It has been more or less two years since I first made my first post on the group. To be honest, I have no idea how I feel about this now. The group has been plagued with more controversies than I care to remember from the time the auditions first started.
Some easy to let go, others not. However, I find that it is more of the management's fault that the girls themselves.
Am I the only one bothered that the final uniforms look nothing like the winning piece made in the competition? These are cute as well, but it must be disappointing to the winner who was probably expecting to see the girls wear it. I hope they at least use it for a future video.
Another thing that bothers me is what they said about indie groups. They basically said that groups outside the 48G or indie/alternative groups are "Class A" or fake groups. This was after the establishment of a handful of indie idol groups which have a boatload of potential. As a big fan of indie groups and groups outside of the 48G, my first thought was that the management had no idea what they were saying or doing. I might not be as knowledgeable as many people, but I know an insult when I see one and this was quite unnecessary.
I can't fault some of the girls who probably didn't understand what they were getting themselves into. Anyway, I am still happy for those who made it though.
For now, I would like to talk about the girls themselves ... or at least a few of the stand-outs for the management ... and for myself.
Kami 7
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| MNL48 Centre, Sheki |
#1 Sheki aka Shekinah Igarta Arzaga
I can't say I am too surprised that she won as centre. She had already received plenty of recognition from when she competed in a singing competition from the same network handling MNL48 called, Tawag ng Tanghalan. It would make sense she would be the network's favourite and the favourite of the masses.
And whilst I do not at all blame Sheki, I can't help but feel that the management had any involvement in her sudden rise of votes.
She might not be one of my favourites but I do have to admit that her voice and her singing technique is great. I can totally see why she had been dubbed, "The Whistling Wonder of Novaliches."
I am still sad that my current oshi had not become the centre. However, I can't say I am too dissatisfied with her as the centre. She checks on every idol box. She is small, cute, and talented but brimming with potential for more. Many idol fans say that if you are an idol, you don't need to be a good singer. With Sheki, you do have that added bonus of her being a great singer.
I placed a video below of her singing.
#2 Abby aka Abelaine Saunar Trinidad
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| Second Place, Abby |
Abby calls herself an "It Girl". She is pretty, popular and had always wanted to be a celebrity. If I remember correctly, Bea had wanted to be a chef.
Whilst she might not be my cut of tea, I do understand her appeal. She has personality and a truckload of self-confidence. Her slightly selfish personality is part of what makes her cute and, I suppose, a large part of her charisma.
It is not hard to see that she doesn't necessarily want to be an idol, but a celebrity. However, if she does her best at being an idol and understands what it means to be one outside of the fame, I don't think of it is too bad.
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| Third Place, Sela |
I think her quick climb to the top had not at all been surprising. Not just because good looks are important in this industry, but because she does give off a look that shows she is having fun. For me as a fan, I like watching idols have fun because it is only then I can say I am having fun too.
I am definitely looking forward to what else she can do in the group.
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| Hong Ye-ji of Produce48 |
I admit that I have very limited knowledge of Kpop these days, so I could be wrong but I really do believe she looks like she could be part of a Kpop group. In fact, I don't know if it is just me ---- but I am actually amused she looks a little like one of the Produce 48 contestants, Hong Ye-ji with their smiles being a bit similar. However, you can take this as a grain of salt. This is only in my opinion.
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| Fourth Place, Tin |
This is probably very awkward of me to say, but there is not much I can say about her. She had not really caught my attention, which is entirely my fault. My taste had always leaned towards the quirky and cute side.
She had a much more mature and sexier image before, which is why it was surprising to hear that she was just 16 years old. Before I found out her age, I actually thought she would be the member they could put forward for gravure modeling. I feel so bad for that now.
Her makeover was not only a look-changer, it changed her whole image as well. It made her look a bit more her age, and the simper look makes her dimple stand out which is actually really cute.
I know I have still yet to discover her whole appeal, but discovering that is part of the appeal.
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| Fifth Place, Zen |
Earlier in the competition, she had not really been very high in the rankings. I remember her being part of the bottom girls before.
I don't remember her as being particularly memorable either. I don't remember her as someone who was a particularly good dancer or singer. Her personality is sweet but not incredibly memorable either.
My personal theory is that her sweetness did win a hearts to take her high. She is actually quite refreshing. Dancing and singing skills can be learned, however sweetness is a rare quality that wins people over. If you are an idol who can win people over without the 'usual' skill set yet, then the potential is great indeed.
Unfortunately, we are unable to see where that potential can lead as she left the group today (06/08/2018) due to personal reasons.
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| Sixth Place, Alice |
On the earlier post I did, I said that she would be a great leader. She has the experience with the culture that the group could benefit from. She has even been to Japan with Kawaii 5 and modeled there.
Apparently, I was not alone in this thinking as she is now --- not only the captain of MII but also the captain of MNL48.
She dances, sings, and models. She is extremely popular with idol fans and she somehow still manages to balance that with popularity with masses.
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| Seventh Place, Trixie |
However, she does not seem to have the burriko image that Kojiharu had. In fact, rather the airhead image Kojiharu was famous for, she presents herself as a girl that can do anything.
I will forever remember her as the girl who sang a Korean song to a Japanese girl band audition, which does show off her ability to sing in a different language. Korean or not, it showed off her vocal prowess. She might not have the same pipes as Sheki, but she also has one of the most beautiful voices in the competition.
She left the group today (06/08/2018) to continue her studies.
Here is a video of her showcasing her Korean and showing off that she can definitely sing.
My Kami 7
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| Ninth Place, Ash |
A lot has changed since then. Ash's image as the shy girl that shines on stage is nothing but genuine. I remember how shy her smile had been in photos at the earlier stages of the audition. Now, she is so happy that it is incredible to think this is the same girl.
