1. スキ! スキ! スキップ! – HKT48
   
2. お願いヴァレンティヌ – HKT48
3. 片思いの唐揚げ – あまくち姫
4. スキ! スキ! スキップ! off vocal ver.
5. お願いヴァレンティヌ off vocal ver.
6. 片思いの唐揚げ  off vocal ver.

DVD INFO: 16:9 LB, Region 2, Duration: 44:51

1. スキ! スキ! スキップ! Music Video
2. 片思いの唐揚げ Music Video
3. 東京修学旅行 (特典映像)

In 2008, AKB48 producer Yasushi Akimoto announced that he had plans to create other 48 groups, one that would be HKT48 based in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka.

In 2011, HKT48 was revealed and unlike AKB48, SKE48 and NMB48 groups, HKT48 would feature many young teenagers ranging from 11 to 17-year-olds.

The group would gain recognition thanks to the MC expertise of AKB48 member Rino Sashihara who transferred to the group in June 2012 and also added AKB48 member Aika Ota to help bring a veteran AKB48 element to the group.

With several television shows and members who have risen in popularity among fans, HKT48 has generated a lot of buzz and in March 2013, the group released their first CD single “Suki! Suki! Skip!” (“Love! Love! Skip!”) under the Universal Sigma label.

The single reached #1 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and in its first week, sold over 250,000 copies.

There are four versions of “Suki! Suki! Skip!”.  Type A, Type-B and Type-C each come with a DVD and features an exclusive third track.  While the fourth version is a theater edition with no DVD but also an exclusive third track.

The version that I will be reviewing is “Suki! Suki! Skip!” (Type-A) which features HKT48 center Meru Tashima, Rino Sashihara, Aika Oota, Sakura Miyawaki, Madoka Moriyasu, Mio Tomonaga and Chihiro Anai.  Inside is a tri-fold with the lyrics to each of the three songs and photos of 16 members.  Reverse features a listing of Team H members and the production credits.  Inside is a little flyer promoting an HKT48 smart code in promotion of the new single.

The single kicks off with “Suki! Suki! Skip!”, an upbeat, happy idol pop track and contains the cuteness that HKT48 is known for.

The song is about how two young people meet on a crowded train and how people who fall in love, their hearts generate a light as if it’s like magic and act as they are walking on clouds.  And how love makes her want to skip.  Just being in love makes her feel like she can do anything and life is just wonderful that she’s going to “Love! Love! Skip!”.

The second track is “Onegai Valentine” (which translates to “Please Valentine”) and is another upbeat, cute idol song.  But where “Suki! Suki! Skip!” is about a girl who is head over heels in love, “Onegai Valentine” is about a girl who wants to meet someone she likes and be in love.  She’s too shy to tell the person how she feels and with Valentine’s Day, she just wants the courage to tell the person how she feels.

The third track is “Kataomoi no Karaage” (which translates to “Fried Chicken of One-Sided Love) and is performed by Amakuchi-Hime (which consists of Team H and kenkyuusei members).  The song is another upbeat, idol pop track that is sweet. The song is about a girl who just enjoyed hanging out with her friends, never worried about wanting a boyfriend.  But suddenly a guy has been on her mind and this first experience of love has hit her.   So , now she wants to make “fried chicken of one-sided love” because she thinks of him too much but she will make it a delicious love.

The remaining three tracks are the instrumental versions of the first three songs.

As for the DVD, the DVD kicks off with a music video for “Suki! Suki! Skip!” and is a bubbly music video as the crew are singing and dancing, performing the song and seeing balloons and bubbles around them.  And both Rino Sashihara and Aika Ota are trying to each them lessons.

The second music video is for “Kataomoi no Karaage” performed by Amakuchi-hime and features a few of the HKT48 members in fairy like outfits in white in the forest.  Sakura Miyawaki is a lost girl who wanders in a forest and finds a magical spoon which takes her to other HKT48 members who invite her to join them.

The third and final video is HKT48 in the middle of winter, getting ready to take a bus tour in Tokyo.  The group go through areas where they partake in visiting a shrine, eating a delicious lunch, watching a transsexual music act, going to a museum and capping their long day with a scary story.

It’s important to note that this is a region 2 DVD and will not play on a region 1 player (unless you have a non-region DVD player) but can be played on a MAC or PC using free video playing software such as VLC or Daum PotPlayer.

Overall, for their debut single, HKT48′s “Suki! Suki! Skip!” is a fun and enjoyable CD+DVD single for those who enjoy upbeat, cute and sweet idol pop music.  HKT48′s style and music emphasizes style, cuteness and for their fans, it’s a style that is working remarkably well for them.  And for fans of HKT48, their debut single features three upbeat tracks about love (one in love, one who wants courage to confess their love and one who likes someone but the other person doesn’t know) and you also get two music videos plus a longer video featuring HKT48 on a tour through Tokyo.

If you are a fan of HKT48, you will surely want to give each of the three types a chance!  But if you need to pick one, HKT48′s “Suki! Suki! Skip!” (Type-A) is a CD+DVD worth checking out!

1. 君の名は希望
2. シャキイズム
3. でこぴん
4. 君の名は希望 off vocal ver.
5. シャキイズム off vocal ver.
6. でこぴん off vocal ver.

DVD INFO: 16:9LB, Region 2, Duration: 1:26:35

1. 君の名は希望 -Music Video-
2. でこぴん -Music Video-
3. 秋元真夏×フラッシュハリー
4. 安藤美雲×北島武樹
5. 川村真洋×奥平功
6. 中田花奈×近藤大介
7. 中元日芽香×福居英晃
8. 西野七瀬×守屋文雄
9. 能條愛未×長尾真
10. 畠中清羅×戸塚富士丸
11. 星野みなみ×林隆行
12. 松村沙友理×津田大介
13. 大和里菜×村山和也

Nogizaka46 begins 2013 with their fifth CD single “Kimi no Na wa Kibo” (which translates to “Your Name is Hope”).

Nogizaka46, the idol pop group created by Onyanko Club and AKB48 creator Yasushi Akimoto. But where his other groups represent a region of Japan, Nogizaka46 was created as the official rival to Nogizaka46 and the “Nogizaka” named after the place where Sony Music Japan’s office (the SME Nogizaka Building) is located. And the number “46″ was chosen as a number to become a direct challenge to AKB48.

With the success of the group’s first single “Guruguru Curtain” which debuted at #2 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold over 136,000 copies, Nogizaka46 has now released their second single “Oide Shampoo” (which translates to “Come on Shampoo”) and debuted at #1 on the Oricon CD Singles Charts and sold 155,677 copies in its first week. Their third CD single “Hashire! Bicycle” became their second chart topping #1 single and their best selling single released until now.

