AKB48 Team Surprise – 1994-nen no raimei (Pachinko Hall Version M6) (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)

1. 1994年の雷鳴

DVD INFO: 16:9 LB, Region 2, Duration: 3:56

1. 1994年の雷鳴 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.  We have seen a few interesting groups from AKB48 Team Surprise so far, but with the sixth single “1994-nen no raimei”, the single utilizes their top five Senbatsu members (not including Atsuko Maeda) with Yuko Oshima taking the lead center role, followed by Minami “Takamina” Takahashi, Tomomi “Tomochin” Itano, Mariko Shinoda and Haruna “NyanNyan” Kojima.

“1994-nen no raimei” can be translated to “The Thunder of 1994” and the version of the single that I am reviewing is the Pachinko Hall version. The front cover features the five members in blue outfits and features images of each member inside the 8-page booklet. Featured are lyrics, production credits and liner notes from Ishigami. The back cover of the CD features Tomomi Itano, Yuki Kashiwagi and Yuko Oshima (note: by putting all 12 CD’s together, like a puzzle, you can see a complete image).

Also, by visiting the official website for “1994-nen no raimei”, you can get access to liner notes, gallery (a few photos are what is featured in the CD insert), wallpaper and poster.

“1994-nen no raimei” is what I call a Team-K sound.  Upbeat dance/rock track with a lot of electric guitar and a track that emphasizes fiercer, not cuter choreography and it’s actually quite appropriate with Yuko Oshima at the center.  It’s a song that fits her and also Tomomi Itano’s Team K dance style.  Ishigami writes that when he was in high school in 1994, many of the AKB48 Team Surprise members for this song were children with Mariko Shinoda, the oldest at 8-years-0d and Haruna Kojima at 6-years old at the time.  So, for the girls to sing a song of a memory from 1994 may seem odd as it is about a person’s memory of possibly considering losing their virginity in 1994.

The song is about a guy and girl with their bodies close to each other during a thunder storm.  She didn’t want to go home, both were soaking wet and with the two bodies pressed on each other, both felt love.  As the thunder was seen in the background, both just stood there against the wall, bodies together and just stared at each other.  In the lyrics, the person mentions that they refused to become an adult that day, so I imagine this to mean, he wasn’t ready to have sex yet.

As for the DVD, the music video features the five members on stage dancing and performing to the song.  The members in their blue outfits and black high heel boots and singing with the wind blowing through their faces.  And the girls running and singing behind bars.  It’s a cool video, a different vibe compared to the other AKB48 Team Surprise singles that were more cutesy or R&B-based.  But it definitely had a more Team K feel with the rock/dance music and more energetic choreography.

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 upbeat pop track. And if you are a fan of Yuko, Takamina, Tomichin, Mariko or Nyan Nyan, then this is a single that will no doubt interest you!

“1994-nen no raimei”, the sixth AKB48 Team Surprise CD+DVD release is a sweet, fun song worth checking out!