She is a great singer, and dancer. Another amazing tidbit is that this girl can sing and speak in Japanese. She loves idols and has even cosplayed as a member of Baby Metal before.
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| Above: Ash Below: Kanon Suzuki of MM'16 |
Fans often also compare her to Maeda Atsuko, which I don't really understand. They both had short hair I suppose, but they hardly look similar at all. Maeda does things at her own pace, but Ash does things head on when she is on stage. Maeda looked unhappy at times during her time in the group and Ash smiles like the sun on stage. However, I admit that I don't know Maeda Atsuko well enough to give a better comparison.
As of 06/08/2018, with the departure of Zen and Trixie, Ash is now part of the Kami 7.
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| Thirteenth Place, Faith |
I adore Faith's quirky personality. It is just adorable. Her general image is very different from the other members.
She is an idol fan, and she can definitely prove it as she came on top on the AKB48 General Exam. She is not apologetic about it either and is openly part of her character.
Maybe this isn't at all surprising since her father is a fan of idols too. She mentioned before that her father introduced AKB48 to her back around 2014. Her close relationship with her father is great to watch how proud he is of her.
If there was anyone left in the group that I could say was born to be an idol, it would be Faith.
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| Twelfth Place, Sayaka |
Like Ash, Sayaka had been one of my up-and-coming. At that time though I have to admit that I had not been very serious about her. She certainly changed that.
She has the 'adorable-type' image which I am very weak for. Her smile and wit are her charm points but I also like that she seamlessly weaves together both her Filipino and Japanese side together. Not an easy feat and for each stint, she probably had to work very hard to perfect it.
The tiny tiara seems to have become her signature, much like how pigtails had been Mayu Watanabe's. I think the princess image suits her.
I can't wait to see more of her and I hope she centres a single as well in the future. Maybe something cute like, Sugar Rush (Property of Disney so not likely) or Gingham Check.
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| Eighteenth Place, Erica |
Earlier in the competition, this girl had not even been on my radar. However, she was very quick in winning me over with confidence and stage presence.
I have mentioned this before, I can't remember where but one of the things that make me root for an idol is if they can show that they are having fun. Their joy can be contagious for me.
Erica is able to do this. She also looks like she is having a good time no matter what she is doing. Whether she is dancing, hosting or just being incredibly silly, she looks like she is definitely having fun.
#5 Alice aka Alice Margarita Reyes De Leon
Go back above for thoughts and feelings about Alice.
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| Thirty-Seventh Place, Shaira |
I adored the Duran twins since the earlier part of the competition. I admit that I liked them a lot more than the Trinidad Sisters. I like that they are both hard-working and genuinely sweet to the people around them.
I am so glad that that they both made it. There was a lot of reason to worry at first since it looked like the judges were not very fond of them. It was horrible of them to say the only reason they were still in the competition was because they were good at campaigning.
I like Shaira's quirkiness. I am not sure if I am on-board yet with her 'patatas-love' (potato-love) image but I still find her cute. She is the more energetic of the duo I believe and it can be pretty adorable.
The twins are like the little sisters you would love to have.
Translation: Patatas, means potatoes.
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| Thirty-Third Place, Shaina |
If Shaira is the 'Patatas Girl', then her Shaina is the 'Kamote Girl' or at least she is known as by fans. Aptly named too since I think she is the sweeter one of the twins.
Like I said in Shaina's part, I adore both girls very much.
She is the centre for the Next Girls and I hope this means she gets to centre in one of the music videos. It might be a longshot though since I think that they might start off with one video with the Senbatsu members to see if they can make a profit. Still, I can hope.
Translation: Kamote, means sweet potatoes.
Goodbyes
Aria had been my oshi. Those who have read my previous post probably already know this. She was a good role model for young girls who are looking to checking out the group.
Aria is a person that puts intelligence and education first, but will work to find a way to balance that and her dreams. An idol with education is not that odd. Airi Suzuki of C-ute and Momoko Tsugunaga from Berryz Koubou both went on to study in University despite their busy schedules. In my opinion, we need someone like this so girls don't think that it is alright to stop their education and just become idols, not realising that being an idol has a very short shelf-life and a career that definitely needs a backup plan.
I was so confident that if anyone could make it would be her. She is the 'Chemistry Idol' of MNL48 ---- at least she was until her sudden departure.
I was so devastated when she left, and I could tell that she was too. Her announcement looked very tearful. I don't understand why she was asked to choose between her education and her idol dreams. She has been able to balance both quite admirably from what I understand. Unlike many girls in the group still in the group, I have not seen her late for rehearsals and such.
Translation: It is with a heavy heart that I announce to you I am officially leaving MNL48, because I have chosen to focus on my studies. You all know how I have always dreamed of becoming both a doctor and an idol, but in the end I could only choose one and ultimately I chose my studies. Thank you all so much for the support you gave me and do know that I appreciate it with all my heart.
Conclusions
I am hoping this will change after they release their first single. They seem to be working on a version of Heavy Rotation, Sakura no Hanabiratachi, and Aitakatta. I hope they at least change the centre up a bit and not have Sheki centre all of them.
However, there might be reasons to worry about the group as many of their popular members keep leaving. Aria had been in the Senbatsu when she left, Eunice Santiago had been #1 for several weeks, while both Trixie and Zen are part of the current Senbatsu. Though people leaving in the 48G is hardly surprising and there is plenty of Kenyuusei members to replace them, at the moment the Kenkyuusei cannot make up for the popularity of those who have left. They came towards the end of the competition, so we did not really see them struggle like the others. Because of that, it is hard for me personally to feel anything for them.
But, the group will move on and people will 'oshihen' with the departure of their favourites. I have really nothing more to say except that I am waiting in abeyance. I am still hoping and praying for the best for this group.
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