Their latest single “Seifuku no Mannequin” (which translates to “Mannequin with a School Uniform”) not only achieved another spot at #1 on the Oricon Charts ranking but is now there best selling CD single so far with 232,961 copies sold during their first week. The new single will also feature a lineup with their top 17 members voted on their senbatsu election (which took place on their TV Show “Nogizakatte Doko – October 7, 2012).

With their fifth CD single “Kimi no Na wa Kibo”, the group was able to surpass their first week single sales with 242,053 copies sold and also debuting at #1 on the Oricon Charts.

Like previous singles, there are four versions of “Kimi no Na wa Kibo” that were released. Type A, B and C would come with a DVD but also feature an exclusive third track. While the Theater/Regular edition comes with no DVD and an exclusive third track.

The version I will be reviewing is “Kimi no Na wa Kibo” (Type-C). The CD insert features features Nogizaka46 members Minami Hoshino, Sayuri Matsumura (and I think the other is Manatsu Akimoto as it is hard to see as half of her face is cut off in the cover). The back insert features eight members and eight members in the inside back cover and a booklet with eight pages featuring lyrics, production credits and individual photos of each member plus group photos.

The first track on the album is “Kimi no Na wa Kibo” (“Your Name is Hope”) and is an upbeat ballad. The song is about a guy who sees a girl and the two came in contact one summer when she saw a ball rolling, she waited for him to pick it up. The guy was always seen as an invisible person but she noticed his existence. And it was the first time in this world that the guy denied was beautiful that this one girl would change his life and although he watches her from afar, he realized that his heart is yearning for this girl because he has found love. And although he doesn’t know who this girl is, he knew immediately that this girl’s name is “hope”.

The second track on the single is “Shakiism” and is an upbeat, sugary pop track. The song is about a girl who likes a guy. But she realizes that she likes a guy who is not cool and stylish, so she hopes that if the guy likes her, he would become more stylish.

The third track on this CD single is “Dekopin” (which is the action when you flick someone in the forehead) and the song is a cute, catchy idol pop song featuring Mai Shiraishi, Kazumi Takayama, Nanami Hashimoto, Mai Fukugawa and Sayuri Matsumura.  The song is about how a girl felt she was in love when a guy flicked her on the forehead.   About how everyone got together to play cards one day and all she could think about is her friend’s ex-boyfriend.  But during the game, the guy saw how the girl wasn’t that good at cards, so he would purposely lose for her.  But next time instead of a flick on the forehead, she would like a kiss.

And the remaining three tracks are the instrumental versions of the first three songs.

As for the DVD, the first video track is the music video for “Kimi no Na wa Kibo” and is a 30 minute video in which the members of Nogizaka46 take part in acting audition and while they are performing, the group is seen performing their new song “Kimi no Na wa Kibo” with the final casting decided after the performance.

The second video track is the music video for “Dekopin” featuring Mai Shiraishi, Kazumi Takayama, Nanami Hashimoto, Mai Fukugawa and Sayuri Matsumura in different outfits and performing in front of a green screen with different backgrounds and just having fun performing the song.  A cute, fun music video!

The next eleven video tracks showcase members of Nogizaka46 taking part in various videos. Similar to past releases, these are videos to get to know the members a bit more. But this time, giving a few filmmakers or Japanese talents to direct each member in a skit or segment.

The first video features Manatsu Akimoto walking around with a handheld camera aimed at her; the second video features Mikumo Ando talking English with alien life forms; the third video features Mahiro Kawamura in a gothic black and white video with her sporting a nurses outfit and mini skirt with stockings; the fourth video features Kana Nakada eating a donut and everything starts to play out via stop frame animation; the fifth video features Himeka Nakamoto walking home from school with a guy; the sixth video features Nanase Nishino and her during the audition portions for “Kimi no Na wa Kibo”; the seventh video features Ami Noujo waking up from bed and preparing for the day modeling in different looks and fashion and dancing; the eighth video features video features Seira Hatanaka stop-motion film of her; the ninth video features Minami Hoshino in a music video singing “Onegai My Heart; the tenth video features Sayuri Matsumura conducting and interview and the final video features Rina Yamamoto taking part in an acting class.  Plus you get brief clips of behind-the-scenes making-of videos.

It’s important to note that if you want more of these videos featuring more Nogizaka46 members, you will need to purchase Type-A and B of “Kimi no Na wa Kibo”.

A reminder that this is a region 2 DVD and will not play on a region 1 player (unless you have a non-region DVD player) but can be played on a MAC or PC using free video playing software such as VLC or Daum PotPlayer.

Overall, “Kimi no Na wa Kibo” (Type-C) is a pretty cool CD+DVD and one of the best things about Nogizaka 46 CD+DVD releases is they pack so much DVD content that you literally want all three versions. So, to tell you the truth, unlike AKB48, NMB48 or SKE48 releases in which you can recommend a certain type over another, for “Kimi no Na wa Kibo”, both CD+DVD content is quite awesome for the different types. You nearly get an hour and half worth of content on the DVD and to me that makes TYPE-B worth getting (if you are fan of their music). Otherwise, what it will probably come down to for each of these types are if you like a certain member of the group, that is the type that you will more than likely purchase.

As for the songs featured on the single, “Kimi no Na wa Kibo”, “Shakiism” and “Dekopin”, all are very good tracks and among the three types for the music portion, Type-C is my favorite.  But seriously, because they spread out the cool member videos on all three types,  Type-C along with the other two types are worth owning.

Highly recommended for Nogizaka46 fans!

BUY THIS CD SINGLE from cdjapan.com:

Kimi no Na wa Kibo [CD+DVD/Type-C]

Nogizaka46

1. 君の名は希望
2. シャキイズム
3. 13日の金曜日
4. 君の名は希望 off vocal ver.
5. シャキイズム off vocal ver.
6. 13日の金曜日 off vocal ver.

DVD INFO: 16:9LB, Region 2, Duration: 1:26:07

1. 君の名は希望 -Music Video-
2. 13日の金曜日 -Music Video-
3. 生田絵梨花×青山裕企
4. 井上小百合×栢菅翼
5. 柏幸奈×池田一真
6. 齋藤飛鳥×萩生田宏治
7. 斎藤ちはる×大橋祥正
8. 斉藤優里×高野千紗
9. 桜井玲香×中村太洸
10. 永島聖羅×水元泰嗣
11. 橋本奈々未×湯浅弘章
12. 深川麻衣×岡川太郎
13. 和田まあや×石井貴英+KAI(Tangent)

Nogizaka46 begins 2013 with their fifth CD single “Kimi no Na wa Kibo” (which translates to “Your Name is Hope”).

