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48G Members Top Ten: Variety Queens

  July 10, 2015
  1. Murashige Anna

    48G Top Ten: Variety Queens - Murashige Anna

    One word: MENTAIKO!

    Well, okay, maybe not just one word sums up the Russian-Japanese princess, but it’s amazing how one word could change somebody’s life on a variety program.

    From the very first time Murashige uttered her famous catch phrase, it was clear that this girl had some kind of potential for being funny. And indeed, over the many, many episodes of AKBINGO and Hakata Hyakkaten, she’s proven to be somebody that has no problem injecting herself into any conversation for the sake of promoting herself as the cutest girl in the room. Much to the chagrin of those around her too.

    Yet for those of us who have the privilege of seeing Aanya make others squirm with her third person references to herself and her constant shouting of “MENTAIKO!” and all its variations, or when she would shout at the top of her lungs how much she likes whatever AKB girl was a special guest on Hakata Hyakkaten, plus any other one-shot gag she feels like doing, it’s incredible that this girl STILL doesn’t have her own variety show.

    She’s reportedly a great friend to many of the girls in HKT, and it’s probably good to know that the hard time they give her during programming of variety shows is all in good fun, as she’s certainly one of the most dearly beloved AKB48 group idols that they’ve ever had.

    For more videos on Aanya, check out our comprehensive list of 10 Wonderful Things About Murashige Anna
  2. Nishino Miki

    48G Top Ten: Variety Queens - Nishino Miki

    The reaction queen of AKB. It used to be Yukirin, before Yukirin became larger than life. Mikichan is entrenched in variety programs for AKB, especially shows like AKBINGO and lately Shirabe, and she never, ever fails to deliver with the comedy.

    Watching her face turn into a complete visual mess, listening to her cry hysterically at the smallest of things, and mostly turning what could be easy to get through situations into impossible to overcome moments of sheer terror, all demonstrate Mikichan’s comedic appeal.

    It’s one of those things where you hope that every Muchaburi Dodgeball match will have Mikichan eating something awful or doing something she’s too afraid to do. She IS the coward queen of AKB as well!

    Good for us when it happens though, and if we’re lucky, Mikichan might not just cry and act scared of whatever she’s being made to do, but she might also fall to the floor in abject fear. Those are the moments to die for, or rather die laughing from, when it comes to this girl.

  3. Tani Marika

    48G Top Ten: Variety Queens - Tani Marika

    There is a moment early on in Tani’s career, during an episode of Hakata Hyakkaten-Gokan, when Rena Matsui visited the HKT girls in Fukuoka and was told to pick an oshi to give an oshimen badge to, that Tani was introduced by Chori to Rena.

    You could say it was love at first sight, as Chori went on to explain how she and Tani were best friends since high school, and how Tani actually had wanted to be a Seiyu but asked Chori if it was okay to audition for HKT.

    From this point on, both Chori and Tani then did a hysterical combi impression gag where Tani used what we all know today is her absolute charm point: that helium voice.

    Tani plays a woman who owes money to a loan shark. I probably don’t need to even mention the hysterics that resulted afterwards from everyone in the studio, most of all Rena san. Tani didn’t just win Rena’s oshi badge that day, but she stunned everyone in HKT who all thought they had a chance to win Rena’s affections, but this is the power of Tani. She can say a few lines in her helium voice and you are sold right away on the idea that she’s the funniest variety program idol in the world.

    Since this legendary moment, Tani has shed her nervous skin and has become an important part of the AKB48 group arsenal. Whenever the mood needs lightened or the fans just need to have their jaws dropped to the floor at watching an AKB member go off the rails, it’s Tani who does it better than any of them.

    Just watch Tani on any of her variety appearances with 1+1 wa 2 janai yo! She kind of loses it, mentally, and you are in for a special treat when it happens because she is a nonstop strange yet perceptive commentator.

    Overall, Tani has probably not even begun to reach her zenith point with both AKB and her comedy routines. I imagine that the more bold and confident Tani gets with being in the front, as far as being the go to girl for comedy on AKB related variety shows, the more we will see Tani morph into who is hiding inside that wonderfully cute body and face of hers: an anime character from the future.

    Yep, watching Tani is like watching a well-scripted comedy anime, and you can only hope it’s the kind of anime that will never, ever end.

This awesome Top 10 list is a contribution piece by Derek – you can see more of his Top Ten lists about 48G on his blog!

Who is your 48G Variety Queen?

Do you agree with the list above? Or do you think a certain member is more interesting than the others? Vote for them below!