AKB48 – Eien Pressure (Type-D) (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)

1. 永遠プレッシャー – (AKB48)
2. とっておきクリスマス – (AKB48)
3. 永遠より続くように – (OKL48)
4. 永遠プレッシャー off vocal ver.
5. とっておきクリスマス off vocal ver.
6. 永遠より続くように off vocal ver.

DVD INFO: 16:9 LB, Region 2, Duration: 21:41

1. 永遠プレッシャー Music Video
2. とっておきクリスマス Music Video
3. 永遠より続くように Music Video

In September 2012, the third AKB48 Janken Taikai (rock-paper-scissors) tournament was held and the victor was Team 4 member Haruka “Paruru” Shimazaki.

For those not familiar of why AKB48 holds the tournament, the reason is because while AKB48 holds a Senbatsu Election and fans can vote for who is their popular member and will eventually lead to who would become the main center performer and the primary performers for an upcoming CD single, fans felt it was not fair for the other members who aren’t as popular, as they would never have a chance to be on a major single release.

So, to help solve that problem, the Janken Taikai tournament was created in which the top 16 members who do well in the tournament can perform the main track for the final single of the year.  And the single has led to AKB48 members such Mayumi Uchida (unranked) and Mariko Shinoda (who is ranked but never center) a chance to become the main center.  And for 2012, Haruka Shimazaki, who was ranked #23 in this year’s Senbatsu elections, came first in the Janken Taikai tournament, insuring her as the center (Ace) for AKB48’s 29th CD single track “Eien Pressure” (which translates to “Eternal Pressure”).

And once again, AKB48 had sold over a million copies with their latest single.  First day sales were 840,043 but four days later, the group would eventually sell over a million copies and continue with their solid footing in the #1 position for two weeks straight and the single staying within the top 5 or top 10 by the end of the year.

“Eien Pressure” was released in five different versions.  TYPE-A, TYPE-B and TYPE-C would feature an exclusive third track by SKE48, NMB48 or HKT48, each with a DVD featuring music videos plus each type containing one of three parts of the 29th Single Janken Takai tournament documentary (so, if you want to watch the complete documentary, you would need to purchase all three types).  The fourth version would be the theater edition with no DVD but the single would come with an exclusive third track.

And also, a fifth TYPE-D version.

With the janken single, fans get the janken group track but also the AKB48 Christmas track.  But before this single was released, something fascinating took place on television.  The Fuji TV variety show “Mecha Mecha Iketeru!” hosted by comedy duo Ninety-Nine (Takashi Okamura and Hiroyuki Abe) would do an AKB48 special.  The group has done quite a few specials with SMAP and EXILE but also AKB48.  In the special episode, the show was about Hiroyuki Abe giving viewers a chance to see the kind of jobs that people have at an AKB48 handshaking event.  Meanwhile, Okamura was dressed up in a lemon outfit and doing a fun segment in which the AKB48 girls were in line trying to get a handshake with him.

But as the special progressed, it would focus on Paruru shaking hands and eventually helping her with her handshake with the fans, but also giving her more experience by trying to get fans to attend a Mecha-Ike handshake event for her.  She eventually succeeded and was greeted by her fellow janken team members for “Eien Pressure”, but not wanting to be outdone by his partner, Okamura came out with his lemon outfit and showed his group, AKB48 members in lemon head outfits and would be known as OKL48.

And being the marketing genius that he is, AKB48 creator Yasushi Akimoto decided to take the concept of OKL48 and release a Type-D version of the single featuring OKL48 on the cover but also a music video by the group with a special song by OKL48 that would be featured only on this single.

Suffice to say, with the popularity of the variety show and the unusual fact that Okamura’s lemon head character would be featured, this version would include the OKL48 track and the music video on DVD.

So, the version of “Eien Pressure” that I am reviewing is TYPE-D.  On the front of the insert is Okamura and eight OKL48 members with their lemon heads and yellow and white outfits, with the rear of the CD featuring the other eight OKL48 members.   The insert is a five-fold piece featuring photos of the 15 OKL48 members plus Okamura as the 16th member on one side, while the other side features the lyrics and production credits.