Nogizaka46, the idol pop group created by Onyanko Club and AKB48 creator Yasushi Akimoto. But where his other groups represent a region of Japan, Nogizaka46 was created as the official rival to Nogizaka46 and the “Nogizaka” named after the place where Sony Music Japan’s office (the SME Nogizaka Building) is located. And the number “46″ was chosen as a number to become a direct challenge to AKB48.

With the success of the group’s first single “Guruguru Curtain” which debuted at #2 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold over 136,000 copies, Nogizaka46 has now released their second single “Oide Shampoo” (which translates to “Come on Shampoo”) and debuted at #1 on the Oricon CD Singles Charts and sold 155,677 copies in its first week. Their third CD single “Hashire! Bicycle” became their second chart topping #1 single and their best selling single released until now.

Their latest single “Seifuku no Mannequin” (which translates to “Mannequin with a School Uniform”) not only achieved another spot at #1 on the Oricon Charts ranking but is now there best selling CD single so far with 232,961 copies sold during their first week. The new single will also feature a lineup with their top 17 members voted on their senbatsu election (which took place on their TV Show “Nogizakatte Doko – October 7, 2012).

With their fifth CD single “Kimi no Na wa Kibo”, the group was able to surpass their first week single sales with 242,053 copies sold and also debuting at #1 on the Oricon Charts.

Like previous singles, there are four versions of “Kimi no Na wa Kibo” that were released. Type A, B and C would come with a DVD but also feature an exclusive third track. While the Theater/Regular edition comes with no DVD and an exclusive third track.

The version I will be reviewing is “Kimi no Na wa Kibo” (Type-B). The CD insert features features Nogizaka46 Reika Sakura and two others. The back insert features eight members and seven members in the inside back cover and a booklet with eight pages featuring lyrics, production credits and individual photos of each member plus group photos.

The first track on the album is “Kimi no Na wa Kibo” (“Your Name is Hope”) and is an upbeat ballad. The song is about a guy who sees a girl and the two came in contact one summer when she saw a ball rolling, she waited for him to pick it up. The guy was always seen as an invisible person but she noticed his existence. And it was the first time in this world that the guy denied was beautiful that this one girl would change his life and although he watches her from afar, he realized that his heart is yearning for this girl because he has found love. And although he doesn’t know who this girl is, he knew immediately that this girl’s name is “hope”.

The second track on the single is “Shakiism” and is an upbeat, sugary pop track. The song is about a girl who likes a guy. But she realizes that she likes a guy who is not cool and stylish, so she hopes that if the guy likes her, he would become more stylish.

The third track on this CD single is “13nichi no Kinyoubi” (which translates to “Friday the 13th”) and the song is a cute, catchy and simple pop song.  The song is about a girl going out on a Saturday night to watch a horror film with her boyfriend.  Last week was bowling, the week before was going to an amusement park and because she is so much in love, she’s never bored with dating.  And for the night, she can eat popcorn, drink soda and hold her boyfriend’s hand and flirt in the darkness.  And with Friday the 13th, she feels something will happen.  Her heart is beating heavily and she just wants to scream.

And the remaining three tracks are the instrumental versions of the first three songs.

As for the DVD, the first video track is the music video for “Kimi no Na wa Kibo” and is a 30 minute video in which the members of Nogizaka46 take part in acting audition and while they are performing, the group is seen performing their new song “Kimi no Na wa Kibo” with the final casting decided after the performance.

The second video track is the music video for “13nichi no Kinyoubi” which seems like a flash mob track with a girl coming to a middle of a shopping center and singing her song, then to be followed by other Nogizaka 46 members who join her while everyone outside the stores watch the group perform.

The next eleven video tracks showcase members of Nogizaka46 taking part in various videos. Similar to past releases, these are videos to get to know the members a bit more. But this time, giving a few filmmakers or Japanese talents to direct each member in a skit or segment.

The first video features Erika Ikuta going to ride a helicopter in Yokohama and checking out the city, the second video features Sayuri Inoue in a music video featuring her jumping off the air.  A pretty cool video!    The third video features Yukina Kashiwa dancing to “Seifuku no Mannequin” by herself in the gymnasium; the fourth video features Asuka Saito learning how to cook a dish; The fifth video features Chiharu Saito on stage and taking part in a skit with older actresses; The sixth video features Yuuri Saitou going to the grocery store and buying ingredients to make a dish; the next video features a drama about a wooden frame that can communicate with Reika Sakurai; the eighth video is a short drama which features Seira Nagashima wanting to eat mochi that her family members also wants to eat; the ninth video features Nanami Hashimoto meeting a pregnant teenager; the tenth video features Mai Fukagawa who is sitting on a table, looking bored and trying to entertain herself; and the final video features Maaya Wada doing motion capture for a 3D paper-like female character.  The ending credits features behind-the-scenes of the making of the video segments.

It’s important to note that if you want more of these videos featuring more Nogizaka46 members, you will need to purchase Type-A and C of “Kimi no Na wa Kibo”.

A reminder that this is a region 2 DVD and will not play on a region 1 player (unless you have a non-region DVD player) but can be played on a MAC or PC using free video playing software such as VLC or Daum PotPlayer.

Overall, “Kimi no Na wa Kibo” (Type-B) is a pretty cool CD+DVD and one of the best things about Nogizaka 46 CD+DVD releases is they pack so much DVD content that you literally want all three versions. So, to tell you the truth, unlike AKB48, NMB48 or SKE48 releases in which you can recommend a certain type over another, for “Kimi no Na wa Kibo”, both CD+DVD content is quite awesome for the different types. You nearly get an hour and half worth of content on the DVD and to me that makes TYPE-B worth getting (if you are fan of their music).  Otherwise, what it will probably come down to for each of these types are if you like a certain member of the group, that is the type that you will more than likely purchase.

As for the songs featured on the single, “Kimi no Na wa Kibo” and “13nichi no Kinyoubi”, all are very good tracks but in the end, it’s the DVD content that really makes Type-B worth owning.

Highly recommended for Nogizaka46 fans!

BUY THIS CD SINGLE from cdjapan.com:

Kimi no Na wa Kibo [CD+DVD/Type-B]

Nogizaka46

1. 君の名は希望
2. シャキイズム
3. ロマンティックいか焼き
4. 君の名は希望 off vocal ver.
5. シャキイズム off vocal ver.
6. ロマンティックいか焼き off vocal ver.

