with you.
EviKatsu satisfies the standard of Kami Kyoku more than enough for me…
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Basically all summer songs of 48 groups are masterpieces.
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BINGO! (AKB’s 4th single released in the summer of 2007 / 12th song of A4th Revue Tadaima Renaityuu)

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Since Iiwake Maybe, ‘Songs for Revue > Single tracks’ <- This structure has been established.
There’s no song which makes me feel more refreshed than Honest Man…
オネストマン / Honest Man  1st song of the encore for B5th Stage Goddess of The Theatre

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Me too, I like Honest Man the best of all songs from B5th.
But A6th is by far better in term of how much freshness you can feel from the overall show.
“
Shojo Tachiyo and ‘Kimi to Niji to Taiyou to’ would sell a lot if it would have been released as a single…
君と虹と太陽と / Kimi to Niji to Taiyou to is recorded in the album ‘Kami Kyoku tachi’
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Liking ‘Kaze ha Fuiteiru‘ so much, I think I’m a minority…
It reminds us of the earthquake but song-wise I think it’s a really nice song.
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Among all singles released in 2011, I love Flying Get the best…
I simply love the song and it’s arrangement.
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I think everyone is more or less attached to their own memorial songs which have made them into AKB. Personally, since Iiwake Maybe is the last single I bought in Japan right after the release, and I kind of felt synchronized with them at this period as I was then leaving Japan starting new life, which I’d long been dreamed of, while AKB48 was gradually recognized as the music act that ‘normal‘ people can actually enjoy.
Everything has become so big compared to then, I understand it has become difficult to choose best songs of AKB that everyone can agree with. We tend to say our old times were better than today but at the end of the day, there’re always tons of possibilities to find songs what you’ll come to love them from songs ot MVs you hate to try.
I personally prefer watching Live concert footage to MVs, Drama or TV shows, but if we dig into things what we tend to avoid, sometimes we are rewards with wonderful gifts just like I found this MV, which showcases Yankee AKB members from Majisuka Gakuen. I was struck by Mariko, grown up to be a stunning adult beauty!

The director of Majisuka Gakuen and MV of this song, Futoshi Satoh, also directed the Drama Saba-Dol, starring Mayuyu.

Shinoda and Jurina have been the reason for me to be a AKB fan, and that makes me appreciate AKB all the more.
Who have made you become AKB fan? Who was your entrance of AKB? Whoever your favorite member is/are, I hope liking her makes you interested in and love whole AKB48 and other 48 groups all the more!

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