AKB48 Team Suprise – Oteage Lullaby (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)

1. お手上げララバイ

DVD INFO: 16:9 LB, Region 2, Duration: 4:13

1. お手上げララバイ Music Clip

To commemorate the release of the Pachinko AKB48 game machine and a tie-in with Pachinko company Kyoraku, 16 senbatsu members of AKB48 would form a special team known as “Team Surprise” and a total of 12 songs featured in the pachinko game will be released each week via a CD+DVD single beginning in September 2012.

The members to participate in this special project are (note: the lineup is before their fall 2012 lineup change):

Team A: Maeda Atsuko, Takahashi Minami, Takajo Aki, Shinoda Mariko, Kojima Haruna, Team K: Oshima Yuko, Itano Tomomi, Yokoyama Yui, Miyazawa Sae, Minegishi Minami; Team B: Watanabe Mayu, Kashiwagi Yuki, Kitahara Rie; Team 4: Shimazaki Haruka; SKE48 Team S: Matsui Rena and HKT48 Team H: Sashihara Rino

Each week from September through mid-November, a single plus its music video was released via a pachinko hall version (which can be won or sold at pachinko halls) and a web version, each featuring two different covers and will come with exclusive collectors cards for the pachinko hall and another for the web version.

It’s important to note that because these releases are not sold in regular stores, the best way for those living outside of Japan to purchase these singles is through eBay.

One of the cool aspects of AKB48 Team Surprise is the ability to create groups or pairings that you would probably never see from AKB48. But surprising fans was the announcement that the eighth AKB48 Team Surprise single would be a solo and it would be a solo featuring longtime AKB48 leader Minami “Takamina” Takahashi.

“Oteage Lullaby” can be translated to “Hopeless Lullaby” and the version of the single that I am reviewing is the Pachinko Hall version. The front cover features Takamina and also images of her inside the 8-page booklet. Featured are lyrics, production credits and liner notes from Ishigami. The back cover of the CD features Atsuko Maeda, Minami Takahashi and Mayu Watanabe (note: by putting all 12 CD’s together, like a puzzle, you can see a complete image).

Also, by visiting the official website for “Oteage Lullaby”, you can get access to liner notes, gallery (a few photos are what is featured in the CD insert), wallpaper and poster.

“Oteage Lullaby” is an interesting track, upbeat rock/dance track that is a different style than what we are used to seeing of TakaMina.  The song is a darker love song and fits her look with dark clothing and mascara running down her cheek.  Showing a darker, edgier side of Minami.  And according to Ishigami, the song is an adult love song.  In the liner notes, Ishigami talks about AKB48 members receiving a solo and TakaMina having the only solo to be featured in AKB48 Team Surprise.

The song is about a girl who feels numb, in darkness, tears coming down her eyes and is irritated because she doesn’t know what is wrong with her.  She wants a guy to be kind to her, good to her and she wonders if she is hopeless in finding that type of guy.  Depressed, jealous, she sings this hopeless lullaby and wants someone to call out her name.

As for the DVD, the music video features Minami Takahashi in black leather coming off her motorcycle and walking into a bar with many guys playing pool or drinking.  While she walks by them and singing, once she reaches the center, the guys get up and start dancing all around her.  I have to say, I’m quite impressed by this video because it’s a different look and style for Takamina.  It has a fierceness that we would see from someone like Yuko Oshima but to see her singing and dancing in tight black leather with male background dancers or flames coming out on the stage, it’s an interesting video and different from any of the AKB48 Team Surprise or AKB48-related music videos thus far.

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, the AKB48 Team Surprise CD singles may not be for everyone, primarily because there is only one song and one music video and they cost the same price of a regular single. But yet, if you are an AKB48 collector and you gotta collect them all, this is a pretty cool solo dance track featuring Minami Takahashi’s solo.  An awesome upbeat track and a CD+DVD worth recommending!