DVD INFO: 16:9LB, Region 2, Duration: 1:24:20

1. 君の名は希望 -Music Video-
2. シャキイズム -Music Video-
3. 生駒里奈×関和亮
4. 市來玲奈×山岸聖太
5. 伊藤寧々×山本ワタル
6. 伊藤万理華×山本真純
7. 衛藤美彩×畔柳恵輔
8. 川後陽菜×佐藤有一郎
9. 白石麻衣×森田一平
10. 高山一実×金子茂樹
11. 樋口日奈×洞内広樹
12. 宮澤成良×森田亮
13. 若月佑美×内村宏幸

Nogizaka46 begins 2013 with their fifth CD single “Kimi no Na wa Kibo” (which translates to “Your Name is Hope”).

Nogizaka46, the idol pop group created by Onyanko Club and AKB48 creator Yasushi Akimoto. But where his other groups represent a region of Japan, Nogizaka46 was created as the official rival to Nogizaka46 and the “Nogizaka” named after the place where Sony Music Japan’s office (the SME Nogizaka Building) is located. And the number “46″ was chosen as a number to become a direct challenge to AKB48.

With the success of the group’s first single “Guruguru Curtain” which debuted at #2 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold over 136,000 copies, Nogizaka46 has now released their second single “Oide Shampoo” (which translates to “Come on Shampoo”) and debuted at #1 on the Oricon CD Singles Charts and sold 155,677 copies in its first week. Their third CD single “Hashire! Bicycle” became their second chart topping #1 single and their best selling single released until now.

Their latest single “Seifuku no Mannequin” (which translates to “Mannequin with a School Uniform”) not only achieved another spot at #1 on the Oricon Charts ranking but is now there best selling CD single so far with 232,961 copies sold during their first week. The new single will also feature a lineup with their top 17 members voted on their senbatsu election (which took place on their TV Show “Nogizakatte Doko – October 7, 2012).

With their fifth CD single “Kimi no Na wa Kibo”, the group was able to surpass their first week single sales with 242,053 copies sold and also debuting at #1 on the Oricon Charts.

Like previous singles, there are four versions of “Kimi no Na wa Kibo” that were released.  Type A, B and C would come with a DVD but also feature an exclusive third track.  While the Theater/Regular edition comes with no DVD and an exclusive third track.

The version I will be reviewing is “Kimi no Na wa Kibo” (Type-A). The CD insert features features Nogizaka46 ace (center) Rina Ikoma and Mai Shiraishi and features eight members in the back and eight members in the inside back cover and a booklet with eight pages featuring lyrics, production credits and individual photos of each member plus group photos.

The first track on the album is “Kimi no Na wa Kibo” (“Your Name is Hope”) and is an upbeat ballad.  The song is about a guy who sees a girl and the two came in contact one summer when she saw a ball rolling, she waited for him to pick it up.  The guy was always seen as an invisible person but she noticed his existence.  And it was the first time in this world that the guy denied was beautiful that this one girl would change his life and although he watches her from afar, he realized that his heart is yearning for this girl because he has found love.  And although he doesn’t know who this girl is, he knew immediately that this girl’s name is “hope”.

The second track on the single is “Shakiism” and is an upbeat, sugary pop track.  The song is about a girl who likes a guy.  But  she realizes that she likes a guy who is not cool and stylish, so she hopes that if the guy likes her, he would become more stylish.

The third track on this CD single is “Romantic Ikiyaki” (which translates to “Romantic Grilled Squid”) and is a uptempo springtime idol song.  The song is about going to the beach for the first time, wearing a swimsuit for the first time and wanting to eat ikiyaki with the guy you like.

And the remaining three tracks are the instrumental versions of the first three songs.

As for the DVD, the first video track is the music video for “Kimi no Na wa Kibo” and is a 30 minute video in which the members of Nogizaka46 take part in acting audition and while they are performing, the group is seen performing their new song “Kimi no Na wa Kibo” with the final casting decided after the performance.

The second video track is the music video for “Shakiism” in which Rina Ikoma plays a boy and shows a classroom divided with laser beams.  As one student tries to cross over and bypass the laser, a sliding door falls and a group with red arm bands come to take the student away away.   We later see Rina taking part in a judo match and although walls are triggered, she manages to use his strength to break the wall down.

The next 10 video tracks showcase members of Nogizaka46 taking part in various videos.  Similar to past releases, these are videos to get to know the members a bit more.  But this time, giving a few filmmakers or Japanese talents to direct each member in a skit or segment. Such as a song with Rina Ikoma saying words and doing movements and a song being made out of it.  Kiyoshi Yamagishi directing Rena Ichiki taking part in a variety of activities, such as martial arts and baseball.  Another video showing multiple ways of Nene Ito saying “Suki” or “Daisuke desu” in happy or sad ways (46 times).  Another cute music video features Marika Ito coming out of her classroom with her school outfit and headphones (or a polar bear outfit) and starts singing a song in the halls.  Misa Satou standing on a bridge with the city skyscrapers out in the background.  A horror skit featuring Hina Kawago who read a horror book and now she hears noises in her home and she goes to check it out.  Another video featuring Mai Shiraishi taking a walk outdoors.  Kazumi Takayama’s video features a day in life asking “Donmai” and having bad luck and screaming her lungs out.  For Hina Higuchi’s segment, she lays on the floor trying to make the alphabet with her body and clothes with a camera looking down on her.  For Seira Miyazawa’s segment, she is just looking outside towards the city, while the camera is fixated on her.  And for Yumi Wakatsuki, it’s a poetic drama.

It’s important to note that if you want more of these videos featuring more Nogizaka46 members, you will need to purchase Type-B and C.

After all is done, there is a bonus video showing us the making of “Shakiism” and the NG segments of the member videos.

A reminder that this is a region 2 DVD and will not play on a region 1 player (unless you have a non-region DVD player) but can be played on a MAC or PC using free video playing software such as VLC or Daum PotPlayer.

Overall, “Kimi no Na wa Kibo” (Type-A) is a pretty cool CD+DVD and one of the best things about Nogizaka 46 CD+DVD releases is they pack so much DVD content that you literally want all three versions.   So, to tell you the truth, unlike AKB48, NMB48 or SKE48 releases in which you can recommend a certain type over another, for “Kimi no Na wa Kibo”, both CD+DVD content is quite awesome for the different types.  You nearly get an hour and half worth of content on the DVD and to me that makes TYPE-A worth getting (if you are fan of their music).

As for the songs featured on the single, “Kimi no Na wa Kibo” and “Shakiism” are very good tracks but in the end, it’s the DVD content that really makes Type-A worth owning.

Highly recommended for Nogizaka46 fans!