The first track is “Eien Pressure” and features Haruka Shimazaki, Moeno Nito, Yui Yokoyama, Mayumi Uchida, Mariko Nakamura, Maria Abe, Mariko Shinoda, Miyu Takeuchi, Natsumi Matsubara, Yuki Kashiwagi, Kasumi Ueno, Chisato Nakata, Ami Maeda, Ayaka Umeda, Kanon Kimoto and Tomomi Itano.

The single is a sweet, upbeat track sung by the 2012 Janken Taikai and it’s an upbeat, cute song that I enjoy because of its lyrics.  The song is about a person who does not want to become the girl of one’s dreams, because of the pressure.  And when the guy confessed that he liked the girl, the girl is wondering why did the guy choose her?  She doesn’t like to be watched by people because of the pressure.   And she tells the guy to not expect too much from her (due to the pressure), she will be useless like she is now.  And she hopes the guy doesn’t compare her to other girls.  She’s weird, doesn’t have many skills and feels that love is eternal pressure.

The second track is the annual AKB48 Christmas track titled “Totteoki Christmas” (which translates to Prized Possession for Christmas).  The Christmas song has the Christmas style background with the bells and arrangement.  An upbeat, pop track with a constant beat, “Totteoki Christmas” is a song about how a girl wants to be the most important thing on Christmas night. To be the prized possession for Christmas.  And she came to a location where there are Christmas lights all around, snow falling with a Christmas tree near the station.  As she looks around,s he sees families and people with their loved one.  And this person wanting the Christmas night to be the #1 special night of the year.

The third track on the single is “Eien Yori Tsuzuku Yo Ni” (which translates to “To Forever Follow”) performed by OKL48.  The song does not feature Ninety-Nine’s Okamura singing and the song is pretty much an AKB48 upbeat idol track (a good track but in OKL48 fashion, they are wearing lemon heads).  Despite their appearance, the song is actually quite positive about a person who has grown tired doing the same things day after day and wants to try something new.  And everyday, she wants to treasure that day knowing that a person has happy days that will continue to flow.  But she hopes those happy days continue to flow forever and ever and she wishes for that when she sees a flying star.

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

As for the DVD, “Eien Pressure” gets a 11 minute music video and features Paruru arriving to a hotel with her luggage.  She gets to meet the other people in the hotel and how some people behave unusually.  But as the other people in the hotel check out the new person, meanwhile Yukirin is stalking Yui in the shower.  Late at night while Paruru is eating an apple on the ledge, she sees Tomochin slipping out at night and going out on a date.  Meanwhile, Paruru is introduced to Mariko who tells her that she must go out and pick certain flowers near the mountain.   This discussion leads to Paruru having a discussion of being the center.  And the video transitions to the janken top 16 performing “Eien Pressure” and Paruru going out towards the mountain on her own.  Meanwhile, Kanon is revealed to be a witch and she secretly uses her crystal ball to change the directions on Paruru and lead her to the wrong direction, which leads to Paruru falling off a cliff.  As Kanon tries to disguise herself as Mariko Shinoda, Paruru discovers Kanon’s trick and shoots her back with lightning.  And while Moeno worries about Paruru, Paruru comes back to the hotel and everyone cheers for her.

The second music video is for “Totteoki Christmas” and the video features members of AKB48 in red dresses performing in front of a Christmas tree and on the snow, while bokeh illumination are in the background.  The main storyline is Yuko arriving to a location where she sees people celebrating Christmas.   She watches as everyone is having fun.  Families and couples start to leave the area and as each of them leave and go home, Yuko is the last one there waiting to see if the guy she likes (or boyfriend) will arrive.

The third and final video is for “Eien Yori Tsuzuku Yo Ni” and OKL48 are working hard at a factory but don’t know why.  The members are seen in lemon heads and outfits and as they perform their song in a colorful factory.  Ninety-Nine’s Takashi Okamura (also in his lemon head outfit is shown dancing with the girls and while he is not featured a lot, you can’t help but laugh whenever he shows up (as he has done with EXILE and SMAP on “Mecha-Ike”).

And as these lemon head workers become curious of the packages they are carrying, they decide to open the package, while other members prevent them from doing so.  As they argue, the box falls over and the members look inside and are all happy.  The factory reveals itself to be a “Dream Factory”.