Nogizaka46 chooses first 36 members, concerts to begin this yearNogizaka46, the “official rival group” to AKB48, has chosen its first 36 members. The final round of auditions were held over the weekend of August 20-21 at Sony Music Entertainment’s Nogizaka Building, with 56 girls in the running for the 36 spots.Nogizaka46 was created by AKB48′s producer Akimoto Yasushi, in collaboration with Sony Music Entertainment. Akimoto has billed the group as a rival to the popular AKB48, and the number 46 was chosen with the meaning of “Even with fewer members than AKB48, we won’t lose.”A total of 38,934 young women around the country applied for the Nogizaka46 auditions. Out of the 56 remaining in the final round, Akimoto selected a group of 36, with an average age of just over 16 years old. Akimoto also announced the 16 provisional “senbatsu” members, which came as a surprise to the girls as well.The members are listed below, in Japanese alphabetical order. Profiles are available on the official Nogizaka46 website. Akimoto Manatsu (senbatsu) Aso Ririko Ando Mikumo Ikuta Erika (senbatsu) Ikoma Rina (senbatsu) Ichiki Rena (senbatsu) Ito Nene Ito Marika Inoue Sayuri Iwase Yumiko Eto Misa Kashiwa Yukina Kawai Hina Kawamura Mahiro Saito Asuka Saito Chiharu Saito Yuri Sakurai Reika (senbatsu) Shiraishi Mai (senbatsu) Takayama Kazumi (senbatsu) Nakada Kana (senbatsu) Nakamoto Himeka Nagashima Seira Nishino Nanase Hashimoto Nanami (senbatsu) Hatanaka Seira (senbatsu) Higuchi Hina Fukagawa Mai Hoshino Minami (senbatsu) Matsumura Sayuri (senbatsu) Miyazawa Seira (senbatsu) Yamato Rina (senbatsu) Yamamoto Honoka Yoshimoto Ayaka (senbatsu, center) Wakatsuki Yumi Wada Maaya (senbatsu)Akimoto also revealed that the group will begin holding concerts before the end of this year. The concerts will have a first half and a second half, separated by a break. During the break, the audience will vote on which members will perform during the second half. Akimoto commented that it will “feel like holding a senbatsu election every day.”As previously announced, the group will also have their own variety show on television starting in October.
Sort of like how AKB48 was before, except more polished, but not polished enough.
Nogizaka46 variety show to start in OctoberOn Monday, the official website of idol group Nogizaka46 revealed some details about their variety show, which will begin airing next month. The show will be titled “Nogizakatte, Doko?” (“Where’s Nogizaka?”) and will be broadcast on the 6 main stations of the TX Network: TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TV Setouchi, TV Hokkaido, and TVQ Kyushu Hoso.The show is said to focus on showcasing the personalities and strengths of the group’s members, including singing, dancing, acting, and intense effort.Episodes will air weekly on Mondays at midnight, starting on October 2nd.Nogizaka46 was officially formed last month by Akimoto Yasushi and Sony Music Entertainment as the “official rival group of AKB48.” The group currently consists of 36 members.
posted on 2012-09-10 13:00 EDTAnother adaptation of Arabian Nights-inspired manga, in addition to TV anime, to be revealedThis year's 41st issue of Shogakukan's Weekly Shonen Sunday magazine is announcing on Wednesday that Nogizaka46, AKB48's "official rival" idol group, will perform the ending theme song for the Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic. anime. The visual-kei rock band SID (Black Butler, Bleach, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood) had previously revealed that it will contribute the opening theme song "V.I.P."AKB48's own producer Yasushi Akimoto created Nogizaka46 with Sony Music Entertainment last year. The group is named after Sony Music Entertainment's Nogizaka Building, the site of the group's final audition. The "46" in the name represents the group's rivalry with AKB48, along with the motto: "Even with fewer members than AKB48, we won't lose."The Weekly Shonen Sunday issue is also presenting a new piece of key visual art for the anime, as well as a teaser that the next issue will announce another adaptation of Shinobu Ohtaka's original manga. The issue will also feature character designs of the main and supporting cast alongside staff comments regarding each character.The manga re-imagines tales from the classic story One Thousand and One Nights (also known as Arabian Nights). Shinobu Ohtaka, the creator of Sumomomo Momomo, has been serializing the manga since 2009, and Shogakukan is publishing the 14th compiled book volume this month.Director Koji Masunari (Read or Die, Welcome to THE SPACE SHOW) is helming the anime adaptation at A-1 Pictures. Toshifumi Akai (Kokoro Connect, Sound of the Sky) is designing the characters and Hiroyuki Yoshino (Accel World, Guilty Crown, My-HiME) is handling the scripts. Shiro Sagisu (Evangelion, Bleach) is scoring the soundtrack.This 90th anniversary project from Shogakukan will premiere on October 7 and run every Sunday at 5:00 p.m. on MBS, TBS, and their network of affiliates.