BUY THIS CD SINGLE from cdjapan.com:

Kimi no Na wa Kibo [CD+DVD/Type-A]

Nogizaka46

1. So long! – (AKB48)
2. Waiting room – (AKB48 Undergirls)
3. 強い花 (AKB Kenkyuusei)
4. So long! off vocal ver.
5. Waiting room off vocal ver.
6. 強い花 off vocal ver.

It’s the 30th CD single from the popular Japanese idol group AKB48 and once again, the group has continued to show amazing staying power for 2013 and their new single “So long!” has sold over a million copies and also putting the group in the record books as the fastest to achieve 20 million CD singles sold (which they accomplished in 7 years and one month).

The single continues the spring theme of AKB48 of being a graduation song and also is the first CD single to feature Mayu Watanabe as the primary center.

It is also the first time that AKB48 had created a one hour movie for a CD+DVD single plus three television dramas for “So long!” (featured on a separate Blu-ray and DVD release).

With a total of three types releases (Type-A, Type-K and Type-B) featuring a DVD and an exclusive third song, “So long!”, each DVD features clips from AKB48 second annual “AKB48 Kouhaku Utagassen”. A fourth version, a theater edition with no DVD, comes with an exclusive third song.

The version I will be reviewing is the Theater Edition version of “So long!” which comes with no slipcase but features Haruka Shimazaki, Minami Takahashi, Mayu Watanabe, Rie Kitahara, Jurina Matsui, Sayaka Yamamoto, Minami Minegishi, Rena Matsui, Yuko Oshima, Tomomi Itano, Miyuki Watanabe and Yuki Kashiwagi. The booklet features 12 pages with the lyrics and production credits and also black and white group photos.

The first track on the single is “So long!”, a sweet ballad that gradually caught my attention. The single is about one’s final memory with a best friend and friends while in school. Memories about dreams, love and tears. But knowing that this is the final time you will be with friends before graduation and by tomorrow, it’s a new chapter in the lives of those graduating. And saying goodbye to your best friend and despite going separate ways after graduating, that no matter what happens, live strong. If there is hardship, you’ll persevere. It’s a good song that grew on me after listening to it a few times, but still, “Sakura no Ki ni Narou” continues to be my favorite of the spring singles from AKB48 so far.

The second track is performed by the AKB48 Undergirls and is titled “Waiting room”. The song is an upbeat track with electric guitars and catchy vocals. The song is pretty much about auditions and one in a waiting room, waiting for their name to be called. About having to hear the applause for the senior members but one day to be in their place on stage to sing and dance, because it’s the person’s dream. No matter how difficult or frustrating things will get, the person is determined to make it happen.

The third track is “Tsuyoi Hana” (which translates to “Strong flower”) is performed by AKB48′s Kenkyuusei (AKB Research Students) and is like a fairy tale song with its gentle arrangement.  The song is about a girl selling flowers at a corner in front of a shoe shop.  With the state of the economy, she can’t sell any flowers and despite how beautiful they are, unfortunately these flower will wither.  She doesn’t have any money to buy food or feed her mother who is sick in bed.  And she prays to God with one wish and that is for God to give her strong flowers that will never wither and die.  A beautiful song!

The next three tracks on the CD single are the instrumental off vocal tracks of the first three songs.

1. So long! – (AKB48)
2. Waiting room – (AKB48 Undergirls)
3. 夕陽マリー - (AKB48 Team B)
4. So long! off vocal ver.
5. Waiting room off vocal ver.
6. 夕陽マリー off vocal ver.

DVD INFO: 16:9 LB, Region 2, Duration: 1:45:12

1. So long! Music Video
2. Waiting room Music Video
3. 夕陽マリー Music Video
4. 第2回 AKB48紅白対抗歌合戦 ~白組ダイジェスト~

It’s the 30th CD single from the popular Japanese idol group AKB48 and once again, the group has continued to show amazing staying power for 2013 and their new single “So long!” has sold over a million copies and also putting the group in the record books as the fastest to achieve 20 million CD singles sold (which they accomplished in 7 years and one month).

The single continues the spring theme of AKB48 of being a graduation song and also is the first CD single to feature Mayu Watanabe as the primary center.

It is also the first time that AKB48 had created a one hour movie for a CD+DVD single plus three television dramas for “So long!” (featured on a separate Blu-ray and DVD release).

With a total of three types releases (Type-A, Type-K and Type-B) featuring a DVD and an exclusive third song, “So long!”, each DVD features clips from AKB48 second annual “AKB48 Kouhaku Utagassen”. A fourth version, a theater edition with no DVD, comes with an exclusive third song.

The version I will be reviewing is the Type-K version of “So long!” which comes with a slipcase which features Haruna Kojima, Jurina Matsui, Mariko Shinoda, Tomomi Itano, Yuki Kashiwagi and Rena Matsui. The CD front cover features Rena Matsui, Yuki Kashiwagi, Yuko Oshima, Tomomi Itano and Minami Takahashi. The booklet features 12 pages with the lyrics and production credits and also black and white group photos.

The first track on the single is “So long!”, a sweet ballad that gradually caught my attention. The single is about one’s final memory with a best friend and friends while in school. Memories about dreams, love and tears. But knowing that this is the final time you will be with friends before graduation and by tomorrow, it’s a new chapter in the lives of those graduating. And saying goodbye to your best friend and despite going separate ways after graduating, that no matter what happens, live strong. If there is hardship, you’ll persevere. It’s a good song that grew on me after listening to it a few times, but still, “Sakura no Ki ni Narou” continues to be my favorite of the spring singles from AKB48 so far.

The second track is performed by the AKB48 Undergirls and is titled “Waiting room”. The song is an upbeat track with electric guitars and catchy vocals. The song is pretty much about auditions and one in a waiting room, waiting for their name to be called. About having to hear the applause for the senior members but one day to be in their place on stage to sing and dance, because it’s the person’s dream. No matter how difficult or frustrating things will get, the person is determined to make it happen.

The third track is “Yuuhi Marie” (which translates to “Sunset Marie”), an AKB48 Team K ballad.  Surprising as most Team K songs tend to be more upbeat and dance driven.  But “Yuuhi Marie” is actually a pretty awesome song and compared to the other exclusive songs from each type, probably with the best arrangement (while Type B’s “Sokode inu no unchi fun jau ka ne?” definitely gets the most hilarious and fun song of the “So long!” releases).  The song is about a woman who is sitting on a bench that overlooks the Hudson River, always gazing.  And one wondering why she is gazing.  Why is she gazing, did she lose something?  No one knows the woman’s real name but some call her “Sunset Marie”.

The next three tracks on the CD single are the instrumental off vocal tracks of the first three songs.

As for the DVD, the one hour music video of “So long!” revolves around Mayu Watanabe and Jurina Matsui along with other AKB48 members with a storyline that is all over the place and may be too complex for people who don’t understand Japanese. From the discussion of losing a family member, discussing a certain event of one’s life. The story then shows the group visiting people from affected areas (due to earthquake and tsunami) and then transitions to the music video. As the group are outside and start singing “So long!” on the road and singing in front of green screen (which unfortunately doesn’t look too good) and sometimes picture quality is a bit on the dark side. Which then features the director talking to the viewer and then ends with more story of the drama.

For the second music video “Waiting Room”, the video is about a shoe throwing tournament at the AKB48 Undergirls School before they can become part of the elite. The video begins with a drama and showcases the Undergirls preparing for the shoe tossing contest (kicking off their shoes and trying to have it land on target). The video focuses on HKT48 captain Tashima Meru and AKB48 member Rina Kawei discussing the contests and Meru not sure if she can do it because of her leg injury. But her friends hopes for Meru to be part of the contest and Meru decides to give it her all.

For the third video “Yuuhi Marie” is actually intriguing because the video tries to give a vintage look with all AKB48 members in cowboys and Indian mixed with late ’60s hippie garb and something that looks like it came out of a vintage late ’60s Bohemian video but with modern elements as Steampunk-like machinery is seen in the background.

The fourth video is behind-the-scenes of the 2nd annual “AKB48 Kouhaku Utagassen” in which Team Red (Akagumi), led by Mariko Shinoda who takes on Team White (Shirogumi) led by Minami Takashi . The Type-K version focuses on Akagumi and features Akagumi performing “Team Aka Oshi”, NMB48 members performing “Fast Rabbit”, Paruru singing Rino Shinohara’s “Soredemo Suki Da yo”, Yuko Oshima performing “Give Me Five!” with well-known members from Japanese rock bands LUNA SEA, LINDBERG, REBECCA and SOPHIA, Mariko Shinoda singing Misaki Iwasa’s enka single “Mujin Eki”, Akagumi performing “Kimi no koto ga suki dakara” and “Manatsu no Sounds Good!” on the Type-K DVD.

1. So long! – (AKB48)
2. Waiting room – (AKB48 Undergirls)
3. そこで犬のうんち踏んじゃうかね? - (AKB48 Team B)
4. So long! off vocal ver.
5. Waiting room off vocal ver.
6. そこで犬のうんち踏んじゃうかね? off vocal ver.

DVD INFO: 16:9 LB, Region 2, Duration: 1:47:29

1. So long! Music Video
2. Waiting room Music Video
3. そこで犬のうんち踏んじゃうかね? Music Video
4. 第2回 AKB48紅白対抗歌合戦 ~白組ダイジェスト~
5. Sugar Rush Music Video

It’s the 30th CD single from the popular Japanese idol group AKB48 and once again, the group has continued to show amazing staying power for 2013 and their new single “So long!” has sold over a million copies and also putting the group in the record books as the fastest to achieve 20 million CD singles sold (which they accomplished in 7 years and one month).

The single continues the spring theme of AKB48 of being a graduation song and also is the first CD single to feature Mayu Watanabe as the primary center.

It is also the first time that AKB48 had created a one hour movie for a CD+DVD single plus three television dramas for “So long!” (featured on a separate Blu-ray and DVD release).

With a total of three types releases (Type-A, Type-K and Type-B) featuring a DVD and an exclusive third song, “So long!”, each DVD features clips from AKB48 second annual “AKB48 Kouhaku Utagassen”. A fourth version, a theater edition with no DVD, comes with an exclusive third song.

The version I will be reviewing is the Type-B version of “So long!” which comes with a slipcase which features Miyuki Watanabe, Minami Minegishi, Rino Sashihara, Yui Yokoyama, Sayaka Yamamoto and Rie Kitahara. The CD front cover features Yui Yokoyama, Rie Kitahara, Sayaka Yamamoto, Haruna Kojima, Miyuki Watanabe, Mariko Shinoda, Rino Sashihara and Minami Minegishi. The booklet features 12 pages with the lyrics and production credits and also black and white group photos.

The first track on the single is “So long!”, a sweet ballad that gradually caught my attention. The single is about one’s final memory with a best friend and friends while in school. Memories about dreams, love and tears. But knowing that this is the final time you will be with friends before graduation and by tomorrow, it’s a new chapter in the lives of those graduating. And saying goodbye to your best friend and despite going separate ways after graduating, that no matter what happens, live strong. If there is hardship, you’ll persevere. It’s a good song that grew on me after listening to it a few times, but still, “Sakura no Ki ni Narou” continues to be my favorite of the spring singles from AKB48 so far.

The second track is performed by the AKB48 Undergirls and is titled “Waiting room”. The song is an upbeat track with electric guitars and catchy vocals. The song is pretty much about auditions and one in a waiting room, waiting for their name to be called. About having to hear the applause for the senior members but one day to be in their place on stage to sing and dance, because it’s the person’s dream. No matter how difficult or frustrating things will get, the person is determined to make it happen.

The third track is “Sokode inu no unchi fun jau ka ne?” (which translates to “You’re Gonna Step in Dog Poop, Aren’t You?”), an AKB48 Team B dance track and a song with the most unlikely title from AKB48.  A jazzy, upbeat pop track with an addictive chorus.  Showcasing quite a blend of saxaphone, bass and synth, the song is about a person who comes to pick up a girl in his white convertible for their first date.  But as he got out of the car, he stepped on dog poop and the girl becomes worried about the future of their love.  And now that the person stepped on dog poop, she is frustrated because it messed up their first date, with the awful stench as the guy tried desperately to wipe it off.  And now her first date will be one that she will never forget.  A humorous song that I never expected to hear.

The next three tracks on the CD single are the instrumental off vocal tracks of the first three songs.

As for the DVD, the one hour music video of “So long!” revolves around Mayu Watanabe and Jurina Matsui along with other AKB48 members with a storyline that is all over the place and may be too complex for people who don’t understand Japanese. From the discussion of losing a family member, discussing a certain event of one’s life. The story then shows the group visiting people from affected areas (due to earthquake and tsunami) and then transitions to the music video. As the group are outside and start singing “So long!” on the road and singing in front of green screen (which unfortunately doesn’t look too good) and sometimes picture quality is a bit on the dark side. Which then features the director talking to the viewer and then ends with more story of the drama.

For the second music video “Waiting Room”, the video is about a shoe throwing tournament at the AKB48 Undergirls School before they can become part of the elite. The video begins with a drama and showcases the Undergirls preparing for the shoe tossing contest (kicking off their shoes and trying to have it land on target). The video focuses on HKT48 captain Tashima Meru and AKB48 member Rina Kawei discussing the contests and Meru not sure if she can do it because of her leg injury. But her friends hopes for Meru to be part of the contest and Meru decides to give it her all.

For the third video “Sokode inu no unchi fun jau ka ne?”, because of the hilariousness of the song, I was wondering how they would the music video, but I figured that a song about stepping on dog poop would be sick to show on video.  So, the video is like water polo matchup (which they call Polotone), but not in a pool but shallow water arena.  While Team B performs the song.

The fourth video is behind-the-scenes of the 2nd annual “AKB48 Kouhaku Utagassen” in which team red (akagumi), led by Mariko Shinoda who takes on team white (shirogumi) led by Minami Takashi . The Type-B version focuses on Shirogumi.  Showcasing Shirogumi performing “Wasshoi shiro!”, Mayu Watanabe performing Atsuko Maeda’s solo song “Kimi wa boku da”, SKE48 Shirogumi members performing AKB48′s “Shoujotachi yo”, Yuki Kashiwagi performing “Sakura no ki ni narou” and features the acoustic guitar playing of Kotaro Oshio, Minami Takahashi performing Mariko Shinoda’s “Plastic no Kuchibiru” and concluding with “Gingham Check” and “Juuryoku Sympathy”.

The fifth and final video is for “Sugar Rush”, the theme song for the Disney film “Wreck-it Ralph” (known in Japan as “Sugar Rush”).  A pretty cute video as the members are dressed as cupcakes and looking sweet or wearing their cool classes and contacts.  It’s a fun, colorful, upbeat music video.  The music video features Minami Takahashi, Yuko Oshima, Haruna Kojima, Mariko Shinoda, Tomomi Itano, Yuki Kashiwagi, Mayu Watanabe, Rina Kawei, Haruka Shimazaki and Jurina Matsui.

1. So long! – (AKB48)
2. Waiting room – (AKB48 Undergirls)
3. Ruby! – (AKB48 Team A)
4. So long! off vocal ver.
5. Waiting room off vocal ver.
6. Ruby! off vocal ver.

DVD INFO: 16:9 LB, Region 2, Duration: 1:47:29

1. So long! Music Video
2. Waiting room Music Video
3. Ruby Music Video
4. 29thシングル選抜じゃんけん大会ドキュメント(前編)

It’s the 30th CD single from the popular Japanese idol group AKB48 and once again, the group has continued to show amazing staying power for 2013 and their new single “So long!” has sold over a million copies and also putting the group in the record books as the fastest to achieve 20 million CD singles sold (which they accomplished in 7 years and one month).

The single continues the spring theme of AKB48 of being a graduation song and also is the first CD single to feature Mayu Watanabe as the primary center.

It is also the first time that AKB48 had created a one hour movie for a CD+DVD single plus three television dramas for “So long!” (featured on a separate Blu-ray and DVD release).

With a total of three types releases (Type-A, Type-K and Type-B) featuring a DVD and an exclusive third song, “So long!”, each DVD features clips from AKB48 second annual “AKB48 Kouhaku Utagassen”.  A fourth version, a theater edition with no DVD, comes with an exclusive third song.

The version I will be reviewing is the Type-A version of “So long!” which comes with a slipcase which features Yuki Oshima, Haruka Shimazaki, Mayu Watanabe, Jurina Matsui, Sayaka Yamamoto and Minami Takahashi.  The CD front cover features Haruka “Paruru” Shimazaki, Mayu Watanabe and Jurina Matsui.  The booklet features 12 pages with the lyrics and production credits and also black and white group photos.

The first track on the single is “So long!”, a sweet ballad that gradually caught my attention.  The single is about one’s final memory with a best friend and friends while in school.  Memories about dreams, love and tears.  But knowing that this is the final time you will be with friends before graduation and by tomorrow, it’s a new chapter in the lives of those graduating.  And saying goodbye to your best friend and despite going separate ways after graduating, that no matter what happens, live strong.  If there is hardship, you’ll persevere.  It’s a good song that grew on me after listening to it a few times, but still, “Sakura no Ki ni Narou” continues to be my favorite of the spring singles from AKB48 so far.

The second track is performed by the AKB48 Undergirls and is titled “Waiting room”.  The song is an upbeat track with electric guitars and catchy vocals.  The song is pretty much about auditions and one in a waiting room, waiting for their name to be called.  About having to hear the applause for the senior members but one day to be in their place on stage to sing and dance, because it’s the person’s dream.  No matter how difficult or frustrating things will get, the person is determined to make it happen.

The third track is “Ruby”, an AKB48 Team A dance track.  The song is about one wanting to be a ruby.  And is pretty much about a troubled relationship.  And how a person wants to destroy the stubborn stone in the chest of the person they love.  But somehow the stone has become something different, something beautiful…can it be fake?

The next three tracks on the CD single are the instrumental off vocal tracks of the first three songs.

As for the DVD, the one hour music video of “So long!” revolves around Mayu Watanabe and Jurina Matsui along with  other AKB48 members with a storyline that is all over the place and may be too complex for people who don’t understand Japanese.  From the discussion of losing a family member, discussing a certain event of one’s life.    The story then shows the group visiting people from affected areas (due to earthquake and tsunami) and then transitions to the music video.    As the group are outside and start singing “So long!” on the road and singing in front of green screen (which unfortunately doesn’t look too good) and sometimes picture quality is a bit on the dark side.  Which then features the director talking to the viewer and then ends with more story of the drama.

For the second music video “Waiting Room”, the video is about a shoe throwing tournament at the AKB48 Undergirls School before they can become part of the elite.  The video begins with a drama and showcases the Undergirls preparing for the shoe tossing contest (kicking off their shoes and trying to have it land on target).  The video focuses on HKT48 captain Tashima Meru and AKB48 member Rina Kawei discussing the contests and Meru not sure if she can do it because of her leg injury.  But her friends hopes for Meru to be part of the contest and Meru decides to give it her all.

For the third video “Ruby”, a security guard is checking on the mannequins (AKB48 members) who keep moving when his back is turned.  We then see members of Team A performing the song, while the security guard is bugging out as he keeps seeing the positions of the mannequins changing.

The fourth and final video is behind-the-scenes of the 2nd annual “AKB48 Kouhaku Utagassen” in which team red (akagumi), led by Mariko Shinoda who takes on team white (shirogumi) led by Minami Takashi .  This first part features the rehearsals before the live performance, moments before the special event begins.  We see the Akagumi performing “Team Aka Oshi” (a modified version of the “Team B” song) and Shirogumi performing “Wasshoi shiro!” and clips from various performances and interviews with the various members.  But also showcasing the winner (which I’m surprised it wasn’t held back for Type-B).

1. チョコの奴隷
2. 冬のかもめ - SKE48 – Shirogumi
3. 追いかけShadow – SKE48 – Akagumi
4. それを青春と呼ぶ日 – Tabidachi Sotsugyou-gumi
5. チョコの奴隷 off vocal ver.
6. 冬のかもめー off vocal ver.
7. 追いかけShadow – off vocal ver.
8. それを青春と呼ぶ日 off vocal ver.

DVD INFO: 16:9LB, Region 2, Duration: 1:00:22

1. チョコの奴隷 music video
2. それを青春と呼ぶ日 music video
3. 「無礼講でお祭り騒ぎの大宴会!」後編 (特典映像III)

SKE48, the sister idol group of AKB48 that is based in Nagoya returns with their 11th CD single “Choco no Dorei” (which translates to “A Slave for Chocolate”), a track which becomes the group’s seventh CD single to reach #1 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and also surpassed “Kiss Datte Hidarikiki” in becoming their highest selling single for its release day and for its first week with over 620,000 singles sold.

And it’s another testament to the marketing machine created by AKB48 producer Yasushi Akimoto. SKE48 was created as a test for Akimoto to see if his idea of having an nationwide 48 project would work, considering he had received offers from other countries to develop his project for their country.

And here is SKE48 having celebrated their third year anniversary and to achieve great success. But as the single will be noted for its mature dance tracks, it will also be a sad single for fans of nine members of SKE48 who are graduating.

With “Choco no Dorei”, a total of four CD single versions were released. TYPE-A, TYPE-B and TYPE-C (Note: Limited and regular edition of all three types have different covers) will include a DVD with music videos but also a video celebrating the group’s third year anniversary broken up into three parts. A theater edition comes with both exclusive tracks from Type-A and B plus an 11th single medley with no DVD is also available.

It’s important to note that among the three type releases, Type-C comes with four vocal tracks (eight tracks total), while Type-A and Type-B come with three (six tracks total).

The version I will be reviewing is “Choco no Dorei” (Type-C). The CD insert is a tri-fold featuring SKE48/AKB48 member Rie Kitahara as the center on the cover. When opened up, all 16 members holding yellow balloons are featured on one side, while lyrics and production credits are featured on the other side. Reverse cover on the back features a photo of the nine graduating SKE48 members.

The first track on the single is “Choco no Dorei”, an upbeat synth/brass dance track. An addictive single with great vocals from the group, “Choco no Dorei” is about a guy sitting in a classroom looking at a bag with sweets and is hoping the bag is an answer from a person they love on Valentine’s Day. A slave to chocolate, as the guys will hold out their hands in hopes to receive chocolate form a girl they like, and if she does, he may shed a tear of happiness.

The second track is titled “Fuyu no Kamome” (which translates to “Winter Seagull”) and is performed by SKE48′s Shirogumi.  A fun, upbeat idol pop track from Shirogumi, the song is about a person wonders why a seagull came to the beach in the cold winter.  And the person wants the seagull to take them far away, across the ocean, where paradise exists.

The third track is titled “Oikake Shadow” (which translates to “Chase the Shadow”) and is performed by SKE48′s Akagumi.  Another fun, upbeat idol pop track from Akagumi.  The song is about a girl who wants to wait in the rain in order to see her boyfriend (or ex-boyfriend) come out of the bus.   And the girl hoping the guy “chases the shadow” because she is the shadow standing on the wet asphalt.

The fourth track is titled “Sore wo Seishu to Yobu Hi” and is performed by Tabidachi Sotsugyou-gumi (Journey Alumni) which consists of the nine graduating members of SKE48: Kumi Yagami, Mizuki Kuwabara, Shiori Takada, Kanako Hiramatsu, Shiori Ogiso, Ririna Akaeda, Kasumi Ueno, Minami Hara and Emiri Kobayashi.

A sad but hopeful graduation song of each member singing about being in the theater in front of an audience to say their goodbye. Saying thank you to everyone and remembering the days of singing and dancing with friends and looking at their locker of the things they cherished. And as they prepare for the future, they hope that they can come back someday to see their friends that they have grown up with along the way.

The remainder of the four tracks are the instrumental versions of the first four vocal tracks.

As for the DVD, it’s important to note that the graduation music video is only featured in the Type-C release of “Choco no Dorei”.

The DVD begins with the music video of “Choco no Dorei” and focuses on SKE48 performing and dancing on stage, with videos of the members practicing their choreography, stretching and visiting the theater.

The second music video is for “Sore wo Seishu to Yobu Hi”. The final goodbye featuring SKE48 members Kumi Yagami, Mizuki Kuwabara, Shiori Takada, Kanako Hiramatsu, Shiori Ogiso, Ririna Akaeda, Kasumi Ueno, Minami Hara and Emiri Kobayashi.  A sad video of the nine members sitting above a building and singing and drawing together.  Also, performing on stage with their red and white dresses.  A wonderful yet sad video as SKE48 are losing some of their most popular members.  Also, it was nice to see Kumi take the center position in this music video.

The third and final video on the DVD features part 3 of the group’s third year anniversary celebration. The members of SKE48 are in a restaurant, taking part in their next competition which is “guess who’s voice” and another competition with members dressing up as guys, more pantyhose stretching competitions and Jurina and Rena must partake in putting their hands in a box (not knowing what is inside).

It’s important to note that this is a region 2 DVD and will not play on a region 1 player (unless you have a non-region DVD player) but can be played on a MAC or PC using free video playing software such as VLC or Daum PotPlayer.

Overall, “Choco no Dorei” (Type-C) is a pretty cool CD+DVD and this is where fans will probably opt for Type-C because it comes with four songs (eight tracks total) but it’s the only CD+DVD type to feature the graduation music video and also comes with the final part of the SKE48 third anniversary challenge event.  While I enjoy the tracks on Type-A and enjoy the DVD content in Type-B, Type-C is pretty a must get for SKE48 fans as it is the final goodbye single for Kumi Yagami, Mizuki Kuwabara, Shiori Takada, Kanako Hiramatsu, Shiori Ogiso, ririna Akaeda, Kasumi Ueno, Minami Hara and Emiri Kobayashi.

Featuring four cool tracks plus a DVD with an hour’s worth of cool content, “Choco no Dorei” (Type-C) is highly recommended!

BUY THIS CD SINGLE from cdjapan.com:

Choco no Dorei [Limited Edition / Type B / CD+DVD]

SKE48